Date Night
The characters and concept of the Tomorrow People are the property of Roger Price
Chapter 1
Bob parked his Jaguar outside Carol's house and turned off the engine. Carol unclipped the buckle of her seatbelt and leaned over to reach him. Sliding her right arm over his shoulders, she leaned over to him before kissing him fully and passionately on the lips. Carol felt liberated again, having a man in her life for the first time since her divorce.
"Thank you for tonight, Bob" said Carol. "I really enjoyed it."
"We could do the same next week if you like, or later this week" said Bob.
"That'd be great" said Carol. "I'll look forward to it. You don't mind if I don't ask you in, do you? Only, we've got the VAT man in at work next week so I need to keep a clear head to get everything straight."
"That's okay. You'll call me?" asked Bob.
"Tomorrow, promise" said Carol, leaning in to kiss him again.
"Okay, bye" said Bob, "love you."
"Love you too" said Carol as she opened the car door and stepped out of the car.
Chapter 2
"So, tell us about this new man" said Helen, sitting next to Carol at the table.
"Well, there's not much to tell" said Carol as Rachel appeared on the jaunting pad.
"Not much to tell about what?" asked Rachel.
"Carol's got a fella" said Helen.
"Helen!" said Carol.
"Oh pray tell!" said Rachel, "and when do we get to meet him?"
"I've got to tell him about you all first" said Carol. "About the Tomorrow People."
"Make sure you pick your moment carefully" said TIM. "You have to be certain you can trust him first."
"Oh I think I can trust him" said Carol. "He's so caring. Not a single malicious bone in his body."
"And what is his body like?" teased Helen.
"Helen! Really!" said Carol.
"You must know" said Helen.
"Well I don't" replied Carol.
"So you haven't . . . you know . . . yet?" asked Helen
"Haven't what yet?" said Carol grinning, knowing exactly what Helen meant.
"What I meant was make sure that you can trust him enough to tell him about the Tomorrow People" said TIM.
"Oh I think I know him well enough to be able to trust him" said Carol.
"Just be certain that you're sure" said TIM.
"So what's the name of this hunk?" asked Helen.
"Bob" replied Carol.
"Bob?" said Rachel. "Bob, like Bob the Builder? Or is it just Bob the boyfriend?"
"He has his own IT support company" said Carol, "and he drives a Jaguar!"
"A Jaguar?" said Rachel. "Sounds wedged. He's a keeper!"
"Where did you meet?" asked Rachel."Come on, spill it!"
"Speed dating" said Carol.
"Speed dating!" said Rachel. "Seriously?"
"Yes, why, what's wrong with it?" asked Carol.
"It's sad, that's what's wrong with it" said Rachel.
"No it's not" said Carol defensively.
"There must be something wrong with him" said Helen.
"There's nothing wrong with him" said Carol.
"There's always something wrong with people who go to places like that" said Rachel.
"Well I go to places like that" said Carol. "Are you saying there's something wrong with me?"
"No, of course not" said Helen. "You're not bad looking, really. And this is why we think you could do so much better." Carol was having difficulty in seeing the funny side of the conversation. Helen and Rachel began to laugh.
"Carol, we're teasing you" said Rachel.
"Just don't knock it till you try it. I'm seeing him again on after work. He's taking me to the theatre, so I've decided that tonight's the night" said Carol.
"What? You're going to push the beds together?" asked Helen.
"Helen, really, you're incorrigible!" said Carol. "No, I mean I'm going to tell him about the Tomorrow People. Anyway, I have to get back to work. I've got loads to do before the VAT man comes in, so I told Shaun I'd only take half an hour for lunch." Carol got to her feet and made her way over to the jaunting pad.
"You work in a restaurant and you go out to lunch?" asked Rachel.
"I know, it's strange isn't it?" said Carol as she jaunted away.
"Aww bless" said Helen. "It's about time Carol had something nice in her life."
Quite right, Helen" said TIM. "I've known Carol a long time and I know how deserving she is of some happiness."
Chapter 3
Carol and Bob had enjoyed an evening at the theatre, and were back at Carol's house. Bob sat on the right side of the sofa, mesmerised by the sight of Carol's cat walking along the bookshelves. "What's your cat called?" asked Bob.
"Mervyn" replied Carol, carrying in two cups of coffee from the kitchen. "I got him from a rescue centre. He used to belong to an old lady who couldn't look after him." She sat next to Bob on the sofa and began stroking his brown curly hair before kissing him softly. She pulled away slightly before speaking. "Before we go upstairs, there's something I need to tell you."
"Oh? Sounds ominous" said Bob.
"Something I need to tell you about me" said Carol.
"You're not . . . transgender or anything like that are you?" asked Bob.
"Certainly not!" said Carol.
"Because it wouldn't make any difference to me if you were" said Bob.
"Well I'm not" said Carol. "What I am is a sliightly different species."
"A different species?" asked Bob. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's difficult to explain. You see, I'm a member of a species that evolved from your species." Bob looked puzzled. "We're part of the new wave of humanity."
"We?" asked Bob. "And who's we?"
"I don't want to get into that right now. You'll meet my friends soon enough" said Carol. "We have enhanced psychic abilities."
"Psychic?" asked Bob. "You can read minds?"
"Only each others" replied Carol.
"So you can't read my mind?" asked Bob.
"No" replied Carol. Bob began to laugh.
"Oh, nice one Carol" said Bob. "You had me with that one!"
"But it's true!" said Carol. "Look at me!" With that, Carol jaunted from her seat on the sofa to the book case on the other side of the room. "You see! I have powers. We all have, me and my friends."
"You all have?" asked Bob.
"Yes" replied Carol, "and we can't kill either."
"So let me see" said Bob. "You're part of the next step in human evolution, you can't kill, you can read each other's minds and you can teleport?"
"Amongst other things" said Carol.
"And your friends are the same as you?" asked Bob.
"Yes" said Carol.
"And how many of you are there?" asked Bob.
"Quite a few of us now" said Carol. "You'll meet them all before long."
"I do hope so" said Bob, rising from his seat. He approached Carol, taking her hands in his. "You and your friends could be just the people I am looking for."
Chapter 4
Saturday afternoon and Shaun appeared on the jaunting pad. "Any of you guys seen Carol? I've been hanging about all day like one of Lewis's waiting for her."
"Have you tried contacting her?" asked John.
"I've been trying all day. It's like she's just not interested" said Shaun.
"That's what love does to you" said Helen.
"It's not funny, Helen. I've got the VAT man coning in any day now and Carol's the only who knows where we're up to" said Shaun, clearly agitated.
"Perhaps we should try to contact her now" said TIM. The three gathered round the telepathy table and linked hands.
"Okay, contact, TIM" said John. They tried but failed to make contact with Carol. "What is she playing at?" John broke away from the table. "Why doesn't she reply?"
"I think the problem is deeper than that, John" said TIM. "Her presence isn't even registering with me."
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Shaun.
"It's as if she's not even there" replied TIM.
'You don't suppose she's gone back to the Trig, do you?" asked Helen.
"No, if she wanted to do that, she'd have to come through us" said John.
"Perhaps we should pay her a visit" said Helen.
"You do what you like, I've got work to do" said Shaun, making his way to the jaunting pad. "and if you do run into her, tell her to get her arse in gear if she wants to keep her job!" With these words, Shaun jaunted away.
"He's not pleased, is he?" said Helen.
"Not a bit" said John. "Time to pay a visit, I think."
Chapter Five
John and Helen stood on the doorstep of Carol's house. They had sounded the doorbell and knocked on the door continuously without response.
"Carol, love, can you hear me?" Helen called through the letter box. "It's Helen and John. Is anybody home?"
"Helen, you don't need to do that" said John. "We're telepathic, remember."
"Oh, I'm always forgetting that, aren't I?" replied Helen.
"Anyway, she's not there. I can't feel her presence" said John.
"Shouldn't we go in and check? I mean she might have taken ill or something, or God forbid worse" said Helen.
"Maybe, but I'm always a bit uncomfortable about walking around someone else's house without their permission" said John. With that, they jaunted into the house, materialising in the front room. The house appeared to be empty. They called for Carol, but still got no reply.
"I'll check upstairs" said Helen before jaunting upstairs.
*Everything's very tidy up here. Her bed looks like it's not been slept in* 'pathed Helen. John looked round and came face to face with Carol's cat.
*She's not even let the cat out yet. I'm sick of telling her to get a cat flap.*
"Come on, Mervyn" said John, letting the cat out through the back door. He returned to the front room and suddenly noticed the two coffee cups left on the coffee table.
*Helen, get down here now!* 'pathed John.
*What's wrong?* 'pathed Helen.
*Something very worrying* 'pathed John. Helen materialised next to him
"What's wrong?" asked Helen.
"Look at the cups" said John. The coffee in the cups had not been touched and had turned cold. "There's no way Carol would have left them there. She's OCD about that sort of thing. It'd bother her all day."
"So what's happening?" asked Helen.
"Haven't a clue" said John. "We'd better get back to the lab."
Chapter Six
"Could you have a look at this for me please?" said Elizabeth to TIM, putting her jaunting band on the table. "It's stopped working."
"How inconvenient" commented Rachel.
"I know," said Elizabeth, "that's why I took the car. I got sick of all those short jaunts."
"I'm afraid the jaunting band is beyond repair" said TIM.
"Oh! Can you make a new one for me please?" asked Elizabeth.
"Yes, but it may take a day or two to match your psychic imprint" said TIM.
"Oh well, a good thing I've got the car" said Elizabeth, as John and Helen appeared on the jaunting pad.
"Did you get to speak to Carol?" asked TIM.
"No" replied Helen. "Nobody's home."
"We can't even reach her telepathically. I just wish we knew what she was playing at" said John, noticing Elizabeth's jaunting band on the table. "What's happened here?"
"It stopped working" said Elizabeth. "I thought perhaps TIM could fix it for me." John picked up the band, held it next to his ear and shook it.
"It's knackered" said John. "You'll need a new one. Shouldn't take more than a couple of days." Francesca appeared on the Jaunting pad.
"Hello everybody" said Francesca, noticing the serious mood of the group. "What's bugging you all?"
"It's Carol" said Elizabeth. "She's gone missing."
"What do you mean, missing?" asked Francesca, approaching her.
"We've been to her house but there's no sign of her" said John. "We've tried contacting her but it's like she's not even there."
"Funny" replied Francesca. "I saw her in town yesterday. At least I think it was her. I shouted her and she turned and looked at me, then she was off like a rabbit down a hole."
"Didn't you try to contact her?" asked Helen.
"That's the funny thing" said Francesca. "I didn't feel her. It was like she wasn't there. I thought perhaps it wasn't her, just some woman who looked like her. But when I called her name, she turned and looked at me."
"Just what the hell is she playing at?" said john.
Chapter Seven
Early evening, the sky was beginning to turn dusky, and Elizabeth was driving her Mini home along her usual route. She stopped at the red traffic lights and listened to the radio while she waited for the lights to change. Then she caught sight of a familiar figure. On the other side of the road was a petite blonde woman walking down the road. Was this Carol?
*Carol, is that you?* 'pathed Elizabeth, without reply. By now, the blonde woman was too far down the road round the corner to see. Elizabeth looked at the still red traffic light. As soon as it had changed to green, she pressed the accelerator of her car and turned left, parking on a side street. She got out of her car and looked round. Eventually, she saw a blonde figure going into a pub on the main road.
"Carol!" called Elizabeth. The blonde woman turned and looked directly at Elizabeth from across the road. It was definitely Carol.
*Carol where have you been?* 'pathed Elizabeth without reply as Carol disappeared through the front doors of the pub. For some reason that Elizabeth could not understand, this did not feel like Carol at all. In fact it did not feel like any kind of telepath. Forgetting herself, Elizabeth jaunted across the busy road and entered the pub. The room was busy, and Elizabeth looked round for Carol without success.
"Looking for someone?" asked a tall dark haired woman in her mid twenties.
"I guess I'm doing that" said Elizabeth. "My friend. Blonde hair and wearing a blue parka."
"Yes I saw her" said the woman. "She went upstairs. I think there's something going on up there."
"Oh, thanks" said Elizabeth, before turning towards the staircase.
*John, I've found Carol* 'pathed Elizabeth.
*That's great Liz* 'pathed John. *Is she with you now?*
*No. I saw her going into a pub. It's the Lord Byron on Osborne Street* 'pathed Elizabeth.
*Yes, I think I know it* 'pathed John.
*Someone said they saw her going upstairs so I'm going to take a look* 'pathed Elizabeth.
*Okay, but just be careful* 'pathed John.
Chapter Eight
Elizabeth looked round the room. The room was furnished by two long tables with chairs either side. There were around twenty to thirty people in the room. But no sign of Carol.
"You're new, aren't you love?" said a bespectacled woman in her forties.
"Am I?" asked Elizabeth.
"You've not been here before?" said the woman. "That's okay, we always welcome newbies. Now what's your name?"
"Elizabeth" said Elizabeth.
"Do you object to being called Liz?" asked the woman.
"Not at all" replied Elizabeth, as the woman wrote 'LIZ' on a self adhesive label with a felt tipped marker before applying the label to Elizabeth's lapel. "No, you don't understand, I'm looking for my friend." Elizabeth's protests fell on deaf ears as she was shepherded towards a chair on one side of one of the tables, flanked by two other women. Across the table was a bearded man. On his lapel was a label reading 'PHIL'.
"Okay ladies and gentlemen, you each have five minutes after which I will sound my buzzer and the gentlemen will then each move to the right' said the woman.
*John, you're not going to believe this. I'm taking part in a speed dating event* 'pathed Elizabeth.
*Speed dating? Won't Ed be impressed!* 'pathed John. *Any sign of Carol?*
*No* 'pathed Elizabeth, looking round the room. *She must be here somewhere. It seems strange that she should come to another of these speed dating thingies. I thought she was quite smitten with this Bob character.*
As the evening wore on, Elizabeth sat opposite and conversed with, in turn Phil, Jason, Mark, George, Barry, Liam, Andy, Alan, Doug, Karl, Stuart, Gary, Graham, Nick, Paul, Russell, Charlie, Chris and Lee before finally finding herself opposite a man bearing the label on which was written the name 'BOB'.
*You're not going to believe this* 'pathed Elizabeth. *I'm sitting opposite a guy called Bob.*
*You mean Carol's Bob?* 'pathed John.
*I don't know. I never met Carol's Bob* 'pathed Elizabeth.
*What does he look like?* 'pathed Helen.
*He's gorgeous* 'pathed Elizabeth.
*Lucky Carol* 'pathed Helen.
*There's nothing to say he's Carol's Bob* 'pathed Elizabeth. *It's a pretty common name. In any case where is Carol?*
"I'm not really supposed to be here" said Elizabeth.
"There's nothing wrong with this type of thing, you know" said Bob.
"Oh I don't mean that" said Elizabeth. "I mean I'm looking for my friend. Perhaps you know her? Carol?"
"No, I don't think so" said Bob, but Elizabeth had a feeling he was hiding something. "Is Carol a good friend?"
"Yes, a very good friend" said Elizabeth.
"And you have other good friends?" asked Bob.
"Yes, quite a few" replied Elizabeth.
"And they're all like Carol?" asked Bob.
"All very good friends, yes" replied Elizabeth.
"No, I mean all like Carol" replied Bob.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Elizabeth. Bob didn't reply. "You seem very interested in someone you don't know." Just then, the buzzer sounded, and Elizabeth found herself seated opposite Alex.
At the end of the evening, the group disbanded and Elizabeth made her way out of the pub, crossed the road and proceeded towards her car, finding that two of her tyres had been slashed, making it completely immobile.
"Got a problem Liz?" Bob called from across the street. He crossed over and took a look at the car. "Oh that's terrible!"
"Who would do a thing like this? It's just mindless vandalism" said Elizabeth. "'I'll have to get Ed to sort it out for me."
"Ed?" asked Bob.
"My . . . brother" said Eizabeth.
"Look, why don't I run you home. My car's only across the road" said Bob.
"Oh I couldn't really" said Elizabeth.
"No I insist" said Bob. "I couldn't abandon a lovely lady like you, now could I?"
Chapter Nine
It had been three days since Elizabeth's encounter with Bob, and since then, she had made no contact with the Tomorrow People. John, Helen and Francesca sat round the telepathy table, hands touching, desperately trying to contact Elizabeth.
*Elizabeth, please respond* 'pathed John for the umpteenth time.
"It's no use, John" said Helen.
"We can't just give up like that" said Francesca.
"We're not giving up" replied John. "TIM, do you have us on full boost?"
"Yes, John" said TIM. "I have been on full boost since Carol disappeared."
"It's so frustrating" said John. "Could I have a mug of coffee, please TIM?" A white mug of coffee appeared on the table. "Thank you, TIM. It must have something to do with this Bob character." Just then, Ed appeared on the jaunting pad. "Hello Ed." Ed stepped off the pad and approached John.
"Any news?" asked Ed.
"Not yet" replied John.
"So what are you doing about it?" asked Ed.
"Well, we've been trying to contact Elizabeth and Carol. So far, they haven't responded, but we're working on it" said John.
"Working on it?" said Ed. "Which means sitting on your arses doing nothing."
"Ed, that's not fair" said Helen.
"Shouldn't you be out there looking for them?" asked Ed.
"That would be our next step, yes" said John.
"It should be your first step" replied Ed. "Liz has been missing for three days. How long has Carol been missing?"
"Longer than that" said Francesca.
"Exactly" replied Ed. "You're supposed to be their friend. Haven't the Police been informed?"
"It's probably not wise to involve the Police" said John.
"Not wise? What's wrong with you people?" said Ed, getting angry. "You know what? I've ha it up to here with the Tomorrow People." He unstrapped his matter transporter band and threw it to the floor. "I'm finished with the lot of you. If you won't go looking for them, then I will." He walked towards the door. "Open the door, please TIM." The large metal door slid open and Ed exited before it slid closed again.
"He's not pleased is he?" said Helen.
I don't blame him" said Francesca. "If I were missing, I'd hope you'd go looking for me. I mean, we don't even know if they're still alive."
"Let's hope they are" said TIM.
"If they are alive, we should be able to contact them, shouldn't we?" asked Helen.
"Usually, yes, unless something's preventing them" said John, just as Rachel appeared on the jaunting pad.
"TIM, quick, put the telly on please!" said Rachel excitedly, coming into the room.
"Why, what's on?" asked TIM.
"Channel Four now please" said Rachel. "I've just seen Elizabeth on Countdown!"
"On Countdown? Are you sure it's Elizabeth?" asked Helen.
"Certain, Mum" said Rachel.
"Okay, Channel Four please TIM" said John. The video screen flickered into life. On the screen, the presenter spoke.
"Okay, Dan, you have a five. What is it please" said the presenter. The camera cut to Dan, a student in his early twenties.
"I've got JUNTA" said Dan.
"JUNTA' said the presenter. "A form of military government. And Elizabeth, you also have five?" The camera switched to the second competitor, who indeed appeared to be Elizabeth.
"Yes I've got a five" said Elizabeth. "I've got JAUNT."
"JAUNT" said the presenter. "A short trip."
"That's one definition" said Elizabeth. TIM switched off the video screen.
"TIM, was that definitely our Elizabeth on that television programme?" asked John.
"Using my facial recognition software, I can confirm that the lady we have just been watching is indeed Elizabeth Margaret M'Bundo Peach" replied TIM. "Of course, that conclusion is subject to the limitations of my software."
"Thank you, TIM" said John.
"At least we know she's alive" said Francesca. "That's good, isn't it?"
"Oh, it's definitely good" said John. "The real question is why we can't contact her. It just doesn't make any sense."
"John, just to let you know about something I have just discovered" said TIM. "I have tapped into a number of on-line computer systems and have found that Elizabeth has been seen on a number of CCTV systems, and her voice has been heard on a number of mobile phone systems. She has even been heard phoning into a local radio station in Aylesbury."
"It's like she wants to be found" said Helen.
"Exactly" said John. "What bothers me is why we can't contact her. And what's happened to Carol? I still think it has something to do with this Bob."
"So what are we going to do?" asked Helen.
"Well, deep down I know Ed's right. He's understandably worried, and I know Carol's family are worried too. I've got to do the right thing" said John. "I've got to go and look for them."
Chapter Ten
John parked his car in a side street off Osborne Street. He was determined to get to the bottom of the disappearance of Elizabeth and Carol. He'd concluded that the root of their disappearance was related to the speed dating sessions at the Lord Byron public house. He could have jaunted to the pub, but decided, as he was attempting to reproduce Elizabeth's movements as closely as possible, that he should drive.
*Okay TIM, can you see well enough?* 'pathed John.
*The pictures are coming through very well, John* 'pathed TIM. In the Lab, Helen,Rachel and Francesca could see what John could see on the video screen. They could also hear the traffic and other noises, thanks to an implant that TIM had inserted in John's neck which relayed visual and audio information directly by radio, so that communications would not be blocked by any psychic attenuation devices. John entered the pub and made his way upstairs to the function room where the speed dating was to take place. He was greeted by the same woman who greeted Elizabeth, having his name label placed on the lapel of his jacket. He sat at the table, as did everyone else in the room, and moved round one place at a time, cued by the buzzer. In turn, he spoke to a varied selection of women, crow-barring Bob's name in at every opportunity, but with no luck. Eventually, he found himself sitting opposite Lindsay, an attractive red haired woman in her forties.
"I've never been to one of these before" said John. "Have you?"
"Two or three times so far" said Lindsay. "They can be hit or miss."
*Just watch yourself, John* 'pathed Helen. *Remember you're a married man!*
*How could I possibly forget, my sweet* 'pathed John in reply. He looked round at the other people in the room.
"So tell me about yourself" said Lindsay.
"Well I'm newly divorced, I've got a grown up daughter called Rachel" said John.
*Watch it sailor, you're cruising for a bruising!* 'pathed Helen.
*Just a little white lie to maintain the pretence* 'pathed John.
"You seem a bit distracted" said Lindsay.
"I'm looking for a man" said John.
"Well you've got the wrong night for that" said Lindsay. "Gay night is every second Wednesday."
"No, no I don't mean that" said John. "I don't mean that at all. A friend of mine met someone here, well two friends of mine did. The same man I think. By the name of Bob."
"Bob?" asked Lindsay.
"Yes, do you know him?" replied John.
"I think I ran into a Bob" said Lindsay.
"Did you? I think he hooked up with my friend Carol first then a few weeks later he met my other friend Elizabeth" said John.
"And your friends both met up with Bob here?" asked Lindsay.
"Yes, did you see them by any chance?" asked John.
"You know, I think I might just have" said Lindsay. "What were their names again?"
"Carol and Elizabeth" said John. Just then, the buzzer went and John had to move on.
*Well, what do you make of that then?* 'pathed John.
*She definitely seems worth asking further* 'pathed TIM.
*But not too closely, eh John* 'pathed Helen.
The evening eventually drew to a close without any real positive leads, except for Lindsay. She definitely seemed worth talking to. John exited the pub and made his way to his car until he heard his name being called.
"John! John!" John looked round and saw Lindsay on the other side of the road. She was standing by her car and seemed upset.
"What's wrong?" said John, going towards Lindsay.
"Just look at my car!" said Lindsay. When John got there, he saw that two of the tyres of Lindsay's car had been slashed. "It's just not right is it? I mean you work hard all week and this is the reward!"
"This is terrible" said John
"I'll have to get a cab" said Lindsay.
"Nonsense!" said John. "Let me give you a lift. Leave the car to me. I have a friend who can fix this in no time."
*TIM, do you think you'd be able to fix these tyres?* 'pathed John.
*Yes, but not right away with all those people there*'pathed TIM.
"No, you're okay John, but thanks" said Lindsay.
"I insist" said John.
"Okay, as long as I'm not taking you too far out of your way" said Lindsay. John escorted Lindsay to his car, unlocked it and opened the passenger door for Lindsay.
"I have to thank you for this, John. It's very kind of you" said Lindsay.
"Think nothing of it" said John.
"I need to show you something" said Lindsay. She raised her right hand to John's face then opened her palm. Suddenly a beam of energy shot out of her hand and hit John in the face. He fell to the ground unconscious. Lindsay picked him up, placed him in the passenger seat, got into the driver's seat and drove away.
Chapter Eleven
John woke up in a small room. At one end was a small camp bed. At the other end of the room was a door with a barred window. John got up on his feet unsteadily, his head throbbing. He stumbled towards the door and peered through the barred window. He saw Lindsay working at an elaborate electronic panel. She turned and looked at him.
"Hello John, how are you feeling?" said Lindsay.
"Like a bomb's gone off in my head" said John. He tried to contact TIM telepathically, but the pain in his head was too great.
"The pain will subside soon" said Lindsay. "Don't try to contact your friends. You can't."
"You know about us?" asked John.
"About you and your friends? That you are telepaths? I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't" said Lindsay.
"Your job?" asked John.
"You might say I'm a collector of telepaths" said Lindsay.
"A collector . . . who for?" asked John.
"For my master" replied Lindsay. "You're looking tired John. Why don't you take a nap?"
"I'll take a nap when I've had a few answers" said John.
"You must rest, you're no use to my master in a state of fatigue" said Lindsay. John thought for a moment. If his disappearance was caused by Lindsay, then maybe the disappearances of Carol and Elizabeth were also caused by Lindsay, and Bob was totally innocent. John sat back on his bed.
"I want to know where my friends are" said John.
"You mean Carol and Elizabeth?" asked Lindsay.
"Yes Carol and Elizabeth" snapped John. "Tell me where they are!"
"Oh, I can do better than tell you" said Lindsay. "I can show you." Lindsay pressed a button strapped to a panel on her wrist. The walls the cell shimmered and dissolved. Adjacent to John's cell were two other identical cells, occupied by Carol and Elizabeth.
"John!" called Elizabeth. She ran towards John, but on approaching where the wall of the cell was, she was thrown back by a force field.
"Are you okay, Liz?" asked Carol.
"I'll live" replied Elizabeth getting back onto her feet. She looked at Lindsay. "Who are you?"
"Her name's Lindsay. She brought us here" said John. "I'm afraid we've done Bob an injustice. He had nothing to do with this."
"No she didn't. Bob brought us here" said Carol. "He's the one who imprisoned us here!"
"Are you working with Bob?" asked Elizabeth.
"In a way" said Lindsay.
"Then where is he? You tell Bob I want to see him straight away!" demanded John.
"I can arrange that immediately" said Lindsay. She pressed another button on her wrist panel. A shimmer of light appeared around her body and she transformed into Bob.
The form of Bob spoke. "My name is Henric and I was created to serve my master."
"A shape shifter?" said John. "Are you alien?"
"I am alien in design. I was created to serve my master" said Henric.
"And who is your master? Is he alien?" asked Carol.
"He is indeed. He requires the help that only telepaths can give him. That is why my function is what it is" said Henric.
"He didn't have to kidnap anyone" said Elizabeth. "He only had to ask."
"I have to collect more telepaths" said Henric. "Firstly, let me show you my true form." Henric pressed a button on his wrist panel. A shimmering light again engulfed Henric's bdy and he quickly changed form, this time into the form of a large robot.
"Jedikiah!" cried Carol.
"That's impossible!" said Elizabeth. "He's dead!"
"I don't think this is Jedikiah" said John.
"I am not Jedikiah" said the robot. "I am Henric. Jedikiah is my brother. Together with my fellow brothers, Jedikiah and I were designed and built to collect telepaths for our master."
"And is your master a Cyclops? A big green chap?" asked John.
"That would be an apt description" replied Henric.
"Then you're too late!" said John. "He went home decades ago. How long have you been active?"
"About six months by your calendar" said Henric.
"I've got news for you. He's gone home already!" said John. "You're redundant!"
"I have not had any notification of that" said Henric.
"Well you won't will you? He's gone" said John.
"I don't believe you" said Henric. "I would have received notification."
"Why? The cyclops doesn't need you or your brothers anymore" said John.
"The time has come for us to teleport aboard my master's spacecraft" said Henric.
"Henric, no!" said Elizabeth. "There's no ship there. We'd be transported into space! We'd all be killed!"
Chapter Twelve
Back in the Lab, TIM, Helen, Francesca and Rachel had been able to view the events from John's perspective.
"A shape shifting robot" said Helen. "You know, if it weren't so serious, it'd be funny. Carol being taken in like that."
"I know" said Rachel. "Dad told me all about how difficult Jedikiah was with his shape shifting. It was when a boy broke out."
"Tyso" said TIM. "It is imperative that Henric is stopped before John, Elizabeth and Carol find themselves in outer space with no protection.
"Okay do we have a lock on John's position?" asked Helen.
"Yes, Helen" replied TIM. "His implant is working perfectly."
"Good, then can you jaunt me to a point outside the building he's in?" asked Helen.
"Mum, no!" said Rachel.
"John's my husband. It's for me to make sure he gets out in one piece" said Helen. "TIM, can I have a stun gun please?" A stun gun appeared on the table.
"Mum, you can't go" said Rachel.
"I have to rescue your Dad" argued Helen.
"Then let me go" said Rachel.
"Certainly not!" said Helen. "You're just a kid!" While Helen and Rachel continued their argument, Francesca took the stun gun, put it into an inside pocket of her jacket and ran to the jaunting pad.
"Okay TIM, jaunt me out please!" said Francesca, and before Helen and Rachel realised it, Francesca had gone.
Chapter Thirteen
Francesca materialised in the grounds of a large house with a gravel drive.
*Francesca, where are you?* 'pathed Helen.
*I'm outside a big house* 'pathed Francesca. *The signal's very poor.*
*Then get back here now* 'pathed Helen. *It's far too dangerous for you* but before Francesca could receive Helen's message, it had faded out to nothing. She slowly approached the house. From the side of the house she saw John appear.
"John!" she called out.
"Stay back" said John. "Carol and Liz are safe for the moment. We just need to take things slowly. Now just follow me."
Francesca tried to telpathicly connect with John without success. Could it be that this was not really John. "No" she said.
"Come on, we haven't got all day!" said John.
"What's my name?" asked Francesca.
"Excuse me?" said John.
"What's my name?" asked Francesca.
"Have you forgotten?" asked John.
"I'm just wondering if you've forgotten, that's all" said Francesca.
"Rachel. Your name's Rachel, okay? Now come with me Rachel" said John.
"That's what I thought you'd say" said Francesca, as she pulled the stun gun from inside her jacket, took aim and fired at John. John reeled and finally fell backwards onto his back before being engulfed in a glow and changing form into the robotic Henric. Immediately, she could feel the psychic footprint of the Elizabeth, Carol and the real John, who jaunted out of their cells to join Francesca on the gravel driveway.
"I've done it!" said Francesca. "You're free. I've rescued you!"
"Oh you silly girl!" said John. "You shouldn't have done that!"
"But . . . but I thought that if . . ." pleaded Francesca.
"Well you should have thought a bit more, shouldn't you?" said John.
"She was only trying to help" said Carol.
"We needed Henric to shut off his brothers. As it stands now, it'll only need one of his brothers to wake up, then we'll have the same problems over again!" said John.
"Perhaps you can repair him" said Elizabeth.
"Repair alien technology out in the field?" said John. "I may be good but I'm not that good."
"Well let's get rid of this control panel first" said Elizabeth, indicating the panel on the robot's wrist. "Agreed?"
"Agreed" said John. Carol removed the panel and threw it to the floor before Francesca blasted it with the stun gun, destroying it. John took a look at the robot. He noticed the scorch mark made from the stun gun on the robot's side. "You know, I don't think Henric's as badly damaged as he seems." *TIM, could you hack into Henric's cognitive circuits please?* he 'pathed.
*Working on it now, John* 'pathed TIM. *Contact established. What would you like me to do?*
*Can you reboot him to begin with please?* 'pathed John.
"Reboot the robot!" joked Carol.
"John, no!" said Francesca.
"It's alright, I know what I'm doing" said John, as Henric came back to life.
"What am I doing here?" asked Henric, getting to his feet.
"I'm going to make you understand" said John. *Okay TIM, upload our files on our encounter with the Cyclops please* 'pathed John. Henric paused as the information on the Tomorrow People's encounter with the Cyclops, and their part in his rescue and return to his own planet was downloaded into his memory banks.
"My master is gone" said Henric. "I am redundant."
"Exactly" said John.
"I have no function" said Henric. "It was never my intention to cause such trouble."
"It's okay" said Carol. "You were only following your programming."
"I must make amends" said Henric. "How can I do that?"
"How do you think? What needs doing?" said John.
"I am redundant, and so are my sleeping brothers" said Henric.
"Now you see why I didn't want him destroyed" said John to Francesca.
"Follow me" said Henric. He led them back into the house and into the cellar where their cells had been. He approached the control panel and pressed several buttons. On the large viewscreen, divided into eighteen sections, were images of Henric's robot brothers. Henric pressed several buttons on the panel. The Tomorrow people watched as simultaneously, each robot began to erode away until all that was left of each was a pile of dust. Henric stepped away from the panel as robotic life began to drain away from him. Eventually he too began to erode away.
Epilogue
Carol had decided she needed a break from the real world. Reluctantly, Shaun had given her a few days off and she had decided to spend those days in the lab, not venturing out, sleeping in the dormitory. Late one evening, she sat alone in the Lab after everyone else had gone home, with only TIM for company. She put on her reading glasses and took out a magazine and a pen from her bag and turned to the crossword page.
"I'm sorry things didn't work out for you, Carol" said TIM
"Oh that's okay" said Carol. "Maybe the single life is best."
"I'm sure the right man will come along eventually" said TIM. "You deserve a good man who deserves you."
"Thank you TIM" said Carol. "I need someone I can rely on. Someone as loyal as Mervyn. Mervyn!" Carol gt up suddenly and hurried towards the jaunting pad. "TIM, jaunt me home now please!"
"What's wrong Carol?" asked TIM.
"I've just remembered my cat! He's not been fed for a week or gone out. I bet the poor soul's been dying for a wee!"