I woke up early the next morning feeling a little more ready to face the day. I was still uncomfortable with what was happening but talking with Nate had helped me realize a few things. First, I was still me. I felt different, true. Hell, I was different in a lot of ways, but I was still just me in the end. Second, everyone here was in the same boat. It helped to be around people who wouldn't shun me for this...thing...that had happened to me, Even if I wasn't ready to share all the details just yet, it was comforting to know I could whenever I was ready.
The hall outside was quiet and I didn't find anyone in the library or the bar. Even Ben was absent from his corner chair. I wandered around the open space for a bit, looking at the books on the shelves and enjoying the quiet. I got tired of waiting for anyone to appear and decided to find breakfast on my own.
I had no idea where the kitchen actually was, only that the cook's name was Fletch and you shouldn't mess with his stuff. One of the others usually brought the food out for breakfast and lunch and I had never actually been to dinner so I was at a loss where to start looking. I tried the door between the two staircases. Inside I found a massive dining room. The long table running down the middle could have sat an army. A delicate patterned cloth ran the whole length of the table and a gold chandelier hung over the middle. Tall glass front cabinets around the room held various ornamental dishes and figurines. Across the room another door stood slightly ajar, soft light fell across the rug from inside. When I pushed the door open I found a kitchen to match the dining room with big ovens, heavy duty metal sinks, and even an open fire pit. One long line of windows gave a nice view of the garden I had seen from the upstairs hall. A marble top island stood in the middle of the room, over which hung a variety of shining pots and pans. There was an stooped elderly man standing at it, shredding carrots into delicate ribbons. His long white side button coat hung off his lean frame, the few tufts of grey hair he had were neatly combed and his wrinkled face was pinched in concentration. He could have been doing brain surgery instead of making a salad. This must be Fletch. As I walked closer he looked up and narrowed his eyes.
"Ah, another new face. Mr. Torrington has so many new friends. It is hard to keep up." He sounded like he wished this Mr. Torrington would stop making friends.
"Sorry, who?"
"Ah, yes. Colin it would be to you, I suppose. Mr. Torrington does not hold with the formalities." It was obvious he did not agree with that behavior either.
"I'm sorry to bother you. I didn't see anyone in the library so I thought..."
"Mr. Torrington, Mr. Ward, and Mr. Montgomery left early this morning. Mr. Torrington informed me a formal breakfast would not be needed today." He blew an annoyed breath out his nose, "I imagine our other guests are still in bed."
So Colin and Cooper had left? "Who's Mr. Montgomery?"
He looked for a moment like he wouldn't answer. "Nathan" He growled.
Where could they have gone? With all the talk of how dangerous it had become for changers I assumed everyone would be laying low for a while. Surely they didn't go looking for more changers after the disaster with Sean. They probably just went for supplies or something. All this stuff had to come from somewhere so that made sense. But I couldn't shake the dread that something was wrong.
Fletch cleared his throat loudly, "Will you be needing something then?"
"Um...I would be happy to make something myself. It's no trouble..."
He puffed up indignantly. "You most certainly will not! Mr. Torrington would never allow it," I doubted that. "And you would probably have the kitchen a disaster. Just tell me what you would like to have and I will prepare it."
"You don't have to do that. Do you have any toast or pop tarts or..." the cook looked like he was going to have a stroke, "...or whatever you have will be fine." I finished weakly.
He shook himself and walked to one of the cabinets and began pulling down plates and napkins. "I made some fried bread this morning, just in case." He placed two pieces of brown bread on a plate and handed it to me with a linen napkin.
I'd never heard of fried bread but I was willing to take it if it got me out of the kitchen. "Thank you. Do you happen to know where they took the man that came in the other night? He was hurt?"
Fletch had gone back to his carrots but waved a hand to a little side door out of the kitchen, "Somewhere on the west wing I believe."
I made my way out the side door and into a long hallway. The top half of the outside wall was all windows looking out on a long porch. I could see another wing of the house to one side. I figured that's where I needed to go. I felt uncomfortable wondering though Colins' house without him even in it. Even though I knew the general direction I needed to go, I still got lost. At one point I ended up back in the bar by way of a side door and had to backtrack. I eventually ended up in what I thought was the right section of the house in a long hallway that looked a lot like the one where my room was. But all the doors were closed. Wondering around was one thing but I couldn't just go barging in other people's rooms. I was about to give up and try to find my way back to the library when I saw one of the doors open and a woman appeared. She was short and plump and her grey hair was pulled into a tight bun at the base of her neck. Her pale blue button front dress was just short enough to show clunky black shoes. This had to be Celia but I approached her with caution remembering the encounter with Fletch.
"Excuse me. Hello. Are you Celia?"
"Why yes dear, I am!" The little woman's face was not quite as lined as Fletch's and her skin was a lovely olive color. Her nearly black eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled and shook my hand eagerly. "And you must be Jemma! Why, yes! Mr. Colin was so worried about you when you got here. Yes, he was! He's such a kind man, Mr. Colin. But look at you," she reached up and patted my cheek, "You look right as rain now! Such a lovely girl you are too. I don't think I have ever seen prettier eyes!"
"Oh, uh, thank you." I stared for a second. She was not what I had expected, certainly not like Fletch. Eventually I remembered there was a reason I'd approached her. "I'm sorry but I'm a little lost. I was looking for the room where they took the man who came in hurt. His name's Sean."
"Oh, yes! Yes! I set up the room for him myself", she lowered her voice and leaned in dramatically, "Dreadful what happened to him. Those awful men should be ashamed!" More loudly she said, "But luck you were there child! I heard you saved that poor man's life. Sweet girl! And so lovely!"
"I...no, I mean it wasn't just me..."
"Lovely and modest. Tell me dear, are you married?"
"What? No, no!" Well this was not going well.
"What a shame." Her bright eyes didn't look especially disappointed, "You know Mr. Colin isn't married either. No! He is such a kind man and quite handsome too. Don't you think dear?" She smiled expectantly.
"Oh, um yes. I mean yes I knew he was married. Not married I mean..." And I'd thought she was better than Fletch! "Where was it you said I could find Sean."
The little woman giggled, "Last door at the end of the hall. Just there." She pointed to a door further down the hall. "He was still sleeping when I checked his room this morning. I will be sure to tell Mr. Colin you were kind enough to check on him." She patted my cheek again and shuffled on down the hall.
Still shaking my head over Celia, I knocked softly on the door she'd indicated. When no one answered after my second knock I quietly turned the knob and slipped in. The room was dark except for the little morning light let in by light brown curtains. Sean was laying under a pile of blankets. A chair had been pulled up next to the bed but it was empty. No one else was in the room. I took the seat and pulled back the covers to reveal one of his arms. I felt for a pulse and found it right away, strong and steady. He still looked a little pale but his breathing was deep and regular. He was actually remarkably handsome, even unconscious. I guess I hadn't really looked at him that night in all the excitement. He had dark brown hair and a strong jaw with a full mouth. There was something...wild about his looks.
"I thought the handsome prince was supposed to save me." I whispered. As if he had been waiting for me to speak the man opened his eyes. He looked confused and started pulling at his blankets and trying to climb out of the bed.
"Stop, please. You're safe. You were hurt. You need to lay still." He struggled to sit up. I stood and tried to push him back down by his shoulders but he was stronger than his wiry frame suggested.
He grunted, "Get off me." and pushed me away as he climbed out of the bed . I stumbled backward over the chair. I tried to catch myself but it was no use. I twisted around in just enough time to smack my face on the side table. I sat down hard and I felt my lip start to bleed.
"Shit." He walked up and place a hand on my shoulder.
I picked myself up and turned to face him with my hands raised, "Look, I'm not trying to hurt you!"
He pulled his and away and started to speak but stopped short and just stared for a moment instead, "What the hell." He pointed at my face. "What the hell!"
It took me a second to realize what had him in such a panic. My lip didn't hurt anymore. I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth and saw blood but felt nothing. The cut had healed. He must have seen it as close as he was. Shit
We just stood there staring at each other for a few seconds. His eyes moved around the room and he was breathing hard. He was in nothing but a pair of boxers and he looked wobbly or he might have made for the door. I spoke before he could decide to try anyway.
"You've heard of changers?" I waited for his nod, "Well, I'm one and so are you." I really didn't like saying that.
"No, I'm not. You're crazy!" He sounded distracted and looked toward the door before looking back to me.
"No, not crazy. I know this is hard to wrap your head around, trust me I do, but my friends came to rescue you. Do you remember that?"
"I remember two dudes busting in my house and telling me I had to come with them. I beat the shit out of one of them. And then some other guys showed up and shot me or something."
"You beat...? Ok the other guys were FBI, or police, or something and they were trying to kidnap you because of what you are."
"I'm not...they weren't...I don't know what your talking about." He was angry but sounded a little more unsure of himself now.
"You remember the light, the heat. Probably destroyed everything around you and then you felt like sleeping for a week? Have you been depressed for months before now? Felt like you weren't whole, like something was missing here?" I pointed at my chest. "The people here, they call themselves Phoenix, they came and got me too. I didn't like it much either but they really are better than the alternative. I swear." Was I really trying to convince someone else of something I wasn't even sure was real until yesterday? But the guy looked like he would run at the first chance and given he was dead a few days ago it was probably best I did what I could to get him back to bed.
He just stood there breathing hard and staring at me though. When he moved I tensed, expecting a fight, but all he did was walk over and sit on the bed. "Yeah, I remember all that. Happened weeks ago", He narrowed his eyes. "How'd they find me?"
"It's a long story. But you were hurt pretty bad." I moved a little closer to him. "You should lay back down..."
"What was that with your face?" He looked at me accusingly, "There was a big gash in your lip. I saw it and then it just...wasn't there. What was that!"
"It's my ability. Quick healing or something. I guess. I'm new at this. Sean, please..."
He rubbed his chest and sat on the side of the bed, "How do you know my name? How did I get here?"
"Those two guys, the ones you beat the crap out of? They told me your name after they dragged you back here unconscious. Your heart stopped. We...brought you back." I decided maybe all the details wouldn't be the best idea just yet.
"Shit."
"Yeah. And you've been out since. You should still be in bed."
I put my hands on his bare shoulders, he was lean but very well muscled...damn it this was really not the right time to be admiring his shoulders. I gently tried to push him down gently but he grabbed my wrist and stood up, pulling me close to him. I was very aware again of how attractive he was. And how unclothed. "I don't think so. Nice of them to leave a hot girl to babysit me but I need some answers and then I need to get the hell out of here. Where are my clothes?"
"Hey!" I struggled in his grasp. "I'm not your freaking babysitter and I'm not your maid! I am the person who spent fifteen minutes pounding on your chest trying to save your life and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you undo that just because you want to be stubborn. Now lay down!"
He let go of me but didn't move back to the bed. I sighed, "You want answers, fine. But the guy who can give you answers, the one who owns this house, he's not here. You get back in bed and I'll bring him here as soon as he gets back."
Our attention was drawn by voices outside in the hall. Someone was coming. I turned to Sean nervously, "Listen, no one here knows about my," I gestured to my face, "ability thing. I would appreciate it if you didn't say anything."
He grinned at me, it was a stunning grin, "And you want me to trust them?"
"It's not like that...please." I knew it wouldn't really hurt for anyone to know but it was the only bit of control I had left in this whole mess and I wasn't ready to give that up.
"Help me find my clothes and I'll think about it."
"You..." The voices were getting closer outside.
"Here", he said, and inclined his head toward the table.
A washcloth that had been sitting on the table was floating toward me. My jaw dropped. The cloth stopped in front of me, suspended in mid air. I turned back to Sean, he was grinning.
"You've got a little blood right there." He put a finger to his lip.
"You knew..."
I heard the door knob turn. I snatched the washcloth from the air and wiped it across my mouth just as the door opened. Sean turned to face the door just as Ben and David walked in.
Ben's eyes widened in shock when he saw Sean out of bed, "Shit!"
David turned to him looking angry, "I told you to stay with him!"
"And I told you I was hungry! He wasn't doing anything. How was I supposed to know he was going to get up and go running around in his underwear if I left for five minutes?"
David sighed and looked at Sean with a smile. "Hello. It is good to see you up and about. You gave us quite a scare."
"Yeah, I heard." He was still standing there in his boxers and looking ready to run. But David didn't seem to notice his mood. He moved around the bed.
"Well I'm glad Jemma was here when you woke up. I'm sure you were a bit disoriented." He moved to a tall chest of drawers along the wall and began pulling out clothes. "Colin had some things brought up for you. I'm surprised you're feeling like being up after what you went through but if our resident nurse thinks it's ok then who am I to argue." He smiled at me as he handed Sean the clothes.
"He still needs rest", Sean looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I gave him a disparaging look and added, "But he can be up for a little while."
Ben was still standing at the door staring at Sean. "So, Sean, what do you remember about...?"
David cut him off. "Ben he just got out of bed, with no help from you I might add! Let him get freshened up and have breakfast before you start grilling him." He walked to Ben and pushed him toward the door. Ben looked from me to Sean but let himself be led to the door. David turned back before leaving, "Fletch told us you were already down for breakfast Jemma. Would you mind helping Sean find his way down? I'm starving and I'm going to make that man make me something other than that stupid bread."
"Yeah, sure. Wait...have Colin and the others gotten back yet?"
He hesitated before answering, "No, I don't think so."
"Do you know where they went?"
David turned solemn, "Looking for another Phoenix. Nate felt something late last night." With that he left and shut the door behind him.
I stood there staring at the door, my stomach turning. How could they have been so stupid? It was probably another trap! What if they got themselves captured? I had no ideas what Colin or Coopers' abilities were but Nate's would be useless if they were attacked.
"So you're a nurse?"
I turned back to Sean. Something of my fear must have shown on my face. He held up his free hand.
"Shit, girl, I'm sorry about pushing you. I was a little out of my head but I'm not going to hurt you."
"What?" My mind was still on the others. "No. It's fine. Go get dressed."
He shrugged his shoulders and walked to the bathroom and shut the door. I sat on the side of the bed to wait.
When Sean was finally ready we made our way down to the kitchen. I was in no mood to talk and he either wasn't either or was willing to humor me. I only got lost once on the way there. Eventually I found the library and made my way through the dining room again. Sean stared at everything but didn't comment. When we entered the kitchen Fletch was still standing at his little island, only now he was chopping something I didn't recognize. It looked like a very large, green potato. He didn't look up until I stopped in front of him.
"Could I get a couple more pieces of that toast, please? My friend needs breakfast."
Fletch looked up from his chopping with narrowed eyes, "Does he. Well this isn't a bed and breakfast! People marching in and out of my kitchen at all hours demanding things. He can just wait for lunch!" He went back to his chopping. Well it looked like David had already been here.
Sean stepped up to the island, "Listen here you little..."
I frantically motioned for him to stop. Fletch had stopped his chopping and was looking murderously at Sean.
"It's ok Fletch." I said in an airy voice. "We don't want to bother you. I'll just get it myself." I smiled innocently at him. "If that's alright with you?" I made a move to the back counter.
But Fletch beat me there, "And destroy my kitchen? Oh no you will not! I'll get it myself!" In no time I was handing Sean a plate of dark bread and pushing him out the door.
We made our way through the dining room but when I turned toward the library Sean stopped.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Library." I pointed to show him.
He shook his head, "Bar" he pointed the other direction.
I smiled. "It's not even noon and your still recovering." He just shrugged. "Suite yourself. I'll be back in a minute." He started to turn away but I put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Hey, you're not planning on slipping out are you? It really is safer here."
He shoved a piece of toast in his mouth. "Nope, this place is way too interesting." He winked at me and headed for the bar.
In the library I found Ben and Mel in their usual corner but David wasn't there. Instead, Anna was curled up in a big chair reading. She looked up as I walked in. It looked like she'd been crying. I would have preferred to join Sean in the bar but I had already made eye contact and I didn't want to be rude. She got up and came to stand next to me. Even puffy eyed she was gorgeous. I smiled, "Have Colin and the others gotten back yet?"
That was evidently the wrong thing to say. Tears began slowly rolling down her face. "No." She wiped her hand over her eyes and took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. I'm just so worried. They shouldn't have gone. I wish I was with them. I might have been able to help."
I didn't know what to say. Crying people made me uncomfortable. I thought about hugging her but dismissed the idea quickly. Hugging made me uncomfortable too. Before I could decide on anything though, Sean appeared at her side. He offered her a drink I suspected may have been intended for me. He ushered her to a sofa as he introduced himself. He glanced over his shoulder at me and winked again. I rolled my eyes. I was beginning to regret saving him.
I didn't interrupt though, they were certainly pretty enough for each other. That left only Ben and Mel for conversation. Luckily they didn't seem anymore interested in conversation than I was. I made my way to the bar instead. I had never been much of a drinker but this seemed as good a time to start as any. Oh I had done my fair share in college but it got old quick and now the most I had was a glass of wine every now and then. Well until the last couple of weeks at least. I had no idea what most of the bright colored bottles behind the bar were. I opened one of the small refrigerators under the counter and found a beer. I took it to one of the tall chairs and sat down to wait.
That didn't last long though. For the first time in months I had energy and I couldn't sit still. I got up and paced around the room for a while but that didn't help for long either. I wished Nate or Cooper were there to talk to. That gave me an idea. I should check on Kennedy, I actually should have done that days ago but he had slipped my mind after that first night. I made my way back to the library. Anna looked more calm under the attention of Sean, they didn't even look up when I walked in. I made my way over to Ben and Mel.
"I wanted to check on Kennedy. Do you know which room is his?"
Mel stared at me like I smelled bad. Ben grinned, he made grinning look obscene, and pointed up the stairs, "Second door on the left."
But when I knocked on the door he had indicated it wasn't Kennedy who answered but Stephen, looking as pale and frightened as ever. I tried to look friendly, "Hi Stephen. I just wanted to check and see how Kennedy was doing."
"Is that Jemma?" I heard Kennedy boom from somewhere further in. Stephen stepped back silently and I walked in. Kennedy was reclining on a big leather couch, propped up on at least half a dozen pillows. He looked less pale than he had the night before and was still smiling broadly.
"Come to check up on you patient, huh?" He laughed and winced. "Well I promise I've been right here since last night. Just sitting here, healing." He gave a dramatic sigh. "Stephen is taking extremely good care of me though." He nodded toward Stephen who was nervously fidgeting around the room.
"I'm sorry I didn't stop by sooner..." but he just waved away my protest.
"No need to worry about me. I'm sure you've had enough on your mind."
I walked over and inspected the cut I'd patched. It looked to be healing well. The bruise on his cheek looked nastier though, it had started turning an ugly yellow around the edges. Looking at it I remembered what Sean had told me.
"Why didn't you tell anyone Sean did this to you?"
His eyes widened in shock. "I take it he is awake then?" I nodded. "Well that is good to hear." he smiled again. "I didn't say anything because I was afraid he wouldn't get the help he needed if I did."
It was my turn to be shocked. "Do you really think I would have just let him die?"
"No! Of Course not! But you would have looked at him differently, treated him differently maybe, if you had known. I just wanted him to get a fair shake. He was scared when he did this. It shouldn't be held against him."
I had to admit, he was probably right. I probably wouldn't have even gone to Sean's room this morning if I had know.
"You are much kinder than most people would be in the same situation." I said.
"Ah, what can I say." He spread his hands. "I've a big heart you know. Is he going to be alright?"
"Well he's down stairs having a mixed drink and flirting with Anna so my best guess is yes."
"My kind of guy!" He looked genuinely pleased with the news. I made a mental note to force Sean to apologize to him later. "Listen, Jemma, I know it's not kosher to ask and all but", he lowered his voice, "what is your superpower, you know, your ability?"
"Ah. Well, um...I don't really know." I felt terrible lying to him.
"Hey! Me neither!"
"What? Really?"
"Yeah. I went through the change and all. That sucked. But I haven't been able to figure out what exactly happened? And trust me, I have tried." He began raising fingers, "I tried moving things with my mind, controlling the weather, breathing underwater, flying..."
I laughed. I couldn't help it with the image of a round, rosy cheeked Kennedy jumping off a roof in my head.
He laughed too, "Oh yes! You laugh but I tell you, that did not end well! Anyway, no luck so far. I figure it will come to me eventually though. I just hope I get something cool like Stephen." I looked at Stephen. Big surprise, he looked scared. Kennedy just went right on. "He can explain it better than I can, something about bending light, but basically he's the invisible man! How awesome is that?" He looked at Stephen with pride, "Come on Stephen, show Jemma what you can do."
Stephen seemed to draw some confidence from Kennedy's encouragement and nodded. At first nothing happened and I looked back to Kennedy. He just grinned and motioned back to Stephen. When I looked back he seemed blurry. As I watched he sort of shimmered and then he was gone.
"Whoa!"
Kennedy gave a full belly laugh and groaned. "See! Didn't I tell ya! Awesome right? It has its drawbacks though, right Stephen?"
Stephen reappeared. He was just there again. He nodded, "I can't move too quickly or it becomes unstable. But I am working to fix that. I think I can. And it only works where there's enough light. I can't do it if it is too dark." His deep voice still surprised me.
Kennedy was still nodding happily, "Yeah but he can do that for other people too. If they're close enough. That's the only reason we got away the other night. He saved us." Stephen looked embarrassed by all the attention. Kennedy must have known he was making his friend uncomfortable because he quickly changed the subject, "So, nurse lady, when will I be able to get back on my feet? I really don't like laying around all day. Well, that's not entirely true. I do like laying around all day. I just don't like being told I have to."
"It can take weeks for broken ribs to heal." He looked so defeated. "But there's a possibility nothing was broken. You might feel better again in a couple more days if that's the case. Just take it easy for as long as you can."
"Well let's keep our fingers crossed! Ah, I'm sure I'll be up in no time, and back out there saving people." He laughed.
That reminded me of Colin and Nate and Copper. What would happen to us if they had been taken in? Stephen's trick was great, but I doubted he could hide all of us, and Mel had her strength and Sean had...whatever it was he had done. Still, no matter what the general public thought, we would have a hard time defending ourselves even with the other's here.
"Oh now," Kennedy turned gingerly to better look up at me, "Why the long face? I'm ok. Really."
"I know. I was just thinking about Nate...and Colin and Copper. I don't know if you heard but they went out looking for a new Phoenix last night."
"Yeah", Kennedy nodded earnestly, "David told us just a bit ago. He said it was something big otherwise they wouldn't have gone."
"I'm worried about them. It could be another setup like you ran in to."
"They'll be fine! Really! I haven't seen a problem yet Colin couldn't think his way out of. And Cooper and Nate can take care of themselves too. They will probably be back by lunch." I must not have looked convinced because he sighed and patted my hand. "Don't work yourself up. Hey! If you're looking for something to do you should check out the AV room. I wish I could get down there myself. I'm dead board!"
"What's that?"
"Oh it is awesome, that's what! It's just off the library. Big TV's with about a billion channels, computers, radios, scanners...fun for hours!"
I'd seen people in and out of that room but never been in there myself. "Yeah. That's a good idea. Thanks." I turned back at the door. "Is there anything I can get you? Maybe some books or something?"
Kennedy waved a chubby hand, "Nah, I was never much of a reader. I'm fine. You just work on not worrying yourself sick!"
The library was empty except for Sean who was fast asleep on one of the small couches. He had found a pillow and blanket somewhere. I suspected Anna. I walked close enough to make sure he was breathing and then made my way to the door at the back of the room.
Kennedy was right, the AV room was quite a sight. The whole back of the room was taken up by a mini movie theater, a floor to ceiling projector screen and three rows of comfy looking red armchairs. The other half of the room, closer to the door, held dozens of TVs and computer screens, various radios, walkie talkie sets, cameras, and even a sound board. Everything was dark except for one row of screens. Most of them seemed to be different views of the grounds around the house but one was playing a news program. David was sitting in front of it.
"Hi."
He jumped to his feet in alarm. "Jezzes! You scared the hell out of me!"
"Sorry! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to! I didn't know you were here."
He took a deep breath and pulled his chair back in front of the screen and sat down, "There's always someone here when we have people out. Just in case."
"So have you heard anything? Has something happened?" I pulled up a chair next to his.
"Blah! Nothing about them, no. Anyway, Colin called a bit ago and said they were still traveling. Out in the middle of nowhere I guess, so they won't be back anytime soon." He waved a hand at the television, "But these days there is always something to hear about changers and all of it gastly!" He rubbed his temples, "I really hate sitting in here listening to the world go to hell."
So they were ok, for now at least. That was a relief. Something the woman on TV said caught my attention.
"...are asking you report any strange activity or behavior immediately. Mr. Wickstien is working hard to prevent more deaths like these from failed experiments but states these changers may be forcing people to undergo their experiments against their will so the community will be a front line defence against these terrorist."
"Seriously!"
David laughed bitterly, "See what I mean."
"What's she talking about failed experiments?"
David reached over and turned a knob on one of the scanners, "Oh probably a Phoenix that died because of their ability."
"That happens?"
"Yeah, we've heard of a few. Like their bodies or brains just can't handle whatever is happening. I read a story about a kid who died of a stroke after he started screaming about hearing the world." He shuddered. "Of course, they could just be talking about a normal change too. I'm pretty sure they are calling us all failed experiments now." He finished with a scowl.
We sat silently watching the news and listening to the chatter from the scanners. David was right, pretty much everything was about changers and it was all bad. It seemed quite a few changers had been lost in the first weeks of confusion and a lot of effort was being put into finding them. There was also a lot of talk about "rogue bands" of changers gathering their "forces" for a variety of speculated purposes, all of them evil. I asked David questions here and there about things I didn't understand but for the most part I just sat staring at the television in disgust. It was odd watching the peaceful sunlit grounds while hearing such vile things.
After a while David left the room. When he returned he was carrying two bowls of soup and a couple of beers. "I had to fight Fletch to get these out of the kitchen." He said handing me a bowl and drink.
"Thanks. Hey, who is this Dynami Group I keep hearing about?"
"Some big pharmaceutical group. I've heard they working with the authorities to find a cure or a vaccine or something. Supposedly there interested in helping everyone involved but more likely they're just trying to find some way to profit from all this. "
Colin called again an hour or so later. He said they'd found what they were looking for and would be heading back soon. He didn't seem willing to give details. David told him about Sean and that seemed to brighten his mood. I stayed in the AV room for most of the day. I felt like I was finally catching up and it helped with the worry over Nate and the others to have something else to think about. I was relieved when I heard a broadcast about sympathisers. It seems there were some people fighting for us, although they were hated almost as much as the changers themselves.
I went to check on Sean at one point. I found him sitting at the bar reading through the stack of papers Colin had shown me the night before.
"You feeling ok?"
He looked amused. "Ah if it isn't my guardian angel. Yes, I'm doing just fine." I suspected he was drunk.
"You probably shouldn't be drinking. You are recovering from being dead."
He raised his glass, "All the more reason to enjoy I say. Care to join me?"
"No, thank you."
He frowned. With that face he probably hadn't been turned down very often. But he just shrugged and went back to his reading. I went back to watching. Ben came in early in the evening and took a seat by one of the scanners.
"I can listen for a while."
David scoffed, "Yeah like you watched the new kid?"
Ben glared at him and made for the door. "Fine. If you want to keep listening to this shit all night, be my guest."
I looked back to David after the door closed again, "I notice no one likes him much. Has he always been so...crass?"
"He doesn't talk about his life before his change though so who knows. But trust me, he deserves the dislike. He can be a real ass. You need to watch out for him."
"What do you mean? I know he's a jerk but he doesn't exactly seem dangerous."
"No, not dangerous in the normal way, just..." he lowered his voice, "I know we're not supposed to talk about it or whatever, but with an ability like his..." he looked uncomfortable, "I just think people have the right to know is all."
"Why? What can he do?" I was genuinely curious but he was also scaring me a little.
"He can read people's minds."
"...What!"
"Yeah, he says it's more like reading people's emotions but comes to the same thing far as I'm concerned. He wasn't such an arrogant jerk when I first met him. He was scared and withdrawn mostly but everyday he gets a little worse everyday now. He likes to sit in his corner and drop little hints. Remind you he knows exactly what's going on in your head. Gives me the damn creeps."
"Yeah." A lot of what had happened in the last few days made sense now.
Anna came in later to announce dinner was ready. I told David to go ahead. I didn't feel like eating. He wasn't gone long though.
"That new kids a real peach." He sounded amused.
"Sean? Why? What happened?"
"He's drunk as a skunk. Told Fletch his crab ravioli tasted as good a Chef Boyardee's". He was laughing out right now.
"Oh, no." I moaned.
"Yeah. Then he started going on about how we are all just sitting around waiting on the feds to snatch us up when we should be fighting. Ben told him he was just scared..." I groaned. "Yeah, he didn't take well to that. Thought he would try and fight Ben. But, fortunately for Ben, Mel was there. She's about the only person who would take up for Ben but she's all he really needs I guess. She carried Sean back to bed herself." He was still chuckling.
"Is he all right?"
"Oh, yeah. We made sure he was breathing. I imagine he'll have a hell of a headache tomorrow though." It was pretty obvious he thought is was well deserved.
I couldn't help but laugh too, "Well still, I should probably check on him. He's still recovering..." David had suddenly turned to one of the scanners. "What is it?"
"Turn off that TV so I can hear!"
I did as he asked. I still couldn't make out what he was listening to.
"Damn!"
"What? What's wrong?"
"Looks like they found us."
"What? Who? The government guys? They're here?" I tried to keep the panic out of my voice.
"Shhhh...I don't know! I heard them mention the address and surveillance." He was still leaning over the scanner, "Damit! It's just a bunch of codes and jiberish now."
"We have to call Colin!"
David grunted, "And let them know right where he is? If they know the house then they know who lives here. They're probably monitoring his phone. We call and tip him off they might decide to snatch him up before he gets anywhere near here. Might be the only reason they haven't fallen on us is they don't know he's gone or they're waiting for him to get back. We have no idea what they know. Just that they might be watching. Better to not give them any more information if we don't have to." He scanned the screens showing the darkening grounds but shook his head. "I don't see anything but we only have so much coverage."
"We have to do something."
"I agree. Stay here and listen. I'll get everybody." He ran out.
The noise coming through the scanner was just that to me, noise. I made out the words contain, post, and anchor none of which was helpful but also didn't make me feel any better about the situation. David was back in minutes.
"You hear anything else?"
"Nothing useful."
He was followed closely by Mel and Ben. While David was filling them in Anna stepped in followed by Kennedy and Stephen. Kennedy lowered himself into the seat next to me with a sigh. I leaned in closer. "You should still be in bed."
"Are you kidding! If it turns out the feds are out there we'll need everybody to make sure Colin can get back safe." He lowered his voice more, "Besides, I might get a chance to experiment a little more." I just shook my head.
David turned to us, "The first thing we have to do is find out if there even is a threat. We might be working ourselves up for nothing. A mention of this address isn't enough to assume armed S.E.A.L teams are about to drop through the ceiling. Anna can I ask you to take a walk around the property and tell me what you can see. I'll turn out the floodlights so you'll have the advantage. Mel can go with you," he turned to Mel, "But don't do anything. Just look and come back. We need information not a firefight. Once you guys are back I'm going to turn on the alarms and lock down the house just in case. Ben, can you find Fletch and Celia and tell them to stay inside for now?" Ben touched Mel's arm before he turned to go. David continued, "We'll have a better idea of what to do once they get back." He checked his watch. "Colin and they others will be back soon but I think we still have time..." Anna and Mel left and the rest of us were left to pace silently.
"David, what did you mean Anna would have the advantage?" I asked more to fill the silence then out of real curiosity.
"The dark" He said distractedly, "She can see in the dark."
Kennedy sighed, "See, everybody has something cool."