The light changes around you and your eyes struggle to adapt to the dim blue light. The walls seem to ripple and blur around you until you realise that you're seeing the reflections of shimmering water. Confused, frightened, you look from Kevin's face to the face of the other people who are clustering around you trying to tell you everything's okay.
You find your legs going weak from shock. You slump to the ground as you try to take all this in. Your mind feels strange - fuzzy. You know, without knowing how you know, that you've moved. That somehow, impossibly, you've stepped out of the park and into a new world - one that's full of possibilities.
Too weak to struggle, too tired to try, you relax as the grip on your legs becomes firmer.
"Jay? Are you okay?" A young black woman is squatting by you, holding your shoulders. In front of you a tall brown-haired man is watching you with an anxious and considering gaze. Still dazed, you look further and up up into the eyes of a blond haired girl a couple of years younger than you are. Jade, you mouth the name before you are aware of doing so and she nods, smiling a worried smile.
Kevin is watching you anxiously too but then he turns to the older man and frowns.
"I thought I saw some of those men in suits that keep turning up arriving just as we left, Adam." He says in a worried tone. "I ought to go back and check it out. If they have anything to do with the way Jay's breakout has gone weird ...."
The young man, Adam, nods, his eyes still fixed on you.
"Be careful." He says simply in a rich Australian accent and then you're watching in dumb amazement as Kevin vanishes in another imploshion of electric sparks. When you look around again the others are still looking at you and you remember the question you were asked.
"I'm okay." You assure the older girl, Ami, although you're not sure if it's true.
Adam, meets your eyes. "Jay, are you ready to listen to an explanation now?"
Somewhat chagrined, you nod. You just want to know, finally, what all this has been about. Adam takes a deep breath as the girls help you to a strange platform on which you sit.
"There are scientists who believe that all life began simply, that we started as apes and have become human over time. They think that as years have gone by we've become more intelligent and more highly adapted."
You shrug, feeling frustrated.
"Evolution. So what, Adam? You've not told me anything I couldn't have learnt at school. We started out as apes and became Homo sapiens."
"But why," And this time it was the young woman Ami who spoke, "Should evolution stop there? Why should evolution stop at Homo sapiens?"
"That's what we are, Jay." Adam says simply. "We're the next stage in human evolution - Tomorrow People." Your expression becomes fixed. This is too crazy for words, you think. Then you hear Adam speaking in your head. [But we don't need words, do we Jay?]
You look up sharply, a little scared by the indescribable feeling of another mind touching yours. Adam's expression remains calm and his lips stay still as he speaks.
[We can do things other people cant do, Jay. We have gifts, 'powers' if you like. Telepathy is one of them, teleporting is another. When you teleported it released your gifts - you broke out, became one of us. It should have happened a few weeks ago but something stopped you from breaking out and we've been hearing you ever since. We could feel the pain you were in. We wanted to help you break out. That's why I asked Kevin to bring you here.]
Adam breaks off suddenly, and for the first time the calm expression on his face gives way to sudden concern.
"Adam?" Jade asks with a frown.
"Can any of you hear Kevin?" Adam asks sharply. The others concentrate on nothing you can see and then exchange worried looks. Ami teleports suddenly, shocking you with the reality of what you've just been told. She's back just seconds later.
"He's not in the park...."
"He must be in trouble." The younger girl, Jade, finishes for him. "He'd answer us otherwise. Those men in suits. They've been hanging around for weeks now, near Megabyte's place and my Mum's. And every time we were close to tracking Jay down we were there."
"Jade's right, Adam." It's the first time you hear this new voice and you turn quickly to face it's owner as he steps away from the wall. Megabyte is tall and red headed. There's a look of determination in his blue eyes and his arms are folded across his chest. "These goons know who we are and where to find us." The fierce blue eyes sweep across you and you feel as if every millimetre of you has passed through a microscope. Without meaning to, you pick up on Megabyte's anxiety for his friend. "And I'll bet they have something to do with Jay not breaking out properly. He could have been killed!"
Adam looks around, searching for an idea. His eyes fix on you and suddenly there is a look of hope deep within them.
[Let's mind merge.] He's speaking in your head again and you still cant decide whether it feels good or just creepy. [We've all seen the men in suits hanging around and Jay might have seen the ones who took Kevin. Kevin said they were arriving as he brought Jay here. In mind merge we should be able to get a number plate or something.]
[Is that a good idea?] Ami asks and this time she too is speaking in your head. [Jay still looks pretty shaky.]
[I feel fine.] You tell them, surprised to find that it's true. [Since I got here it doesn't hurt as much.] You frown, reading the anxiety in the others' minds without even realising. [Besides, I don't think we have much choice.]
The mind merge is quite possibly the strangest experience you'll ever have. It's deeper than a normal telepathic contact, stronger. It begins like a rising hum reverberating between your ears, it grows steadily until your thoughts are entirely absorbed by the sound, by the sensation. Images begin flashing past you, contributed by Adam, by Ami, by Jade or Megabyte. Then images start flowing from you as your unconscious memories rise to the power of the meld. You're tired and that feeling becomes stronger with each passing moment but fortunately the meld doesn't take long. It's only moments before you find that you saw the number plates of the large cars that drew into the car park as you spoke to Kevin. The subconscious memory swims into focus, drawn by your need of it.
The merge breaks and Megabyte pulls paper and pen from his pocket to scribble down the number.
"I'll get my Dad to check this out." He says, his American accent strengthening with excitement and anxiety. "He should have an address for us in a few minutes. Then we just need to get Kevin out of there."
He looks at you. You can see the uncertainty in his thoughts: you are clearly exhausted and drained by the effort of your first teleportation but on the other hand you've known Kevin longer than any of the Tomorrow People and you have an interest in this situation.
"Do you want to come along?" Megabyte asks you.
Do you:
a) Go with Megabyte to rescue Kevin.
b) Let him go without you.
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