"Bren!"

Thomas had been about to shout his friend's name and run to her. He'd thrown his arms around the girl, telling her how pleased he was she was there, but she had to go. It wasn't safe. She needed to leave, though he wouldn't be able to release her.

Mand had a similar reaction, but was more reserved. She'd show her how pleased she was to see her. Ask how she had been since leaving. Be happy she was looking well and was still alive.

Eddie took the chance away from them. He pushed past the pair roughly, causing them to stumble back. He was standing in front of Bren before they'd properly composed themselves.

"What the hell are you doing here? We don't need you. We don't want you."

Eddie's words were hissed, but the anger in them wasn't matched by his wide, thankful eyes.

"He was sweet on her," Mand whispered to Thomas. "didn't take it well when she left."

"I was not sweet on her," snarled Eddie without looking back.

"I knew he'd hear me," Mand said even more quietly. "But that's part of the fun."

"Give it up Mand. Not the place."

Still whispering, Mand nudged Thomas's arm. She was smiling.

"He's an Echo. He's crap at finding things for Oscar, but it's fun winding him up."

"What's an Echo?" Thomas asked. He thought he'd heard all the empowered nicknames, but he'd somehow missed this one.

"I can hear things from a long way off, and repeat them word for word. It's a shit power and it only means I know when people are slagging me off."

"It's not shit," said Bren quietly. "You just haven't figured out how to make it useful."

"You sound like Oscar," Eddie sneered. "And no one asked you anyways. Piss off back to your hidey hole."

Bren ignored the outburst. Instead of reacting or responding in kind, she held out her arms. Eddie paused, grumbling under his breath, then stepped forward, letting them wrap around him. Thomas felt a pang of jealousy. That was meant to be his embrace. Had Bren come for Eddie and not him? Did they have history? Did Thomas like her more than in just a friend's way? No, he was sure he didn't. But still, she was supposed to have come for him, not them.

Bren dropped her arms and Eddie stepped back his previous ire gone.

"Welcome back," he said.

"I wish I could say it's good to be back."

"I wish I could say I meant it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The Spotters are here. They've come for him." Eddie gestured towards Thomas, who felt the pointed finger was an arrow, sharp and hungry for his chest.

"I know," said Bren. "So have I."

Both Eddie ad Thomas stared at that, and Mand's eyes narrowed.

"Me?" Thomas asked.

"Him?" Eddie's simultaneous response was as incredulous as Thomas', but had a shadow darkening it.

Bren walked past Eddie and stood next to Thomas, putting her arm around him. Eddie opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking.

"I had to leave you back there," she said, "but I wasn't going to leave you."

"I knew you wouldn't," Thomas said, smiling. He avoided Eddie's gaze, not wanting the other's outrage to taint the moment.

The sounds of fighting could be heard getting closer and Mand lifted the trapdoor a touch to listen.

"They're going to find us," she said, lowering the hatch. "We have to go."

Bren nodded, but didn't immediately move.

"Just one thing, first," she said. "Well, two."

"Go on."

"Firstly, Mand, I'm sorry for leaving you stranded like that. I shouldn't have."

"No, you shouldn't. They could have got me."

Thomas looked from one to the other, wondering what they were talking about, but not wanting to ask. Clearly, they had some unfinished business from Bren's time working with the Fixer's family. 

"I know, but it was my only chance to escape. I couldn't carry on with Oscar."

Mand nodded, not saying anything. Her stern face softened a little.

"What's the other thing?" Eddie asked.

"I wanted to know why you told them Thomas was here."

Thomas and Mand gasped, and Eddie's face paled to a faintly grey colour.

"I... I didn't! I wouldn't!"

"Except you did."

"No... I... How did you know?"

He seemed to shrink into himself as the realisation hit that he'd been discovered.

"I've been following them. I saw you speaking to their leader. What did they promise you?"

Eddie straightened at this, sneering, as if wanting to prove himself better than her insinuation.

"Nothing. I did it for nothing. I just didn't want him here."

"Me?" Thomas said, his voice higher than he'd expected. He cleared his throat. "What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything. You can't. You're just a Nomad. But I saw you the other day when you went back to hers. I saw them come for you. You're gonna get her killed, and she's mine, so I told them where you were."

As Bren stormed forward, tiny needles bristled across the backs of her hands and her eyes started to glow. Eddie, seeing the transformation, stepped back. He didn't understand how her body could do that when it was widely known she was a Chameleon.

"I'm nobody's, you idiot, especially yours" she growled, her voice layered with a dark, guttural rumble. "And now you've messed up everything, and got people dead!"

"No! No, I didn't! That's him. His fault!"

"He didn't bring the Spotters here. He didn't ruin everything Oscar has fought for!"

"What do you care?" Eddie said fiercely. "You left! You hated Oscar, and us!"

"No! I didn't hate Oscar or any of you. I hated what we had to do. Stealing. Hurting. We're kids!"

"Kids don't exist anymore. Not when we have abilities. There's only power or... that!"

Thomas looked away from the boy, but not before seeing the look of hate that tried to bore into his mind and shake his resolve. He felt guilty. If he hadn't been there, Eddie wouldn't have acted the way he did. Everyone would still be alive and well and oblivious to Thomas's plight, apart from what was shown on television.

"That," said Bren, her voice suddenly soft and the bristles retracting back under her skin, "is a kid who has more power in his left nostril than you have in your entire ego."

Thomas couldn't help but smile, more so at the look of fury on Eddie's face. Bren took his hand and...

Mand screamed.

The trapdoor flew open and a gun started to spray bullets around the room.

Eddie was thrown back as one hit him. His body twisted, causing him to land awkwardly. He started to cry and clutched his shoulder.

Bren yanked Thomas towards her, pulling him down, hoping they were below the arc of bullets.

The gun stopped firing and disappeared back through the trapdoor. The cover fell back into place.

Mand, like Bren and Thomas, had escaped being shot, and all three rushed to Eddie's side. They all reached out to comfort him, his betrayal, at least temporarily, forgotten.

Before they could touch the injured boy, the entrance to the room was flung open once more. With a sharp pull on the ladder, David jumped up into the room.

He was smiling.

The long knife in his hand was not.

Thomas stood in front of Bren, the thought his lack of powers meant he was the least qualified in the room to protect anyone not occurring to him. She allowed him his effort, but poison tipped spines bristled in her palms, prepared to fly out with the slightest flick of her wrists. She was already preparing to morph around him, protecting him from the impending assault. She couldn't help Mand or Eddie too, but they were able to defend themselves. Well, Bren actually thought she would be able to, with her burgeoning abilities, including the ones she'd developed since leaving Thomas before. Thomas was her priority, though. And David was her target.

"Hello children," David said, his voice dripping with a malice as poisonous as the needles hidden by Bren's fingers. "What a lovely place you have here. Could do with a little touch up here and there, of course, but that's what you get from a den of thieves and Oscar's scum."

"What do you want?" Eddie sneered.

"Edward, you know what I want, otherwise, why would you have brought me here?"

David let the knife swing in his fingers, loose enough to look like it might fall. None of those in the room had any doubts, however, that the Spotter had a secure grip on it. His voice had lost the venomous edge and was now that of a favourite teacher who just wanted his students to do well in school, even the troublesome one who wouldn't do his homework yet again.

"I... I..."

Eddie stammered, but didn't finish his sentence. He couldn't deny his actions. The truth was out and he had to face up to the repercussions of his actions. He hadn't thought through his betrayal. He hadn't, even, thought of it as a betrayal. He was helping. Protecting.

Or he thought he had been.

"Don't think of teleporting out of here, Amanda. I know how good you are at your little jaunts. If you jump, your friends here will die."

"You're going to kill us anyway," Mand said. Her jaw was clenched and the words had to strain to get through the barrier of her teeth.

"Now, why would I do that?"

"Because it's what you do. Look at your face. You can't hide it."

It was Bren who had spoken. Fear was apparent on her face. Her brow was furrowed and tense. Her eyes were pale, as if the colour had already fled. She was shaking slightly, her tremors vibrating through Thomas's body. He moved to take her hand, but she pulled away. Thomas frowned at the reaction, not realising the potential harm that could have happened to him.

David didn't answer. He continued to grin and swing his knife. The children could tell he was sizing them up. Working out his next move. The most vulnerable was obviously Thomas, but even Eddie was prepared to defend the boy. He still didn't think he'd done anything wrong, but he thought he might not have been entirely right.

Bren heard a hushed sound behind her. It sounded as if a whisper had taken form and moved slightly. She glanced back, for just a second, and did her best to not let what she'd seen show on her face.

In the large shard of mirrored glass behind her, Oscar was beckoning.