Author's Note: ~ "text" ~ indicates telepathy.

xxx TTP xxx

A couple of days after Roger's 16th Birthday party, John met him at the Noodle Shop. John had decided to treat the boy to dinner and then take him to the place where it all began - the former Ultra headquarters. The building was still being used by the Tomorrow People, but it was more like a meeting place than somewhere they actually lived.

Over dinner, they engaged in some small talk. John asked Roger how school was going and if he felt any different now that he's 16. Roger had no complaints, but expressed a desire to learn to drive.

"Mom refuses to let me drive. I don't get it."

"Did she say why?"

"Oh, just some bullsh ... bull about it not being necessary. 'Public transportation is good enough around here, you don't need to drive.' It's a conspiracy!" The teenager proclaimed and then pouted.

John chuckled at the dramatics. "You know she's right ... and it has nothing to do with a conspiracy."

The waitress stopped at the table and cleared some of the empty plates then left the check. "No rush," she said, smiling at John as she walked away.

"Man, how do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Get all these women to notice you!"

"I have no idea, maybe it's my winning smile or my charm," the usually somber man teased.

"Well, it's got to be something!"

Roger gobbled down the last few bites of his meal then pushed his plate away. He sat there staring at John, waiting for the man to notice.

As John finished paying the check, he felt like he was being watched, which of course he was.

"What?"

"How much longer are you going to beat around the bush?"

John sighed.

"Not much longer. The only way I can tell you about your father is to tell you my story. It's the only perspective I have on the man."

Roger could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of learning more about this man who was such an integral part of his life. He couldn't remember John ever saying anything about his past. If he asked about it, John would just tell him it's complicated and quickly change the subject. The only person he knew the least about, other than his father, was John.

John left the tip on the table and said, "Let's get out of here."

The teen practically jumped out of his seat and ran to follow John out the door.

xxx TTP xxx

"This way," John said then led Roger to some less crowded back streets.

John walked purposefully with long strides. Roger, having had a good growth spurt, found it was easier to keep up with the tall man.

John finally stopped at an intersection. He stared at the building down the street.

"Jedikiah saved my life ... at least twice ... that I know of."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"That's not the whole story," John responded turning his attention back to the boy. "I grew up in the foster care system. Never had a home or a family. Ultra tracked me down soon after I broke out. I was trying to take care of my foster brothers, but was being careless and your father found me."

"What did you do?"

"I was a little bit younger than you and had just stolen some food when I came across this cool car. I couldn't resist taking it for a joyride. Well, that joyride ended up in a high speed police chase that put me on Ultra's radar."

"Cool!"

"No, not cool. It was dangerous and stupid. I'm lucky nobody got hurt."

"So the cops arrested you and then my father got you out of jail?"

"Not exactly. I teleported out of the car before they could arrest me."

"Ohhh, sneaky! So how did my father find you?"

"Ultra had many ways of tracking paranormals. They were monitoring the police chase and were able to track me back home. Jedikiah showed up shortly after. The man who was supposed to take care of us was punishing me because I tried to confront him about using the foster money for booze. He had pushed me against the wall and was coming at me with a knife when there was a knock at the door. It was Jedikiah. He gave my foster father an envelope full of money and took me right then and there."

"Wow, that was fast."

"Ultra didn't mess around."

John checked traffic and then led Roger across the street and down the road to the Refuge.

"Cool building. What is this?"

"This is Ultra ... well, used to be. It's now a safe haven for the people like me. What you see in here, you can't tell anyone, got it?"

Roger nodded enthusiastically.

~ "Stephen, we're here." ~ John sent.

~ "The rooms you requested are ready." ~

~ "Thank you." ~

"Who were you talking to?"

John sighed and shook his head. This kid always knew when someone was having a telepathic conversation.

"It was Stephen. I was just making sure everything was set."

xxx TTP xxx

They entered what used to be Jedikiah's office. It has since been turned into a storage room. Some of it had been removed, so John could show Roger the space.

"This was your father's office. It doesn't look like much now, but it was pretty impressive back then."

Roger walked around as much as he could to get the feel of the place. He stopped by the far wall and stared at it then turned around to look at John.

"So this is where he worked?"

"Yep, his desk was right about where you're standing. The wall behind you used to be all windows. Whenever I was sent here, it always felt like going to the principal's office."

John walked over to where Roger was standing.

"Your father took me in and started training me. Soon, it was more than I could handle and I went back to my foster father, which ... didn't turn out so well."

"You went back to the guy who attacked you? Why?"

"I was young and scared and didn't know better. Things started happening that ... well, made my old life not seem so bad. That is, until my foster father insisted I had to go back and started beating me again. I tried to fight back with the little bit I had learned, but soon he overpowered me."

"What happened next?"

"Jedikiah showed up and killed him. He shot him."

"Woah, so he was like a hero then. Showing up and stopping the bad guy."

"At that time, yes."

John escorted the boy from the room.

xxx TTP xxx

Their next stop was the training room. The only changes here was newer equipment had been installed. Today, though, it was closed to everybody else.

"This is the training room. It's where I honed my abilities and learned to use more than just my powers in any given situation. It's changed a bit since then, but still used for the same purpose."

Roger walked around the room, examining the various equipment.

"So what does this have to do with my father? I assume he wasn't showing you how to use your powers and, if he was in charge, I wouldn't think he'd be teaching you how to fight."

"True, but there were times he worked with me and another kid. He had us put in more work than the others because we were the youngest. As I progressed, I became ... let's say a little overconfident in my abilities."

"Oh? What did you do?"

"I ended up using my powers to protect one of my friends ... a human friend."

"Uh oh."

"Right. Of course Ultra found out about it and, not wanting to put the others through an interrogation, I stepped forward. Your Dad had a little talk with me and sent me to my room. Later that night, he came by, told me to grab my jacket and follow him. We got into one of the limos. I got scared when I saw two people in front instead of just the driver."

John took a deep breath.

"We were taken to a specific location then Jed rolled down the window and ordered me to watch."

Again John hesitated, but this time he walked away from Roger, wiping his eyes.

"And then what happened?" Roger stepped closer to John.

"The two men got out of the car and approached my friend. Just as I realized they were carrying guns, I tried to warn my friend, but Jed stopped me and forced me to watch ... to watch them kill my human friend."

Roger gasped. John finally turned around to face him.

"Rog, are you okay?" The boy looked like he was in shock.

"So they shot him? While you watched?"

"Yes."

"That's ... not so cool. How old were you?"

"Fourteen. I started yelling at Jedikiah and he told me that there were those above him that wanted that for me and he stopped them. He saved my life, again. I learned a horrible lesson that day, I learned not to show my powers to any humans, even friends."

Roger's life has been fairly protected so far, so he couldn't imagine watching someone die, let alone watching them get murdered right in front of him.

"Do you want to continue?"

"I ... yes, I do." Roger nodded.

"After the incident with my friend, I worked hard. I needed to make sure they, those above your father, wouldn't come after me again. I needed to prove Jedikiah was right to save me. A few years later, I became one of Ultra's best agents."