Friday, January 13th, 2017
Falkirk
Scotland
Imagine a police/detective TV program where the star tracks down a suspect's hideout only to find a wall covered with newspaper clippings, photos, and computer printouts.
There would be pins and lengths of string being used to connect events to people. The wall would be the method behind the suspect's crimes and how they identified their marks. Amber Dawson had one of those walls, only it existed on her laptop. Since receiving her laptop at Christmas, Amber had worked hard to convert all of her paper sources into digital images. Her virtual wall was massive. Right at that moment, the twelve-year-old was flipping through various digital news articles from over the previous six months or so. The articles appeared to be unrelated, at first glance, however, there was an underlying theme of seemingly violent events. There were numerous articles relating to 'black helicopters' flying at night around the north of England, central England, and in the South West. There was an article concerning a container ship which had 'struck a pair of World War II mines' off the south-east coast of England and sunk. A similar article discussed reports of gunfire and an altercation involving an 'unknown nuclear-powered submarine' off the south coast. Then there was extensive coverage of the carnage at the Prime Minister's Chequers refuge, followed by a high-speed running battle as the PM was returned to Downing Street by Vengeance. There were reports of a shooting at Kensington Palace, not to mention a Royal Navy warship going to action stations while alongside at Tower Bridge that very same night. Again, there were reports of 'black helicopters' over the Thames. Amber's most treasured reports covered a 'military exercise' in south Wales which appeared to her to have been a major assault involving Vengeance.
Of course, Amber knew that the assault had resulted in the death of Scarlett's father, the amputation of her hand, and her moving in with Cameron and Natasha. As well as those news articles and photos – many of which Amber had scrounged from the darker portions of the internet – there was a growing list of Vengeance codenames. Not every member of Vengeance was known, and few had photos in existence. It was well known that there were younger members of Vengeance, but there was very little actual photographic evidence of that. Only the adults were documented. Amber had photos of Drift, Crimson, and Nemesis. She also had a very grainy photo of Scorpion and her black helicopter. There was also a list of 'real identities' which Amber believed to be Vengeance members, and she was attempting to match them with the Vengeance codenames.
Yes, Amber knew that many of her associates were most probably members of Vengeance. She was also very aware of what a Predator was, and she accepted that they had some skills which would match Vengeance very well. Like all secret organisations, there was much in the way of hyperbole as people went to extreme lengths to find out about the United Kingdom's very own vigilante organisation which appeared to have the full support of the Government. Indeed, nobody went out of their way to apprehend the supposedly illegal organisation. Amber was able to throw out many guesses and outrageous suggestions. It was also very apparent that Urban Predator was not well-known outside of the dark web as the world's press seemed unable to gain much headway in working out what the program had been about. It was a rare case of international governments cooperating to quash the potentially explosive story. Urban Predator was therefore listed in the same pages as Roswell aliens and many other equally dubious conspiracy stories.
Amber, of course, knew better. She knew very much about Urban Predator, Predators, Vengeance, and Fusion. She was also aware of other shadowy characters outside of Vengeance. One name, in particular, intrigued Amber: Stephanie Walker. The name had been found in a dark web article concerning the death of a young girl during some government programme a number of years earlier. It was yet another name, of many, which Amber was determined to place and associate with a codename or similar. There was another name which intrigued Amber: Jason Bourne, although she was currently unable to figure out how he actually fitted into Urban Predator.
At that moment, Amber was interrupted by the door handle on her bedroom door turning. Very swiftly, Amber removed all evidence of her activities as the door opened.
"Can't you knock?" Amber demanded.
"Just wondered what you were up to, was all," Scarlett commented as her eyes swept the bedroom.
"Doing some research for school," Amber replied.
Scarlett wasn't buying it, but she did not push it. Amber was up to something and the devious twelve-year-old knew much more than she was letting on. Suddenly, Scarlett had a nasty feeling and in a flash of inspiration, she realised where she had seen Amber before – and it was bad.
Amber saw the look of inspiration on Scarlett's face and for a moment, the girl felt concerned, but then the expression vanished, and Scarlett smiled politely. From Amber's point of view, Scarlett was supposed to be an ally, but the older girl had kept her distance which Amber did not mind as Scarlett was an unknown – had she forgotten what she was supposed to be doing?
"I'll leave you to go about your . . . whatever," Scarlett said as she stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Amber glared after Scarlett for a moment, before going back to her work.
Scarlett headed downstairs and out into the capacious grounds around the house.
It had been about eight months ago, in London. Scarlett had gone with her father on the day trip to the capital by helicopter. They had landed on the roof of a building in the Financial District and while her father had been whisked into a meeting with a man called William Fraser, Scarlett had been escorted into a plush waiting area. She had sat there for about an hour. During that time, another girl had appeared and disappeared a few times. That girl had had long blonde hair and pale green eyes. Thinking back, it had been Amber Dawson. The girl had introduced herself at one stage, but they had not talked.
In hindsight, Scarlett could not understand why she had been there. William Fraser was a friend of her father . . . and that made William Fraser an enemy. If Amber had been with William Fraser, that also made her into an enemy. Did anybody in Vengeance know what Amber was? They had to, did they not? Scarlett vowed that from that moment on, she would keep an eye on Amber and her devious activities. She considered the identity card which she had received a week before. That card was a symbol of what she was to become. She was Pyrrha and she had a responsibility to Vengeance.
The trauma of past events – losing her father and her hand – had left gaps in her memory. Those memories were being jogged back into life. What else was buried in her mind? Not all that long ago, she had been the enemy, Scarlett considered as she looked down at her artificial hand. She had tortured a little girl at her father's behest . . . what else had he made her do? She was nothing like Amber – she was no threat to Vengeance.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
"What? Oh . . . hi, Nats."
"You looked pensive."
"Just thinking about my past."
"You've changed, Scarlett – you are different now."
"I . . . I'm worried about Amber. I remembered where I first saw her – it was at a meeting between my father and a William Fraser."
"Fraser, eh? Yes, we know about him; we took him down, last year," Natasha explained. "Amber was recovered at the same time. We kept her incommunicado for a while. No, we don't trust her."
Scarlett felt immense relief.
"Watch her," Natasha directed.
"I intend to. You put your trust in me and I will not let you down."
"I know."
That night
Training Facility - Wolf
Scarlett and Harper had not spent a lot of time together.
Maybe subconsciously, they had both tried to avoid one another. After all, they had spent two weeks together in a dungeon and Scarlett figured that Harper wanted her space. One thing, though, was very different; the fire which Harper had demonstrated when she had first been taken by Scarlett's father had returned after having been extinguished for so long. Scarlett had seen it crushed during Harper's captivity – the torture and then the abandonment had hit the little girl hard. However, during the stay in the hospital, Scarlett had seen that fire begin to reignite – especially when Harper had threatened Scarlett with physical bodily harm over what she knew. Scarlett had actually felt happy when she had seen the fire return, all but completely, during the impromptu sleepover when Scarlett had not expected to survive the night. Harper was a total bitch and she was capable of taking bitchiness to all new levels, Scarlett knew.
That evening, Pyrrha was sparring with Glide while Polaris watched.
..._...
Glide was determined to push Pyrrha to see what the elder girl could do when provoked.
Ignoring the significant height differential, Glide was easily the favourite, not that Pyrrha was going to give the little scrap of a vigilante an inch. From the sidelines, Polaris would monitor every single move which Pyrrha made to gauge the girl and see where her strengths lay, and indeed, where her weakness existed. Polaris had explained to Pyrrha that it was serious, but that the sparring could be taken as fun, although she should not let her guard down.
For Pyrrha, the fact that she was fighting Glide had not passed over her. The last time the two of them had faced off against one another, it had been at her home, in Wales. Scarlett, as she was then, had not wanted to fight, but Glide had simply ripped a cutlass of the wall and thrown it at her. Glide had then gone to town, humiliating the older girl with various cuts and slashes – nothing remotely fatal – to provoke a response. Pyrrha dug deep, using those remembered emotions to fuel her anger as she fought the younger girl. They were each equipped with a four-foot wooden bokken which both were very familiar with using. The training weapons allowed for safer training, but they could still hurt, not to mention that they could leave some nasty bruising on contact.
Glide also quickly realised the stakes and when they had both faced off before. Back then, Glide had been beside herself with anger over the supposed loss of Harper. As such, she had filed away her professionalism and allowed the worst parts of being a Predator to come to the fore. Glide had chosen to humiliate the girl she was fighting, taking her apart, piece by piece. The young girl often had nightmares about cutting off Scarlett's right hand which involved Scarlett instead cutting off her own hand. Glide could vividly remember the image of the limb falling to the ground, twitching even as it landed on the floor. Glide could vividly remember the fountain of crimson blood pumping out of Scarlett's amputated wrist. As Glide looked up at the older girl, she felt ashamed for what she had done, and why . . . especially after what Scarlett had done for Harper had come out. Glide figured that Pyrrha was also thinking back to the last time that they had faced one another as Pyrrha's expression darkened considerably and the first strike of the bokken struck Glide's bokken.
Pyrrha was angry.
..._...
Polaris was a little unsure about her decision to put the pair together.
She had seen Pyrrha's facial expression change and the force with which she had brought the bokken in for the first strike. Glide's expression of concern confirmed the fact that Pyrrha was remembering everything. However, Polaris was pleased to see that Pyrrha could channel her anger and use it to her advantage, even if Glide may not have been so pleased – who cared; little Glide could handle anything thrown at her.
The bokkens clashed as the two girls whirled around the mat. Glide's superior fighting skills made up for the difference in height and strength. Despite her trauma and time spent in hospital, Pyrrha had bounced back very fast. The thirteen-year-old's fitness was as good as any of the other girls . . . a sure sign that the girl was very serious about her future. She had been taught well and she kept her feet well-spaced, supporting the weight of her body on her back foot at all times. Pyrrha appeared to have very good situational awareness which was a somewhat crucial trait required of any vigilante. However, Glide was able to use her broader skills to trip Pyrrha early on in the sparring match. The look which Glide had received from Pyrrha as the older girl had fallen to the ground had been anything but friendly. Pyrrha was quick at regaining her feet, catching Glide across the backs of her knees with the bokken.
Glide went down with an indignant yell, catching Pyrrha across the arse as she went down. Something appeared to snap within Pyrrha, and the older girl set about Glide with her fists and bare feet, kicking and punching the younger girl. Glide tried to regain her feet, but Pyrrha kicked her down, continuing to punch and kick wherever she could reach. For a few moments, there was cheering from those watching, but then Polaris realised that something had gone very wrong and she saw Glide curl up into a protective ball, covering her head and abdomen with her hands and arms. Polaris ran into the fight, attempting to seize hold of Pyrrha's left arm, but she was shoved backward, crashing to the mat. As Polaris felt hands pulling her to her feet, she recognised Intrepid, Goshawk, and Stripe running past to prevent Glide suffering serious injury.
Pyrrha was finally put down by a hard kick from Goshawk before she was pinned down by Stripe.
..._...
"What the fuck was that?!" Intrepid demanded as she carefully pulled Glide into a sitting position.
Glide had tears of pain and humiliation flooding down her cheeks and she cringed with each movement of her body. Pyrrha was breathing heavily as she was allowed to sit up, Stripe staying close by should anything suddenly kick off. Polaris sat down facing Pyrrha for a moment before turning to look at Glide.
"You, okay?" Polaris asked.
"I'm hurting in places I never knew existed," Glide muttered. "Can't say I blame her for losing it like that – I did kind of cut her hand off."
"I'm sorry," Pryyha almost whispered. "I lost control. I felt anger like I had never felt before. I'm really sorry, Glide."
"No sweat, Pryyha. You reacted like I expected you to, partly. I thought I'd be able to fend you off, but you were good," Glide replied.
"Thanks, I think."
"That was my fault for putting you both together – it was too soon," Polaris admitted.
"Did I hurt you?" Pyrrha asked suddenly, her face one of horror.
"Not really," Polaris grinned.
"Okay, guys, let's go get cleaned up," Stripe suggested.
Pyrrha clambered to her feet and she held out her real left hand to Glide, pulling the eight-year-old to her feet with ease.
..._...
As they undressed, Harper was deep in thought.
Maybe it had been too early to put the pair together, but she had figured that it would be the best way to get Scarlett motivated. Well, she had been bang-on - Scarlett had been motivated. Very motivated! Too motivated! Such was life, Harper reasoned as she grabbed a towel and headed for the showers. On the way, Harper stopped at hearing her name called out and she turned to see Scarlett following her.
"Did you set this up to get back at me?" Scarlett asked as she caught up.
"Of course not," Harper replied.
Scarlett stalked off toward the showers. Harper decided to leave Scarlett to calm down, correctly guessing that the girl was very angry.
After enjoying her shower, Harper wrapped herself in a soft pink towel and she walked back towards the changing rooms before pausing beside the shower from where Harper could hear singing. Harper grinned up at the seemingly happier Scarlett as she showered.
"If I really wanted to get back at you, Scarlett, you'd be naked and outside in a muddy puddle. We can go right now, if you want?"
"No, Harper, I'm good," Scarlett laughed.
"Just let me know if you change your mind."
"Harper, leave Scarlett alone," Diana commented as she hopped past on her crutches. "People are gonna think you have a thing for her being naked . . . or is it just her scarlet pubes?"
Scarlett laughed as Harper was left speechless.
The following week
Friday, January 20th, 2017
Vengeance Command Centre
Scarlett was more than a little worried as she and Natasha entered the Orangery.
Already sitting at the table were Jasper, Cassie, and a woman whom Scarlett had never seen before. Scarlett began to panic as her mind conjured up many reasons why the meeting was taking place.
"What's going on?" Scarlett demanded. "Where's Harper?"
"Calm down, Scarlett," Cassie reassured the girl. "Everything's fine. This is Debbie Grey, she works for the Government and she is here to discuss your father's assets."
Scarlett's expression darkened as she sat down between Cassie and Natasha. Scarlett had no desire, whatsoever, to discuss anything to do with her father – the bastard was out of her life which was all that mattered.
"I can understand your feelings on this, Scarlett," Cassie explained. "But this has to be done."
The thirteen-year-old nodded.
"Your father left quite a mess to be sorted out," Debbie began. "It has taken a while to sort through paperwork and financial records to identify what belonged to him personally, and what belonged to the Radford Group – both the criminal side and the public side. A considerable amount of money, land, property, not to mention the remainder of the Radford Group, has been cleared to pass to his beneficiary – you, Scarlett."
"I don't want his money, his land, or any of the other stuff," Scarlett responded.
"That's very understandable, Scarlett," Debbie replied. "But, as you get older, you will want your independence – a flat, a car."
Scarlett considered that for a moment. Despite not wanting anything to do with her father's tainted money, she did have to look to the future.
"Should you accept your father's fortune, you will be a multi-millionaire," Debbie commented. "Of course, that money will be kept in trust for you, until you are twenty-one, but you will be provided with a monthly allowance. The Radford Group will belong to you, but will be looked after, on your behalf, by the Radford Group Executive Board of Directors. You gain a very nice airfield in Wales, your home in Wales, seven properties in the UK, and nineteen other properties scattered around the world."
Scarlett was rather surprised at the potential scale of her new wealth, not having really considered how rich her father had actually been.
"Would I be able to ensure that my company was being handled correctly?" Scarlett said, surprising herself with the question; after all, what did she care about the Radford Group?
"A very good question, Scarlett," Jasper commented. "I might suggest speaking with the King family. They are in a somewhat similar position to yourself, in that their father died, leaving them money, property, and a company. As far as I can tell, The King Corporation is doing very well under the stewardship of its CEO. Maybe they can assist you with overseeing your new acquisitions?"
Scarlett had never thought to query how Cameron and Natasha had so much wealth. It scared the teenager a little, knowing the responsibilities she had from that moment on.
"We will help you in any way we can," Natasha stated with a reassuring, supportive smile.
"Thank you, Nats, Jasper," Scarlett said. "Yes, Debbie, I will accept my responsibilities as you have laid out."
"There are some documents for you to sign," Debbie said, passing over a dauntingly thick file of paper. "Sorry to dump so much on you, Scarlett."
Natasha grabbed hold of the file and she flipped through it.
"Scarlett, if you wish, I will have our family solicitor look through all of this," she suggested. "Just I case there are any issues that need amended before you sign. No offence, Debbie."
"None taken," Debbie chuckled. "I am pleased to see the young lady is so well looked after."
Scarlett nodded.
"Please do, Nats – I need help on this one," Scarlett admitted.
"You are not alone," Cassie said reassuringly.
"Thanks."
Scarlett groaned as another file was added to join the first. Debbie laughed.
"This file is good news – I think," Debbie explained. "Until you become of age, on your eighteenth birthday, you are officially under the guardianship of Cameron and Natasha King. They will have full parental responsibility for one Scarlett Jean Radford, currently resident with them. Should you not with for this guardianship. . ."
"Stop!" Scarlett said, her right hand raised. "I do not contest the guardianship . . . I would be honoured to have the Kings as my guardians."
"That completes my visit," Debbie said. "Oh, last thing – welcome to the family, Pyrrha."
Debbie passed over a small card. Scarlett Radford picked up the small predominantly white identity card which bore her own photo on the left. At the top of the card was the legend: SECURITY SERVICE MI5 located alongside the crest of the United Kingdom's Security Service.
"What does this mean?" she asked, waving the card.
"It means that you are part of this country's security, protecting it from within against all those who wish to do it harm," Jasper explained. "Vengeance is an important part of this country's security and you have proved that you can be trusted. You have suffered at the hand of Vengeance, but you are now a part of Vengeance, able to wield that same hand in protection of those who live within our borders. Are you up to it, Scarlett Radford?"
"Yes, I am."
Scarlett surprised herself by how truthful the statement was.
Two days later
Sunday, January 22nd, 2017
St Anne's Head, Wales
As the helicopter slowed, the St Anne's Head lighthouse passed close by, just to starboard.
Harper, her face glued to the window as she studied the area, felt her left hand being squeezed tightly, and she turned to face Scarlett who was looking considerably paler than her normal complexion. For both girls, it was the very first visit to the scene of battle. For Harper, it was all new as she had never known exactly where she was – nor had she cared at the time. For Scarlett, she was reliving her own personal hell. Cassie looked back from the co-pilot's seat, smiling reassuringly at the two girls.
"They okay?" Keira asked from the pilot's seat.
"A lot of bad things happened that day," Harper said.
"Was that where he died?" Scarlett asked over the intercom as she looked down at where there was a burnt patch of ground on which the grass was slowly recovering.
Keira looked down and remembered firing that Hellfire missile at the fleeing Range Rover – and him.
"Yes," Keira replied.
"Don't feel bad – I was told he was killed by a helicopter-launched missile and shells from the tanks," Scarlett said. "Did you fire that missile?"
"Yes, I did, from this very helicopter," Keira replied. "At the time, I thought Harper was dead . . . and I could not let him get away."
"He deserved it," Scarlett said simply.
The helicopter flew on, coming down into a grassy field two hundred yards to the east of the destroyed castle which had once been Scarlett's home. Harper watched her former overseer, seeing the varied emotions cross the older girl's face.
Harper could remember next to nothing about the final few hours of her enforced incarceration.
..._...
As they exited the helicopter, they were met by a sergeant of the Royal Military Police.
"Good morning, ma'am!" the man said to Keira. "Good morning, all!"
"Thank you, sergeant," Keira replied. "Good morning to you."
"The building is open for you to enter – please be careful of fallen stonework and masonry. I will be outside should you need anything, and we have vehicles ready to take you to the facility when you are ready."
With building apprehension, Harper prodded Scarlett towards her former home. Scarlett said nothing as she stepped through the temporary wooden doorway. The property had received extensive work to make it stable and to secure it against the weather and looters.
"Everything salvageable has been removed and placed into secure storage, according to Debbie," Cassie said.
"This is where it happened," Scarlett said, stopping at a section of carpet which bore a giant dark stain.
Harper looked up at Scarlett as the older girl cradled her robotic hand. Harper stood by Scarlett, allowing the girl some time to come to terms with her injury. Harper's own feelings were very mixed, and she was struggling to take in what she was seeing, knowing that during the fight, she had been huddled in a dungeon, a mile or so to the north. After a few minutes, Scarlett headed up the wooden stairs and made directly for a room off to the right. It had obviously been Scarlett's bedroom – that was obvious from the pink walls and the pink carpet. However, all the furniture and décor were gone. Imprints on the carpet showing where items had once been. Scarlett began to cry, and Harper reached out for her left-hand which Scarlett jerked away at Harper's touch. Harper made to say something, but Keira waved her back.
No one said a word for some time as they left Scarlett to her memories. After a while, Scarlett pushed past Harper and began walking from room to room, studying what was left of her former home. After a further twenty minutes, the thirteen-year-old turned to Harper.
"Get me out of here, please. . ."
..._...
The trip up to the airfield was fairly short and they stopped at the very top of the airfield beside a building which had all but collapsed.
On the way, they had passed the burnt-out wreckage of several aircraft hangers, not to mention the remains of several destroyed vehicles and aircraft. They left the vehicles and their Army minders and made for the collapsed building.
"Is this what I think it is?" Harper asked as she began to shake involuntarily.
"Yes," Scarlett said, bursting into tears again.
Cassie noticed Keira's expression turning very cold and she was pleased with her decision to leave all weapons in the helicopter. They descended a cleared path into the basement of the building. Scarlett led as she knew the place well.
"I came here four times a day. Some night's I slept here, to keep Harper company."
They stopped at the damaged cell door which the Royal Marines had blasted open with explosives. Scarlett and Harper stepped inside together. Harper began to sob as she recognised the place where she had lived for so long. The place where she had given up hope and where she had wanted to die. Only, there was evidence of Scarlett's care, scattered around. Bottles of water. Cans of soup. Towels, blankets, pillows. There was even a book, a bookmark peeping out from the top. Harper picked up the book.
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?" she queried.
Scarlett smiled through her tears.
"I would read to you," Scarlett admitted. "I couldn't think of much to say, so I would read out loud for about an hour at a time. We finished the first book and were on that one."
Keira's cold expression and desire to kill faded rapidly. Scarlett was not the enemy; it had been her father. The girl had obviously done all she could to help Harper in the final days before the attack. For Scarlett to have taken the time to read to Harper was very personal and Keira loved the girl for that attention to detail. After a few minutes, they all headed back up to the surface where Keira turned to Scarlett who flinched away.
"Scarlett, I've never said thank you for looking after my sister. I've harboured ideas of killing you, but from what I've seen today, you obviously went out of your way to look after the little bitch."
"Hey!" Harper complained.
"I had to do something – I felt so guilty for allowing her to suffer. I still have nightmares where I hear Harper's fingers being broken and her body burnt. I still hear her screams. I will never forget Harper's screams and my inability to help her. Harper never caved in, Keira. She kept every secret and she was willing to take those secrets to the grave. I now know what secrets she was protecting and whom she was protecting. I just hope that I have the same courage to stand up to such torture, should I be in her position. Harper is the bravest person I have ever known."
Keira looked over at Harper whose mouth was flapping open and closed with any words coming out.
"It's not often Harper is lost for words," Scarlett grinned.
"You know her very well," Keira laughed.
"Fuck the both of you!" Harper growled.
Harper felt happy that her sister had warmed up towards Scarlett. She had been worried that Keira might do something stupid and hurt Scarlett, but it appeared that those worries were no longer valid. Cassie was pleased, too. She had been concerned she might need to put Keira down, should the woman go for Scarlett. Keira looked over at Cassie.
"You can put the Taser away, Cassie, Scarlett will not be hurt by my hands."
Scarlett looked relieved at the comment.
"I did kind of expect to be shot or stabbed," Scarlett admitted.
"It was my intent, to be honest, but you're genuinely honest. You keeping that?"
Harper looked at her hands which held the Harry Potter book.
"Yes," Harper replied, looking up at Scarlett who nodded her acceptance. "Can we go now – I'm hungry?"
Keira laughed.
"I could do with something to eat, too," Scarlett admitted.
Thirty minutes later, they were airborne and headed east towards London.
The following week
Friday, January 27th, 2017
Dreadnought House
Kaitlin was on the prowl, very early that morning.
The little eight-year-old was determined to cause trouble at any cost, however, neither she nor her target had expected each other to be awake. As Kaitlin pushed open Jake's bedroom door, she found the boy stepping out of his bathroom, sans clothing.
"Kaitlin!"
Jake dived for his bed, covering himself up with his duvet. Kaitlin was grinning furiously as she considered what she had just seen but she filed it away for later.
"Happy Birthday!" Kaitlin grinned.
"Thanks," Jake replied.
"Here, I did you a card," Kaitlin said, offering over a home-made envelope.
Jake smiled. Kaitlin could be a little monster, but she also cared immensely, probably more than many of the others, for whom caring was not a way of life. The card was simple and home-made. Jake loved it – he had never received anything like it before.
"You like it?" Kaitlin asked with hope in her tone.
"I love it, thanks, little sis."
Kaitlin screamed happily as she jumped onto Jake's bed and hugged him. She had been determined to be the very first to say Happy Birthday to the boy. For Jake, it was turning into his best birthday ever. Never, in his wildest dreams, had he ever expected to become a teenager. He felt happier than he had ever been.
"I saw them, you know," Kaitlin commented.
Jake scowled. IT was something he was very proud of, but also something which he had not wanted Kaitlin to know about. However, he figured that it was inevitable. Reluctantly, Jake pushed the duvet down and Kaitlin grinned – she had been correct, Jake had hair down below . . . not very much, but enough to be visible.
"Your dick's bigger, too – but not by much," Kaitlin commented.
"Thanks, Kaitlin!" Jake muttered as he jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxer shorts. "Don't tell anyone."
"Would I?" Kaitlin smiled.
Jake simply growled in response.
That weekend
Saturday, January 28th, 2017
Dreadnought House
It was one of those rare occasions when Amber was allowed out and was actually taken to spend time with the other kids.
Naturally, Amber kept her eyes wide open, keen to observe and detect any slips or mistakes which might assist her in her pet project of identifying Vengeance members and matching them to their codenames. That morning, Amber got more than she bargained for as a family appeared and Amber was introduced.
"Hi, Amber, I'm Jason . . . Jason Bourne, and this is Nicky Parsons – these are our kids: Tim and Natalie."
Amber had latched onto the man's name: Jason Bourne. Could it really be him? Then that woman – her name, it had also come up in reference to some dark CIA programmes.
"Er, hi," Amber stammered as she struggled to cover up her staring and awe
"Ignore her," Harper commented. "She's a bit weird."
"A bit?" Scarlett grinned.
"Maybe a little more weird," Harper conceded as Amber scowled.
Amber bolted, her laptop held tightly under her arm.
..._...
The reason for the gathering of dangerous Predators was for Jake and Charlotte.
The boy had turned thirteen, just the day before, while Charlotte would have to wait until the Tuesday. However, the weekend was a perfect opportunity to celebrate both landmark birthdays together.
"Congratulations, Charlie!"
"Thanks, Dakota. This is all so weird."
"I know," Dakota replied – she herself had turned fifteen, just two weeks previously.
It was a part of their new lives which they were struggling to get used to – people caring and birthdays. What was most special for Charlotte was that Jake was with her. She cared for the boy, immensely, and they had both been through so much together. She knew that Jake cared for her, too. They were like brother and sister, however, some believed that they should have been an item by now. Charlotte, though, had no real interest in boys – nor girls! – but was happy to just enjoy her new life of freedom. In fact, Charlotte was enjoying being a child and she was chasing after Craig and Kate who had been bating her. Charlotte was a fast runner and she soon chased down Craig, tripping the older boy on the grass. Kate giggled as she kept herself out of Charlotte's reach.
Around lunchtime, Kaitlin was concerned to see an emergency ambulance pull into the drive. As far as she could tell, nobody had been hurt – at least not enough to require an ambulance. However, her eyes bulged out as she saw a wheelchair being inched down the rear ramp by Blake. Tears began unbidden as Kaitlin bolted towards the ambulance.
"Naomi!"
Cassie turned her head at the name being shouted and she dropped her mug of tea onto the grass and she bolted after her daughter. Cassie swiftly caught up with Kaitlin and she was shocked to see that it was indeed, her older daughter, Naomi. The little girl was smiling but looked to be very tired.
"A little surprise," Blake commented. "It is only a visit, Naomi goes back, this evening, but she wanted to be here for Jake and Charlie."
Cassie wiped away the floods of tears as she gave Naomi a gentle hug. Kaitlin two was crying buckets as she also gave Naomi a light hug. Before too long, a crowd had begun to develop around Naomi who was grinning happily. She had missed her friends, so much.
"Let's get Naomi inside where it's warm," Blake suggested.
..._...
Naomi was out of immediate danger, but the nine-year-old still had many months of healing ahead of her.
It would be another two to three weeks before she would be coming home. Her wheelchair was equipped with a drip and a catheter bag to look after her immediate needs. The emergency ambulance had been an additional precaution with a paramedic onboard. Needless to say, Blake considered it therapeutic for Naomi to be amongst her 'own kind', even if only for a few hours. Once Naomi was positioned inside, beside the roaring fire, she began to answer the many questions being fired at her.
"Yes, it hurts – I have a fucking hole in my chest!"
"No, you can't see it."
"Yes, I miss everybody – even Kaitlin!"
Olivia quickly took charge and she began to shove (quite violently) most of the Predators away to give Naomi some peace.
"Thanks, Olivia," Naomi grinned. "It's really good to be back home."
"Anything you need, just let me know," Olivia replied with a smile.
"A glass of water?" Naomi ventured.
Olivia ran off and Naomi looked enviously out the window where her friends were bounding around in the cold. Naomi was an active child and she hated being stuck in bed all day, every day. Cassie appeared at the same time as Olivia, carrying a plate of food.
"See how much of this you can eat, honey," Cassie said. "Don't rush it, okay?"
"Thanks, Mum."
Blake hovered with his own plate of food, watching Naomi for any signs of trouble. Outside, Keira had bellowed a single word 'FOOD!' and the ground shook as dozens of feet pounded in the direction of the dining room.
"Fucking herd of hungry elephants!" Blake chuckled.
"A word of advice," Cassie offered. "Never stand between a Predator and food."
"Unless you have a desire to be trampled," Sinead chuckled.
Blake grinned as he watched the famished youngsters destroy the buffet.
..._...
After stuffing their faces and re-energizing themselves, the hoard of barbarians headed back outside.
The two dogs barked as they raced around the marauding youngsters who were all, to a boy and girl, determined to cause endless trouble. After a few minutes running around until she was red in the face, Charlotte returned to talk with Naomi and keep the younger girl company.
"Kaitlin misses you," Charlotte said. "She cries at night and she's slept in your bed, more than once.
"I really miss her," Naomi responded. "I hate to admit it, but I can't be without the little terror."
"I know what you mean," Charlotte admitted. "She kind of grows on you."
"I so want to be out there, having fun, but . . . I know I need to heal."
"It's hard – I've been there," Charlotte said, a hand on her stomach.
"Thanks," Naomi said.
"Okay, girls, time for the birthday girl and boy to blow out some candles," Alexandra said.
"Cool!" Naomi announced.
..._...
It took a while to corral the rabid youngsters and for them to calm down enough to stand still for more than two seconds.
"Today," Cassie announced happily. "We celebrate . . . or maybe mourn . . . the arrival of two more teenagers. Charlotte and Jake are taking a leap into the unknown. Having seen the effect becoming thirteen has on children like these, we are expecting to see two moody little shits before long. But whatever happens, they both have homes and families who love them."
Charlotte grinned, wiping away a tear from one eye while Jake just stood there grinning. Then, the lights went out and the crowd split apart. The birthday boy and girl both gaped in astonishment as two large cakes were wheeled in. Both were square, about fourteen-inches to a side and eight inches tall. One was predominantly blue while the other was pink.
"I think the pink one is for Jake," Kaitlin quipped.
"Yeah," Harper through in. "The blue one is for a boy which must mean it's for Charlie."
There was laughter as Charlotte stood before the pink cake and she quickly counted thirteen candles arranged around the centre below which was her name: Charlie, in purple icing. Jake stood before his cake, which had his own name in blue icing below the same number of candles. After a resounding chorus of 'Happy Birthday', the pair blew out the candles which they did with one blow each.
"Told you she was all wind!" Dakota quipped to Kate causing more laughter.
The laughter continued as Charlotte and Jake jumped back as their candles exploded – literally – back to life with a sharp crack. Charlotte scowled while Jake dived in and tried to blow out all twenty-six candles. Charlotte joined in and they both succeeded, only for them to splutter back into life. Then, just as Charlotte bent down to blow them out again, the flames vanished. Both new teenagers smelt a rat as everybody laughed. However, it was Amber whose sharp eyes caught sight of something held in Eric's hand. It looked like a cigarette lighter, but as she watched, Eric pressed down on the top of the device and the candles spontaneously jumped to life. The girl grinned as she watched Jake and Charlotte scanning the laughing faces before Charlotte stopped and glared at the very guilty-looking Eric.
"Stop it!" she ordered, laughing as Eric pocketed the remote control and the candles remained unlit.
"Not sure if this is safe," Cassie muttered as she handed both Predators a large cake knife to cut their cakes.
However, they both behaved and there was cheering once the first cuts had been made.
..._...
For about twenty minutes there was relative calm as everybody stuffed their faces with what turned out to be triple-layered chocolate cake.
For Jake and Charlotte, it was a very special birthday – it was their very first as relatively normal children. Despite Charlotte still having to wait a few days, she still felt like she was thirteen. It was also very special because they were both together. They had both been through so much together. Charlotte realised just how well the two of them had integrated when young Kaitlin went and put her foot – or rather mouth – in it. Kaitlin was chatting with Naomi, Harper, and Scarlett when Charlotte almost spat out her mouthful of Coke.
"Jake has pubes, you know," Kaitlin told her friends. "But his dick is pretty tiny."
"Kaitlin!" Jake exploded as the red-faced boy made to grab the giggling girl who twisted and turned to escape the wrath of her big brother.
Charlotte laughed as Jake bolted after Kaitlin who screamed as she ran.
..._...
"We're being watched," Harper commented an hour later. "Over there, behind the trees."
Scarlett looked over at the seemingly impenetrable trees, but she saw nothing but trees.
"It's creepy bitch," Harper stated.
"Amber? How did you know she was there?"
"I put a tracker on her," Harper replied nonchalantly as she showed Scarlett the screen of the mobile phone in her hand.
"Do I have a tracker on me?" Scarlett asked in an annoyed tone.
"Not anymore."
"Not anymore!"
"I removed it during the sleepover," Harper muttered. "I decided to trust you . . . with all our lives."
"Thanks, I think."