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Author's Note: Due to the author's inability to finish this story when the main portion was coming out, I would suggest that you go back and at least reread the last chapter to refresh your memory as to what's going on.

Chapter 9

By the time we made it to Washington DC I was fidgety. Liz was spending her time looking out of the window, and the rest of the gang was busy talking it up in the back. The Colonel spent most of his time on the laptop doing secret black bag research or something, or maybe it was online poker.

The big taxi dropped us off at the Willard, just down the street from the big guy. It was ritzy as all get out, but the White House was flipping the bill for this one. Your tax dollars at work. The team got one three bedroom suite, and the Colonel, a room for himself.

While Liz was in the shower, I kept a watchful eye on the time. Jason would be coming into his powers very soon and I expected an update to how he was handling the whole situation. The President chose a really crappy time to have this getting to know you summit with the rest of the Directors across the Executive Branch of the government. Having one of my own going through something as traumatic as a transition was a big deal in my book. I should have been there instead of a hotel, a mile away from the White House, twiddling my fingers.

"Shower's free, Mom."

That still sounded so weird. It made me feel like I was thirty-six instead of sixteen. "Thanks, sweetie."

Liz beamed every time I called her that. It was like an affirmation of our connection. I watched as she crossed the floor to the desk that she was using as a temporary make-up table. She sat down and started brushing the dampness from her long black hair. She frowned a little and swiveled in the chair.

"Mom, would you brush my hair?"

I didn't think anything of it. "Sure I can."

A few steps later and I was making sure the ends of her hair didn't have any tangles before I start the long sweeps. A motion off to the side brought my attention to the bed and Miss Bonsai watching us.

"I think Bonsai's jealous of you."

Liz grinned. "I'll make sure to give her good skritches behind her ears when you are in the shower."

She closed her eyes, and smiled happily. I've had my hair messed with by other people. As long as it isn't Heather and her manic date-night hairstyles, it was actually pretty nice. So, I could see how much enjoyment Liz was getting out of my brushing her hair. When it was pretty much dry I excused myself and hit the shower.

Nine o'clock was when I received the call.

"Keys."

"Miss Keys, this is Mrs. Fine." She didn't sound too enthused, but then again Mrs. Fine never seemed to get excited about much.

"How is Jason doing?" I asked without any preamble.

"He went rogue, Miss Keys. At six-thirteen this evening he experienced his First Emergence, and by eight-twenty five was attempting to burn a way out of the bunker. He was put down at approximately eight-thirty-seven."

I tried to act nonchalant. I knew this was a possibility, but I thought if I did something, just my mere presence at some point would make a difference. The arrogance I possessed was astounding.

"Did… did you try…"

"We tried subduing him a number of times before taking final action."

'Putting down', 'final action', pretty words for such an ugly act.

"Miss Keys, he was beyond control. We will have to add an extra layer of protection to the bunker. The heat he was using actually exploded several of the cinderblocks of the inside wall."

I nodded to nobody. "I'll be expecting your full report by morning, Mrs. Fine."

"You'll have it. Would you like me to inform Colonel Harris?"

"No, I'll do it."

"Very well, Miss Keys."

The connection ended without any salutations. The Colonel took the news like any other factoid I'd delivered to him before. No emotion, just acknowledgement, like this thing happened every day. As an afterthought, I suppose that it did happen often enough. I had only been at the Center for a little over a week and personally knew of two rogue deaths, one of which I was the executioner. It was a bleak future if the percentage of rogues was this high.

The others were watching television in the main room of the suite. When they saw the somber look on my face as I entered, I think James understood what had happened before the other three.

"Jason didn't make it." There were no gasps of disbelief, or empty platitudes offered, just grim faces. They, more than me, had seen this sort of thing time and again. But me, as their leader, had to put on the happy face, or at least the positive face. "We'll figure this out. There's a reason that this happens."

Well that didn't do any good, and it really shouldn't have if you possessed any semblance of a heart. "Get some sleep. We have a meeting with some bigwigs tomorrow and I need every one of you with your A-game."

A potential friend and ally just took one to the head. Good night kiddies. Sweet dreams. Yeah, I'm a great leader.

The uniform was U.S. Army. The breakfast was Continental. Miss Bonsai was stoned on catnip. Liz was busy scratching my cat's tummy while she lay twisting her butt around with contented kitty smile on her face.

The Colonel and I were reading the report Mrs. Fine sent via some funky military secured connection. Everything was all nice and neat, with a big timeline of events as they happened, down to the second. All very efficient. All very emotionless. I glanced at the Colonel's face as he read. His jaw was set and I couldn't see any change whatsoever.

Would this be what I turned into in twenty or thirty years, a robot that could just read dispassionately about killing someone that was under my care? If there was one thing I'd learned in my short time at the Center, it was compartmentalization was a necessity of life. One of the main reasons that he chose me for my particular position was because I didn't break down at the drop of a hat. If I did feel overly emotional then there was no way I'd be able to do my job. It's kind of hard to pull the trigger on a psycho if I was arguing the validity of every action in the back of my head.

Keeping all of this in mind, I realized how much I'd changed in so short of a time, and I wasn't liking what I was seeing.

"Comments, suggestions?"

I blinked out of my introspection and looked at the Colonel. With a resigned sigh I answered him. "I want to try something with the next subject." See, I couldn't even say, the next teenage boy or girl that we might have to kill.

"Go ahead."

"As soon as they come up on the radar through Dani, Tony, or whoever, we go ahead and pick them up."

He tried to read my mind or my face, one of the two. "Why?"

I told him what Jason and I talked about, with my suspicions of possibly being able to control the change somewhat. He looked thoughtful. "How about the rogue element? Any ideas on that?"

I shook my head. "I got nothing. What have the scientists come up with?"

"Nothing new. They haven't been able to sedate any subject that has gone rogue. It makes it more difficult to gather the necessary sample for blood workups. Once the subject is neutralized then all bets are off."

After clearing the screen on the laptop I shut it down. "What's the plan for today?"

The Colonel shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine. The President doesn't want to show any of his cards before the meet. The only thing everyone knows is that he's pissed."

"Great."

Glancing over at the table the gang had commandeered about twenty feet away, I saw Liz give me a short wave. My lips thinned for her in some semblance of a smile, which she frowned at sympathetically.

"The uniform looks good on you."

I grimaced. "I feel like an imposter. I didn't earn this."

After taking a sip from his mug of coffee he set it down. "You earned it. Maybe not in the traditional way, but still. Whether you are conscious of the fact or not, you are a member of the United States Army, Miss Keys. You've entered into combat against the enemy of this country. Just because they live here as well doesn't change that fact."

My lips pursed at the thought.

"As such, you are entitled to the recognition of your position. I've already sent in the paperwork for your Purple Heart."

My eyes widened. "What?"

"It's a medal."

I narrowed my eyes. "I know it's a medal."

"You were injured in combat. It's all part of the package."

"Yeah, but it wasn't like I was laid up for any length of time or anything. Shouldn't those go to guys that lose limbs?"

He nodded a single time. "They get theirs too." With a frown he added, "Miss Keys, there are people out there that are awarded the Purple Heart who never actually earned it. A number of politicians come to mind." Pointing his finger at me, my arm specifically. "You almost had your arm blown off, so shut up and take the medal when it comes."

I had a feeling that Colonel Harris didn't like backtalk.

"Yes sir."

He cocked an eyebrow at me.

The White House, while impressive and all, wasn't so welcoming as I thought it would be. I tugged on the Army issue skirt that I was wearing while I took in the gigantic meeting room where we were waiting for all the chairs to fill up around the conference table. I call it a table; it was more like something from a TV show. There had to be about fifty good-sized chairs surrounding the monstrosity.

Marines were all over the place with their hands not too far away from their sidearms. I was nowhere near good enough to take more than a couple out before they'd do so to me, and they were professionally trained to kill people. Not that I had plans to do that or anything.

The Colonel ignored the scene as he was perusing the morning memos that Mrs. Fine had sent to him. It was him and me sitting at the table directly. Chris, Debs, Sheri, James, and Liz held chairs right behind us. They were dressed in Army dress uniforms as well. The difference was that they had a single decorative red circle on their left sleeve, near the shoulder, not to mention their last names on a black pin above their right breast pocket.

Liz was happy as a clam to be sporting Keys. I was proud that she thought enough of me to want my last name.

Me, on the other hand…

I was wearing the red circle as well. But I also had these silver bars on my shoulders with a single black pip in the center. The Colonel informed me that was the rank insignia of a Warrant Officer. He did tell me that it was not in the least bit out of the ordinary for someone with specialist experience to be given the rank. It was these people that had little experience in actual soldiering that the regular grunts knew served a purpose.

I was also sporting a set of curved wings below my left breast pocket with two tiny placards hanging off that read Team and Field. You can take that to mean that I was in charge of my crew and why I was sitting at the table beside the actual guy in charge.

People were dribbling in; old people. I made it a point to check out the name plates where they sat and they were fairly impressive. Directors of Central Intelligence, National Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Justice Department, Defense Department, you name it, they were there along with several people that didn't look too happy to be there.

All of them, every single person that walked through that door, spied us. We were the anomaly at that meeting. Teenagers.

Chris made sure that the girls, at least, had professional looking makeup, letting us give the appearance of looking a couple of years older. The boys were screwed.

There was one guy who looked like he should be in a military uniform that gave the Colonel a surprised look before heading in our direction. I nudged him under the table and Harris closed his laptop and looked up.

"Harris, I though they drummed you out of the Army," the older man said with a mild look of distaste on his face.

The Colonel's face was like stone, much like every other time I've seen him. "Appearances can be deceiving, Wallace."

The old man's eyes narrowed. "That's General Wallace."

The Colonel didn't seem intimidated in the least. "You're retired, Wallace. I'm active, and I don't answer to you."

I ping-ponged my eyes back and forth at the exchange.

"As long as you wear that uniform, you do."

"Then I suggest you take it up with the President. In the meantime I have work to do. If you'll excuse me."

With that, the Colonel turned around and promptly ignored the guy. Once the Wallace made his way around the table, he sat behind the Department of Defense nameplate. Well, I guess that explains that.

Once all the chairs were filled except for three at the head of the table, a door at the opposite end of the room from the main doors, opened.

"Stand," the Colonel whispered.

Two people I didn't recognize entered followed by someone that I'd only seen on TV.

The President didn't look too happy. Well, if I were him, I probably wouldn't be either. One of his underlings was killing innocent civilians and generally making themselves annoying.

"Thank you all for coming today. The topic of this meeting is considered Eyes-Only. If I hear word of this even hinted at in the press I will personally see the person or people responsible never see the light of day again."

The general mood of the room dropped. Tension rose. Presumably the people present were used to these kinds of things. They were the ones that protected the United States in all ways. One would assume that they'd been involved in something that should never be in the public eye.

The President motioned to one of his aides. The lights came down and four screens dropped down from the ceiling.

We were briefed the same way that Colonel Harris informed me about how the students of the Center came about. The Colonel wasn't paying attention to the presentation. Instead he was scanning the room. Once he made a complete sweep he turned in his chair and leaned back to Christopher and whispered something, then to James as well. When he returned to the table, proper, he scribbled something on a piece of paper and slid it over to me.

Remember those acronyms from a while back? SecNav is military speak for Secretary of the Navy. Without turning my head, I looked up at the guy sitting next to the Department of Defense Secretary that was rude to Colonel Harris.

His name plate read Adm. George Kinsey. Behind him were his two aides, much like every person in the room had accompanying them. The thing that threw me was that one of the aides was looking at me. An intake of breath behind me took my attention away, but I still returned the stare. Then things got stupid.

A feeling of complacence washed over me. I blinked and tried to clear my head, but the compulsion to do absolutely nothing was too much for me to overcome.

Everything in the room went quiet and still. Everything but the SecNav's two buddies. The one that was staring me down stood up. His buddy stayed where he was and looked like he was concentrating. That had to be the one keeping me down, not to mention everyone else in the room.

"You just had to bring a telepath to the damn meeting and ruin everything, didn't you, Kris."

The only thing I could do in response was blink. I didn't know this guy, but he knew me. After pulling the SecNav out of the way, the guy stepped up on top of the table with a satisfied look on his face.

"And you, Mister President," he said with a large amount of disdain in his voice. "What the hell took you so long? Almost eight years after you found out about us and you're just now having a department meeting about it?" He laughed then paused.

Turning to my team, he squinted in the low light. "Well, you want to know what's going on. Now you get your chance." Taking out a cell phone, he punched a couple of buttons and then replaced it in his pocket. The main doors opened and three more people came inside.

Oddly enough they were dressed professionally, with one guy in a black two-piece suit and the other in a gray double-breasted ensemble. The black suited guy looked kind of familiar, but I couldn't place him.

"Is everything secure?" he asked.

A tall brunette girl carrying a backpack nodded. "The White House is in Lockdown."

"Collar them."

Without a second thought the girl set the backpack on the table and pulled out several metal rings.

Fuck this. I may not have been able to move, but my hands were on top of the table and I didn't aim with my anything but my mind. Focusing straight at the guy I deduced was causing my paralysis, and the douche bag standing on top of the table, I pulled up a goodly amount of energy and let it loose.

Ozone burned the air and there was a crackling of static electricity made the Colonel's hair stand up in my peripheral vision. That's when I saw the leader's eyes widen. He made a dive to the opposite side of the table and internally I was smiling maniacally. Blue and white arcs of energy shot out from my fingertips, burning the table as it made its connection with the guy holding us back, slamming him against the wall and burning a hole through his chest.

"Mom!"

My head snapped around to the two extra guys that had entered. The black-suited guy was holding something in his hand and I didn't give him a chance for me to find out what it was.

It came down to who was faster with their talents, and I was through screwing around. Another jolt lanced out, arcing over one of the Directors to hit the guy that was threatening me in the face.

Shots rang out.

"Everyone chill the fuck out or he's dead."

Douche Bag was holding a gun to the SecNav's head. By this time all of the guards had their weapons out. The girl and the gray-suited guy were shot and down. Half of the guards had their weapons trained on the hostage-taker.

"You're kidding, right?" I said. "You're in the same room as the President. Everyone else here is expendable, and can you pull that trigger faster than I can fry every nerve in your body."

Colonel Harris stepped in this time. "Put the gun down, and you might live to see another sunrise."

Douche Bag cringed. "It wasn't supposed to be like this." His eyes moved around, frantically, trapped like a rat. "Fucking Keys. It's all your fault."

Before he said anymore I ramped up a stunning jolt and sent it waiting at my fingertips. "Last chance. Put the gun down, and I'll let you live."

The sound of running boots sounded down the hall. Security was on its way. That was the last hurrah for Douche Bag. All hope to get out of the area alive left his face.

"Kris. He's going to kill himself," James hurriedly whispered.

Dammit. I waited until I saw the slightest flinch of his hand move and then I zapped him. Of course every other guard that had a clear shot also chose that moment to unload a round into his body.

Do you want to know the most screwed up thing about the whole situation? Once the bad guys were down, all the guards were pointing their guns at me.

The room was cleared except for me and my team. The Colonel was off trying to find out what the hell was up with detaining us like we were the cause of everything going wrong. Next time, I was letting everyone get shot.

Liz was as close to me as her chair would allow without actually crawling up into my lap. If we weren't in the White House then I'm sure that she would have been right there. My energy was down. I wasn't about to pass out, but I could tell I needed a boost of electricity or maybe an energy drink.

The Colonel returned about thirty minutes later accompanied by one of the guys that came in with the President at the beginning of the meeting. He stopped and talked to the guards while the Colonel briefed us at to what was happening.

He didn't even get to start, before I jumped in. "Can we go home now, or do I get to go to prison for saving the President's ass, not to mention the free world."

The Colonel actually cracked a smile. I thought I'd entered an alternate dimension or something. "Good, then you know exactly what you just did."

I shrugged. What can I say, I get cranky when I'm tired, hungry and low on juice.

"They want us out of here ASAP. You can imagine how nervous all of the military and intelligence services are with a telepath in the same room with them."

James' eyes bugged. "I didn't…"

The Colonel held up his hand. "I know. I told them of the warning signs when someone is being read. Everyone fessed-up that nothing happened. They still don't want you around, or any of you for that matter." He looked poignantly at me. "Especially you."

I didn't get a chance to respond before the other guy sidled up. The Colonel turned. "Miss Keys, I'd like to introduce you to the President's Chief of Staff, Brandon Hall."

The forty-something balding gentleman nodded and gave me a tight smile. I noted the lack of handshake. I almost snickered. I did just get through deep frying three guys with my hands, so I didn't hold it against him.

"Miss Keys."

Liz's hand settled at my lower back and I could feel James, Sheri, and Christopher forming a semi-circle behind me.

"The President would like to convey his thanks for what you did today."

"Uh-huh." He saw my lack of enthusiasm.

"You'll have to understand about the security issues as to why he can't be in same room with you or your friends."

I squinted my eyes at him. "They're my team, and they just saved his ass, Mr. Hall. Pardon me if I don't think…"

"Keys," hissed the Colonel.

I snapped my eyes to him and then frowned. "Can we leave now?"

"Of course." Mr. Hall stepped aside. "Your luggage is already being gathered at the hotel and in the process of being transferred to your plane. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to contact my office."

Nice. Thanks for the save. Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out. "Yeah, recognition would be nice. Not to mention not being treated like a criminal."

At the Colonel's frown, which was directed at me, I held my hands up in surrender. The team of five armed guards and the hyper-awareness of what had to be fifty Secret Service agents followed us out to a waiting SUV. We were given a police escort all the way to the airport and then issued priority clearance to scoot to the head of the line. Did I understand why they were doing it? Yeah, I did. That still didn't make it right.

Maybe I was becoming an idealist, expecting maybe a handshake and a job well done comment or two from the man in charge. We were the ones that were actually trying to make a difference, putting our lives on the line. Was that asking too much?

Once we were in the air, the Colonel stood and took his position at the head of the plane.

"Job well done, people."

See, was that hard?

"It may not seem like it, but today was a win for our side." Liz squeezed my hand, and I scratched behind Miss Bonsai's ears.

"Miss Keys, Mr. Cook, if I could see you for a few moments."

I handed my cat to Liz and waited for James to pass before standing and joining them both at the front where Colonel Harris held court in privacy. He pointed to the chair beside him and James sat across from us both. The telepath didn't look too happy at all. Upon seeing that I felt the tension in my neck increase. Great, more bad news. The Colonel punched up a few buttons on the console beside his seat.

"Alright, we're secure. Tell us what you picked up."

James' eyes darted to me and I saw his lips tighten in regret. "Ray Lomax is a mole. That's where they're getting all their information now that Shanahan's been flushed out."

My hands tightened around the arms of the chair. I didn't let the information throw me into hysterics. I'd been betrayed in the worst possible way.

"You got that from the douche bag's mind?" I asked in a low tight voice.

He nodded. "I'm sorry."

Withdrawing my cell, I pulled up Mrs. Fine's number.

"Kristyn, what are you doing?" asked the Colonel.

"Calling Mrs. Fine. There's no telling what Ray's been up to since we've been gone."

He nodded.

"Fine," the head of security snapped into the phone.

"Mrs. Fine. Keys here. I need you to find Ray Lomax, sedate him without his knowing and stick him in solitary confinement."

Her no-nonsense tone played in her voice. "Any particular reason?"

"He's a traitor. We just leveled off and are heading home. See you in about four hours."

This time, I didn't wait for her to hang up before disconnecting. Try as I might, it was incredibly difficult to compartmentalize the betrayal of the guy that I was going to give my virginity to. I'd been played, and taken advantage of. How had I not known? How could he have gotten past James and Lily when they did their telepathic thing on everyone after the incident with Brian?

"Continue," ordered the Colonel.

"They operate in cells, usually five person teams which report to one person. Even they don't know how many people they have."

I nodded. "Just in case one of them fall into our hands, they don't lose the whole organization." Turning to my boss, I asked him, "You don't think this is a government agency doing this anymore, do you?"

He shook his head. "No. Their execution was sloppy. If I'd planned that attack, everyone with talents in the room at the time would have been dead in about ten seconds after I played my hand. He was grandstanding and had a particular grievance against you for some reason."

I shrugged. "I've never seen him before."

James nodded. "He hated you, Kris. I mean really loathed you."

"And you couldn't tell why?"

He shook his head. "I was trying to get information about the organization. His personal quirks weren't as important."

"You did fine, Cook," the Colonel said. "Anything else?"

"Just that that was the entire cell. Then Kris did her thing."

James was dismissed after that.

The Colonel stuck his hand inside his blazer's pocket. "They were the same cell that we encountered in New York."

"How do you know?" I asked.

When he opened his hand, two silver-colored bearing balls were in his palm. "We pulled one of these out of your shoulder that night. Best guess was Magnokinesis."

"Let me take a wild leap," I said as I picked one of them up and looked closer at it. "He was some kind of magnet man?"

The Colonel nodded. When I squinted at the ball, I saw something scratched into the metal. "What's is that?"

"Your name."

I looked up at him. "You're kidding."

"You were his main target. This one is mine." He held up the other ball.

"Great, there are actually psychos out there writing out names on metal balls for killing us." After a moment's contemplation I realized something. "Is it me or were those guys perfectly sane."

The Colonel worked his tongue along the inside of his cheek. "Just because the people on their side aren't rogue doesn't mean they can't choose the wrong side in this war."

I blinked and leaned back. It wasn't the thought of evil people being out there. They've always been there in one form or another, evil people. It was the fact that I was now a central figure in a war that had only now bled out into the mundane world. For some reason I'd become a key player, regardless of how short a time I'd actually been in the game.

What had I done except for defending myself and others? Nothing. Then again I was pretty much in charge of the Center. That may have been reason enough for my name to enter into the fray.

"We need to build up the defenses around the school," I offered.

"Agreed. It's already being implemented. Once Shanahan was exposed I knew we were vulnerable. Secondary bases are being arranged. Beta site is in the Colorado mountains, and Delta site is in the Texas plains. Once they are at a skeleton operations stage you'll be informed of the details."

I nodded. Three Centers. With the influx of students expected over the next few years, we'd probably have to use at least two if not all three of them at some point. That didn't sit well with me.

When all is said and done, I had become somewhat of a control freak since my transition. Unless someone came along that could handle themselves and treat the students like I wanted them treated then we were going to have serious problems.

I was stalling. The plane had landed an hour previous. I was out of my uniform and into my urban commando outfit again. The combat pants, boots, and black tank let me feel a little more removed from the reality of what I'd have to do. There was no way that I was going to face my traitorous ex-boyfriend in a skirt and heels. I didn't think I could pull off the uncaring detachment of Mrs. Fine's business suit.

Ray had seen what I could do dressed as I was. How I turned off all emotion and did the job that had to be done, dressed. I went ahead and put on the black bandanna to hold my hair back and the fingerless gloves as well. I wanted to remind him of what I could do, because I wanted answers. But most of all I didn't want him to know how much he'd hurt me.

Fifteen minutes was all I spared for a small breakdown in my bed when I got back. Eye-drops got rid of the bloodshot look afterward, and a complete lack of makeup let me feel normal.

Miss Bonsai paced on top of my bed as I sat there staring at the opposite wall, trying to center myself, trying to turn off the warring emotions within me.

My phone chirped. I didn't even bother looking to see who it was.

"Keys."

"You asked me to call you when Lomax woke," Mrs. Fine said with an even tone.

"On my way."

I clicked off and looked over to Miss Bonsai. "Wish me luck."

She gave me an annoyed but reluctant cry. I nodded. "Yeah, I know. This sucks." Pushing myself up and off the bed, I looked back. "You want to stay in tonight or roam the halls?"

That was a stupid question. Miss Bonsai leapt to the floor and went to stand by the door.

The isolation rooms weren't too far from the briefing rooms where we prepped for missions. The only difference was that it was completely sealed off from the rest of the building. A large steel door, reminiscent of a bank vault opened at my approach. I noted the camera in the upper right corner that kept an eye on the hallway.

I only recognized one of the five armed guards on duty as being the African-American receptionist I saw in the Main office the other day. They all either nodded at me or flicked their eyes in recognition when I passed. Mrs. Fine was standing in front of the door I assumed Ray was behind.

She noted my outfit with the slightest lift of her left eyebrow. "Is there a mission tonight?"

I shook my head. "This is what I wore for my first kill. Ray will see the significance."

Mrs. Fine looked thoughtful. "He was in his room when he was tranquilized."

"Did you pull up the log with his whereabouts?"

"What log?" It was more of a denial that one existed instead of a question about what I was talking about.

"Ms. Fine, you really don't want to dick with me today."

I suspected they had us Lojacked through our phones. There was no other way for Shanahan to know where we were when Dani had her vision that sent us to Houston so I could vaporize a girl.

Her tongue slipped over her front teeth with a measuring glare. "He's either been in his room, or the training room for most of the days. There are no oddities."

I nodded. "Computer?"

"Clean. He doesn't even look at pornography."

I nodded and looked at the door. There wasn't a large pane of reflective glass so I could see him. Apparently those only existed in movies. Considering the kind of people that would be locked up behind the doors, it was probably a good idea. There was an eye-hole so he could be monitored. I assumed there was also a camera of some sort inside.

"Does he know why he's in there yet?"

She shook her head. "You said to knock him out not question him."

With a nod I peered through the eye-hole. He wasn't wearing his normal clothes and he was chained to a table. "Mrs. Fine I need an earpiece so you can talk to me while I go fishing. Something concealable." She didn't bother asking why and headed down the hall.

I took out my phone, pulled up the contact list and hit a number.

"Hello?"

"Lili, I need you down in holding for an interrogation."

Dani was next.

"When did you get back in?" she asked.

"Just come on down, Dani. The sooner the better."

When I looked back up, Mrs. Fine was wheeling a cart down the hall with a monitor and a wireless set up on top.

"I'll be able to monitor you from out here, video and audio." She handed me what looked like a small hearing aid. I nodded and stuck it in my ear then watched as she turned on the video hook up. Ray didn't look too good, nervous, maybe a little scared. He was wearing a hospital gown.

"Why is he wearing that?"

Mrs. Fine's lips quirked to the side. "Ray Lomax is a human weapon, Miss Keys, and anything in his hands makes him that much more dangerous. Something as simple as a belt or a shirt sleeve could be used a lethal weapon. The gown is made of very fine material that will shred with very little pressure. Do not let your guard down around him."

I looked back down the hall. "Tell Dani and Lili to join in from out here anytime."

Before I could lose my nerve, I opened the door and entered. Ray looked up at me and his face changed a couple of times. First it was relief at seeing me. Then, when he saw my face, it moved to confusion.

"Kris…"

I held up my hand and he stopped talking. "I almost got killed today, Ray. Again. Except Liz was there this time." Grabbing the chair opposite him I noticed it was actually on rails and bolted down so it could be moved back and forth about two feet, but that was it. Once I sat down I faced him, head on. "So, you can see where I'm supremely pissed off right about now."

"What happened?"

He played his part well. If I didn't know any better I'd totally believe he was actually concerned. "Nothing much. Big meeting with the President. Some of the bad guys were there. I killed them all and we came back."

The chain that was holding his wrists to the table rattled a little when he moved.

I gave him a grim smile. "But before their leader -- and I use that term really loosely -- died, we sucked his brain, found a few interesting tidbits."

His face kind of turned to stone at that point. "Is this where I'm supposed to confess?"

I just looked at him, interested. "Do you have something to confess, Ray?"

He shrugged. "Not particularly. It's all making sense now. One minute I'm reading, and the next I wake up in here wearing this drafty hospital gown."

"He's annoyed, Kris," came Danielle's voice over the earpiece. "He feels betrayed."

I nodded. "You want to tell me why your name came out of this douche bag's head?"

He leaned back, but the restraints wouldn't let him move much. A quick tug and a sharp rattle later and he stared me down. "Maybe he's a fan. How should I know?"

"He's telling the truth," said Dani. "Do you want Lili to go into his head?"

I was so confused. Could he beat Danielle's empathy powers with a built-in lie detector? Did he have some hidden mental powers that we didn't know about? How did he pass the check up with… the telepaths. I slammed my hand down. "Fuck! I'm so fucking stupid." I was out of my chair and to the door, slamming it open.

Electricity crackled between the fingertips of my right hand when I eyed Lili. Without breaking my gaze I asked a question. "Mrs. Fine, where is James Cook right now?"

I pulled out my phone and dialed up Liz.

"Hi Mom."

"Liz, I have a very important question for you. I need you to remember what happened right before the attack at the White House."

"Uh, okay."

"This is really important, Liz. Who gasped right before that guy froze us in our seats?"

She giggled. "Sorry, that was me. I realized that I didn't leave Miss Bonsai's litter box out at the hotel. Those White House guys probably got left a couple of presents."

"Thanks, sweetie. Where are you at right now?"

"I'm in my room."

"Okay, lock the door and do not answer it for anyone until you hear back from me. I'm serious, nobody. Okay?"

"Is everything okay, Mom?"

"No, not really. I gotta go, bye."

Then I thumbed the phone off.

"Hey, can I get some clothes here?" Ray called out.

"Cook is leaving his room and headed toward the cafeteria," relayed Mrs. Fine.

"Let Ray go. He didn't do anything." And I had probably lost my boyfriend because I didn't get the whole damn story from everyone right after it happened like I should have. However, I was too busy trying to compartmentalize my feelings of betrayal, doing what the Colonel expected of me, that I didn't trust my heart.

I left everyone just like that. Danielle looked worried and Lili looked like she was going to be sick. Racing down the hall, I could hear my boots echo in the otherwise quiet wing. I slammed into the connecting door to the dormitories. When I saw the open area at the end of the hall I slowed and readied myself for a weak shock to my target. I wanted him alive, so I could kick the crap out of him at my leisure.

When I rounded the corner I spotted several students. Sheri, Rita, Heather, Debs, Max, Sean, and Christopher, all seated, enjoying their lunch, but no James. Christopher was the first to spot me. There was a smile on his face which turned into not so much of a smile.

"Where's James?"

Half of everyone there looked at the food line. I snapped my head around and James was exiting the line, standing there holding his tray with a surprised and panicked look. I felt the tell-tale tickle at the base of my brain, letting me know he was reading me. He dropped the tray, scattering his meal on the floor and brought up his hand.

It came to me all in the span of a microsecond. He wasn't just a telepath. Before I had a chance to let loose my powers, something in my head rang like a bell. A very loud and painful bell that might or might not be slamming me upside the head at that moment.

"Too bad you found out, Keys. Now everyone's got to die."

I grunted and dropped to my knees, grasping my hands over my ears for fear my brain was going to leak out after it was through with the frappé setting it was set on.

"ROWR!"

"OOWW! Fuck!"

My vision cleared and the incessant ringing stopped long enough for me to open my eyes and see Miss Bonsai latched onto James' back ripping her claws into his neck. Was that ice cream on her whiskers? Ah, saved by my cat's insatiable need for Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla.

I raised my hand and concentrated. "Bonsai!" She jumped clear and I let loose with probably more energy than was needed. Sue me. James hit the floor, twitching like crazy. Miss Bonsai's fur was all on end and she was hissing, seriously pissed off at the boy that had betrayed us all.

Footfalls sounded behind me the soft puff of an air pistol sounded and I saw a tranquilizing dart hit James' thigh.

"Kris!" I looked up wearily to see Heather standing there. Her white face showed her shock. "Your eyes are bleeding."

I felt wetness on my face and reached up to wipe away trails of blood. Fumbling for my phone, everything started going blurry. "Oh hell."

It was two weeks later when I woke up. Liz had fixed my head, but apparently the shock of the attack had kept me down for the rest of the time.

Colonel Harris briefed me on what happened after all the hubbub. After being sedated and interrogated by Mrs. Fine, Lili, Danielle, and the Colonel, it was found that James was doing everything, all the time. Shanahan was his contact with the outside world. She'd turned him the first week of his arrival after finding out the potential of his powers.

In a one on one fight, James could kick my ass, or melt my brain, take your pick. He was, what was now termed, a Full-Tiered User. Mental domination was his specialty. Telepathy, moderate mind-control, memory manipulation, and psychic weapons like the blast he sent at me.

He was the one that interrogated Shanahan for Ms. Fine. He was the one that planted suggestions in Douche Bag's head to rail on me. That was his mistake. Douche Bag, wasn't as incompetent as he seemed. James messed up his wiring when he took control at the White House. That particular cell was supposed to subdue us, wrap those collar things around our neck that was suppose to render us powerless, and then they would play their own games with the President and the others. James had blown the whole operation because he didn't know what was going on.

With Shanahan out of the way, James had nobody to relay orders to him. So he took things into his own hands. His priority was getting rid of me. He hated me with a passion. I'd come in and screwed his life up. He was receiving special privileges from Shanahan and with me there he was just another grunt.

Luckily for me, teenagers are petty.

In a private ceremony within the confines of Colonel Harris' office, I received a commendation for distinguishing myself by valor and meritorious service. There was a medal involved. That and a Purple Heart for almost having my arm blown off. There was a little oak leaf cluster to add to that uniform ribbon for having my brain half-way melted as well. I never understood medals. Whether I wanted them or not, they had to go on my uniform or Colonel Harris said he'd personally kick my butt.

It was one of the downsides of actually being in the military, weird stuff like this. As far as I was concerned, they could keep their uniform
and give me a vacation instead. Maybe in the tropics somewhere away from all the back-stabbing, and drama.

Speaking of drama.

"Miss Keys," the receptionist said over the intercom in my office. "Ray Lomax is here to see you."

After a sigh, I said, "Send him in."

Ray and I hadn't spoken in the three days after I was released from the infirmary. I was feeling tremendously guilty for suspecting him and I was sure he wasn't going to forgive me. Danielle said she'd given him the low-down on what actually happened. If I was him I had no idea what I would be feeling or even if I'd want to continue where we'd left off.

Regardless, I straightened my blazer and made sure my hair wasn't standing on end. Better to go out in a blaze of feigned confidence than to slither away with tearful regret.

He appeared at my door right when I pushed my chair back, and damn, he looked good. Tight black jeans, a lime-colored button down that matched his hair and brought out the brilliant green of his eyes.

"Hey, don't get up," he said.

I felt silly half-way raising myself off the chair and then dropping back down. He closed the door and sat down.

"You mind doing the privacy thing?"

I shook my head and withdrew my cell to block any unwanted ears from listening. When I set it on the desk, I looked back up at him. "Ray…"

He held his hands up forestalling me. "Let me get my piece in, if you don't mind."

His demeanor was serious and that didn't really bode well for me. "I talked with Dani, and with Liz too. Actually she hunted me down. I get why you did what you did."

"I'm sorry." What can I say? I couldn't let him keep talking without at least informing him of that fact.

"I know."

A moment of strained silence fell between us, broken by him half a minute later. "And I also know you'd do it again if need be."

My lips pressed together with displeasure of knowing he was right.

"I just don't think that I can be with someone that doesn't implicitly trust me."

My eyes started to burn, but I swallowed down the emotion. "I understand. You shouldn't have to."

He blinked. "What, that's it? You're just going to give up?"

My mouth opened, but nothing came out.

He sighed in annoyance. "You're the girl now, Kris. You're suppose to be more," he flipped his hand around looking for the right word, "defiant, when your boyfriend is faking the heave-ho."

I swallowed and realized what he was saying. I didn't know whether to jump over the desk and kiss him or strangle him. "Faking?"

"Duh." He sniffed and looked around the office while I composed myself. "So, dinner tonight?"

I nodded. "Do I need to alert Heather?"

His eyes widened and then he nodded. "Oh yeah. I like the dress she picked out last time."

"That was Dani."

He nodded. "Cool, well tell her too. I thought we might take a longer walk. Maybe a picnic. They can't come though."

The resulting grin on my face hurt, it had been so long since I'd actually smiled at anything. "Should I bring anything?"

He shook his head. "Just you. I'll handle everything else."

I nearly slammed my chair back when Ray stood. Racing around the desk I pushed him back against the wall and gave him the best apology kiss I could manage in my tight knee skirt.

Afterward he held me for a few moments until I reluctantly backed off and wiped at his bottom lip. "That shade really doesn't work well on you."

When he left, I turned around and saw Miss Bonsai atop the filing cabinet staring at me. "What? You're staying with Liz tonight. I have a feeling I'll be too busy to take care of you."

She blinked lazily at me and licked her nose.

"That's fine. Act like you don't care. You and I both know you can't sleep right if I'm not in the room."

Picking her up, I sat her in my arm and scratched behind her ears. "Want to go to lunch early? I think there's a big can of tuna waiting for you."

"Meow."

Author's Note: I was originally going to start another story having another few teens come in later on, a few months maybe, when more people were there. Then have a side adventure with mostly them. I still might do this if there is any interest. Kristyn and the gang would be there, but I'd explore the side characters a bit more since they were mostly just sitting around in this story.