Will Stanton was tired. Many long lonely years had passed since he had become the last of the Old Ones. Though his power often slept, the longing for the others of the Circle grew each time it pained him, this burden. When the Others left he had been charged to keep watch, as his time on earth had not yet ended. He was also
The Watchman sensed the last of his days in the world of men approaching. It was still a ways off; still he turned his mind to the future, to tasks not yet complete. A replacement needed to be found. The part of Will that was, and had been, the Seeker delighted at the thought of the quest. But how to go about it? No single man could carry this burden, he would shatter from it. And in that thought, he found the solution: a vast network, covering every inch of the globe.
Words of power pulled at the Wild Magic and sent it forth, Calling. Those who were touched by the spell would become as similar to an Old One as any mortal could be. All the things Will missed most: sensing the others, speaking mind to mind, he would give to them. along with the ability to move great distances with a thought. (It was the closest thing to moving through time he could give them.) And, as they were to be guardians for the Light, he would bind them so they would be unable to kill, lest they be tempted to use their powers for Darkness.
He sighed satisfied with a job well done. Already he could feel the Magic stirring as it found the first protector, full of promise and wonder as it wriggled, still unborn. A good start. There would be time enough for Will to see their dawn, these guardians, before he left for that place out of Time.
Recalling the words Merriman had spoken on that long ago hill top, he smiled. Yes, these Tomorrow People would do nicely.
"For remember that it is altogether your world now. You and the rest. We have delivered you from evil, but the evil that is inside men is at the last a matter for man to control. The responsibility and the hope and the promise are in your hands – your hands and the hands of the children of all men on this earth. The future cannot blame the present, just as the present cannot blame the past. The hope is always here, always alive, but only your fierce carring can fan it into a fire to warm the world."
~Merriman Lyon, Silver on the Tree
AN: So even though Silver on the Tree was published in'77, I was picturing John from the original series as the wriggling, unborn guardian.