John was a simple man with a simple life and a not so simple job, or that's how he liked to think of it. He didn't have a past but he had a present and future that he could make all his own. He didn't like to dwell on things he couldn't change. It wasn't like it mattered, no one was looking for him.

He lived in a studio apartment paid for by Jedikiah Price. It was his consolation prize for losing his memory. If he was perfectly honest it didn't matter that much to him now. The way he saw it his life was perfect. He had a job, one that, despite the gory details, he quite liked, a roof over his head that catered exactly to his needs and best of all his powers. He couldn't imagine his life without them, they're too ingrained in his identity.

John had just finished getting dressed and was about to head out to Jed's lair. Before he leaves he looks at the girl in his bed. He met her at a club last night while he was doing some recon work. He gathered all the information necessary on the subject, Irene Quinn — she was apparently some super genius. She seemed very out of place based on her profile, but she definitely didn't look it. She had dyed her hair from the blonde in the photo he was given to a burgundy red. She wore a tight-fitting black dress that got her the attention she seemed to be seeking. She met a guy and danced with him and when he suggested they move the party to his place she left with him. John read his mind to get the location and let them leave—his job didn't entail him being that creepy.

That's when he met her. She was brunette with blue eyes and tanned skin. Something felt familiar about her so he went to talk to her like he always does when he gets that feeling and just like every time before he took her to his place and fucked her brains out trying to fuck the feeling away. He didn't like it. He knew it was a part of his old self, the one that no longer exists. It never works though, in fact, it gets worse because he finds himself imagining someone else, someone much different than the girl he takes home with curly hair, brown eyes, and cocoa skin. Her face is always a blur, nothing distinct enough for him to identify her, but the feeling he gets is overwhelming and then disappointment soon follows when he reaches reality again. He's too scared to probe what any of it means — it was too complicated and fucked up.

He leaves a note on his nightstand hoping when the girl wakes up she'll get the hint. He has no intentions of stretching this out for more than one night. Sure the sex was good, but he could find another girl just as easy to get the same.

John walks into the elevator and presses the button for the floor he's needed on. They've grown quite a bit from that small apartment. They now had an underground facility that a small two story clinic sat atop. John found it a bit ridiculous, but Jed had been insistent that they not be visible to anyone. It was a mistake Ultra made that he was sure not to repeat.

Once the elevator doors open he walks into Khronos, a facility dedicated to training paranormal soldiers. John waves to the security guard and walks into Jed's office.

"I still can't believe this place sometimes," John says while sitting in the chair in front of his desk.

"Well believe it because this is just the tip of the iceberg. Once we get more recruits this won't seem like enough space."

John shakes his head. "Speaking of, what's my next move with Irene sir?"

"Nothing, just observe. We need to be delicate when we approach her especially if she's going to lead us to the rest."

"I know that but why her, Sir? So far, from what I've seen she's not even a paranormal."

"Trust me, she has value and when the time is right I know exactly how to get her on our side."

"Alright, I get right back on it." John begins to get up.

"Well you don't need to go just this second. It's still early, you're probably not going to get much."

"I know, but sitting around here with nothing to do isn't exactly my idea of relaxing."

Jed was right, there wasn't much to observe besides her sneaking out of that guy's apartment. From there he followed her home where she proceeded to pass out again.

He felt a little ridiculous stalking her. This seemed like something one of the lower levels could do, but Jed was persistent about it being him. She was important he just didn't know why—questioning orders wasn't something his job entailed.

A few hours passed before someone comes knocking on her door. Someone he recognizes from Jed's file. He knew he probably should have been smarter in his approach, but he just acted. He knew Jed wanted her and an opportunity like didn't come often.

He teleports behind her and holds the gun up to her.

"Cara Colburn."

She's frozen in place at the sound of his voice. "John," she whispers.

His eye brows scrunch in confusion at the sound of his name coming from her lips. "Do we know each other?"

That snaps her out of whatever shock she was in. "Do we know each other," she near shouts as she turns to face him. The blood drains from her face at the sight of the gun. "John, what's going on?"

"What's going on is you're going to come with me."

"Come with you where?"

"Khronos."

"And that is?"

"Not important right now."

"The hell it isn't. Look I'm not going anywhere with you until you explain to me what's going on and where you've been for the past year. You know we've been looking everywhere for you?"

Confusion momentarily passes over his face before schools his face.

"Come with me or I'm making you."

"You'll make me…by shooting me? This isn't you. This was never you." She says that last statement more quietly to herself.

"I think you need worry about yourself and stop worrying about me."

"I think you should take your own advice." Cara hits John's arm causing the gun to point away from her. She then kicks him out of the way and proceeds to run into the ally and teleport to safety.

John was right on her heels but too late. He wasn't prepared to bring in a paranormal so his usual equipment wasn't there. He swore the next time he'd be prepared.

John doesn't waste time teleporting to Jed's office. Irene was no longer a priority.

"I just ran into Cara Colburn."

"And hello to you too."

"Cara Colburn."

"Yes, I heard you the first time and I'm guessing by lack of her presence you failed to apprehend her."

"Yeah, but I think we can find her again, but I'm going to need resources."

"Not yet."

"Excuse me."

"Not yet, John."

"But you were so eager to recruit her."

"And I still am, but there's a lot more where she came from and we don't have the man power to take her down. Ultra underestimated her, I'm not making that same mistake. We've already lost the element of surprise, we're not losing more until we're ready for her. Now leave her alone for now and I'm taking you off the Quinn case."

"I don't understand, what did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, I just can't risk you." That piqued his curiosity. Jed seemed way too worried about one paranormal.

"Why?"

"Because I just can't." He thought about his encounter with Cara, she knew him meaning she probably knew Jed. He wanted answers, but knew he wasn't going to get them now.

"You know sooner or later you're going to have to tell me and when that day comes you better hope I'm still on your side."

Astrid sat in the rocking chair nursing Elijah. She was boned tired at 1:00 a.m. but someone else had needs above her. She felt herself start to drift off when she heard the very distinct sound of someone teleporting in her room.

"Don't you guys ever knock?" she says slightly annoyed.

"I didn't want to wake your parents."

"But felt perfectly alright waking me."

"I'll admit I played the odds of you already being awake, however I didn't expect you to be this exposed."

Astrid snorts. "It's a boob Cara. I expect you of all people to be familiar with them."

"I am just not yours."

"Well get used to it if you're going to keep popping in like this. When you become the human milk machine the need for modesty decreases significantly."

"I get it." Silence lingers for a moment.

"I'm guessing you have news."

"Yeah, but it's not good."

Tears start welling up as she anticipates what comes next. "It's John right?"

"Yeah." Cara takes a deep breath. "The good news is that he's alive, the bad news is that he's changed...a lot."

"Changed how?"

"Well for one, I think he has powers. I didn't see him use them but there's no way he got behind me that fast without teleporting."

"Okay, but why hasn't he come home?"

"I don't think he remembers home."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I don't think he remembers any of us, at least me. He held a gun up to me, kept trying to get me to come with him to some place called Khronos. When I asked him what happened he kept dodging my questions, but that's not what worried me. It was the way he looked at me like I was a stranger, some job for him. Like shooting me would be the easiest thing in the world."

A comfortable silence forms between them as they contemplate what this all means. Cara at losing him once again and Astrid for a life that seemed always out of her grasp.

Elijah nods off and detaches from her nipple. This snaps Astrid out of her reverie. She pulls up her tank and motions to get up and put him in his bassinet. Before she makes her way over she speaks, "Thank you, for telling me."

"It was only right that you know," Cara responds before teleporting back to the old Ultra building.

Astrid lays Elijah down and softly runs her finger down his cheek. "We finally found your Daddy," she whispers, "Too bad it doesn't mean much."