Advanced Warnings: Telepath's Crusade

Summary: The Tomorrow People and their allies have their final confrontation with Damian.

DISCLAIMER: The characters of John, Carol, Kenny and Stephen are the sole property of Thames Entertainment and Nickelodeon. Although I have given names to certain relatives of the Tomorrow People, they are the property of Thames and Nickelodeon also. Warren Gray, Kim Sterling, Joe Atherton, Astra Utana, Morlan and Damian are characters of my own and are not to be used without first contacting me.

Authors Notes: Welcome to the ninth installment of Advanced Warnings. A period in time that takes place in between the first and second seasons of the series, The Vanishing Earth and the Blue and the Gray.

Special thanks as always, to Wendy for letting me put my stories in her archives. This story will eventually be seen on Michelle's Jagged Edge site as well.

Any criticisms, good or bad can be e-mailed to me at phdgarrett@worldnet.att.com

STORY SO FAR: A childhood friend of John's, named Warren Gray has become a Tomorrow Person. As Warren reluctantly accepts this turn of events, they are confronted with the kidnapping of Carol's sister. Helped by a Federation agent named Kim Sterling, they rescue her from the Frakth. The rescue brings them to the attention of the Frakths master who goes only by the name of Damian. He immediately comes to Earth and realizes Warrens potential, setting in motion the building of a machine that will take him back to Earths past. He tests the extent of the Tomorrow Peoples abilities by manipulating events and the people closest to them. As Warren shows increasingly hostile and violent traits, Tim also makes the discovery that the young man is turning out to be another type of telepath altogether. Other personal events include the choosing of an ambassador for the Federation, Kenny asking Stephen to go with him to the Trig and Warren and Carol's growing relationship as well as her estrangement from her family. Seeing how his friend is acting is making John over-protective of his friend, who is increasingly worried about his stronger than average powers. Meanwhile Kim and her mentor, Astra Utana have knowledge of Warren's impending metamorphosis and sends Kim back to Earth. Damian captures John, Kenny and Stephen and confronts Warren, forcing him through his final metamorphosis. In the process he destroys the lab, critically wounds Tim and captures Warren. With the help of the Harding brothers and Lefty, they go off and succeed in rescuing the three telepaths but lose Warren and Damian to the time lanes. Later, Job Atherton (Warren's teacher from Chicago) and Peter the time guardian make unexpected appearances. Astra Utana explains to them what Warren has become. Peter instucts Morlan, another time guardian, to take them all to the era of the Crusades to rescue Warren (if possible) and to stop Damian from causing more damage to the timestream. Taking Job, who Peter says will be of help to them they go back and quickly encounter Damian and a turned Warren. As Kim and Astra battle the AVP, John and the others confront their former friend. Working together they all are thrust into Warrens mind where they encounter their worse terrors and fears. Eventually they are able to leave their self-induced prisons with the help of a younger version of Warren. Once together, they are confronted with another version of Warren who explains that they are being tricked by the younger version. Job knocks John out and prepares to deal with the situation.

Advanced Warnings: "Telepath's Crusade"

March 1096 Swabia, Germany

Kim Sterling and Astra Utana continued to keep Damian focused on themselves, going from room to room in the immense castle.

{{Come on ATP's. Don't hold back on my account!}} Damian taunted.

Kim in frustration surprised everyone by turning around and released a strong kinetic burst just over the AVP's head, causing the already antiquated and fragile stone walls to collapse around him. No motion came from the pile. Astra came up to her.

[[Easy Kim. We're only supposed to take him out of commission. Not kill him.]]

The hateful look that her protege gave her caused Astra to have a wary look in her eyes.

"Just how many more is that bastard going to deceive or kill before we realize that there's no redeeming him?"

Astra came down hard, "You listen to me. That's not our way. Ever. We do not take another life, even on someone as twisted and warped as Damian. You understand?"

Kim still retained the hateful look in her eyes. Astra put a gentle hand to the younger womans face.

"I understand what you're going through. Viopaths have taken a couple people that I've loved as well. But we can't be thinking about ourselves at this time."

Astra couldn't help but be annoyed at the distracted look coming from Kim.

"Are you listening to me?"

"Can't you see it?"

The elder ATP quickly looked around the room. Slight confusion formed on her features.

"What am I supposed to see?"

She redirected her gaze at Kim, who seemed to be in a slight daze. As if looking towards a far off horizon.

"Don't ask me how. But Damian managed to work Morlans theory about drawing this temporal vortex down. It's in the castle....that's all I can get."

Kim came out from her trance. She gingerly looked up towards Astra, letting out a harsh sounding breath.

"I guess we still have that link. I must have hurt him pretty bad just now to be able to get even a little of what he's been planning."

Astra gave her student a sympathetic smile. It hurt her sometimes to see Kim remember those early days when she was first brought to her. What a devastating effect it had on her after meeting up with a youngster by the name of Damian. Of what the young viopath took away from her.

"How could he have come up with a machine like that? Heck how did he even manage to come up with the tools for it?" Kim pondered.

"Well, we knew his intelligence was quite high when we first met him a couple years ago. But we'll dwell on that later. We need to find that mechanism and shut it down. We have to prevent him from bringing whoever is on the other side down here. If he does, no telling what the consequences will be."

"Well then, we should get going."

Astra nodded, "And if Damian does know we're looking for whatever it is he's up to, he'll be leaving John and the others alone for a while longer."

She suddenly remembered about Kim's discomfort over Damians thoughts leaking to her.

"You going to be able to hang in there?"

"Are you kidding? Just try and stop me."

Without warning, an explosion of rock and debris shot up into the air. Damian screamed out an obscenity at his opponents.

[[Time to go. Make sure he knows what we're going after and then keep your thoughts tightly reined in.]]

As Damian prepared to destroy his enemies, they unexpectantly turned around and ran down the hall. The viopath narrowed his eyes as he tried to listen to whatever stray thoughts he could pick up. One in particular caught his attention.

Interesting. They seem to know what I have planned.

Better to just let them come to him instead of seeking them out. And if Warren happened to join him, so much the better. If not, then it would be better to loose the extra baggage. Damian went to prep for his last clash with the ATP agents.

***

The older Warren walked up to his former teacher, who was still pointing the pistol at his younger self.

"I wish we didn't have to do this."

Job noticed as the other telepaths could only stare at the proceedings, not knowing what would happen next. He quickly wondered if this part of Warren's psyche would die if he pulled the trigger. The very idea of shooting an eight year old was as foreign to him as this castle was.

"Why did you have to knock John out?"

Job answered quickly, still keeping his eye on Warren's younger self.

"He was starting to become effected too much by your younger self. His friendship with you was clouding his judgment."

Warren smiled wryly, "He does have a stubborn side."

"Yes. But he's just concerned for you, that's all. Just like the time he went off looking for you after you found out your parents were killed."

Warren smiled, "Yeah. He found me in a building. Came right up to me and just stayed with me the whole time as I vented my anger and grief."

Job's mouth diminished into a thin line as he did an affirmative nod of his head. He then struck at Warren with a right-handed roundhouse blow, catching the former student off guard and surprising the other telepaths.

Warren staggered back, a startled expression on his face. The eight year old Warren immediately attacked his older self telepathically, causing him to lash out at them all. The teenaged young man retrieved himself and looked menacingly at the telepaths. A cold smile appeared as he looked at his younger self.

"You're getting weaker, 'brother'. A whole year and you're still fighting. But it's nearing your time."

He glanced back at the rest of them.

"You're all fools if you think you can get us back to your side. I'm too powerful. And I like what I've become. But I'll give you all a chance to leave. Go back to your own time and forget about me. You'll live longer."

"No we won't! We're not leaving without you!" Carol cried out.

She watched as Warren turned to her. A serene and calm smile that seemed out of place with his dark personage appeared on his face. For some unfathomable reason, it filled her with dread.

"Well then my sweet Carol. You should know this before you rush headlong into saving your boyfriend. That talk that I had with your father?" he shook his head, "It wasn't talk at all. It was me. I had him relive his worse fear over and over until he was forced to agree with me."

"Is he saying what I think he's saying?" asked Stephen.

"Correct little boy," Warren sneered. "What you feared in me all this time came to past. I used my abilities for a far more darker purpose. My choice. My doing. Consider then, if you really do want to save somebody who could just as likely turn on you."

Carol seemed to be on the verge of tears as she heard Warren speak of this betrayal.

"You only have one chance to escape. I suggest you use it," he growled out as he quickly gazed at Job, noting the absence of any colorful aura around the martial arts teacher, before finally disappearing.

Stephen could only look at the visibly upset Carol as their former friend left their eyesight. He started to become quite incensed at what Warren had done to her. But he could still sense that she still wasn't about to leave him. Even after all he had done.

"How could he? How could he do that to my father?" Carol wondered aloud.

"I'm sorry Carol," replied an eight year old voice.

"Not as sorry as you're going to be! How could you do that to Carol?"

"Let him explain Stephen!"

The tone of Carol's voice had startled everyone.

"Is it true? What you did?"

The young blond waited for a response, but the downcast look on the child's face and the silence that followed confirmed her answer. She thought back to the days events on which it happened. The less than happy look Warren had kept giving out after his 'talk' with her father. His reluctance to discuss about it afterwards.

How could he?

"He'll be coming for me now. I've been trying my best to fight him but I'm running out of time. I have to leave."

"But you can't! How will we find you?" asked Kenny.

Warren continued to watch the young woman he had betrayed, "You don't. You must leave here. Be wary. Mind what you're thinking. He can use your thoughts against you. Look toward the better parts of yourselves. It'll save you."

Before Carol could protest, the child started to materialize away.

"Your friendship can save you......"

Before he could say anymore, he disappeared. The hazy, lifelike colors of the place were sucked into his prior location.

Carol could only repeat her question over and over again at what Warren had done to her father, realizing just now that the same events she was going over and over again had happened only yesterday. It was then that the full weight of all that transpired came crumbling down upon her. She felt so tired. She had to sit down. Stephen was by her side in an instant.

"Are you going to be okay?"

The sixteen year old could only gaze at the spot that the younger Warren just recently jaunted from. She should've known. The signs were there. She had just refused to acknowledge them.

Kenny watched as Stephen put her in a protective hug, reassuring her that they would all get out of here. A low groaning sound interrupted his thoughts. He turned to find John coming back to consciousness.

"Looks like I should wake him up."

As he helped John reorient himself, Kenny took a thoughtful gaze at Job.

"How did you know?" he inquired of Job.

Job continued to stare at the spot that the older Warren had been standing in. As he turned to answer Kenny's question, he noticed everybody's particular aura was awash in an angry, turmoil of different colors. And, if what they talked about earlier about this haze being linked to their emotions, were true. Then they were all in serious trouble.

"You can thank John for that. When I was talking with his father, he told me the story of when John went to look for him after he found out his parents died in the plane crash. He found him but because Warren was so upset and angry, he went and hid somewhere and watched from a distance until he was settled down."

"And Warren said that John just came up to him."

Job smiled as Kenny caught on, but just as quickly a look of puzzlement crossed his features, but before he could ask the other question, John started mumbling. Stephen and Carol joined him as the young leader of the Tomorrow People was finally starting to come around.

"What happened?" John asked as he rubbed at his left temple from where Jobs pistol hit him.

"Sorry John. Had to find out who our Warren was."

"I think there could've been other ways to do that Mr. Atherton," he tersely replied.

"Relax John. It's over. For now anyway," Kenny said.

Stephen studied the reddish haze that was clinging all around them. The chaotic colors that was surrounding their auras were swirling around them all. He rested on his knees for a bit. Even though they weren't officially using their physical bodies on this psi-plane, he still felt exhausted. So much had happened in the past twenty-four hours. He turned a gaze toward Job and noticed that the colors that were swirling around everyone else didn't seem to be around the older man. Stephen sleepily rubbed at his eyes. He was tired. He just wanted to go home and go to sleep for the next couple days. But even if by some miracle, they succeeded in rescuing Warren, there was still the matter of going up against Damian. Something he definitely wasn't looking forward to.

"I hope Astra and Kim are having better luck than we are," he muttered.

***

The two individuals that Stephen had just mentioned were furtively doing their best to keep away from Damian, but at the same time, lure him away from the others.For awhile it had seemed to work but then they realized that the AVP wasn't following them anymore. They could hear the faint rumbling of the time cyclone around the castle as they stopped and figured out their next move. Astra noticed her protege seemed distracted.

"What's wrong? Is Damian going back for the others?"

Kim shook her head. "No. If anything, he seems to be purposely going to the other end of the castle. It's Morlan."

"Morlan did what he could Kim. We didn't have much choice but to leave him. His injuries were too severe."

"I know. Still, nobody should have to die alone."

Astra silently agreed. She looked intensely at her one-time student. Kim was smart, but with all that had been going on, all she had were vague assumptions that something was indeed amiss with Morlan. Astra knew for quite awhile what the deal was with the Time Guardian and was doing all in her power to keep it hidden in the darkest corners of her mind, for fear that Damian would somehow pick up on it. Or Kim.

She held on to a table as the castle shook a little.

Time to change the subject.

"It seems to be increasing in strength," Astra said as she described the temporal vortex.

"So it is," Kim said thoughtfully.

Astra quickly put up a hand in front of Kim, causing her to stop. Ignoring Kim's questions, she looked around, as if hearing something that only her ears could pick up. Looking around, she spied a crumbled looking door. As she hastened toward it, she used her telekinesis to dislodge the wooden mess, acquiring a hidden hallway.

"This way."

Kim knew better than to ask how her teacher knew where the darkened hallway was. Still, after almost four years, it was good to know that Astra could still surprise her. Just like it still surprised her that she still had a bond with Damian. A bond she wished with all her might would just go away.

***

"So what do you mean, 'certain memories?"

John explained, "It happens to all of us. If we're in a panic or we're fighting or running, our adrenaline is hyped up. Sure you'll be able to recall what happened later on but in bits and pieces for awhile. Sometimes in exquisite detail. Unless there's a part of you that doesn't want to remember. Because of Warren's viopathic signatures which seem to be based on the more negative and darker emotions, some of the things he'll remember will be off kilter. I would've figured you knew more about it than I would Mr. Atherton."

A slightly grim look settled on the former combat soldier as he nodded in agreement.

"There was this one firefight we were in. The enemy had us surrounded in a 360'. We were striking back with everything we had and miraculously, we survived. I could've sworn that we had been fighting them back for almost an hour. It wasn't even fifteen minutes."

John thought for a bit.

"Warren might also be trying to only give his other self certain memories on purpose. Going down to the basement is the only way to find him and get him out of here." "And why would we want to find him?" asked a clearly upset Stephen.

John had to do a double-take toward the thirteen year old. He wasn't too used to having his orders questioned and now didn't seem to be the time.

"I know you two never got along to well, but he is our friend and he's one of us. He needs our help."

Stephen walked up toward John.

"And we don't get a say in the matter, right?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?" an irritated John replied.

"You've been coddling and protecting him since he first got here. But let's face it. He never has wanted to be a Tomorrow Person. And at the rate it's going, he never will. And you're still protecting him. Even after what he did to Carol and her father. I never trusted him."

Kenny spoke up, "Oh come off it Stephen. Just because he's come from a harsher background and is better friends with Carol shouldn't mean you brush him off."

Stephen looked incredulously at his supposed best friend.

Kenny continued, "You haven't really given him a chance since he got here. Why? What do you have against him?"

"Don't even start with the pathetic reasoning," Stephen shot back, "what about when you asked me to go to the Trig with you? First of all do you really think they'll take someone as young and immature as you? Second, what makes you think I would leave my parents to go galactic when they both need me right now?"

"Stop this bickering! Both of you!" Carol practically yelled it out.

"How dare you two have an argument at such a crucial time? Warren needs our help and you two start being selfish," she looked at John. "We have to do something."

"How about all of you?" John uncharacteristically screamed out.

"What do you mean?" Carol shot back.

"How all of you expect me to cater to your every whim. Looking to me when we're in trouble. I died to get you back from Rabowski."

Stephen broke in, "Hey! I died too you know."

"I almost died for the both of you and you still think I can't be counted on," cried out Kenny.

"Oh stifle it Kenny! You can be such a child sometimes," Stephen angrily said.

Carol stared hot daggers at Stephen, "Oh, look who's talking about being a child. I'm surprised Jennifer still talks to you after all the stuff you put her through. Is she still less pretty than I am? You're lucky I put in a good word about you after that."

"Au contraire. You see that I have feelings for you and you conveniently ignore them. Thinking its some stupid little boyhood crush. I don't know how you can have feelings for somebody who forcefully mind-bended your father. You heard him. He doesn't want to be rescued. He twists your father's mind around and you still go after him. You can be such a pig-headed, stuck up, whiny, teenage girl yourself you know!"

Carol haughtily put her hands to her hips, "You're such a baby!"

"And you're all a bunch of babies," John said unkindly, "which is why I'm the leader of this group and you do as I say. We're going down to that basement and getting him out of there."

"Do I get to stay behind again, John? Or do you like risking all our lives to rescue somebody that doesn't want to be saved?"

"Oh not to worry Kenny," Carol blithely said, "John will lead us to victory like he always does. Even doing the selfless martyr thing and go out in a blaze of glory if he has too."

John could only sputter out his next words, "Why you ignorant, air-headed, square-jawed, little wench."

"Who's square-jawed?" Carol shouted.

Before Carol could bring another retort of her own, a new, familiar voice entered the argument.

"Stop it! Stop it right now!"

All four of them turned toward the new voice. It was Job. The cancer-stricken senior walked slowly and purposely to them. An obvious scowl on his face.

"Look at all of you," he sneered. "Look at humanity's best hope crying about their fears and frustrations."

"I'll show you frustrations!" Kenny yelled out and let out a telepathic burst toward John.

John found himself on a school bus. There were other kids he had never seen before. A shove from behind caused him to stumble to the floor causing a riotous laughter to well up from the unruly kids. A look of indignant anger rose from within as he picked himself up from the floor. But as he turned around to confront his tormentor, he wasn't too surprised to find that it was none other than Kenny.

"How's it feel John?"

John didn't understand what his friend meant by that question. Kenny just stood his ground. Not moving and having a look about his face that suggested to him that he was about to hear an earful.

"Feeling intimidated John? Feeling left out?"

John suddenly felt seven years old again, being taunted by that bully Martin and the rest of his gang. The gang that he was trying to join so he wouldn't feel left out because of his above average smarts.

"What are you talking about, Kenny?"

John asked and was surprised to see a wave of intense anger develop over his young friends face.

"You don't think I'm good enough," he said inexorably. "You've never thought I was good enough. Always leaving me behind. Thinking I'm not mature enough for the position of ambassador!"

John managed to counter Kenny's telepathic assault and raised a steely glare toward him.

"And this is just one of the reasons why I think you'll never be ready. No telepath in their right mind would force their thoughts on another."

Job hadn't known Warren's friends at all except for the recent time he was spending with them. He remembered what he had told him about who and what the Tomorrow People were. But his attention to detail convinced him that whatever his former student was doing, it was subtlety affecting his friends as well. On edge. Argumentative. Paranoid. He had seen them before and after the travel through time. They were close to falling apart and if that happened, there would be no saving any of them.

"Can't all of you see how pointless this is?" a riled Job asked.

The fierceness of his voice brought John and Kenny back to the mind induced auditorium.

"Every little scrap of doubt! Every little bit of fear and assumptions! They're being magnified and turned against you. You're fighting over every negative feeling you've ever had either about yourselves or each other, no matter how small or trivial it is."

Realization slowly dawned on John through his turmoiled emotions.

"Of course! Warren is viopathic as well. Since he's the more stronger of all of us, we're forced to adhere to whatever place he's familiar with."

Stephen agreed, "Which is why everything keeps changing. This haze really does mirror our emotions?"

Carol looked around, "Of course you twit! We've been traveling through this ever since we got here. Our thoughts are so jumbled, we have to remember that this red-tinge throughout this place is Warrens way of trying to control us. To make us resent ourselves and each other with whatever he can dredge up from within."

"We're going to have to stay mentally strong and help each other if we're going to get out of here," replied Kenny.

Looks like they've simmered off a bit. But they have to do this together or Warren is finished. And maybe us.

Job's next words would be hard for him to speak, but they were fast approaching a dangerous deadline. A decision would have to be made, now.

"Then we're just going to have to get a move on people," Job interrupted. "We're running out of time. We either go down and retrieve him or we leave this psi-world where more than likely he'll still be unconscious and I can do something about him."

John was taken aback by Jobs blunt frankness. It seemed to have cleared his head up a bit.

"Mr. Atherton, are you saying....?"

Job was firm, "I'm not going to beat around the bush here. We all know how dangerous Warren is in his current state. I'm sure it took a lot out of him to get us all together so we could escape those self-inflicting mental torture rooms. And you know I'm the only one who can do this. It's going to have to be an individual decision. But in my opinion, if all of us went down there, he might stand a better chance at beating this thing. The choice is yours."

The four telepaths could only stare at each other. Whatever confusion and chaotic emotions had overrun them was forcibly shoved back into themselves. Where there was hostility and anguish, now it was replaced by a palpable sense of shame and embarrassment.

"He's right," John said. "We have to get ahold of ourselves. I do apologize to everybody here for going off like that. But Job is right. There isn't much time anymore. If you all want to leave, I won't begrudge you of that. But I'm going after him. As long as there's still a chance, I'm taking it. I don't do it out of a sense of nobility or martyrism. I do it because he's my friend. And I would do the same for each and all of you."

Carol quickly walked up to John.

"I agree. But I think we're going to have a decent talk about all this when its done. All of us."

The only ones left were Stephen and Kenny, who, after taking a quick time to think about it nodded in affirmation. Kenny looked across to Stephen.

"I can't."

"I don't believe it. Why not?"

"I just can't Kenny."

We're running out of time.

"John, we have to go," Job reminded

"Kenny, it's Stephens choice. He might actually be doing all of us a favor by staying behind anyway, in case things don't work out."

Kenny was shocked, "You mean you're not going to argue about this and change his mind?"

John nodded his head as he started to head toward the basement stairs.

"There's no time to discuss this. We have to get going."

Kenny felt like he had been slapped in the face. After all that they had been through and done for Stephen when he had first broken out. They hadn't given up on him. The almost thirteen year old couldn't understand why his best friend would push off Warren. It had been that way since he had arrived. But John was right. They had to get moving.

"Fine. Let's get outta here," he growled.

"You know how to leave here, right?" John shouted back.

Stephen nodded.

"I think I remember how Astra showed us to leave."

Carol stopped and gave Stephen a quick sympathetic look before going off after John and the others.

"Be careful Stephen."

Before the thirteen year old could respond, she quickly went off in search of the others. Within minutes, she was beside John.

"I don't understand. Why didn't he come with us?"

"It's something I'll explain later Carol. It's only a suspicion though."

Carol almost told John to knock off the machoism. There were times since she had known him, that he treated girls like they were treated from the 19th century.

Keep the ladies in the house while the big, strong men go out to defend them and keep them away from the world.

Carol could only let John move up ahead as she gave thought to his words. But it still didn't seem right to leave Stephen behind. Noticing the chaotic aura surrounding her body was keeping in tune to her emotions, she bitterly shelved it back for later on. With the way this world of Warren's was, she would only be helping him if she gave in to her darker emotions.

Let us all get out of here in one piece.

***

Stephen continued to run upwards until he found the front doors leading to the outside. Supposedly when he left this school, his mind would automatically return to his body and all would be well. Supposedly. He took a deep breath and continued to hurry toward them.

***

Job took point as they descended downwards deeper into the mind-induced school, which in essence was deeper into Warren's psyche. Although it didn't seem that they were operating at peak proficiency, there was a sense of pride that he couldn't help but feel for his former student's friends. They were strong-willed and had a solid sense of purpose. He suspected that even John hadn't known the depth of their commitment to bring home one of their own, even though this psi-world was playing havoc with their emotions and twisting their inner feelings inside-out. He may not have been used to their special powers and abilities, but truthfully he hadn't felt this secure in a combat situation since his special forces days. He hoped that they would be able to stay in check when they found Warren.

Bringing up the rear was Kenny, who looked up ahead, seeing the mixed colors of John and Carol's auras. It was normal to have someone's emotions leak out and hear them when you were telepathic, particularly in times of intense emotions or stress. But to constantly be bombarded by them. And it wasn't just surface emotions. These were thoughts that they all shielded and maybe, not even had allowed themselves to think of.

All out in the open for everybody to see, he thought.

He glanced forward toward Job and was surprised to see nothing surrounding the man. His brow bunched up a bit as he finally realized what it was that was troubling him about Job after all. His aura was clean. No colors. Nothing. At first, he had attributed the lack of colors around him as a sign that he was just tired and couldn't see anything straight. He hurriedly sped up his pace, almost knocking down Carol.

"Hey, watch it."

The youngster apologized and soon was pulling on John's shirt.

"What is it Kenny?"

"Have you noticed that Job doesn't have any colors around him?"

"Yes. I noticed some time ago. Whatever this place is doing to us, it hasn't affected him at all. It's probably why Peter insisted that he accompany us."

"John, why didn't Stephen come with us?"

"I'm fairly sure it's about Warren. He fears him."

The simple way that John phrased it caught Kenny offguard.

John explained, "When each of us were in those classrooms, we each saw something about ourselves that we were quite terrified of. To Stephen, its a good possibility that this whole place is his nightmare."

Carol, who had been overhearing the conversation quickly put in her observations.

"But when we got to the auditorium, Stephen was surrounded by his parents. They were arguing on stage with him in the middle. Things must really be bad at home to relive that."

"Right. But basically, he's facing two of his worse fears right now. I don't blame him for wanting to leave."

They suddenly stopped. Job came back to them.

"John, come with me. I'm going to need your help in this."

"Mr. Atherton, we all go. Warren is our friend as well."

"I realize that, but for this I only need one of you. And you've known him for more years than these two combined."

Realizing the logic behind Jobs words, John nodded.

"We'll be fine John. Do what you have to do," Carol said.

John had an appreciative look on his face as he turned and followed Job down the rest of the stairs.

Kenny resumed the subject about Stephen.

"But why is he scared of Warren? I figured it was jealousy because you and he were spending a lot of time together," said Kenny, pointing a finger at Carol.

"I don't know. He did mention to me that he had trouble telling his parents what's been happening to him since he became a Tomorrow Person."

A shocked expression of realization took hold of Kenny's features. Carol noticed and asked what was wrong.

"He told me as well. His parents haven't been seeing eye to eye too much on anything anymore. And it's like they ignore what he's been going through this past year with his abilities. Particularly his mother. She's seeing a psychologist, you know."

Carol nodded, "No I didn't. How do you know all this?"

Kenny seemed slightly embarrassed.

"Stephen tried to tell me in the darkroom. We were having a talk about him coming up with me when I went to the Federation on a permanent basis," the young twelve year old could only shake his head. "I barely listened to what he had to say. I thought that I was helping him. That maybe he would want to get away from it all. I've been so selfish. Some friend I turned out to be."

Time seemed to have twisted and turned inside-out as Kenny realized that the discussion he was talking about had taken place not more than 24 hours ago. He suddenly felt quite tired, even though he knew his physical body was far away. He sat down on what passed for a floor in this psi-world, a dejected look pasted on his face at the realization of what he had purposely overlooked.

Carol looked sympathetically at the youngest telepath. She took a seat next to him, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"Looks like we've all had a hard time dealing with some things."

Kenny turned his face toward hers.

Carol shrugged, "I knew Stephen had a crush on me. I just tried to ignore it, thinking it would go away."

"If you knew, how come you never talked to him about it?"

"I don't know. I figured he would realize sooner or later that I just liked him as a friend. And then Warren caught my eye. I don't know," Carol repeated as she unthinkingly ran her hand through her tangled blond hair.

"I guess I could've figured out another way to deal with it. I suppose he was jealous at all the time I was giving Warren."

A genuine smile appeared on Kenny's face.

"Well, you're also a teenager. You're supposed to have your selfish times, especially when you turn sixteen. At least that's what I've heard."

A grateful smile appeared on the young blondes face.

"I hope Stephen is as forgiving as you are. You just remember, you're allowed your mistakes as well. I just hope we're able to rectify them."

"Sometimes I forget that we're all just kids," Kenny replied. Although a subtle hint of a mischievous smile appeared on the twelve year olds face. "Well, very powerfully endowed kids."

Carol gave her younger friend's shoulders a motherly squeeze.

"We'll make it Kenny," she said assuredly.

The twelve year old abruptly sat straight up and looked directly into Carol's eyes.

"You have to promise me something Carol."

"What?"

"If we are chosen to represent Earth, that we'll keep in touch with each other, and the others here."

"Kenny, we don't even know how if....."

Suddenly an image of John falling to the floor came into their thoughts, a menacing Warren coming closer to him.

"Oh no! They're in trouble!" Kenny shouted as he hastily got to his feet.

Forsaking the conversation, they quickly ran towards the direction that John and Job had gone. And ran right into a surprised Stephen.

"What are you doing here?" a shocked Kenny asked.

"I couldn't leave. It didn't seem right."

Carol gave the thirteen year old a quick hug.

"I knew you couldn't leave. Explanations later. We have to get to John and Mr. Atherton."

Within minutes, the trio of telepaths came upon a scene that reminded Carol of those old samurai movies that her sister had recently begun seeing. Both Warren, well, the viopathic version of Warren, and Job were going at it with swords. John was down again with the child-Warren tending to his wounds. They quickly avoided the combatants and ran to the other to render assistance.

Vio-Warren caught and hooked Job's sword but the elder quickly disengaged, going back to a defensive stance.

"You taught me everything you know old man. You can't beat me."

"You only know me from what you've seen from me. You have no idea what I was able to do in my youth, boy."

Job was actually starting to like this psi-world. Without a physical body to restrain him, he was able to do things that he hadn't done in years. His body may not have been up to it but his mind was as sharp as ever. It was why he was so confident sounding during this fight. But what was paramount in his mind was to get this darker version of his former student away from the others so they could help the younger Warren. Even if that meant sacrificing himself.

Using a speed and agility that he hadn't felt in years, he drove through with his attack, clipping Warren's sword. Not stopping there, he lashed out with his foot, catching his former student in the back of the knee, just enough to keep him off-balance. He than twisted his body to hook his sword with Warren's and literally rip it out of his hands. Job than pointed the end of his blade toward his neck.

"You're good," vio-Warren stated, obviously impressed.

"I get better," Job replied.

"Don't stop now," Warren taunted. "It's not like a good soldier to leave a job unfinished."

For some reason, Job had a feeling that if he struck down this darker version of Warren, all the help in the world wouldn't be able to bring back the Warren he was familiar with. And the others needed time so he did the one thing that came to his mind. He ran.

"Come on boy!" Job yelled over his shoulder. "Let's see what you don't have."

Vio-Warren seemed to have become incensed at Jobs taunts. But realizing that his former teacher was just delaying the inevitable, he telekinetically called his sword back into his hands and proceeded toward the direction that his former teacher went into. He glanced fleetingly to where the other telepaths were with his 'soft' younger self. Time enough to take care of the rest.

If its a fight you want, its one you'll never forget, 'teacher'.

The telepaths watched as the duelists hastily left the room.

John was quick to respond to this sudden lull. He took the younger Warren by the shoulders.

"How do we defeat him?"

"Just capture him and knock him out."

John bit his lower lip. He had a feeling this younger Warren knew more, but as always, his stubbornness was keeping everybody out. For a split-second, John wondered who was more private with their thoughts and feelings. Him or his best friend. It seemed pretty close.

"I think its going to take more than that. We're all stuck here in your head. All these images and dreamscapes that we've been walking through. They're memories of your life. This school, your friends. If we all join in, find out what's holding you back, we just might -"

"I can't."

"What do you mean? 'You can't?'" Stephen indignity asked.

"You all need to leave! I can't protect you if you stay."

Stephen blurted it out, "Forget it. Even if we did leave, we couldn't be sure if your other half would stop us. We don't trust you."

Carol admonished Stephen for saying something so blunt, saying that he was just a child.

"I'm just being honest. This whole place has been nothing but one big mind game. How can we be sure that he's not viopathic underneath all that. If we're not completely honest with him as we're trying to be with each other, how are we getting out of here?"

"Stephen's right Carol."

A look of shock registered across her face as John traveled the distance toward her.

"One of the things we've been having to do is confront and face whatever negative feelings or fears that we've had. You have to let Stephen do this."

As John was watching the proceedings between Stephen and the younger Warren unfold, he vaguely realized that because of the younger Warren's lack of negative and harder emotions, he would never be himself. He realized that his darker complex gave him strength. It was that same strength he had needed to get off from the streets and graduate from school a year early. Although it was those same emotions that got him into trouble and not seeking help when he needed it. He also felt that Stephen was on to something. He seemed to be drawing something out from Warren's past and whatever it was that the viopathic Warren was instigating to keep his eight year old half from defending or helping out in any way seemed to be the key.

"You're being quite selfish Warren. But before you try and talk us into leaving, I just want to say that you've never been much of a friend anyway."

"Fine Stephen. Anything else?" he harshly asked.

"Yeah. Next time you revert back to your viopathic nature, give me a call. I'll be able to get a more honest answer out from your dark side than from the pathetic person that's sitting in front of me."

Stephens words stabbed deep into Warren and he felt heat rising into his cheeks.

"That's right. When you were viopathic, you said all sorts of hurtful things and dug into our minds and played with our heads. But you were the most open you've ever been with us. Is that the only way that us, your friends, will be able to get you to talk to us? By reverting you back? Because if it is, I'm going to ask Kim to give me that lobotomizer and shoot you myself."

Warren felt embarrassed as he looked at each of them in turn. Carol took over, realizing Stephens hastily made strategy.

"Please don't shut us out. We need your help to reign in your viopathic self. There's still so much we need to talk about so we can heal. We've done all we could with just the four of us. Our lives are on the line, just as yours is. But you have to make a decision now. We either go or we stay."

The young Warren could only stand where he was. Images that he had fought so hard to reign in and keep in a dark corner of his mind were seeping out. He forcefully shoved them back.

Why do I seem to have a hard time letting people in? he thought inwardly.

"I'm not used to this," he said half-heartedly.

Carol tried to make herself sound as gentle as possible to the eight year old.

"Well, neither am I. We don't have time. You told us before that our friendship would be the key to getting out of here. Well, I think forgiveness is as well. Believe me, I don't condone what you did to my father, or us. But hasn't there been enough secrets and anger and mind-twisting played out today? You have to trust us."

"Okay," he quietly said.

Stephen still was unconvinced.

"Why do you want us to leave so bad? What are you hiding?"

"Stephen, that's enough!" John yelled.

"Forget it, John. All of us have had whatever worse fear from within come out to give us a doozy of a fright. If the only way to ensure that Warren comes out on top over his viopathic self is to not hold back, then we have to know. He has to let it come out."

"No."

"Our lives are on the line! You have to!"

"I said no!"

Stephen felt like he was on the right track, but without Job, he knew that he alone wouldn't be able to get Warren to face up to whatever it was that was keeping him down. He glanced over at John.

"Warren, you're going to stop this right now! Let it out!"

Stephen could see the shocked face the younger Warren gave to his one-time friend.

John continued, "Stephen's right. I have been turning a blind eye over all this because of our friendship. And it's because of it that I'm going to insist that you let whatever fear you have out, so we can deal with it."

"I can't!"

John pulled everyone in by eye, "Everybody, link."

The four tp's immediately held their hands in the air. Their fingertips barely touching each others.

"Don't force me! I can't see it again!"

"It's for you own good, friend!" John could only say.

Drowning out the terrified screams from the little boy, John took control of the link.

Suddenly, the spot they were in had shifted and they were standing outside of what looked to be an American high school. Drawn to the double doors, John opened them, letting the other three in. Before they could speak, a bunch of students came running from around the corner, later followed by a body stumbling and falling. The person was barely able to stand when a teenaged Warren came into view and delivered a drop-kick to the other juvenile's head, connecting and sending his opponent crashing to the floor once again.

Carol was about to intercede but John quickly wrapped a hand around her wrist.

[No. We have to let this play through.]

[How come we can only speak telepathically now?]

[I think we're only observers Carol. I'm afraid that if we tried to speak, we would disrupt the scene. And we have to let it play through.]

They could only watch as the proceedings took place.

"Come on Earl! Is this all you got?"

Warren kicked him forcefully in the stomach, hearing the loud grunt of air escaping from his lungs. But he didn't stop there. Warren continued to kick at his opponent. Not allowing him to come up for air or even letting him stand at all.

The TP's could only look on in horror.

Warren wasn't done with him yet. He was in such a rage that he hadn't noticed that he literally picked Earl off from the floor and launched him into a locker. As soon as Earl hit the locker, Warren landed a savage right-hand to his face. He continued the assault twice more with the last, actually knocking out some teeth.

"Warren stop!"

The TP's looked to where the voice was coming from. A red-haired girl of about seventeen was slowly walking toward the combatants. A fearful look emanating from her face as she took in the scene.

"Warren, please. It's over. The police are here. They already have Roger and Gary in custody."

"He's not getting off again Julie! I'm going to make sure of it."

He released Earl, who promptly sank to the floor. Warren immediately dropped to his knees and grabbed a fistful of blonde hair, arching the juvenile's head back. He then cocked a hand back and was readying for his final blow.

"Don't Warren. Job didn't teach you this."

Through gritted teeth, Warren responded to her plea, "Tell that to Gary and Glenn and Heidi. They never even had a choice."

The TP's could only watch as Julie cautiously made her way toward Warren, who was on the verge of delivering his deadly strike. They could see as his whole body was shaking from the rage and adrenaline high he was experiencing. And just as suddenly, released himself, his arm dropping back down to his sides in frustration. They watched as he could only cry out in anguish as he released Earl and shoved a fist into a locker. They watched a comforting arm from Julie being put around him.

"I couldn't. After all Roger and him and all the others had done, I couldn't."

"I know. It's okay. It's over."

"It's not fair. It's not fair," Warren quietly kept repeating over and over.

A quiet couple minutes passed by as the two teens held one another in a safe, comforting enclosure of friendship.

"Mark had the tapes. I saw him give it to Detective Reynolds before Roger and his jerks came into the office. We're fine. Everything's going to be okay."

A low groan came from the fallen student that Warren had, mere minutes ago, been beating.

"That's it then," Warren said hopefully. "It's really over."

Julie smiled through her tear-streaked face.

Earl suddenly screamed out an obscenity at them and worked himself to his feet. Half-running, half-stumbling toward the doors. Warren could only gaze at the criminal.

"The cops will get him before he even gets across the block. Why don't we go ahead and watch em put the cuffs on him."

Julie smiled as she helped him onto his feet.

"Don't mind if I do. I still say we should open a detective agency down the road."

Warren stopped to ponder it for a moment.

"And get a dog named Scooby Doo right? No, you can count me out."

[What was so horrible about this? From what it sounds like, they caught the bad guy.]

[I don't think its finished yet, Stephen.]

The TP's followed Warren and Julie outside and watched as the crazed and desperate Earl made his way across the grass. Getting the attention of half a dozen students who were either eating their lunch or studying.

[John, if he doesn't stop, he'll be going into traffic.]

[I know Stephen.]

Earl didn't stop as he ran out into the oncoming cars. He didn't see as a van tried to avoid him, narrowly missing him but veering off into the sidewalk and into a telephone pole. He was confused and not thinking. Traffic kept trying to avoid him but Earl wouldn't leave from the middle of the street, causing vehicles to collide with each other to avoid hitting him.

The TP's watched in horror as Earl was hit by a braking truck, which also smashed into the van, crushing it like an accordion. They watched as the impact cracked and then broke the pole in half and sent it tumbling down onto the grass with all the students, who were even now running in the opposite direction. The sparkling wires caught a couple students, killing them with whatever current was available.They could hear as Warren and Julie yelled out in terror and denial.

The scene faded and everybody disappeared except for Warren, who oddly hadn't reverted back to his younger eight year old self.

"Earl affected ten lives that day," turning around, he eyed each of his friends. "Including his own."

The TP's were very quiet. To have witnesses so tragic an event.

"You never wrote about this Warren," John said very quietly. "You only mentioned that Roger and the others were caught and that you and your friends had a hand in it."

Warren seemed to ignore what John had just said.

"I could've stopped him. I should've stopped him. But I let him go. So sure that others would take care of it. I let everybody down."

"Don't blame yourself Warren," Kenny added. "Although with a jerk like Earl, maybe you two should've tied him up."

Warren almost smiled at the thought of so simple an answer to a problem long past.

"I should've. But it doesn't matter now. I'll help you."

"You will?"

Somehow, they all asked the same question at the same time.

"Seeing this again made me realize that none of you are going to get out of here without my assistance. And even if I don't help and you kill me, Damian will strike you down for good. If I don't do anything, than I'll be repeating what I did back than."

Warren couldn't help but let out a bitter chuckle.

"Looks like my greatest fear is about to become my greatest ally in getting you four out of here."

"Five," John corrected, "Job is here as well."

"Let's do it. Everybody ready to go back the way they came?"

Nods came from everybody. They made ready to go in the last direction that Warren's viopathic self went. But it was apparent that one person was still hesitant. Carol held out her hand.

"Stephen. Please. We have to trust one another. It's the only way to get out of this."

"I do trust you," he held his head down in an almost ashamed manner, "most of you anyway."

Warren broke through the group and cautiously walked up to him. Careful not to make any sudden moves that Stephen might mistaken as aggressive.

"So Stephen. What was it about me that you found so scary?"

It was Stephens turn now, who was fidgeting around. Searching for the best way to tell him what he was thinking after the tragic scene he had just witnessed.

"Your power. I was uncomfortable with it. Even though I've only been a Tomorrow Person for a little while, I've always wondered what would happen if one of us got out of control. And you seemed to have so much of it. So much anger and hostility at becoming one of us. I was scared. And I think you knew that as well."

"I'm scared too Stephen."

The thirteen year old eyed him with a touch of disbelief, "What could you be scared of? You're the most powerful one of any of us."

Warren nodded, "Yes. Yes I am. That's exactly the reason I am scared. I have too much experience with being around people who have abused power. The way I am now, think of what I could've done with it if I had these abilities fighting Earl. But I can't do that. If I do, I know I'll lose myself forever."

"But you have no inhibitions anymore. Especially if you get that viopathic side back inside of you again. How can you not do as you please?"

Warren seemed to think long and hard on that question.

"I don't know Stephen. I guess in some ways I'm just one glorified homo-sapien who just happens to have these special powers. I'm just going to have to do what I've always done my whole life. Take it one day at a time."

"By yourself as always, eh?"

Warren actually formed a sincere smile on his lips.

"I don't think I could now. Not after what all of you have gone through to pull me out of this.......hell."

Stephen gazed at Warren for a bit and actually felt a bit of relief form around him. It was the first time he ever felt this much at ease around him since he broke out.

They walked back to the group.

"So how do we do this?" asked Kenny.

"I keep him occupied while all of you telekinetically put a force field around us. Eventually we'll come together," responded Warren. "I hope."

"Why?" Carol questioned, "Why can't we just lock him away somewhere?"

Warren closed his eyes before he answered.

"Because we can't go on without each other. I know, it's hard to explain. The simplest reason I can give is we need what the other has to complete ourselves. And then eventually, to find a middle ground."

"So basically what you're saying is that you'll be constantly at war with yourself," Kenny uttered.

The seventeen year old could only shrug his shoulders.

"No different from a normal person. I'll just happen to be able to display it better, that's all."

"Was that a vain attempt at a joke?" worded John.

Warren shrugged again.

"Let's find Mr. Atherton and kick your viopathic half butt back where it came from," Kenny voiced out.

"Hey look," Stephen said, "the auras around us. They're not as chaotic anymore."

A quick look around confirmed what the youngster had said. A very peaceful blue had surrounded them all. Although the red-tinge was still surrounding them, it wasn't as intense looking as it was earlier.

"Well, it won't be blue for too much longer. You know me. Always going where the turmoil and stress are. We ready?"

"Let's go," John said.

They quickly reappeared in the midst of the viopathic Warren getting the better of Job.

Warren hastily leaped across to land in between his other self and his former teacher.

"Hello, brother."

He quickly sent himself into a flurry of punches and kicks, which were effortlessly blocked by his viopathic counterpart.

"You really do like fighting yourself don't you?" vio-Warren replied.

"Just enough to keep you busy."

As the two Warrens continued to fight it out, John and the other telepaths formed a complete circle around them.

"What are you doing?" Job hastily asked.

"We're hopefully getting these two together. We just need for you to stay out of the way," John said.

Job could only observe the amazing proceedings that were occurring before his eyes. In all his life, he had never before encountered such a demonstration of this magnitude of power. It was awe-inspiring.

"What are you doing?" vio-Warren screamed out.

A grim look of determination was etched on tele-Warren.

"Having the courage to face myself."

As the two continued at it, Carol was breathing like she had been running a marathon.

"Carol, what's wrong?"

"It's too much, John. I can't hold it."

"I have it Carol," Kenny answered. "Try and hang on."

It was common knowledge that Kenny's telekinetics were stronger than the other three telepaths, but Carol couldn't help but wonder if even the twelve year old would be able to keep it up for much longer.

"They let you rot here for a full year before they came after you! What kind of friends are those?"

"They had a reason," tele-Warren said through gritted teeth.

"If you take me in, I'll have complete control!"

"Only if I allow it 'vilepath'."

Going only by instinct, tele-Warren brought both hands up to either side of his viopathic counterparts head. A panicked, fearful scream bordering on hysteria emanated from both of them.

John opened his eyes just in time to see a blinding light envelope his vision.

***

Astra felt like she was getting closer to their goal. It still would be a question of how their last fight with Damian would work out. It was hard enough sometimes for an ATP to fight a normal viopath, let alone an AVP. She quickly glanced in Kim's direction. The young woman was very good at hiding her fatigue. The fact of the matter was that Kim had been going on full speed ever since she had come back to Earth the second time. Using her special abilities to their utmost to fix her hyperdrive, fighting Damian, repairing Tim and then going through time which was taxing enough on any telepath. And now realizing that she still had a residue, a shadow of a telepathic link with the AVP from long ago. She was proud of how Kim held up.

[[Astra, over here.]]

Astra was shaken out from her thoughts as she turned to regard Kim, who was already going down another corridor.

"I think he's this way."

Astra nodded. She very abruptly put her thoughts away. It was true that she thought of Kim as the daughter she never had. But she wouldn't be doing her any good if she couldn't concentrate on the mission at hand. She followed her lead.

***

John heard the distant rumble of the thunder as he repositioned himself on the unusually hard couch in the living room. He couldn't recall the last time he just laid there while a thunderstorm moved overhead. He opened his eyes and already knew something was wrong. The ceiling was way too high!

Trying to get a grip on his bearings, he blinked his eyes a couple times before finally remembering where he was. The noise was incredible as he quickly got to his feet.

Is this real?

[It's real John.]

John turned to perceive Stephen running back to him.

"How long was I out?"

Stephen looked breathless, "I've only been awake for a few minutes."

The continual howl of whatever was going on outside distracted his thoughts.

"What on earth is going on out there?"

"We don't know. It was happening when we woke up."

John realized they were the only ones in the immense, brick-filled room.

"Where are the others?"

"They're with Warren. John, I don't know if he'll be able to control himself."

"The merge didn't work?"

Stephen shook his head, "It worked, but he's having a hard time fighting the viopathic side of himself. There's just too much of a chaotic presence around here. Carol and Job are helping him."

John told Stephen to show him where they were. As they were hastily walking toward the rest of the group, he asked where Kenny was and if they knew where Astra and the others were.

"We haven't seen anybody. Although by the loudness of this space-time cyclone, it's gotten a lot closer. By Jobs watch, we were linked together for a good thirty minutes. Kenny went to check out the other room where we first met Damian."

"What made you come back?"

Stephen was wondering if John would ask him that question. He answered it the only way he could.

"I thought about how all of you kept coming after me when Jedikiah kidnapped me. And than again after he had brainwashed me into switching Tim off. You had done everything in your power not to give up on me. I'm not sure if I even said thank you for what you three had done. I had to give the same chance to Warren."

It wasn't often that John was moved to emotion, but after all that had happened to them in the past twenty-four hours, it was understandable that his defenses would be down. He sent a very sincere and thankful smile to the young teen.

"You just did Stephen."

Stephen firmly grasped the older man's arm, "As long as you give yourself a chance. You may get on my nerves sometimes about our responsibilities, but you're a good leader John. I mean that."

They finally emerged into another huge room where Job and Carol were trying their best to aid their friend. They knew they couldn't do much but just be there for him and encourage him to fight off the viopathic urges. Eventually, Warren finally seemed to calm down and relax. Whatever it was that Job was saying to him seemed to have an effect on the tortured young man.

"I knew those meditative breathing exercises could help calm somebody, but I never realized just how much," Warren said.

"Well, it seems you have a little more help as well," Job said, motioning to Carol.

Both of the TP's were touching hands, Carol letting an empathetic wave of calm and soothing emotions inside of him.

John and Stephen walked up to them, watching the whole process take place.

"Look who I found!"

The group turned to Kenny's shout and saw the youngster keeping a barely steady Morlan up on his feet. John and Stephen quickly ran up to help their teammate and the injured time guardian.

"What happened? Where are Kim and Astra?"

"I don't know. But I had to make Damian believe that he killed me. Looks like it worked."

Stephens eyes became as wide as saucers, "You faked your own death? Why? How?"

"All part of the plan. An 'ace in the hole' as you would say it. I see by the number of people here that you're all in one piece. And you managed to turn Warren."

"Barely," John replied.

"You all look physically drained. But we must go. Damian has a temporal machine that's bringing this space-time cyclone down upon this castle. We must stop him."

John was about to ask the time-guardian why but Job appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Morlans arm.

"You seem to know a lot about what's going on. What I would like to know is why you didn't say anything sooner about this temporal machine of his."

"I found it while I was looking for the others. But it's blocked by a viokinetic seal. Much like a time key can only be opened by a telepath, this can be opened only by a person who has a viopathic signature."

Warren narrowed his eyes. "Then I guess it falls to me than. Anything else?"

Morlan looked at the rest of the Tomorrow People. "As you all might have guessed, we're not going to be too affective against Damian. This is mostly going to be between him and the ATP's."

"Well, we're not going to be left behind like a bunch of dirty linen. Are we?" Kenny asked.

For the first time, John could actually sympathize with the young twelve year old. Always being the one to stay at the lab while the others went about their important business. He could actually understand what Kenny was feeling. But what could the four of them do against an AVP anyway?

"Don't worry Kenny," John replied. "We're not being left behind. I figure the best we can do is to distract Damian as much as we can so Warren and the others can get some kind of upper hand on him."

Morlan nodded. "While Damian is occupied, I should be able to come up to him and knock him out with the lobotomizer."

"What a minute. How do you plan on doing that if he knows what you'll be doing before you do it?" Stephen asked.

"Another of my unique talents is to have my body act independently without thought."

"I don't understand."

John quickly came up with an explanation. "It's simple Stephen. For instance when you start getting stronger with your special powers, it'll become second nature for you to use them. Without much thought or effort."

"Much the same as my combat training in the military. After awhile, you don't think. You just react," Job added.

"Okay people. Enough of the school lecture in the finer art of not thinking at all. We got work to do," Warren harshly said. He then held himself steady up against the wall. It was a constant struggle to keep the viopathic nature inside and not have it run roughshod all over him again.

Morlan walked up to the struggling young man. "Warren, let me help out with that. I have some advanced techniques that should help you control your viopathic side."

Carol had a surprised look on her face. "You're an ATP too?"

Morlan put two hand on either side of Warren's head. "No. This is something that all telepaths can do if they're properly trained in it. Basically you tap into the areas of the brain that are receptive to passive thoughts. Not enough to have the viopath nature take over, but just enough to be able take out that machine of Damians."

They watched as Morlan worked on Warren. After a couple minutes, the time guardian retreated his hands away from him, but a troubled look on his face appeared. Job immediately came up them.

"What's wrong?"

Morlan seemed to have a puzzled look on his face. As if he couldn't believe what had just happened. He turned to regard Warren, who had an anxious look on his features.

"What I did was temporarily augment the part of your brain to remember certain, how should I say it, stimuli to help you control your viopathic half. You'll do it automatically without having to think about it."

Warren was wary. "Okay. But that doesn't explain the weird look you just had on your face."

The others had gathered around closer, expecting to hear bad news.

"Well, it just seemed that one of the things that calmed you down was a memory of listening to a record of......um.....the Osmond Brothers?"

Warren's eyebrows shot up quickly as Kenny sputtered and spoke.

"I can't believe this! You like the Osmond Brothers? That Jackson Five knockoff? Krikey Warren, I thought you had more class than that!"

Warren could only stand there, taking the verbal abuse that Kenny was launching at him, a slight redness creeping to his face.

"I don't!" Warren explained. "Julie likes them. It's not my fault that she always played them when we studied together."

Morlan quickly explained. "I believe its the association the music has with your friendship with Julie. You two were close."

Warren nodded quickly. John couldn't help but stifle a laugh that was coming from within. It wasn't too often that he saw his friend in an uncomfortable position. And this was definitely an odd time to see one take place.

Kenny was still shaking his head in disbelief. "Donny instead of Michael?"

Job had managed to get in a good quiet laugh as well. But this wasn't the time to go on about odd musical tastes. They still had a mission to accomplish.

"Okay people. Let's get back to the deed at hand.Kim and Astra are still out there needing our help." Job quickly gazed at Morlan, "Will Warren be able to find that machine?"

"If he can attune himself to the viopathic signatures of it," the time guardian replied.

"Okay. Let's get to it."

Warren quickly put his mind at ease. Concentrating and relaxing. Finally coming up with a possible sense of where Damians machine could be. Pointing to the corridor they should take to get there.

As the group began to make haste out of the room, Warren could still hear Kenny complaining about his lack of taste in music. He called out to him but the youngster wouldn't here of it.

"It's not my fault!"

It just now occurred to Warren that even if they miraculously survived this final encounter with Damian, he would have to face an even more formidable foe in Kenny about this latest 'betrayal'.

He caught up with Job. "It's not my fault. You heard what Morlan said."

"It's okay son. I understand."

Still, Job had to turn away to hide the snicker that was mercilessly attempting to escape.

It's not my fault, Warren thought. It's Julie's fault. Yeah, blame it on Julie.

***

The sounds that were immenating from the anteroom adjacent to theirs was almost as loud as the noise the space-time cyclone was making. While Astra and Kim were fighting Damian, the group that was comprised of John, Carol, Kenny, Stephen, Job, Morlan and Warren had cautiously made their way toward the room that held the temporal machine that was causing the cyclone.

John glanced worriedly down the immense hallway. "Sounds like they're just down the hall a bit."

"It sounds like it's coming from the weapons room," Morlan said.

"How do you know that?" Carol asked.

"I came through here earlier when I was looking for everybody. I passed a room with a variety of swords, armor and other supplies."

"Typical for Damian," John said.

"We should help them," Kenny added.

"No. Not until Warren does his job. We're not going to help anybody splitting up like that. The more telepaths going against Damian at the same time the better," Morlan reminded them.

Warren quickly came up to the machine. A crude piece that had obviously been built with whatever tools Damian could come up with in this century. He wavered for a bit, marveling at the apparent complicity of the equipment.

How can someone with an intellect as vast as his be so.....evil?

A presence came up beside him.

"You going to be able to do this?" Job asked, who had noticed Warrens hesitancy.

"Yeah....yeah. Let's do it."

Warren looked over the machine some more before finally putting his hands over it. Sensing for the viopathic link that would let him have access to it and shut it down. He closed his eyes as he felt for the intricate signatures......and found himself waking up with Job and John standing over him. Concern apparent in their eyes.

"What happened?" Job asked.

Warren was startled to find out he was laying on his back. The sound of the temporal cyclone was still apparent, but it had a different sound to it now.

"I don't know. You tell me."

Job helped him up off the floor as John brought him up to date. "You've been out for five minutes. One minute you're tinkering with the machine and the next you fall to the floor. You didn't turn it off, but you did something to the cyclone."

A loud, earsplitting sound came from the direction of where the fight was going on.

"Something of this magnitude will take awhile to dissipate. Warren did fine. We need to go help Astra and Kim before Damian gets the upper hand," Morlan said.

Warren let himself loose from Jobs grasp and immediately headed toward the battle. John and the others jumped in behind him.

Morlan grasped Jobs arm and took him to the side as the others ran off to help Warren.

"What's wrong?"

"I need you to stay behind a bit when we find Damian and the others."

Job was about ready to deck this time guardian. One of his students was in trouble and he wasn't about to abandon him now. Time laws or no. But before he could say or start anything, Morlan put his hands up. It seemed to temper him, for the moment. It was all the time guardian needed.

"Only until we're fighting Damian and he's thoroughly distracted in the battle."

"Why?"

"I know a lot about you Job. I've seen you in battle during your Vietnam War. You were a hard man. Your courage was undeniable and your initiative saved a lot of lives."

"Still is. You mind telling me your plan?"

Morlan worked up a way to explain in the shortest and easiest amount of time. Which was fast running out.

"You remember when John couldn't detect an aura around you when you were inside Warren's head?"

"Yeah, so?"

"To put simply, you have what is called a closed mind. A natural barrier against telepathic scans and attacks. Unless you forcefully allow yourself to be scanned, no telepath is strong enough to see within you. When all of you were inside Warren's mind, he was able to pick out the negative aspects of everybody. Except you."

Job was thinking fast about what Morlan told him. But another question quickly rose up. A question he had to ask before deciding if he should believe him.

"What about when Warren first attacked us. He reached into my mind and pulled out memories of when I was POW."

Morlan continued, "Partial memories. You also have to understand that you two were, and continue to be very close. I'm going to assume that he knew of your POW years before he became telepathic. Am I correct?"

Job nodded.

"Because of all the added stress of the past couple months with your sickness and the disorientation of time travel, Warren was able to get a slight peek at your mind. It was all he needed. And because of the familiarity he has of you, he was able to amplify your fears."

"Okay, okay. So what does this have to do with me having to hang back a bit?"

"You must listen to me. I'm counting on your courage and initiative to help us through this. It's the only way to beat him."

Confusion was etched on the former combat soldier.

"You'll be shielded from his telepathy for a few seconds when you come out in the open. "You should be able to tackle him from behind and pin him for a couple seconds before I fire it at him. The lobotomizer will not affect non-telepaths. I just need for you to hold him."

Job let out a breath.

"I don't know how I can fight on this guy's level but I'll give it my best shot."

As he was getting ready to catch up with the others, Morlan held on to him. Gripping his shoulders even tighter, he continued.

"As I said. Courage. Initiative. And I'll sacrifice myself if I have to. As Peter explained in the lab, I have unique abilities that I might be able to use against him."

Job understood. But looking in the young man's eyes made him suspect that he was trying to tell him something else. As if there was more to this conversation than Morlan was trying to say. Or could let on.

"Let's go."

As Morlan left, Job unconsciously felt for his switchblade that was strapped to his right ankle, a weapon he usually carried around on him wherever he went. It was a habit that he had long since given up breaking. It had gotten him out of some fairly hairy situations in the past. It comforted him to know that he had it on him. Although what use a three-inch blade could possibly do to a person as powerful as Damian, he didn't know.

As he caught up to the rest of the group, Job took Warren aside. He waited for the others to go ahead for a bit before finally letting go.

"What's wrong, Job?"

What could he tell his former student? Well, the honest truth for one thing.

"I can barely comprehend what's going on with all this but I want you to know, that I'm very proud of you."

Warren was about to respond but Job grasped his shoulders even tighter.

"We don't have time so you must listen to me, you must let me do what I think is best for you."

Warren slightly pushed his elder away.

"Stop talking like that. I've lost too many good people in my life just like you have. We're all getting out of here. You included."

The hard and determined look that his former pupil gave him cause Job to give pause for a bit. Then he realized that it was the same look and determination that he would give if things were the other way around.

"You've come a long way, son."

"I had some help."

They regarded each other for a bit. So many memories and emotions were coming up. They both had been through so much. To Warren, Job was the stability and anchor that he had desperately needed when he was younger. Effectively taking his dead fathers place to help raise him into a young man who could be proud of himself. To Job, Warren was the son he never had and in a way, a second chance to see the world through more hopeful, if not more innocent eyes, after all the suffering and death he saw in his military career and later within the civil rights movements.

"As I said, I'm proud of you." Job surprised his former student by abruptly getting him in a quick, brotherly embrace.

"Ready to take out the trash?"

"As always," Warren replied.

"Alright. Let's catch up to the others. I'll explain what Morlan told me."

They hastily made their way to the rest of the group.

***

Kim was using what telekinetics she had left to keep Damian away from Astra, who had been recovering from his latest telepathic blast. The AVP quickly covered the distance between them and struck at her physically. Before she could recover, he kinetically shoved her back a good five meters into a wall.

Astra yelled out Damian's name and quickly ducked as he threw heavy barrage of brick and concrete at her. She heard the rock hit the stone wall behind her with such tremendous force that it broke completely through the wall, revealing the outside where the temporal cyclone was. Small outcroppings of brick and stone protruded from the wall to stab uselessly toward the outside.

Before she could put up a defense, she felt herself being kinetically pushed toward it.

{{Goodbye, Ms. Utana.}}

She felt herself forcefully being shoved into the temporal cyclone and abruptly was slammed into the wall. Looking around quickly, she realized that whatever she had been pinned against was not the wall. She could see that she was mere inches away from being sucked into the temporal anomity, literally staring it right in the eye. Astra looked around and felt herself being floated toward Warren, who set her down gently beside her.

"They brought you back," Astra said, clearly astonished.

"It wasn't easy," Warren reiterated.

{{Betrayer!!}}

Damian seeing his prize pupil on the other side prompted him to release whatever telekinetics he had to destroy Astra and Warren. Suddenly his concentration was shattered. His mind seemed to be enveloped in a burning fire. As if his whole brain were being turned inside out.

No!!

Impossibly as it would seem, he was shot at. From behind. Damian turned around to discover that Morlan was alive and well. Holding in his hands a small weapon that was more than likely, the lobotomizer that Astra had been talking about.

He saw another red blast envelope him. Turning to where it was coming from, he saw the one called John firing a lobotomizer of his own. He continued to turn and realized they all had the same type of weapon. Obviously they were all mind-induced, but the real one was out there. He suddenly had to defend himself from an array of telekinetically flung objects.

As Damian was being kept occupied by John and the others, Warren and Astra went to help Kim from her recent attack from the AVP, who was already trying to recover.

"I don't think I have anything left Astra. I'm drained."

"Warren, do as I do."

Warren conceded as they both stood on either side of Kim and used their healing abilities to give her strength.

Kim immediately felt refreshed, although her energy levels were far from nominal.

The group that consisted of John, Carol, Kenny and Stephen were readying their own diversionary tactics, keeping Damian distracted and constantly on the defense.

[John, I can't keep this up for too much longer.] Stephen pathed.

[Do what you can.] John mentally cried out.

[He's so strong. It's hard to get a grip on him.] Carol said.

Kenny was feeling like he was reaching his limits with his telekinetic abilities. A quick glance toward Morlan's direction told him the time guardian was readying the hand-held weapon for its next assault.

As Morlan was getting ready to fire the lobotomizer again, Damian savagely took the weapon out from his hands. He then telekinetically threw it toward the warped cyclone, watching it as it flew up and than landed on the other side of the room. Using his immense kinetic resources he threw everything at the group. Whatever was not bolted down took to the air as if it had a life all its own. Striking whomever was unfortunate enough to be in its way.

"Carol! Look out!" Stephen cried.

The teenaged blond was so exhausted, she barely had time to acknowledge the wooden 4x4 that was being thrown toward her like a spear. She suddenly felt herself being shoved towards the floor as Stephen pushed her out of harms way. Unfortunately, the would-be hero wasn't able to find enough time to evade the wooden projectile and in that split-second, made his peace with himself. He felt as it made contact with his head. He heard Carol scream as he fell to the stone floor, panicking, thinking that surely, at least half his scalp had been ripped off.

Stephen heard Carol's alarmed voice as she came over to assist him. He heard her shocked intake of breath. Thinking that she saw a horrific sight, he began to panic, but she held him down.

"Oh God, it's okay Stephen! It's okay. You only have a scrape on your head. That's all! That's all!"

Carol did her best to comfort the brown-haired youth, who kept feeling the top of his head, hoping against hope that everything was intact.

Damian continued to stalk the two telepaths. Raising an arm, a sword, helped by telekinetic energy was thrust into his hands.

[John! I'm too weak. I can't stop him!]

Without thinking, Kenny picked up a fist-sized rock and hurled it toward Damian, actually catching the viopath off-guard.

An intense rage filled within Damian, having realized that he had, in fact, been caught off guard. Before he could do anything, a figure stepped squarely in between himself and his prey.

"I'm ready for that rematch now," Warren goaded his would be adversary.

Damian gazed at the two younger telepaths leaving from behind Warren. He noticed his one time student was looking at the wall that had crumbled from behind and showing the effects of the space-time cyclone. The AVP looked intently at his former pupil.

"Thinking about throwing me in there? Do you think you have the strength to do it?"

Damian unexpectedantly threw his sword to the floor.

"Do you have the courage to stand up to me one on one?"

Warren hesitated for a bit.Something didn't make sense. Even though there were three ATP's, including himself, and five regular telepaths, every one of them had their powers substantially weakened over the course of almost 48 hours. From Damians first attack until now, it had been non-stop. So the question was, why did it seem like he was holding back?

[Warren.]

[{Busy John. As you should know.}]

{{Your move Warren.}} Damian menacingly said.

[[Warren, this is Astra. Listen closely. Each of us are going to enhance your outer senses and speed up your metabolism.]]

[{Why?}]

This time, it was John speaking to him.

[You've fought with Damian before. You're the only one who even stands a chance at defeating him. We'll help you out by pooling together what energy we have left and giving it to you.]

Warren was going to object but deep within, he knew they were making sense. He didn't know what trials they had gone through to get this far, but all the constant fighting and usage of their abilities were starting to take their toll on each of them.

[[Open yourself to us. Let our energies flow through you.]]

Warren didn't know how he was receiving all this power. It unnerved him a bit to realize that after all that had happened, they were still willing to trust him with whatever reserves they had.

{{Let's go Warren. Let's see what all you've learned after spending a year with me.}}

[{Yes. Let's do that.}]

Knowing he couldn't jaunt because of the time-cyclone, Warren used his telekinesis to leap over and behind Damian and launched a savage kick straight into the viopaths back. An indignant yell arose from the viopath as he was thrust forward into a pile of rock.

Warren quietly studied Damian as the AVP picked himself up just as quickly. A look of shock and confusion etched on his face as he realized that he hadn't put his sword away.

"Not playing fair, are we?"

"Well guess what? After all this time with you, I've never seen you play fair. This isn't some Japanese movie where the villain and hero fight honorably. This is real and what I've seen from you, I can't afford to play fair. And in your case, I won't."

Hastily closing the distance between himself and Damian, Warren pulled a left feint with his sword, going for the right side of the viopaths neck. But then he was abruptly surprised when the viopath ducked to avoid the blade, coming up quickly to actually strike at Warrens hand, dislodging his grip of the sword.

Realizing Warren was distracted by the sword hitting the pavement, Damian did a complete 360 and struck at Warren's face with a powerful backhand and than raised his leg into a forceful strike to his chin.

Warren hit his back hard on the concrete, knocking the breath out from him

Warren, who was going by instinct and to prevent Damian from reading his mind on his next attack, used his telekinetics to retrieve whatever was out there to throw at him. A look of awe formed on his face when he realized he had retrieved the ownerless lobotomizer. Not hesitating, he aimed and fired. The lack of any significant pain from the viopath caused Warren to pull the trigger again.

Nothing.

Whatever had happened when Damian got a hold of it last time, if surely had effected its use. And the viopath wasn't about to let that luck elude him. He kicked fiercely at Warren, hitting the side of his ribcage.

The young man cried out from the pain as the viopaths foot connected solidly to his side. Another kick made him release his hold on the one weapon that might bring the AVP down.

The weapon flew out from his hands, to land near Morlan and Kenny.

The young African got to the lobotomizer first and pulled the trigger. "I can't get it to work!" He cried out.

Morlan hastily grabbed the weapon from the youngster.

John could only watch helplessly as his friend was laying it all on the line for them.

[Kim, hurry. Warren can't keep that up much longer. For that matter, neither can we.]

Warren could tell that they were losing. Damian was substantially weaker but it took all of their reserves of energy and whatever adrenaline rush they had just to get him down this far.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you all. You've been a grand challenge. I haven't had this much of a workout in years."

A fleeting and quick figure suddenly popped out from the corner of Damians eye. He immediately launched a telepathic assault on the intruder, but to his astonishment, nothing happened. Before he could switch tactics, Job was able to launch a tremendous blow at the viopaths head.

A dazed Damian felt like he had been slammed by one of Astra's telekinetic assaults. He glared at this elder man and realized that he was holding a hand-size rock that he had used to clobber him. Anger quickly welling in him at the realization that a mere sap had managed to get the upper hand, he telekinetically shoved the old man to the floor. Holding him there, he kinetically raised a boulder-sized rock and was prepared deliver a death blow to his head.

Job realized he had done all he could and was readying himself to die when the rock just hovered mere inches away from his face. He was eyeing it so closely, he could make out the little crevices and dust that had gathered and accumulated on it. His eyes then shifted to see Warren keeping the rock at bay with his telekinetics who eyed his teacher with a slight mischievous smile.

"What kept you?"

He than noticed a red hue envelope Damian and suddenly the rock sailed in to the air from his telekinetics. Damian actually seemed to weaken in front of him.

[Warren, that's all this weapon wrote.] Kenny pathed.

Last stand time.

Warren savagely football tackled Damian towards the opening of the wall, where the temporal cyclone was. There was no thought anymore, no plans, no strategy. It was Roger and Earl all over again, but this time he would not let his friends down. He would not stop until he had finished what he had started. Every strike, every punch was accepted by a rush of air coming from Damians lungs, and it fueled Warren. It fueled his fury, his anger over what the viopath had done to him the past year. What torture he must've put his friends through. He continued to keep Damian off-balance, not letting him get a moments breath. Every assault made the viopath step back closer to the opening in the wall.

John was readying to help his friend but was stopped by Morlan.

"What are you doing? He's going to need our help."

"Not yet!" Morlan answered back.

Warren continued to force Damian back in a raging haze. He felt his viopathic side starting to gain a stronger hold. But he didn't care anymore. If what he could do worked, he wouldn't have to worry about it anyway. As he made eye contact with the AVP, he noticed a look that he had never seen before.

[{John, you pompous prick, if you're going to help, now's the time!}}

[I don't know if we can.]

Warren could sense the helpless tone coming from his friend. But with all the hits Damian had taken from the lobotomizer, he could sense the viopaths mental shields were weakening. He found something inside the viopath that he was certain he could use against him.

{{You dare to look inside my mind? Then feel it all the way!}}

Warren suddenly saw images and scenery from Damian's mind. It was so overwhelming, so evil, it was all he could do to just ride it out. He barely realized that whatever it was he found out about the AVP, it had made Damian go berserk. So deep was he in his opponents psyche that he hadn't realized until too late that Damian had flung him toward the opening where the temporal cyclone was. But Warren was able to reach out and grap onto a part of the stone floor when he landed, keeping him from tumbling to the outside. He managed to put everything he had into his telepathic and viopathic assault.

John watched as Damian was struggling like a wild animal from Warren's continued pathic assault. The AVP seemed to had lost control of his powers and was assaulting everybody with everything he had.

[[Take cover!]] Astra telepathically yelled.

Everybody had no choice but to seek quick shelter from the kinetic and pathic assault Damian was doing. Carol screamed out in terror as a concrete block came streaking toward her. But before she could do anything, it passed right through her. Astra quickly brought the young blonde down to her level.

"It's a hallucination. Damians abilities are out of control," Astra reassured Carol.

Astra quickly got Kim's attention. "If we're going to put him out of commission, we have to make our move!"

"Let's do it!"

Astra was getting ready to stand and go after the two combatants when she suddenly saw a sword coming straight toward her.

Oh no! I can see it through the table which means...

Astra barely had enough time to push Carol out of the way as the butt of the sword struck at her head. Then darkness overcame her.

Kim cried out her teachers name as Carol and Stephen hastily came to her aid. Thinking quickly, she realized that she would have to do something about Damian. But it would have to be now. She quickly got up and charged toward the two combatants.

She had just reached them when Damian let loose a powerful telekinetic push that shoved Kim's body straight into Warren's, making them both to get tangled up with each other.

Job watched in horror as the screaming viopath kinetically pushed them out into the opening of the wall and into the outside. Their bodies dropping from view. Job forced his body into action to perform moves he hadn't done in years. But the commencement of age and the onslaught of cancer had taken its toll on his body. Damian immediately got the upper hold on him, striking at him aggressively in the abdomen. The elder teacher doubled over in pain but then suddenly came up, his head loudly connecting with the bottom of Damian's chin and then head-butted him once.

Twice.

Three times which left the AVP in a sort of daze. Job than used his right foot to sweep the viopaths left leg from under him, while pushing him away at the same time into the temporal twister.

But he hadn't counted on Damian reaching out blindly to grap a hold of Jobs collar, pulling him into the temporal rift with him.

Damian barely had time to grap onto another stone that had been sticking out from the damaged wall. He telekinetically held himself while at the same time, was trying to force Job off of him. But Job wasn't about to let this murderer get away with his students death. Which was why he was very surprised when he saw both Warren and Kim on the other side of the devastated wall, hanging onto another outcropping of stone and brick.

The force was terrific as the four of them could feel the rift trying to suck them in. Warren was wide-eyed as he saw his teacher still fighting Damian.

[{John! Get Job out of here. Use your telekinesis to float him back inside!}]

[We're trying to get to you! Damian is still throwing everything!] John mentally yelled back.

"Do what you were doing with him!"

Warren looked crazily at his mentor, who had an adrenaline-induced sleeper hold around Damians neck.

"Get inside his mind! Quickly boy!"

Between physically holding Kim so she wouldn't fly into the cyclone and trying to get back inside Damian's head, he felt certain he wouldn't be able to do both.

[[Do it Warren! It's the only way!]]

[{I can't! I'll drop you!}]

[[That's not your problem.]]

Kim purposely and savagely scratched as Warren hand, making him release his hold on her. She thought she heard him cry out as she was hurtling toward the cyclone. But before she could yell out in defiant victory, she suddenly felt herself floating in mid-air. Looking in shock, she saw the young telepath named Kenny straining his telekinetics to their utmost.

[John! Help!]

Both John and Morlan had been steadily working his way toward the edge, leaving behind Carol and Stephen to tend to Astra. Both were able to kinetically help out Kenny with his hold of the female ATP.

Kim slammed up against the edge of the outside wall next to Warren. Barely able to keep a fragile telekinetic grip on the outcropping of wall, that had since become very loose and weak from all the temporal winds. She looked directly at Warren as new pains in her body cried out for attention.

[[Looks like I'm back again. I just have a better hold. You have to trust me. I have a link to Damian. Follow it so we can end this!]]

Knowing that all their lives were on the line, Warren actually decided to listen to her. He felt as she connected with him and helped him find their way through Damians chaotic mind. Searching for the one thing he feared the most. It was like see-sawing their way through a rough boat ride through a storm.

It was pure chaos as the three of them merged minds. Seeing quick glimpses and flashes of their lives. Warren thought he would go mad with the images. It was all he could do to keep from burying himself within the memories.

Job was about ready to end it all when Damian suddenly screamed out in a delusional rage and panic. But the viopath still wouldn't let go of the stone wall he was hanging from. He glanced down to see John, Kenny and Morlan, who looked like they were nearing the end of their limit with their powers. He watched as they couldn't hold on to Kim any longer. Just as she lost her grip, Warren suddenly grabbed her by the wrist. He felt as Damians body suddenly ceased it's panicked thrashing.

{{You can't win!}}

"You can't win!" Damian victoriously screamed out

With all the noise and chaos, Job felt remarkably calm as he reached down toward his switchblade he had on his right ankle.

Damian continued to struggle against the physical assault by Job and Warren and Kim's telepathic assault. He let loose a strong telekinetic push against the weak part of the wall that the female ATP was hanging onto. He would take both of them out with one push but because of the powerful winds the cyclone was manifesting, the plan backfired and the wall decided to collapse toward John and Morlan.

[Look out!]

Morlan quickly moved John out of the way just as a rain of stone and brick collapsed on the time guardian.

The continued stress caused the part of the wall that Kim was clinging to, to literally disintegrate, causing her to fall upwards toward the bottom-most part of the cyclone and loosing her grip with Warren's hand. Warren immediately caught her again.

No more time!

Job quickly opened up his switchblade and instantly plunged it through Damians hand. It felt like he was going to fall off as Damian started to buckle under the unexpected physical assault. Using what little strength he had left, he wrapped his other arm around the viopaths neck and used all his body weight to pull him off the ledge.

Warren looked in alarm at what Job was doing. He managed to connect with his former teachers eyes and knew what he was planning. Before he could speak against what Job was doing, the former soldier grabbed the blade and pulled it out from Damians hand, startling the viopath with the unexpected release and breaking his tenuous grip on the ledge, causing them to be caught and lifted into the spinning vortex itself.

Before Warren could yell out his teachers name, the wall that he had the tenuous grip on decided to start crumbling. Without the added telekinetic boost to help Kenny to keep it stable, it would be only seconds until it disintegrated entirely and helped him and Kim into the temporal abyss.

[{Kim! Port out of here!}]

Before she could respond, the wall gave out, crazily tumbling them towards the temporal vortex. As they were being bodily raised, the wall that had given out suddenly blocked their ascension. With the sudden air pocket, they immediately plummeted down toward the ground. They felt as a fierce and desperate telekinetic force yanked them back towards the room and plowed them into a couple of the telepaths.

A strange overwhelming silence enveloped them as the vortex, apparently sated by it's abduction of the two humans began to recede upwards towards the sky.

Warren was too exhausted to even try and follow the vortex's ascent. He just knew that once again, he had lost somebody whom he cared about very much.

As the others started to gather around to offer assistance, Morlan slowly got up and leaned against a pile of rock that had fallen during the battle. Trying to catch his breath, he hadn't noticed a female form approaching him.

"You knew. You knew all this time that Job would save us by sacrificing himself."

Morlan slowly shook his head as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I only knew that two of you wouldn't make it. I'm sorry, Carol."

"Tell that to him," she pointed toward a grief-stricken Warren, who could only gaze out at the spot that Job had made his last stand.

Morlan's knees suddenly buckled from underneath and only the quickness of Carol's helping arm prevented him from crashing to the floor.

"Feels like I'm more injured than I thought."

"Will you be alright?" Carol asked, an intense look forming across her face.

"Nothing that a little session with a healer won't cure. Please don't use your powers. All of you will need what little strength you have left to make the journey back to your own time."

"But how did you survive? You told us you were dying."

Morlan looked at the bewildered Astra who was coming up to them while rubbing at her right temple where the butt of the sword had struck her earlier.

"I was. As I told Stephen earlier, my race has a gift for being able to go into deep state of unconsciousness. So deep in fact that unless you, as a telepath, know what you're looking for, I will for all intents and purposes be dead in your eyes. I'll even leave a type of telepathic emptiness, which I'll assume Astra, you already knew of. I also have a fairly unique ability that let's my physical body act independently of thought. As you saw earlier."

Astra was in impressed. "Peter was right when he said you had some abilities that would come in handy. And you're right. I had a feeling you weren't dead but I had to keep it to myself so Damian wouldn't read into it. We needed every advantage we could get."

"It's still wasn't too pleasant Astra, especially since I realized that if I didn't put myself in that healing coma quickly, I really could die. And I'm still not out of the woods yet. I'm still extremely weak. Damian packed quite a punch with me."

"He did with everybody," Astra reminded him as she looked around at the catastrophic scene they had caused.

Morlan glanced over at Carol, who was walking over to where the others were helping Warren and Kim.

He gestured toward them. "Unfortunately some wounds don't have the luxury of being healed physically."

***

John was silent as he trudged up the hill to Warren, whose well-built frame was silhouetted against the mid-afternoon sky. He came up to stand beside him.

"I can't believe he did that. I was supposed to have died with Damian."

It was barely a whisper, but John was able to hear the anguish and distress in his friends voice.

"Do you think that was hell, John?"

"What?" John was taken aback by the unexpected question.

Warren continued to gaze out toward the grassy land.

"Sorry John. Didn't mean to confuse you. But Job had a spiritual side to him that he didn't let out too much. He believed in that stuff. And all I can think of was that Damian was luring me, taunting me, goading me to play his way. All the while he was leading me towards that abyss. But Job saved me, again. I guess that's the closest parallel I can associate all this to when I think about it. I did a lot of horrible things this past year with that 'vilepath' John. I tried to fight him but...."

"I know you've heard this before, but you can't blame yourself. Damian was a nasty enemy who used our fears and negative aspects of ourselves to turn on ourselves and each other. He was a shrewd manipulator."

Warren nodded. "From the bits I was able to get from him, it seemed like he wanted to go into that temporal twister."

John mulled over what his friend had said about Damian. It didn't seem to make sense that the viopath intentionally wanted to go into the temporal anomaly. >From what he could remember seeing, the viopath fought them tooth and nail against going in there.

"That doesn't seem to make sense," John quietly said.

Warren turned to gaze at his friend. "Like you said earlier, he was a shrewd manipulator."

A trio of figures came up toward the spot that John and Warren were having their discussion.

"How are we doing?" Carol asked.

"We're doing," Warren said.

Stephen came up to him. "I know Astra said that there's going to be an inquiry about all that's happened. But I just want you to know that all of us are behind you."

Warren turned to regard Stephen in a way he never had before. He smiled in appreciation because he knew that the thirteen year old meant it. Even after all the suffering he had caused. Directly and indirectly. He looked at all of them and realized that he was surrounded by friends.

"Thank you."

"Morlan says we should be ready to go back to our own time in another fifteen minutes John," Carol said.

"I hope we can get back to our time. I'm plain exhausted," Stephen said.

Kenny nodded in agreement as he scrunched his eyes shut from the new, painful throbbing in his head.

"It feels like I've put my poor skull through a vice with all the kinetics I did."

John went toward the young twelve-year old. "You did a grand job Kenny. I must say that I'm proud of you."

Kenny couldn't help but smile at the compliment he had received. And from the tone that John said it in, a new-found respect as well.

"We all did well," Carol added.

"I have to say that we all pulled together for this one. And if I had to do it again, I would."

All heads turned toward Stephen's unexpected words.

"You're kidding right?" Kenny asked.

Stephen looked at each of them in turn. "Well, I'm exaggerating, but I know now what my duty is with these special powers. I can't turn my back on them."

The foursome eyed Stephen suspiciously as the thirteen year old opened his mouth wide to let out what must've been the worlds longest yawn.

"The kid's exhausted John," Warren pointed out.

"And delirious. No person in their right mind would want to go through what we just did," Kenny said.

"Very true. Still, we have a lot to talk about after we get rested up," John said.

"We can handle it John," Carol said, a sincere smile forming on her face.

As they started to trudge downwards towards the others, Carol turned to regard Warren who was still standing where he was. She came back up to him.

"I'm going to make sure his sacrifice wasn't in vain Carol. I will make something of myself."

Carol gently took his hand into hers. "Job would've wanted that for all of us. We all will."

As they slowly started the long walk back, a quick thought came to the young, teenaged blond.

"What did you find out about Damian? You really seemed to have him spooked about something."

"I think I found out his fear."

"What was it?" she asked.

Warren thought back. "A lot of weird images but I seemed to catch on to the one thing that he seemed to totally reject from. Peace."

Carol's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

The seventeen year old could only shrug his shoulders. "Well, I figure that with you normal telepaths, you all do your best to avoid violence, while the viopaths do everything in their power to avoid calmness. Viopaths have to have chaos and fighting while telepaths need calmness and passiveness. From one extreme to the other."

"Damian thrived on confusion and chaos. I don't think he could handle anything that was even remotely calm," Carol said.

They were almost catching up to the others.

"Well, maybe that's what us ATP's are for. We kinda come in the middle."

They both actually managed a good-natured laugh over his words. As they reached the group, Astra handed them their time discs. She purposely held Warren's hand for awhile longer.

"It was suggested that we have a moment of silence for your teacher, Warren. He was of great help to all of us. And the galaxy."

Warren nodded in silent appreciation as they all turned their thoughts inward, to remember the man who had so helped them in this moment of crisis.

"Let's go home," John quietly said.

The eight telepaths concentrated and then suddenly vanished from sight. Not leaving behind any memory of their presence.

The End

Next: Advanced Warnings: The Last Day