~ X ~ Elite Headquarters

Stephen took a deep steadying breath before entering the Elite building lobby. The thought of this confrontation with his uncle set his nerves on edge. Yesterday he had been pumped, and the surge of adrenaline had carried him through. Now, forced to wait, tension had been slowly building up. He realized he was gritting his teeth and consciously relaxed his jaw muscles.

He had to cut his first class of the new semester to meet his uncle at the appointed time. So what else is new? He's messed up everything else in my life. Why not mess this up too?

He tried to project an air of confidence as he approached the seemingly innocuous security desk. Doubts assailed him as images gleamed from Jeffrey Malcom's memories flashed in his mind. Was he walking into a trap? Did his uncle plan to grab and mind wipe him like he had done to John?

He quelled his misgivings by bolstering his self-esteem with the same reasons he had given Cara this morning when he told her what he was doing, and she had argued against him coming alone. He had brought down the Founder. And if Jedikiah set John against him, well he had triumphed where his father had failed. He had no reason to doubt his powers. He could do this.

The security guard was not the same one he had met on his first visit here. This one didn't expend even the minimal effort required to raise his head to look at Stephen, while his bored tone revealed his total lack of interest. "Can I help you?"

"I have an appointment with Dr. Price."

"Name?"

Stephen could tell he wasn't faking his indifference. He had absolutely zero interest in yours truly. He idly wondered if the guard would react to 'Mr. Sponge Bob Squarepants', but he suppressed the urge. No time for levity. "Stephen Jameson."

The guard exerted himself just enough to place a visitor badge on the counter and push it towards Stephen, before pointing over his shoulder. "Up those stairs. Someone will meet you at the top."

Stephen looked around as he pinned the badge to his sweatshirt. "Why can't I take one of the elevators?"

The guard once again pointed over his shoulder. "Stairs." Not once had he bothered to look at Stephen.

"Thanks for your warm welcome, friendly interest, and exquisite hospitality." As Stephen half expected, the guard didn't react to his sarcasm.

He was met at the top of the stairs by a blonde woman. It was the same one that had escorted him and Cara and Russell when they came together. She was as little inclined to talk as the guard, but definitely not bored. Stephen could sense a subtle tension in her body, and she was actively blocking her thoughts from him. She didn't greet him, just made a hand motion indicating he should walk by her side. As they kept pace he racked his brains trying to remember how he knew her. He was almost certain it was from his days as an Ultra agent. She led him to a bank of elevators, pressing her open hand against a scanner to open the door. Stephen stayed vigilant, trying to observe as much as possible. Certain floors had keypads next to them, a sure sign they were locked down. He allowed his eyes to casually drift up to the elevator ceiling where he saw the familiar ice blue of suppression crystals.

When the door opened, he snapped his fingers as a memory came to him. "You were an Ultra agent." As it all came flooding back, he blurted out, "You helped capture John."

They stopped in front of a door. She knocked and at the sound of an invitation opened it, indicating Stephen should enter. He made a last effort to get her to talk. "Elle, right?"

She gave him a sour look and again motioned him in without responding. He shrugged and entered, only to have the door close behind him so fast it pressed on his butt, pushing him inside. He turned and gave the door a dirty look. She had done something similar the last time, but it was Russell that had gotten shoved. Apparently she enjoyed pushing people.

His uncle was standing in front of a row of windows, hands clasped behind his back, staring out at the view provided this high up. He slowly turned, giving Stephen a sense of déjà vu. This is how we first met. I hope that isn't an omen.

"Ah, Stephen. Thanks for postponing our talk until today."

Stephen immediately went on the offensive. "You need to work on your organization's customer service standards. Your help leaves something to be desired. That guard wouldn't notice if a guy in a gorilla suit asked to see you as long as he said he had an appointment, and Elle is—well, I guess the first word is sullen, followed by, well, unfriendly

Jedikiah smiled thinly, indicating that Stephen should take a chair. He took the chair behind his desk, sitting back relaxed, crossing one leg over the other. Stephen sat bolt upright, still wary of a trap.

"We have several levels of security. The guard, even though he wears a uniform, is more of a receptionist. You were noticed, recorded, and evaluated." He smiled a little wider. "Believe me, if you were considered a threat, you would have been dealt with appropriately."

"And that woman?"

Jedikiah raised an eyebrow. "Elle? What about her? She's an exceptional agent."

"Zero personality."

"She doesn't need one." Jedikiah looked him over. "You didn't come here to comment on my staff. Tell me what's on your mind."

Stephen hesitated for a moment before taking the plunge. "Why are you stripping people's powers? I thought that ended with the Founder. Are you setting yourself up as the new dictator? You have no right to do this."

Jedikiah made a little face and opened his hands wide. "First of all, I have every right to strip powers if I feel a Tomorrow Person is a threat to society."

Jedikiah ignored the revulsion that Stephen made no attempt to disguise. "I am the head of this organization." He spread his arms wide, indicating everything. "Elite. A government sanctioned agency to deal with mutant, ah—shall we say, developments. My authority is unlimited in all things Homo superior. Other government agencies are at my disposal."

Stephen's lips twisted in contempt. "You're just as power hungry as you've always been. It was never about protecting the human race. It was always about your personal search for power."

Jedikiah did not openly react to Stephen's inflammatory words. He quietly said, "I will always have Homo sapiens' interests at heart, but I don't deny there is no one better than me to lead this initiative."

Stephen shook his head, disgusted by, but not really astonished at Jedikiah's words. "You are stripping innocent people of their powers."

Jedikiah's brows rose. "Innocent? I don't think so. We don't target anyone unless they commit a crime or show their powers in public."

"For shoplifting? You strip someone's powers because they steal food or a pair of earrings?" Stephen, his head shaking from side to side, made no attempt to hide his scorn.

Jedikiah, still relaxed, shrugged. "A crime is a crime. We don't force them to commit them. We just catch them."

Stephen leaned forward in his chair, pressing his hands on Jedikiah's desk. "I— we can't let that happen."

"And how do you intend to stop us? I don't recommend you confront my agents." Jedikiah's voice was low and even, but Stephen didn't miss the implied threat behind his words.

"We intend to get to these people first, before you can hurt them."

Jedikiah shrugged. "Not a problem. You can head the Tomorrow People support group. I have no issue with that. Keep them on the straight and narrow, and there's no conflict with my organization."

Stephen's eyes narrowed, and he baited his uncle. "So, where will you harvest powers from then?"

Jedikiah's face remained bland and unreadable. "I don't know what you're referring to."

"Really? Because we've done some checking and not everyone's being given the shot. Irene has powers again. They had to come from somewhere." Stephen watched his uncle closely to check on the effect of his words, but Jedikiah was too experienced an adversary to give anything away.

"Interesting theory," was his only comment. "You know you can always join Elite. You'd have better success helping these people if you worked on the inside as part of the team." Jedikiah made the offer without any real belief that it would be accepted, but he wanted to see his nephew's reaction. He leaned back in his chair, eying Stephen closely.

His nephew shook his head, not bothering to reply. His incredulous look was answer enough.

Silence reigned in the room for a few moments. Seeing Stephen had nothing else to say, Jedikiah made a move to end the appointment by slightly rising, ready to show his nephew out. He sank back in his chair when Stephen abruptly jumped up and started pacing.

Jedikiah sat patiently, eyes following the boy as he walked tight circles. Stephen clenched and unclenched his fists, and he began to speak fast, as if he needed to get something off his chest. "I can never forgive you for shooting my father. There was no need. I could have rescued him and stopped the Founder." Stephen, seeing his uncle's lips part, forestalled any possible defense by stabbing a finger at him. "Don't tell me he asked you to. I know he did. But you shouldn't have done it."

He shook his head as he walked, his handsome face marred by a grimace. I keep thinking things should have ended differently. My mother . . . " He wasn't able to continue his sentence. He abruptly switched topics.

"Now, I have all these people hanging on me. Waiting for me to tell them what to do. To protect them. I feel like there's a two ton weight on my shoulders. What am I? Atlas holding up the world? It's worse than when the Founder was here. I knew there was an end in sight. I had a goal. Now, there's no end."

He finally sat again, running a hand through his hair.

"There's times when I want to talk about everything that we went through. I used to laugh at the old people sitting around reliving their glory days. I wanna do that. Talk it over. Make sense out of it. I want to understand how the Founder could let his daughter die. I want to understand how Ultra molded Hilary. How she became who she was. How she felt.

"And you know who was with me through most of it? Not Russell. Not Cara. It was John. I can't talk to them about what I want to know. They didn't live it."

He looked narrowly at his uncle. "You took him from me. From us. He's as gone as my mother and father. You shouldn't have done what you did to John."

Jedikiah tried to choose his words carefully. "I did you a favor, Stephen." He held up a hand as his nephew's face contorted with anger. "Hear me out."

"Do you know how I got John to accept your father's DNA? I told him he could get Cara back. This fantasy world of happily ever after you've built up in your mind —it's just that —a fantasy. He loves —loved Cara. He would have tried to get her back. You two would have been fighting over her. And you did, didn't you? Fight over her, that is."

Jedikiah laughed at the expression on Stephen's face. "No, I'm not a mind reader and I didn't know for sure until your face gave you away, but it was inevitable. Two young guys, same woman."

Jedikiah sighed. "I know there was something with Astrid. I don't know how deep it was, but remember John was lost. His identify was stripped from him. He was vulnerable, defenseless."

Stephen shook his head, bewildered. He leaned towards his uncle. "I don't understand. How could you do this to him? I thought you felt something for John. Isn't there any part of you that has human feelings?"

Jedikiah looked away for a moment, before softly saying, "I love John. He's the son of my heart. I did this for him." Jedikiah saw the look on Stephen's face.

"Go ahead. Scoff all you want. I know my boy. The only thing he ever wanted, searched his whole life for, was a home. Every home he's ever had, he's been forced out of. First by me and Roger, then by Cara. I want him to have a home he'll always have. And Cara? Who's to say she'd pick John over you? So, John's got to live with that?"

Now it was Jedikiah's turn to lean forward, trying to convince Stephen that he was sincere. "Try to look at this from someone's viewpoint other than your own. Really, how is it kind to let him lose her twice?"

"He deserves the choice," Stephen stubbornly insisted. "You don't have the right to direct his life."

"His life has always been directed, Stephen. He's never had a choice. Your father and I determined it."

"Whatya mean by that?" Stephen's face screwed up, expressing his confusion.

Jedikiah quickly explained, "Roger and I decided he would go to John after his friend Tony was killed. Roger would make friends with him. He would always be the good guy while I had to be bad and good. His life was set on this course from the time he first came to Ultra. I saw something in that kid."

Jedikiah held Stephen's eyes. "And I was right. There was something special about John. I helped him every way I could. I made him as strong as possible."

"Helped him? How? By making him kill?"

"Not just that. Why do you think it took three shots to strip his powers? I did that." Jedikiah pounded his chest with one hand to emphasize his point. "Me! I changed his DNA. Have you ever seen him be in multiple places at one time? Me!"

Stephen groped for something to say before finally reiterating what he said before. "You took away his right to choose."

"He was a confused, lost kid. I gave him a purpose. Long before you two came into his life, he was mine." Jedikiah's blue eyes went ice cold. "He belongs with me." The intensity with which he uttered the last sentence made Stephen once again realize how dangerous his uncle was.

Jedikiah abruptly stood, as if walking could relieve his feelings.

"I wish things didn't happen the way they did. I was robbed of my brother for ten long years, and then I get him back and I have to . . . You have no idea how I feel about that. And I should have gotten to know Marla. She was a good woman. Roger told me what a treasure she was. How strong she was. Roger and I should have raised our families together. You and Luca and John should have played together after a Sunday afternoon dinner. You should have done things cousins do."

Stephen blinked. "But John wouldn't have been ther. . . " He protested before he had time to think and then trailed off unsure what was going on here.

Jedikiah looked as if he could have bitten his tongue off, but he quickly regained his composure. He took his time walking around behind his desk to calmly sit again. "You're right, of course. I'm just imagining what I would have liked to happen.

"I can only be thankful I got to meet Marla and see my brother again. I know you don't believe me, but I'm proud of you, Stephen. You're a credit to your parents.

"I will never stand between you and Luca. I will never try to turn him against you. But I have to be here for him until he comes around. And he will come around. He's sixteen and his world is in pieces. It just didn't fall apart. It exploded. Give him time to absorb it all.

"I'm sorry things are the way they are between us. I didn't want any of it to happen. But I didn't cause it. The Founder did. I only did what I had to do to protect my species." Jedikiah looked to Stephen, perhaps hoping for absolution.

Stephen, his face expressing his disdain, stood. "There's always someone else to blame. Never you, is it?"

Jedikiah drummed his fingers on his desk. "Oh, I take responsibility for my actions. It always there in the back of my mind, but I don't shirk from doing what I have to do."

Stephen's fists clenched and his face reflected his anger. "There's always something with you. You can't be trusted."

Stephen turned to leave, but Jedikiah's words stopped him in his tracks. "Help as many of the breakouts as you can, Stephen, but do not interfere with my agents. I won't tolerate it."

"I can't promise that." Stephen said the words over his shoulder without turning to face his uncle.

"At least keep Cara away from John. For both your sakes. You really don't want those two together."

Stephen slowly turned to regard his Uncle. "Afraid what he might remember?"

Jedikiah met Stephen's eyes and held them. "I can handle the results. The question is, can you?"

Stephen broke eye contact first and left. Elle was waiting outside the door to escort him out.