Disclaimer: The Tomorrow People is the property of the CW. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's note: Italicized text is thoughts or memories.
xxx TTP xxx
"Why did you leave Ultra? What did he do, John, to finally push you over the edge?
"You were his golden boy. Must've been pretty bad if you couldn't stomach it."
- Killian McCrane, Kill or Be Killed
xxx TTP xxx
Alley
It was dark. John didn't know what to do. He hadn't been prepared for the agony that came with killing. It was as if a part of his soul had been ripped away. Maybe it was because he had just killed a friend and mentor. It was his first kill since being weaponized. The pain of taking a life overtook him and he slowly stood up.
John wanted to run away, but his body wouldn't cooperate. He kept staring down at Roger's lifeless body. He couldn't move, transfixed by the enormity of what he had just done. Roger was alive and now, because of him, he was dead. It happened so quickly, yet not. How can time go so fast and slow at the same time? Right now, it was standing still.
Shortly thereafter, Jedikiah showed up. He had been briefed on John's plan, so he knew where to find him ... or at least the general vicinity of the operation. He was driving slowly looking for any sign of what he knew should have happened. He found the burning car easily enough, now to find John.
As he drove past Roger's car in flames, he stared at the fiery mass. Coming up to an alley on the right, he turned his head toward it and caught a glimpse of John just standing there staring down at his feet; at first not noticing the body lying there. Once he did, an odd mix of grief and pride washed over him. Grief over the death of his brother, even though it should be temporary. Pride in what John had accomplished. Jedikiah only allowed it a moment because he knew he had to act quickly. He had more to do if their plan was going to work. Yet, there was one other emotion, he wasn't quite sure what it was ... guilt? Dismissing it, he parked the car in the entrance of the alley and got out.
"John, are you alright? Are you hurt?" He said as he cautiously approached the young man. Seeing John so despondent concerned him. "John!"
John jumped back a bit, startled by the sudden appearance of Jedikiah. He tried to recompose himself into the agent he has been, should be. It was a struggle. Finally he looked up and responded "Huh ... what ... Jed?..."
The utter despair Jedikiah saw on John's face grieved him more, but he couldn't let that show. He must remain steadfast. "John, are you okay?"
"I ... I don't know," John responded quietly, looking down again.
"Son, you finished the assignment," Jedikiah said as he patted John on the back. "Well done. Go back to headquarters and rest. You deserve it. I'll take care of the body."
John didn't move, hesitant to just leave Roger like that.
"John, I'll handle this. Now go," Jedikiah said more sternly. He needed to get John away from here. As soon as John left, Jedikiah could set the next part of their plan in motion.
Finally, John started to walk away.
"John, teleporting would be quicker." Jedikiah reminded him. John stopped and looked back at him.
"Oh, right," was all he could say. He really didn't feel all that much like a Tomorrow Person at the moment, sensing that he had violated some unwritten code. Reluctantly, he turned and vanished.
As soon as John disappeared, Jedikiah began preparing Roger's body for preservation.
xxx TTP xxx
Arriving at Ultra a couple of hours later, Jedikiah immediately asked for an update on John. He needed to know that John was okay.
"Haven't seen him, sir," replied the agent.
"Find him, he needs to be debriefed," Jedikiah said. It wasn't like John to not report in after completing an assignment.
xxx TTP xxx
He was breaking protocol, but he didn't care. He had just killed a friend, confidante and mentor. He couldn't go back to that place.
When John teleported away from the scene of the crime, he ended up under the George Washington Bridge. He stood there looking out over the water. He could hear the buzzing of traffic crossing the bridge, still busy even though it was getting late.
He needed time to figure things out. He sensed that his life as an agent was finished. After turning him into a killer, that would probably be the only thing they would use him for ... assassinations. He couldn't take that.
"Why didn't Killian tell him about this?" He sadly chuckled at the thought. "He was too busy going crazy." Although, he was starting to understand Killian a bit more. Not completely, but some things started to make sense.
"What do I do now?" Just as that thought crossed his mind, his cell phone rang. He dug it out of his pocket and answered knowing who it would be .. "Jed."
"John, where are you? You need to report back immediately," Jedikiah stated firmly.
Realizing they could track him using the GPS on the phone, John made a quick reply "I can't," then dropped it and teleported away before the phone hit the ground. Not even a minute later, a TP agent had teleported to the scene and found the shattered phone.
"This is bad," the agent said. He dreaded making the call, but knew it had to be done or there would be hell to pay. He was under orders to report only to Jedikiah. "Sir, John's gone."
The agent could hear Jedikiah swear and pound his fist on the desk.
xxx TTP xxx
John had teleported to the subway following a course he had taken years ago ... one that Roger had shown him a couple of times. Roger had called it a secret field trip.
He got into the last subway car heading downtown. He hoped he was remembering the route correctly. Once the passengers cleared out of the car at the last stop, he teleported to a large abandoned subway station.
Landing at the top of the stairs, he took a deep breath. The air was not as stale as it could have been considering the place had been deserted for awhile. He shrugged off the coat he was wearing then took off his suit jacket and tie and threw them to the side. He wouldn't be needing those any more.
"The beauty of this place, John, is that it's so far underground, Ultra can't track you here." The words drifted through his mind as he flashed back to Roger showing him around the first time. It was a few days after Roger had introduced himself, immediately following Tony's death.
"Oh, God! What have I done?" John said as the guilt began to overwhelm him again. Collapsing against the wall, he started to cry.
Then the last words Roger spoke to him ran through his mind "Just promise me … There's others like us. You'll protect them. And find my son."
"Protect them ... protect them," John said it aloud. "Protect them ... protect them." The more he said it, the more it emboldened him. "Protect them." There it is … "protect them" … his new purpose. He looked up. "Protect them! Yes, that I can do. I will do it for you, Roger."