Mark arrived at the Phoenix Foundation mid-morning the day after his collision, the Chief deciding that Mark needed another check by the doctors to make sure he was healing. After his examination Mark wandered aimlessly around the building, finally ending up in the cafeteria where he joined his friends, who were eating their lunch. As the others headed off to their lessons or training sessions, Mark remained seated at the table, under the tree, for the rest of the afternoon, in a gloomy haze.

This table had become their favourite spot to sit. All of them had learned that from this spot, they could observe everything going on inside the main cafeteria and on the patio. They had also discovered two other things about the position of this particular table. First, because everything was visible from this spot, this table offered the fastest means of escape when something, or someone, unpleasant was coming. Second, from this position they could hear most conversations being held on the courtyard patio.

From this position Mark watched Tiny step onto the patio, hesitate and then walk towards him. Tiny was dressed in grey overalls covered in oil stains.

“Good you’re still sitting here. Can’t find anything better to do?” Tiny questioned. “Come on, I have something to show you.”

“No.” Mark responded in a quiet, flat tone. “Anderson told me to wait here until he was ready to return to the mansion.”

Tiny looked at Mark. Mark’s face had no expression and his eyes were dull and cold. To avoid looking into those lifeless eyes Tiny quickly glanced at his watch. “Given the time I suspect the Chief will probably be another hour or more up there in his office and you must be bored sitting here. This will be fast. The Chief will not even notice you are gone.”

Mark thought, and then gave a half shrug reluctantly getting up to follow.

Tiny had begun leading Mark towards the airfield before Mark finally asked, “Where are we going?” His voice was still void of expression.

“The Airfield, and if you can’t figure that out you must have hit your head harder than you said. I thought you were supposed to be the observant one.”

“Why?”

Mark had stopped so Tiny turned and eyed Mark speculatively. Mark’s eyes still look hollow. Tiny thought back and realized it had been a while since he had seen any life in them. Normally Mark was the energy he and Keyop gravitated to. Now though that spark was gone. Tiny remembered during their last day off, two or three weeks earlier, he had seen light in Marks eyes. When had the spark been lost? Why had it died? Tiny shook his head and decided that, that didn’t matter right now. What mattered was Mark was asking questions again. Maybe the Chief was right. Maybe this would work.

“I told you I want to show you something.” Tiny finally responded.

And then worriedly, “Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe the doctor should examine your head again. I think the crash knocked some of your brains out. Is that why you keep asking me to repeat myself?” Tiny finished jokingly.

Mark responded by again giving a slight one shouldered shrug before continuing their walk towards the Airfield.

Shortly afterwards the boys were standing beside a fuel truck. Tiny peered around the back of the truck, towards the Flight Building, which contained the Pilots Lounge, a small barracks and the flight seminar room. To the boys right was the Maintenance Hanger.

Mark reached out and touched Tiny’s arm, “Tiny let’s go. We’ll get into trouble. We’re not supposed to be here.”

“You afraid? They can’t do anything to you if they drop you from the program.” Tiny jerked his head around to look at Mark, his eyes opened wide with fear, and he quickly said, “Sorry, Jason told us you thought you were going to be thrown out of here.”

“He also said we shouldn’t say anything about it yet.” Tiny mumbled and pulled his head into his shoulders.

In a hurt tone, Mark replied, “If I’m dropped, I have even less reason to be here. Let’s get out of here.”

As Mark took a step to walk away Tiny grabbed his right wrist, forcing Mark to face him and stopping Mark from leaving at the same time.

“Your skills of observation are weaker than usual since that accident aren’t they? Did you not notice?” Tiny waved his free hand to indicate his outfit. “I’m allowed to be here, so don’t get so jumpy. I AM going to show you what I planned on showing you.”

Mark turned his head and shoulders away from Tiny and made an attempt to twist his wrist from Tiny’s grip.

“Mark, please…..” After pausing for several long seconds, Tiny finally said warningly, “Mark, if I let you go and you leave, I WILL chase you down and carry you to where I want. I’m taller and stronger than you. I can do it.”

Mark stopped struggling and after another long pause he finally sighed in defeat and turned to face Tiny again. “All right, you win. But I don’t think we should make a scene. Tell me where we’re going.”

“You’re right, me walking past the lounge carrying you over my shoulder would not be a good idea. Over to Maintenance.” Tiny jerked his head in that direction.

After Tiny had another glance towards the Flight Building the boys turned their back on the lounge and sauntered towards the Maintenance Hanger. When they got to the office door Tiny looked inside to make sure nobody was around. Tiny then indicated they could walk through and into the hanger. It too was empty.

“Where is everyone?” Mark wondered aloud.

“It’s after 4, they went home and the Head Mechanic is probably over in the lounge with some of the pilots.”

“So what are we doing here? What did you want to show me?”

“That.” Said Tiny as he turned and pointed to, and then walked towards an Impulse Jet. “I’m doing a rotation through this hanger, you know learning how to fix different planes. The Colonel and his team are having maintenance checks done on their jets before they return to Riga. I have been helping work on this one.” Tiny gave the jet’s fuselage a pat. “We finished its maintenance just before quitting time, all she needs now is a test flight.”

“I’m surprised the Colonel lets you near any of his jets.” Mark replied with a shake of his head. “Whose is it?”

“One of the Lieutenants. Go on, sit in it.” Tiny pointed towards the cockpit, “You be the pilot, and I’ll sit in the co-pilots seat.”

The boys climbed in and settled into their respective seats. “Oh, wow!” breathed Mark as he ran his hands over the instrument panel.

“Have you ever been up in one of these?”

“Only in the simulator. The layout in there is similar to this.”

“Here let me start it for you.” Tiny found the correct switches and the engine roared to life. “The rest you should be able to do for yourself. It is just like in the simulator. Just get it onto the runway and take off. I’ll radio the control tower and let them know what we are doing.”

Mark taxied the jet onto the runway and increased the speed for take-off. Very quickly they lifted off the tarmac and were heading into the sky.

**********

Men and women were gathered in the Pilots Lounge. Some groups were sitting at tables or booths playing games, while others were watching the wall mounted TV, which loudly broadcast the news. Colonel Cronus and his two Lieutenants were sitting around a table, drinks at hand, talking to James, the Foundations Head Mechanic.

Over the clamour Cronus detected the rumble of an engine and uttered, “What the fuck is that?”

He then tilted his head trying to better identify the sound and said, “That sounds like an Impulse jet cycling up.”

The Colonel jumped up, knocking aside his chair and raced to the door. He looked in the direction of the engine noise and saw a jet moving along the tarmac towards the runway.

“Who would be taking their jet up at this time of day? I didn’t authorize any one.” Cronus muttered to himself.

The Colonel gave the jet a closer inspection as he felt his two Lieutenants join him at the door. “Kamaunishi isn’t that your jet?”

But he didn’t wait for an answer, “What the fuck is going on? Someone is stealing one of our Jets! I need to get to the control tower and tell them not to let that jet take off!”

The three men ran to the control tower, slammed the door open, and climbed the stairs two at a time to the second floor. When they reached the top they looked out the bank of windows to watch as the Impulse Jet finished making its race down the runway and lift gracefully into the sky.

“Why was that jet allowed to take off?” Cronus bellowed at the surprised Air Traffic Controller. “And who the fuck is piloting her?”

“I got a call over the radio from one of the maintenance crew, they wanted to check the jet out and make sure everything was in working order. I take it I should not have let her leave?” The Base Controller responded.

Cronus spat out, “No, you idiot! Didn’t you notice the maintenance crews have left for the day? And have you not been told that NO, Impulse Jet leaves the tarmac without my authorization first? So much for security around here!” Cronus finished by throwing his arms in the air and turning towards his two lieutenants.

Then he quickly rounded on the nervous traffic controller again, eyes narrowed, “You didn’t you say who took her out?”

“Tiny Harper called it in, and I believe he said Mark Anderson, was the pilot. They have both flown before, shouldn’t I have let them go?”

“Christ, no!” Cronus bellowed. “They don’t know how to handle an Impulse Jet! They have never been up in one. Tell them to get that Jet down now, before I go up there and haul them down.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” the visibly shaken Air Traffic Controller said as he turned back to his radio.

Still growling the Colonel barked, “Where’s the phone?” The controller pointed in the direction of the instrument and Cronus stormed over to the phone, picked up the receiver and dialed.

After waiting Cronus ground out, “John, two of your boys have stolen one of my Jets! You had better get over here now before I do something YOU may regret, when they set her down.”

Colonel Cronus then slammed down the receiver and turned back to the traffic controller, “Have you reached them yet? Tell them to get their asses on the ground now! And while you are at it I want an open comm-channel to that jet! I want to hear everything that is going on up there!”

For the next 5 minutes, while waiting for John Anderson to arrive, Cronus alternated between frenetic pacing and growling as he watched the jet circle the field.

**********

Mark had been circling the airfield’s perimeter. “This is fantastic!” he finally exclaimed. “This jet is even more responsive than the simulated version. All it needs is the smallest adjustments to tell her what to do. I love this! I have never felt so connected before.”

When he heard Tiny talking on the radio Mark asked, “What’s wrong Tiny?”

“Ummm, they want us to land now.”

“What? But we haven’t tested the …” Mark said in shock and shifted in his seat to look over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed. “Did we have permission for this?”

“Ahhhh, that might depend on who you ask…...”

“Oh great. Don’t tell me that I’m now going to have to watch out for you too? It’s Jason or Don’s actions I have learned to be leery of. They are the ones who get me into trouble, not you.” Mark faced forward again and began preparations for landing.

“Mark?”

“Hmmm?” Mark had most of his attention focused on the landing preparations.

“Well, since we are up here, and since we’re already in trouble, maybe we could try some maneuvers. Really test this jet out. You know, see if what the Colonel brags about is true…… it may be our only chance.” Tiny said hesitatingly. Then he pointed out, “We can’t get into any more trouble.”

“Yes we can, they can execute us slowly instead of fast.”

“Yeah, but they can only do it once.” Tiny replied with a smile. “Come on Mark you know you want to.”

“Arrrrrrrgh!” Mark growled, torn between emotions. Then after a pause, “Tiny, remind me to watch my back with you too. Okay? I have a feel for the jet. You strapped in? What do you want first?”

Ecstatically Tiny cheered, “All right! How about vertical? You know these things can go into space?”

“They might, but you and I don’t have the equipment for that, so forget it.” Mark had changed course and was increasing their forward speed. “Okay here we go!”

“Yeeeaaahhhh!” Tiny yelled as the jet headed for the clouds. Mark’s exclamation of joy followed shortly afterwards.

For half an hour Mark alternated between loops, rolls and turns. Finally he had Tiny radio in that they were preparing to land.

“We are cleared and are to leave the jet on the tarmac beside hanger 2.” Tiny stated after talking to the control tower.

Mark landed the jet and taxied up to the hanger and then the boys had shut down the engines and jumped out of the cockpit. Tiny stepped to the side as Mark placed the chocks under the wheels and had done a final exterior check, running the fingers of his left hand along the side of the jet as he moved around it.

**********

While Mark and Tiny were performing their maneuvers John Anderson had arrived in the control tower and had watched Mactep (Max) Cronus as he wildly paced around the equipment.

Cronus still fuming said in an outraged voice, “John, those boys of yours are going to be the death of me. Yesterday, I had Jason trying to take off my head, for apparently sending Mark up flying without any sleep, and now I have those two stealing my jets.”

Anderson trying to instill reason said calmly, “Let’s be truthful Max. They only have one jet and if they are planning on returning it, it is not really stealing, is it? They borrowed it without permission.”

When he heard a chuckle from one of the Lieutenants, Anderson turned and glanced at the two men standing near the bank of windows. They both had smiles on their faces.

“He’s got you there boss. I think he can play with words even better than you can.” said Asakearha.

“I do not need yours or Kamaunishi’s commentary!” the Colonel snapped at his two Lieutenants. “Nishi should be devising a plan to get those two out of the air before they plough his jet into the tarmac, and leave him with no way to get back to Riga.”

The men turned and watched as the Impulse Jet was put through a series of rolls before moving into another vertical climb, ending in a tailslide.

“I still like my initial plan of taking my jet up there and forcing them down!” Cronus snarled speaking over the chatter being broadcast from the two boys in the jet.

“Colonel, if you do that you might force the boy into a situation he is untrained for. Let them be. They are having fun.” Lt. Asakearha tried to rationalize to his superior.

The three men turn as Lt. Kamaunishi caught their attention and moved his hands speaking in sign to his two comrades.

“You may fly it, but you don’t own it! It’s not your decision.” the Colonel snapped and then turned to look out the windows again.

John shook his head before looking Lt. Asakearha and saying, “I’m sorry. What did he say?”

Asakearha translated for the Chief, “Nishi said, ‘I remember my first flight in an Impulse Jet. Heart pounding, adrenaline flowing, the excitement. The maneuvers they are performing are not that complex. They are not taxing the jet.’ Nishi then reminded the Colonel that, the jet is his and he thinks we should let Mark experience its power for now. It will give Mark something to remember, to strive for, while we are off planet for the next month or so.”

“If Mark even touches one of my Jets, when we get back, I will kick the shit out of him.” Cronus muttered darkly.

“Is he not doing well up there, in an unfamiliar ship?” John questioned Max. “I know some of those maneuvers he has never performed in his Piper.”

“You are right. And given some more time and training he could become one of my junior pilots. In a few years he could make Lieutenant.” Cronus grumbled and pointed his chin towards the other two men.

“Why have you never told him that? All he hears from you is criticism. For some reason Mark idolizes you and yet, I don’t think I have ever heard you say something polite to him. All you give him is criticism and sarcasm.”

“You want me to baby him? All of them? They are going into a war. A war with a planet that has devastated my planet, and will try to take over yours and enslave every being on it. The sooner your ‘kids’ realize that hard truth, the better.”

Both men stood at the bay of windows and watched as the jet executed an outside loop with a roll at the top and shot straight into the clouds again.

And then over the open comm-channel they heard Mark’s energized voice, “Tiny you with me still? I think it is about time to radio the control tower and let them know we want to come in. That is if they will have us.”

Cronus looked over at the Air Traffic Controller, “Tell them to leave the jet beside the Impulse Hanger. I am sure Kamaunishi will want to examine his plane before we put it away.”

As the Controller began relaying the information the four men left the room, walked down the stairs of the control tower and began their walk to the hanger.

Cronus grumbled, “So are you going to punish them, or should I take it out of their hides?”

“Let’s wait and see. Just remember, Mark has had a bad time just recently. Jason reports that Mark thinks he is going to be thrown off the project. We do know he has not been very happy lately. He has been withdrawn and does not respond unless directly spoken to. His scores have dropped and he seems to be pulling away from the team as well.” John shrugged. “Your game with him last week, and the loss of his plane yesterday, have not helped.”

“You are not worried about this behaviour? You have not done anything about it?” Max asked and then as awareness struck he continued, “By ‘we’ are you referring to all of those pencil pushers on the Board?”

When John nodded his head in assent, Max continued, “What would they know, except what is on paper? Have any of them tried anything useful? Have you considered having a friend talk to him?”

“Oh, like you? Someone who pushes him around and tells him he will never be as capable or as strong as the rest of the team?” John snapped defensively.

“No, I meant someone not closely related to the project. Hang on, Mark told you about that?” Max ended in shock, remembering how a week ago, he had observed Mark in the Flight Simulator, and had yelled at Mark when the boy had made an inappropriate maneuver when responding to a simulated situation.

“No, actually Tiny did. I gather Tiny was in the room when the event happened and he was a little upset by what you said. Tiny decided if Mark was not going to defend himself then he would.” Anderson responded, “I told Tiny to take it up with you. I guess he never approached you.”

“No. No one has come to me as of yet.” Cronus shook his head and then continued, “How does he do it? Mark seems to rally people around him, who will defend him, and yet he does nothing to fight for himself.”

This time it was Anderson who shook his head only it was in dismay. “You still don’t see any strength in Mark do you?”

“What strength? He is meek and gutless. He takes everything I throw at him without protesting. For the last month I have been putting blocks in his path, or giving him incorrect information, to try and get the boy to fight back or to show some aggression, but he just sits there, and lets others defend him apparently. You once told me that Mark was not meant to be on the team; that he attached himself to Jason and the others. When you and the other Board Members noticed the connection, it should have been severed. He does not have the fire like I see in the others. He is not meant to be a warrior.”

John spoke softly, “You say you do not see any fire in Mark. He may have a quiet demeanor, but I do not think he is not meek or gutless like you say. I see strength there. I have been wondering if the only reason I see it is because I want to; because I want ‘my son’ to be special, like the others. But when I look at his test results, after combat trials, and his scores in strategy and profiling, I know there is something there. I keep seeing these flares of strength, that you say you don’t see, and then Mark hides them. Mark is good at hiding inside himself, he always has been. He’s good at hiding what he is thinking and feeling, and only showing what he thinks others want to see of him. Think about it, if he has survived all the tests and medical procedures we put him through, where many of our other subjects have failed or died, he must have some strength. One day you need to watch him, not at the airfield, but during one of the training or strategy activities they do.”

By now the men were approaching the hanger and had come close enough to hear Mark enthusiastically talking about Kamaunishi’s Jet

“Tiny, this is one beautiful jet. She is so smooth and responsive in the air, and even on the ground her lines are sleek and clean. One day I am going to get one of these.”

Uncertain, Tiny glanced towards the men approaching him before he responded to Mark, “An Impulse Jet?

“No,” said Mark, his contemplative voice coming from the other side of the jet. “Something, …. something that responds to me. Something……”

Mark had stepped around the front of the jet, and paused what he was saying as he noticed the four men standing beside Tiny and then finished his sentence.

“Something that I can really connect with.” Mark’s eyes flicked back to Tiny and he gave a slight shake of his head.

Anderson had noticed the signal Mark sent to Tiny and wondered what message had just been sent as he watched Mark’s back straightened and the boy raise his chin showing resolve and defiance. What held his gaze were Mark’s eyes. There was fire in them and they were shinning with certainty.

“Report, boys” Anderson ordered finally taking his eyes off Mark and looked towards Tiny.

“Tiny said the jet needed to go on a test flight after its maintenance and he invited me along.” Mark crisply reported.

Anderson raised an eyebrow, this was not exactly what he was looking for … or who he had expected it from, he turned to face Mark, “And…”

“Well, I think there is still a hiccup in the starboard engine.” Mark looked towards Lieutenants Kamaunishi and Asakearha. “She shuddered a little when we were doing right loops, but I am not really sure; you really should try it yourself or have it looked at.”

Lt. Kamaunishi looked at Mark and moved his hands signing, “Thank you, I will have it looked at in the morning.”

Nishi then stepped around Chief Anderson and his Colonel and walked toward the jet. Lt. Asakearha translated what had been said, for John, before he too left.

The Chief broke in authoritatively, “Tiny, Mark, I want you in the Foundation Lobby in 10 minutes. I will meet you there shortly.”

Cronus and Anderson watched as the boys walk away and heard Tiny’s words drift back to them, “I can’t believe …..”

Followed by Mark’s response, “Probably because they haven’t decided how to execute us, yet.” The last thing the men heard was laughter as they watched the boys break into a run and head towards the main building.

Finally Cronus spoke, “Is that all you are going to do? You are not going to punish them?”

“Oh, they will be punished. In a way I feel appropriate.” Anderson replied with a smile. “But for tonight, let them be boys. Besides, Tiny was only doing what I asked of him – kind of.”

When John finished speaking Cronus turned and stormed away, clearly angry about Anderson's decision in the matter. Fortunately this time it was John’s say, and not the Colonel's, that mattered.

While John continued to look in the direction the boys had taken, Lieutenant Asakearha stepped behind him and quietly questioned, “May I ask what you meant when you said Tiny was doing what you asked?”

Startled, John turned toward the man and considered if he should reply. Finally, knowing it would get back to Cronus, Anderson said, “Last night your Colonel, arrived at my home and informed me, among other things, that ‘I should get Mark back in the air before the boy lost his nerve’. This afternoon I spoke with Tiny and asked him to see what he could come up with to help raise Mark’s spirits.”

Anderson paused to take a deep breath before he continued, “Now, I didn’t intend or suggest that Tiny should tempt Mark into a flight today, just to have a talk with him. And I really did not expect Tiny to highjack one of your Jets. I figured in a couple of days, when we had a replacement for that Piper he went down in, then, we could get Mark up flying again. Until then I was hoping that Tiny could find a way to boost Mark’s confidence.”

John watched as the Lieutenant nodded his head, showing he understood, and then watched the man as he walked towards Kamaunishi and the Jet. John then turned and began his walk towards the main building. As he walked he thought back and remembered his wife, Barbara’s funeral and the last time he saw Mark as spiritless as he had seen him earlier in the day.

**********

With a sigh John looked at the fresh grave. His eyes stared at the black earth that covered it and then looked down as Mark’s 7 year old hand slipped into his. Mark’s grip tightened around his fingers in a way that told him Mark felt like everything was going to fall to pieces if he let go.

Over the last year the leukemia had slowly weakened his wife, Barbara. She had battled the disease for a number of years after it was discovered, and they had decided not tell the children, at first. They had hoped a treatment would work, but in the end the disease had left her so thin and exhausted she could not fight any more and she had fallen into a coma and died.

John remembered he had not shed a tear at the funeral or the Service. He had done all his crying in private, earlier. Joel, his eldest son, was disappointed and angry with him and they argued in the limo during their trip home.

The argument gave John an excuse to take his focus off of Mark. He really didn’t want to notice how Mark had remained quiet, even when spoken too. How Mark just sat gazing out the window with hollow eyes. John didn’t want to see how Mark was crawling into a shell, to escape, to keep from hurting.

The Funeral Service had been on a Thursday and he returned to work the following Monday. The next day, Tuesday, the phone call came into his office. The school’s Safe Arrival Program had noted Mark’s absence for a second day in a row and was calling to ask why Mark had not returned to school.

After muttering something to the caller and returning the receiver to its cradle, John remembered sitting at his desk, his brain running in circles. He had spoken to Mark last night, and had seen him again this morning at breakfast. Their driver was meant to have taken him to school.

Then John’s brain skipped in its tracks. What? ….. TWO days? Mark had given him the impression he had attended classes yesterday. What had happened? Where was he? What was he doing?

A quick call to the housekeeper revealed that Mark had not returned home but she would check and see if he had slipped in. And the driver, “Yes, Mark was dropped off at the gates to the school as usual. No, I did not watch to see if Mark entered the building.” Then his assistant stepped in to say she had contacted the Police and they were on their way. When had he let her know Mark was missing?

And finally, the waiting: No phone calls, no messages, no ransoms, no sightings, nothing. Notices were sent out. Police Forces in the area were made aware of the situation. But John did not hear anything as the days turned into weeks and then months.

Over the next year, whenever John meditated or was alone, without work to distract him, he remembered the hollow, lost look in Mark’s eyes and wished he had done something. Wished he had said anything, to erase that look while he had had the chance. Even anger and betrayal like he saw daily in Joel’s eyes would be better than not having Mark here at all.

Three months into the search there had been sudden hope as a boy fitting Mark’s description had been sighted by the Police in a park in the city. By the time John arrived the boy had disappeared again, but digital footage, caught by a store camera, showed it had indeed been Mark.

Winter came, and with it the cold and snow, and John worried. Did Mark have shelter? How would he survive? He had lived a sheltered and protected life in their home. What was he doing to survive alone in the city?

Then one autumn evening the following year Mark was returned to him. The Police had spotted him sitting by the pond in the same park where he had been spotted the year earlier. They had approached him and when he had tried to run, they had caught him. Apparently when he had been caught he was yelling for a “Charlie” to help him and had fought like a “tiger” until the Police had been able to restrain him.

For the next few weeks John kept Mark close. He brought Mark to the Phoenix Foundation every morning and gave Mark one of his extra passes, so Mark could wander the Foundation building, while he worked.

Mark never spoke to the Chief about why he ran away. He only gave short direct answers to his experiences while he had been away. And John did not want to push Mark, fearing that that dead, hollow look would return to his eyes.

**********

Remembering once again those lifeless eyes pulled John back to the present. He remembered how emotionally dead Mark had looked just this morning. Over the last few weeks he had watched the hollowness return to Mark’s eyes. Nothing he had said or done seemed to pull Mark back. John was beginning to fear Mark might run again. That he might loose him – this time forever.

That was until this evening when he saw Mark step around that jet. The brilliance he saw in those eyes, the confidence and defiance he read on Mark’s face, made his heart jump and whisper to him, ‘He’s come back again’. Perhaps he had made the correct decision in enlisting Tiny’s help after all, even if it may have put a wedge in his relationship with Max Cronus.

The Chief sprang up the six stairs to the Main entrance to the Phoenix Foundation anxious to see if they had really succeeded. As he stepped through the doors into the foyer he glanced around and stopped dead. John felt his heart fall and his eyes close. God no. Where was he? He wouldn’t run now would he? Why wasn’t Tiny here? Did Mark take Tiny with him? Was I wrong again?’ All these thoughts ran through John’s head.

Opening his eyes, John turned his head to the left and did a slower scan over the sofas and chairs, past the elevators and around past the Guards security station in front of him. As he continued to turn to his right a shout and a sudden movement forced him to focus on a cluster of sofas and chairs behind a large planter. He moved so he could see around the planter and saw four heads. Four? Princess and Tiny laughing and Keyop wrestling with Jason were the shouts and flash of movement he had seen. But where was Mark?

As Anderson approached the seating area Tiny looked towards him, “We sat down and he crashed.” said Tiny as he waved towards the other end of the sofa. “Even with all of the noise they’re making.”

The Chief looked down and there was Mark lying on his side. One arm bent under his head, cushioning it, one leg pulled up to his chest the other resting in Tiny’s lap. John closed his eyes and said a little thank you in his mind, to whom ever was listening.

When he opened his eyes, four sets of eyes were looking back at him. “That is not surprising after the emotional turmoil he has had, and the rough few days he has been through. That all of you have been through. Off you four go. A car and driver are waiting.” Anderson finished by nodding his head in the direction of the entrance.

Once the four had started moving towards the entrance John walked around the bench and looked down at Mark. He gave a smile and brushed a stray lock of hair off of Mark’s brow before touching his shoulder and giving it a shake. “Mark, time to go.”

When Mark finally opened his eyes, John gave a quick smile, and a silent sigh of relief, because he could see a spark of happiness had replaced the dark, hollowness in Mark’s eyes. “Come on, time to go home.”

And Chief Anderson knew, Mark was really coming home this time.