Volume 2: Out of the Maelstrom
Chapter 1
It had been just over three weeks since Natalie and her group were defeated. She had since spent nights in various motels rooms, assuming that if they were still vacant by a certain time, they would likely be vacant for the rest of the night.
It was not uncommon for Natalie to have trouble sleeping. This night, however, felt different. A sense of foreboding stayed with her, preventing her from finding peace. Suddenly, she started to thrash around in bed. After nearly a minute, everything went still and a breath of relief escaped her lips.
The next day, Cara and John both sensed a new breakout.
Cara teleported to a quiet neighborhood and was soon joined by another Tomorrow Person.
"Hi, you must be Cara. I'm Leigh."
Cara shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. Are you a recent breakout?"
"Yeah, John found me about a month ago in Crestwood Square."
Cara nodded. "I remember sensing you, but John beat me to you."
"He did tell me about the Refuge, but I was convinced to join him. He said we're looking for a teenage boy here."
Cara looked around and pointed to a house. "In there. I don't sense anyone else in there."
"I don't either."
Cara and Leigh proceeded to the house.
"Hello?" Cara broadcast in thought.
"Who is that? How are you talking to me?"
"My name is Cara. I'm just like you. You didn't think that was possible, did you?"
"No."
"I'm just outside your door. Would you like to talk about this?"
"We know what you're going through," Leigh thought. "I was in your exact situation a month ago."
"He's coming," Cara told Leigh.
The door opened.
"Hi, I'm Leigh. This is Cara. What's your name?"
"Ben."
"Well, Ben, the three of us are Tomorrow People, though I haven't met anyone who actually likes that name," Cara explained. "We both work with other Tomorrow People and think that we could help you out."
"You can cure me?" Ben asked.
"It is possible to remove these powers, but they are a gift, Ben," Leigh explained.
"I know you're confused and scared, but there are so many people who know exactly how you feel," said Cara. "Come meet some of us."
"I'm a part of an organization that trains Tomorrow People to be soldiers for the U.S. government. We also track activity among the Tomorrow People to make sure no one is using their powers to hurt others or using their powers in public. We don't want our existence to be known yet."
"And I'm part of what is called The Refuge. We're a community of Tomorrow People who help each other adapt to lives with powers. We train people to harness their powers. We're like a big family."
Both Cara and Leigh noticed Ben's hesitation.
"Let one of us just show you around, show you what life is like as a Tomorrow Person. You'll also get to talk to more of us. We're not taking you away from your family," said Cara. "We just want you to see that these powers are a gift."
"And that you're not alone," Leigh added.
After taking more time to think, Ben finally had an answer. "I just turned seventeen years old a few weeks ago. I don't want a job. I just want to belong. I'll go with you, Cara."
"If you ever change your mind or just want to learn more about my place, they know how to reach us," Leigh said.
In another part of New York City, Stephen teleported to an arcade and saw a familiar face.
"I remember you. You're Derek."
"Derek Armanas. You're Stephen Jameson," acknowledged Derek as the two shook hands.
"I thought you'd be in the Middle East."
"Dr. Price wanted to keep a couple of the more experienced TPs around to lead enforcements teams and training groups. John can't do everything. Besides, John and I have become really good friends lately and Dr. Price thought it'd be nice for John to have friends around him."
Stephen rolled his eyes, but refrained from commenting. "You're here for the same reason I am?" he asked.
"Yeah," answered Derek. "John thinks we're looking for someone who is using her powers irresponsibly."
Stephen and Derek walked around the arcade together. They saw a young woman at a claw game machine. When the claw reached a stuffed animal, the young woman used her telekinetic powers to force the animal into the claw. She then claimed her prize.
"That's harmless," Stephen said. "You can't detain her for that."
"We should still talk to her. Without boundaries, this could escalate further down the line."
Derek and Stephen watched as the young TP approached a younger boy with two prizes from the claw game.
"And that looks less harmless," Derek noted while reading the boy's mind. "That kid doesn't know her."
Stephen and Derek approached the pair as they walked out of the arcade. Because the TP was holding one of the boy's hands, Derek easily snapped a suppression cuff on her.
"Nicola, hmm?" Derek asked, while continuing to read the boy's mind. "At least, that's what you told him your name is."
Stephen hurried Nicola away and Derek bent down to address the boy.
"She lied, kid. Go find your parents and stop talking to strangers."
Derek joined Stephen and Nicola in a vacant hallway.
"She's yours," Stephen told Derek.
"Thanks. Will you be at the meeting later?"
"Yeah. See you then."
"See ya."
Stephen, Derek, and Nicola teleported away.
Later, Stephen, Cara, and Irene arrived at Jed's for a meeting, which was also attended by John and Derek.
"I thought Russell was the one spearheading this initiative," said Jed. "I'm surprised he didn't come."
"He wasn't sure if he'd be welcome," responded Cara.
"Like Jed told Stephen a few weeks back, all is forgiven," John said.
"John convinced me to let everything go. It was his way of thanking Russell for helping us," added Jed. "So, how many Red Avengers have you recruited?"
"None," Stephen answered. "They're located in various places across the country, but no one has a permanent base in New York City. The plan is for our group of volunteers to be the first."
"In public, the team will rely on telepathy and telekinesis," Cara explained. "Telepathy isn't an issue for exposure. For telekinesis, the team will carry hollow batons. They do nothing. If I want to use telekinesis in public, I'll limit it to bursts of force. I would hold the baton out and to an eyewitness, the telekinetic burst will look like it came from the baton."
"The team will likely need to teleport to a location," added Irene. "They would follow the same protocols for secrecy as they do now. The team will operate mostly during the night."
"You said you would be helping normal humans?" asked Jed.
"That's the plan," Stephen responded. "However, if we arrive at a situation and the victim is a TP, we're obviously not going to refuse help."
Derek spoke up. "I'm concerned that TPs who are a part of neither of our organizations might see this behavior and be encouraged to use their powers in public."
"That's why we're focusing on helping normal human beings," Irene responded.
"I'm wondering how long you can keep up the charade," John said. "It would only be a matter of time before a few people on the internet over-analyze video clips and see what is really going on. Also, these superhero activities will generate publicity. Even if our powers remain a secret, there's going to be a lot of scrutiny."
"The Red Avengers haven't had these problems before," Stephen noted.
"It might just be a matter of time," Derek countered. "Besides, you intend to be more active than the Red Avengers in a city that doesn't get much privacy."
"Who's going to do this?" Jed asked.
"Russell will take charge," Cara answered. "There are six additional volunteers who will patrol the city with Russell. Around ten more of us will join in on missions from time to time. We'd be on call for backup, basically. Stephen and I are a part of that lineup."
"No more than three at a time," Jed offered. "Keeping this number low will minimize exposure in more ways that one. It'd be a bad idea to have a full blown team."
Irene glanced at Cara and Stephen, worried.
"You're going to need a fancy looking baton, too," Derek said. "John's right about the charade. If you use a simple hollow baton, people will notice."
"I can get an engineer to build batons that look futuristic," said Jed. "It'll be our contribution towards this project. I'll have a tracker added so we'll know it's you out there."
"You'll be monitoring us?" Irene asked.
"I want to make sure we don't send agents out there, thinking that there are TPs using their powers irresponsibly. If we pick up activity and we see the trackers, we'll know it's you and leave you to it. I do think playing superhero is a good idea. You just need to exercise caution and restraint."
Later, Irene, Cara, and Stephen updated Russell and a couple of Refuge members about the meeting. Charlie also attended the meeting.
"What's wrong, Irene?" Cara asked.
"Nothing, I just didn't like how Dr. Price was dictating terms like that. He's not our boss."
"We need him on our side to do this," Stephen replied. "And as much as I'd hate to say it, I knew his input would be helpful."
"Our groups are finally co-existing," Cara said. "We don't want to damage that."
"Will you be wearing colorful superhero costumes?" Charlie asked.
"No way," Russell said. "Tights don't work for me. We're all dressing in black, doing this ninja style."
"We're keeping it simple," Cara added. "Black shirt with long sleeves, black pants, and a black mask."
"That's probably for the best," Irene suggested. "No confusion between you and the Red Avengers."
That night, Cara joined Stephen's family for dinner.
"When's the last time you've had a night to yourselves?" Marla asked Cara and Stephen.
Stephen and Cara looked at each other and laughed.
"I don't even remember," Cara replied.
"It's been a few weeks, I think," said Stephen.
"You're going to need some privacy tonight, then?" Luca asked.
The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward in the dining room.
"You're not going to ruin this, Luca," said Stephen.
"It was worth a shot."
Stephen prepared to flick the air towards Luca, but Marla stopped him.
"No powers at the dinner table."
Cara smiled. "Can you imagine how sibling rivalry would have been like before if powers were involved?"
"I'd rather not," Marla answered, smiling.
"We'd probably lose the upstairs," Luca commented.
Later, Cara joined Stephen in his bedroom.
"So, Luca didn't ruin the mood," Stephen said.
"It's been too long for anyone to get in our way." Cara kissed Stephen passionately and then began to remove his clothes.
Two days later, the team was ready with outfits and John teleported into the Refuge, outside of Cara's office. He knocked.
"Come in, John."
John held out five batons. "Jed had a couple extras built in case any get broken."
"Those look very technical and advanced," Cara commented. "Thanks a lot."
"No problem. By the way, our overseas agents are doing well and a lot of people in Washington are impressed with our work."
"That's good to hear."
"Yeah," John said. "Jed has some friends in very high places now. He mentioned in your file what happened when some guy tried to rape you. Like he and I said a couple days ago, I wanted to thank you, Russell, and Stephen for helping me out after the explosion. I put in some calls to Jed's friends and pushed around a bit. I got your record cleared. You're not a fugitive anymore."
Cara looked slightly shocked.
"Jed told me that you left a father and a sister."
"Yeah," Cara shakily replied.
"You get to see them again."
Cara smiled and nodded. "Thank you, John."
"I owed you."
"No, you didn't. I was just helping out a close friend, even if he didn't remember me."
"Well, thanks again anyway. I got to go. Contact us if you need any more batons."
"John?" Cara called out quickly.
"Yeah?"
Cara hesitated. "Are you . . . happy?"
John's features softened and he smiled. "I am."
Cara nodded. "I'm glad to hear that."
"Bye."
After John teleported out, Cara stared at the space he occupied for a while before retuning to her work.