From his vantage point outside the door of the operations room, Alex could hear the voices clearly. He squinted through the narrow gap in the door, and could see the Director standing at the end of a long boardroom table. One entire wall was covered with images of Sam taken in New York.
Phoebe was sitting at the table. When she had been paged earlier to attend this urgent meeting, she had told Alex to look around the facilities—this seemed as good a place as any to start.
‘We lost him,’ Stella said, her image on a big screen on the wall. ‘He got away from us underneath the Vatican.’
‘Damn it!’ Jack replied, pounding his powerful prosthetic fist down on the table, the impact making a loud metallic sound.
‘Who was the next Dreamer?’ he asked.
‘Uploading now,’ an operator answered.
Alex recognised the image immediately. It was of the Italian pop star, Gabriella. Her details came up on screen.
‘Right, OK …’
Alex shifted his position slightly so he could see further into the room.
The Director spoke again, aiming his fury at everyone. ‘So this time it’s not one of ours, but that might just be a fluke. We’re going to have to make sure all the surrogate parents are on high alert. We can’t have this happen again.’
Stella replied, ‘There are over a thousand kids that age, all over the world. We don’t know if any of them might be part of the last 13 until they are—’
‘I am fully aware of the process, Agent Wilde. I want you to stay out there, keep mobile, keep looking and put together rapid-response teams on each continent,’ the Director ordered. ‘Dreamers cannot keep slipping through our fingers like this.’
Internet news headlines flashed on a screen.
Stella paused. ‘And there’s the other complication to consider.’
‘Solaris?’ Jack asked.
Stella nodded.
‘Where is he now?’
‘I’m not sure. But I am certain he’ll be here.’
Alex pulled away from the door. Everyone was looking for Sam, including Solaris. Sam was in danger. Maybe I can persuade him to join us at the Enterprise. They’d be far better at keeping him safe than the Academy. But then it’s all about him again, isn’t it?
Alex leapt up and sprinted down the corridor as he heard footsteps approaching the door, his thoughts of Sam scattering as he ran.
Alex was in a computer lab. All the lights were off but for one lamp. He was reading up on the database of well-known Dreamers …
‘Am I one of these people?’ Alex wondered aloud.
‘I’m not sure,’ a voice replied.
‘Phoebe?’ Alex turned, surprised to see his mother standing in the doorway.
‘You can still call me Mum, you know,’ she chided. She came over and sat next to him.
‘Right.’ Alex sighed.
‘I know this is hard,’ she went on.
‘It is what it is,’ he replied, looking at the screen in front of him. ‘Bits of it are even kind of cool.’
Phoebe smiled. ‘What you up to?’
‘Not much,’ Alex replied. ‘Meeting went well?’
‘Mmm … there’s so much work to do,’ she said.
Alex nodded. ‘Will you find Sam and Eva?’
‘We’re trying.’
‘And when you find them?’
Phoebe looked a little uncomfortable.
‘I saw the headlines—whatever it was that happened in Rome. You were chasing Sam, right?’ Alex said.
‘Yes, that was us. But that’s why the Academy should let us take charge in this race,’ Phoebe said. ‘It’s too important to throw it all away on a petty rivalry and now you can see what happens when the situation isn’t controlled. Innocent people get hurt.’
Alex shook his head. There was so much to think about, his head ached.
‘Look, I—we, Jack and the Enterprise—are trying to do something important for the world,’ Phoebe went on. ‘To take the innate abilities of Dreamers and use science and technology to make the most of those talents. We have trained Dreamers in high-ranking positions all over the world, who achieve all kinds of amazing things—saving lives, creating ground-breaking technologies, shaping the future.’ She sighed and took Alex’s hand in her own. ‘I hope I brought you up to think for yourself and to take control of your own life. I believe in those things and the Enterprise does too.’
‘So, you think I should stay here?’ Alex asked.
‘Yes, I do, but it’s up to you. I know you’ll make the right decision.’ Phoebe embraced him warmly.
The doors hissed open and the Director strode in. ‘Ah, I’m glad I’ve found you both. Have you discussed the matter with him yet, Phoebe?’ he asked.
‘No, we hadn’t got around to that,’ Phoebe replied.
Alex looked from Jack to his mother. ‘What matter?’