The Sea, the Sky and their Opperator

CHAPTER 1, There was a boy and a man

Eddie Mastic looked at the children in the room dispassionately. The death of his wife two years ago still stung him in more than one way. When his friend, John, had suggested he adopt a child, Eddie had been resistant, but John in his slow, humble way had somehow convinced the widower. And here they both stood, staring at a room full of boys. Maggie had always wanted a son, after all...

"Anything catching your eye, Ed?" John asked quietly. They had been standing in silence for a few moments.

"They're people, John, not electrical goods," Eddie replied with a hint of vexation. He pushed back his sandy blonde hair, a sign to himself that things weren't going as he expected.

"Don't rush yourself, Ed. You'll come to it on your own. Trust yourself." John's voice was calming, transporting Eddie back to when they worked together at the radio listening to deep space. Eddie had been a radiologist and John had been head of the project, a good scientist in his own right, but a better liaison between astrophysicists and technicians. John had always managed to keep everyone's tempers low and on the goals clear. They had done great things together.

"Where are you working now, John?" Eddie continued to look at the boys, observing the whole without separating one. Something would catch his attention, just like it did in space, he just had to wait.

John straightened his suit jacket, pulling at the cuffs. "As you know, my passion was always in AI technology, but my background is physics. I think I've found something that combines the two. But it more feels like babysitting, to be honest." John laughed at himself.

Eddie laughed along with good humour. "I know you were the best babysitter I ever had. Scientist can really feel like kids sometimes!"

They gave each other a look and burst into more low chuckles.

And then it caught Ed, as he knew it would.

In all the chaos of the adoption room, full of boys running around and screaming, whooping and yelling in glee and rivalry, was a single child sitting and listening. None of the other boys or their noises seemed to affect the child sitting alone. He was completely detached from their play, from the scene around him. The boy had a dark mop of hair, almost black, and tanned skinned, and was clearly listening to something outside of the room, maybe even outside of the world.

The two men, a 40 year old Australian man and his American friend with salt and pepper hair about 45, stood behind the glass that separated them from the adoption room so full of colour and light. Eddie caught one of the adoption workers attention from the corner of the dark room. She came over with a smile.

"Excuse me, miss," Eddie said with a polite nod of his head, "The boy sitting there, what's his name?"

John didn't react to the inquiry in any way, yet Eddie knew he'd surprised his friend somehow.

"The dark boy, Mr. Mastic? His name is Caspian. He's only been here a little while, transferred from another orphanage. He's a strange boy, I'll admit. There's something very special about him, always dreaming, but he doesn't mix well with the other kids."

"I know the feeling," Eddie mumbled to himself, making the other two people in the room grin. "Can I meet him, now?"

"Of course," She led him to a door next to the window and they entered the cacophony. The adoption worker, always smiling, patted numerous heads while weaving her way through the tumble of children. She stopped next to Caspian's chair. "Caspian, this nice man would like to talk to you. I hope that's ok."

The child with the dark hair didn't move.

Eddie squatted down on the ground so he was eye level with the boy no more that six years old. Sparkling blue eyes met Eddie's own unassuming hazel eyes.