This story contains sex between minor boys and teen-agers. If such things offend you, or you are not at least 18 years of age, then please don't read on. This story is not true, but who knows, maybe some day it will be.
CHAPTER 46 Takeoff
by Douglas DD
The "Survivor" sat at the end of the runway. Enghar had his head buried in his dad's chest. He knew that any second now he would hear the roar of the rockets and his love and Meshanna would be gone forever.
The crowd waited for the shuttle to take off, but it just sat there on the end of the runway. Roobine was watching from the control tower. He knew Alex and Stevie had finished their checklist and that they should be revving up the engines and taking off, however nothing was happening.
"Alex, is everything okay?" he asked on the radio.
He got nothing but silence back. He started to worry. "Alex? What's going on there?"
Again there was just silence. The shuttle started to move. Good, Roobine thought, they are starting their takeoff. But the "Survivor" was not accelerating, it was taxiing.
Enghar could hear the engines rev up and he buried his head deeper into his dad's chest. The doctor turned his son around and showed him what was happening. The shuttle moved slowly down the runway, turned toward the terminal, taxied to it, and stopped. Enghar could feel his heart thumping. He knew this had to do with Mattoo.
He saw the steps rolled up to the shuttle. He wanted to look and he didn't want to look. Maybe it wasn't about Mattoo at all. Maybe they just forgot something, or maybe something was broken.
The door opened, and Mike stood in the opening. Enghar felt his heart stop. They must have forgotten something. He turned back to his dad, who could see the hurt in his son's face. The doctor looked up at the door again and saw the big teenager hugging a little boy, then taking his hand and leading him down the steps. He turned Enghar around and showed him who was coming down. Enghar's eyes opened up wide and he ran to the steps. The boy was holding a beat up backpack in one hand and Mike's hand in the other. He dropped both and ran towards Enghar.
"Mattoooooooooo!!!!" Enghar yelled.
They opened their arms and hugged each other and cried.
"Are you staying?" Enghar asked.
"I'm home. Why should I leave? How can I leave my Meshanna?" He turned to the doctor who had followed Enghar and hugged him. "Or my family."
He ran back to the steps and gave Mike a huge hug. "I love you, big brother."
"I love you little brother."
Matthew looked up the stairs and saw Douglas standing there. He gave him a wave. Douglas smiled and waved back. They both thought about what had happened on the "Survivor" as it sat on the runway ready for takeoff. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Alex was just finishing his checklist with Stevie and Roobine. Scooter was in the cockpit too, so he could do the translating. They heard loud voices coming from the cabin.
"What's going on?" Alex asked.
"I don't know," Scooter said. "I'll go back and take a look."
Scooter unbuckled his seat belt and went back. He saw right away what the problem was. Matthew was yelling, "I don't want to go!" He could see tears flowing down the boy's cheeks.
Douglas got up out of his seat. "You have to go Matthew. I have to get you home safely." He looked at Scooter. "Tell Alex we're ready to take off." He sat in the seat across from Matthew and buckled himself back in. But Scooter just stood there.
"Scooter, you know he can't stay here!" Douglas said.
Maybe this is where he belongs', he heard Scooter say in his mind. Maybe it's his decision, not yours.'
`Scooter, you have to back me up here. You know I'm right. We've talked about it.'
`I thought you were right, my love. But now I'm not so sure. I think it has to be up to him.'
`He's eleven years old. He can't decide this. I have to take him home to his parents.'
`Listen to yourself, my love. Everything you're saying is about you. Nothing you're saying is about Matthew. This decision isn't about you, it's about him, and it's time you started listening.'
`I'm the leader, Scooter. Sometimes I have to decide what's right for people, even if they don't like it.'
`When do I get to call you RC?' Scooter asked.
Douglas looked at Scooter with a stunned look on his face. He felt like he had just been slapped. `That's not a fair thing to say and you know it, Scooter. Matthew has to go because it's the right decision, not because I'm trying to be his boss. It has to be this way because it's right. He has to go.'
`Whether he likes it or not.'
`Exactly.'
Matthew was getting impatient. All he could see was the two boys staring at each other, intense and almost angry looks on their faces.
Alex broke the silence by opening the door and coming out of the cockpit. "What's the problem? Why aren't we ready to take off?"
"You said for me to follow my heart, Alex," Matthew said. "Everybody says I should go back with you guys, but my heart says it wants me to stay. So I'm staying!"
Douglas stared at Alex. So Alex was behind this. He felt betrayed by Matthew, by Scooter, and by Alex. He had promised to get them all back. He owed it to them and to their parents. He knew how Matthew felt, and he understood, but there was no way Matthew was staying on Inferno.
"No!" Douglas said. "You have to go, Matthew. This isn't your home. This isn't where you belong."
"Yes, it is! Enghar is my Meshanna. His parents love him! I do belong here! Not with people who don't care about me!. Not with people who were mean to me my whole life!"
"But they're your parents, Matthew, and...
"I don't give a shit!" the boy yelled back. "I hate them. I fucking hate them!" Now everybody was staring at the crying boy. Little Matthew had always been quiet, sweet, and even tempered through everything he had gone through, which was a lot more than some of the rest of them had been through. He had never screamed, and nobody could remember ever hearing him cuss. The cabin was quiet. Only the air fans could be heard.
Mike got up and signaled to Douglas to go to the back with him. He signaled to Scooter and Alex to join him.
The four boys stood at the back of the cabin ready to listen to Mike.
"Douglas, I became Matthew's little brother on the 'Starkeeper' because of how his parents treated him and because of how Jordan and RC treated him, he wanted to die. He was eleven years old and didn't want to live any more. It was that bad. Then he ends up buried alive in the desert, and only blind luck got him rescued. He is lucky to be sitting here alive right now. It was Enghar and Enghar's family who brought him totally back to health, both his mind and his body."
"That's all great," Douglas interrupted. "But he still....."
"Douglas. Just shut up for a minute, will you?" Mike said. "Just listen."
Once again Douglas was stunned. None of his friends had ever talked to him this way. "Say what you want. Matthew isn't staying here."
"Douglas, he found what he wants in life here, on an alien planet, with beings different from us. They are a lot like us, too. He should really not be alive now, but he is. The only reason he agreed to leave Inferno is because he loves and respects you, Douglas. Because he was willing to do whatever you wanted, even if it tore him up inside. He has shown his feelings and love for you. I talked to him and gave him advice to go with us, because I love and respect you too.
"But I see now that I was wrong and that you are wrong. Matthew's life is here on Inferno. He should have died here, but instead he found life here. We have no right to make him go. He belongs here."
Douglas sat in one of the seats. "No. I promised. I promised all of you. It's like in a way the promise was made to his parents, to all of our parents. I promised to get you all back. I'm responsible for getting him home. It's why you made me leader."
Scooter decided it was time for him to talk. "My love, we made you leader because we wanted to follow you. Anywhere, anytime. We love and trust you. But you never promised to take us home. You promised to take us to safety. You did that with Matthew. He is safe and loved here."
"It's my decision. I know what you're saying. It's my decision, and he has to go."
Scooter sat next to Douglas and tried putting his arm around him. Douglas pulled away from him. Scooter looked Douglas directly in the eye. "From the first day we elected you leader, the four of us met to talk over the tough things we needed to do. You decided but we helped you. And you listened to us. Listen to us now. Please."
"I never thought you would ever turn on me Scooter. Go ahead. Do whatever you want. I don't care." He turned and stared out the window.
Scooter started to reach for him, then turned to Mike. "Let's go. I think Matthew is going to be home faster than the rest of us."
Mike led Scooter up the aisle. Alex looked at Douglas and said, "Douglas, this isn't like you at all. Not at all. You didn't listen to your heart or to Matthew's heart. You didn't look to see what was best for the other person. You looked to see what was best for yourself. That's not what made you a great leader." He walked up the aisle too, but Douglas wouldn't look away from the window.
Mike sat down next to Matthew. "Hi, little brother."
Matthew fought off a sniffle. "Well, I've got to go don't I?" He saw Alex and Scooter go back into the cockpit.
Mike was ready to tell him that Alex was going to taxi him back to the terminal, that the decision had been made. Mike also realized that if he did it would almost be an act of mutiny against Douglas. Douglas's behavior right now was way out of character. He knew the incident with Robert Charles in the cave was still eating away at Douglas, and perhaps was clouding his judgement. Whatever was making him behave the way was, he still was their leader. If they commited an act of mutiny against him, no matter how the good the reason, no matter how close their friendships were, then Douglas could never again be the leader he was. Mike knew that only Douglas could make the final decision.
"Go back and talk to Douglas," Mike said. "He will answer that question for you."
Still sniffling, Matt got up out of his seat and walked to the back of the shuttle, where he saw Douglas still staring sullenly out the window.
"Can I go home now, Douglas?"
Douglas turned slowly and faced Matt. He saw Matt's tear stained face and looked into his sad eyes. He had a sudden vision of the boy on the floor of the "Moonduster", so full of pain, yet so quiet and uncomplaining. He remembered the little boy who would bravely whisper, "Green horsey," thought the pain, trying to tell his friends what it was he saw, hoping it would save him. He understood how much Matt loved them, and he understood how much Matt loved his Hakaanen family. He had been selfish and closed minded.
His friends had been right for standing up to him.
Douglas looked at Matt and smiled. "Alex is going to taxi us back to the terminal," he said. "I think somebody who loves you very much is waiting for you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really." Douglas gave him a big hug and his best smile.
"I love you, Douglas." Matt got up out of the seat and walked back to where Mike was standing. The tears started streaming down his face again, a mixture of tears of happiness and tears of sadness.
"I'm going to miss you, big brother. I love you."
"I love you too. But this is where you belong. This is where your family is now. I'm sorry that I told you differently. I was wrong."
"I love you brother. And I'm happy. I'm doing what Alex said. I'm following my heart."
"You're doing the right thing, little brother. I'll never forget you. Ever."
"I won't ever forget you either big brother. You're my hero. You saved me back then on the ship. I love you," he said one more time.
Mike leaned over and kissed him on the lips. The shuttle started moving toward the terminal. They kissed deep and hard and long. Mike rubbed Matthew's head and back and looked at the beautiful boy who he loved so much. He really would miss him, but he was happy for him.
The shuttle soon came back to the terminal. Mike and Matthew got up. Matthew walked to the back of the shuttle and stood next to where Douglas was sitting.
"Thank you, Douglas. I love you."
Douglas got up and gave Matthew a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you, my dear friend. Thanks for being great. I wish you nothing but happiness in your new life. You're wonderful, Matthew. Never forget what a beautiful person you are."
He watched Matthew and Mike leave the shuttle down the stairs. He looked as Enghar and Matthew ran to each other and kissed and hugged and cried. Douglas felt tears on his cheek. He remembered the day he left the buried tents in the desert, knowing little Matthew was dead, that he would never see him again, and that there was nothing he could do about it, and how terribly he felt about it. He remembered how he felt when he found out Matthew was alive and living with an alien family. The happiness in Matthew was totally obvious.
And Scooter's words hit him. "When do I get to call you RC, then?" And Alex saying, "You didn't look to see what was best for the other person. You looked to see what was best for yourself. That's not what made you a great leader."
They were right. He had let it all go to his head thinking he knew what was right and what was best. Matthew was loved and happy right here. All he was caring about was making all the adults, like Matthew's parents, happy. It was his friends who chose him their leader, not the adults. He knew Mike could have ordered Alex to taxi the suttle back to the terminal. He knew why Mike sent Matthew back to him instead of giving the order himself. Mike had given him one more chance to do what was right for Matthew. He knew this time he had made the right decision, the one that was best for a friend who loved and trusted him. He held back his tears, stood at the door and gave Matthew a last wave and a last look.
He stood at the door. Matthew saw him and waved to him. Douglas waved back.
"I love you, Matthew!" Douglas yelled. "Good luck. And I'm sorry!"
Matthew's grin threatened to break his face. "I love you, Douglas! You don't need to be sorry. Thank you!" He held tightly on to Enghar, like if he was to let him go he would be sucked back into the shuttle.
Matthew threw him a kiss. Douglas threw one back. Mike walked up the stairs smiling and happy.
The stairs were pulled away and the door was closed. Mike gave Douglas a huge hug, squeezing him tight.
Douglas stood in front of the cabin. Alex, Stevie, and Scooter listened in.
"I was wrong guys. I thought I knew what was best for everybody, and that what was best was what I wanted. I promised to get you guys home, but I guess what I really meant is the way Scooter put it. It was to get you guys safe." Douglas paused for a moment. "And it looks like right now, the only person who has gone to safety is Matthew."
Douglas looked around the shuttle. "If anybody else feels like Inferno is his home, now is your chance. And there will be no hard feelings from me or anybody."
Travis spoke up. "I don't know about everybody else. I like it here. I like the Hakaanen. I made great friends here. If I had to stay here I wouldn't be unhappy. But, a lot of you really miss your families. And the Hakaanen need us to get them help. Douglas and Alex need as much help as they can get to get us to Hakaan. Matthew found a family and a love here bigger than what any of the rest of us found. He became somebody's Meshanna. Mattoo," he used the little boy's Hakaan name, "belongs here. I could stay and be happy. But I don't belong here. I'm staying with Douglas."
Mike added one thing. "You were wrong about Matthew, Douglas. But you know that and admitted it. But as for the rest of us, you were right. We need to go back. And you need all of us to do that. And I have a feeling if all of this works out, maybe someday some of us will find our way back. Now, let's get this crate off the ground!"
Douglas hugged Mike and looked up into his brown eyes. "Thanks, Mike. I owe you."
"Bullshit. It's us who owe you. I just helped make a payment for us."
They all sat back down and buckled up as Alex taxied back to the end of the runway. Scooter got up and sat next to Douglas. "They don't need me. They can take right off. I'll go back up when we're in space," Scooter said. "You were awesome at the end, my love. Thank you."
"I'm sorry I was such a stubborn mule," Douglas said, calling himself what his dad liked to call him.
"I'm sorry I said the mean thing I said to you," Scooter replied. `About RC', he said mentally.
"Wake up call," Douglas said. "I needed it."
The two boys hugged each other.
"Why are we keeping the shuttle in space?" Brett asked Douglas from the seat across the aisle. "Don't the Hakaan at least need it for parts?"
"We're not keeping it in space," Douglas answered. "It's being connected to the starship. We're taking it with us. We don't know if they have shuttles that work any more on Hakaan. So we might need one. We know this one works and has enough fuel to land. Plus, Alex knows how to fly it."
Brett nodded his head and grabbed Jeremy's hand.
The "Survivor" got to the end of the runway. Alex turned it, revved up the rockets, and let it shoot down the runway. They all felt the wheels leave the ground.
Mattoo, Enghar, and all the Hakaanen watched and waved as the shuttle's wheels left the ground of Inferno for probably the last time ever. Mattoo looked around and suddenly realized that he was the last round ear left on the planet.
NEXT CHAPTER 47 Hakaan
Constructive comments are welcomed. E-mail me, Douglas DD, at TheHakaanen@Hotmail.com