Jenny followed the signs that led to the cafeteria and entered a room with a low roof and rows of tables. Several were occupied by strangers sitting together eating, laughing and chattering away. She would get the occasional smile from someone, and it made her feel welcome. Jenny spotted Zac, Chevie, Eli and Amelia already halfway through their meals and joined them after collecting her own breakfast.
"Hey Jenny! Amelia was just telling us," said Eli with so much enthusiasm, she wondered where the real Eli had gone, "that she and her dad went to Indonesia a few months ago to find this rare flower that-"
"It's a Rafflesia, or 'Corpse Flower'."
"Y-yes, that," he grinned. "And while they were there, they met this woman who could speak like almost every language ..."
Eli went on about Amelia and the Captain's adventures, but Jenny was preoccupied with thoughts of Joshua. It was easy for Eli to forget him, to come out in his element and finally start speaking for himself again. But Jenny felt like a piece of her had been ripped away when they left Joshua behind.
Apparently it was more obvious than she thought.
"You okay?" Chevie whispered to her under the cover of Zac's raucous laughter when Eli nearly toppled off his chair trying to help Amelia carry her tray of food and went bright red from embarrassment.
"Yeah," she replied too fast for it to be true. "I'm fine."
"Well you haven't touched your food." Chevie leaned closer to her and slipped her plate under her nose. "Mmm, looks good doesn't it?"
She didn't glance at him and gently pushed the plate away. "I'm a little preoccupied."
Chevie opened his mouth to answer when someone called his name from the doorway.
They all turned at the table to see a man who looked like your average Joe with a crew-cut and circular glasses. He reminded Jenny of a teacher she used to date.
"There's something you need to see. All of you."
Jenny's eyebrows shot up as Chevie raced to the door, the rest of them following.
"What is it Mark?" asked Chevie as they jogged down the corridor. Zac shoved past Jenny, carrying his breakfast tray and slopping gravy over the floor.
"We're getting a live broadcast directly from the government," said Mark.
The communications room was filled with more people than before, all of them buzzing around as a news report was being played on a large screen over the table with the map. Jenny could see Captain Mackintosh pointing at a virtual tracking system on the layout of the table.
Mark and Chevie approached the Captain at the table of maps. On the right side was a tall, thin boy of Asian origin with red streaks in his black hair. He wore layered clothing under a long trench coat, making him look like he was from the Matrix. Beside him were the Australian's, Ace and Illya, talking quietly together.
"What's going on?" asked Chevie.
"We're hearing this live from Parliament. It's bad," said Mark.
Everyone turned to the giant screen and the room grew to a hush.
"People of America."
Jenny, Eli and Zac gaped at the screen. A little bit of sauce spilled onto Zac's shirt from his open mouth.
"Barry?" said Eli.
"Shh!" snapped the Captain.
Jenny gazed in shock at Barry on a podium before the American flag, flashes from cameras blinking in his eyes. The caption at the bottom of the screen read 'BREAKING NEWS'. Jenny felt as if her heart would leap out of her chest. "I come to you today with an announcement straight from the Pentagon. We have been informed that our country has been harboring people with altered DNA who have abilities beyond human reckoning. These people may not know they are different; they could be harmless, but they could also be dangerous. We are sending out a nationwide call: If you yourselves are aware of or know of someone who has experienced symptoms of altered DNA, please come forward to your local police station and we will ensure that no harm will come to you. We do not want a war. We do not want to isolate you. We just want to understand what is happening to our kind and offer our protection.
"In other news, we are on a hunt for this man-" An image of Dr. Wolfe appeared on the screen. "He goes by the name of Dr. Winston Wolfe. He is dangerous, and we must find him. Please contact your local crime division or authority with any information on this man. Thank you, and God bless America."
YOU ARE READING
Consuming Fire
Science Fiction*AVAILABLE ON AMAZON* The third in the ROUGE series ... 'The true heroes are the ones who have courage, even when they have no power at all.' After Hunter and Will are rescued from the terrifying institution and brought to the safe house where the o...
