Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: I don't own House or the Tomorrow People. Too bad, I'm having a lot of fun messing with them.
Author's note: Once again, I'd like to thank all of you for reading. And for those who've reviewed, you're the best. I love getting those little review notices in my inbox…
Chapter Six
After their little talk that night, Cameron felt considerably better.
She would've said that telling House wouldn't have made a difference, but it did. It was like having a confidant…albeit a snappy, snarky confidante who used every opportunity to make up disturbingly sexual – and wickedly funny – jokes about her powers. It started when she'd telekinetically picked the Gameboy right out of his pocket; he'd given her a look that screamed, "you never said you could do that!" and the games officially began. To give him credit, he only said such things when he was alone with her, or when they were with the other Tomorrow People. Elena was suitably embarrassed, but Paul – who'd shown up the morning after John's seizure – loved every second of the teasing. Cameron had the feeling that House was creating a monster…
Elena and Paul had also taken to staying at Cameron's apartment. After the third day of jaunting back and forth from England, both of them had become significantly jet-lagged – or maybe the term was "jaunt-lagged" – and it only made sense that they keep on New Jersey time, especially since there was no idea how long it would take John to recover enough to go back home. Cameron's apartment was almost too small for the three of them, but she actually loved the company. They kept themselves entertained with stories of their times as Tomorrow People; some of the stories were funny, but there were also those tragedies that came along with being a "Defender of the Earth," as Paul put it. It had made Cameron chuckle, the first time he'd said it; she could actually hear the capitals and the quotation marks in the statement.
It was good to be around other Tomorrow People again. Cameron hadn't missed her powers; it was the friends she'd lost that she regretted most. Those times when she sat alone with John, holding his uninjured hand delicately and gently feeding him little bits of her own life energy, she came to realize just what she'd forced away. She had no doubt that John would have respected her decision to leave the dangerous life being a TP entailed. She hadn't had to go so far as to drive him out of her life. But, as the cliché went, hindsight was twenty-twenty.
It was a quiet four days, then Cameron's pager went off…
She was checking in on Elena and Paul, who were sitting in John's room. Elena had been looking more and concerned the longer John remained unconscious; Cameron reassured her, saying that it could still be days before the elder Tomorrow Person showed any sign of waking up. Tim had chimed in on the discussion, telling them that John's vital signs were improving somewhat every day. Between the two of them, they managed to assuage her fears.
Then Cameron's pager went off. She glanced at it; it showed the extension for the nurse's lounge. She knew damned well none of the nurses would be calling her, and she was smiling as she dialed.
"Joe's Pool Hall," came the snarky voice she knew and loved, "Eight-Ball speaking."
"That one's about as old as I am," she answered, just as sarcastically. "How did you manage to chase all the nurses out?"
"Must be my good looks, charm, and skills atconvincing people in doing what I want."
Cameron snorted in disbelief. "What do you want, House?"
"I think you should come down here and see something."
He sounded serious, and despite herself Cameron was intrigued. "What's going on?"
"I think you'll want to see for yourself. And the coast is clear."
So it was sufficiently interesting to her boss that he was having her jaunt there. "I'm on my way then." She hung up the phone, returning to her friends.
But as she was explaining what House had said, Tim interrupted. "Elena…Paul… Allison."
"Yes Tim?" all three asked at once.
"I have just intercepted a news report on the Intellex facility."
"Can you tell me on the way to see House?" Allison asked. "He's in the first floor nurse's lounge."
"I can jaunt you there. He is alone."
"Thank you, Tim."
"You're most welcome."
John's room faded out, replaced by the nurse's lounge. House was seated in a chair, leg propped up, the TV on but muted. "What do you have?" she asked both mentally and out loud.
"There was a break-in on the grounds of the Intellex complex," Tim went on.
"Something showed up on the news," House replied, at the same time. He pointed the remote at the television; it was then Cameron realized that whatever it was, it must be the same thing Tim was alerting them to.
She hushed the computer for a second, as House rewound the videotape that he'd thoughtfully made of what had so interested him. "I think House has the report too."
"Then you should watch it yourself. I shall fill both Elena and Paul in."
Cameron perched on the edge of House's chair, not noticing how close she actually was to him. The older doctor had the tape backed up, and hit play before she even asked.
As she's assumed, it was a news broadcast. " – at the destroyed Intellex facility last night," the newscaster was saying. House had obviously missed the first few seconds, and Cameron was glad that whoever had used the VCR last had conveniently left a tape in the machine. "The security guards on duty reported that six unknown intruders were seen on the grounds at sometime around midnight last night. According to the witnesses, they were tall, and wearing what appeared to be Halloween masks. As of yet, no one knows how they were able to circumvent the alarms that had been set up around the damaged areas, or how they left without being seen. Police and federal agencies are investigating. In other news – "
"Halloween masks my ass," Cameron snorted.
"Agreed," Tim said.
"There weren't any pictures. Do you think you might be able to find some sort of images?"
"If there are any available, I shall find them."
"It would help to know what race we're dealing with," Elena put in.
"You know," House cut in, "I can always tell when you're talking to your friends. Mind sharing?"
"We're just trying to figure out what it means," Cameron answered, a little defensively.
"I'm glad I could help."
She cringed inwardly at his tone. "Look, thanks for taping that report."
"You're welcome." He sounded mollified.
"What's wrong, Allie?" Paul asked, obviously picking up on her mood.
Cameron rolled her eyes, even though the younger Tomorrow Person couldn't see her. He'd been calling her that almost from the moment they'd met, and it drove her nuts. Elena had quietly sympathized, and said Paul had a thing about nicknames and that she'd get used to it…eventually.
"Just House being…House," she explained vaguely. "What do you suggest we do about this?"
While technically Cameron was the eldest Tomorrow Person present – excluding John, of course – Elena was actually the one with the most experience. For something like this, she'd defer to the other woman, having been out of the loop for so long.
"Obviously, they were looking for something," Elena mused. "I wonder if they found it."
"Might be worth our time to take a look ourselves," Cameron put in.
"What do you expect to find?" Paul asked.
"Don't you think it's a little rude to be having a conversation behind my back?" House inquired, almost mildly. "Although I suppose you're not technically behind my back…"
"Sorry, House is being a grouch. Be right back." Sometimes Cameron felt she was babysitting, but this time he was actually right. She was being rude, and she apologized for it.
He looked a little surprised by her apology. "I want in." Apparently he was going to try to push her to see just how sorry she was.
Cameron sighed. "This isn't a poker game, House."
"I'm well aware of that. If it were poker, I'd have all your clothes by now."
"Not strip poker."
"Next time you might want to specify that."
"I will." She turned serious. "This could be dangerous. We don't have any idea what we're dealing with yet."
He went equally serious. "All I have to do is go up to the ICU and realize just how dangerous it is. I still want in."
Cameron knew she wasn't about to talk him out of it. Once House got his teeth into a secret not even a several megaton warhead could pry him loose. And when one of his own doctors was at the crux of said mystery… "Elena, why don't you and Paul meet us in House's office? It'll be a little more private."
"'Us'?" came Elena's surprised query.
"Yes. House wants to be involved, too."
"In God's name…why?"
"You'll have to ask him that…"
Elena's mental sigh was still echoing in her mind when Cameron turned back to her boss. He was staring up at her intensely. "Well?"
"We're meeting in your office."
"Then let's not keep them waiting." He levered himself up out of the easy chair, using the rubber tip of his cane to turn the TV off. "I only hope it was worth using that tape, though."
"What do you mean?" Cameron let him usher her out.
"Because that was Nurse Fleming's wedding tape…"