In equal measures, the mouths of Bren and Iain dropped open, though for very different reasons.

Bren immediately felt betrayed. How could Thomas give up something so personal so easily? When everyone was only meant to have a single ability, advertising her multiple ones was dangerous – especially in the presence of the man (Thomas' father or not) who created them in the first place.

From Iain's point of view, this was something that shouldn't be possible. The gene modifications he'd implemented when he orchestrated The Outbreak could only allow one power to manifest. Of course, that wasn't his intention at all, but his original plan had been supplanted by Nature's own intentions. As such, the news that someone could have more than one ability, let alone a variety, was of both concern and excitement. What if something was mutating? What if it was happening world wide? No, he'd have known. News like that would have carried. She was the only one, maybe the first, but definitely the only. So far.

He wasn't blind. He'd seen what his creation had done, which was why he had gone into hiding. It was why – or one of the reasons – he'd handed Thomas over. If his son could just have been normal and developed the powers he should have, things could have been different.

The boy's mother had her part to play in that too. He'd known for a number of years mother and son were cut from the same cloth. He loved them both, but they were a inconvenience he could have done without.

Thomas saw their reaction and was shocked at his own foolishness. He hadn't intended to blurt out that information, particularly to Womack – the man who had been his father once, but was now a stranger. Any loyalty he might have felt to the man, though it would have been hanging by a rapidly fraying thread, was gone. The thread not so much snapped as ripped apart. He was Bren's friend and he had just offered her throat to the beast. It was too late to backtrack so he had to divert.

"We need to fight the Spotters. You can't let them take me or Bren."

Bren had recovered from her surprise and realised Thomas was trying to stand up to his father. At ten years old, he'd used the only ammunition they had, her powers. She couldn't blame him. At only a few years older, she couldn't be sure she wouldn't have done the same.

"He doesn't deserve to die. He's still your son."

He's not my dad, though, thought Thomas. He kept it to himself, not wanting to aggravate things further.

"No," agreed Iain, giving the boy a burst of sentiment. It was short lived, however. "I thought he would be valuable, now he's here. Instead, I think you're more valuable!"

"Valuable? We're not jewellery or a car!"

"No," said Iain again. "You're much more. You're just what I've been looking for."

He stepped forward towards the children, not meaning to, but looking like an advancing tiger sizing up its prey. They stood their ground, though they were confused by his comment.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bren asked.

She was ready to pounce at any moment, using whatever tactics needed to keep them safe. If that meant injuring, or worse, Womack, so be it.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

"I'd like to see you try," said Thomas.

He wouldn't be able to fight back, but he would, at least, try. His spirit was all he had. Still, he was pleased when Bren moved to stand partially in front of him.

"Look," said Iain holding out in hands. "I'm not going to hurt you. I wouldn't do that. I'm a scientist. A... a father. I just want to help people. You can do that too. You can be a part of it. I'm almost there. Help me finish my work Make it all worthwhile."

Bren looked back at Thomas. The man was his father. She'd stand by what her friend said – within reason. Thomas shook his head with a look that bluntly said Not a chance.

"Why should we trust you?"

Iain checked the screens to see where the Spotters were. They had yet to reach the summit, and then they had to get inside. There was a little time, but he had to move fast. His plans had dramatically changed – escalated, in fact - and the girl was the key.

"You shouldn't," he told them honestly. "Why would you, after what I've done? Thomas, everything you knew about me is a lie, except the fact I'm your dad. That can never change."

"So?" Thomas shrugged.

"OK," Iain continued. "But let me explain. Tell you what I need from you."

"Go on," said Bren, prepared for whatever lies the man was going to tell.

"Do you know why I did all this? Do you have any idea what I was trying to achieve?"

"You wanted the world to go to shit," Bren spat.

"No, that was just a happy coincidence."

Iain laughed, but it was cut short by the look on their faces.

"I'm joking! Of course I am! I didn't want anything like this to happen! It was all... well... an accident!"

"An accident? Don't you think that makes it worse?"

"Worse? No! Don't you see that it makes it better! If I could achieve all that by accident, just think what I could do by design!"

"You're crazy." Bren said it, but Thomas nodded his incredulous agreement. His father was insane.

"Maybe so. Maybe I need to be to see the bigger picture. To turn this chaos into order."

"So, you admit it's chaos?"

"Of course! I'm not blind. This was all..."

Iain paused and sat at his desk, pushing the scattered paraphernalia away from him to clear a space for his elbows. He rested his face in his hands and sighed.

"Look. This was meant to be a cure. That's all. A cure. It just had... further effects. I thought they would be manageable. Useful. I didn't expect everyone to take such advantage of them."

"You just thought we'd all be fine being turned into freaks? Freaks who can do anything they like?"

"Well... yes!"

"And you thought it was fine to send kids out to be hunted for entertainment?"

"Well, I did think that was going a bit too far, but I can see why they would. It's dangerous for a child to not get their abilities on time. The young body and mind can't cope with the changes. The anticipation."

"Have you met your son?"

Iain looked from Bren to Thomas and back again.

"Well, he's obviously the exception, and I have to say he's been fine entertainment!"

"Yet you still gave him up!"

"I had to! They were giving me space. Time. But time was running out. I made them a promise and I hadn't kept it. If I didn't give them Thomas, they'd have taken me, then I wouldn't be able to finish my work."

"Well, it's your work that's caused all this!"

Bren was seething and was finding it difficult to contain the powers that felt eager to surge forth.

"Will you let me finish? If you want to get this over before they get here, you'd best stop interrupting. I can make you help me, but I'd like you to volunteer."

Bren nodded and, more hesitantly, so did Thomas. They'd wait. They'd listen. For now.

"It was meant to be a cure. A grand plan that would help not only my wife, but the whole world."

"Mum?" Thomas asked, pain evident in his voice.

"Yes. She had cancer. It was advanced. I had a chance to help her keep her alive. She was pregnant with you, so our options were limited. I had to take things into my own hands."

"Cancer? How come I didn't know?"

"Because it worked! Because I did it! Because she lived! The cancer went into remission. Her prospects – ours as a family – were good. But then... it happened."

"It?"

"The Outbreak."

"How, if you only gave it to mum?"

"I didn't. How could I? She'd survived, but so many others were suffering and would continue to. I had to change the formula slightly, because it was linked to your mum's DNA, but it should have worked the same."

"Except it didn't," Thomas said quietly. He was reeling at the thought his mother had been so ill and he knew nothing about it. Did that mean his father was really a hero?

"It didn't," Iain agreed. "Instead, it gave everyone these super powers. We suddenly had a world full of self proclaimed Avengers, except it was more revenge than avenge. This is why I'm here. I need to change the formula. Make it work better. Take away the powers and just leave the cure itself. Or that's what I thought."

"And now?" Bren asked. He had wanted to remove everyone's powers, but it sounded as if he was having second thoughts.

"Well... I don't think putting things back will work."

"Why the hell not?" Bren exclaimed. "You've just admitted it needs doing!"

"I know, but think about it! It's like... See... With Thomas's mum, she... had a breakdown."

"A breakdown?" Thomas asked, stepping from behind Bren. "What do you mean? After the cancer?"

"Yes. After. When she'd been cured and the powers began to appear in everyone, she saw what I'd done. What we'd done."

"What do you mean 'we'? Surely mum didn't help you!"

"After a fashion. It was her blood I used for the cure. She felt partly responsible. She had a breakdown while she was still carrying you. Destroyed the building we lived in. Killed four people. She nearly got shipped off. Would have done if I hadn't given her those vials."

"Vials?"

Thomas tried not to sound too interested, but he had a sudden sinking feeling. Surely, he couldn't mean those vials. It was just a coincidence, right?

"Yes. I made a couple of sets of what were meant to be an antidote. It was in case it didn't work. I could reverse the effects. One for your mum and one for me. She took hers and I was going to take mine but I... I couldn't. Not straight away. I couldn't give it up."

"But why didn't you in the end? What happened with mum?"

"With your mum, nothing. They had no effect. She still had her power. She came through mentally, but she was always fragile after that."

"What about the other set? You said you made two."

"Yeah. They were stolen."

"Stolen? How? Who by?"

"I don't know how, but I can guess who by.There's only one man who can pretty much get you anything you need. He's calledThe Fixer. Oscar Somethingorother."