Chapter Five: Family Ties
I knew that fighting Constantine would either get me killed, or delay me so much that I would be no use to those up above. I had to do something else. I pushed out with my senses, seeking my friends' minds, entering each of them in turn.
Chloe, Chris, Fliss, I telepathed to them, it's Neil. I'm here, but I can't get to you right now. How are you doing?
I read their thoughts for their responses, then re-transmitted to each of them. It was almost instinctive now, using my telepathy to allow my three non-telepath friends to communicate with each other via me.
We're doing all right, Chris was saying.
We've got those dogs I talked to last night, said Chloe, they helped us track you here.
Of course. I should have known Chloe would find a way.
Nightshade is on her way up, I told them, she'll be invisible, so I'll use my telepathy to let you 'see' her.
Where's Constantine? Fliss asked.
He's down here with me. He's the reason I can't get up there. I could fight him, but it would take too long.
Let us know when Nightshade gets here, said Chris.
I telepathed privately to Chloe, can you get the baby's mind to sense Nightshade?
She could do it, but I can't ask her to. She wouldn't understand, said Chloe.
OK. Good luck. Love you.
Love you.
By this time I had determined where they were relative to myself, and I pushed my vision through the walls to see what was happening. They were at the edge of the courtyard. Chris was leading Antaeus a merry dance, drawing him away from the others, though still unable to cause him any damage. Fliss and Chloe were concentrating on Ocelot, forcing him to dodge lightning bolts as well as the two bulldogs Chloe had brought with her. From what I had seen of him, Ocelot shouldn't have had any difficulty killing the two dogs, but he seemed reluctant to go near them. Perhaps, being part cat, he had a natural fear and dislike of canines.
Nightshade's arrived, I told them, south-west corner of the courtyard. Fliss, I recommend you deal with her. Chloe should be able to handle Ocelot on her own.
Here I go, said Fliss.
I telepathed Nightshade's location to her as a steady stream of information, and she aimed a lightning bolt at the oncoming assassin. Nightshade was taken unawares, and had to dive to the side to avoid being electrocuted. Her invisibility was disengaged due to her surprise, and Fliss was able to fire at her once more. This time Nightshade was hit squarely in the chest, and she lay still. She wasn't dead; I could still sense her mind, but she had been knocked unconscious, and was not in a good shape, bleeding internally. Ocelot yelled to Antaeus and pointed at Nightshade, doubtless telling him to heal her, then he grabbed his communicator.
The communicator at Constantine's waist was buzzing, and he picked it up, "Yes? What?! Nightshade's down? I'm on my way!"
"You're going nowhere," I said, as I pushed open the implantation chamber door, and stepped out.
Constantine jumped, and swore, "Oculus! How the hell did you get in here?"
"X-ray vision…telekinesis…handy combination. I can't say I think much of your choice in women."
Hatred and anger crossed his face, "Did you enjoy watching us?"
"Not really," I said. "You've got a bit of a dilemma now, haven't you? Do you stay here and stop me from destroying your lab, or do you go up there and help your girl? She's dying, by the way."
"No," he said in disbelief.
"I'm afraid so."
"No!!" he yelled, lifting both arms, throwing me backwards.
I was caught by surprise, and I could do nothing to stop my flight, as I collided painfully with the wall, landing on the floor. I had no sooner come back to my senses when I was flung across the room once more, this time hitting the wall face first, crying out in pain, falling to the ground. My sun-glasses were smashed, the empty frame still hanging from one ear, as I tried to retaliate with my telekinesis. I managed to lift Constantine from the ground, but he was ready for me, and had already increased the gravity around himself, making it impossible for me to move him more than a few inches. I struggled to my feet, ignoring the pain in my back and my arms. Constantine raised both arms, and sent me flying into the side of the cryogenic chambers. This time I did not have the strength to stand. He smirked at me, then ran from the room, on his way to help Nightshade, confident that I was too weak and too injured to do any damage to the lab in his absence.
Either he'd forgotten or he didn't know about my healing power. I called on it to restore my body and relieve my pain, and I got to my feet to go after him. The laboratory and its contents still had to be destroyed, but I could come back and do that after I had helped my friends. I could sense Constantine ahead of me, heading up to the courtyard as fast as he could. I had to go after him and prevent him from killing my friends. I hadn't been able to see whether or not Antaeus had healed Nightshade, but if she was dead, then Constantine would not be in a merciful frame of mind. I'd overheard him saying he wanted one or more of my friends taken alive, but in his anger he might forget that.
He was clearly unaware I was back on my feet, and I was only a few yards behind him when he reached the courtyard. I blinked for a moment as the sunlight assailed my eyes, no longer protected by my sun-glasses, then I got a look at what was happening. Nightshade must have been healed, as she was back on her feet, and circling round slowly, trying to get near Chloe. She was not invisible, and I could only assume that gift did not work when she was experiencing shock, pain or stress.
Fliss was in trouble. Her right arm was hanging by her side, and I saw blood pouring from a deep wound near her shoulder. She was trying to hold off Ocelot by firing lightning bolts from her left hand, but she was naturally right-handed, and this was proving difficult. Chris was clearly trying to move over to help her, but at the moment his attention was amply filled by Antaeus. It was the same old story: quick, nimble Chris; and huge, brawny Antaeus, effectively cancelling each other out.
It was time for me to enter the fight, and try to swing it in our favour before Constantine could do the same. He was walking over towards Nightshade, calling, "Are you all right?"
"Fine!" she snapped. "That bitch electrocuted me! Even while I was invisible!"
"I'll kill her," Constantine growled.
Before he could use his power to harm Felicity in any way, I struck. In our time at the X-mansion, Wolverine had taught a class instructing us in various forms of unarmed combat, and it all began to come back to me as I ran at Constantine. Leaping forward from the ground, using my telekinesis to give me extra speed, I delivered a devastating spinning kick to the back of his neck, knocking him to the ground, hearing him cry out in shock and agony. I landed beside him and followed up by driving my elbow into his spine, hitting a nerve centre and temporarily paralysing him.
Nightshade gave a scream of rage and slashed at me with her poisoned blade. I leaned to one side; the silvery assassin's edge moving past me as if in slow motion, then I pushed her away from me with my mind power. She hit the wall of the manor building and struggled to get back to her feet. I was already running towards Felicity, who wasn't going to last much longer against Ocelot. Chloe was directing the two dogs to keep Nightshade busy, and my fiancée gave me a quick smile as I passed her.
"Fliss!" I yelled.
She was on her knees now, sobbing with pain, almost faint from the loss of blood in her arm, and Ocelot was closing in for the kill. I hoped I had enough telekinetic power left to do this. Constantine's attack down in the lab had taken a lot out of me, and although my healing ability could restore my body completely, it could do nothing to restore my mind. I was tired, drained, and I had to do this quickly. The last of my power swept out of me in a wave, hitting Ocelot and throwing him headlong across the open courtyard. Fliss sagged to the ground with relief, and looked over at me.
"Are you all right?" I asked, kneeling by her.
She gave a nod, then her eyes rolled back and she promptly fell unconsciousness beside me. Blood was still pouring from the gash in her shoulder, and her skin was cold and pale. Fliss might die without prompt medical attention. I could heal her now, and try to finish the fight, but my telekinetic power was used up. Or we could run, taking her with us, and come back to finish this another time. I wanted more than anything – almost anything – to be able to settle the conflict here and now, but I knew it wasn't going to happen. Constantine would annihilate us. I needed time to recover my strength.
The sound of police sirens from outside the estate, getting louder and thus closer, finally made up my mind. I looked around for the others.
"Chloe! Chris!" I yelled. "We have to get out of here!"
Scooping Fliss up in my arms, I ran for the exit. I hadn't actually thought about how I was going to get past the huge iron gates, but when I looked up I saw they were already open. How had that happened?
"Fliss shorted the circuit that held them closed!" Chris yelled by way of explanation as he caught up with me.
Encumbered as I was by carrying the unconscious Felicity, I was quickly left behind as Chris surged ahead, and Chloe and the two dogs proceeded to overtake me. I chanced a glance back inside the courtyard, and relaxed. Our enemies weren't following. Nightshade was kneeling by Constantine, trying to get him on his feet, and Ocelot was picking himself up from the ground. Antaeus was giving chase, but he was even slower than my burdened self. We hurried through the gates and out of the estate.
Straight into the arms of the police. Six or seven cars were parked in a semi circle, blocking the road ahead, lights flashing, and at least a dozen police officers knelt or crouched behind them, all of them pointing guns in our direction. It was not usual for the Scottish police to be issued with firearms; obviously they were taking no chances against the gold-eyed mutant who had supposedly committed murder.
"Neil Rosiçky!" one of them yelled, as he saw my gold pupils. "You are under arrest for the murder of Cornelius Matthews! Give yourself up and nobody needs to get hurt!"
I had to make a split second decision. I knew I couldn't do anything to hurt the police officers; they were only doing their job; it wasn't their fault if they were acting on incorrect information. Our only option was to find some way of getting around them. I had to think of something. It was then that I noticed the police dogs, ten or more, barking loudly, straining against their leashes, being held back behind the line of police cars.
"Chloe!" I yelled. "The dogs!"
Chloe saw them and screamed, "Help us! Don't hurt them!"
The dogs pulled away from the policemen who were holding them, and leaped on to the backs of the gun-toting officers, pawing at their faces, knocking them off balance. The two bulldogs beside Chloe had joined in, tackling one particularly burly officer, forcing him to the ground.
"This way!" Chloe cried, pulling my arm, leading us away down a side street.
I followed her as quickly as I could, Chris running by me.
"Do you know where we're going?" I panted.
Chloe nodded, "This will lead us back to my house. We can hide there from the police."
We passed a group of wheeled dustbins, and Chris pushed a few of them over, to block any police officers who might try to follow us down the narrow road. I could hear the barking of dogs and the cursing of men's voices, and I guessed the police were still preoccupied with keeping the rogue animals under control. Chloe seemed to know exactly where she was going, and when I next looked back, there was nobody in pursuit. We emerged from the alleyway on to a wide, sunlit street, with large, detached brick houses on either side. So this was where Chloe had grown up.
"That's my house," she said, pointing to an attractive red-brick building on the left. "If my mum and dad aren't home, I've got a key that'll let us in."
We followed Chloe to the front door of the house, and she knocked three times on the door. Fliss still lay unmoving in my arms. She was slowly ebbing away, still losing blood, but once we got her inside the house, I could use my healing power and she would be restored. I looked up as I heard the door open.
"Chloe!!"
The middle-aged woman in the doorway had to be Chloe's mother, and she hurried forward to embrace her daughter, happiness and relief flooding out of her.
"I haven't seen you for so long!" the woman exclaimed, kissing the top of Chloe's head and holding her tightly. "I got all your letters! What's been happening to you?"
"It's a long story, Mum," said Chloe, resting contentedly in her mother's arms. "I'll tell you all about it. Oh, these are my friends: Neil, Felicity and Chris. Guys, this is my mother."
And my future mother-in-law, I thought. I nodded politely and smiled.
"Is she hurt?" Chloe's mother asked, looking closely at Felicity. "She's bleeding! Oh, her arm! What happened? I'll call an ambulance!"
"No – Mum – you don't need to," said Chloe, putting her arm out to stop her mother. "Neil can heal her. Can we come inside?"
"Yes, of course," said Mrs Scott, turning back inside the house. "Brian! It's Chloe!"
We followed her inside the house, and Chloe led me upstairs to one of the bedrooms.
"This was my room," she said. "Put Fliss on the bed and do what you need to."
Gently I lowered Felicity down on to the soft duvet, and knelt beside the bed, placing my hands on her arm. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and used my healing. I felt the power flowing from my hands into Fliss' body, mending her injuries, closing that horrible wound, restoring the blood she had lost. She passed from unconsciousness into normal sleep, and I knew she was going to be all right. She would just need some rest. I stood up to face Chloe, who was looking around the room.
"Chloe, why did you come after me this morning?" I asked her. "I left a note saying I had to go alone. You could have been killed!"
Chloe sighed, "Neil, if I had disappeared and left a note saying 'I must go alone, do not follow me', would you do it, or would you come after me?"
"I'd come after you."
"Then don't you dare complain to me for doing the same thing!" she snapped.
I looked at the floor, and nodded slowly. She was right. I couldn't expect her to do what I wouldn't have done myself. Chloe's anger cooled, and she cast another look around the room.
"I can't believe it," she said. "The last time I stood in this room was the morning I got up to go to school…the day we were abducted…the day I met you…the day before we went to New York… I haven't been back since…it feels like a whole lifetime ago…"
I had a quick glance around the room, and wondered if it was typical of a teenage girl. A bed with a lilac duvet cover, a dressing table with makeup and other accessories, a wardrobe overflowing with clothes, posters blu-tacked on to the walls, and a small portable television sitting on a shelf attached to the wall.
"Like it?" Chloe said shyly. "Hey, we'd better get back downstairs. I need to talk to my parents."
We went back down to find her mother and father in the front room, talking to an uncomfortable-looking Chris. Chloe's father, a tall man with a moustache, looked up as we entered.
"Chloe!"
He hugged his daughter, holding her protectively by his side, and Chris looked at me, "Is Fliss OK?"
I nodded, "Fine. She's upstairs."
He disappeared to check on her, and I found myself under the gaze of both of Chloe's parents. Her father was first to speak, "You must be Neil."
"That's right."
"The one who's going out with Chloe?"
His tone was unfriendly, and his arms were still around Chloe, trying to keep a barrier between me and her. I knew it was nothing personal; it was simply the natural reaction of a father who didn't want any man involved with his daughter.
"Yes," I said.
He looked closely at me and his eyes narrowed.
"Gold eyes…" he muttered, then his eyes widened and he tensed, pulling Chloe further away from me. "You're that mutant they were talking about on the news! The murderer!"
Chloe struggled to free herself from her father's arms, "He didn't do it, Dad!"
"Chloe, run! I'll keep him away from you!"
"Dad!" Chloe cried. "He didn't commit murder! We've only been back in Edinburgh two days!"
"Then what happened? Who killed that man?"
"That's a long story," I sighed.
Chloe had broken free and went to stand beside me, holding my hand in hers. Her parents exchanged glances, then both of them gave me a suspicious, hostile look.
"Your other friends," her mother said. "Chris…and that girl, what was her name? They're mutants too?"
"Yes," Chloe said. "We attend a school together in New York, a school for mutants."
"A school for mutants? I don't understand. I've never heard of any such thing!"
"It's…it's kind of a secret. Listen, there really is a lot I have to tell you. A lot of it you won't like. I've been in dangerous situations, and I've met some really unpleasant people. In fact, most of what I have to say you probably won't like."
"Try us," said her mother. "You know there is nothing you can't tell your parents."
"Trust me, you won't like it," said Chloe. "First of all, Neil and I are engaged to be married."
Both adults reacted with shock.
"What?" her father shouted. "Chloe Scott, you are sixteen years old! Do you have any idea what you are talking about?"
"Yes! Dad, I've changed since I was last here. I'm not a scared little girl any more. I'm a woman now; I've grown up and I've fallen in love. I know exactly what I'm talking about. We're going to get married."
Her mother seemed to have paled slightly, then said with an ironic smile, "Well, the rest of your story should be easy enough. I don't suppose you can tell us anything more shocking than that."
"Actually, I think I can," said Chloe nervously, her hand tightening around mine as she came to a decision. "I'm pregnant too."
This time her mother screamed, and her father's reaction was almost explosive.
"Pregnant?!" he roared, storming across the room to grip me by the shoulders. "What have you done to my daughter?!"
His hands moved to my throat and for a moment it seemed as if he were about to start throttling me. I tried to remain calm. I could have killed this man very easily, but I didn't. I endured his anger, and meekly bowed my head, "I'm sorry, Mr Scott. I know how you must feel."
"You have no idea how I bloody feel!" he yelled. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't phone the police right now and get them to come and arrest you for murder! Give me one reason!"
"Because he didn't do it!" Chloe protested, but he ignored her, centring his attention on me, his brown eyes boring into me almost like lasers, his fury still boiling furiously in him.
"Because it would break your daughter's heart, sir," I said quietly. "I know this isn't easy for you, but Chloe and I are devoted to one another. I love her, and I'll never leave her. I know we're both very young, but both of us are fully committed to each other."
His hands began shaking and he removed them from me, taking Chloe in his arms. His fury had burned up and dissipated, and he was in shock now, still coming to terms with the news. Chloe's mother had walked over to her daughter, and she looked at me, "You sound sincere, Neil. I hope you and Chloe can be happy together, but I'll tell you one thing: if you ever do anything to hurt her, you'll be sorry."
"I'd expect that," I said. "You don't have to worry. Chloe is more important to me than anything."
She shook her slowly, "Chloe, pregnant…I can't believe it…do your parents know about this?"
"My parents are dead," I told her. "That's a long story too."
Both of them held Chloe in a tight, loving embrace, and as I looked on, I felt a pang of jealousy. Jealousy for the warm, caring mother and father I had never had. My mother had died giving birth to me, and my father – well, the less said about my father, the better. My grandparents had done their best to be substitute parents, but nobody could truly do so. I envied Chloe, who had something I had never had, and never would have. It only increased my determination to ensure that my own daughter, growing inside Chloe, was given the loving paternal care I had never received.
My telepathic power was returning, and I could sense my daughter's mind, anxiously questing outwards, worried by the two strange people who were making such close contact with Chloe's body. I reached out with my mind to reassure her, and she was calmed when she sensed me – her father – sending my love. As yet she had no way of knowing that the two strange people were in fact her grandparents. Chloe's parents sat her down on the sofa and she began to tell them some of the things that had happened to her during the four months she had been away. I noticed she left out some of the more horrific and frightening details, and I was glad she made no mention of our current plight. If her mum and dad were told about Constantine, they would insist on fulfilling their parental role as guardians. It would be impossible to convince them that they could do nothing against our enemies, and they would be killed. I trusted Chloe not to tell them anything they shouldn't hear, and I decided to go upstairs to see how Felicity was doing.
When I got to the bedroom, she was still asleep, and Chris was sitting beside her, holding one of her hands.
"What's going on down there?" he asked when he saw me. "I heard shouting."
"Oh, Chloe's dad thought I was the murderer the police are looking for."
"Everything's OK?"
"I think so. I think Chloe managed to convince them I'm innocent."
"Good. So – what's our next move? Do we stay here and hide from the police? Or do we make another move against Constantine?"
"I'm trying to think what's best," I said. "In the basement of Constantine's manor, I found the laboratory where my father worked on his mutation implant research. The machines that make it work are down there. And there are…other things…down there too."
"What other things?"
"Something Constantine called the 'cloning machine'. I overheard him talking to Nightshade about it. It can use your DNA to clone your cells and repair any damage to your body – or something like that. He didn't sound very clear on it either. He wants to test if it can bring people back to life."
"Oh, come on," said Chris. "That's impossible."
"I'd have said so too," I agreed. "But he said it brought Antaeus back, and we're pretty certain he was dead."
"Who's he going to test it on?"
"That's the next thing I was going to tell you about," I said. "The other thing I found in the laboratory was a set of cryogenic freezing chambers, with three dead mutants inside."
"Who were they?"
"Some old friends of ours."
He groaned, "Not Mindstorm and the gruesome twosome?"
"I'm afraid so."
I'd forgotten that Chameleon and Inferno had been twin brothers. Chris frowned and said, "So either Antaeus didn't die, and this machine merely healed the damage done to his body; or he did die, and this machine raised him from the dead. Do you think it can bring back the dead?"
"I don't see how it could. I dare say it could restore their bodies perfectly, but you can't restore a consciousness. Only God can do that."
Chris snorted, "I don't believe in God."
"Then what do you believe in?"
"Luck hasn't failed me yet."
I was going to reply, when Felicity stirred. Her right arm, the one I had just healed, twitched, and her lips moved. Suddenly her eyes snapped open and her right hand thrust out to grab me.
"Fliss? Are you OK?"
She blinked, and let go of my hand, "Yeah. Where am I?"
"Chloe's house."
"Did we get away from them? Where's Chloe; is she OK?"
"She's fine. We're all fine. How do you feel?"
Fliss brought her left hand up to touch her right shoulder, feeling the renewed, healthy skin through the huge tear in her T-shirt.
"My arm…" she said. "But it was all open and bleeding and horrible…Ocelot stabbed me…there was blood everywhere…now it's closed up again…I don't understand!"
"I healed you," I said. "You're going to be all right."
Fliss looked up at me and smiled, her eyes shining with gratitude.
"There's this wonderful warm feeling inside me," she said. "What is it? Is that your power?"
I nodded, "That's what it feels like in the aftermath of my healing. It's the last remnants of the curative moving around your bloodstream."
Felicity smiled once more and her eyes didn't leave mine. I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, and eventually Chris gave a not very subtle cough, "Um, Fliss, I'm over here."
She looked over, "Hey, Chris. What's up?"
"We were just discussing what we were going to do next, when you woke up," he said. "Neil, what were you going to say?"
"Um," I tried to remember. "Oh, yeah, the lab. Yeah, we have to destroy the lab and everything in it, all of my father's research. I was trying to think of a way to destroy it, when I had to hide from Constantine."
"We could use a bomb or something," suggested Fliss.
I looked at Chris, "Do you know where we could get hold of explosives?"
"Yeah. My cousin could probably get us some. He's got a few contacts down at the docks."
"When can you meet him?"
"Today, if I tell him it's urgent."
"Could you? We have to destroy what's in the lab before Constantine tries to use any of it. I think he's going to try using the cloning machine within the next couple of days. I know, it probably won't work for him, but still, it's too risky to let him try it. I'm trying hard not to think of the world with Mindstorm in it."
"I guess you're right," Chris said. "OK, I'll get on to my cousin. I'll ask Chloe's mum and dad if I can use their phone. I'll need to go down to the docks and meet him there."
"I'll come with you," said Fliss. "You might need some backup."
"Fine. Neil, what about you?"
"I think I'd better stay here," I said. "The police will still be looking for me, so I can't really go out anywhere. And this house is quite close to Constantine's estate, so I can try and keep an eye on him too."
"What do you think he's going to do?"
"I overheard him talking, and his plan seems to be to implant himself with as many mutations as he can," I said. "But he doesn't want to use the implantation machine without testing it on somebody else first. He was planning to capture one of us to test it on. So, until we next encounter him, I'm not sure what his plans are."
Chris shrugged, "No use speculating, I suppose. I'll go down and ask if can use their phone."
He walked to the door, closed it behind him, and I heard him going down the stairs. I was now alone in the room with Fliss. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, and seemed to be testing her legs to see if they could support her. Perhaps she was still feeling a little light-headed from loss of blood. She stood, swayed a little, and lost her balance, falling into my arms in a supposedly innocent manoeuvre.
"Are you all right?" I asked her, trying to help her back on to her feet.
Fliss had her hands on my shoulders as she regained her balance, but instead of removing them and standing by herself, she moved closer towards me, until her arms encircled my neck. Before I could give this strange behaviour any thought, Fliss had thrust herself forwards, and was kissing me passionately, her body trembling, her emotions going crazy. I struggled with her and she broke away, but didn't let go of me.
"What are you doing?" I demanded.
"That was to say thanks for saving my life," she whispered, pulling me towards her again. "And this…this is because I love you."
Felicity kissed me again, her lips pressing tightly against mine, desperate desire pouring out of her; wild, uncontrollable passion filling every last fibre of her being. It was incredible, so different from the way it felt when Chloe kissed me. The temptation to reciprocate, to put my arms around Felicity and kiss her as she was kissing me, was overwhelming. I struggled, but I resisted. This was wrong. This should not be happening. This love should not be. I pulled away from her, and held her at arms' length.
Fliss looked up into my eyes, and her lower lip trembled. Tears brimmed in her eyes and she cried, "I'm sorry, I don't know what I was doing. I – I don't know what to say. I'm really sorry, I – "
She turned and fled from the room, hopelessly confused and lost in her own feelings. For a moment my thoughts were caught up in a whirlwind, then they began to settle down, and I tried to come to terms with what had just happened. It was amazing. I'd never suspected she had any romantic feelings for me at all. I'd always thought she was pretending to flirt with me just to annoy Chris. Was she instead trying to show her admiration for me, but wasn't sure how to do it? Was that why she had kissed me so suddenly and impulsively just now? Or was she just mixed up and confused in the aftermath of being healed, thinking she loved me when she was just reacting to the man who had saved her life? I didn't know. There was no way I could know without talking to her about it.
In other circumstances – meaning if I hadn't already been in love with Chloe – I would have quite happily returned Felicity's kiss, and perhaps fallen in love with her. I hoped Felicity hadn't set her heart on winning mine, as there was no way she could have it. Chloe already held the key to my heart. I shook my head slowly as I thought about what had just happened. I really didn't understand girls sometimes. I went downstairs to find Chloe.
Chris was in the hallway, and he looked up as I descended the stairs. Fliss was standing close to him, and she turned away red-faced when I looked at her.
"We're just on our way to meet my cousin," said Chris. "I phoned him, told him it was an emergency, and he agreed to get what we needed."
"Good work," I said. "Does your cousin know you're a mutant?"
"Are you kidding? Of course not. My cousin's a criminal. If he found out about my power, he'd force me to use it to help him in one of his 'jobs'. He's family, but that doesn't mean I can trust him completely."
"Come on, let's go," said Fliss, avoiding my eyes.
She obviously wanted to get away from me as quickly as she could, to have some time to try and sort herself out. She pulled Chris towards the front door, and the two of them left. I went back through into the front room.
"…and I thought I was going to die," Chloe was saying to her parents. "But Neil saved my life. He healed me."
"How?" said her mother. "And what about that girl Felicity? When you came into the house, her arm was cut right open and bleeding all over the place, but when she came down the stairs a minute or two ago, her arm was completely mended! She didn't even have a bandage or anything!"
"Neil healed her," Chloe said.
"How?" her mother repeated.
"It's a – gift – I have, Mrs Scott," I answered. "It's one of my mutations."
"I see. Neil, I'm going to be frank with you. When I first set eyes on you, I didn't like you much at all. I've nothing against mutants, of course – my own daughter is one – but there was something about you that made me nervous. I thought you would hurt Chloe and take advantage of her. When she told us she was pregnant, I thought my fears were confirmed. But what she's just told us – and the way you've acted while you've been here – tells me I was wrong. I can't consider you solely on appearance. I'm sorry I misjudged you. I'm not happy about Chloe getting engaged or becoming pregnant as young as she is, but at least I know you will always be there for her, and will treat her with love and respect."
I didn't say anything. Even though we were both of an age where we could do what we liked, I could tell Chloe badly wanted her parents' approval of the life and the man she had chosen. She smiled in response to her mother's words, and turned to face her father, "What do you think, Dad?"
He looked at her, then at me, "I'm not pleased at all, Chloe. I haven't been pleased since the day you left here. I never saw any reason why being a mutant should stop you from leading a normal life. It was my intention to see you finish school here, go to university to get a degree, then find a good job. Having a baby before your eighteenth birthday was not the vision I had for my daughter!"
"But Dad, I'm happy! Isn't that the most important thing?"
"Happy? How are you going to raise that baby? Where are you going to live? Where's Neil going to get a job? How are you going to afford it?"
Chloe looked at the floor unhappily. Clearly neither of us had given any of those issues any thought. I wasn't planning to worry about it until our battle with Constantine was over.
"We'll find a way," I said. "I don't mean to be rude, Mr Scott, but Chloe has to lead her own life. She can't have other people living it for her. She's told me that often enough."
Chloe smiled. Her father glared at me.
"I know what you're thinking," I said. "You're thinking that I'm stealing your daughter away from you while she's still your little girl."
"How did you know that?!" he demanded.
"I'm telepathic, sir," I said simply. "You've got nothing to worry about. I'm not stealing her away. She'll still be your daughter, no matter what happens. I'll never try to stop her from being your daughter."
"Well, I – " he began, still knocked by the fact I had read his mind and told him exactly what he was thinking. "I – I don't know what to say. If you are what Chloe says you are, I know she isn't making a mistake. But just remember: I'm her father and I'll always be her father. If you treat her badly, I'll make you wish you'd never been born."
I knew there was nothing he could do that would hurt me. It was a meaningless threat, yet I respected it nonetheless.
"I understand, sir."
Chloe's parents watched, somewhat happier and more relieved, as their daughter stood to join me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me fondly. It was a different kind of kiss from the one I had received from Felicity, but it felt better. It was pure, selfless, caring love, not the wild, excitable passion that I had felt from Fliss. I returned Chloe's kiss, holding her tightly, and I sensed the mind of our daughter; contented at feeling her mother and father together in this way. It was incredible to think that in nine months or less, the baby would be born, would no longer be just a mind, but a body also. There was only one thing that stood between us and that happy day: Constantine and his murderous band. Once we had defeated them and destroyed everything in the underground laboratory, I knew that our fight would be over. After that we could devote our lives to raising our family. Nothing was going to come between us and our future together. Constantine's days were numbered. He would be our last enemy, and this would be our last battle.
