Disclaimer
The characters and concepts of the Tomorrow People were created by Roger Damon Pierce and are under copyright by Thames/Tetra Television and presumably Nickelodeon. They are used here with no intent to profit from them. This story is part of my serial, "Blood of Tomorrow, Sins of Yesterday" This story is an epilogue to Binding Ties and follows in time order after Monolith. It shouldn't be necessary to read any of the stories in the series, but it wouldn't hurt. :-) The characters of Greg Jeffries, Joshua Bairnsby, and Merilee Winslow are my creations. This story will be archived on the TpFict Archives. This story may not be archived elsewhere without my permission or this disclaimer.
Thanks to my beta readers, who made this a *much* better story than the one I started with: Barbara Benson, Nicole Gray, Megan Freeman, and
Synopsis: Kevin tries to bridge the gap between himself and Megabyte.
Jade Weston stared at her reflection in the park fountain. Hazel eyes rippled back at her as she carefully brushed her long brownish hair behind her. She cocked her head slightly to look at her companion, a boy only a year older than her but who seemed much, much older. To her, Kevin Wilson seemed to be the oldest, and possibly saddest, sixteen year old around.
"I should introduce you to Greg. I think you'd like him," she said.
"How is the new kid doing?" Kevin asked, flipping a coin into the fountain.
"He's coming along fine. He was in the hospital doing physical therapy for a couple of weeks to recondition his body. He was in a coma for three months, you know. Anyway, they let him out, but he's got to go into hospital twice a week for the next two months for physical therapy. Really though, he doesn't need any more physical therapy. Adam boosted Greg's natural healing process. But the doctor's insisted," Jade said.
"Adam thought it'd be a good idea to go easy on the psi stuff until his body was ready for it, so he's only just started learning," she continued, "He can teleport to the island without being pulled into the water by the beacon. He hasn't quite picked up on teleporting to where someone else is. We tried to get him to home in on me near Picadilly Circus, but he wound up on the other side of the Thames. Still, last time he tried homing in on Megabyte, in Paris, and wound up in Vermont because of some stray thought of Megabyte's, so I guess being in the same city is an improvement. As for telepathy, he can contact all of us telepathically. Uh, that is, everyone he's met so far."
"Meaning he can reach everyone but me," Kevin said with a smile at what Jade had tried to avoid saying.
"There's no reason for you not to contact him," Jade said, "or any of the others for that matter."
Kevin began to wonder if this was the real reason Jade kept suggesting he meet the newest Tomorrow Person..
"After all," Jade said, standing and brushing off her khakis, "you replied to Lisa's call for help a couple of months ago. We all heard you."
A psychic bond existed between all of the Tomorrow People. The bond was mostly empathic, but the occasional stray thought came through the bond, especially from those less experienced Tomorrow People. The more experienced a TP got with their abilities, the better they were at keeping their thoughts to themselves; a must for telepaths, as much for privacy as for reducing the static `noise' of their shared bond. Adam, Lisa, and Kevin were the best at keeping stray thoughts from leaking out. In fact, Kevin's block had kept his presence as well as his thoughts from being sensed by the others. Jade wasn't quite good enough with her telepathy to do something like that, not that she could ever imagine wanting to. She enjoyed the sensation of her friends always somewhere in the back of her head. It was a low buzz in her head. Hard to explain, but there were feelings attached to that buzz and a certain sense of self. Jade had progressed enough to be able to identify people by their feel, or their `mental signature' as Adam put it, but she hadn't noticed Kevin's signature in that common link. She wondered when he could've removed the block, and how, without them noticing.
"I suppose so," Kevin said, turning toward the early afternoon sunlight. "And to answer your unasked question, I removed my telepathic block to the others in June. About two weeks after we went to the street fair and met Merilee."
"But that was nearly a year ago," Jade said. "How come we didn't notice?"
"Because unlike some people," he darted a sly glance at her, "I'm not constantly nattering to everyone. Besides, I never really blocked you out after you came and found me. You and I had a psychic bond separate from the others. When I severed the block from everyone else there wasn't anything really different for you to notice."
"Well, Adam and Megabyte never mentioned noticing that the block was gone."
"I doubt they would've noticed," Kevin said. "I've been receptive, but not projective yet. They would have had to have done an active scan to notice I was back"
Jade sighed, then said, "I don't know if I'll ever catch on. This link we share isn't really empathy or telepathy, but it's related to both. But then why is it we all heard a cry for help from Lisa that first time, but later when she and Adam were kidnapped at the Wittendale Institute, Megabyte was the only one who sensed anything?"
Megabyte had told the others afterwards how he had felt a sharp pain in his back and neck, which Adam said matched the feel and placement of the tranquilizer darts he and Lisa had been shot with when they'd returned to the Wittendale Institute alone to try and contact Greg Jeffries. Jade had filled Kevin in on the details of the adventure when she told him about Greg.
"Lisa was calling out to all of us that first time," Kevin said. "She was desperate to reach anyone. What Megabyte felt was an empathic signal. I would bet the reason he was the only one who felt it was because it was happening to someone he was very close to, probably Adam."
Jade felt a wave of regret tinged with jealousy coming from Kevin. He resented what he saw as losing his friend to someone else.
"So when I was breaking out why didn't you, Ami, or Lisa feel something like Megabyte and Adam did?"
"I was completely blocking off my abilities still," Kevin said. "And Ami and Lisa were probably too far away to hear you. Your projections were pretty weak. Didn't Megabyte and Adam have a hard time even figuring out what they were?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Jade said.
"Look, Jade," Kevin said. "Why are you bringing this up? This is all stuff you would've figured out on your own. You shouldn't feel as though you have to catch up to Adam or Ami or me, or anyone else. In some ways, you're farther along than the rest of us."
"I never said ... " Jade started defensively until Kevin raised his eyebrows.
[You don't have to say anything,] Kevin `pathed. [Remember, I'm almost as empathic as you are.]
[All right,] Jade replied, switching back to speech, "then you know the real reason I came to see you."
"You want me to talk with Megabyte."
"Come on, Kevin. He misses you. You miss him. Come back to us."
"I'll think about it," Kevin said.
"Thanks," Jade gave him a crushing hug, then checking for any bystanders, teleported out.
********
A finger of the Trade Winds trailed through the ocean bordering the north shore of the island, sending small peaked waves onto the beach. Two teenagers sat on the sand, their backs to a metal protuberance in the shade of a palm tree. Otherwise, the island was deserted. The metal jutting out of the sand, like the tip of an iceberg, held the remains of a ship; an alien spaceship. The two young people on the beach paid it no mind. They were used to its presence. It had drawn them to the island in the first place. Or rather, a teleportation beacon within the ship had pulled them to the island on their first random teleport. This island was the home of the Tomorrow People.
"You know, I never get tired of this place," one of the two, a young black woman, said in a clipped British accent.
"Yeah," the other, a tall wiry American with a shock of red hair replied. "Nice beach. Nice weather, most of the time. And no unwelcome visitors."
"Still," Ami Jackson said, "it doesn't feel quite whole anymore."
"Not you too!" Megabyte got up abruptly and walked a few feet away.
"Not me too what?" Ami asked, feigning surprise.
"Jade's been harping on me for months now about talking to Kevin. Now she's got you in on it. Must have figured she was getting nowhere."
"Megabyte Damon, I resent that .. that.. accusation ..hmmph!" Ami threw up her hands in frustration, finishing her speech with a guttural sniff rather than words.
"Oh, lay off it, Ami. You're not a good actress. You two are thick as thieves. You spend as much time together as Adam and I do. And he's been giving me the silent treatment when I try to complain about Jade."
"What does Jade and I spending time together have to do with you?" Ami said exasperated. "We're friends. That doesn't mean I'm in cohoots with her."
"Uh-huh," Megabyte said, arms crossed and glaring down at her.
"Much fun as it is standing here arguing with you, I told my mum I'd be home in plenty of time to help her with dinner," Ami said brushing sand off her jeans. "I'll see you soon. Hopefully, in a less suspicious mood."
"Right," Megabyte said running a hand through his hair, then abashedly, "Ami? Sorry I yelled at you. I'm a bit worked up about this. I haven't been able to get Kevin off my mind for the past couple of weeks. Mostly thanks to Jade."
"Don't blame her anymore than you'd blame me," Ami said, wondering if that skirted the truth a bit. "She's not responsible for this..guilt. If you want to get rid of the guilt, talk to Kevin."
Megabyte looked at her silently for a moment, then said softly, "I know. But I'm afraid. Because of what I said the last time I saw him."
"He'll forgive you if you give him the chance," Ami said. "And I think he needs your forgiveness too."
"Talk to you later," Megabyte turned away from her and started walking down the beach, kicking sand.
Ami looked after him in concern for a moment then `ported out. A flash of light and the pop of imploding air heralding her exit. Her last thought as she left was to wonder how much longer she and Jade would have to keep at this.
********
A flash of light illuminated the dim interior of the ship's central room. It was nighttime on the island. Kevin looked around, not bothering to scan the ship.
"Adam?" Kevin said, a nervous knot clenching his stomach.
"He's gone out," a strong tenor said from the shade of one of the corridors. "Is there something I can do?" A young man with blond hair came into the room, alien light shadowing his features. For a second Kevin was scared he was seeing a ghost.
Then he relaxed. "You must be Greg," Kevin said, extending his hand. "Jade's told me all about you."
"You're Kevin, right?" Greg took the proffered hand and shook it. "Of course you are. Who else would you be?"
Greg looked over at the ship's central column and said, "Ship. Lights. Three-quarters full." The dim, eerie light of the alien ship brightened to a much warmer tone.
"You know you don't have to speak to the ship, right?" Kevin asked.
"I know," Greg replied, "but it's easier for me. I was used to hearing thoughts after the operation that made me into a Tomorrow Person, but I'm still learning how to project."
"I read minds before I broke out, too," Kevin said, sitting on a reclining panel. "But you should talk with Lisa. She was projecting before she broke out. She kept popping up in my dreams."
Greg leaned against a railing, "Megabyte said your dream was precognition, not telepathy."
"Oh," Kevin said. "Megabyte's thinking of one dream in particular. It was a recurring dream of Lisa in this pink dress and she was drowning. The dream was a vision of Lisa's first teleport. When it actually happened Lisa's projected confusion and fear tripped me over the edge and I `ported to the island too. But I'd been having other dreams about her for a while, and those were projections from her.
"Hmm," Greg leaned against a railing. "A cry for help from Lisa is what brought me out of my coma. The jolt caused me to break out fully and I wound up here."
Kevin laughed, "Lisa's calls for help seem to bring Tomorrow People out of the woodwork."
Greg laughed at him, but Kevin felt an unasked question weighing on Greg's mind.
"So why am I here?" Kevin asked. "Is that what you want to know?"
Greg's face flushed with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't want to be rude."
"Don't worry about it," Kevin said. "The more time you spend with telepaths the less you worry about what people think or about being `rude'."
"So?" Greg asked.
"I came to talk with Adam," Kevin said. "I wanted to talk with him about Megabyte."
Greg sat down on a padded panel across from Kevin. "Does this mean you're coming back to us?"
"Coming back? I don't think I really left."
"Everyone else says you haven't been to the island since just after Ami broke out. And that you blocked your mind off from the rest of the group."
"You're right. But part of me feels like I never stopped being a Tomorrow Person."
"You didn't," Greg said, crossing his legs, "but you did take yourself out of the loop, away from your friends."
"I had to," Kevin closed his eyes. "I couldn't face Megabyte. Or the guilt."
"Kevin, whatever it is, Megabyte doesn't think you're guilty of anything. He misses you. Any time someone mentions you he shuts himself off from us. Whatever's happened between you two is tearing him apart."
Kevin was about to reply when he felt the tingle of an approaching teleport.
"Yo! Adam! Greg! Anyone want some pizza?" Megabyte shouted as he appeared a few feet away with a pizza box perched on one upturned hand.
"Lower the volume, lamebrain," Greg said smiling. "We're not deaf ... yet."
"Fine, where's Ad.." Megabyte stopped when he saw who was with Greg. "Kevin?"
Kevin forced himself to look Megabytein the face, "Hi, Megabyte."
Later Megabyte didn't even remember thinking, just reacting. He dropped the pizza on some presumably sensitive console and vaulted over the railing between them. In a second he'd covered the gap and had Kevin in a bear hug.
"Oh man .. what are .. haha .. you're back! .. You .. it's ..."
[Megabyte, let go,] Kevin `pathed, [I can't breathe.]
"Oh. Sorry," he let go, holding Kevin at arm's length. "It's so *good* to see you again."
"Can we talk?"
"Yeah," Megabyte said, then turned his head to say to Greg, "We'll..."
"..be outside," Greg finished. "I know. Got it."
"Dig into the pizza," Megabyte said, then as they `ported out to the beach he `pathed, [but leave a slice or two for me, `kay?]
********
The two walked slowly along the beach.
"Greg looks a lot like Josh, doesn't he?" Kevin said.
"Yeah," Megabyte replied. "I didn't notice it at first. I mean, I'd only seen him in a coma and he didn't really have much expression then."
"He seems like a nice guy."
"Yeah," Megabyte said. "We all like him."
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Someone had to speak. This wasn't something that could be communicated easily by thoughts. There were so many conflicting emotions. Kevin's mind was in turmoil, he could only imagine what Megabyte's must be like.
"Megabyte, I'm sorry about Josh," Kevin said in a rush, breaking the silence, "And I'm even sorrier for running out on all of you."
Megabyte looked away from Kevin. Kevin felt better for having said it, but didn't know what to expect from Megabyte. The rage he'd turned on Kevin had been unexpected. He dreaded seeing or feeling it again.
Megabyte turned slowly and spoke in a strangley quiet and mature voice, "You didn't run out. I drove you away."
Megabyte held back his tears, but slight tremors in his eyes showed the battle.
"I feel so bad about it," Megabyte continued, "It's like I lost both of you. Can you forgive me, for what I said to you? I've never felt so angry, before. But I never should have turned my anger on you."
"Oh God, Megabyte," Kevin said trembling, "I've missed you guys so much."
Megabyte stopped and grabbed a hold of Kevin, hugging him a bit more gently this time.
"Please tell me you're back for good," he said softly into Kevin's ear, emphasizing his points with a slight pressure, "and that you'll *never* leave us again. No matter what happens. No matter how much I screw up."
"I promise, Megabyte. I'm back for good."
The two friends alternated between crying and laughing, hugging and shoving each other affectionately. The rift, driven by time more than distance, quickly healed over. They spent the next three hours catching up, reliving the events of the past year.
"...and then the fire alarm went off and my dad and his men stormed in. Then the sprinklers went off and they all got soaked, but Adam and I'd already gotten loose and out of there. You should have seen my dad come marching out, sopping wet, when the other men radioed in to him that we were outside. He tried to look intimidating but with water dripping down his hair, Adam and I were laughing hysterically."
Kevin joined Megabyte's laughter while the redhead recounted another misadventure that he'd missed. Kevin was sure Megabyte must have left some details out. He'd have to check with Adam.
An unpleasant thought occurred to Kevin. There was something else he should check up on.
"Has anyone been having any precog visions lately, Megabyte?"
"Huh?" Megabyte was caught off guard. "No, I don't think so. Why?"
Kevin told Megabyte about his expanding talent for precognition. He told Megabyte about Merilee and his weekly lessons with her. Then he told him about the vision he'd had that day Merilee had read their Tarot cards. The vision of Jade caught in an explosion.
"Are you sure?" Megabyte asked.
"Pretty sure," he replied. "Merilee's teaching me how to interpret the visions."
"Doesn't sound like there's much room for interpretation there," Megabyte replied.
"Not really," Kevin said, "but Merilee says not every vision leads to the future. It's kind of like a spider-web spreading out. Some of the strands are thicker than others. Those visions that make up the thicker strands of the web are the ones that are more likely."
"Have you told Jade?"
"No, and I want to keep it that way," Kevin said.
"Kevin, I ..."
"No, Megabyte. I know what I'm doing," Kevin said firmly. "I'm still holding onto the hope that I can change it."
"How far into the future do you think it is?"
"It's still at least a few years away," Kevin said. "She looked older. So did I. I'd say four, maybe five years."
"Have you seen anything else?" Megabyte asked. "About any of us?"
"Nothing that makes any sense," Kevin said. "I had a vision that I'd meet Greg before I could talk to you, but it didn't make any sense to me. It was just something I knew while the vision was happening. He was standing in the ship and I was standing across from him. I couldn't see who it was but somehow I knew it was Greg. Now I know that my vision had to do with you showing up while I was talking with Greg."
"So you came here to see Greg so that you could talk to me? Confusing," Megabyte thought about it some more. "But that means you made the vision come true on purpose. So you could probably keep that other one from happening."
"Megabyte, you don't understand. I didn't come here to see Greg. I didn't even know he was staying on the ship. I came to see Adam."
"But Greg was here instead. And then I popped in. And BANG, vision came true."
"Guess so."
"So what else have you seen?"
"Hmm, a stone column from the past that was glowing yellow. A woman in red carrying a sword. Some scrambled image of Greg with a halo.."
"Greg!" Megabyte laughed. "An angel?"
"What? What's funny about that?"
"He's no angel," Megabyte said. "He pulled this prank on Ami you wouldn't believe. Sure, I helped him a bit with it, but it was mostly him. Okay, so it was my idea, but he took to it pretty quick. Anyway ..."
Megabyte continued on, seemingly non-stop for another hour, switching topics so randomly that it left Kevin's head spinning. Thoughts and visions of the future were forgotten for the moment. The two teenagers spent the night bringing themselves back in sync.
There would be time enough to worry about the future when it actually came.
End