The cameras in John's cell showed that he was asleep. Jedikiah took the opportunity to take in a meal; a bowl of porridge, chicken pasta, whole grain bread, two pieces of fruit and a 2 litre bottle of water. Jedikiah went to extra effort to provide John with a decent meal, knowing that the boy would need his strength in the next few days.

Entering the room, Jedikiah placed the tray of food on the table at the end of the bed. He sat down on the floor, back against the wall, hands cradling his knees. He couldn't help feeling a tinge of regret as he stared at the sleeping boy in front of him. He wanted John with him, where he could keep him safe but before John could take his rightful place at Jedikiah's side, he would have to prove himself to Smythe, the founder. Smythe was sadistic at the best of times, but he had reason to take a special interest in John and there was only so far Jerekiah could go to protect him.

Jedikiah remained with John for the remainder of his break, watching him as he slept peacefully, before returning to his office to continue with work. When John awoke hours later, the only evidence that anyone had been there was the tray of food left on the table at the end of the bed. Seeing the water and not knowing when more would come, he forced himself to be disciplined, only allowing himself a few gulps before moving on to the pasta.

The first time he'd been put in isolation, when he was 13, he had refused to eat any food. At the time, it felt like his only way of rebelling against Ultra, of getting some control back in his life. After three days of John not eating, he was rudely awoken from his sleep by two guards and sedated with a needle to the neck. When he next awoke, he had been fitted with a Nasogastric PEG tube, this meant Ultra could feed him without his consent. After a week of John complying and eating of his own free will, the tube was removed. This taught John a lesson that was reaffirmed many times over the years; at Ultra there were no choices, you do what the company wants or they make you suffer.

John slowly got up, he briefly checked his wounds for infection, before changing into the black t shirt and combat trousers left in the cupboard opposite his bed. He piled his dirty blood stained clothes by the door, fairly confident that someone would remove them.

He sat on the bed, head against the wall, looking down in despair. He couldn't stop thinking about the others. Most of his old Unit, the people he was raised with, had trained with everyday were dead. During his days as an agent, a soldier, he could always trust them to have his back. He had run away, turned his back on them and many had died because of it.

No wonder Sam was mad at him, she should hate him. He had left his Unit to die. John eyes filled with unshed tears, he swallowed, blinking rapidly, refusing to show weakness to the men behind the lenses, watching him in his cell. John was overcome by dread and guilt, but he could feel anger slowly begin to consume his body. Jedikiah had put his Unit down like animals.

Would Jedikiah have done that to John? Before he had left, would Jedikiah have executed him based on what a telepath speculated that he might do in the future? He'd seen Jedikiah do terrible things, but he never expected, that the man he used to think of as a father, would murder the people he'd trained since adolescence so lightly.

TTP

Cara was restless. John had been at Ultra for nearly 3 days and no one could find any trace of him. She hadn't been able to contact him telepathically and Stephen hadn't been able to locate him at Ultra. John's files had always been highly classified, making it very difficult for Stephen to access them and find out where they were keeping him.

Stephen suggested that he continue trying to go to Limbo, that somehow his dad would know how to find John. Honestly, the idea just made Cara angry. Stephen wanted to waste time and resources trying to get to a place that might not even exist while they could be looking for John. Her John, whose life was more in danger with every passing moment.

There had been whisperings among the rebels that John was dead, but Cara knew that wasn't true. It couldn't be. She would have known if he had died, she would have sensed something. No. He couldn't be dead. Ultra had to be holding him somewhere, but she couldn't attempt a rescue until she knew where.

TTP

"I intend to have a little chat with John tomorrow; I do hope you won't interrupt this time, Jedikiah. Your attachment to that boy is beginning to concern me. It's starting to affect your ability to do your job properly." The founder sat behind a large oak desk, setting a cigar alight, while addressing Jedikiah.

"John Young does not affect my ability to do the job. You, personally, have put a lot of effort into making John the perfect soldier, both before and after he came to Ultra. I'm simply concerned that during your interrogation, you will damage a valuable asset to the company."

"The boy won't be damaged, not permanently anyway." The founder gave Jedikiah a humourless smirk. He opened out blueprints of the city's underground tunnels, studying them briefly. "From what I've seen, the rebels are mostly civilians. They're no match for our agents, that's why John's hiding them underground. The moment I find them, we can send a Unit in to take over there base. It should be a simple operation."

"John won't reveal anything to you tomorrow. The easiest way to get the information from him is by taking it telepathically. Torturing him tomorrow will be futile and could delay his recovery. I don't feel it's a necessary risk to take." Even as he argued, Jedikiah knew the founder would not change his mind.

"Not necessary, no. But it will be interesting to see how long he lasts."

Another quick update, the next chapter is likely to have some flashbacks in it. It will explain a few things. Please Review.