Part 18
[John,] You whisper. [John, I can't!]
You show him the image in your head, the knowledge of where and when in the timeless and spaceless dimension of hyperspace Frankie is hanging helpless. The mere thought of returning to that deadly place yourself petrifies you. John jaunts on your thought and you sway with relief as you feel John make contact with the little boy. You add your power, your strength, as John struggles to bring the young mind through the trauma of breakout.
John is almost too tired to focus by the time he is ready to bring Frankie out of the relative quiet of hyperspace. TIM transmits a belt for Frankie and then jaunts both of them back to the de Tayne estates using you as a beacon.
You feel the strength of Frankie's mind as soon as they reappear and know that the child is a true Tomorrow Person. Frankie clambers out of John's arms and into his mother's even as you reach out to steady your friend who is swaying with exhaustion.
[John, I'm so sorry.]
[What for, Jay? You showed me where to find him. You were the one who found him in the first place. You have nothing to apologise for.]
You nod, gratefully.
*
"Wh..what is happening here?" Mr de Tayne stammers the words in a kind of stunned confusion. he is looking down at his clearly much recovered son with a light of hope in his eyes for the first time. You remember the small memorial stones in the church and realise the depth of the man's fears and hopes for his child.
"Sir, your son was in a very serious condition but we believe he is now past the worst of it." You begin the long process of explanation. Between you you manage to make them undderstand. John has dealt with very young Tomorrow People before and he know how to reach the right balance between bringing the boy into his responsibilities and allowing him to lead a close to normal life as possible. Frankie's parents at least seem to be reasonable people. Having lost their elder two children to unexpected mental trauma, Frankie's continued survival is all they had hoped and worked for. You're not there when John explains gently that their elder children almost certainly died in the throes of unassisted breakouts but you know that he has impressed on them the importance of young Frankie beging correctly trained.
You and John meet regularly with Frankie and his parents in the next few weeks. Gladly you teach the boy to jaunt, to broadcast his thoughts telepathically. You teach him how to keep his abilities concealed and how to use his powers responsibly. There are things you don't teach him though. Although he visits the Lab twice it doesn't become the home away from home for him that it is for the rest of you. Although you stress that he has a responsibility to the rest of you to remain hidden, you don't stress the responsibilities that come with being a Tomorrow Person itself.
John and the de Tayne's have discussed the matter and while you're not sure you agree with their decision you abide by it. Frankie wont join you and the other Tomorrow People until he is rather older. He'll remain in telepathic contact, of course, but John is certain that the environment is just too hostile for a child his age at present. He is better off living as close to a normal life as possible until he is old enough to make decisions on his own. There is something about the way John says these things that leads you to suspect that there are things he hasn't plucked up the courage to tell you yet. Things that are being concealed from you 'for your own good' just as you are conceal things from Frankie.
Despite that, you begin to settle into life in this new century. Yes, there are troubles in this time like in any other. No, the utopia you once imagined hasn't come to be. What Frankie's breakout has taught you though is that it still can. It's reminded you that each life that can be saved and changed is as important as the whole. It's reminded you what you are and what you strive to be.
You are a Tomorrow Person.
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