�You mean this is a suicide mission?� The reality of the situation suddenly hit home.

�You can still change your mind and leave after our next jump. You can go with the rest of the survivors.�

Evan was silent.

�Well?� prompted Khaira again.

�If I go home, all I will be doing is increasing the population. I won�t be getting the bastards that killed my family,� Evan yelled, �Besides it looks as if you�re already starting to help get things along.�

Evan was angry. He had never felt such anger before. He jumped from his bed and grabbed Khaira by the arms.

�Listen to me Evan, this is a side affect, don�t do anything stupid,� Khaira pleaded; suddenly she paused and realised what Evan was saying. �How do you know that I�m pregnant? I haven�t told anyone except the doctor. I can�t tell anyone.�

�I don�t know why I thought that. You just look like you are.�

Khaira looked at Evan confused. Suddenly she started to think about the events, which had led Evan to be here now. She thought about the fact that he had rejected the implanted memories to keep his mind occupied for the five days until the survivors could be sent back.

Suddenly Khaira leapt up out of her chair. �I need to go do something.�

Evan watched Khaira leave, he was confused.

�What�s happening to me? Nothing seems real any more,� Evan screamed. He was tugging his hair. He began to kick and scream at the door. All the youth still left in him came out as a big tantrum. He was crying, screaming, throwing things around.

He didn�t want to be part of this weird dream any more. Maybe he should not have been bad as a kid. Maybe this was his past experimental days coming back to haunt him. Maybe none of what he was thinking was real.

�AM I CRAZY?� he yelled.

He sat waiting for a response. But all was quiet. He looked at himself in the mirrored windows hoping that he would see something that would make him believe. The door burst open and Khaira ran in. She was holding some strange looking liquid.

�Drink this. It will make you see the real world. You have a virus.�

�I don�t know if I can trust you,� Evan wept. �What kind of virus?�

�A dangerous one, now just drink it.�

Khaira�s insistence scared Evan and he drank the liquid. Suddenly his world went dark and he fell back onto his bunk asleep.

Khaira lifted her wrist and pressed a button on her communications device. A small holographic representation of the executive officer aboard the ship appeared.

�Liaison Khaira, how can I help?�

�Commander William Blake, thank you for responding so promptly. We have a serious problem with Evan.�

�What appears to be the problem?�

�I must speak to you in person regarding this, but it is of the utmost urgency. I have covered my tracks by making him believe that he has a virus, at the moment he is sedated. If you could join me with Doctor Masterton then we can explain.�

�Very well, Blake out.�

Khaira watched the miniature hologram of Blake vanish and turned to look at Evan who was now sleeping peacefully. There was something very different about this child and it could prove to be disastrous to everyone.

Turning away from the enigma that was Evan, Khaira left the room.

Doctor Elaine Masterton looked at the brain scans of Evan and something disturbed her.

�This boy is very dangerous to our community. He survived being frozen in that car. I couldn�t believe it; I mean most of the world today is built on the survivors who were in the nuclear shelters. We only have maybe 10 survivors who were out in the open. Now Khaira as my top student I want you to keep befriending Evan.�

The room filled with students started to write down notes.

�The only other person to survive in the open under the age of 16 was our Captain.� A voice piped up.

Doctor Masterton smiled. �The Captain so has you all believing that,� she thought to herself.

�So why is he so dangerous I hear you ask? His brain. Look, it�s suffered no evidence of damage� most of our victims have water damage similar to drowning.� Elaine looked around her students to make sure that they understood the implications of this statement.

�Doctor, is it really appropriate to have all of these students in the room.�

Elaine looked across the room at the new voice that had spoken; it was Commander Blake the executive officer of the Agamemnon. �Commander.�

�This is not a teaching ship, we are at a state of emergency, information is crucial and Liaison Khaira stated to me that this was of an important nature.� Blake seemed deadly serious in his tone.

�Very well,� conceded Elaine. �Everyone out except Khaira and the Commander.�

All the students began to file out, grumbling to themselves that they were always left out.

�Why did you bring students on a mission like this?� asked Blake.

�They need to learn, if we are stuck here for life then this ship may need to turn into a generation ship.� Elaine shot a secretive glance at Khaira. �We need people to learn what to do once we all get too old. We need to teach the next generation to take over when we become incapable.�

�I don�t like it.� Blake was quite stubborn in his opinions. �Now, I was called down here on urgent business of an important nature.�

�It�s to do with Evan�s brain scan,� stated Khaira as she handed the discussion over to Elaine.

Elaine tapped a few keys on the table in front of her and a holographic representation of Evan�s brain appeared over the table turning slowly. �The areas I have lit up are the normal brain activity we would expect from a boy of his age.� Elaine tapped a few more keys. �This is Evan�s actual brain activity. It is far greater than normal.�

�And this means?� asked Blake.

�It means that something is going to wrong with this mission. We must abort immediately. Evan is a baby born from one of our own. He hasn�t been born yet but�.� She paused and shot a look at Khaira. �I don�t know what�s going to go wrong, but it appears as if a pregnant person on this ship gives birth to this baby. But for the time to work out it means we go back 16 years before the ice bomb. You have to make sure this mission works, and that means we have to kill Evan.�

�So how many women on this ship are pregnant? Should we make sure we eliminate the danger further by not only killing Evan but the unborn baby?� asked the Commander as he paced up and down the room.

�How would killing Evan affect anything? It�s happened?� Khaira was confused. �What is with the excess brain activity as well?�

�I believe that he may be developing the ability to focus particular parts of his mind that we do not regularly use.� Elaine continued to study the brain hologram.

�But can we stop it by terminating the child before it is born?� Blake looked at the room.

�That is a possibility.� Elaine looked thoughtful.

�But surely Evan would vanish from this timeline?� Khaira was confused.

�Remember that any changes made to the timeline in general do not affect us due to the nature of this ship. We have been removed from the timeline therefore if the unborn child is terminated then Evan will still remain and we will have knowledge of this conversation but the child will not exist to then go on and pollute the timeline.� Blake was trying to rationalise the situation for himself as well as the others.

�I must take this to the Captain,� stated Blake. �In the meantime I would like this kept secret and a list prepared of any females who may be pregnant. I want DNA samples compared to Evan�s and if that is unsuccessful then I want all the women prepared for termination procedures.� Blake turned and left the room as he went to speak to Captain Reynolds.

Khaira turned to Elaine. �You can�t give him that information. I will not submit to a termination.�

�You weren�t so certain before.�

�I am now.�

�I have been ordered,� Elaine was entirely unsympathetic to Khaira�s cause.

�But you are breaking the doctor patient confidentiality agreement.� Tears began to form on Khaira�s face.

�Listen Khaira, you�re young. If you are Evan�s mum, then question why you would leave him on earth to die in the future? �

Khaira was crying heavily now, �I would never abandon my child,�

�Why were you drawn to that spot where we found him, you know something don�t you,� Elaine yelled.

�I felt him, his presence, we must be connected because we might both have ESP,� Khaira blurted out the words before she had time to think, �Besides we don�t know for certain that Evan is my child?�

�Well either way he�s going to be killed,� Elaine replied.

Khaira closed her eyes, and sent her thoughts to Evan, �escape�.

There was nothing, it was blank.

�What are you doing?� Elaine looked at Khaira.

Khaira started to leave and Elaine grabbed her arm and pulled the future liaison back to face her. �What are you doing?� repeated Elaine. �You were trying to warn him.�

�I wasn�t,� said Khaira with panic in her eyes.

Elaine turned away for a moment and then returned to face Khaira with a syringe of fluid.

�What�s that?� Khaira was panicked as she tried to fight against Elaine�s grip.

Elaine�s grip was too tight for Khaira to escape from and she was held fast. Elaine injected the syringe into Khaira�s arm and at that the future liaison officer collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Elaine activated her wrist-com and a holographic representation of Blake appeared before her. Elaine looked at the executive officer and said, �I think we�ve got a problem.�

Captain Reynolds had convened a meeting of the senior staff of the Agamemnon. Around the table sat himself, Commander Blake, Doctor Masterton, PC Branston, Major Juliet Harrison, head of the armed forces on the Agamemnon and Cynthia Woods the timeline officer in charge of keeping the timeline in check.

Captain Reynolds sat back in his chair and observed the senior staff; they all had expectant faces as they awaited Reynolds to begin speaking. �As you are all aware,� began Reynolds, �we have a situation. We have a person from 2004 on board who is a possible son of someone on our current staff. This means that we have a problem, as this person was there before the initial ice bomb exploded. I want answers as to how this is possible as this person remembers living 16 years out on Earth before the attack. Woods?�

Cynthia looked over her data pads and could only come to one conclusion. �There is but a single answer Captain. We must have time jumped wrongly. The calculations must have been off or there was some sort of problem, which sent us to the wrong time.�

�But we only have enough chronometric energy for three specific time jumps.� PC Branston looked worried.

�That would be correct,� confirmed Cynthia.

�Then if we get thrown further into the past than anticipated we would be stranded.� Juliet Harrison looked around the room as everyone took in the possibility she spoke of. �We would fail the mission and be unable to find the attacking planet.�

�All of that is hypothetical,� stated Cynthia as she looked over more data. �It depends when we make the wrong jump and it depends on if in that past we then make a further attempt to continue our mission. I do not believe that the discovery of this child is quite as grave as everyone around this table fears. If we continue to second guess ourselves then we could be the very people who spin this mission into disaster.�

�I would agree.� Captain Reynolds looked very serious. �We have a very important mission ahead of us, if we don�t proceed according to the plan then we risk ruining everything for ourselves. We continue as we were, but we will keep an eye on Evan and see what happens. Doctor Masterton has some further information regarding Evan that is of vital importance. Doctor��

All eyes turned to Elaine as she scanned the data pad, which held the information regarding Evan�s brain scans. �It appears that Evan Harkins has an exceptional control over his brain. Whether he realises it or not we have still to determine that.�

�What do you mean?� asked Branston.

�I believe that he has the abilities of a psychic.� Elaine was blunt and to the point.

�If this is correct then I believe that this could be a valuable tool in our fight. Major Harrison I want you to work closely with Doctor Masterton and with Evan to see how it could be possible to utilise that tool. Are there any further questions?�

Everyone was silent.

�Then,� continued Reynolds, �dismissed.�

Everyone filed out of the room except Doctor Masterton. �Can I help you?� asked Reynolds as he looked across the table.

�We have a problem with Liaison Khaira. I had to sedate her. It seems that Evan called to her and she felt him in some sort of psychic connection.�

�Are you saying that Khaira is psychic?� Reynolds was troubled by this information.

�No, I�ve scanned her brain and can confirm that she is not, but there is some connection between her and Evan. Khaira is pregnant, I believe that she will be the one who gives birth to Evan although their DNA does not suggest an apparent match.�

�What makes you so certain?�

�It�s just this connection they appear to share.�

�Is it two way?� asked Reynolds. �If Evan is psychic can he send messages and read them with his mind?�

�We don�t know how strong his psychic powers are, they could be very vague or they could be very focused. I�ll learn more when I run tests along with Major Harrison.�

�Then do it. I want Khaira there but do not tell her that you have said anything to me. I do not want it known that we have her under observation. Keep this to yourself and do not discuss it with anyone else. Report only to me on Khaira.�

�I�ll keep my eye on her.� Elaine nodded her approval of the captain�s plan then turned and left the room.

Reynolds sat back in his chair once again and sighed, this mission had just got a lot more complicated.

As everyone filed out of the briefing room, Branston pulled Cynthia Woods to one side slightly away from everyone else.

�Oliver,� said Cynthia surprised.

�Are you sure when you say the best course of action is to carry on doing what we have been doing?� Branston was very insistent that Cynthia answered the question.

�In my opinion after analysing all the timeline data that we have, yes it is the best course of action.� Cynthia was very certain that she had made the correct decision.

�Then that�s good enough for me.� Oliver�s face softened and he kissed Cynthia discreetly.

�Oliver, not here.� Cynthia�s face was soft and delicate yet she seemed worried that they would be caught in the act.

�When? It�s always later at the moment.�

�Come by tonight,� whispered Cynthia as she placed her finger on Oliver�s lips. �Come by tonight.� Cynthia walked away quickly.

4 DAYS TILL SURVIVOR REPOPULATION

�So what is wrong with me?� asked Evan. �Khaira said I had a virus.�

Elaine looked at Khaira and then back at Evan unsure of what to say.

�Well?� asked Evan.

�She lied. It was just you were so scared, so frightened. We needed to calm you down. You need to be,� Elaine paused, Evan still seem scared. �You need to be relaxed and focused to use your abilities.�

Evan now looked far from scared. He now looked confused.

�Ever wonder why you know things before they happen? Ever wondered why things look oddly familiar? Do you know why you have this bond with Khaira even though you�d never met?� Elaine asked.

Evan was unsure as he glanced round the room; there was an unfamiliar woman present. �Who are you?�

Juliet stepped forward, �I�m Major Harrison, I head up the army division on the Agamemnon.�

�What�s going on? Are you here to train me? What do you mean abilities?� For the first time since his initial confusion Evan seemed genuinely worried.

Elaine dismissed all the questions with a wave of her hand. �For the time being we need to conduct some tests on you to make sure that you are healthy enough to fight along side our armed forces. We also need to gauge what your brain is doing; it is showing unusually high activity and we need to assess what that means.�

Juliet pulled up a chair next to Evan�s bed and placed some sensors, which were wired up to a screen, on his temple.

�Now I want you to close your eyes and open your mind. I am going to ask some random questions so we can monitor how your brain reacts. Take a sip of water, and Elaine, give Evan something to help him relax a little. His heart is showing that he�s under stress,�

Evan took a sip of water and a capsule handed to him by Elaine.

�First question. Tell me about your birth and your mother.�

�I don�t remember my birth but I do remember my mother. I remember how much she nagged me all the time and wanted me to better myself. She was always really disappointed when I got into trouble.�

�There�s no change,� stated Khaira as she read the display.

�I can see that,� chided Elaine. �It�s a little too early to tell. Now Evan, I want you to concentrate on me and just let you mind empty of any other thoughts.�

�What�s this for?� Evan was confused.

�Just do it Evan,� Elaine�s bedside manner left a lot to be desired.

�Evan, it�s important that you cooperate.� Major Harrison was a little softer as she tried to stress upon Evan the importance of the test.

Evan sat in silence for a moment as he cleared his mind of all thoughts but the doctor.

�No change again,� stated Khaira.

�That�s not possible, let me see.� Elaine marched towards the readout and sure enough there was no change.

Quite suddenly Evan seemed to collapse into his bed, his eyes rolling back. Now the screen showed a high level of activity in his brain.

�Evan, tell me about your earliest memory. Remember to focus,�

As if in a trance, Evan opened his mouth and began to speak in a slow deep tone.

�My earliest memory is being cradled by my mum. My dad was trying to hurt us.�

Evan�s brain activity flickered wildly.

�Okay Evan. Keep relaxed.� Khaira said, �You�re doing really well.�

�Okay, next question. I want to you to tell me what you know about Khaira,� Elaine said.