I know it's been a while since my last story, but I've been pretty busy. This is the second story in my 'Children of Tomorrow' series.
The characters of Megabyte, Ami, Adam, Kevin, Jade, General Damon and several others belong to Roger Damon Price (isn't that his name?) and several other people. I am using them without permission. Please don't sue.
The characters of David, Tiana, Melissa, Shauna, Jon, Ben, Rob, and anyone else who never appeared in the series belong to me. If you would like to use any of them, please let me know.
Comments are wanted badly. Please send them to: hiddenagenda@rocketmail.com
Enjoy the story.
Prologue:
Rob knew that his hiding place wasn't the best around, but hoped that this fact would throw off the hunter, who knew it as well. He stayed perfectly still, for he knew that the slightest movement would draw attention to him. Rob couldn't hear anyone coming, but knew that his hearing wasn't always to be trusted. Some people, the hunter included, could move like ghosts. After all, it wasn't his fault that he was several inches taller and nearly 40 pounds heavier than the hunter. Rob jumped with a start as a hand came to rest on his shoulder.
"Nice try," came the slow, halting voice of his friend, Ben. Rob sighed and got up, motioning to his friend as best he could in the night that they should go over to the porch where they could see better.
Once they arrived at the porch and had the light on, Rob decided it was time for the moment of truth. *How much time?* he signed. Ben showed him the stopwatch. Thirty-four seconds. *Six seconds off your record,* Rob signed to him.
*Sorry, I don't know what came over me,* Ben replied with a grin as his blue eyes sparkled in the lamplight. Ben checked his watch to see what time it was. *Looks like there's time for one more round,* Ben informed him. *Maybe you can find me in under fifty seconds this time.*
*The things you put me through,* Rob signed. Rob took the watch, turned off the light, and started counting as Ben went to find a hiding place. He had never understood why his friend was so much better at this than him. But just because Rob was stronger didn't mean he was better at everything, a fact which their games had well proved. Rob had once claimed that it was his blond hair that stood out, but Ben had laughed that off, knowing that his darker brown hair didn't make a difference. When he got done counting, he turned on the stopwatch and started out to find Ben. As he walked along searching carefully, he almost missed Ben.
He was lying on the ground unconscious.
********
Chapter 1:
Adam had a headache. It seemed like no matter how much headway they made into understanding what was going on, more questions surfaced. Not only that, but the two groups of Tomorrow People were not mixing well. It didn't help that Ami was still refusing to speak to Megabyte. She hardly came to the island anymore. Megabyte spent most of his free time sulking. Jade and Kevin were getting along well, and he wouldn't give them up for anything, but he didn't feel that they connected with him as well as Ami and Megabyte did. David was the only one of the other group who really felt comfortable around Adam and his friends, so David had been the only one he had really talked to over the past three months. If only Lucy and he....
But that was in the past. Adam let his thoughts drift back to the task at hand. He and David had finally found out why they teleported to different places when they broke out earlier that day. They had been making inquiries to his ship - strange how Adam thought of it that way. If anything the ship should consider Adam its own. Anyway, they had asked about events in the month before David broke out. When that failed they went back another month and found the connection. The ship had sent out a transmission. David teleported to his ship and checked it out. The same day, the ship in the cave had received a transmission and activated the beacon. Pleased with their success, David had returned home. After all, it had been nearly 10:00 p.m. in South Carolina. Now Adam was trying to discover why the transmission had been sent.
Adam merged with the ship. It would have been more effective with another present, but it would have to do. Adam began to run through the events that had surrounded that time in reverse chronological order. The day in question he had merged with the ship in an effort to find release after he and Lucy broke up.
He skipped back a week to when he and Lucy were still together, but the memories were too painful.
He sped up the rate of the memory change to help reduce the emotions that they evoked, but soon he found one to powerful to ignore: the fear he had felt when Rees had him. Could that be it? It was over five weeks before the transmission, but it was worth a shot. ^What was the cause of the transmission?^ Adam queried, although he doubted he would get a sure answer.
The response was a series of musical tones accompanied with a telepathic message. ^Information unavailable.^ But Adam wasn't ready to give up yet.
^Was the cause of the transmission anything to do with Sam Rees?^
^No data exists on one Sam Rees.' Do you wish to make a new entry into my systems?^
^No. What about Rameses Ak'Hara. Do you recognize that name?^
^Accessing data: Rameses Ak'Hara. First Entry: Prondeni who traveled to Sol-3. Hostile to all Sahkari and Ekteni. Considered to be extremely dangerous. Threat to all Tomorrow People on Sol-3. Upon confirmation of this threat's neutralization transmit file 729B.
^Second entry: Mind-merge with Tomorrow Person known as Adam has confirmed the neutralization of Rameses Ak'Hara. File 729B transmitted according to file specifications.^
Adam grinned as he asked his next question, when had any of them merged with the ship between their encounter with Rameses and the day the transmission had been sent. His answer was that no mind merges had been performed by the ship in that period. The ship must have pulled the fact out of his subconscious and sent the message when he had come to ease the pain of losing Lucy.
Suddenly, a pain shot through his head, the pain of another Tomorrow Person, one who he didn't know. His link with the ship magnified the pain far beyond what it would normally be, and he was certain that all of the others felt it by now. It seemed that a new Tomorrow Person had broken out.
Adam immediately teleported to the beach, but no one was there. ^He isn't here,^ thought Adam to David. ^Is he in the cave?^
^I haven't gotten there yet. I'm putting in my contacts. I'll be there in a sec.^
^We don't have time for this, just get there.^
^Trust me, you don't want me there without my contacts. It'll just be a minute.^
Adam was about to retort when Tiana intruded in their conversation. ^Nobody's at the cave,^ she informed them.
^We should try to find him,^ Jade thought.
^Why don't you let Adam and I handle the first contact,^ David suggested. ^We have the most experience with that sort of thing, so we'd be the least likely to set him off guard.^ After the others agreed, some (such as Jade) reluctantly, David teleported to the island.
Adam turned to David. "I don't care if you couldn't see without your contacts, you should have been at the cave>"
"You don't understand," David retorted immediately. It was better for Tiana to go ahead than for me to have scared him."
"What do you mean? Why would you have scared him?"
David's answer was to remove one of his contacts. Adam looked up into his eye and drew back in surprise. His eye was red.
When he looked closer, he could see that it was actually more like it had red streaks running through the iris, but it had the same effect. "How long have they been like that?" Adam asked.
"Since I broke out. I got tinted contacts so nobody would notice the difference. It hasn't happened to any of the others, and judging from your reaction, I'd say it hasn't happened to any of your group either.
"Come on, we've wasted enough time. Let's get started."
The two of them merged with the ship. They began to work with their memories of where the telepathic cry had been, and were eventually able to come up with a fairly accurate location. It appeared that the cry for help had come from a small town in western Iowa.
David broke the link with the ship first. Adam lingered a little longer in the familiar place that he always found it hard to leave. But he knew what must be done. He broke the merge and he and David teleported to the location.
They re-materialized in what appeared to be an empty lot, although there was some equipment and a shed in the area. Looking around, they saw two houses nearby. Adam stretched out his mind and felt the surface emotions of those in the houses. In one of them he felt concern and worry. He turned to David and pointed to the house in question, a small, two-story white house. "That one," He said and they started across the yard.
********
Rob was scared. And that didn't happen too often. His best friend was lying upstairs in his bed, apparently unconscious. He had already called the town doctor, who had been by. According to the doctor, it looked like he was just sleeping, and not in a coma. But Rob knew that Ben was a light sleeper. If that was the case, he should have been able to wake him up. Ben was probably just exhausted, the doctor had said. But Rob was almost certain that there was more to it than that.
Rob looked up at the clock. 11:30. Somehow it seemed that it should be later. It just didn't seem possible for it all to have started only half an hour ago. It was going to be a long night. In the morning he would have to call Jen and Linda. They needed to know what was going on. After all, Ben was their friend too. And at the moment, Ben could use all the prayers he could get. He knew they wouldn't mind him waking up early on a Saturday for something this important.
Rob's musings were interrupted by the sound of someone outside. He got up and looked out the window. Make that two someones. They approached the door. One of them, the taller one, reached up to knock, but Rob opened the door before he got the chance. "Who are you, and what do you want?" Rob asked.
The taller one, who appeared to be three or four years older than the other, looked to his companion. There was an awkward silence as something seemed to pass between them. Finally, the younger one broke the silence. "Is there someone here?" he asked. "Someone who was hurt earlier today. It would have happened about half an hour or so ago."
"How did you know that," Rob demanded. "Are you responsible for it? What did you do to him?"
"We're here to help him," the older one replied. "Is he still here, or is he gone?" Strange that he should have an Australian accent, Rob thought.
"I don't have time for games. And where would he have gone? He's unconscious. Or sleeping' as the doctor said," Rob answered.
Again they looked at each other as if something was passing between them. "Look, we just want to help," the younger one said. My name is David. This is my friend Adam. And I think we may be able to help your friend if you'll let us."
"All right," Rob said. "But if you can't do anything, there's gonna be hell to pay."
********
Megabyte turned up the volume on his radio and put on his head-phones. It was better than listening to his parents fight again. If only there was someone for him to talk to. But Kevin and Jade were off somewhere. Adam was looking for a new Tomorrow Person, and Ami....
Ami was the last thing he needed to be thinking about now. But he couldn't help it. It seemed like his mind always drifted back to her. Why wouldn't she listen to him. He didn't understand why she was so mad at him. And she wouldn't even let him get close enough to talk to her, to find out why.
The song ended. In the pause between songs he could here his mom and dad again. It seemed like all they did now was fight. His mom was mad because his father had put him in danger by taking him to South Carolina to investigate the missing serum. When Megabyte had been kidnapped, she went ballistic, blaming Megabyte's dad for everything. Things hadn't been the same since. Without any big jobs at the moment, his family was together. But it didn't seem that it would stay that way for long.
He needed to get his mind off of his family. So he tried to think of something else. And he thought of Ami. He decided that no matter what, he had to try to talk to her again. It hand been months since he had last heard her voice, and he longed to hear it again. Megabyte wasn't sure what was going on in his family, in his mind, or in his heart, but he did know one thing. Tomorrow he would talk to Ami. Tomorrow....
********
Adam looked at the sleeping form of Ben Jacobson. David was currently trying to make contact with his mind, but something was stopping him. This seemed all to familiar, but Adam couldn't quite say how. It was like something had displaced Ben's mind.
Or taken over it.
Adam hoped that his suspicions wouldn't be true, and reaching forward pulled open one of Ben's eyelids and checked his eye. It was brown, not green as Adam had feared, but he had to be sure. Adam turned to Rob. "David will do what he can, but I'd like to see the exact place where you found him," Adam said.
Adam followed Rob outside to a place about fifteen yards from where he had teleported in at. "It was right here," Rob informed him.
Adam looked around the area, only to find what he had feared. Or was it? It was a greenish brown stone , but it was more of an oval than round as the ones they had encountered previously. And it appeared to be a little bigger, taller maybe. There was only one way to find out for sure.
"Do you have a hoe or a shovel around here?" Adam asked. After looking at him strangely for a second, Rob led him over to a shed, where he got a hoe. Adam let the head rest slightly on the stone, then raised it up and swung it with all his might at the rock. It impacted the ground, missing the stone by less than an inch.
"Nice aim," Rob said. "Let me show you how it's done." But Adam shook his head no.
"You don't seem to understand. I tried to hit the stone - to shatter it. But I couldn't."
"But I can. give me the hoe."
"No. If I could have hit it, I would have. But I couldn't. And there is only one reason for that. It's alive."
*****
"You may not be who you are." Scully
"In here, I'll be safer than you." Mulder
Chapter 2:
"What do you mean it's alive? And how do you know?" Rob demanded.
Adam answered as patiently as he could. "I mean that that is not a rock. It is a living creature, or rather a pod or transport of some sort that is alive in and of itself. And I know because I couldn't kill it. You may find this hard to believe, but my genetic structure prevents me from killing. That's how I know it's alive."
"So you expect me to believe you're what? Some genetically safeguarded freak? Please. Don't patronize me."
"Look. You were going to find out soon enough so I may as well tell you. I, as well as my friend, am the next stage of human evolution. We call ourselves the Tomorrow People. We have certain abilities, such as telepathy and teleportation. And we can't kill."
"Let me guess. You can also fly, see through walls, and have a secret identity. And that pod' is an inter-galactic transport for some kind of alien that's come to take over earth. I was wrong. You're not a threat to Ben, but to yourself. You're insane."
"No, no, no, and yes."
"Huh?"
"No we can't fly, no x-ray vision, and we don't have secret identities, but yes that pod carried an alien to earth. They want to take over our planet. They tried once before, almost two years ago. Their a race of parasitic beings who take over their host. It's my guess that that is what happened to your friend. Now since I've encountered this before, I may have an idea for a way to help. He managed to get a distress call out, so at least a part of his mind is still working. We may be able to drive the creature the rest of the way out, forcing it back into the pod, or...."
"Wait a second. You said that Ben got off a distress call? What do you mean. I know for a fact that he isn't one of you. Heck, he doesn't even believe in evolution. You should have seen the fight he and Linda got into over it."
"He probably doesn't know what he is. Our abilities don't manifest themselves until they're needed. Usually it happens when we face something that we are afraid of and want to be any place other than where we are at the moment. But for your friend, it seems that he either didn't want to be somewhere else or he didn't have control over his body, so his instincts took over and he sent a mental distress call that any of us could hear.
"Now I could spend all night telling you about this and have you questioning my abilities or I could go help Ben. Which would you rather have me do?"
"I don't really trust you, but I'll let you try. Let's go." Rob started off toward his house, but Adam stopped him.
"You don't believe me?" Adam asked. "Then maybe it would be best if I would show you. Take my hand." Rob looked at Adams open hand held out toward him for a moment, but took it. He promptly felt a strange feeling followed by a strange sense of disorientation. he looked around. He was in his own bedroom, with Ben lying in the bed and Adam's friend David sitting next to him, apparently meditating.
"That's impossible," he managed to get out. "We just... we..."
"Teleported." Adam filled in the missing term.
Rob quickly regained his composure as Adam turned to David. "It's just as I feared," Adam said. "I found the pod outside. It must be one of the aliens that's doing this to him."
"But his eyes," David retorted, "If it was the aliens they would be green. They haven't changed."
"Unless the alien isn't in full control. They never tried to take over one of us. They may not be able to. That may be our one saving grace. Of all the people they could have attacked first, they had the bad luck to choose Ben. This time we can stop it before it's too late.
"Were you able to contact his mind? The alien obviously isn't in control so it should be in there somewhere."
David looked up at his friend. "It's in there all right. I can sense his struggle for control, but only barely and only for a moment at a time. Then it slips away. I'm not strong enough by myself. We'll have to do this together."
Adam nodded in agreement and turned to Rob. "Whatever happens," Adam warned, "Whatever you see, don't touch either of us. I don't care if it looks like the world is coming to an end. If you pull us out our minds could be damaged."
"My mind must be damaged for me to be believing any of this," Rob muttered. "Is there anything I can do, besides sit on my butt while my best friend fights for control of his own body?"
"Actually, there is," Adam said. "You remember the pod we found outside? Get it and bring it up here. and be careful with it. We don't know will happen if we force the alien out of him. But my best guess is that it will be in enough pain to try and make it's way home to its pod."
"And we want to make that easy for it?"
"If it doesn't go into the pod, it will search out another host. And we may not have as good of a chance at stopping it then. And also see if you can find some sort of air-tight container to store it in. As much as he'll hate to hear from me, the general is the best equipped to handle the alien once it's returned to it's pod."
Rob turned and walked out of the room, but waited just outside the door to see what they were going to do. He saw them standing, one on each side of the bed, facing each other. Their hands were an inch of two apart, their palms facing each other. Then, in the center of the circle formed by their arms and bodies a sphere of light began to glow. Rob couldn't put an exact shade to it, but it appeared to be some purplish shade. But he couldn't be sure. In fact, he couldn't be sure if it was just a hallucination, if all of this was just a nightmare. But if it wasn't then he had to do everything in his power to help Ben, and these people seemed to know what they were doing.
Rob turned and walked down the stairs and outside. He knew this area like the back of his hand. Even without a light, he was able to walk straight to the spot where the rock... the pod was. He picked it up. Strange that it wasn't as heavy as it looked, but all the better. He carried it inside.
What Rob didn't notice, what none of them had noticed, was that under a nearby bush an eerie green glow was emitting, just barely visible to the naked eye. It was coming from another pod, a twin to the one Rob was carrying. Only this pod was beginning to open....
********
David was once again reaching out for Ben's mind, only this time he had help. He led the link as he had a better idea what to look for, but he could still feel Adam's thoughts and ideas. ^Ben,^ he called out with their combined powers, ^Can you hear us? We're here to help you. if you can hear us, let us know.^
For a moment, David felt Ben reaching out, but only for a moment. Still, it was longer than he had been able to manage earlier. ^We're going to have to go find him,^ David thought to Adam.
^Let's get started then,^ Adam replied.
They dug deeper into Ben, strengthening the link as much as they could. after what seemed like hours, they finally found what they were looking for. Only the smallest part of Ben's mind was still in control. David poured their collective power into that small area. ^On the count of three,^ David thought to Ben, ^We're going to try to push it out. We need you to exert whatever strength you have left to help. We need to force this thing away from your mind. It's the only way.^
After feeling a brief surge that seemed to be acknowledgment David counted to three and pushed with everything he had, everything Adam had. And Ben pushed for all he was worth. Instinctively, Ben joined the link, increasing the amount of power under David's control to the point where he was able to force the alien out of Ben's mind.
With a sigh of relief, David broke the link. He looked over to see a brownish-green mist floating in the air around Rob, who was sitting in a chair next to the pod. "Move away from the pod!" Adam warned him.
As Rob realized what Adam was thinking, he practically jumped across the room. David looked down at the pod, which was sitting in a Tupperware container. The lid was sitting by the chair. When all the mist had returned itself into the pod, Adam sealed the lid onto the container. No sooner had he done this, than he collapsed from fatigue. David could feel the tiredness overtaking him as well. He drifted off into the darkness.
********
Megabyte threw a rock into the ocean. He had hoped that Ami would come on her own with the new breakout and everything, but apparently that wasn't happening. Besides, even if it was morning in the Eastern U.S. it was still night on the island. But the glow of the moonlight on the sea was beautiful. If only he had someone to share it with... someone like...
But he was fooling himself again. He knew that she didn't feel the same way that he did. She hated him for Pete's sake. Looking out at the reflection on the quiet waters, he felt more at peace then he had for a long time. He had made up his mind that he would talk to Ami today, just as he had several times a week for the last three months. But today was different. He didn't know how, but he could just feel it. Maybe she wouldn't listen to him. Maybe she would leave as soon as he appeared. But maybe, just maybe he would be able to share the sunrise on the island with her. And that made the risks of the others happening worthwhile.
The moment was here. He had to act now if he was going to. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. His grandfather had told him that when he was younger, and it was just as true now. His mind made up, Megabyte teleported.
********
Ben woke with a start. Was it all a nightmare, he wondered, or had it been real? He remembered hearing' voices inside his head. But that wasn't really the right way to describe it. It was more images, feelings, thoughts that he had heard. but how could that be? Had he been blessed with some extraordinary power?
He sat up and looked around the room. He was in Rob's bed. How had he gotten there? It was all blank after their game the night before... or had it been more than one night? All he remembered was pain, loss of control, thoughts that were not his, and a feeling of joining with David and Adam, whoever they were.
Rob was asleep in the chair by his desk. Ben grabbed a pair of socks off the floor and threw them at him to wake him up. When he realized what had just happened, Rob's first reaction was to throw the socks back, hitting Ben square in the chest. His second action was to sign excitedly, *You're awake!*
*Either that or I'm dreaming this,* Ben signed. *I don't think I'd be thinking if this was you're dream.*
Rob laughed, before standing up and yelling something out the door. Two more figures quickly entered the room. David and Adam. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he did. Adam started talking excitedly, too fast for Ben to be able to read his lips. He looked to Rob for help, but he doubted that even he could sign as quickly as Adam was talking. Rob stopped Adam and informed him of Ben's condition.' Adam looked back in surprise, but quickly recovered. Just then, Ben felt Adam touch his mind and communicate with him.
^This is probably going to come as a shock to you, but there's something you should know,^ Adam thought. ^Humanity is evolving and...^
^And someone should hook you up with Linda. Yeah, I know all the explanations, all the scientific theories. But I don't believe them. I believe in God, in a higher power than science.^
^Then how do you explain that we're communicating telepathically?^
Ben was about to retort, but he realized that Adam was being honest. And he had to admit that it was a good question.
********
Megabyte managed to work up the nerve to knock on the front door. The door was promptly opened by Ami's mom. "Megabyte. I haven't seen you for awhile," she said.
"I need to talk to Ami," he said.
"I'm not sure that she wants to talk to you."
"She doesn't have to talk, just listen."
She showed him in and called to Ami. "I'll be right down, Mum," Ami answered. Shortly, Ami walked into the room and stopped. "What are you doing here?" She said.
"I need to talk to you," Megabyte answered.
"So you're going to lie to me again? Tell me how sorry you are? Save it for someone who cares."
"I didn't have a choice. I couldn't tell anyone what was going on. I didn't know if we could trust David's group and besides, Mulvaney could easily have had the cell wired."
"And so instead of trying to help, you gave up and pretended to be dieing? And tried to starve yourself so she wouldn't notice the change?"
"No. I didn't eat the food because for all we knew they could have been putting the repressing drug in it. Like I said, I didn't trust what David and his friends told us. I couldn't risk it."
"But you let us think that you were going to die. Do you know what that did to me? I can't let you do that to me again. Leave. Now."
Ami turned her back and walked out of the room. At least he had tried. And she had heard his side. Hopefully that would be enough. But deep inside he doubted it.
********
Mr. Lance looked up disdainfully at the house next door. That blasted kid had been up most of the night, making a racket and disturbing his sleep. He could hardly wait another year for the kid to graduate and move on, bringing peace to the neighborhood at last.
Then he noticed it. It appeared to be some sort of brownish-green rock. Except for the fact that what should have been the top was open to reveal a strange interior. And a greenish mist was swirling around the top. But something else was happening now. The mist was coming towards him.
******
"There's no telling the danger if this thing gets into the general population. It could infect everyone in New York City in several days."
Scully
Chapter 3:
These new powers, wonderful abilities that he had been given were too much for Ben to handle alone. He needed to let someone know what he was going through, someone he could trust. That was why he was here. Linda would be able to help him, she was always there for him and his friends when they needed to let off the pressure. He rang the doorbell and waited. The door opened to her bright grin. *I wasn't expecting to see you here,* She signed. *Not that I'm not glad you're here, but to what do I owe this pleasure?*
*Some things are happening,* Ben signed. *I've got a lot on my mind and need to talk to someone about it.*
Linda smiled. *And I suppose I should be surprised,* she replied with a laugh. *We've come a long ways in three and a half years, haven't we.* Ben smiled as he too remembered how they had met.
********
Ben and Rob walked up to the school building. It had been a great summer, but it was over. They were in eighth grade now, no longer the youngest in the building that housed the town's junior high and high school. As they walked down the halls, a black girl they had never seen before came around the corner and bumped into Ben. "Sorry about that," Ben said slowly, knowing that the words came out jumbled.
"Great," the girl said under her breath. "Not only do they send me to a school where I'm the only black kid, but there's a retard here as well."
"No," Ben answered. "Just a deaf kid who's really good at reading lips."
********
*Who would have thought that we would actually get to be friends after that wonderful start?* Linda signed. *But what was it that you wanted to tell me about?*
*I suppose I should start at the beginning, but I'm not really sure what that is. Last night something happened...*
********
^Why did you want to meet here instead of the island?^ David asked.
^Megabyte's at the island. He probably wants to be alone for awhile. I need to get this package' to the general, no matter how much I'm afraid I will regret it. Anyway, we need to decide what to do about Ben. Our two groups are too far apart. We may only be able to bring him into one of them.^
David looked around the cave as he thought. Finally he answered. ^Maybe we should just wait for him to teleport. Whichever place he goes to we leave it at that. Maybe the best thing would be for all of us to work together, to try and bring all of us closer.^
^We've been locked together for five days straight. If that didn't bring us together, nothing will. But I suppose we'll just have to see what happens. I'm going to get this to the general. Maybe this time he'll at least listen to me.^
^He'll come around. Eventually he will realize that you were right and someone who works for him is reporting to Mulvaney. There's no other way that she could have known when Kevin would be there. He can only fool himself into believing his people are infallible for so long.^
^I just hope that he doesn't realize it too late.^
********
As Ben walked home from Linda's house, he was amazed at his newfound abilities. He had sometimes been able to tell what Linda was going to tell him before she signed it. Not only that, but he could hear' other people's conversations and thoughts as clear as day. He knew that he should respect people's privacy, but he was curious about how to use his powers. After five or ten minutes he was able to block out the thoughts of others, except for strong emotions. He was learning.
But was he learning quickly enough? Something still nagged him about the time when the alien had been in his head. Something he couldn't put his finger on, but he knew it was important. And then there was Linda. Why had he wanted to call her...
That wasn't important though. He needed to learn to use his powers fully. David and Adam had told him that he could teleport. He decided that it was worth a try. After looking around to make sure nobody was looking he concentrated on being somewhere else. Nothing happened. Why wasn't it working? He tried to will himself to his room, but it didn't work. Finally, he decided to give it one last try. He closed his eyes and concentrated on being elsewhere, this time not really caring where. He cleared his mind of all other thoughts than of not being where he was. Then he felt it. It was not an unpleasant sensation, just an unusual one. Somehow he knew that he had teleported, just as they had told him he could. But now he felt himself falling.
********
Adam was about to leave for Damon's office when he felt it. Ben was teleporting for the first time. It didn't feel exactly the same as it did when someone broke out, but it was similar. He and David exchanged glances and both knew what to do. They teleported to the island, Adam taking the container with the pod with him.
Adam materialized in the ship where he dropped the container off in his sleeping area before teleporting to the beach. When he got to the shore he saw Megabyte helping Ben out of the water while David watched.
^Wow,^ Megabyte thought, ^I didn't realize we came in that high. He must have been six or seven feet above the water. Are you all right other than being waterlogged?^
^I'm fine,^ Ben answered. ^That wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was interesting.^
^You'll get better with practice,^ Adam told him. ^Maybe we could work on that for awhile later. First I think we should take you in to see the ship, though.^
^Have fun you guys,^ Megabyte thought. ^I'm gonna head home. See ya later.^
Adam let him go without a reply, knowing that Megabyte had a lot more on his mind than showing a new Tomorrow Person around the ship. Adam walked up to the portal and opened it by tracing a circle around the runes with his finger. ^After you,^ he thought with a gesture to Ben.
^Whoaaa!^
********
"Hi Mom," Megabyte said as he teleported in to the living room.
"Marmaduke," his mother said after recovering from the surprise, "how many times do I have to tell you not to do that?
"How many times do I have to ask you not to call me Marmaduke. I'm gonna go to the kitchen and get something to eat."
"I swear that the way you think you can come and go whenever you please, your worse than your father. And now you have your sister thinking that she can do the same. Why just last night she was out until well after midnight. And the company she's been keeping lately...."
"I can't say that I blame her. I mean it's not like she can get any peace and quiet around here with you and Dad always at each other's throats. Can't the two of you agree on anything? And you think Millie has problems."
"Marmaduke Allen Damon, I will have no more of that from you, is that understood? How your father and I behave is none of your business, and neither is raising Millie. If you weren't always popping off somewhere whenever you're needed..."
"Then what? This family would be perfect? I'd be a saint? Is that what you call a person who abandons their friends nowadays? Sometimes I wish I could just go away and never have to see any of you again." And to emphasize his point he slammed the door behind him as he left for the kitchen.
********
^This is all so amazing,^ Ben thought. ^I don't know how much more I can handle.^
Adam smiled. ^Why don't we try a mind-merge now,^ he suggested. ^It will help you understand more fully what is going on.^
^Sounds good. What do I do?^
^Put one palm next to mine and the other next to David's. Now let your mind drift into ours. Let it drift...^
Suddenly Ben pulled back in pain. ^What is it?^ Adam asked.
^Something in my mind didn't want to join. I think it may be something left over from when the alien was in me, something that it left behind, something I sensed about it.^
David thought about it for a minute before answering. ^The only way we can find out what it is and stop it from hurting you may be to merge with you to find out what it is. It may hurt a little, but it's the only thing we can do.^
^All right,^ Ben thought. ^Let's do it.^
^If it gets to be to much, just let us know,^ Adam thought as the linked up. Adam could feel the strain Ben was exerting to keep up the link. He took control and went in search of the answers.
********
"I don't know how you two managed to talk me into going to the mall with you," Kevin said to his two companions.
"Oh come on," Jade said, "It's not that bad. And you can leave any time you want."
"And then you and Shauna will give me a bad time about it for the next year or two. Why did you leave us. We didn't have anyone to talk to. We had to find someone else to lend us money....'"
"We're not that bad," Shauna interrupted. "Besides, who else do we know with such a keen fashion sense."
"Ha ha. Very funny. Now how many more stores are you planning to go to? I can't carry many more bags. Maybe I should just pop off to the island and see how Adam and David are doing with the new kid."
"If they needed our help they'd let us know," Jade told him. "Besides, it'll do you good to bond with a future Tomorrow Person."
"Bonding," Kevin groaned, "is that what you call it now? Any more bonding and I'll throw up."
********
Adam flinched from the pain he felt from Ben as he broke through the final barriers into the area that the alien had controlled, the area that the alien had used to attempt to carry out it's plans. He sensed what the alien had been thinking and what it's goals were. And he re-lived the battle Ben had gone through that night. Then he hit paydirt, the reason for Ben's pain. A small part of the alien still remained within him.
Adam reached out to that part and got a response. ^Stay away from me. You will all be controlled. Our guidance is necessary to you,^ it was telling him.
^I don't buy that crap. I thought we had gotten rid of your kind once, it won't be any harder this time,^ Adam thought to it.
^But that's where you're wrong. The last time was just an experiment, an intelligence gathering mission. Only the weakest of us were sent. This time a more advanced force was sent. A force capable of controlling more advanced life forms. The first attack may have failed, but a second force is now in position.^
^Except your second force was detected early and cast out. I can sense that even what is left of you is experiencing pain from inhabiting this host. We can allow you to rejoin the rest of your consciousness in your pod, but only if leave this body freely.^
^You think us defeated because you fought me off? You have no idea what is in store for you. Your planet will be ours. It is only a matter of time.^
^Get out now. Or I'll destroy your pod and you'll have no choice but to wander without a home until the end of your days.^
^Except for the fact that you can't kill. You see, there are advantages to staying in the background and listening. You'd be surprised what you can find out. Like the location of your enemy's main base for example. Information that will come in handy when I am again free. But I can see I have little choice. Either I leave this host voluntarily or you will force me out. Let me into my pod and I will go. But be forewarned, we will meet again. This is not over.^
As they broke off the link, Adam went and grabbed the container that held the pod. He opened it up just long enough for the rest of the alien to enter and then he sealed it again. He then turned to Ben who was rubbing his forehead. ^Are you okay?^ he asked.
^Yes, I have a bit of a headache, but I'll live. But we may have a bigger problem then you thought. I can still remember what the aliens' plans are.^
^When does the third strike occur?^ Adam asked.
^Third strike? The second wave isn't defeated yet. You see they sent two pods this time to start with, not one. They may have already taken over my town.^
******
"It's still there, buried two million years deep, beneath the ice." "Leave it there" Mulder and Scully
Chapter 4:
^We need to get back there right away. Let's go.^ Ben thought.
^We can't rush in to quickly,^ Adam replied. ^We don't want to put ourselves in a dangerous position unprepared.^
^General Damon?^ David asked.
^No, that'll only complicate things. He'll try to bring in a large force, a force that unlike us will be susceptible to being taken over by the aliens. But we should get the others. I don't think Ami and Megabyte are up to this, but we should definitely bring in Jade. She's also fought these things before. We can bring Kevin as well. What about your friends?^
^Well,^ David answered, ^I'm sure Tiana will come, but I don't think this is the sort of thing Melissa would want to do and Jon's grandfather is in the hospital, so he won't want to come either. And then there's always Ben's friends. One of them may be a Tomorrow Person as well.^
^I don't understand,^ Ben thought. ^Why would you think one of them would be one of us?^
^We have a tendency to meet each other before we break out,^ Adam informed him. ^Kevin and Megabyte were friends before either of them broke out. Ami was pulled to Kevin when he was sick. We met Jade over a year before she broke out. David started tutoring Jon before Jon broke out, and Jon and Melissa had been friends since they were children. We don't always meet each other ahead of our breaking out, but our blood tends to call us to each other.^
^So you're saying that there's a good chance that someone I know is also a Tomorrow Person?^
^If so,^ David replied, ^It's probably one of your close friends. We tend to share more bonds than just being Tomorrow People.^
Adam thought for a minute before determining a good course of action. ^Let's bring in the others,^ he thought. Then we can head to Ben's home and see how widespread the takeover is. We should probably try to track down his friends as well, just in case one of them is a Tomorrow Person.^ The others agreed to his plan and they began.
********
He looked around quickly to make sure that nobody was looking in his direction as he disappeared into the restricted area. Even though his position granted him the clearance and codes required to pass through the area he was not supposed to be here. But he had his orders. He was careful not to trip the silent alarms that lined the corridor. He soon arrived at the room he was looking for.
Actually, it was more of a safe than a room. It was airtight and was sealed by a double lock. The first part of the locking mechanism involved entering a nine digit code into a number pad. With one of his gloved hands he quickly typed in the appropriate number. The second step involved a computer override through the system network. His boss, his real boss had arranged for the second part to be taken care of from a remote location. He checked his watch. He hoped they were on time. If not then the alarms would trip when he opened the door.
But they didn't. That was one less thing to worry about. He didn't understand why his employer was having him take this risk. He knew that even if he wasn't implicated General Damon would know that there was a traitor in the ranks. But Lady Mulvaney had claimed that she needed the item for her experiments. And who was he to question her?
********
Rob jumped with surprise when the flashes of light surrounded him, but he quickly recovered as the flashes revealed Ben, David, Adam, and three strangers: an Indian girl, a short boy several years younger than Rob, and a girl who appeared to be about the same age or a little younger. He could see that they were all relieved about something. "What is it?" he asked, signing as well for Ben's benefit.
"There were more aliens than we thought. At least one of them, probably more, is still here," Adam answered. "We're going to make sure that you and your friends are safe and try to figure out where the aliens are."
*Why don't you check out Jen's place. She is your girlfriend after all,* Ben signed to Rob. *I'll head over to Linda's. Adam will go with you, as well as Kevin and Jade,* Ben explained and indicated that the two he had named were the two younger Tomorrow People.
*We'd better not waste any time,* Rob told him. *Let's get started.*
********
Ami was still upset. How dare he come here after what he had done to her? And she had sensed someone teleporting in outside just now. She went and opened the front door. "I told you to leave me alone." She yelled, before realizing that it was not Megabyte who had arrived, but Melissa.
"I'm sorry," Ami apologized. "I thought you were someone else. Why did you come here?"
"Most of the others are with a new Tomorrow Person. There seems to be some sort of trouble, but I didn't really want to get involved. I'm not really good at high pressure stuff as you may have noticed several months back."
Ami smiled. She hadn't been very involved with the Tomorrow People since they had met Melissa and her friends. She didn't know any of their group very well. "That still doesn't answer my question. Why come to see me?"
"Because I didn't feel like spending the day alone. It's only a little after noon back home, and so I thought maybe we could spend some time together to try to get to know one another. David's always saying that we need to do more things with you guys, so I thought I may as well start."
"All right. Have you eaten yet? I was just about to get some supper."
"Nope, I haven't. What were you going to eat?"
"I was thinking about popping out and getting some carry-out food. Chinese sound good?"
"Sure. Let's go."
********
As they crossed the town, it didn't seem that the aliens had spread as far as Adam had feared that they would. after all, these seemed to not share the weaknesses that the first group had. He only hoped that they could find a way to force them out of hosts. After all, not everyone in the town could be a Tomorrow Person.
Rob was leading the way to his girlfriend Jen's house. She was one of the two whom he thought was close enough to Ben that they may be a Tomorrow Person waiting to break out. Come to think of it, Rob seemed a little disquieted. "Is something wrong?" Adam asked him.
"Where is everyone?" Rob asked. Seeing that the others were puzzled he continued. "I don't know how things are where you're from, but there are usually people all around. On Saturday's there's usually people playing basketball at the schoolyard, and in this weather there should be kids out playing. But nobody is. Something is wrong."
Adam thought about what he was saying. "You know this town much better than I do. My guess is that the aliens have started taking over. They probably started with the people who were out and around and if they haven't yet they will start going door to door soon."
"Yeah," Jade chipped in, "that's what they did in my town."
"Then if they haven't moved to the second part, Jen will probably be okay. She usually doesn't get up before noon on the weekends. She'll still be in bed unless her mom woke her up for some reason."
They reached her house and walked up to the door. Rob rang the doorbell, waited a couple seconds, then opened the door and they went in. "Yeah, what do you want?" came a grumbling voice, the owner of which was soon revealed as a young brunette who had obviously just woken up within the last several minutes.
"Rob, what are you doing here?" She asked. "And who are these people. It's bad enough that mom woke me up just now, but you bring an entourage into my house when I haven't even had time to get dressed yet?"
"We don't have time for this, Jen," Rob interrupted. "We may all be in danger. Get dressed quick. Trust me on this one."
Adam grinned at their banter. It was obvious that they cared for each other from the looks they exchanged, no matter what their voices were saying. And he could sense the anger from here, something he would not be able to do if one of the aliens was possessing her. She returned to her room to change out of her pajamas, and returned quickly. "I don't suppose I have time to brush my hair do I?" she asked.
Rob's answer was interrupted by her mom entering from the kitchen. She looked around the room, noticing the strange faces. She looked strangely at Jen, and a greenish mist began to eminate from behind her. She stepped aside and Adam could see that behind her were several townspeople holding pods. ^Grab Rob!^ Adam thought to Kevin and Jade. He immediatly dove for Jen, wrapped his arms around her, and teleported to the island. A flash of light gave warning as Kevin and Jade teleported in, each holding one of Rob's arms.
"What just happened, and where are we?" Jen questioned.
Rob put his arm around her. "It's a long story," he said.
********
Ben indicated that they had arrived at Linda's house. They had just heard from Adam about what had happened at Jen's home. Hopefully they had not yet reached Linda's house, but they would see. ^Let me talk to Linda,^ Ben thought to the others. ^I'll let you know what she's signing to me.^
Linda answered the door and let them in. *Is your mother here?* Ben signed.
*Yeah, she's upstairs. Are these some of your friends who can teleport?*
*Yes. This is David and Tiana. We may still be in danger. The aliens that I mentioned earlier are still in town. We have to get you out of here. We'll take your mother too. We can take you with us to meet the others at the island. It's sort of our main base, I guess.*
*I'm not going to the island,* Linda signed.
********
Ami was having a good time. She had not realized how much she missed the sense of belonging that she felt when she was around the other Tomorrow People. They were almost finished with their supper, well it was lunch for Melissa, but still, even after the short time they had been talking Ami felt remarkably close to the energetic American.
"Say," Melissa said, "why were you yelling when I first got here? Who did you think I was? Do they have Jehovah's Witnesses over here too?"
Ami turned away. "Megabyte was here earlier."
"You really care about him, don't you."
"Keep out of my head."
"I didn't have to read your mind. I read your face. I saw how you reacted when you thought about him. You're mad at him, but you still have feelings for him."
"And when did my feelings become your business?"
"Because you need someone to talk to. I know. We may not know each other very well but you can trust me."
"How do you know that you're even right? You said yourself that you didn't scan my mind."
"Because I've been reading faces and reactions for years now. You'd be surprised how much you can learn about people just from watching them. Take Tiana and David for example. Just from the way they act around each other I can tell that David loves her very much, but that she doesn't feel the same way about him. She cares about him, but only because he is the first guy to ever treat her like a real person instead of an ornament.
"Of course, anyone could read David, he wears his emotions out in the open. You can tell how he feels from a glance. It's easy to see whether he is happy or said, content or angry."
"David angry? I don't think I could imagine that. He seems so... sweet."
"And he is, usually. I've only seen him truly lose his temper once. And trust me, I never want to see it again. It wasn't a pretty site. It was like he was in a blind rage."
"Surely your overexagerating."
"Not at all. Let's put it this way: the person he was mad at is lucky David is a Tomorrow Person. Otherwise David would probably have killed him.
"But you, now, keep your emotions bottled up. You put on your strong exterior and don't let anyone see what's bothering you. And I'm guessing that that is why you're really mad at Megabyte. Because you let him see you without your shields, and when you found out that he wasn't doing the same you lost control."
"I think I've heard about enough of you telling me what I do and don't feel. Leave now."
"How about if we make a deal: I won't talk about Megabyte anymore, and you won't make me leave."
"Okay, deal. Do you want anything else to eat?"
"No, I'm just about stuffed. Toss me a fortune cookie." Ami tossed her one and grabbed the other. Melissa cracked hers open and popped one half into her mouth as she read her fortune, then she showed it to Ami. Your imagination may run wild, but it often foretells that which is to come.'
Of course she should have expected it to be cryptic. She opened hers and pulled out the slip of paper. She read it, crumpled it up and threw it across the room. "I think I need to be alone for a while," Ami said.
Before she left, Melissa looked at the fortune that had set Ami off. When love comes knocking, don't be afraid to answer the door.'
********
Megabyte was surprised when he heard his dad enter the house. He should have still been at the office. He usually worked all day on Saturdays. From the next room, Megabyte could here his mom commenting on his early arrival.
"I decided that I you were right. I need to spend some more time with you and the kids. It's a beautiful day. We should do something as a family."
"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Megabyte's mom said. "I finally got through to you. Marmaduke's in the kitchen eating, and I think Millie is still sleeping, but when she gets up, I'm sure she'd be glad to..." Their conversation was interrupted by the phone ringing.
Not wanting to impede his parent's apparent make-up Megabyte quickly grabbed the phone before it got off a second ring. "Hello," he said.
"Megabyte? This is Frank. Is the general there? I know he wanted to take the day off, but this is important."
"Dad, It's the office," Megabyte called into the living room. After his dad picked up, he hung the phone up and entered the living room.
"A hacker?" his dad was saying, "You sure it was serious. You checked it out?... They did what!... And the computer system didn't flag it?... Right, it must have been pulled off by a pro.... What all was breached?... The security access system? To where?... I'll be right there. Bye."
"What is it this time?" Megabyte's mom asked.
"Someone got into Sector 5. They haven't determined what was taken, but I need to go." Megabyte and his mom immediately recognized the severity of the problem. Sector 5 was the containment area for all of WorldEx's hazardous material. If anything was stolen....
"Go," Megabyte's mom said. "It was the thought that counted, I suppose."
********
*Look,* Ben signed as he sent his thoughts to Tiana, *We don't have time for this. They could be here any minute. Get your mom.*
^I'll go find her,^ David thought to him. Ben nodded to show his agreement.
*You can't just barge in here and do what you want without asking. This is my house.*
*But it won't be your body if we don't get you to a safe place.* They were interrupted by the doorbell ringing. ^Let's go,^ Ben thought to Tiana and David. ^I don't know how you do things where your from, but we leave our doors unlocked around here. We have to get out now.^
Before she had a chance to object, Ben grabbed Linda and teleported. David let them know that he had gotten Linda's mom out. As they teleported, Ben realized that he hadn't thought about landing on the island, just getting himself and Linda out of there. Consequently, they ended up in the water.
Rob and Adam ran out to help them to shore. Rob grabbed Ben and dragged him to the beach, while Adam went to Linda, who apparently was't in much need of help. She swum to shore on her own, and collapsed on the beach. Adam reached down to help her up, and when she looked up at him, he uttered in surprise, "Lisa."
********
"It goes no farther than this. It all ends, right here, right now." Scully
Chapter 5:
Lisa looked around at the group assembled on the beach. Ben and Rob had just emerged from the water. Lisa’s mother was also on the beach standing by the two that Ben had earlier identified as David and Tiana. Jen was also there, standing by Kevin and another girl who appeared to be a little younger that him. Of course, she could find out the girls name, but it had been so long and her shields were so firmly in place that she was wary to lower them. She waved away Adam's hand and stood up on her own. "I think that I'd like to know why you thought it necessary to bring me here."
"Would you rather that we leave you to the aliens? We can take you back if that's what you want," Tiana sneered.
"Knock it off," Kevin told her. "Why didn't you let us know where you were, Lisa?"
"Don't you get it," Mrs. Davis said. "She would have been in constant danger from Lady Mulvaney and everyone else like her. We had to hide. Luckily General Damon was willing to help us set up new identities. But now it looks like we'll have to move on again."
*And what about you, Linda? Or should I say Lisa?* Ben signed. Linda was shocked for a moment before she realized that one of the others must have been sending their conversation via telepathy.
*I don't understand the question,* She answered. *What do you mean?*
*Do you want to run and hide, or would you rather stand and fight these things?*
*I'm in on this fight. After that... well that remains to be seen.*
********
"You're sure about the item that was taken, Frank?" General Damon asked.
"I did the count myself. There's one less than there should be. But how could something that size be snuck out? Everyone who knows the clearance codes to get in is still here."
"I've been going over security. It think I know how. I think they snuck it out in the trash. The usual man called in sick, we checked it out with the company and everything, but my guess is that someone, most likely Mulvaney, hired the replacement to smuggle it out.
"I think that the time has come to swallow my pride." Damon picked up the phone and pressed a button on the speed-dial. "Hello, Megabyte? I need you to give Adam a message for me...."
********
"So what do we do now?" Jade asked. "How do we get rid of the aliens? We can't turn everyone in the town into Tomorrow People, so what do we do?"
"I've been thinking about that," Adam said. "The alien that took over Ben claimed that this group was capable of controlling more advanced hosts than the previous group. Now that group was capable of taking over ordinary humans, and I don't know about you, but I can only think of one group on this planet who would fit into that category. Us."
"So you're suggesting that it wasn't because he's a Tomorrow Person that David was spared?" Kevin said. "Then why couldn't it take over him completely? What caused its pain?"
"That was my first reaction too," Adam answered. "Then I remembered the tests that General Damon ran on the empty pods taken from the first strike. According to the results of his tests the pods give off a constant sound at a low pitch and a minimal volume that is just on the edge of our auditory register. We don't even realize it's there unless we concentrate on it. We assumed that it was some sort of method of communication, but what if we were wrong? What if that noise serves a different purpose?"
"Like what?"
"We need oxygen to breathe, but maybe since they're non-corporeal they need some other form of sustenance. Like sound."
"So you think they couldn't take over Ben because he's deaf?" Rob asked.
"Exactly. Now all we need to do is figure out how to use it to our advantage."
"I have an idea," David said. "These things are relying on human hearing. I've heard that certain frequencies of sound can render the auditory system useless." His idea was interrupted by a telepathic message from Megabyte.
^Adam,^ Megabyte thought, ^my dad want's to talk to you immediately. There's been a break-in at WorldEx. It's something you should know about.^
^I'll be there right away,^ Adam answered. "You guys see if you can figure out how to stop these things. I'd better see what the general wants."
********
The flash of light supprised Melissa for a moment, but she quickly recovered to see that Ami had arrived. "I needed someone to talk to," Ami said. "You were right. I can't just pretend that I'm all right."
Melissa nodded in understanding. "So you've decided to come out of your shell?"
"It's just that I've always been afraid to let people know how I really feel," Ami explained. "What if he's disappointed? What if he doesn't feel the same way?"
"Don't bother with the explanations. They aren't necessary."
"Then what is?"
"An apology. A simple I'm sorry' can make up for a thousand explanations. And I wouldn't be to worried about Megabyte not feeling the same way. If he didn't care about you would he have spent all this time trying to talk to you?"
"You're right, Melissa. And about earlier, I'm sorry."
********
"You wanted to see me General?" Adam asked.
"Yes. What all did Megabyte tell you?"
"Only that there was a break-in and that it was something we should know about. What happened? Did someone get files on us? Did you find out who it was?"
Damon looked out the window for a moment before turning back to Adam. "You were right," he said. "Someone high up in WorldEx is a traitor. Probably working for Mulvaney, but there's no way to be certain. Although I doubt that too many others would be able to pull it off.
"Early this afternoon, someone hacked into our computer system and neutralized several of the security precautions in Sector 5, the area where we keep potentially dangerous substances for study. Whoever it was took one of the pods from the incident several years ago. They managed to sneak it out without getting caught.
"I've been looking over the records. Only six employees who were here today know the clearance codes to get into that area, and none were supposed to be there. Of those six, all but one were present in the building the day Kevin brought you the antidote to Mulvaney's serum."
Adam considered what he had just been told before deciding what to do. "General," he said, "I think you should know about something that's going on in Iowa...."
********
"Come on," Lisa shouted. "We don't even know that this will work!"
David turned to her. "If you've got a better idea then feel free to let me know. Otherwise try to do something constructive. These are your friends we're trying to save."
"So where do we set up at?" Jen asked.
"We," Rob said. "I didn't realize that you were involved in this."
"I'm involved in everything that you are," she said. "Besides that, Ben is my friend too. We won't let him down. Now will someone please answer my question?"
"We'll probably get the best reception from the highest point possible," Tiana said.
^That would be the water tower,^ Rob thought and signed at the same time so everyone could understand him. ^It's designed so that the top of it is higher than any place that water gets pumped to, so that should do it.^
"All right," David said. "I'll go talk to Damon and ask for the necessary equipment and let him know to have a retrieval unit ready. Even if this works, it could be several hours before the aliens leave their hosts. They should have plenty of time to get here."
********
David and Adam checked everything over a final time before they teleported out. It had taken nearly two hours to find the exact frequency to use. Rob had volunteered to test it out. The effects wore off after about an hour and they had had other things to prepare while they waited to make sure that the machine wouldn't make anyone permanently deaf. They had used the time to organize the amplifiers and other equipment so that it could be carried easily. They had managed to fit everything into two backpacks, and since they didn't want to risk teleporting to the top of the tower they would go to the base and climb from there. As the two strongest members of the party, Adam and Rob had been chosen to ascend the tower. The pulse would be amplified enough to be effective for about a two mile radius, more than enough to take in the entire town and anyone that was nearby. "Let's do it," Adam said. Everyone nodded, fit their headsets which would block out all sound in place, and they teleported. Adam grabbed Rob, Tiana got Jen, and due to the fact that she refused to use her powers Kevin brought Lisa.
Upon arrival they immediately surrounded the tower. Adam and Rob slung their backpacks into place and began to climb. The others spread out in a protective circle around the tower, everyone but David pulling out the guns loaded with tranq darts that General Damon had supplied them with. It wouldn't be long before the aliens realized that they had a group of un-assimilated beings in their midst.
Ben reached out with his mind to the nearest host he could find. He knew where to look for the alien, as one had been in his mind and he knew full well that privacy wasn't a real issue. He touched the hosts mind in the right spot to feel the aliens thoughts, and immediately drew back before he could be detected. ^We've been noticed, but they haven't figured out what to do with us yet,^ he thought to the group.
^We're almost to the top,^ Adam thought to them. They could tell he was winded. ^Why did they have to make this thing so tall?^
^Relax,^ Jade thought. ^It could be worse. At least if you fall you can teleport. Rob can't.^
^Just keep going up, Adam,^ Tiana told him. ^They're watching us and I don't think they like it.^
^In that case, I think it's my turn.^ David thought. ^Everyone get back. I'm not sure how big I can make this thing.^ The other Tomorrow People got Jen and Lisa and closed the circle to the edge of the water tower. David let his thoughts drift to electricity. He located the nearest strong source, a power line about 100 feet away. He had to be careful not to let the electricity touch the tower or Adam and Rob would get a nasty jolt. He drew the electricity through him and poured it out around him along the ground in a circle. He broke it off just enough to let it pass the edge of the tower. He could see the others shift their feet as the small shock passed through them. Once the circle surrounded the tower, he checked on the location of the aliens. Now came the hard part.
When they neared the circle of power he thought of what he wanted the electricity to do. He raised his arm to aid his concentration, and as he did the circle grew into a wall about eight feet tall. For any of the aliens to pass through the barrier it would shock the host enough to knock him or her unconscious for at least long enough for Adam and Rob to finish.
********
Atop the tower they began to set the transmitter. Luckily there was very little in the way of wind. ^How much time will it take,^ Tiana thought. I'm not sure how long David can hold out. He's never channeled this much power before, but I can already feel it starting to take something out of him. When the barrier collapses we won't be able to hold out for long. We don't have nearly enough darts to knock out everyone in town.^
^We're working as fast as we can. Two minutes at the most.^
^Two minutes may be too late."
Adam acknowledged her as he started securing the speakers to the tower. Rob had already secured the transmitter and was pulling wires out of his backpack and began connecting the system.
********
David was weakening. He could feel it. He knew that he couldn't hold the barrier much longer. He had never drawn this much power in before, usually relying solely on his body's natural charge to provide the needed energy. But this was hard work. And yet, Adam hadn't given the all clear signal yet. The people of the town were still possessed. He knew it was coming. His powers were weakening. The barrier passed out of existence as he collapsed. The others, except Tiana who had moved to catch him, began firing as soon as the barrier fell. But he knew they couldn't hold out for long.
Tiana put him down gently before taking her gun and joining the fray. They were admittedly poor shots, but by now the were surrounded and it was hard to miss. Even as the aliens lessened in numbers they began to close the circumference. And more of them kept arriving to counter the threat. David could do nothing but look on in terror as they took out pods. Pods that were about to open.
********
Rob connected the last of the cables as Adam attempted to hook the portable generator up to the system. He fumbled around for a couple seconds before finding the correct wire. After checking to make sure that Rob was clear, Adam turned on the generator, then began to power up the transmitter. ^Here it comes,^ he thought to his friends as he hit the switch.
********
Just when Jade was sure that they had lost, Adam sent the clear signal. She watched in awe as all of the pods jerked shut as quickly as possible. The townspeople began to grab their heads in pain and collapsed. She looked over at David and Tiana. She was going to get him home to rest. She was scheduled for the first shift of watch on the transmitter along with Adam, Rob, and Jen. Hopefully the WorldEx team would get there soon. She couldn't wait to go home and get a good night's sleep.
********
April 29:
I think I'm starting to get my energy back. I stretched myself to my limits yesterday. What started as a new break out ended up being much more than that. Adam and Kevin found Lisa, their long-lost Tomorrow Person who abandoned them. I'm not sure what she'll decide to do, move on again and assume a new identity or stay with us.
Us. Funny how now that term is starting to seem appropriate to describe the Tomorrow People. We're starting to become one unit now. No longer is it the islanders and the cave-dwellers, them and us. Just us. I wonder if it was this crisis that brought us together. Who knows. It seems Ami and Melissa got together on their own without a crisis. Except for maybe Ami and Megabyte, but I don't feel like getting into that right now.
It's strange how we all seem to fit together. It seems that wherever one of us is lacking, another makes up for it. Not just with our powers, but with our personalities. Kevin, for example, for the longest time lacked the courage to stand up to our enemies. Jade on the other hand has the tendency to not let anything phase her. And whenever she gets too out of hand, Adam's patience and tendency to think things out comes in handy. And as far as our abilities go, Ben seems to be best at the one thing that I can hardly do at all, reading the minds of non-telepaths. It's amazing how it all works out in the end.
Jon's grandfather pulled through, but the doctors say it's just a matter of time now. He'll probably be spending a lot of time with his family for a while. And speaking of family, I'll probably never hear the end of it from Shauna about not taking her to Iowa. Never mind that I'm afraid that if she's too sure she'll break out she won't be scared enough to actually do it. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Tiana was worried about me last night, but then I'd probably feel wrong if she wasn't. I don't know what I'd do without her. Or without you. I'm finally finding a place where I fit. I think I know what I'm meant to be doing. I have friends and family, more than just you. When I was being shuffled around from place to place I never had anything but you, except for the rare times where I actually liked the place, like when I was with Will. Maybe I'll pop in to see her some time. Wouldn't that be a shocker. But I know I can't. You're the only part of my past that I can keep with me in the present. I suppose that's one of the nice things about having a journal.
*******
"Is this satisfactory for you?"
"Yes, I should be able to extract the necessary materials for my experiments from this. And as I said before, this looks like a fascinating line of work."
"How long will it take you? I understand that your previous experiments took very little time."
"Well, Lady Mulvaney, this time I'm dealing with something of a much more complex nature. I will have to do some genetic mapping. What strikes me as odd is the fact that one of the samples is so different from the others. I may be able to exploit that to our advantage."
"And this," she said indicating the pod. "I hope you know that I went to a great deal of trouble to acquire this. I put one of my spies at considerable risk to obtain it for you."
"I should be able to develop an immunity to these creatures. But that isn't my priority project. The DNA experiments are."
"Then why did you want me to get it now. We could have waited till a more opportune time."
"I needed to assure myself that you were capable of what you claimed. And you are. I'm not even sure that my previous employer could have gotten through Damon's security."
"I don't like games. How long before we start seeing results, Anton?"
"I'd guess at least ten or eleven months."
"You have nine."
********
Ben needed to see Linda... Lisa. He was sure that he could get her to stay, even if it was just until she graduated next month. As he turned the corner he saw the For Sale' sign on their front lawn. He walked up to the front door and peered in. The house was empty.
********
Megabyte sat and looked out at the ocean. Another day, another disaster averted. So far the Tomorrow People had a perfect record. But he didn't feel perfect. A flash of light interrupted his reverie. He turned, expecting to see Adam or Ben, but it was Ami.
"Look, Megabyte," she said. "I know that I said some things to you... things that you probably can't forgive. I just want you to know... I'm sorry." With that she turned to leave. Megabyte quickly rose and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't go. I'm sorry about lying. But..."
"No," she said. "No explanations. They aren't necessary."
"If you want to leave now, I'd understand."
"Marmaduke Allen Damon, why on earth would I want to do that?" she asked as she smiled. Megabyte felt the relief wash over him and smiled back.
"Aren't you going to tell me not to call you Marmaduke?" she asked with a laugh.
Megabyte looked into her eyes and replied, "Coming from you, it doesn't sound so bad. The sun's going to rise pretty soon. It's beautiful over the ocean."
"Why don't we sit down while we wait."
Megabyte smiled. They sat and talked and watched the sun come up. He put his arm around her and they sat together and saw the colors dancing on the water.
End
There's several things I've forgotten to do that I should mention. So I'll get right down to it.
Thanks to Shaun Hately for Beta reading for me. And thanks to everyone whose sent me comments. I really appreciate it.
I also realized that I should mention where my quotes are from. All the quotes from The Beta Wave come from The X-Files episode "Ice."
The quotes from The Serum Effect come from the following episodes of
Babylon 5 in order:
War Without End 1
Into the Fire
Believers
Conflicts of Interest
The Summoning
In the future, I will probably reference quotes in a similar manner.
Please send all comments to hiddenagenda@rocketmail.com