NOTE:~ means telepathic communication. * means personal thought. [ ] means cyberpathy or computer-generated speech.

8/20/2006: Pier 4, Manhattan: 13:04:08 hrs EDT:

The computer room was abandoned, as the boy had expected. *Like he's EVER home,* Franklin Richards thought. The 13-year-old student, swimmer and mutant uber-psion had waited until another crisis cropped up for his parents, uncle and godfather to deal with. What he was about to attempt required their absence, and he certainly wasn't going to trust them to tell him the truth.

*Let me correct that,* he thought with a wince, bypassing the external security measures to the Fantastic Four's mainframe. *Mom wants to, but she's terrified I'll hate her. Uncle Ben wants to, but he thinks it's not his place. And Uncle John ? He's so confused about me it's not even funny. No...I can't blame them. This is HIS fault as much as it is mine. I let him reinstall those idiotic psionic dampers back in '98, after 'Yana, Chuck and I gathered Gen X and I was all freaked over getting Prof Moy injured.* Franklin rerouted the mainframe's internal retinal scanners, preferring to wait before he had to risk an electrokinetic shunt into the CPU. "There we are...nice to see the old man's lessons aren't wasted," he grinned.

He stood before the mainframe and began his initial electrokinetic "assault." Franklin's powers functioned differently than many other psions -- he could effectively manifest any form of psionic power, except for psychic vampirism, merely by willing it. But since his power base was freeform, he had difficulty focusing upon one branch of psionics, where other psions tended to posess one or two focal powers (such as the Summers' kids telepathy and telekinesis). *Tom Shade could rip this critter up good, but I can't risk involving the gang. This is my life, my beef with Dad...and my ass if I get caught,* Frank thought. He willed himself into the cyberpsionic plane, and began altering the security codes into the biomedical bank. The system responded with a [Access Granted. Security Matrix Override Accepted. Enter Search Parameters.]

[Access File FBR-Omega, total history and DNA access,] Franklin ordered.

[Working...will require 10 to 15 minutes for systemwide search, due to multidatabase nature of file. Continue?] the system asked.

[Continue. Create holodisplay for replay at Pool Complex, vocal text. Return all matrices to original status once holodisplay file plays and eradicate this search path,] Franklin responded. He left the matrix and sighed at the sweat he had worked up. "Sad, Scrapper. Well, just another excuse to get back in the water," he quipped. He replaced the panels on the mainframe and swept the room with a psi-field designed to erase his power signature. *Can't be too careful,* he thought. *Good thing I aped Mom's invisibility with a photokinetic shield before I came in, or the vids would've snagged me for sure.*

He left the room, carefully resetting the external lock before he went to the mens' locker room. He stripped and showered before putting on a swimbrief and goggles, and dove into the pool for his daily practice session. After he had started first grade in 1998, Frank had wanted to find a sport to balance his academic and psionic training. *The Y team's been great,* he thought, working on his freestyle swimming. *Franklin Richards-Olympic champion ! Ha. Champion sneak and mutie overmind...*

He completed another few lengths, but his mind was elsewhere. *Who'm I kidding ?* he thought. *Wrong season, wrong distraction. I can't get into this...not until I learn the truth.* He climbed out of the water and toweled off -- his telekinesis was still restrained by the second set of psionic dampers he had imposed upon himself in 1998. Frank sat cross-legged on the towel and focused his thoughts towards the one person he could always "talk" freely with.

~Oh, REEEEEEED :)~, he sent.

~Scrapper ! Primal, studmonkey,~ Rachel Summers sent back from Salem Center. Franklin blushed at his best friend's joke -- he wasn't sure what to make of their relationship since they had turned 13 earlier in the month. For the first time, Frank had seen Rachel as a beautiful young woman, instead of the rough and tumble girl who had always challenged him to prove his point with a tussle when they were elementary school children. He wanted to tell her the truth about his feelings, but...

~Well, Red, I finally took the leap...I jimmied the biomed database to find out what the old man's been hiding from me,~ he sent.

~Oh CHRISTonajumpedupsignpostScrapper !!!~ Rachel pshreaked, her words running together in fear and exasperation. ~YourebuttisSODEADItoldyouitwas a DUMB idea !~

~Not if I paid close enough attention to all the crap he tried to teach me,~ Frank responded. ~I'll call you later.~ He closed down the link and listened attentively to the tri-display appearing before him.

A holographic image of Reed Richards appeared before Franklin. It looked tired and sad, and Franklin thought, *He couldn't have KNOWN I was going to hack the 'frame...could he ?* As if in response, the "Reed" began to speak.

"Franklin...if you're watching this, you've grown impatient with me and forced your way into the mainframe," the image said. "Believe it or not, I understand. I haven't been totally honest with you about your powers. That stops now. You are the most powerful mutant on Earth, son. But more importantly, you deserve the truth. I can only pray you can forgive me for not being more open before now..."

The holo-Reed held its head in its hands, and began to speak. This time, "he" was far quieter. "You know how you had to be saved before birth with energies from the Cosmic Control Rod," Reed said. "Those energies remained within you for a year...until Annihilus tore them from you. In the process, he triggered your full, latent psi-potential, in an uncontrollable form. I had no choice but to...shut off your mind. In effect, I created a full-mentality damper which blocked all input from the outside world. You were young enough so that it did little developmental damage, and you did reawaken at Crystal and Quicksilver's wedding. I'm sorry, son. If I hadn't done it-"

An electrokinetic burst shredded the holoprojector, and Franklin shook with rage. *Real brave, Dad,* he thought. *Fine...I can wait a little longer. And then we're gonna have a little father-son talk...*

The Pogo Plane landed with a soft thump, while the Fantastic Four stepped out and stretched from exhaustion. "OH, what I wouldn't give for a lance every time that Dragon Man shows up !" Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, laughed. "The knights of yore could just slay their critters..."

His sister, Susan Storm-Richards, merely shook her head and said, "You don't have to worry about the dragons of having a teenager in the house. Oh, I forget -- you've never grown up."

The Torch rolled his eyes, bouncing a fireball from hand to foot to shoulders in a bizarre mockery of hackeysack. "And why should I ? I have more fun than all of you combined," he snickered. "Besides, you could always end up with a hard outlook on life. Right, Ben ?"

Ben Grimm, the brick-skinned Thing, snorted while he refueled the plane. "Very funny, matchstick. You're on f'r supper duty tonight-get cookin'," Grimm replied.

"Actually, I was thinking of going out. Anybody for Chez Van Dyne ?" Reed Richards asked.

Sue kissed her husband and said, "Jan's place is pretty good, but the price range ! Even with our 'friends of the owner' discount, it'd be outrageous."

~Like Dad's little 'gift,'~ a mind-snarl replied. The adults looked around in surprise, while Franklin floated down from the second-floor balcony. He had dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and speared Reed with an icy stare. "Like the teke, Dad ? My last psionic dampers came apart this afternoon when I hacked your little homunculus from the med-comp. Shock of the truth and all," the boy spat.

"Franklin Benjamin ! How dare you-" Sue's reprimand was cut short by Reed's hug, and he looked away for a long moment.

"He's right, Sue...it's time we spoke openly about his powers," Reed said. Father looked son back in the eye, and said, "What do you want to know ?"

"I'm not going to dig in your head, Dad-or in any of your heads," Frank said. His mask of fury faded, and a small sob escaped his lips. "All I want...all I've ever wanted...was the truth about you feel about me. All of me-powers, everything."

"Frank...geez, kid," Ben muttered. "We luv ya, pal. Y'gotta b'lieve that."

"You're not the one I'm doubting here, Unc," Frank smiled weakly. "It's my blood relatives who I need to hear it from. I'm not going to fry you guys if I don't like the answers ! All I want is some honesty, OK ?"

Johnny looked away, while Sue and Reed embraced their only child. "Honey...I guess I have been afraid of what you can do," Sue whispered. "But you've grown up so much ! Straight A's, you're polite and kind and patient-well, usually. It took me a while to accept your powers, but if I can't love you for who you are..." Frank let go of his parents, while Reed coughed.

"Son...I have always loved you," Reed said. He teared up, but kept a steady, even tone. "Even when I didn't face your powers correctly, I've tried. I'm not perfect. I should have told you years ago..."

He was stunned by Frank's hug, and his son's whispered, "I know, Dad. I know everything now. And if you can forgive me, I can forgive you. Deal ?" He looked his father in the eye, kindly, and Reed nodded.

Frank turned to Johnny, who grinned and asked, "What, no hug ?"

The teen shook his head and chuckled-a bitter, cold laugh. "I remember that time in Latveria when Dad saved Kitty Rasputin, and you yelled something about 'thick mutie skulls,' Unc," Frank replied. "It's haunted me as much as Dad's conversation with Cable did when my older self backtimed from Rachel's gene-donor's future. The difference is, Dad wasn't using words like 'mutie.' Spill it -- why can you play cards with Iceman, Beast and Wolverine, yet you shoot off your mouth like a FOH member, huh ?"

Sue cringed, but John held up his hand. "Fair question," he said. "Ok...so you scare me too. Christ, Frank, you made a universe ! I think of mutant, nutjobs like Magneto, the Toad or Holocaust come to mind. But you're...different. You're my nephew, not a Magneto or a Reignfire. The X-Men, hey! They're pals. I guess...I never thought too much about it all."

Frank looked away, and asked, "OK. What do you think of Chuck Lehnsherr ? Magneto's son, Uncle John. My pal. An all-around good guy who looks up to a CHANGED Magnus ?"

John shook his head and replied, "I'll never trust Magneto, Frank. Period. His kid...hey, Charlie's a good kid. You believe what you want, I'll believe what I want. Deal ?"

The boy looked back at Johnny and sighed. "If that's how you want it," Frank said. "I've made a decision about something else," he continued, turning to his parents. "You know how Miss Frost asked me to join Generation X this fall ? I think it's a good idea. Before you say no, lemme tell you -- I think it'd help me a lot. I'll only be in Snow Valley-not Muir or some other remote training center. I've got the grades, and the other students are kids I've grown up with..."

Reed and Sue looked at each other, and Frank thought for the thousandth time about how they seemed to read each other without saying a word. *Maybe I'm not the only 'path in the family ?* he quipped. The Richards sighed, and Sue took Frank's hand with a worried look.

"Are you sure, hon ?" she asked.

"Mom...please," Frank smiled. "I really think this is for the best. My public-school friends are great, but I'd rather not explain teleporting to school every morning. The world might not be ready for 'Franklin Richards, Mutant At Large.'"

The others nodded, and Reed said, "I'll call Miss Frost. And Frank...I'm proud of you. I'm sure you'll do well..."

The Fantastic Four congratulated their heir, while Frank sent, ~Heads up, Red. Guess who's your newest classmate...?~

To be continued...