Disclaimer: The Tomorrow People is the property of the CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

~ X ~

I completed the plot and chapter outlines during the midseason hiatus of the Tomorrow People when it aired in the United States. The story is based on repercussions from the episode titled 'All Tomorrow's People' and Cara being voted in as the leader. All I had left was to flesh out the chapters. My intention was never to make the story completely canon.

The story took a significant amount of time to write and I found that the new episodes were overlapping with my some of my story lines, and therefore I changed some things to blend in with the series.

A good example is that I had previously decided on a "feminine" computer because Tim was male. I was going to call her 'The White Queen' to pay homage to 'The Red Queen' from my favorite zombie movie franchise. But a later episode had a female computer named Alice, so I changed the name in my story to fit. As I wrote and the show evolved, I blended in canon items whenever I could.

Also, I usually don't add notes to my stories but since I am - A big 'THANK YOU!" to the guest reviewers since I can't thank them by e-mail.

Even though the story veers from canon, every attempt is made to NOT change the canon characters' personalities.

Please note the following conventions used throughout the story:

Quotes around Italics indicate "telepathy"

Italics alone indicate thoughts thinking

~ X ~

Stephen walked cautiously into Ultra headquarters. As usual the cold, sterile atmosphere in the halls chilled him. He wondered why Jedikiah had summoned him back today after all this time. After John's escape he had been curtly told to go to school and come back only when he was summoned. All attempts to dispute this edict had been harshly rebuffed and there was something in Jedikiah's face that warned even him, that it was time to stop and accept.

He had told John and Cara that he was afraid to push it. The news had raised John's eyebrows. "He must have been really pissed if it got through to you!"

Stephen had frowned. "Whatta ya mean?"

"Ah, let's see, you're oblivious to polite social conventions," John said straight faced. "Usually someone has to knock you on the head with a rock before you pick up that you're not wanted."

Stephen was at first slightly insulted, but had to relent and laugh when he noticed Russell smirking and rolling his eyes in the corner, and even Cara cracked a smile.

"Glad I could amuse everyone," Stephen offered, slightly red faced, to a laughing John. It was actually good to see John and Cara with smiles on their faces for a change. Things had been touch and go with them since it came out that John killed, no scratch that, thought he had killed Stephen's father. Much as he loved Cara, he hated it when the two were at odds. He couldn't help sympathizing with John; he had felt John's pain. If it had been him he wouldn't have shared with Cara either. He didn't want either of them hurt. He really hoped things could work out between the three of them. He had even fantasized a hazy future state where they were all friends, but he and Cara were together. He had casually confided his dreams to Astrid hoping for . . he didn't know what . . support? confirmation?. The disbelieving, stunned look on her face as she shook her head in disbelief quickly deflated his hope. The death blow was dealt by a single word said with scathing pity. "Boys!"

Concentrate now. You're in enemy territory. Stephen was careful to get his thoughts under control. It had been three weeks now. There was something electric in the air at headquarters. He had noticed it as soon as he passed the security entrance desk. People gathered in groups of two and three whispering until they spotted him and then they quieted and stared. He eventually spotted one of the Ultra agents he had worked with a couple of times. He was by himself, so Stephan asked, "What's going on? Why'd I get called back?" He was careful to display only normal curiosity.

The agent looked around cautiously and then sidled closer to Stephen. He talked out of the side of his mouth as if still fearful of being overheard. "Something big's been in the works. Top secret stuff. Only a handful of TP and human agents have been working on it, and they've kept their mouths shut. They've had the AI and the skinheads plugged in for weeks. There's been some new faces around too . . .doctor types and muscle."

Stephen started to reply when a man he recognized as agent Jameson appeared. He shot a piercing look at the young agent who quickly slid away leaving Stephen to face the tall agent in the apparently standard issue blue suit alone. "They're waiting for you."

"Who's they?" Stephen asked, but the man just turned on his heel and walked off. Stephen shrugged and followed. "Guess I'll learn who the who is soon enough." If the man picked up on his sarcasm he ignored it.

Stephen followed him into an elevator he hadn't known existed and stood quietly. His eyebrows rose when the agent pulled out a key, flipped open a panel Stephen had never noticed, and inserted it. An LED display indicated floors labeled -1 through -4. Stephen was definitely uneasy now. He hadn't known these floors existed.

He concentrated. "John – do you know there are sub floors in headquarters?"

Stephen felt John's alarm. "Are they taking you there?"

Cara was in his mind in an instant. "Are you alright?"

Stephen just responded. "I'm fine, but what's down here?"

When he didn't get an answer he pleaded, "John! John!"

The elevator opened and they stepped out. The corridor curved and they passed glass enclosed spaces that reminded Stephen of operating rooms and labs he had seen on TV and in the movies. The hair on his neck prickled. He had half a mind to try to teleport out and his steps slowed in proportion to the rise in his feeling of disquiet.

Jameson appeared to notice because he grabbed Stephen's upper arm and hustled him along. They entered a room that at first glance appeared full. Stephen shook off the agent's hand and looked around, nodding stiffly to Jedikiah and the Founder. There were several rather large stoic faced agents in standard issue blue suits standing almost at attention. "What's all this about?"

The Founder looked to Jedikiah who gave a half smile. "Simple. We want you to contact John for us."

Stephen didn't bother trying to hide his puzzlement. "Why would John respond to me? The last time I contacted him for you, you tried to kill him." He waved his arms. "And you tortured him when you did catch him."

"Oh, we don't want to kill him. We want him to come in and work with our agents on a job."

Stephen gave a nervous laugh. "This is a joke, right?" He looked at Jedikiah but didn't see any trace of humor on his face. He turned to the Founder. "A jo . . " He trailed off. If the Founder had a sense of humor, he had never given any evidence of it.

"I don't understand," Stephen finally admitted.

"We are prepared bargain with him," Jedikiah said.

Stephen couldn't help blurting out. "What could you possibly have that he would want?"

The Founder motioned to the two guards and they parted. Stephen's mouth dropped open, and he had to bite his tongue not to shout out a name. He clamped down on the instinct to reach out telepathically. Not with the Founder present.

She was a delicate fine boned girl anyway, but tightly restrained in the large examination chair, glasses askew, lips trembling, Irene looked especially fragile. The sight of reddish purple bruises on her cheek, neck, and arms especially noticeable on her pale skin, made Stephen's fists clench in anger, and the veins in his neck bulge. Her eyes widened, and she shook her head ever so slightly. It could pass for a tremor, but Stephen knew it was a signal, and he released his pent up breath, trying desperately to calm himself and think.

He felt eyes on him and the stealthy push of a mind at the fringes of his. He skillfully clamped down on his thoughts, while pretending he was unaware of the probe.

"Who's this?" he asked with a respectable semblance of truth.

"One of the sewer people." Jedikiah answered his question. "We worked really hard at this. She was taken to a hospital after the trap we set at the night club." Jedikiah seemed truly perplexed. "Taking her to a hospital was a serious security breach. I don't understand why John would allow it."

Stephen swallowed and suppressed his guilt. He had brought Irene to the hospital against John's orders.

The Founder took over the story. "We've been searching every database available for weeks, piecing together seemingly random facts to find a lead we could use and we realized the significance of the hospital records. After that it was simple to intercept a scheduled check up visit." He allowed himself a small smirk. "Well, simple for my team. However, I am not here to brag. Contact John and let him know we have . . what's her name? Oh yes, Irene."

"Ah . ." Stephen's attempt to talk were cut off by the Founder.

"She's a brilliant physicist, but a so so TP. No special skills in the three T's so there is the possibility John may not rescue her. But, regardless, let him know if he does not work with us I will rip her mind to shreds."

Irene couldn't suppress a tiny whimper and a solitary tear spilled over one lid and rolled down her cheek.

Stephen closed his eyes and silently prayed before sending. "John, we have big trouble."