Chapter Twenty One - Reunion

Ciarán had tracked him down to a simple coffee shop in city centre. He could see Daniel in his seat from the window – the girl was gone, presumably at the counter. And the other man was missing too. Steeling himself, Ciarán entered the building, cursing the small bell over the door. Thankfully only the employee behind the till looked up, with a startling look of relief on his face.
He sat down opposite Daniel; Ciarán stared fiercely at him as he clenched his fists. “What have you done with yourself Daniel?” he asked quietly. “The guy I knew would never have lowered himself to being some madman’s lackey.”

“That madman gave me my ability,” Daniel hissed. “He made us equals, you and me!”

“Except I don’t work for somebody the way you do,” Ciarán retorted. “I’m a free man. A little different than everyone else, yes, but I’m not some slave to freak who would risk another human’s life for his own goal.”

Daniel lowered his gaze behind his sunglasses. They darted about, as if looking for some response etched onto the table. “You’re right,” he muttered, catching Ciarán off guard. “He did risk my life. He knew I might not survive. I did too. And guess what, Ciarán? I survived! I’m one of the stronger ones! You just can’t accept it, can you? That an old friend is a little different too?” He let out a low chuckle. “You always were jealous of me.”

I had been jealous, hadn’t I? He always had everything. But I’m not jealous anymore.

“It’s called pity,” Ciarán told him menacingly.

When Daniel leapt across the table Ciarán was ready.

***

Lisa sensed them coming before she saw them. She wasn’t quite sure how she had done it. Somehow she just knew they were there. It was like they were waiting for her to prod their minds. It frightened her that she might be able to get in. She pulled herself back as they approached, side by side, but not so close that Lisa would have thought they were actually walking together.

She didn’t recognise the man, but when she saw Edel, her dark red hair magnificently lit up in the sun, she knew she could trust him. Something about Edel was oddly calming. Despite what she could do, she was one of the gentlest people Lisa had ever met. She told herself she would be like that when she was older.

“Lisa,” Edel sighed, taking her by the shoulders and pulling her into an embrace. “We’ll get him back. We’ll free them all.”

The man stepped up to Lisa when Edel let go. “Carl,” he said to her quietly, his hand extended.
She took it lightly, uncertainly. Carl looked a mess. Baggy eyes, unshaven face, an odd tiredness in his movements. “It’s a pleasure,” she replied, trying her best to sound optimistic. “I’m Lisa.” A light smile came to his face. It seemed to give him some life.

“Why don’t you tell us what you know, Lisa,” Edel suggested.

Lisa took a deep breath before she began, trying her best to get what she needed to say sorted in her head before she started talking. “We set them up, Will and I. He let them take him, and we kept a link so that I could track him. It was all going fine, until it started getting weaker. We couldn’t hold it together so weakly... I think I knew something was wrong. He warned me to stay away...” She rubbed a tear from her eye. “I don’t even know if he’s alive!” she cried.

“If they’re anything like Horizon, then he will be,” Edel said firmly.

“That’s where he is!” Lisa exclaimed, much to the surprise of Edel and Carl. “An old warehouse building in a burnt down district. It was abandoned years ago because of the health hazard. It’s beyond the dessert. It’s the only thing out there that they could possibly go to!”

“Do you think... there are others?” Carl asked her.

“His friends have gone missing,” Edel explained to the confused Lisa. “One was taken right under his nose. The other... well he hasn’t heard from him in a while. We think he may have been taken too.”

Carl nodded slowly. “He had a few run-ins with them before. And with a... train driver? He was taken too. I think I remember Brock telling me about it... right from under his nose...” He shook his head. “We have to get them free. All of them.”

“Thank you,” Lisa muttered, dabbing her eyes before the tears started rolling down her cheeks.

She so desperately wanted to see Will again, she barely realised what she was feeling for him was more than what she had thought. It really was love. The word shaped into a new meaning. She would get him back. She had to.

***

Following another one of Jimmy’s gut feelings, Anne had him clutching to his seat as she sped into the city centre. Ciarán was in trouble. He sensed it. She believed him. She had to. And she knew where he would be. She knew she would have to do all the work – Jimmy couldn’t go anywhere near the place.

“Jimmy, how much further?” she asked him.

“Not too far...” His phone began vibrating beside him. “Hello?”

“Stay away from there!” the hoarse voice roared. “We warned you already!”

“We have to save Ciarán!” he bellowed into the phone. “There’s nothing you can do to stop us.”

“You are right...” There was silence for a time, as the person on the other end of the line thought of a response. Jimmy waited anxiously, seeing the cafe speed into view. “Get Jenkins out.”

“Anne... shoot at the coffee house,” Jimmy ordered. Her face twisted into one of disbelief. “Just do it! We have to get Jenkins out!” She let out a sigh as she made to lean out the window. Jimmy held tightly onto the wheel, trying his best to keep the car going straight. “Anne hurry up! We’re almost there!”

***

The table had been upturned in a flash. Daniel cared very little about anything but hurting Ciarán. When he reached him he was catapulted away by his old friend’s legs. Ciarán climbed uneasily to his feet, readying himself for a fight. The crowd had already parted. The owner had a frightened, overwhelmed look on his face.

“Come on Daniel! I can take you!” Ciarán taunted.

With a grunt Daniel fixed his suit, then clenched his fists. He began throwing wild punches. Ciarán made little work of dodging them, but was distracted by the sound of a speeding car approaching from outside. The brakes were squealing uncomfortably against the road. Before Ciarán could see who was driving, the front door shattered inwards with a spark of electricity.

The owner let out a wild scream, rivers of different coloured smokes rising from his flesh. He made to push his way out the side door when a red tendril seemed to solidify, the smoky form smashing through the thin wood on the door, sending splinters everywhere. The man was gone in an instant, not even pausing to wonder at what had happened.

This moment of distraction for Ciarán left him on the floor, nursing a throbbing head. To make matters worse, the way out was sealed by an invisible wall. Ciarán was trapped between it and Daniel. The latter’s accomplices stood at opposite ends of the counter.

As Anne and Jimmy rushed into the cafe, their attention was redirected. Jimmy wasted no time in focusing upon the man, following his instincts, reaching into the man’s soul. He placed a hatred in there, anger and fear. The uncertainty threw the man off balance as his threw a punch from across the room. A transparent ball spot from his arm, causing everything around it to shift slightly on the tables. In the end it spun into his female partner, launching her into the wall.
With a curse he made to move to her. Anne wasn’t about ready to let him near her. The lights flickered as an electrical current ran from them through her. It wasn’t necessary, she knew, but it would help her in the long run. Shooting from the car had drained her of her own energy. She felt it. And now she could feel the storm launch from her finger tips.

It spanned out in every direction, bouncing off the tables, scorching them as the sparks centred towards the man in the black suit. As they met, the man was dragged into the air. He crashed into the ceiling, falling painfully onto the counter.

This intrusion had distracted Daniel long enough for Ciarán to reach into his pocket. Focusing hard, he filled the handful of coins with energy, feeling them vibrate against each other, eager to release their hold. He threw them into the air as he leapt to his feet. Dozens of tiny explosion filled the cafe, knocking Daniel onto a chair, toppling it in the process.

By the time he got to his feet, Anne had already driven off with Ciarán and Jimmy. Daniel let out a curse as he inspected his partners. Both were struggling to their feet. They would have some explaining to do when they got back.

***

Where are my answers? Where do I belong?

Naomi was walking uncertainly down another unfamiliar road. She appreciated how it fit in with her situation. But even still, there were no answers here.

“There never will be answers,” a soft voice said to her from behind.

“And there never will be anywhere for you.”

It echoed around inside her head. It dug deep. Tore at her like a talon. Ripped out everything she held dear. “Who are you?” she whimpered. She turned to face the woman. She had the look of a woman in control, a look Naomi had lost after attacking Emily. She held her hips comfortably, a tight black suit gripping her slim figure. “What do you want with me?” she screamed.

“That’s precisely it,” a man said from behind the woman. Naomi noticed the van only then. White and haunting. A man in a long white coat stepped out from behind its open back door. “We want you.”

Naomi stared at those cold, unseeing silver goggles. “No!” she screamed. “Leave me alone!” She turned on her heel to run, but only got a few steps when a dart hit her neck. She collapsed to her knees as her legs went numb. She fell to the ground, lying flat out on her stomach.

Emily Quigley... I’m sorry!

“She’s gone. Just like you.”

[End of Part Three]

Chapter Twenty - Warning

Anne and Jimmy were following what Jimmy called a lead. He refused to tell her where he had gotten the information regarding the men in black, but insisted on her coming along. In truth it was a feeling he had gotten from the attackers. He held it at bay; he didn’t want Anne to get suspicious of his ability. But for some reason he had an uncontrollable desire for coffee, and only one place seemed to come to mind. He knew it was what he needed.

“Jimmy, where are we going?” Anne demanded.

“Jenkins,” he told her casually. She turned her eyes from the road to stare fiercely at him; she wanted more information. “The coffee place. You know it!” She shook her head. “The place everyone says they leave feel better after.”

“And why are we going there? It’s not true you know. There’s nothing in that coffee that can just make you feel better. It’s just coffee.”

Jimmy let out a laugh. “Jenkins isn’t just a coffee place, Anne! It’s an escape!” She scoffed at his words. “It’s a lead,” he said confidently. “Trust me on this.”

A soft buzzing came from his pocket. Quickly he reached in to pull out his mobile phone. “Be careful,” a hoarse voice said to him. “Where you’re going; it’s not safe. You won’t be able to control it anymore. The two that have gifts contrary cannot be near each other.”

“Who is this?” he hissed into the phone.

“A friend. Just stay away. Your ability will hurt everyone if you go near Jenkins.”

“What do you mean?” he said angrily.

“Look at your friend. You lack control. Jenkins too lacks control. He will absorb that you give out, and eventually change it to hurt others. Stay away from him.”

The phone hung up abruptly. Jimmy stared blankly at it. “What the hell was that?” Anne snapped. Jimmy was silent, taken aback by her. She shook her head. “Sorry about that... don’t know what came over me.”

Control...

Jimmy mused on the words he had heard. He knew they were true. He had done that to Anne.

“Stop the car. We’re going back.”

“What do you mean we’re going back? We’re almost there!”

“Just trust me.”

Stay away from Jenkins? Guess that makes him like us. A mutant. Small world...

***

It seemed Daniel hadn’t gone that far. Two strange people were spotted near the school. Ciarán had asked around rather casually, expecting to find out which direction they had gone. To find they had barely left was a surprise in itself. He guessed Daniel was still injured. Though, he wasn’t sure he had done that much to him.

What would they be doing here, anyway? Could they still be after us?

He kept his hand closed around some coins in his pocket just in case he was ambushed. The last thing he needed was to go down like this; hunting a lead then being picked off by it. But Daniel and the girl were close. He knew it.

You won’t get away this time.

***

The phone rang for what seemed the millionth time without answer. He decided to give up. Edel was simply out of reach. Carl, then, was still alone. He was tired. He had nowhere to stay. He had nothing in this world.

Only Emily...

He recalled again finding her slumped by her car, seemingly lifeless. It was an eternity away. A lifetime of horror and loneliness. A lifetime without Emily. All because he hadn’t made it to her on time. All because he had told her to leave the room.

The room!

He knew where he could go at last. The motel room. The one they had gotten when they were in Black Lake. She had left her credit card there to pay for the room. They still had it. Though it had been weeks, Emily was still paying for it. Which meant Carl had somewhere to sleep for the night. Somewhere else to try contact Edel from too.

He focused hard on the location. It had long ago been burnt into his memory. He closed his eyes from the strain, fatigue making any teleportation difficult. He felt himself jerk uncomfortably. He fell to his knees, opening his eyes to see Emily’s red convertible still parked in the motel parking lot. How it had remained untouched he didn’t know. But the sight of it brought back his memories again.

It hurt to see the place so empty, yet it somehow made sense. Here his love was taken from him. No one would disgrace the land here again. No one would walk this place again or disturb that which was hers.

Here only Carl would get some rest, despite the pain it brought his heart. This was Emily’s gift to him. Freedom.

***

Will was gone. Lisa was alone. It was the first time in weeks she had really been alone. It frightened her. She needed Will. She didn’t even want to see her parents. She didn’t need them like she needed Will. And she knew only one person could help her. She flicked through her phonebook, landing on the number that had been given her in case of emergency. Edel.
It didn’t take long for her to answer. “Edel?” Lisa called into the phone.

“Lisa? That you? Where’d you go?”

“We tried to track down where those guys take people,” Lisa told her. “Will had a hunch about it. He wasn’t the first one taken. But he’s gone, Edel. He had himself taken by them, but I’ve lost my connection with him. I can’t talk to him anymore.”

Edel was silent for a while. “What can I do to help?”

“Well, I need to meet up with you again. I think I know where they’ve taken him.”

“Then I’ll come get you. Tomorrow. Where we first met.” Lisa made to hang up. “I’m sorry about Will, Lisa.”

“Thanks.”

For everything.

***

Edel paced the room slowly. It wasn’t a happy place to be. She missed her old apartment. But it was gone, like everything else in her life. She had to get to the end of this. She had to help Lisa. And Carl. She rang once again. The connection went through quickly, the phone ringing. Her heart raced. She had found him.

“Hello?” a sleepy voice said to her.

“Carl? Is that you?”

“Edel?” he cheered, suddenly seeming awake. “What is it? I’ve been trying to get in touch with you!”

“I need your help. A friend needs me. And I could use you there.”

“But... Emily... she’s been taken.”

Emily too...

Edel knew what this meant. The men in the black suits had her. Like they had Will. “I can get her back. If you help me, Carl.” She let out a deep breath. “I may know someone who can find her. She’s who I need to help, Carl. Her boyfriend was taken. They staged it. She knows where he might be! But I need you to help us get there.”

“You can get Emily back...”

She really is all he can think about...

“I hope so, Carl. I hope so.”

Chapter Nineteen - Lost

Carl wasted no time in reporting Emily’s kidnapping to the hospital staff. He fought back the tears he knew were coming. He couldn’t face losing her again. “Excuse me!” he exclaimed at the front desk. A large, dark haired nurse turned to face him, bags under her eyes. “My friend Emily was taken from her room! You have to call the authorities!”

The nurse let out a slight snort. “What did you say her name was?” She moved slowly towards her computer.

“Emily Quigley!” he shouted at her, regretting he had down it by the fierce look she gave him.

“Look, young man, my job is hard enough without you shouting at me.” Carl nodded, looking away bashfully. “Quigley, Quigley... Mary Quigley did you say?”

“Emily,” he panted, losing his patience.

A frown came to the nurse’s face. “There’s no Emily on the system. Never was.” Carl stepped back in shock. “Sorry.”

“You have to be lying...” he muttered.

Emily...

***

Lisa could feel a struggle happening. Will was losing control. She sensed the connection getting weaker every minute. They wouldn’t hold out much longer. Lisa was worried that they had been discovered by the woman Will had told him about.

Will seemed to be screaming for help. She felt his presence pulsating towards her out of rhythm. Like it was trying to get away somewhere.

“Get away Lisa!”

She let out a gasp involuntarily. He was gone. Without a trace. She couldn’t find him anymore.

“Will!” she moaned.

Where are you?

***

There were no leads. No way of tracking her down. Edel had to give up. Naomi had gone missing. And with that Carl would never get Emily back. Edel had failed him. She had failed herself. She couldn’t even help one person. What did that say about her?

I have to tell him.

She let out a sigh. “Carl... I’m sorry. She’s gone.” She shook her head. “No that won’t do. Carl, I found her but she got away!” She banged her head off the table. “This is going to be harder than I thought.”

***

Daniel had vanished. Ciarán could find no other word for it. He had contacted all of their old friends. Not a single one had heard from him in two years, when he had left home after meeting with the madman Number One.

Ciarán remembered it well. His own discovery at having an ability. Daniel’s jealousy. How he had tried to show Ciarán that he was like him by going to Number One. He had spent days in a hospital bed. He had suffered, and survived. He had shown Ciarán that he was strong, faster too, than before. He had shown Ciarán the things he could do.

But Ciarán was not impressed. He was worried for Daniel’s sake.

In his hunt to be, what, equal? He forgot was he was. He forgot who he was. And he gave himself up.

And now he was gone. It was just like before. It was just like Daniel.

***

It seemed to teachers Anne and Jimmy that Horizon must have been very good at covering their steps in all things mutant related. They could find nothing more relating the men in the black suits to Horizon. Nothing to suggest they had lost an important member of their staff. Nothing at all really.

Except... there was one article. A man had lost his memory for a few days. A Horizon employee. He had been attacked, it seemed. By a mutant. That’s what he told people. A tall blonde woman. She had apparently taken his memory from him. Left him comatose. He had been the only person to have made such a claim.

“So that’s it, then?” Jimmy asked. “No more trouble at Horizon?”

“More burnt down buildings that any company of their size,” Anne pointed out. “Not a very good record to hold, is it? I certainly wouldn’t feel very safe in their hands.”

***

Carl stayed in the room the entire time, wishing silently for Emily’s impossible return. It was like she was dead. Gone forever. There was no way he could face the world like this. In a drunk-by-fatigue state, without sleep or company... Carl couldn’t handle it. He needed to talk to someone. He needed to sleep. He needed help finding Emily.

Edel... can you help me? Will you?

He didn’t know. He wasn’t sure he cared right now. He had to talk to someone. And if she couldn’t help him finding Emily she could at least give him a place to stay for the night.

Then he would chase after Emily.

Chapter Eighteen - Threads

Anne loved to read. She would read just about anything. Even tabloid papers, despite how much she complained about them. She found them an easy read after work. And it was because of this that she stumbled across a “human interest” story. A flying woman. A man with her. They had been seen after a strange explosion caused a ruckus at an apartment block. The entire wall of one of the rooms was blown outwards, glass shattering onto the road. Conveniently a photographer had been on the scene and had had sense enough to capture the pair flying away.

“It’s them,” Ciarán told Anne and Jimmy. “Daniel and the woman who brought him away from here. There’s no doubting it’s her.” He cursed under his breath. “What do you think they were doing there?”

“Maybe...” Anne muttered. Ciarán and Jimmy shared a glance and waited for her to continue.

“Well, the news stations have been talking about... mutants. How they’re dangerous. How they’re kidnapping people. Like a guy in Black Lake. Middle of the day... two men in black suits. Left the girl there for some reason.”

“So what are you getting at?” Ciarán asked impatiently.

“They’re after mutants...” Jimmy whispered. “Like us.” This caught their attention. “It makes sense. Why else would they send Daniel and the other two? They must have known I’d ask for your help. You do have a way of getting me out of trouble... If they know where Anne and I work they might know that.”

“So we’re mutants?” Ciarán asked aloud. “Dangerous! That what you’re saying!”

“Or in danger...” Anne mumbled. She didn’t like the idea of being different either. And she didn’t like that her life was at risk because of it. “What else do we have on these guys?”

***

For Edel, finding Naomi was proving increasingly difficult. She had found her mobile number eventually. But contacting it failed. It seemed to have stopped working. And she didn’t think Naomi was avoiding her. Why would she leave a contact number if that was the case?

As well as that, Naomi seemed to have learned her lesson when it came to taking peoples’ memories. It left Edel with nothing to follow. And she had no inclination as to where Naomi was heading. With that she had disappeared. No trace of her left.

Which meant Carl would have some trouble containing Emily.

***

Will had been easy to track, but difficult to keep in contact with. Lisa couldn’t communicate with him at all. She was worried for his safety; she wanted to know how he was doing. She didn’t know what they might be doing to him. She shivered at the thought of him in danger.

At least she knew where he was at all times. She knew how far away he was, in which direction. She used a map to track him through the desert on the dirt road. But there was nowhere to go out there, only some old buildings. And most of them had been destroyed in a fire years before according to all the sources Lisa had found on the internet.

One in particular caught her attention. The largest building of them all, the only one that hadn’t collapsed through entirely at some point – the building had belonged to Horizon Inc. Instinctively she knew it was Will’s ultimate destination in the back of the white van.

***

She never kept still. Carl noticed it quite easily. Emily never sat in one place too long. She was always fidgeting. She kept playing with the buttons of her blouse. She had tried to leave more than once, and Carl had had to try stopping her. Thankfully she refrained from using her ability. He guessed that she didn’t know how to use them properly.

The nurses had begun to notice him struggling with her. With looks of pity in their eyes and sympathy in their voices they suggested he get some help from a specialist doctor. Reluctantly Carl agreed. They gave him a phone number for a doctor they believed could help Emily. He was positioned in Black Lake – a private doctor, usually travelling between hospitals.

Carl took a risk and left Emily in the room by herself to use the payphone. The phone rang slowly in his head, emphasising how tired he really was. Finally someone answered. “Hello, Doctor Noel Landy’s office. How can I help you?”

“My friend... she’s lost her memory,” Carl explained in a drone. “I need help for her... please...”

“Of course,” the woman replied. “Name?”

“Carl... Carl Kenny. She’s Emily Quigley.”

“Very good,” she stated monotonously. “Now,” she said with a cheery voice,” you’ll need to bring Emily here Mr Kenny. The Doctor currently has a full appointment list and cannot afford to leave Black Lake at the moment.”

“Yes... yes of course.” He turned to check on Emily, heart skipping a beat as he saw her missing from the room. Dropping the phone he ran towards the door, seeing a struggling Emily in the hands of one of men who had taken him in Black Lake. She tried screaming but his hand was over her mouth. She kicked out in every direction, panic in her eyes. “Emily!” he screamed.

She was dragged into a white van as she finally got her mouth free. “Help me! Please! Somebody!” She was in tears as the doors closed on her, and Emily was sped away from Carl.

And once more he was alone.

***

“There is something...” Jimmy mumbled. “In New Thanes a few weeks ago I saw someone soaring through the air, but he didn’t look like he had much control. He was sort of confused as to what happened. I’d seen him the entire time, following someone I think.”

“What makes you so sure?” Ciarán asked, scepticism in his voice.

“He was dressed like Daniel. Down to the sunglasses. I thought I’d lost him in the crowds when the next thing I knew, there he was, heading down the street in mid air.” He rubbed his eyes, trying to remember more. He jerked when he thought of the note on his car. “He was here! He delivered a note!”

“He what?” Anne shrieked.

“He came here. To deliver a note. I was supposed to... kill you?” Embarrassed he looked away.
“He wore a black suit, but as soon as I saw him he vanished. Ran I think. I saw a blur. That’s it.”

“Super speed then,” Ciarán grumbled. “And all we can do is blow stuff up and shoot lightning from our fingers,” he grinned.

“And what about Jimmy?” Anne asked, staring at her colleague suspiciously. “What can you do Jimmy?”

“I don’t know yet...” he mumbled. “Anyway, there’s more. A fight in a restaurant. Some guy getting beat up by a guy in a black suit. Caused quite a stir in the place. And a tremor or two. It was like an earthquake. Then... knives and forks flying everywhere. At the guy in black.”

“A mutant,” Anne stated. “That about confirms the theory that they’re after mutants. And I suppose, they are too. It’s the only explanation for it. But I don’t understand why they want us dead...”

“Genocide...” Jimmy moaned. “Because we’re not working with them.” A gasp came from Ciarán. He was reading an old newspaper. “Did you keep that thing?” Jimmy asked Anne.

“Media studies,” she explained. “What’s gotten to you?” she asked Ciarán, grabbing the newspaper.

“A businessman killed himself,” he replied. “He was wearing the same clothes as Daniel and the others... Do you reckon he was with them?” Neither of the teachers responded. “The tracks were bent... broken really. That’s what it says. They’re not connecting the two... but as far as I know trains don’t just get back on the tracks. It’s physically impossible.”

“He’s right,” Anne exclaimed, a hint of excitement in her voice. “And there was odd seismic activity in the area! And in the area of the restaurant. The date matches the track bending.” She turned the paper around for them to see the article – journalists playing with the idea that the world was tearing itself apart. “That was no businessman, then.”

“And he probably didn’t kill himself...” Jimmy told them. “He could have gotten on the train for that if he was going to take all those people with him. Or trying to. I don’t think he was expecting the train to hit him. Where’d he work anyway?”

Anne quickly scanned the page. “Horizon.”

Chapter Seventeen - Standstill

When Carl returned to Emily’s room a flood emotions took him. At first he was overcome with joy. Seeing Emily awake for the first time since he had been taken had caught him off guard. By the time he had shook the surprise from his body, he was let down. Emily looked distant, and afraid of him.

“What’s wrong, Emily?” he asked her quietly. She shook her head slowly. “Emily?”

“Is... is that me?” Silently he fell into his chair. He held his head in his hands. “Is it?” He wished she would stop talking. He wished she would just take him in her arms, tell him she was okay. But she didn’t. She didn’t know herself... and he doubted she’d know him. “Please,” she cried, “Is that me!”

“It was...” he muttered.

This can’t be Emily... it can’t be. This can’t be it!!

He remembered seeing her there by her car. Holding her in his arms. He knew then something was wrong with her, but now... now he wasn’t so sure anything could be done about it. Emily was awake like he’d wanted... but this wasn’t really Emily. He didn’t want it to be. He wanted her to be there for him, in body and mind. Like she had been when he had escaped from the cells.

“Please... don’t be like this...” he whispered. He knew she wouldn’t hear him. “Just please come back Emily...”

***

The internet was indeed a source of knowledge. Edel had done a simple search for Emily Quigley and found talk of miracles in her hospital.

So Carl hasn’t moved her...

The article read how the once comatose Emily Quigley had woken up miraculously in the middle of the day for no apparent reason. And that was all there was to it... besides the rumour that Emily had no memory of anything, ever.

Naomi...

Cursing under her breath she searched the small hotel room. No sign of her. Or Will and Lisa.

“Damn!” she hissed, and sped out of the room.

***

The man in white knew all about mutant kind when it came to hiding places. His ability allowed him to find them in an instant. Telepaths were tricky this way. They could shut him out completely if they were strong enough, and knew how. Few of them had both strength and knowledge for such a task.

But telepaths were not the man’s target this time. The healer, Craig Mitchell, was who he was after. With him there was no way 01 could lose again. And there would be no interference from anyone else that Craig might help.

“Ms Whyte? Have an order go out. Capture Craig Mitchell. I think Hannah will be suitable for the task.”

“Where shall I say he is?”

“Hannah will find him, or do her best. If there is trouble I will inform her. But she needs to learn.”

“Of course...” Ms Whyte mumbled.

I won’t be around forever after all...

***

“Need help. Danger nearby. Jimmy”

The fragmented text message got Ciarán moving quickly. Hurl in hand he raced towards the school. Jimmy never seemed that panicked. And phone calls were more his thing. Something was definitely wrong.

He scaled the fence surrounding the school, bounding towards the side entrance. It was quiet... not like the school at lunch time... not like anywhere at lunch time. Then he saw why. A lone figure standing on the grass, all shape hidden amongst itself. A man in a black suit that didn’t belong.

Ciaran knew this man.

Daniel... what are you doing here, you fool?

He readied himself for a fight as he approached the man in black.

“My old friend...” the man muttered. “Come to help them...” His voice had the same strange pitch to it that Ciaran had come to hate in the last days of their friendship. The unnatural pitch that came with Daniel’s change.

“Daniel... you haven’t changed much. A better wardrobe I’ll admit. But not much else. Still the same back stabbing fool that left home two years ago.”

“And you’re still the same person that refused to join me.” He cracked his hand and raised his fists. “Let’s settle this.”

***

Over coffee Jimmy had suddenly paused, much to the confusion of Anne. They had been avoiding their co-workers as they spoke, and Jimmy’s silence was leaving Anne uncomfortable. “What is it?” she hissed in a whisper.

“He’s back... he’s angry...” Jimmy muttered. He struggled to understand how he knew this. The feeling just came to him. “Anne... we have to go. I had a friend come. He’s out there!” He leapt from his chair, knocking it carelessly to the floor. The other staff members were startled by his movements, and annoyed that he failed to pick the chair back up. Anne covered her face as she left, but continued to run after Jimmy.

“Who is this friend of yours, Jimmy?” Anne panted as she tried to keep up, holding her skirt up from her feet. “Why did you ask him to come here?”

“His name is Ciarán Heller. He’s here because we’re all in danger.” He reached the side doors and pushed them open. But as soon as he tried to leave an invisible force blocked him. “They want us dead, Anne. You, Ciarán, me... I think it has something to do with your... gift.”

Anne let out a gasp. “And your friend is out there, right now?” The thought of the recent attack came to her. The man had fled, even after what Anne had done to him. “We have to help him, Jimmy!”

***

Daniel’s fist knocked the breath out of Ciarán when it struck. And he didn’t stop there. Though he didn’t use his ability, Daniel still felt the superior in the fight. In his arrogance he failed to duck as Ciarán hurl swung through the air. Daniel tumbled to the grass, clutching his head. He was dizzy standing up, giving Ciarán a chance to recuperate, but even that grace was short lived.

Daniel moved back into action, throwing punched wildly, angrily. He connected with the hurl several times, ignoring the pain in his hands. With his anger he lost control, and so gradually his ability activated. The wood began to splinter as Ciarán blocked the attack. Before it shattered Ciarán parried. He gave Daniel a punch in the jaw, then another on the nose. The glasses shattered upon impact; Daniel threw them to the ground in disgust.

He glared at Ciarán with violet eyes, a trademark trait of the army he had joined. In those eyes Ciarán saw pain; he pitied his old friend for becoming like this. Taking orders from a secretive man who could bless a man with power, or strip his life away in an instant. Ciarán knew the story too well.

You gave yourself to him, Daniel... And for what? For this?

The old friends continued their fight, despite Ciarán’s reluctance to hurt his foe. He received a great deal of the punches, but always hit back hard at Daniel’s ribs and his arms, wearing down the man physically. He knew neither of them could withstand the punishment much longer. Still, Daniel was relentless, and angry. And desperate it seemed.

The man in black made an unexpected move. He tackled Ciarán into the air, shouldering him in the stomach and lifting. He thrust him up and backwards, so that he landed hard on the ground. From Ciarán pocket rolled a slither. He knew he had to make a move; he had to do something that Daniel couldn’t just block.

He grabbed the leather ball tight in his left hand, willing energy to enter it. A spark of green light shot around it before the entire object started to glow. Hurl in his right hand, he threw up the slither, striking it in mid air. It sped at Daniel as he turned around. The explosion was bigger than Ciarán had expected. Heat burst from ball as it expanded in every direction, the pieces of it becoming incinerated. A shockwave sent Daniel spinning and knocked Ciarán off him balance.

Daniel landed hard on the grass, skidding through the muck on his back. His suit was torn to pieces, his white shirt blackened. His hat had been thrown from his head, and shards of wood from the ball’s centre had scratched his face. As he struggled to his feet, dazed, he raised his left hand. A figure sped through the air, grabbing him tightly. She wore a black suit and sunglasses, but lacked the hat Daniel had been wearing. A similarly garbed man held on tight in the woman’s other hand. She seemed to struggle as she flew miraculously through the sky and over the fence, dipping down violently once she had cleared the houses.

Ciarán fell with relief to his knees as two people ran towards him. The woman, with bright red hair, looked worriedly at his condition while the man simply grasped him tightly around the shoulders – as much of a hug as either man would give.

“It’s good to see you too, Jimmy,” Ciarán said to the man, a grin on his face. “Mind telling me what they were here for?”

Chapter Sixteen - Victim

Craig Mitchell was ready to find his danger. He had been for a long time after he had had a taste of it. And now he had found it; he had found her; he had found Emily Quigley. The woman he believed would change his life. Not romantically, nothing like that. But in terms of giving himself a chance in the world, Emily was the answer. After many patients, many squashed dreams and months of horror, Craig was ready.

But was the world ready? He doubted people wanted to know about a man who could heal with his touch. He knew they weren’t ready. After all, the last person to have made that claim ended up dead, hanging from a cross in the scorching sun, bleeding from his hands, feet and head. Yes he had been worshipped for it, and the many other things he had gone through, but Craig didn’t want the fame. And he certainly didn’t want to die for his ability.

But he did want to help Emily Quigley. The odd case that no doctor could explain. The woman who wouldn’t wake up, whose very life was in danger of never being lived. She was young, and pretty. A local newspaper had shown Craig this. He wanted to help her. He had to help her.

For all those I let down... I have to do this.

He wouldn’t die for his ability. But he would certainly die for her.

Craig was ready to change the world.

***

Jimmy hadn’t slept in over a day. Not after the note. It worried him. Frightened him even. He was a teacher not a killer, despite the claims his students might make about the amount of homework he gave. He wasn’t sure who even knew about Ciarán and Anne. He certainly didn’t know anyone besides himself that knew both people.

As he trudged wearily through the hallway a blur of darkness swept into his vision. A strong fist pounded him into the wall. More punches came as Jimmy held himself in a feeble defensive position, getting angry and scared as the punches came in quicker succession. This man, he knew, was no ordinary man.

As Jimmy struggled for breath an arc of lightning shot over him. Anne made her way defiantly towards him and his attacker, fear in her eyes masked beneath sheer determination. Before her Jimmy lay crumpled into a ball by his own accord, and a man in a black suit struggled to his feet, smoke issuing from his clothes.

The man fixed his short bowler hat on his head and adjusted his dark sunglasses, a grim smile weaving its way onto his lips. From his inside pocket he pulled a gun of sorts, though it was made from plastic and didn’t appear lethal. Anne cursed under her breath.

Coward!

Anger surged within her from an unknown source. She felt her hair rise with static electricity. Her limbs outstretched themselves by their own will as an electrical surge shot from the sockets in the walls and from the overhead lights, becoming a maelstrom as it bounded towards the man in black. Startled he threw the gun towards her and ran. The plastic device blackened in an instant and burst into pieces before Anne.

With a sigh she fell to her knees, Jimmy’s attacker gone.

“Anne...” Jimmy mumbled. “What happened to you?”

***

Will always had some sort of plan under his sleeve. And as he walked purposely casual down the strange road in the distant town, there was no exception. He and Lisa had planned it, although she was initially the one to do the walking. Will objected. It was dangerous. It still was in his case.

“Be careful, Will.”

I’ll try...

His breathing was quick, no matter how much he tried to slow it down. He wiped a cool, panicked sweat from his forehead. That was when he heard it – the van. He felt strong arms grasp him quickly, silently, from behind. He knew this man already. Edward. The brute the man in white commanded.

Stay with me Lisa.

“Always, Will.”

As he was thrown into the back of the white van, he lost her words. There was the woman from the last capture. Trying to break his connection with Lisa. They kept it quiet, like turning the sound down on a radio. They hoped the woman would not notice the faint trace connection between them that they barely held still.

With it, Lisa and Will would find everyone the men in black had ever captured.

***

Naomi knew that staying with Edel was bad idea for the time being. There was that, and her curiosity into what she could actually do. She didn’t know herself, she realised. She never would have thought she would hurt people the way she did. She always imagined she’d be the model wife, as it were. She’d be beautiful, in control, but caring.
Well, two out of three isn’t bad.

Emily Quigley was her hardest victim to take. She was the one that changed Naomi back into what she wanted to be. But she was still frightened. She had to get back to Emily; she had to save Emily and in that, save herself.

But she didn’t want to put Edel in danger either. Naomi still did not have full control. The slightest mistake could ruin everything. It wasn’t worth the risk. So she left Edel, Will and Lisa, slipping a phone number onto the table where she knew Edel would find it. Edel would have to find Carl Kenny by herself.

Do I love him?

The thought surprised her when it came to her. Here was Carl – a caring, and by no means unattractive. But he cared for Emily. And Emily cared for him; loved him. Naomi didn’t know what she was feeling, or if it was even her feeling these things.

And she hated herself for it all the more.

***

The hospital where Emily Quigley rested was a small place, not accustomed to miracles or strange cases. It already had the latter, and would soon get the former. Craig would make sure of it. No matter what, he would wake Emily Quigley up. The excitement reminded him of his years as a medical student, his first year in the hospital. The people he let down in those days... he would save Emily for them.

Taking a deep breath he positioned himself nonchalantly near her room as a man walked from it, distressed and tired. Bags hung under his bleary eyes. His steps were short and slow. This would give Craig all the time he needed. Quickly he entered the room, eyes falling on the beautiful Emily Quigley who lay as still as Snow White, her bronze hair spread out over the white pillow. She looked like an angel in Craig’s eyes.

Slowly he stepped up to her side, his breath catching as he laid his hand on her chest, just below her throat. White sparkling light flowed from his hand, glittering as it encased Emily in an aura of beauty. This had happened only once before for Craig. But still he did not know what it meant. Regardless he let it continue. Her breathing became quicker, but not unhealthily. Her heartbeat became normal. And finally Emily’s eyes shot open wide.

Craig’s breath caught as he felt a light pressure on his chest. He looked down; Emily’s pale hand was missing in his chest. There was no blood, though Craig was sure she could still kill him.

Please, Emily...

He looked into her fear filled eyes. He searched for something there, anything that might spark sympathy. But it was like looking into the eyes of a puppet. They were empty, without feeling, knowledge. It was as if Emily was but a shell.

“Who are you?” she screamed.

Please...

“Where am I?” She didn’t tear her eyes from his. She kept perfectly still for a few moments. With a gasp she lowered her hand. It slid easily from his chest, leaving no mark in either his flesh or his clothes. “Who am I?”

As Craig backed away in panic, Emily screamed. Tears poured from her eyes. She covered them up with her arms, still screaming.

Craig Mitchell fled from the angel.

***

01 felt her mind stir. He felt himself grow within her. This woman was his now, like so many others. Half a mutant, half a slave. This woman was his. And he would not forget it. He could never forget it.

While the doctors of Horizon examined her, searching for cause of her peculiarities, 01 gave her instructions once more, prodding at her mind with his connection with her. She listened intently, realising what he was telling her.

I will get out of this accursed place, Ms Brady. You will assure it. And you will come with me.

01’s soldier knew her job well. Like it had always been her dream. 01 had to get free, so that he could change the world how he had always wanted. No matter the losses humanity would face at his hands.

Chapter Fifteen - Attack

01 spent days wondering what state his female doctor was in. It was evident that he had done something to her, but that was largely due to the fact that she had had a fit. But he did feel something - whether it was a twinge from his older abilities and past followers, or her rising ability connecting itself to him he was unsure. Either way, he knew she would not be able to harm him when she got back - if she got back.

None of them ever could. Whether they survived or not. 01 was, in terms of his own assembled army, safe.

***

Lovers struggled for peace when they came under attack. Lisa and Will were these lovers. After Will's escapades attacking Naomi there had been problems. They had argued, as many couples tend to do. But while Lisa was angry, Will was only too happy to see her. The dilemma was driving him crazy.

"Lisa, wait!" he shouted. She looked scornfully at him. "I... I have something I need to tell you." He looked down at his feet. "I was attacked, Lisa. I was threatened. I had to attack her. I had to kill her. They told me too."

"Who exactly? And what could they have possibly threatened you with? What could make you willing to hurt someone!" She was furious with him, evidently.
"I don't know who they were. But it doesn't matter as far as I'm concerned. What they said they'd do... what they promised me... I couldn't decline."

"And what was so important that you 'couldn't decline!'" She was breathing hard, angrily.

You.

Her lip quivered. He couldn't look at her. He wanted to... but the entire thing frightened him. It didn't matter anyway. She grabbed him tightly, hugging him. She cried on his shoulder - he wasn't sure why. "I'm sorry Will. I really am..."

***

Naomi and Edel found themselves meeting for the first time in their lives that didn't involve them having to run away. It was a pleasant experience for them, despite the topic of conversation. They had come to discussing Emily - it didn't take long for them to realise that she was one person they both had some acquaintance in Carl. From there they moved to his ill-fated partner.

"How was she... you know... when you saw her last?" Naomi asked.

"She seemed okay. She's stable. Carl's a mess though. First the cells... then Emily. And he told me he has some memory loss from before the cells... I think it's all finally getting to him." Naomi let out a depressed sigh. "Hey, don't blame yourself. Carl had his problems long before Emily. Long before you did anything."

"You think so?"

"Naomi, you can't go blaming yourself on everything. Carl told me everything. All he wants is Emily back. And I'm sure he'll understand your reasons."

Naomi took solace in that. She knew why she had done it to Emily, but she was never too sure how Carl would react. "So... what do we do about those guys in black?"

"Not too sure. We need to get Emily back to normal. That's priority. And getting those two home," she said, gesturing to the other room where Lisa and Will were talking. "We can't keep them with us through this."

"Is it safe to let them go?" Naomi asked. "I mean... they might be taken."

"Or worse..." Edel remembered the hospital, the ferals. "There are people that can do worse than just capture them. They tried to get to Emily a couple of days ago."

"Then we have to make sure that they're okay. Or keep them with us for now. We'll get in touch with their parents... pretend to be the other's mother or something. Then we'll get them home when this is over."

"This is really messed up," Edel exclaimed.

***

Craig Mitchell was, and always had been, a curious person. But he was also very kind. And when Craig had discovered his healing ability, he knew he had to do something with it. But having had to flee his home town, Craig was now looking, of all places, on the internet. There were many mysterious powers at work, he knew. And they led him to people with abilities like him - bad people. He was very cautious of them now. But he also knew that he could not avoid a person in need.

Craig Mitchell was looking for danger.

***

Jimmy Wilkes worked seriously, yet with a carefree attitude, in a school. He cared very much for his job, his students, workmates and friends. He had yet to realise the ultimate potential he had, for his ability was yet to reveal itself to him. But Jimmy always knew when something was happening. And he had a sneaking suspicion that someone had been at his car.

He ran out of the building quickly, expecting to find some students messing. Instead he saw a piece of paper billowing in the wind attached under his wiper.

"Deal with Anne Judge and Ciarán Heller. Use whatever methods you see fit. Do this, or you pay the price. Don't expect us to leave them alone afterwards."

Fearfully he looked around. He sensed someone watching him. It worried him. And when finally his eyes caught sight of a man, he ran away with astonishing speed.

Jimmy Wilkes had been found by the men in the black suits.

***

Anne Judge worked alongside Jimmy. They had a comfortable relationship, although she posed as a much more serious person. She was the disciplinarian. She was the one that students would listen to and know she was serious.

Some students came running past her. Angrily she turned to them. "Gentlemen!" she called. She knew these students. They stopped on the spot. Third years usually did. "Now," she said calmly, yet assertively, "Please tell me what the rush is."

"No rush, Miss," one of them said.

"Mr Murphy, do not attempt to lie to me." She didn't want him to get in trouble. She knew he was a good student. "Just, tell me why you were running in the halls, Liam." She didn't need him to answer. The very moment she had finished talking a gang of fifth years came running around the corner. They froze on the spot. "Move along," she said to Liam Murphy and his friends. "Now, gentlemen," she addressed the fifth years. It was an all-boys school. Everyone was 'gentleman.' Even if they weren't exactly gentlemen. "Do you mind telling me what you were doing?"

"We were just messing," one of them said.

"Just messing! You're never just doing something!" The lights flickered overhead with sparks of electricity. "Bloody things..." she muttered to herself. “No more of it," she warned them.

Plebeians...

***

When Ciarán Heller discovered his ability it had caused some trouble. Now, months on, he was struggling to gain control over it. He had seen footballs, coins, doorknobs... everything... explode upon his touch. It was enthralling, but dangerous.

Come on, focus.

He held the cent coin in his right hand tightly between his index finger and his thumb. He stared at it fiercely. He willed it to happen. He put everything he had into making the coin explode.

And finally it lit up lightly, a green light shining from the points where his fingers met it. And when he threw it into the air it exploded. The metal disintegrated as the light expanded. It became hot in a moment. The explosion was enough to do anyone damage.

But more importantly Ciarán had learned control.