“Yes, you are,” said Brett, “he doesn’t break his promises, the old man.”

A stifled hiss came from the “old man” beside me.

“Shit! I guess I’ve blown it!”

“You sure have, you little shit! Well, go on - tell him!”

Brett cuddled me closer.

“He’s my dad. Always has been, as a matter of fact.”

“Wha - are you joking or something? What is all this?”

“No, he’s my dad, really!”

“Yes, I’m his dad. Really! And you sensed it as soon as you looked into these Kryptonite eyes today, didn‘t you?”

I shut my eyes. I couldn’t put it all together yet. Too many secrets.

“Yes, there are.” He answered me telepathically once again. “Brett, now you’ve blown it I think you have to leave us alone for me to explain it all to him. It’s not just Us he needs to know about - it’s the whole thing. It’ll be easier without you to distract him. I’ll call you when we’re done.”

Brett shunted me over to the Master, got up in silence - worried? - and left us alone by the pool. I was crushed against those giant pecs and one massive bicep moved itself on to my shoulder.

“When I offered all this to Brett he was too young. He couldn‘t accept what he’d have to sacrifice to be part of it - too much to give up at the age of 18: he still wanted to live his normal teen-age life. Maybe it was a bigger sacrifice for him than it would be for you?”

“So, what is it? What do I have to sacrifice? What is it that all the others - even Tattoo who clearly wants it so bad - what is it they can‘t do without?”

“I’ll put it like this. Just now you experienced a partial fusion with my being. This allowed you temporarily to grow as big as I am in my true, naked being. Felt good too, huh?”

“Sure did, but -”

He put a hand up. “For it to be permanent, you’d have to receive a complete fusion - a total assimilation into my being. In effect we’d become part of each other. You wouldn’t only become a part of me, any more than I’d only become a part of you. We’d assimilate equally. We’d become one being - our bodies become one, our minds become one - you receive all my power and size and I receive all yours. See?”

“Yes, but - in your body.”

“Shit, all these buts! It must be clear to you that it would be impossible to go on living your own life if you were assimilated with me. You’d have to give it all up. Whatever that would mean. And receive all I can give you in exchange.”

“And Brett?”

“Ah, Brett. I thought we’d soon come round to that. I won’t try and fool you. He’s hoping desperately that you won’t say yes, that you’ll just come and live a normal life with us. But you and I know that’s not possible either. You are too bitten with the same bug as I am to throw it all away. On the other hand, neither of us want you to make a snap decision here and now. That’s why you have to go home tomorrow and puzzle it all out for yourself. Talk it through with Coach. He knows all about this. Finally he’ll make you make you own decision, and that’s what we want too.”

I nodded. There was indeed a lot to think through. And if I hadn’t met Brett it would all have been so easy.

“He wants to spend this last night with you. I’m not so sure it’s a good idea: I think it’ll make you both more miserable and you’ll find saying Goodbye tomorrow almost intolerable. But you’re both adults and I’m not going to stop you from doing what lovers feel they have to do. Anyways, it’s all part of the same decision in the end. Which has to be the right one. OK?”

I nodded silently. I stood up to look at my reflection the pool. Shit, man! I was huge! So much bigger than three weeks ago. And I felt real good with it. That is until He came to stand beside me. He only had to put his arm round my shoulders to make me feel small again. I bet he knew what he was doing too!

“Brett!” he yelled over his shoulder.

Brett came bounding out of the house and stopped dead when he saw us together like that. I could feel him thinking Shit! I grinned at his dad and walked over to put my arm round his shoulders.

“The others are here.”

Others?

“Some of the guys are coming to eat with us and to say Goodbye. They haven’t forgotten your first night here - and they haven’t been blind to how much you’ve changed since you got here.”

The “old” shit certainly knew how to play all his cards, didn’t he?

“And fuck you, Dad!” said Brett pleasantly under his breath.

And we went in.

Yes, Brett did spend the night in my bed. After we’d wrestled a bit - we both wanted to feel our muscles pitted against each other one more time. It wasn’t easy - we could both feel those cogs churning round in our heads, even if we didn’t voice them. Finally we went to sleep. I got up once in the night and sat watching him sleeping, but when I woke up the morning, he was gone. I guess we both knew it was easier that way. •