CHAPTER NINE

Russell was sitting in a chair in the lab, looking morose. Next to him, Irene was standing looking at a monitor. "Hey, Russell, come and look at this."

With a weary sigh, Russell got up and come to stand behind her. "At what?"

"This. A body was found dumped in an alley. Jane Doe, no ID, and a lot of bullets in her. See anyone you recognise?"

Russell found himself interested despite himself. "Is that Natalie?"

Irene nodded. "Guess she had a disagreement with someone. You think we should check it out?"

Russell's brief good move dissipated again. "You tell me. You're the leader at the moment." He went back to the chair and sat down again.

Irene looked at him curiously, as though analysing a problem. "Are you unhappy about something?"she asked at last.

"They put you in charge. A few months ago, that would be me. Before…" He broke off.

"Before the last time they left you in charge, when you betrayed Stephen's father to Ultra?"Irene suggested.

Russell sighed. "Why do people have to keep bringing that up?"

Irene seemed to consider the problem for a moment, then she kissed him, full on the lips. Russell accepted it for a moment, then she straightened up and went back to her monitor.

"What was that for?"he asked.

Irene shrugged. "You looked like you needed it."

Stephen and Cara were hiding around a corner, looking down the street. "Can you see him?"Stephen asked.

"I can't see anyone,"Cara retorted. "What does he look like anyway?"

Stephen produced his phone and passed it to her; the screen displayed the image of Andrew that Tim had showed them. "Do you think we need night vision goggles?"

"There,"Cara interrupted, pointing.

Stephen saw a group of men coming down the road. With them was a boy around Luca's age: Andrew. They stopped in front of an ATM machine and one of the men gave Andrew a shove. "All right, kid. Do your stuff."

Andrew raised his hand over the machine…and it began spewing out cash. The two other men began grabbing it and stuffing it into a bag.

Stephen looked at Cara incredulously. She shrugged. "At least he's got class."

"We need to get him away from those others,"Stephen decided.

"I've got a plan,"Cara announced.

"What?"

With a yell, Cara ran out of hiding and charged at the two men with the bag. She kicked one of them away and slammed the second one into a wall. With a sigh, Stephen charged after her and kicked the ostensible leader of the group aside.

Andrew stared at them in bewilderment, until Cara grabbed him and teleported.

Stephen gave his opponent an apologetic shrug. "Sorry,"he noted before he teleported as well.

John and Astrid walked through the corridors of the Refuge, laughing, smiling and holding hands, until they reached his room. They kissed just inside the doorway, hands roaming about each other for a few moments. "I had a good time tonight,"Astrid remarked.

"Me too,"John confirmed. And he closed the door. He kissed her again, softly but intensely. They sat down on the bed and he continued to kiss her.

Astrid suddenly realised what was going to happen. A thrill of nervous anticipation ran through her body as he began removing her top. She hesitated for a moment, then unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off him. The sensation of their bare skin against each other felt more and more pleasant as their clothes were discarded and they slid beneath the sheets.

Andrew was sitting on a chair in one of the disused rooms in the Refuge, Cara and Stephen prowling around him. He looked at them cautiously. "What are you, the cops or something?"

"You got reason to be afraid of cops?"Cara asked.

"We're like you,"Stephen answered.

Andrew wasn't sure what he was saying. "Thieves?"

"Tomorrow People."

"What?"

"That thing you did with the cash machine,"Cara recalled. "Neat trick."

"Thanks."

She gestured and the chair he was sitting on rose into the air. His eyes widened in surprise. "And I'm not using wires,"she told him.

"The way we brought you here,"Stephen explained. "Teleportation. You can do that too, if you learn."

Cara lowered Andrew to the ground and he looked at them uncertainly. "Why have you brought me here?"

"Because…we're keeping an eye on people that are like us. There were people once that wanted to hurt us. They're gone now but we're still trying to make sure we all stay safe."

"From people like Dunning?"Andrew asked.

Stephen and Cara exchanged a confused glance. "Who's Dunning?"asked Cara.

"The guy I was with tonight. The leader."

"You in his gang or something?"Stephen asked.

"I don't want to be. But he found out I was good at opening things. I've got a mother and sister, he said he'd hurt them if I didn't help him."

"What's your accent?"Cara wondered suddenly. "Minnesota?"

"I'm Canadian,"Andrew replied testily. "Why?"

"Just curious."

"If we catch this Dunning,"Stephen interjected,"would that make things all right for you? You wouldn't carry on stealing?"

"I guess not,"Andrew answered. "What's this all about?"

"Well, we were hoping you'd join us."

"And if I don't, you won't help?"

"No, we'll help you either way."

"What do you need us to do?"asked Cara.

Morgan followed Jedikiah through the corridors of his headquarters towards a laboratory. "You seem to have a decent set-up here,"she remarked. "Got your own paranormal army again. Landed on your feet."

"I'm simply trying to make the world better,"he replied. "For both our species."

"What happens if this lot turn on you?"

Jedikiah smiled. "Let's say I've learnt my lesson about a lot of things. And some of the things I've learned could help us."

"What do you mean?"

Jedikiah sat down on one of the laboratory benches. "I mean our child, Morgan. It could belong to either of our species."

"Well, we've no way of knowing until they break out. Or not."

"There is now. Something I found out during the course of my work with your friend Irene. A test. A way to see whether a child is human or parahuman." His demeanour became serious, almost pleading. "Morgan, I need to know."

Morgan's heart went out to him. "What do I need to do?"

Jedikiah held up a hyperdermic. "I just need to take a sample of the amniotic fluid…and soon I will know."

Astrid glanced over at John, sleeping alongside her, and smiled. Careful not to disturb him, she slipped out from under his arm, fumbled around to retrieve her underwear, then pulled one of John's shirts on over it and quietly left the room.

She'd hoped to be to the kitchen and back without running into anyone but there was someone in there. Cara. The older girl turned round at her approach and stopped, regarding her with an unreadable expression. "You're still here then?"

Astrid nodded. "I stayed over with John."

"Yeah, I guessed that bit. And I'm trying very hard not to read your mind at the moment."

Astrid reddened slightly. "I came for a glass of water."

Cara stepped out of her way and she went to one of the taps. "I guess I should say I'm glad you two are doing well."

Astrid filled up her glass and leant against the sink, facing Cara. "Are we going to…have a girls' talk or something?"

Cara came to stand beside her. "I don't know, I've never been particularly good at that sort of thing." She saw Astrid's surprised look. "Well, who'd I have them with, Irene?"

"It's strange,"Astrid mused. "For ages, I dreamt that my first time would be with Stephen."

Cara shot her a worried look. "You're not going to ask me to compare them, are you?"

Astrid gave a slight smile. "No."

"Good." Cara sighed. "Because there is no comparison, I know that better than anyone. John and I… there was a time when we were both what the other one needed. Neither of us were much good at being normal humans. In a way, our lives began when we became Tomorrow People. We ran the lair, we looked out for our people the best we could. We spent so much time trying to keep everyone alive, we forgot to live. Then Stephen came along and questioned every rule we'd made, shook the whole thing up. And I found myself breaking those rules alongside him. John made me strong. Stephen made me human. And you and John are the same. Just a few days with you and I saw him come alive in a way I'd never seen before. You're good for him."

Astrid nodded in gratitude. "I guess I'd better get back to him then."

Morning light was shining through the windows of the laboratory. Jedikiah was on his own. He was halfway through checking the results when his laptop bleeped. He pressed a button and an image of John appeared on the screen. "John. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to talk for, though. Shutting myself away in my room looks suspicious. They've made contact with another Tomorrow Person."

Jedikiah considered the issue. "Let them handle things their way for now. But send me full details." He looked closely at John. Experience had taught him to read the young man. "Is something troubling you, John?"

"I slept with Astrid last night."

"I take it 'Congratulations' would be inappropriate."

"I…" John hesitated and Jedikiah's concern grew. There were signs that his protégé was forming feelings for the girl again, feelings which could be dangerous. John spoke again. "I don't like using her. She's not one of the group, she's an innocent. One of those we should be protecting."

"I understand what you mean. I wish that none of my kind had to be hurt. But sometimes it is unavoidable, for the sake of the greater good." Jedikiah picked up a test tube full of amniotic fluid. "We must all make sacrifices, John."