Chapter 2

The Red and Black Avengers took the four apprehended Death Webbers to a remote base. Russell briefed the Red Avengers on Mallory's condition.

"That's a relief," Talia said. "There's a rumor that some Tomorrow People have developed the ability to kill."

"It wasn't naturally developed," Stephen explained. "They were given some sort of chemical formula. Anyway, those TPs have been taken care of."

"And the formula?"

"It's all gone," Stephen responded.

"Dr. Price is probably the only person left who has the resources and data to recreate the formula," Wes explained. "He's not going to allow it ever again."

"That's good, but those TPs can still do a lot of harm," Samia said. "Besides, they have human members. How many did John say there were?"

"Five," Cara explained.

"There's a push to recruit more," said Talia.

"Great," commented Russell. "So, who wants the privilege of digging into those guys' heads?"

Eyes wandered around the room.

"John said to trust you," Wes told Cara. "But if you trust any of the Red Avengers, we will, too."

"You and me, then," Talia said to Cara. "Two people can work together and push through the distractions. Three could be a crowd."

"I think we should interrogate all of them. That might help us fill in any blanks and give us additional context."

"I guess it's settled, then," Stephen declared.

Talia and Cara spoke with the first Webber.

"Elise, right?" Talia asked. "I think someone called you Elise."

"You must be disappointed that you don't have any humans who can kill me for you."

"We're not interested in killing anyone," Cara said.

"You're going to have to be if you plan on surviving our war."

"There doesn't need to be a war between us," Talia countered.

"You're standing in the way of our progress," said Elise. "Your group is the antithesis of what we stand for."

"Jewelry is that important to you?" Talia asked.

"It's more than that," Cara realized.

Elise spit at Cara, but Cara successfully dodged it.

"Tomorrow People are supposed to exercise discretion," said Elise. "How do you think the public will react if they found out about a secret and dangerous subspecies living amongst them?"

"But burglary is okay?" Cara asked.

"We only take what we need. We aren't gallivanting around, playing superhero and risking exposure."

"You do not get to judge us," Talia said. "Now, where is everyone else? Where are you based?"

Knowing that Cara and Talia would try to read her mind, Elise started thinking of doors closing. Cara remembered another name she heard during the fight.

"Elise," Cara began. "Whatever you do, don't think about Tanya."

An image of Tanya suddenly hit Elise's mind.

"Where is she?" Talia asked.

In New York, Jed talked to John and Roger about his phone conversation with Congressman Hardy.

"There's been diminishing marginal returns from the Tomorrow People we've sent to the Department of Defense. The department is still keeping the TPs limited to the most classified of missions and they just don't need that many anymore. We agreed that fifty-three TPs will return to the U.S."

"I was going to tell you that Yuri Ellis and Sandy Eaton were ready to for combat," John said.

"They'll stay here, along with the other seventeen TPs we've approved," Jed said. "I'd like to have two experienced TPs leading operations in each state and two to four other TPs working for them."

"I think there might be enough interest among the TPs in the Refuge to help get you those numbers," said Roger. "You will need them."

"Stephen is still sort of a homing beacon for new breakouts," said John. "The effect is a lot stronger when he's around other TPs. That'll keep New York more active and other areas less so."

"Good," Jed said. "I know the Midwest situation is anomalous and it's good that it will remain so. We've been handling TP activity well enough along with the Refuge that New York doesn't need another branch. Washington, DC should get its own, and the branches in Maryland and Virginia will be located around Baltimore and Richmond. There'll be less overlap that way."

"I'll talk to some people at the Refuge," said Roger. "When can we expect the fifty-three back?"

"My contacts want everything set up as soon as possible. The TPs are packing as we speak."

In Chicago, Cara and Talia interrogated another Death Webber.

"And what's your name?" Talia asked.

"Eric."

"Good," Talia said. "Thanks for being cooperative. Good things happen when you're cooperative. Just ask Elise and Frank. They helped us and now we're treating them better."

"Tell us about the compound in Pittwood, Illinois," Cara said.

Eric kept his mouth shut and his mind clear.

"Come on," urged Talia. "We know so much already, you might as well tell us the rest."

"Your group hates the Red Avengers," Cara began. "You think they're too open about their powers. Who is behind all that hate? Who wants all that jewelry?"

Eric suddenly looked up.

"You know nothing," Eric stated. "They told you hardly anything."

"And what is it that we don't know?" Cara asked. She began to pry deeper into Eric's mind.

"It's just a matter of time before we know everything, so just spill it," Talia said.

"What's the Divine Psyche?" Cara asked, hearing the name in Eric's head.

Eric grimaced, trying harder to clear his mind.

"Tell us about Divine Psyche," Talia told Eric.

"Ethan Vaughn," Cara read.

Soon, the Avengers spoke with Jed, John, and Roger on the phone.

"There's a compound in Pittwood, Illinois," Talia explained. "It's a quiet and rural area. They call the compound the Divine Psyche."

"We're not sure, but it might be a religiously oriented cult," said Cara.

"Any idea who runs it?" Jed asked.

"Someone named Ethan Vaughn," answered Talia.

Roger and Jed looked at each other.

"That name sounds familiar," John stated.

"You guys know him?" Stephen asked.

"He's the TP who led the Los Angeles branch of Ultra," explained Roger.

"He disappeared after Stephen defeated the Founder," Jed added. "I've been looking for him since."

"That explains some of what Elise said," Cara realized.

"So how does religion fit into this?" John asked.

"We're not sure yet," Cara answered. "Pittwood is sparsely populated. There probably aren't many TPs coming from there and the residents would have no clue what's going on."

"Hopefully, no one has a clue," Jed said.

"Maybe the Divine Psyche is conning people in that area into thinking there's something religious about our powers," suggested Talia.

"That also could explain their attitude against exposure," said Cara.

"That seems really farfetched," Wes said.

"I wouldn't be too surprised that Ethan did something like this," Jed explained.

"The intent doesn't really matter," said Stephen. "We know where the compound is and we're ready to take out the Death Web. "

"If they are exposing normal people to TP powers, we need to identify these people and make sure they don't talk," John said.

"It looks like you'll have more work to do after you take care of Death Web. Keep us posted. On another note, the federal government wants us to monitor TP activity more thoroughly across the country. To that end, we're establishing field offices in all fifty states that will do what we are currently doing in New York with respect to policing TP activity."

The Avengers started to eye each other, some with skepticism.

"If any of you Red Avengers are interested in joining our Midwest locations, let us know."

Some murmurs started.

"Doctor Price, what can we expect from Ethan Vaughn?" Wes asked, trying to minimize the awkwardness. "How powerful is he?"

"He's very powerful, but he won't be a match against all of you."

"We'll keep you updated," Cara said.

"Thanks," responded Jed, who then ended the call.

"I'm just going to cut to the chase," Talia began. "No offense to anyone, but I want to speak with the Black Avengers, so if you aren't a Black Avenger or a Red Avenger, would you give us some privacy, please?"

Jed's TPs gradually left the room.

"It sounds like Price is starting Ultra again," Talia told the Black Avengers. "He's gaining a lot of administrative power."

"I understand how you're feeling," Cara noted. "We had our doubts about his new organization, too, but it turned out fine so far."

"On the plus side, it sounds like we might have jobs," a Red Avenger named Jeannie stated. "If we worked for him, we'd be able to keep things in check, make sure that things are done right."

"My dad is there," Stephen said. "I trust him to keep this from turning into Ultra, but having Red Avengers in control in some states will definitely help."

"It sounds like we need to join him," Talia concluded. "We'll talk to him about this later. Tonight, we should check out the Pittwood compound. Tomorrow, we'll go on the offensive."

After multiple teleportation jumps, Russell, Samia, Jeannie, and Wes arrived in Pittwood. Telepathic scans led them to a large building and a large basement. While on the roof, they saw many people milling around it.

"Oh, boy, they're talking about angels," Wes realized as he read the minds of normal humans.

"Talia and Cara were right," said Russell. "These people think that Tomorrow People are holy messengers."

"All these humans know about Tomorrow People," Wes said.

"And they get jewelry from the TPs as an added incentive," Samia learned.

The mind reading suddenly stopped.

"I'm not getting anything anymore," Wes realized.

"Something's wrong," Jeannie suggested. "We need to go now."

The four TPs found themselves unable to teleport and Wes quickly took out his phone and called John.

Ethan finally made his presence known. "It's the D-chips. I took a lot of technology with me when I left Ultra. I had them activated after I teleported up here."

Four people with guns joined the TPs on the roof.

"These are my aides," Ethan explained. "They're normal humans so if you don't do what I tell you to do, they'll kill you."

One of Ethan's underlings approached the Avengers.

"Gabrietta, inject them," Ethan ordered.

"No, don't take away my powers," Jeannie pleaded.

"I won't. I have something else in mind."