Chapter 4

The morning after Natalie's group was defeated, Jed remotely checked on the cryogenic chamber housing John. Then, he went to the airport and after several hours, arrived in Oregon. He took a taxi to an apartment complex and knocked on a door.

Morgan answered.

"Hi," Morgan said with hesitation.

"I missed you," Jed responded. "I'll be blunt. I know things didn't go well the last time we were together. I've played that moment in my head so many times and I hate myself for what I did. I am so sorry for choking you."

"And I'm sorry that I read your mind."

"What do you say to second chances?"

Morgan stood still, then stepped forward and kissed Jed passionately.

Inside, Jed and Morgan sat in the living room, which consisted of three wooden chairs. Jed couldn't keep his eyes off Morgan's belly.

"Do you know the sex?" Jed asked.

"It's a girl."

"Did you set up a crib yet?"

"No. I was going to wait another week or two," Morgan replied.

"Why did you leave New York?"

"I overheard what the Founder was planning. When I found out that Roger had been handed over to him, I was afraid of the worst. Our daughter might be human, so she wasn't safe."

"You left to protect her," Jed realized.

"I wanted to tell you, but everything was chaotic and I didn't want to take any chances."

"You were right to leave immediately. That was a good call."

"So what happened?" Morgan asked.

"Stephen defeated the Founder and Ultra is no more. I'm running a new organization in New York now, supported by a different part of the government. We police TP activity and train TPs to fight in wars."

"What about new breakouts across the country? How are they being managed?"

"When he beat the Founder, Stephen inadvertently sent out a telepathic signal that attracted TPs. They're still coming. New breakouts are gravitating towards New York where we can take care of them before they do anything that attracts attention."

"Things have really changed then," Morgan realized.

"Yes. It's all good now."

"Really?" Morgan asked.

"It's safe now. It's safe for you to go back, live in New York with me."

"My doctor is here," Morgan pointed out.

"There are plenty of good doctors in New York. Come back with me. It's time for us to be together, publicly. It's time for us to be a family."

Morgan smiled at the thought.

"Do you have a lot to pack?"

"No, I wasn't sure when I'd have to move again. That's why I haven't set up a nursery yet. I could probably fit everything into three suitcases except for these chairs and a table, none of which I care to keep."

"Perfect," Jed said. "I'll pack for you and we can go back tonight, unless you have any commitments?"

Morgan shook her head.

"We'll take care of your lease and other arrangements in the morning." Jed stood up and checked his phone. "I could actually use your help tomorrow."

"Jed, I can tell something's wrong. I don't need to be in your mind to know that. What happened?"

"Give me a moment. I just need to make a call. I have a delivery and I need to make sure it will be at my office tomorrow morning. Then, I'll explain everything."

The next morning, Stephen burst into Cara's office with Russell behind him.

"Cara," Stephen began. "My mom needs Russell's and my help for a few hours, starting now. She was hoping you could come, too."

"Yeah, sure," Cara replied. "Just give me two minutes to finish this email. Have you heard from Jed about funeral arrangements?"

"Not yet. Have you told anyone what happened?"

Cara shook her head. "I don't know how I'd do that."

A few minutes later, Stephen, Russell, and Cara arrived at The Refuge's lobby, only to see two unexpected guests, one unwelcome.

"What are you doing here?" Cara asked Jed, who was standing next to Marla and Morgan.

"He's actually the one who needs all of us," Marla explained. "I think you should listen to him."

"Why would we help you?" Russell asked.

"You'll want to once I tell you what I need," Jed responded.

"Fine, what do you want?" Cara asked.

"I need your help to get John back into his body."

The Refuge's leaders stood shocked for several seconds.

"He managed to get into Limbo," Stephen realized.

"Oh, no. This is something else," Jed replied. He tapped the side of his head. "This is something new."

Jed, Marla, Morgan, Stephen, Cara, and Russell gathered around John's body in an area off limits to nearly the rest of Jed's employees. Jed had returned John to a cryogenic chamber after Marla completed a full body scan.

"How is this even possible?" Cara asked.

"Do you even have to ask?" Jed replied.

"That's a cool trick," Russell commented.

"John said he picked it up from X-Men."

"His consciousness has been in you this whole time?" Stephen asked. "Since he appeared to die?"

"Yes, but he's never done this before," Jed explained. "Moving his consciousness into another person, and a normal human at that, scrambled John's mind. He needed time to pull himself together and I needed time to get the supplies we need. We're both ready now."

"The seven of us will have a literal meeting of the minds," Marla explained. "John will use that to access the powers of the six of us and use our combined telekinetic skills to fix his body. When his body is ready, he'll go back in."

"He can do that?" asked Russell.

"He's done it before when he made us teleport," Cara recalled.

"During this meeting, our seven minds will be open books to each other," said Jed. "I am warning you, we need to respect each other's privacy and stick to the task. You should be focused on repairing John, not anything else. Got that?"

Stephen, Cara, and Russell voiced their agreement, and Jed extended his arms to them. Jed, Morgan, Stephen, Cara, and Russell held hands and formed a circle around John's feet. Marla put a hand on Jed's shoulder.

"Morgan," Jed said. "Reach out to the rest of us when you're ready."

Morgan closed her eyes and tried to read the thoughts of everyone in the room. The TPs opened themselves to her, creating a network.

"Hello, everyone," said John.

"Hi, John," Cara answered.

"Thanks for helping me."

"You know we always have your back," Russell answered.

"All right, let's get to work," Marla instructed. "John?"

"I can feel all of your telekinetic powers. I have them."

"Okay," Marla responded. "Let's start with your head and work your way down. There's a crack in your skull, behind that cut above your right eye."

Jed opened his eyes and looked at John's closed eyes. "Focus on that spot above your right eye, John. Feel yourself reaching out and touching that cut."

"I am."

"Focus on that spot, push against it," Jed instructed.

"Okay."

"Do you feel the hardness of your skull when you do that?"

"Yes."

"Good, now focus on that hardness. Feel every surface along it."

"I feel the crack."

"Focus solely on the crack. Imagine that you are getting close to the crack. Keep on focusing on it until you feel every single cell."

As John started to sense each cell, Russell's face lit up in awe and Stephen's and Cara's mouths dropped.

"The crack isn't big enough to be dangerous, but I'd feel more comfortable if we took care of it. You don't need to fill it all the way, maybe halfway," Marla advised.

"Let's not leave anything to chance," said Jed.

"You can take cells from other parts of your skull," Marla said. "A cell here and there won't cause any problems, but they will add up and help handle the crack."

"Do the same thing you did before, John," Jed instructed. "Focus on another part of your skull and remove a cell. Then put it into the crack."

"Once you do that, you need to keep your hold on it," Marla said. "Can you do that?"

"Yes," replied John.

John repeated the process many times until Marla was satisfied.

"Keep your hold on it," Marla said, referring to the crack full of displaced cells. "When I get everything running, your body will take over and keep everything intact by itself."

"Okay."

"Now, let's move on to the cut. The skin is much more flexible than bone, so we have a lot more flexibility," said Marla.

"Grab each side of the cut," said Jed. "Push them together and keep your hold on it."

"Okay."

"Now, focus on the cells in the middle. Imagine them coming together, intertwining."

John complied. He repeated the process with his nerve cells and blood vessels.

"Good," Marla said. "You're going to do the same thing with all your other cuts across your body and then we're going to move in and do the same thing with your organs."

"How are his internal organs?" Cara asked.

"The damage is superficial," Marla said.

"I was able to put up a telekinetic shield when the building exploded," John said. "I just didn't put it up in time to prevent all damage."

"You did great, John," assured Jed. "If not for your quick thinking, your internal organs would have been liquefied and this operation wouldn't have been possible."

"No, it wouldn't," Marla said.

Over the next couple of hours, John used the TP's telekinetic powers to close every cut and mend every organ that was damaged in the explosion.

"Do you have a hold on everything?" Marla asked.

"I do," John answered.

"I can't believe you can hold everything together," Russell said.

"You're feeling it right now," responded Jed.

"Keep on holding it, John. I'm going to break contact and take my hand off Jed's shoulder," Marla said.

"I'm ready."

Marla broke from the connection and turned off the cryogenic chamber. She opened the lid to access John's body. Marla injected him with atropine and applied a combination of other treatments to restart John's heart and lungs.

After another hour, Marla put a hand on Jed's shoulder.

"How are you holding up, John?" Marla asked.

"I'm fine. I can sustain this."

"Well?" Jed asked.

"John's body is ready. He doesn't need help holding himself together anymore."

"Time to break contact, then," Jed suggested.

Slowly, the group took their hands back, and Jed walked over to John. Marla approached Jed from behind while Jed put his hands on the sides of John's head.

"Are you ready?" Jed asked Marla.

"Yes. Are you?"

"Yes."

"John, are you ready?" Jed thought.

"I'm ready," John replied.

Jed stared intently at John's face for several minutes before he stumbled.

Marla caught Jed, but he quickly recovered and returned to John.

"John?" Jed whispered.

Stephen, Cara, and Russell watched anxiously.

John slowly opened his eyes and Jed smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Jed asked.

"Tired."

Later, Jed rested in bed while Marla kept him company.

"You still feel all right?" Marla asked.

"I'm fine. John's the one who died and put himself back together."

"John is insanely powerful. You are a normal human who was occupied by that insanely powerful person."

"I'm fine. I'll be back to 100% in the morning," said Jed.

"I'm glad that a part of Roger lives on in John. He'd be proud of what John has been doing with his new powers."

"If I wasn't on the outs with Ultra when I shot Roger, I would have immediately got him into a cryogenic chamber and we could have revived him again."

"I know," Marla said.

"How's Luca doing?"

"He's fine."

"Has he broken out yet?"

"No, but I'm keeping an eye out for that. When he does, I'll guide him and watch over him. You don't need to be involved."

"I do if I want to be the best uncle I can be, and I'm not talking about powers here."

Marla smiled and nodded.

"I appreciate you not pressuring Stephen into joining your organization."

"I appreciate that you appreciate it. I left it for him to choose because I didn't want to cross you again."

"Good idea."

"I knew that getting anyone in that cohort would be a longshot, but reaching out to them did get me plenty of very good recruits from the Refuge."

Meanwhile, John was resting in his bed and Morgan was keeping him company.

"I can't believe how young you look without stubble," Morgan told John.

"Jed has very strict rules about appearances."

"He told me about your memory loss. You don't remember me at all, do you?"

"No, sorry. If it's that important to you, I can go into your mind and experience your memories of me."

"No, you don't have to do that. Are you ever going to get your memories back?"

"Probably not. I think I could find a way to restore my memories, but I'm fine like this."

"Why don't you want to remember those times? Those were important years."

John sighed. "Jed was very open and honest about what happened during those six years. He told me about how he hunted me and shot at me. He's told me a lot. I don't need to be a telepath to know that he's terrified of losing me again. I'm afraid that if I remember those six years, I'll hate him. I don't want to hate him, and I don't want him to lose me."

"You and I spent some time getting to know one another when I was at the lair. You were angry and frustrated at Jed and yes, sometimes you said you hated him, but deep down, I know you cared. It's similar to my situation. I spent the last few months alone and upset at Jed for how things fell apart, but I still love him. That's what happens in families."

"He told me that we reconciled and even worked together to protect Roger," John said. "That's reassuring, but I still don't want to feel angry or frustrated at him."

"And that's fine. That's entirely your choice," Morgan said. "It's not Stephen's or Cara's."

"Or mine, for that matter," Jed said at the door.

"What are you doing up?" Morgan asked.

"Marla just left. I wanted to check in on John," Jed answered.

Morgan kissed John's forehead and headed out the door while Jed approached John.

"Five minutes, Jed," Morgan cautioned. "Don't make a pregnant woman come get you."

John chuckled lightly while Jed smiled.

"I won't. I promise," Jed said.

"Sleep tight, John."

"I will, Morgan."

"So, how are you feeling?" Jed asked.

"I'm good, really. I'm just tired. You?"

"I'm fine. Marla is adamant that you take things slowly. Your injuries are all superficial now, but they are still there."

"Okay. I'll be ready to go back to work tomorrow."

"No," Jed said.

"It's 3:30 in the afternoon. I think 15 hours of sleep will be enough recovery time. I need to do something and you really need all hands on deck for the next few days."

"We'll see."

John frowned. "What is it?"

"I can still feel you inside my head."

"I'm pretty sure I'm all out of there."

"This is probably some after effect. Your presence left something else behind."

"Sorry," said John.

Jed smiled. "No, don't be. It's actually great. If you weren't so tired, you'd probably be aware of it, too."

The next morning, John looked up at his office building. He had managed to convince Jed to let him work under one condition.

"I don't think I've even seen the inside of the elevators, here," said John.

"You will today. You agreed that you wouldn't use any powers today whatsoever. You're going to take the long route today of walking slowly and riding the elevator. I probably have a backlog of paperwork and I'll need your help with it on top of the transition."

Jed and John walked through the front door, past a security guard and a receptionist.

"Good morning, Dana, Jo," Jed and John said, nearly in unison.

Instead of replying, both Dana and Jo appeared to pale.

Jed and John entered the elevator and rode up.

"Don't say it," Jed warned.

"They look like they've seen a ghost," John thought.

"Did you think it?" Jed asked.

"Yes."

Jed rolled his eyes and John noticed.

"You take the fun out of dying," John said.

The two exited the elevator on the top floor and headed to Jed's office.

"Good morning, Marcy," Jed said.

Marcy's mouth dropped when she saw John.

"Good morning, Marcy," said John. "Could you send someone from the accounting department to us, please? We need to go over the invoices for Rutherford."

Marcy nodded while her mouth was still open. She turned to a colleague after Jed and John entered Jed's office. "You saw him, too, right? And heard him?"

Activity picked up outside of Jed's office as news about John spread.

Jared and Bethany barged into Jed's office.

"You were dead!" Jared cried.

"I got better," said John as he leafed through a pile of papers.

"Bethany, did you update Marcy on the living quarters in Washington, D.C.?" Jed asked.

"You blew up!" Bethany yelled, ignoring Jed.

"And then he put himself back together," said Jed. "D.C.?"

"Yes, everything is all set there and all of us are packed and ready for our flight down tomorrow," Bethany answered.

"Good. I've made some arrangements for your farewell party that I think you'll all like," Jed said. He gave the agents a look that encouraged them to get back to work.

John continued looking through his papers.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Jed asked.

John looked at Jed and smiled. "Yes, but I know you are, too. Don't try to deny it."

Over at the Refuge, excitement buzzed around noon when lunch was delivered.

"I didn't know Peter Luger did catering," a TP said.

"They don't. Stephen's uncle called in a huge favor after Stephen, Russell, and Cara helped him with something."

In Stephen's office, Stephen, Cara, and Russell told Astrid about John's recovery.

"So he's okay?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah," Stephen answered. "I called Jed an hour ago. He said John's fine and working. The first group of super-soldiers is heading to Washington, D.C. in the morning and John will be occupied with the transition. Russell, he also said that your debts to him are paid."

"Any chance his memory came back?" Astrid asked.

"No," Cara replied.

"Well, this is still good, right? We're making lots of headway!" Astrid said. "Maybe John will trust us enough to let you help him remember."

Cara eyed Stephen.

"What?" asked Astrid.

"When John was finishing up, we quickly peered into his mind," Cara explained.

"I can't believe I'm going to suggest this is a bad thing," Stephen said, "but it was peaceful in there."

Astrid was about to respond until she understood the implication. Guilt suddenly swept through Astrid when she realized that she was upset because of how John felt.

"He never seemed so unburdened in the years I knew him," Cara added.

"And it was mad powerful in there, too," Russell added. "He could probably take on the three of us together."

"Telekinesis on a cellular level," Stephen said. "That was . . ."

"Beautiful," Cara finished for him.

"Jed trained him even better than I thought," Russell said in a notably neutral tone.

As Astrid noted the lack of response and Cara's dour face and after nearly a minute of silence, a question formed in her mouth. She feared it, particularly because she already suspected what the answer was, but she still let it out.

"We're letting John go, aren't we?"

Thanks again for reading and for the reviews. Both are very encouraging. The explanation for Morgan's departure came from Anonyreaderfan's Fresh Start. Anonyreaderfan let me use it, so thank you very much for that. The explanation made so much sense that any other would have felt wrong to me.