Oscar turned his back to his newest recruit and the gathered children started to disperse. Some evaporated, teleporting out, while others left through a trap door in the centre of the floor. Thomas looked around, unsure of what to do. 'Steady Eddie' stepped closer and beckoned him over. Thomas moved cautiously towards him.

"Yes?"

"So, you're the famous Nomad, then." Eddie looked Thomas up and down with a look mixing mistrust with admiration. "You don't look nothin'."

"I guess I look right, then."

"Don't put yourself down," Eddie said. "I'm just messing you."

"Yeah," Thomas replied. "Hilarious."

"I know, Tommy boy."

"Thomas. My name's Thomas."

"Sure it is Tommy boy."

Thomas stepped forward. He felt like turning and skulking away, facing the same attitude he'd had to contend with at school. But, he didn't. He thought these children were outcasts. Birds of a feather flocking together.

Well, and Bren's influence stepped in here, they could flock off if they were going to be like this.

"My name," he said through gritted teeth tightened with clenched fists, "is Thomas."

Eddie seemed to shrink slightly in stature. Thomas's insistence popped the bubble of the other boy's bravado, revealing someone whose words were bigger than their false ego.

"OK, got it, Thomas. Soz, I was just sizing you up."

"Not everyone is as big as their height," Thomas said. "But that doesn't mean you should punish 'em for it."

Eddie frowned as he tried to process the meaning of Thomas's words. Thomas himself was quite proud of the phrase. It sounded like something his father would say and, though he didn't particularly want to be like Iain at that point, it made him feel grown up, and not a little superior.

"How come you ain't gone mad?"

Thomas shrugged. He'd asked himself as much on many an occasion, but could think of no reason. He wasn't different. Maybe he was just lucky. Or unlucky. His point of view was subject to wild swings regarding his luck.

"Dunno," he said. "Oscar gave me some stuff to kick start my powers, but they didn't work. Maybe I won't get either. Powers or insanity."

"That's insane already," Eddie laughed. "Everyone gets one or the other. You can't get nuthin'."

"Well, not me."

"Maybe you're special," suggested Eddie. "Not having a power is your power."

"I don't know how that would work. All it's done is make me a target."

"Leave him be, Steady."

Both boys turned towards the voice. Alex was leaning against a wall, and looked half part of it. An entire arm, part of the torso and the head as far as the corner of the eye were still blended with the surface of the wall.

"Ugh!" exclaimed Eddie, accompanying it with a retching sound and a movement suggesting he was vomiting. "You know I hate it when you do that, Alex."

"That's why I do it. I have an excuse. You don't have any reason to be bugging him."

"I wasn't..."

"You were. You always do."

"Well... I..."

"See?" Alex said, smiling broadly. "You're always the same with newbies."

"Yeah, but Noobs ain't ever Nomads. And never ten year ol' Nomads either."

"Can Thomas here help that?"

"Well... No." Eddie looked sheepish. He knew what was coming.

"No, so don't make fun of someone if they can't help themselves!"

Thomas heard the emphasis on the last few words and saw Eddie's face darken. There was clearly a history of jibes between the two, and he could guess what about. Eddie nodded silently and extended a hand to Thomas.

"Welcome to the family, Thomas," he said.

Thomas glanced at Alex, wondering if he should accept it after the exchange. Alex was smiling and nodded, so Thomas shook hands. He didn't need any enemies if he were to fit in there. If he didn't actually fit in, if he proved to still be an outsider and of no use to the Fixer, he would be back at the mercy of the Spotters and the world's audience. To avoid that, he'd shake hands with almost anyone.

"Thanks Alex," said Oscar.

All three jumped, not expecting their... employer? Surrogate father? Whichever Oscar was, they didn't hear him approach. They all turned to face him, feeling reprimanded despite his thanks. Oscar was nowhere to be seen. There was only a blank wall with a tall, covered object. Alex and Eddie stared at it, then each other, both faces showing the shock they felt.

"What's wrong?" Thomas asked. Was there a tannoy? A speaker he couldn't see? Hidden cameras?

"He's..." Alex couldn't finish his sentence.

"He's what?"

Eddie pointed towards the object. It was narrow and a couple of feet taller than Eddie, the tallest of the three. The covering looked to be a thick blanket. It was grubby. Not quite dirty, but not entirely clean either.

"He's in the mirror," Alex said in a voice hushed and wary.

"Mirror? There's a mirror underneath that?"

Eddie nodded.

"He's a Silver, except his power started to play up. Not going where he wanted. That's why it's covered. He don't like mirrors no more."

Thomas walked over to the mirror and took hold of the blanket.

"Let's give him some... air or light, or whatever he needs.)

"Normally, we're not allowed to touch it," Alex said. "He keeps it there hidden. Says it's to remind us our powers aren't all great and wonderful. Not all the time."

Thomas thought that was strange. He knew some lost control of their powers, the accidents not entirely confined to Nomad's. If one's ability was unpredictable, wouldn't you just not use it, or use it carefully?

"It's OK kiddos," Oscar said, his voice slightly muffled by the material. "I'm having a good day. You can uncover me."

Thomas started to pull the blanket and Alex moved to help. It was almost loose when Oscar, the real, physical Oscar, entered the room.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You know never to touch that!"

He stormed forward and smacked the children's hands away, pulling the blanket back up and moving it into place. He turned around and they took a step back. The look on his face was the equivalent of a slapped cheek. He seemed to grow bigger as they shrank away.

"We... I'm..."

Alex stammered but failed to connect the words into a coherent sentence. The children rarely saw Oscar angry. He was usually easy going, only needing a firm word or stare to have his workers comply. They weren't exactly afraid of him, but they were respectful. He gave them a home. Depending on the child, parents could be dead. Homes could be rubble. Direction could be lost. He brought them together. Granted, he brought them also into the fold of his criminal activities, but that, surely, was a small price to pay for home.

Oscar's eyes fixed on each of three in turn, daring them to speak up. After Alex's abortive attempt, none attempted an explanation. Thomas looked at Eddie and Alex, then back at the man. They didn't deserve this. They heard his voice. He gulped back down his fear and straightened.

"We heard your voice," he said. "We just wanted to help."

He saw Alex's slight shake of the head, but the words were already coming.

"Help? Help?" cried Oscar. His eyes bulged and his face had reddened. "I 'ave one rule here, boy. One rule and you just broke it."

"How did I know?" Thomas asked, ignoring the other's hot breath on his face. "You should have told me."

"I shouldn' 'ave tuh tell ya. These idiots know!"

"We... we forgot," Eddie said quietly.

His voice was like a pin into the balloon of rage Oscar was inflating. The Fixer seemed to come apart. He surged forward, pushing them out of his way and gripped the covering, yanking it down.

"There!" he yelled. "'Appy now?"

None of the children were happy. Alex and Eddie should have known. Thomas could have been forgiven, but he was guilty by association. Standing tall and proud, now it had been uncovered, was a mirror. In the mirror stood Oscar's reflection. In the mirror did not stand the reflections of Thomas, Alex and Eddie.

As they watched, the reflected Oscar mimicked his movements as would be expected. This seemed to infuriate him even more.

"Don't you dare just copy me, ya shit. You lost that right when ya went off on ya own!"

The reflection paused, then shrugged and smiled.

"Fair point," it said. "I was just 'avin' some fun with the kids."

"When did you learn tuh bloody talk?"

"Too long ago tuh worry 'bout it. Now I'm out, why not let me join in the fun?"

"You ain't joining nuthin'!" Oscar screamed.

His leg swung round, back and up in a perfect roundhouse kick. I hit the mirror in the centre, in the reflection's solar plexus. There should have been the sound of glass breaking and wood splintering, but there wasn't. The sound was softer and was accompanied by a grunt of pain.

Pieces of glass smashed against the wall and bounced off in all directions. The frame had done its best to remain in one piece, but failed. Parts were still clinging together, but many still stuck the glass they'd held in place.

Oscar turned away, his face no longer red and angry. He looked suddenly calm. Back to being the genial host he'd been originally. The placidity lasted only moments before his head snapped back around.

In each of the broken pieces of mirror, from the largest to the smallest shard, was Oscar's face. It began to laugh, the sound from so many mouths filling the room until the occupants had to cover their ears.

Oscar fled, the children managing to move out of his way before being shoved. They followed quickly, but all turned as the door swung closed behind them.

The laughter ceased. Oscar, the reflected versions, winked.