Part 3

"Uh-oh." The next thing Odin knew, the world flipped around and he was
being carried into the room.

Fey paled. "You said you weren't gonna get'n TROUBLE!" He ran to
block the adult. "He ... he's gonna teach me t'read an write! We went
ta get books so he could teach me! He didn't do nuthin wrong! 'Sides
... you're not even his da!"

Odin Lowe knelt in front of the distressed child. "He disobeyed a
direct order. I may not be Odin's father, but I am responsible for
him. If my enemies had gotten a hold on him, my mission would be
severely compromised. While I approve of him teaching you how to read,
he should have waited until I got back." With that, he gently moved
Fey to a corner. "Stay here. I don't want to hit you by accident.
You didn't do anything wrong." He ignored the sounds of Fey's soft
sobbing as he removed his belt. "You know the procedure, boy."

Odin Jr. glanced at Fey and blushed. "Yes, sir." He walked over to
the bed and bent over it. He bit his lip as his pants were lowered and
prepared himself as best he could. When he felt a draft on his behind,
he met Fey's eyes. "This isn't your fault!" Then he buried his face
in the mattress as the belt hit his exposed bottom sharply. He tried
to hold his cries back for the first few blows, but it was to no avail
when the belt buckle slipped from Odin Sr.'s grasp and cut into the
tender flesh. He screamed in pain as the leather landed on the welt
that was now oozing blood. He counted the ten blows that hit him there
before he was sobbing whole-heartedly.

Odin Lowe Sr. whipped the child with his belt four more times before he
nodded. While he was replacing his belt, he looked over to where Fey
was sobbing. "Get the first aid kit." He watched Fey comply and then
knelt down. "Do you understand why I did that? It's not just because
I was angry with him. It's because he needs to obey the orders I give
him. His life depends on following my orders on some missions. I
didn't do it because I enjoy inflicting pain." He selected a tube of
ointment and handed it to Fey. "Apply this to the welts ... it'll take
the sting away and prevent infection from setting into that cut." He
sighed and walked around to meet Odin Jr.'s eyes. "This time ... STAY
IN THE ROOM. Understand?"

Odin Jr. nodded miserably. His whole backside felt like it was on fire
and he knew that Fey was blaming himself. "I'm sorry, sir. It won't
happen again."

Fey sniffled as the adult left the room. "You okay? I'm really sorry,
Odin! You got'n trouble 'cause of me."

Odin winced and reached back to take Fey's hand. "No. I got in
trouble because I disobeyed a direct order. It was NOT your fault."
He whimpered as the ointment stung his sensitive skin.

Fey winced in sympathy. "You gonna be okay?" He gently continued to
apply the ointment to the angry-looking wounds on his friend's skin.

Odin nodded. "I'll live. I won't be able to WALK for the rest of the
week, but I'll be all right. I'm sorry you had to see that, Fey. It
was embarassing." Then he smiled slightly. "You know what, though?"

"What?" Fey went to Odin's bag and pulled out a pair of shorts that
had an elastic waist.

Odin's smile widened as Fey carefully pulled the shorts over the
stinging area. "Thanks." He crawled onto the bed and turned to face
Fey before he flopped onto his stomach. "Even knowing I'd be punished,
I would've done it again. I had fun today, despite the thugs on Fifth
Avenue. I liked listening to you talk about everything and nothing. I
don't usually have words to say, so it was refreshing to not have to."

Fey smiled. "Yeah? Well ... it was nice to chatter away an' not have
someone cuff me for talkin' too much." He reached forward and brushed
Odin's sweat-dampened bangs away from his face as Odin yawned. "You
sleepy?"

Odin nodded. "Yeah. Howabout you? You had quite a scare today." He
crawled slowly over to one side of the bed as Fey climbed up next to
him. When he noticed Fey hugging himself, Odin shimmied over so his
upper body rested against his friend's. "It's okay." He smiled as Fey
embraced him with thin arms.

"Hey Odin?" Fey gazed into Odin's eyes. "When we grow up ... can we
get married?"

Odin giggled at the suggestion. "We're just kids. What if you don't
want me when you grow up?"

Fey shrugged. "We can still get married. I never had a friend who was
willing ta get'n trouble just so's I could have fun. No one ever got
me ice cream or thought enough ta teach me ta read."

Odin smiled and rested his head on Fey's chest. "Yeah ... okay. Spell
'ball'." They had gotten to N and Odin had Fey spelling easy words.
He closed his eyes.

Fey was glad of the chance to keep his learning. "Ummmm ... B-A-L...?
No ... that's not right. All is spelled A-L-L, so ball should be
spelled the same way, except with a 'B' right?"

Odin furrowed his brow in thought. "Well ... you're right about the
spelling, but for the wrong reasons. For instance ... 'doll' is
spelled D-O-L-L, but it SOUNDS like 'ball'."

Fey nodded. "Yeah. ANYWAY ... 'ball' is spelled B-A-L-L." He tilted
his head and looked at Odin, who was breathing deeply. "Sleep softly,
Odin."

*****

Both boys awoke to the sound of Odin Lowe growling in frustration.

Odin Jr. gazed at the adult a moment. "What is it?"

Odin Lowe growled louder, not noticing that Fey was trying to burrow
under the covers. "I just scoped out the place. I can't get in. If
you hadn't been so stubborn, I would have been able to let you go
through the vent system, which is too narrow for me to navigate."

Fey swallowed and peeked out. "C'n I help?" He took a deep breath and
pushed himself off the bed. "I'm fast, and I'm a quick learner."

Odin Lowe narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Can you pick a lock?"

Fey looked to his friend still in bed and nodded. "If someone teaches
me, I can."

Odin Jr. motioned to his bag. "You can use my set. I've never used
them before." When he saw Odin Lowe's expression, he shrugged. "Fey's
right. He's a very fast learner. He learned to tie his shoelaces by
untying them. It's the black pouch, Fey."

Fey ran over to the bag and retrieved the pouch. "Show me."

Odin Lowe smiled slowly at the boy. "You prove yourself in this
mission, kid, and I might take you with us." With that, he walked over
to the door to the hotel room. "Now ... some doors have electronic
locks, but this one is the old-fashioned tumbler style. We have tools
for both types of locks." That was the beginning of a quick
explanation on how to hit the tumblers or short the circuitry on
whatever lock. "Now ... do you understand?" When Fey nodded, Odin
Lowe shoved him into the hallway. "Show me. You have five minutes."
He closed the door behind him. "Learned to tie his own shoelaces, huh?
I'll order us dinner."

Odin Jr. smiled when there was a rattling against the doorhandle. His
smile widened and he almost laughed as Fey opened the door. Odin Lowe
hadn't even reached the phone yet. "I TOLD you he was a very fast
learner!"

Fey looked bewildered. "Should I try again? I could do it faster."

Odin Lowe sputtered. "No ... no, that's all right. Good gracious,
boy, you're a natural!" He walked over to the phone and placed his
dinner order. "Hm? Dessert? Let me ask." He glanced at both boys.
Odin Jr. shrugged, he'd never had much of a sweet tooth. Fey, on the
other hand, had lit up at the thought. "Yes ... yes the devil's food
cake sounds perfect." He quirked a grin when Odin Jr.'s eyes lit up.
'Heh ... that one always was a sucker for chocolate.' He ordered three
slices and hung up the phone. Then he studied Fey. "That hair is
going to get in the way."

Fey's eyes widened. "You can't cut it! It's all I got!" He reached
around his head as if to protect his hair.

"Hush! I didn't say anything about cutting it." He retrieved a brush.
"But maybe we can restrain it somewhat so it doesn't get tangled."

Odin Jr. perked up. "Can I do it? I could teach Fey some reading ...
it's the most efficient use of time."

When the adult nodded, Fey scrambled to retrieve the letters book Odin
Jr. had bought earlier and sat on the floor while he let his hair be
brushed. "How are ya gonna re-strain it?"

Odin Jr. didn't correct the grammer. He thought it suited his friend
wonderfully. "I don't know. Do we have something elastic, Sir? Maybe
I could braid it."

Odin Lowe dug in his pockets and found what had been requested. A
small rubber band. "Here ... this will have to do."

Odin Jr. took the band and proceeded to weave Fey's hair into a long
braid. "There! Done. Hey ... you can keep the picks in your braid."

Fey smiled and twisted as if to get a look at the long rope that his
hair was now in. "WOW!" He grabbed it and studied the length. "KEWL!
now I got somethin ta fiddle with!" When someone knocked on the door
to announce room service, Fey ran for it. "I'll get it!"

The girl was the same one from the previous night and she let herself
stare again at the transformation that the child was undergoing. 'He's
going to be a heart breaker when he grows up!' She quickly covered her
shock with a smile. "Good evening, gentlemen. Room Service!" She
walked in and placed the plates on the small table in the room. "Enjoy
your dinner." She ruffled the street urchin's hair briefly before
leaving. 'Kid's got more charisma than anyone else I've met and he is
so unaware of it. He ever learns to utilize that ... no one will be
safe!'

Odin Lowe watched as Fey followed Odin Jr.'s suggestion with a sad
smile. 'That kid is so eager to learn ... so eager to come with us.'
He studied both boys as Fey brought two of the plates to the bed so
that Odin Jr. wouldn't have to get up. 'I can't say I blame him. With
me, he'll be guarunteed three meals a day and a good ally. I have a
feeling that Odin and Fey would work well together.'

*****

Odin Lowe watched over the squirming child beside him. "Fey ... this
mission requires stealth ... meaning you will have to be quiet and
swift. Can you do that?"

Fey immediately started fidgeting and nodded. His wide eyes were
solemn. 'If I do good, I c'n stay with Odin.'

"You know left from right?" He was answered by a nod. "Okay ... here
is what you need to do ..."

Fey listened carefully at which doors he needed to unlock and which
buttons to press. He was terrified, but he had to listen very
carefully to what the adult said. When they arrived at the big
building, he swallowed and scurried as quickly as he could to the vent.

"If you don't open that door in twenty minutes, I'm leaving without you
and taking Odin off the colony." He knew he got his point across when
the child nodded and closed the vent behind himself. 'Now ... I wait.'

End of Part 3