Disclaimers, first:
I didn't create the characters of Adam, Ami, Megabyte, or any other series characters that may appear in this story. Nor do I own anything else official pertaining to The Tomorrow People. I'm just borrowing the characters again.
This story and all other characters are mine, however.
End disclaimers.
Telepathic Ghosts is my first full-length, non-crossover Tomorrow People story. However, it does fall under the Tomorrow's Future timeline that Wendy, Kyrie and I are using. Basically that means that although this story is set in August of 1996, the last on-screen adventure that happened was Monsoon Man. Information on the TF timeline is available through my fanfiction archive or the main TPFICT archives.
Many thanks to my beta readers, Wendy Kelley and Kyrie Daniels, who crack good jokes and said many things that made me think (in particular, what exactly a telepathic ghost would be besides a typo). And many thanks to the readers and writers of TPFICT, who make this a great place to post.
A final plea: I love comments. I really love comments. I especially like constructive criticism. I've spent three months on this thing, so it's possible for the rest of you to spend three minutes telling me why you did or didn't like the story.
Now, on with the show...
Telepathic Ghosts
by Selma McCrory
A Tomorrow's Future Story
copyright 1996
When you're abnormal, what can be considered normal for you?
That was one thing that Adam considered as he read through a textbook for a course he was taking. It was a correspondence course, in elementary psychology, and he figured he'd take it so that he'd have a better understanding of how to deal with the situations he and his friends got into.
He propped the textbook up on the book-holder he'd gotten. The sand made an uneven surface beneath the tent, but he was able to have the textbook set up while he took notes. He busily read the chapter needed while trying to figure out the essay he needed to complete.
After a while, he stretched and sighed, noting that he'd only taken a half hour to study, instead of the hour or so it felt like. He groaned and then teleported several hundred metres down to the main control room of the spaceship in order to get something to drink, and, if he could coax the Ship into it, something to eat as well.
It took him several minutes to notice that there was a girl asleep in the room. One of his blankets was wrapped securely around her and one of his pillows was supporting her head. For a moment, he thought Ami had fallen asleep, but as he leaned over her he realized that it wasn't her. He wondered how he'd missed this new break-out, who had clearly managed to teleport to the ship instead of taking a bath in the sea.
He gently shook her, trying not to alarm her. "Hello?" he said softly. That got no response, nor did the shaking. He shook her slightly harder, this time mentally asking her. [Hello?]
The girl blinked sleepily. She looked up at him, confused, and then her eyes widened. She blushed, and jumped up, the blanket around her. She backed up as he held out his hand palm up.
"I won't hurt you," he said. She shook her head and shivered. And then she disappeared, taking the blanket with her.
* * *
"It couldn't be me!" Megabyte insisted. "I don't care if you heard someone calling for a 'Marm', I've never used that nickname!"
"But Megabyte, someone *did* call for you. I heard her. I'm surprised you didn't," Ami explained patiently, while playing with her mug.
"Luckily, I slept right through it," Megabyte replied.
Ami and Megabyte were having coffee at the Damon household, while waiting for Adam. They were supposed to be getting together for lunch, but Adam was late.
Adam popped out of thin air. "Sorry."
"That's okay, you just missed an enthralling conversation," Megabyte said, peeved that Ami wasn't listening to him.
"Somebody called for a 'Marm' last night," Ami said helpfully. "I thought it was for him."
"What was the voice like? A young woman's?" Adam asked, glancing down at Ami.
Megabyte sighed and rolled his eyes. 'Great. Ami imagines something and Adam gets all concerned.'
Ami put her chin on her hands and closed her eyes. "Yes. American. I've never heard her before."
"Makes sense," Adam looked thoughtful. "I think someone broke out last night."
"You *think* someone broke out last night?" Megabyte said sarcastically. "How can you be so sure?"
"There was this girl, young woman really, at the spaceship I've never seen before," Adam said, apparently ignoring Megabyte. "She saw me and she teleported out - I think I frightened her. She was like a scared kitten. More scared than we usually are, and in a different way."
"How?" Ami asked Adam as he was reaching for a mug.
"I don't know. Like she was familiar with the spaceship, and that wasn't scaring her, but something else was."
"Maybe she's escaping from something violent," Ami suggested. "She might come back."
"Great. So, we wait until she decides to pop back in," Megabyte said sarcastically.
"Kevin didn't dream about her?" Ami said.
"He would have told me," Adam replied, shrugging.
"So, what'd she look like?" Megabyte asked, trying to get their attention.
Adam described her. "If she is the American Ami heard, we at least have some clue to where she's from."
Megabyte quickly caught the flaw in Adam's reasoning. "If she's American, we have no idea which part she's from. Unless she's got a disinctive accent or something."
"Well," Adam said quietly. "We'll just have to keep an ear out for her. I'll stay on the Island, in case she comes back. Ami, Megabyte?"
Ami nodded. Megabyte considered his options and Adam's look. "Yeah, okay, I'll keep my thoughts open."
* * *
Adam sat in the spaceship reading his textbook and trying to concentrate on his essay. He hoped that their new arrival would pop up again, and soon. He kept an eye on the interior and occasionally he would go up to see if she'd ended up in the sea.
He was deep in a reading of the history of psychology when he felt the clear signs of an incoming teleport. He looked up quickly to find their mystery person heading towards the place where he kept his blankets. "Hello?" he asked.
The slight female form swung towards him, clearly startled. "Sorry. Didn't mean to bother you."
"It's all right," Adam looked at the blanket in her arms.
She shyly held the blanket out to him. "No, I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to be. I just came to return your blanket. You scared me so much, I forgot to not take it with me."
"I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to," Adam said, reaching out towards her. [It's all right,] he said, trying to soothe her telepathically. [You're home. Nothing can harm you here.]
[You're wrong,] she replied, almost whispering. [This was too risky.]
"Wait..." he said.
She dropped the blanket and teleported away.
* * *
Megabyte chuckled. "You certainly have no luck with women."
Adam glared at him. "Right. Like you have any?" he replied. Then he shifted back in the chair. "I still don't know why she keeps being scared of me. Maybe she's scared of everyone."
"She kept telling you she didn't belong?" Ami asked him.
He shook his head. "It's like she'd convinced herself that she was so different from everyone else."
Megabyte picked up a piece of cheese. "We *are* different, remember?"
"Maybe I could help," Ami suggested. "Maybe she'd be less afraid with me."
"Maybe Lisa would be better," Adam said. "She's also American."
Megabyte snorted. "Lisa shut everybody out last year, remember? She's too busy trying to be 'normal.' Not the world's best candidate for this kind of thing."
"I'll try her anyway," Adam said. He'd had enough comments about Lisa from Megabyte.
* * *
Ami sat on the beach near the spaceship, enjoying the weather. Adam had asked her to come and keep an eye out for their new arrival. Megabyte had been right; Lisa had not wanted to be part of their activities, and had pleaded a busy schedule to Adam. Megabyte's only response to that was a smug, "I told you so!"
While Adam resisted the impulse to strangle Megabyte, Ami resolved to someday meet this Lisa so that she would feel more at home. She went back to reading her book on FURBAL programming, hoping her mother would not mind her spending all day on the beach.
A splash brought her out of her reading, and she turned toward the ocean, hoping to locate the source of the splash. A human figure swam onto the beach, and Ami was surprised to see that the person was male.
The figure smiled weakly. "Hello."
"Hi," she said, noting the American accent. 'Two in one week,' she thought. "Who are you?"
He slowly blinked about twice and answered, "Oliver."
"Oliver. Hello. I'm Ami," she said, and reached out her hand. He blinked twice more at her, and started patting around his shirt.
"I lost my glasses," he said mournfully, ignoring her.
"They must have gotten lost in the surf," Ami suggested helpfully.
Oliver blinked again at her. "Oh, yes. What did you say your name was again?"
"Ami."
"Ami. That's a nice name. I'm Oliver."
"Yes, I know."
"I'm sorry, I'm just a bit addled."
Ami sighed. "That's okay," she said. [Adam!]
Adam's mind-voice sounded distracted. [Did you find her?]
[No. But you're not going to believe this...]
[I'll be right over.]
"Who was *that*?" Oliver said.
"You'll see in a second," Ami said reassuringly.
Adam appeared in a bright flare of light. He stared at Oliver. "He just came in?"
"While I was waiting for the other girl," Ami replied.
"Other girl?" Oliver echoed.
"Adam, this is Oliver."
"Great to meet you," Adam said, reaching out to Oliver.
"Oliver, this is Adam."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Oliver."
"Yes. I know."
Oliver stuck his hand out and Adam shook it. Oliver squinted at him. "You're Australian, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"I thought so. Mom likes soaps. She's got a multi-format VCR so that she can watch soaps from all over the world. She's particularly fond of some soap called 'Neighbours'."
Adam had no comment on that.
Ami smiled. "He's Australian. I'm British. You're American."
"Yeah," Oliver replied. "I got that part. But where are we?"
"An island in the South Pacific," Adam said automatically.
"I figured it wasn't Columbus, Ohio."
"Is that where you live?" Ami asked anxiously.
"Yeah. Well, that's where I live now. I don't suppose you can tell me how to get home, would you?"
"To Columbus?"
"Yes. I can give you the street address, if you like."
"Not right this moment, thanks," Ami said.
"There's a lot to explain," Adam told Oliver. "About why you're here instead of Columbus, for one thing."
"Right now, I'm more interested in going home," Oliver said. "I don't suppose you could take me?"
Adam smiled a bit. "If you'll let me tell you a few things along the way."
Oliver smiled back, for the first time. "Deal."
* * *
Adam and Oliver walked through the streets of Oliver's neighbourhood in the suburbs of Columbus. "So, that's why I was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?" Oliver asked.
Adam nodded. "Your body went to where it was called to go. The beacon's a little off, however."
"I'd say."
"Are your parents going to be worried about your glasses?"
"Oh, no. It's not the first time I've lost them. I lose them most of the time. The only thing is finding a way to explain how they got lost without telling them that they're in the Pacific Ocean."
Adam looked at the other young man, inspecting him like he had when Oliver had arrived at the ship. "You lose them a lot?"
Oliver blushed. "Yeah. I don't mind, though. I keep telling my mom I want contacts. Most of the frames look dorky on me."
"They don't look half bad," Adam replied neutrally. Oliver shrugged.
They walked a bit farther before Oliver stopped him. "I live here."
* * *
Oliver slid his spare set of glasses, one of two pairs that his family kept as backup, onto his nose and considered the joys of school. He was only thankful that he'd learned to teleport so he didn't unitentionally do it in the middle of class.
He wondered what the others were keeping back from him. Sure, Adam and Megabyte and Ami were nice, and he'd heard the others in his head (except for Lisa, who was evidently taking a nap at the time Adam was teaching him how to communicate), but, well, they seemed out of it. Oh, they'd all mentioned the black girl, correction, young woman, that they were looking for, but they hadn't bothered to mention to him why they were looking for this poor girl.
Not that he had anything to complain about. After all, if they were concentrating on her, they wouldn't be so curious about him. He wondered if that's why she was hiding. Maybe she was like him, had too many secrets to hide. He liked all of them, but he didn't want to tell them about his past. Best they didn't know, so that they couldn't lead anyone to his family. Still, they might find out. He wasn't clear on this telepathy thing, but he hoped he wouldn't accidentally tell them when he shouldn't. Maybe he should try to act ordinary. It had worked well before.
He was so busy trying to figure out how not to attract attention that he missed the person trailing him.
* * *
"Any luck?" Adam asked.
"No, I asked Michael to see what he could dig up, but the description's too vague for him to tell," Megabyte said. "I didn't stick around because a certain someone was in a bad mood and I didn't particularly feel like staying around for a lecture about Clotting in the Second Jacobite Rebellion or whatever. Healers becoming warriors, that sort of thing. "
"And your Dad?"
"Haven't asked, yet. It would be good if we had a name, though, to give him."
"I don't think we'll have much luck there," Adam replied.
[Help!]
"Oliver!" Adam half-shouted. He looked at Megabyte, and they teleported.
* * *
Oliver was having a rough time of it. He was downtown, and downtown made him nervous. There were too many homeless people around, and so many alleys. Worse, the panhandlers were bold. He was always afraid that they were going to assault him, or kidnap him.
Worst of all, he felt like he didn't belong here. Sure, Adam had explained some of it as normal for their kind, but Oliver felt it was much worse. He couldn't figure out completely why he felt so weird about it.
No matter. He was different now, he'd figure out how to blend it in to himself. He'd taken the Change so well, he figured that this minor inconvenience would not be a problem. And his nervousness was due to those gangster films he watched. Al Capone and all that. Charles Martin Smith as an accountant in that one that Dad liked. It had taken Dad a long time to be able to watch those films. Seven years, almost, Dad had told him. But Dad was a hero, like that accountant in the movie, and what had happened after was something that had just taken some getting used to.
He felt again for the money in his pocket. He figured he'd have enough for Mom's birthday card. He had to get it soon. Maybe he could get her something small. He checked his pocket again. It would have to be rather cheap.
He wondered if a gift would help Adam calm down the girl. Adam had told him that she was much older than him. He guessed if he ever met her, he'd be nervous all over again. He wondered what it was like to be an adult, and to have their powers.
As he passed one final alley on the way to the card store, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around suddenly to see two men in business suits behind him. The one who had a hand on him was grinning. His own heartbeat, along with the birds singing in trees nearby, suddenly drowned out the sounds of the city. "I'd advise you to accompany us, quietly," the man said. "Don't call for help."
Oliver nodded, frightened. He didn't expect help here, these people were very careful about hiding the guns. He didn't feel comfortable with that teleporting business to get out of there. Besides, it was a very busy place and he didn't know if anyone would take it too well if he teleported from there. Finally, he decided to call where the man couldn't hear him. [Help!]
He heard a slight "Oomph!" behind him, as the men were pushing him down the alley. He half-turned to see the other man glaring at a young black woman vaguely resembling Halle Berry standing next to him, looking bewildered. The two men stopped, and Oliver gladly stopped with them, hoping she'd notice something wrong.
"I'm sorry," the young woman said. She was wringing her hands in distress and looked quite contrite. It looked like she had come from the other end of the alley. No doubt she had taken it as a shortcut; he often did. He counted his blessings that she had. Now, if she could only see the danger he was in, everything would be great.
"That's okay," the second man said casually and courteously. Oliver was amazed at the artificial courtesy. These men meant great harm, why couldn't she see that?
"I'm sorry," the girl said again. Oliver wondered if she was just self-absorbed, or not observant, or just not very bright. Certainly she had seen the gun. He watched her carefully. She seemed like she was about eight, although she looked like she was in her mid-twenties.
"I said that's okay. Now skattle, that's a dear."
"I'm really sorry."
The second man rolled his eyes. Oliver could sympathize, but he was mostly grateful that she was causing a distraction. Maybe she'd notice the gun. "Are you deaf?"
"I'm really, really sorry."
The man who had Oliver came over and patted the girl on her head, like she was a cute puppy instead of an adult human being. Of course, someone trying to not attract attention to themselves would be the utmost cautious about drawing crowds. "It's okay, little girl. He wasn't hurt. Now, go onto whatever you were doing."
The girl nodded, apparently satisfied, and smiled. Oliver sighed, wishing that she had noticed the gun, or made some sort of announcement. Now she would be off, and he would be bustled into a car or robbed or something. Then the man holding him looked around and groaned, and Oliver noticed the crowd. Apparently, the discussion had attracted a few of the nearby panhandlers and one or two shoppers.
"He's got a gun!" someone screeched.
The man let him go and both of them rushed off. The girl walked into the alley, blinking wide-eyed at them. When she turned back around, Oliver was startled to see that her stance had changed. She was no longer the little kid, but rather, a young woman with an adult posture. She leaned against the brick wall of the alley, grinning mischievously, and chuckling at the departed men. "I thought that acting class would come in handy some day," she told Oliver, waving at the departed duo. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, I think. Thanks, ma'am."
"My name's Nellie. No need to get all formal. I'm just glad I was here to help."
"Nellie?" Oliver asked, not sure he'd heard her correctly over the crowd of people.
The young woman shrugged gracefully and stepped away from the wall.
The crowd was beginning to disperse. "Oliver!" Adam shouted. Oliver turned gratefully towards Adam and Megabyte, who were standing at the edge of the dispersing crowd.
"I gotta go," Nellie said. Oliver turned around and saw her turn pale at the sight of Megabyte and Adam who were walking up to the pair.
"Please. Don't," Adam said, reaching out to the trembling young woman
"I'm sorry," she cried then turned and ran down the alley.
Adam ran after her, calling "Wait!" several times. Oliver knew that he was calling telepathically, too.
"Who is that?" he asked Megabyte, who was still standing there.
"Don't know," Megabyte replied, shrugging. "She must be the girl that Adam saw on the spaceship. Weird."
Adam jogged back to the pair. "I lost her."
"That was the girl you were looking for?" Oliver asked.
"Yes," Adam said. "I wonder what's wrong?"
"It's your luck with women, that's what's wrong," Megabyte joked.
"Her name's Nellie, if that's any help," Oliver said. "And she's really nice. She just did rescue me."
"She must not be scared of you," Adam said. "I wonder why?"
"I don't know. I just don't scare people in general."
"Neither do I, but I scare *her*," Adam said. "At least we have a name now. That's more than we had before. Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Oliver said. "Just scared out of my wits."
"Two men in suits," Megabyte said, gazing down the alley. The crowd was dispersing. "Kid, you either attract intelligence agents or gangsters."
Oliver shuddered.
Adam looked at Megabyte, worried. "I hope not. We don't need to go through that again."
"I used to have nightmares about gangsters," Oliver said. "Dad met a mob guy once. We had to move after that."
"You mean like the witness protection program?" Megabyte asked him, suddenly excited.
Oliver shrugged. "I don't know. I barely remember," he lied. "All I remember is moving. I was only five."
* * *
"This is *not* helping," Megabyte said.
"I brought every phone book in the house," Oliver said. "It's not my fault that many women go under their first initials!"
"Are you sure these are all women?" Adam replied absently, paging through one of the phone books.
"I wish you had a modem. I could break into the phone records," Megabyte replied.
"Couldn't you download a picture of her driver's license or something?" Oliver suggested.
Megabyte looked at him strangely. "Where in the heck did you pick that up?"
"90210."
"I should have guessed," Megabyte shrugged.
"We don't even know if she lives in Columbus," Adam said gloomily, looking at the assorted phone books.
"And there are so many variations!" Megabyte added. "I mean, I was talking to dad about it, and mom came in, and boy, there are enough variations to knock your socks off! Helen, Eleanor, Nell, Cornelia... Just trying initials on that is going to be impossible. Even if we had a last name, which we don't."
"Did you get a list?" Adam asked.
"Heck, no, I wanted to get out of there. Mom started giving Millie a lecture on famous women. She started talking about Nellie Bly and then this Governor in Wyoming, and a couple of others. I got away before she could start on all the famous Eleanors."
"I'm sorry I didn't ask," Oliver replied. "I didn't know she was who you were looking for. I'm not even sure that I heard her name right. Maybe another clue?"
"There was that call for a 'Marm'," Adam suggested.
Megabyte groaned. "Just as long as he's not me."
Oliver nodded. "So we've got this girl named Nellie, and she knows someone named Marm. Have I got everything right?"
Adam nodded. "Except she's older than me. Twenties, easily. I think that qualifies as being a young woman."
"Okay. Sorry."
Adam waved off the apology. Oliver nodded, and then blinked as something occurred to him.
"She should have as much control as I had when I splashed in, shouldn't she?" Oliver said. "I have a hard time not landing in the water."
"Except she keeps appearing in the control room," Adam said.
"Maybe she's learned to control her abilities by herself, like you did, Adam," Megabyte said.
"I don't think so. It took me a while to figure out how not to teleport into the ocean. One of us might have spotted her before that."
"Could she have made it before you did?" Oliver asked.
Adam and Megabyte stared at Oliver. "What do you mean?" Adam asked.
"I mean, you've told me that you were the first one, but couldn't she have gotten there before you? I mean, she had to be in her early twenties. Didn't you say something about our abilities coming out in puberty?"
Megabyte whistled. "She could have broken out years before, and we'd never know about it."
"But why have we never seen her before? If she was drawn to the spaceship as we all are, why hasn't she adopted it as well?" Adam shifted onto the couch. "She has to be new. She wouldn't be staying away if she had a choice."
"Maybe she got too lonely," Oliver suggested. "I know what it's like to be alone."
"But why didn't she come after I broke out?" Adam asked.
Oliver shrugged. "Maybe it took too long for you to come around, and she got tired of waiting. Or something scared her, and she's been too afraid ever since. I don't know."
"Except we're never alone," Megabyte said.
"No," Adam said absently.
"Why not?" Oliver asked anxiously.
Megabyte tried to explain. "She would have heard us. You haven't been one of us very long, but it's like you're constantly in contact with all of us. It's like sitting in a room with conversations going around you. You may choose to join the conversation or not, but you can't leave the room. The conversations are always there."
"I still didn't know the extent of all my abilities when I was teaching Lisa," Adam said. "If she was there, she would have heard either of us. And where was she when I was learning how to control my abilities?"
"Maybe she's just good at things," Oliver suggested timidly.
"Could be. It's more plausible than her getting here before me," Adam said. "Although not impossible. I guess we'll have to ask her when we find her."
"Look. We haven't found her in the phone book, and all this speculation isn't finding her, so why don't we try something else?" Megabyte suggested.
"Like what?"
"She responded when Oliver was in trouble, why don't we do that again?"
"Oh, no. I'm not going to fake being in trouble..." Oliver said. "That lady has a lot of class and brains. Besides, I couldn't fake being in trouble unless I was seeking to land in trouble."
"That makes a lot of sense," Megabyte said sarcastically.
"Oliver's right. Maybe we should wait, see if we can talk to her without scaring her."
"She didn't seem too scared to *me*," Oliver said.
Adam nodded. "Maybe she's less scared of you," he said. "Maybe you're the only one who doesn't scare her."
Oliver shrugged. "Why should I scare her? I don't scare anyone."
* * *
Adam, Ami, and Megabyte kept looking for Nellie. Nothing they had done had panned out, and she had not turned up at the spaceship. Meanwhile, they had also been taking turns at teaching Oliver to use his powers.
'If he even realizes half the time he's got them,' Megabyte thought. 'He's worse than Lisa about that.'
A large splash occurred about a hundred feet out. He was on his feet instantly. Adam's voice resounded in his head. [Megabyte, do you see Oliver?]
Megabyte shielded his eyes and looked towards the water. Sure enough, the other redhead was coming up soaked. [Sure do, Adam. He's in the water again.]
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Oliver said as he reached the shore. "I can't seem to get the control."
"You'll get it," Adam, who had just arrived, said reassuringly. "Megabyte, why don't you go back and Oliver and I will practice down in the ship."
"Sounds good to me," Megabyte said.
"Just keep your mind open," Adam replied.
Megabyte grumbled and teleported out.
* * *
"I'm trying, I'm really trying," Oliver said as soon as Megabyte teleported out.
"I know. You'll get it eventually, believe me," Adam said.
"Why me? Why'd this happen to me, of all people? Surely there were people who needed it more..."
"You were born this way. We all were. You didn't make the choice; your body did. It's just something to get used to."
"I couldn't block my powers out, could I?" Oliver asked miserably.
"I don't know of any way to do it," Adam said. "You'll have enough control not to use them, you know. One of us already does that."
"That's Lisa, isn't it? The one that Megabyte's angry at?"
Adam blinked. 'He's perceptive enough to notice that,' he thought. "He likes his powers; she doesn't. Most of us don't understand her, but we let her go her own way."
Oliver nodded. "I think I understand her. It's hard, being someone or something you're not."
"What do you mean?" Adam asked, trying not to pry.
"I don't know," Oliver replied quietly. "It just sounded good."
* * *
Oliver's shoulders slumped as he walked back from the corner market with a carton of milk for his mother. The weather was warm, making him hurry, and something was bothering him. Some of it had to do with trying to be a Tomorrow Person, but some of it was something else. Something he didn't understand.
It scared him.
He'd almost slipped when talking to Adam. His parents had been insistent that no one know about the move, what he privately called the Change. New name, new home. New friends. He'd had so many problems adjusting. He was glad that Adam was worried about those government officials. He didn't know why; the government had been his family's friend over the last few years.
But then, he did let it slip every so often. He was proud of his dad. He didn't mind all the rest that had happened. His parents were often so concerned about him, with a tendency to tune out the real world in favor of daydreams where he was a superhero like Superman, or saving the planet Mars, or things like that.
He wondered what it would be like to fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. He'd never know now, with the restrictions Adam told him about, the inability to kill.
Besides, he'd never learned how to fight.
Oliver stopped for a moment. Maybe he'd get Adam or the others to teach him how one got out of bad situations without killing someone. He very much felt he needed it then. An errant breeze wisped by his back, and he shifted the milk over to his other arm. There would be time later.
He froze as a hand clamped over his mouth and he breathed strange vapours in. He tried to teleport, but felt his consiousness fading away.
* * *
"He's coming 'round," the man said. Oliver recognized the voice as one of the men from the alley when Nellie had saved him.
Another voice spoke up. "That's fine, Stevens. Just as long as he doesn't cause trouble. But he won't. Right, Teague?"
Oliver realized that the man was talking to him, but couldn't figure out why he seemed so familiar. He shook his head to clear it. He called out silently, [Adam? Megabyte?]
"Do you remember me, Teague?"
"Who are you? And why are you calling me that?" Oliver said in confusion. He was so tired. He wished he could go back to sleep, but his mind was too busy trying to determine why all of this was important.
The man sighed in disappointment. "You don't remember me? I was at your christening. Your parents named you Teague Alexander Orman. You were so cute then."
Oliver sighed and shook his head, trying to clear it more and indicate that he was not who this guy thought he was. "I'm afraid you've got the wrong kid. My name's Oliver. Oliver Tilton."
"Son of Peter and Grace Tilton," the man said, leaning over Oliver. He was wearing a rather mean smile, and Oliver shook as he came near. "See? I've got the right kid. Trevor's boy. The Feds weren't careful enough, were they?"
"Huh?" Oliver said, his heart sinking. He still couldn't remember who this guy was, but he had a feeling that this was his Dad's old boss...the one that Dad had testified against.
Oh, shoot. He was in trouble.
"I know where you live, I know where your father works. Did he ever tell you what he did to me?"
"He put you in jail," Oliver said fuzzily. He wondered if he should be feeling real fear at that point. He felt too groggy to be afraid.
"It's time to put you under again so that your daddy can arrive. But don't worry, I don't have a grudge against you. You're not the one I want to hurt. Stevens?"
He tried to concentrate hard enough to teleport, but he couldn't summon up the mental energy.
And then he felt the strong-smelling cloth over his nose and mouth, and the world faded away.
* * *
"I can't hear him," Adam said, frustrated. He, Ami, and Megabyte had linked in to try to communicate with the vanished Oliver. "Something's wrong."
"Something's already wrong," Megabyte said. "We all felt it."
"So, what could have happened to him?" Ami asked, sitting down.
Megabyte shrugged. "Who knows? At this point, he could have been abducted by aliens."
"Not aliens," Adam replied. "Mobsters, maybe..."
"What do you mean?" Ami asked.
Adam sat down, Megabyte following suit. "He's had nightmares about mobsters. His Dad did something so that he had to move, even maybe change his name. If his family were on the run, wouldn't it make sense that someone could have found them?"
"Witness protection program?" Megabyte suggested.
"Exactly."
[Adam? Megabyte?] Oliver's panicked thoughts rang loud in their heads.
[Oliver!] the three exclaimed simultaneously.
[Oliver?] said an even softer voice.
[Nellie?] Adam said quietly. [Please answer me.]
The response was a barely-intelligible whisper. [Find Oliver....Please? Before they kill him.]
[Nellie? Oliver?] Adam practically shouted.
No response.
The three lowered their hands. Adam dropped his with haste, his frustration showing. "We've lost them. Again."
* * *
Oliver moaned. [Anybody?]
A small voice whispered in his head. [Oliver, this is Nellie. Where are you?]
He tried to focus, but was not able to get his bearings. Whatever this guy was dosing him with, it was making his mental faculties seem topsy-turvy. [Don't know. All I know is that I'm tied up in this chair.]
[Stay still. I'm coming to rescue you.]
Oliver managed a small smile, despite wanting to fall asleep again. [My lady in shining armor.]
He heard a small snicker. [I guess so.]
He must have somewhat nodded off. Nellie was talking to him, sounding impatient and a little worried.
[Keep thinking at me,] Nellie said.
He felt a swift rush of air, and although he could not see it, he knew a teleportation was taking place. He waited until gentle hands started untying his bonds. "Nellie?" he whispered.
[Shh. Use telepathy. They can't hear us this way. Darn teleporting flashes...]
He leaned back, happily closing his eyes in anticipation of freedom.
* * *
Adam, Ami, and Megabyte found themselves at Oliver's house. Adam knocked at the door. It opened, and Adam found himself facing Mr. Tilton, Oliver's father. Mr. Tilton stood looking at them as if he didn't recognize them for a moment. And then he saw Adam and nodded.
"Oliver's not here," he said, "He's hasn't returned home yet."
Adam nodded, seeing the man's worried expression. "We know. We heard him call for help. We're here to help. But we need your help, too."
"How do you think you can-" Mr. Tilton said. "Never mind. Come in. If Oliver's missing, I'm sure you can help. I just hope he's not been kidnapped."
At the others' look, Adam said, "He knows about Oliver. And us. I told him several days ago."
* * *
"...I found out he was doing something wrong and I tried to fix it by cooperating with the Feds," Mr. Tilton said, a grim expression on his features. "He lashed back pretty hard. We'd been friends for years before Oliver was born."
"And now he wants you," Adam said quietly.
"I didn't know why I took so long to find out Alexander's plan. He was so subtle about it. But you can't fool an accountant," Mr. Tilton replied. "He forgot that I had a brain, because I don't look the part. Used to win prizes in those bodybuilding tournaments. But I didn't want to fight. I testified, we ran. Oliver was only five. I don't even know if he remembers a lot of it."
"So, this man wants to kill you," Adam replied, trying to think of a way to rescue Oliver.
Mr Tilton was smiling slightly, but still grim. "I'm not surprised now. I'm surprised he found us. I guess he was ruthless underneath, and smart. He knows how much I value Oliver. The only hope is that he'll be gentle with Oliver. He is, after all, named after him."
The phone rang. Mr. Tilton picked it up, exchanged a few muttered words with the person on the other end, and turned to the trio. As he opened his mouth to speak, Adam interrupted him. "He called, didn't he?"
Mr. Tilton nodded. "I have to arrive alone."
"I have a better idea," Adam replied.
* * *
Oliver was trying to quietly guide Nellie into untying the knots, something that was proving difficult.
[Why don't you teleport?] she asked.
[I can't, I don't think. I think they drugged me. I'm not sure. Besides, they'd see you.]
[I can teleport too, you know.]
[Keep working on the knots.]
[Okay. But any sign of trouble, I teleport you out. Why do you want me to untie you, anyway? I was just going to loosen them so you could concentrate.]
[I can't. I just want to feel free of these ties before we go. Besides, they'll just assume I escaped normally that way.]
Nellie was silent for a moment. [Wise idea. We don't belong here.]
[Huh?]
Nellie ignored him. Oliver kept still as she continued to untie the knots.
* * *
Adam, Megabyte, Ami, and Mr. Tilton materialized at the warehouse. Mr. Tilton smiled slightly but shakily at the trio of teenagers. Then he turned serious. "Just save him, okay? I'm not important. He is. Sometimes it is better to be able to run than be able to fight."
"We're going to save you too," Adam said firmly.
"Him, first. Me, second."
"Very well," Adam replied.
Mr. Tilton walked into the warehouse nearby. The trio was near one of the boarded-up windows on the outside. He had no doubt that they would come in at the slightest sign of trouble. He thanked the fact that his son's new friends were teleporters. They would be able to keep Oliver safe, find him a place where no one would ever be able to threaten him again. He walked as calmly as he could. He figured he'd be more awed and/or terrified if it wasn't for Oliver's life.
"Trevor. How nice to see you again. I see you've got a bit of grey."
Mr Tilton growled at his former employer, having lost control of his outward calm. "What have you done with my son?"
Alexander moved aside, and Trevor saw his son, tied up, blindfolded, and gagged. Behind him, he saw a dark shape, a human form, moving. Ami, he guessed. He resolved to give them enough time to get away. Teleport. Whatever. Oliver was slumped, but there was a slight smile on his face. Alexander stared at his son for a few moments. 'Sorry I can't rescue you like you're hoping, son.'
He moved forward. "What do you want?" he said.
The two men near Alexander grabbed onto Trevor's arms."Your death," Alexander replied, raising the gun.
* * *
Adam, Ami, and Megabyte looked on from behind a stack of boxes. They saw Mr. Tilton, Alexander and Oliver, with a shape moving behind him. Adam recognized the shape. [Nellie!]
The figure looked up, clearly startled. She waved them back. [You've got to get out of here! You've got to get Mr. Tilton out of here! This is going all wrong!]
[Get Oliver out of here!] Adam practically yelled.
[I'm trying! But you need to get Oliver's dad out first! He won't go unless his Dad is safe!]
Adam nodded. [Did you get that?] he asked Megabyte and Ami.
Megabyte glared, but he and Ami nodded. Adam looked at the distance between himself and Mr. Tilton, calculated, and turned to the others. [Get out of here, and don't argue!]
Ami nodded. Megabyte momentarily startled, giving Ami enough time to grab him and teleport out. Adam concentrated, teleported right behind Mr. Tilton, and grabbed him, sending a mental image of Oliver's house to Nellie. She nodded, and he saw the beginning of her teleport.
* * *
"You *think* you told her to meet us here? I would have chosen a different place. They know our phone number, they no doubt know where we live," Mr. Tilton said, crouching near the window. Nearby, Mrs. Tilton was packing things in rapid succession.
"She's new. I'm not sure she aimed right," Adam said. "She may have ended up at the spaceship. He would have. If only they had come here, we could have teleported them back without landing in the water."
"We've got to get out of here. I need to notify my case worker," Mr.Tilton said. "It's not going to be safe here much longer. He must know we live here."
They waited a few minutes more, and Adam was about to suggest going back to the spaceship and waiting for them there. The gunshot echo ruined that.
Mr. Tilton ran out back, heedless of Adam's urgent whispers to stay still. The trio followed him, Adam determined to teleport him out again, if needed be.
They all suddenly stopped, or more accurately, collided with Mr. Tilton. He stood, openmouthed, at the man with the gun.
"Don't move any further, or I'll shoot," the man said.
"What have you done to my son?" Mr. Tilton cried. He looked ready to strangle the man, but Adam caught his arm.
The stranger shook his head, not replying to the question. Beside him, Nellie lay on top of Oliver, bleeding.
"Please. I can help her," Adam said. The stranger shook his head again, and the three disappeared in a bright light. Adam and the others were forced to close their eyes because of its sheer brilliance.
When Adam opened them again, the stranger, Nellie, and Oliver were gone.
* * *
Oliver was dreaming. Dreaming of Nellie, and a strange man.
Nellie had teleported him out, had saved him as he expected. He recognized the backyard of his house. Nellie was speaking to the strange man who came up to her, but Oliver was so shaken that he couldn't make sense of all that they said.
The strange man was arguing animatedly. "...You're the one that was so paranoid about the time stream. How are we going to get out of here if you keep messing it up? You said it yourself, he was going to die a day or two ago. You weren't supposed to rescue him in the alley."
Nellie glared at the strange man. "All right, I goofed. It still doesn't mean we have to kill him. We could take him with us, back home."
"Are you crazy, Nellie? Why didn't you just let them kill him?"
"I couldn't. I can't. Besides, we just have to take him out of here, so we don't mess history up."
"That's it. I'm going to shoot him. They can blame it on this mob boss or whatever."
"No," Nellie said firmly.
"Excuse me, who's the elder?"
"Who was *not* stupid enough to get arrested in the middle of a cemetery for trespassing?"
The man folded his arms, the gun in his hand, loose. "Well, things have changed. And if you won't kill him, I will."
Oliver felt vague panic. The man was going to shoot him?
"Please reconsider, Perrin."
"No."
He heard the gunshot. And prepared to die.
* * *
Mr. Tilton sat and drank some juice. They were sitting on the beach of the island, with a picnic blanket and some food.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Tilton, we can't find him."
"And the girl, Nellie?"
Adam shook his head. "Not a peep out of her, either. I can't locate either of them." Mr. Tilton sighed. "I wonder if Oliver will ever find his way back home...."
Mrs. Tilton reached for her husband's hand and squeezed it. "He'll be back, and so will she. They *have* to come back."
"They will," Adam agreed. "Someday...."
==End