Chapter 1
Tommy stared up at the looming structure before him, anxiety sitting heavy in his gut. His grip on his suitcase turned his knuckles white. His legs were stuck, almost like they were sunk into the ground. He couldn’t do this. He had gotten permission from Professor X. He had presented himself to Krakoa to ensure that he would be allowed to come and go without invitation. He’d even attended the Quiet Council meeting that would finalize his citizenship and residency in Krakoa. But he couldn’t do this. He couldn’t walk into the Boneyard with his suitcase of clothes - the last thing to be brought over from his shitty studio apartment in New York. He couldn’t walk through those doors and see David, who he knew was going to be the first to greet him. He couldn’t face Northstar and Aurora, the two other speedsters who helped him fight for a spot on the team. He just couldn’t. All he wanted to do was turn around and bolt for the nearest Gateway to New York. He could make it. He was one of the fastest beings - mutant or otherwise - on the planet. He could-
“Thomas, are you alright?”
Tommy swore that he jumped out of his skin and transcended reality with how startled he was. Northstar’s kneecaps were level with the young speedster’s vibrant green eyes, the elder floating above him.
“Um, yeah,” Tommy stuttered. “Just thinking. Sorry.”
The older man finally landed so Tommy wouldn’t have to look that far up any longer than he needed to. “Ce n’est pas un problème. No need to say sorry.”
“Right.”
Tommy gulped, the soft sound filling the otherwise empty silence. His grip on his suitcase tightened. His mind raced, a million thoughts per second all rushing through his head and causing a racket. Normally his thoughts were pretty fast but these were barely words and phrases, let alone comprehensible sentences. The raucous babble drowned out whatever Northstar was saying, most likely the usual welcome speech along with the ground rules - both of which David could tell him about later.
The doors to the Boneyard slid open, leading the way to the reception and front office of the building. The sound should have been comforting to Tommy, just as it was all the times he had visited prior. This time, it filled him with dread. He wanted to be excited, he really did. He was excited when packing up his apartment with David. He was excited whenever he went through the meetings with Jean-Paul and Lorna. He was excited when Trevor, Rachel, and Akihiro came by to help him and David move boxes into the Boneyard. Why wasn’t he excited now? When Tommy looked back up from where his gaze had drifted, he saw David’s concerned frown.
“Hey Tommy, are you okay?” he asked. His eyebrows were pinched together with worry.
Tommy nodded, his mood lifting ever so slightly at the sight of his boyfriend. “Yeah. A bit overwhelmed, that's all.”
Daken, who had been standing to the side, was nice enough to not say anything. Tommy had a feeling the older man knew he wasn’t telling the full truth. Of course, Trevor, who had been quietly bouncing in place, had no problem trying to voice his concerns. His mouth opened but before he could say anything Daken was pulling him back towards one of the sitting rooms.
“Let’s get you settled.” Jeanne-Marie, the amazing woman that she is, was quick to intervene. She knew what it felt like to jump in the deep end, just like Tommy was feeling now. “I’m sure once you get settled you will feel better.”
Tommy felt his lips curl up in a soft smile. “Thanks, Aurora. I’d like that.” In a fashion more like his normal enthusiastic self, he linked arms with the Quebecois woman and sauntered over to the beginning of the winding staircase, his suitcase dragging behind him. “Let’s go!”
David followed closely behind, chuckling at his boyfriend. “Everything’s mostly been unpacked. The stuff that wouldn’t fit or wasn’t necessary went to that homeless shelter back in New York.”
“The one off of 40th?” Tommy had been looking to donate most of that stuff anyway, he just hadn’t gotten around to it. It’s times like these where he really appreciates having David around. “I’ll go back through just in case. I had some stuff I wanted to donate that might not fit into any of your little categories.” The smile David gave him further eased his irrational worry.
David snatched up Tommy’s suitcase before he and Aurora could climb more than a few stairs. The young speedster acted affronted, glaring playfully after his boyfriend. The three climbed the large winding staircase, ascending about half of the main spiral before continuing onto one of the many smaller staircases that split off to different areas of the tower. They followed the diverging staircase through pod-like structures all the way up to the landing across from David’s - and now Tommy’s - room. David entered first, dragging Tommy’s lime green suitcase through the circular door frame. Aurora and Tommy entered at the same time, the woman partially dragging the young man through the door. Luckily for Tommy, she didn’t say anything.
She let Tommy look around and take in the room before clearing her throat. “I’ll leave you two to finish settling in, d’accord? I’m going to join the others in the TV room.”
“Thanks, Aurora,” David said, watching as she left the room and traipsed down the stairs. Once she was out of hearing range, David turned back to Tommy, who had been wandering around the room’s perimeter. “You’re not okay. And don’t try to lie to me. I can figure it out if I need to, you know that.”
Tommy sighed. “Yeah, I know.” He knew what was coming next and he didn’t want to have that conversation.
“What’s going on, darling?”
‘Oh god,’ Tommy thought. ‘He really said “darling,” didn’t he?’ He sighed again, he was really doing that a lot that day. “I don’t know. I really don’t. This past week I have been nothing but energy and excitement and busy in a good way. I don’t think I slept more than an hour or two each night, I was so energetic. But now…”
“You’re tired?” David finished. “You don’t have the energy?”
“It’s more than that!” Tommy exclaimed, frustrated with how impossible it was to put his feelings into words. “I don’t know why but I just feel like I shouldn’t be here. Like I’m going to let everyone down when I’m here.” He sat down on the bed with a loud huff, bouncing slightly.
David stared at him for a long time, thinking. The more he thought, the more disappointed he was that he hadn’t realized how Tommy was feeling sooner. As his boyfriend, David knew most of the details about Tommy’s issues and traumas; his powers just gave him the full story. So he should have known that being on a team where everyone already had a place except him would be difficult for the white-haired speedster. After all, there were already two members with superhuman speed, one of which being the fastest thing on the planet, living or otherwise. Unfortunately, David had no time to comfort Tommy, to assure him of his place on the team the way he needed to before Trevor was barreling into the room, panting and out of breath.
“Trev?” Tommy addressed the blond first, grateful for the distraction from his inner thoughts that ran rampant during David’s silence. “What’s up? What’s wrong?”
Trevor took a deep breath, trying desperately to fill his lungs after what Tommy assumed was a sprint from the living rooms to David and Tommy’s room. After a moment, the blonde straightened and met Tommy’s gaze. “Siryn’s here. She says her dad’s been murdered.”
・・・
Northstar pinched the bridge of his nose, pacing through the kitchen too fast for anyone but Tommy and Aurora to see clearly. “Okay.” He stopped in front of Siryn, arms crossed over his chest and feet hovering a few inches off of the floor. “Let me get this straight: your father, Banshee, has been murdered, but you have no body and no evidence.”
The redheaded mutant sat at the dining table, her head in her hands. She let out a deep sigh before answering. “Yes,” she stated. “Look, I know this is ridiculous and I’m probably being paranoid-”
“If my brother is willing to reform X-Factor Investigations just to look for me on a gut feeling, then I’m sure he will look for your father, dead or not,” Aurora stated. Her interruption garnered Northstar’s unimpressed glare, only softened by the fact that she’s his sister.
After a brief staring contest, the only sound filling the room being the soft breaths of the residents and the hum of life flowing through the Boneyard’s structure, Northstar dropped his gaze from Aurora’s. He grumbled for a bit, something about annoying twins - which Tommy understood - and even more annoying acquaintances, before turning back to Siryn who was still sulking at the table.
“Mon Dieu, okay. We’ll help you find Banshee. Do you know where he was last? Or at least an idea of where he might go?”
Siryn nodded enthusiastically, hope shining in her eyes. “He went through the Los Angeles Gateway around noon two days ago.”
“D’accord.” Northstar turned to the rest of the team. “Suit up. We leave in ten minutes.” Before the group fully disbanded, he addressed Tommy. “Thomas, your new uniform is in your closet. Let us know if there are any more adjustments to be made, s’il te plaît.”
Polaris led Siryn out, an arm wrapped around the redhead’s shoulders. The others were quick to run off, suiting up in their own rooms. Northstar, who practically lived in uniform, headed to the front to wait for the others.
Confused, Tommy looked to David for answers. “Why do I need a new uniform?”
David smirked. “You’re X-Factor now, babe. You’ve got to look the part.”
・・・
Whatever Tommy was expecting, it wasn’t this. He was used to seeing the others in their uniforms: Prestige in her red pantsuit and jacket with the tall collar, Daken in all of his shirtless glory, Polaris in her forest green dress and green gradient jacket, Eye-boy in his usual baggy clothes - the only difference being the X-Factor symbol on the sleeves of his jacket. Even David looked so familiar with his yellow military coat and the dumb little crossbody bag with the X-Factor logo stamped onto the black canvas. But Tommy… Tommy felt out of his element. He wasn’t sure if it was in a good or bad way yet. If he was being honest with himself, his new uniform made him feel kind of powerful. The black compression leggings under his running shorts and the tennis shoes were comfortable and less insulating than he imagined. Even the dual-colored black and green crop top covered by a green and black letterman - both with the X-Factor symbol on them - weren’t as embarrassing to wear as he thought they would be. He even opted to leave the letterman open, his scarred midriff on full display. The speedster shifted from foot to foot, impressed that he didn’t even need to break the shoes in. He was distracted by his new costume, as were the others given Northstar’s sonorous and highly annoyed “ahem.”
Once he’d gotten everyone’s attention, Northstar began explaining. “Here’s the plan: once we get through the gate, I need Speed to run through the city. Get through every alleyway and back road, search every building if you have to. Do you know who we’re looking for?”
Surprised that he was being addressed, Tommy took a second or two to answer. “Uh, yeah. Yes. Sean Cassidy a.k.a. Banshee. Strawberry blond, wicked mutton chops, about 6’ even.” At the strange, oddly-impressed looks he got from the others, he was quick to say more. “What? My brother wasn’t the only one whose special interest was superheroes. Besides, I’ve seen him around Krakoa.”
The more he spoke, the redder his cheeks got. However, instead of being ridiculed as he expected to be, Northstar just nodded and continued his speech. Tommy neglected to listen, instead focused on the lack of teasing, the lack of his teammates looking at him as though he was speaking another language when he said something intelligent, even if it was in a joking manner. It was refreshing, to say the least.
“Once Speed finds Banshee, he’ll bring him back to us, alive or dead. If Banshee is alive, we can all just go home. If he is dead, I want Eye-boy and Prodigy to begin forensic analysis immediately. Prestige, you will go with Speed to the area wherever he finds Banshee and begin Chronoskimming. Daken and I will follow you. Polaris will stay behind with Eye-boy and Prodigy. Is the plan clear?”
After receiving a plethora of nods, Northstar led the team out of the Boneyard and to the nearest Gateway to Los Angeles. Once they stepped through the Gateway, bright lights and colors flurrying past as they came out the other side into a bustling hub of business in downtown L.A. Tommy immediately got to work, the others barely seeing him past the gate before he was off.
Daken let out a low, impressed whistle. “You know, I knew he was fast, but this? Damn, I think he could rival you, JP.”
David shook his head, albeit reluctantly and with a proud smirk on his face. “Unfortunately, Northstar could almost be considered Omega-level, if not for the fact that we know his limit. Speed, however, is just Alpha-level. His top speed in 761 miles per hour-”
“But he’s faster than Quicksilver,” Polaris interjected. “Magneto told me himself, and Quicksilver’s top speed in Mach 4.”
David nodded. “3069 miles per hour. Tommy claims to be Mach 1, as that’s the speed that was last recorded, but we’ve never actually measured.”
“We should measure once we finish up here,” Northstar said. “Speed seems to undersell himself frequently when he was able to keep up with me just fine. Perhaps this would be good for him - knowing exactly how fast he can go.”
Before any more discussion could be had, Tommy returned. He looked about the same as when he left, only clutched in his hands was a piece of torn black and yellow fabric.
“Hey,” he greeted. “I need Daken to take a look at this. Can you tell me if this is Banshee’s?”
Daken scoffed. “Of course I can, Pipsqueak.” Before Tommy could protest the nickname, Daken stole the fabric and held it up to his nose. After a few seconds, he nodded. “Yep, this is Cassidy’s alright.”
“Great!” With that, Tommy sped off, nothing but a black and olive green blur with a splotch of white.
“You know, he doesn’t have to do this,” Rachel said. “You could go through the city and find the guy yourself, Northstar.”
The Quebecois male stared in the direction Tommy had gone. “I know. But he needs to do this for himself.”
Quicker than the first time, Tommy returned, this time with an additional body. The body was taller than Tommy by about 4 inches and probably around 20 lbs heavier, not that Tommy was showing any strain while carrying the dead weight. The strawberry blond hair was matted and stained a dull red with dried blood. The body itself was clad in a gaudy green and white costume with black and yellow wings connecting the arms and sides. Even more hideous than the costume was the wound that stretched from shoulder to hip, slicing open every organ in the dead man’s body. Tommy was trying to hold him in a way that would keep every piece inside but his efforts were fruitless as intestines and fatty tissues spilled out of the wound. The others were silent for a moment, just trying to take in the body. However, their silence seemingly went on for too uncomfortably long. Tommy shifted uncomfortably as an innard brushed against his abdomen and what appeared to be stomach acid dripped onto his gloves and bare fingertips.
“Uh…” He trailed off once he saw the others jump, startled by the sudden voice. “Can I put him down now?” His face took on an unhealthy green tone. “I think I got insides on my outsides and not in a fun way.”
David directed him to set the body down in a cool dark alley that no one frequented while asking, “What do you mean ‘not in a fun way?’” The young man adjusted his glasses. “Is there a fun way to get insides on your outsides?”
Daken and Rachel started laughing while Polaris gave a small smirk in the boys’ direction. Northstar took charge before the three could say anything, asking David and Eye-boy to begin analyzing the evidence.
“Speed,” he addressed, “could you take us back to where you found Banshee’s body?”
David piped up from where he was preparing to begin his analysis. “Snail pace, Tom.”
While the phrase confused the others, it made perfect sense to Tommy. The young speedster began walking at a normal pace, perhaps more brisk than a walk but not as fast as a jog. While strange to the others, who had only seen him go a running pace at minimum, it was a welcome change for those who didn’t have superspeed.
The four eventually found themselves in a cool dark alley behind what appeared to be a nightclub. The appalled looks and angry muttering of the others told Tommy that the place the body was dumped was an egregious crime. While he didn’t understand, he knew David would explain later. What he was more focused on was the large ominous stain on the concrete, filling the cracks and crevices with a dark sticky substance. It didn’t take a supergenius to know what exactly that substance was.
“Prestige, start chronoskimming,” Northstar commanded.
The woman did so without complaint, her pupils glowing white as she started looking back through Banshee’s actions, using the blood that was unquestionably his as her tether.
“Speed, could you search the rest of the alleyway? Check for more clues. Daken, start looking for a trail in case Prestige can’t find anything.”
“What’re you gonna do?” Daken asked. His voice resembled a growl, the vocal cords in his throat producing a low rumble.
Northstar’s usually straight, mildly disappointed face morphed into a scowl. “I’m going to make a few calls.” With the angry scowl still etched into his face, Northstar flew further back into the alley.
There was a moment's pause when the others got on with their own tasks where Tommy stood completely still. His mind was racing, not with arbitrary thoughts but with ideas and questions about the case. He had one idea that he was confident enough to voice.
“I know he said the alley, but would he mind if I searched the building? I mean, he didn’t mind before. ”
Daken lifted a bushy eyebrow and asked, “How exactly do you plan to get in? It’s not like they’re gonna leave a key around.”
Tommy laughed, not a full laugh but a soft chuckle of amusement. “I don’t need a key.” With that, he ran straight into the heavy polyurethane and steel door.
Daken expected to hear the telltale clang of the young man’s body colliding with the door. It never came. When the man looked back at where the door was, Tommy had disappeared. His scent disappeared at the door, indicating that he hadn’t suddenly veered off in one direction. Before Daken could be more thrown off by the speedster’s disappearance, he came back, a variety of items in his hands.
“Hey Northstar!” he called. “I found some things in the building. There might be something we can use.”
Upon hearing both his name and Tommy admitting to breaking and entering, Northstar zoomed back over creating a gust of wind that nearly blew the others off their feet. “Quoi!? Que veux-tu dire par ‘dans le bâtiment?’”
Tommy raised a hand, his eyebrows furrowed. “Dude. Slow it down. I know I talk fast, but at least I don’t speak a different language while doing it.”
The Quebecois man growled in frustration, his teeth gritted and bared in an angry sneer. “What do you mean, “in the building?’ Why were you in the building!?”
“Looking for stuff,” Tommy explained, his tone as casual as it would be placing his coffee order in the morning. “There wasn’t anything else back here and I figured maybe, if he got up in a rush, he’d forget some of his stuff. Besides, you gave me permission to go into places before, so I figured that applied still. Look what I found in the lost and found!”
The white-blond speedster dropped his armful of stuff on the ground before picking up an object - what looked to be a leather rectangle. “Here’s his wallet. I looked inside and he doesn’t have any money in it. No cash or cards.” He pulled a photo ID from the clear plastic sleeve. “This isn’t even his real ID. It’s his picture but a completely different name.”
He dropped the wallet after replacing the ID and picked up a new item. It was a slim rectangle of dark plastic and metal - a phone. “His phone!” Tommy tapped on the screen a few times before returning it to a position where everyone could see the screen. “It wasn’t exactly difficult to get into. The password was pretty simple, like he wanted someone to get in. There are exactly 13 photos. He has no apps other than the standard ones that come with the phone. He has no contacts but rang five people, two of which are the same person just with two different numbers.”
“How do you know that?” Daken grunted. He sounded impressed if his tone was to be believed
“I used to make these kinds of phones for a company that hired mutant help to improve efficiency. Besides, Whitepages is public. Reverse phone searching isn’t that difficult.” Then he fiddled with the back of the phone, pulling it away from the body of the device as though there were no screws holding it in place. “I mean, it doesn’t tell me exactly who the number belongs to, but one of the numbers I recognized as Rictor’s personal number - don’t ask. The other is a mutant hotline for the X-Men. They were in town from last Monday up until just this morning. That overlaps with Banshee’s visit.” Tommy had been poking around the inside of the phone as he explained, first retrieving the SIM card from the side of the phone, then pulling out the SoC. He also pulled out the battery, presumably for fun since there was no other reason. “Once we’re done here, I want to hand these over to Prodigy. He can do more with them back at the Boneyard than I can here.” Tommy pocketed the components in the front pocket of his letterman. “Anything else we need to do?”
Northstar nodded. “Prestige is still chronoskimming, though I assume we won’t be able to do much with what she finds until tonight. Daken will be tracking his scent to see if we can find where he had been staying before his murder. If you would like to head back to the others, you may. I don’t have anything else for you to do here.”
Tommy gave a two-fingered salute at the leader before strolling out of the alleyway. Instead of moving at a walking speed as he did when leading the team to the alley, he took off with his superspeed. The trip back took no more than a second, though to him it felt like a few minutes at least, and he skidded to a stop next to Polaris. His aunt stood off to the side, her eyes trained on the young men examining the body. She turned her gaze on Tommy as soon as she noticed his presence.
“Hey, Tommy. Are the others still in the alley?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he replied. “I did my part so Northstar sent me ahead. I’ve got some stuff for Prodigy when he has a moment.”
The aforementioned man looked up upon hearing his name. “Eye-boy’s got a handle on the forensics for the time being. What have you got for me?” He stood up, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.
Tommy took a step or two forward, rifling through his pocket for the phone components. “These are the SIM card and SoC from Banshee’s phone.” He handed the delicate pieces to David and watched as his boyfriend examined them closely before transferring them to the bag slung across his chest.
“Thanks, Toms.” David looked back at the body for a second before he asked, “Hey, Tommy? Did you ever speak to Banshee on Krakoa?”
The white-blond man wracked his brain, thinking back to every mutant he had spoken to on Krakoa. The list was pretty short, consisting mostly of X-Factor, Rictor, and Gwenpool. There was, however, a moment when he went to The Green Lagoon and spotted an older man drinking a soda rather than something with alcohol like the other patrons. He had intrigued Tommy with his non-alcoholic beverage and his cheery yet solemn disposition. The man introduced himself as Sean Cassidy, Banshee, the same man whose body they were now examining.
“Yeah,” Tommy answered after a minute. “I spoke to him once.”
David nodded. “Did he say anything about drinking or maybe alcoholism? Any issues with mental health?”
“Yeah, actually. He said he’s been sober since his last resurrection a few years ago,” Tommy recalled. “He used to have a big problem with alcoholism but he’s been doing really well. Why?”
His boyfriend sighed. “Well, either he relapsed, or someone was sneaking him drinks without him knowing.” He brought out his tablet and held it up for Tommy to see. “Trevor found traces of alcohol in Banshee’s saliva. I estimate it’s been around 12 hours since the last drink, meaning that the traces of alcohol should be gone unless he drank enough to get alcohol poisoning twice over which, based on the state of his liver - what’s left of it anyway - is entirely possible.”
Tommy sighed sadly. “Well, we’ve got some people to ask now so we can know for sure.” He nibbled on his lip, troubled. “That sucks. Like, a lot. Imagine being sober for so long and then coming back from the dead to find out you drank twice your weight in booze.”
Polaris shifted beside him. “With any luck, he won’t remember it. The last Cerebro backup was this week if Charles is to be believed.”
As they spoke, the others reappeared at the mouth of the alley. Prestige and Daken were led by Northstar, who was typing furiously on his phone. His brows were furrowed in both confusion and anger. He eventually sighed and looked up when the three were next to the other half of their group.
“Let’s get him back to Krakoa,” the man suggested. “Dr. Reyes is ready for his autopsy and the Five have been notified.”
The others started packing up, Prestige and Speed replacing their discarded articles of clothing. Daken grabbed Banshee’s body, lifting it carefully so as to not get any innards on his bare skin. Tommy was using a small towelette David had produced from his bag for him to wipe off his own hands. They all gathered around Daken to hide the obviously-dead body from the public as they went to the gate.
“What the hell is he doing here?”
David rolled his eyes. “What a greeting, Josh. At least try to be cool about it.”
“‘Cool’? You want me to be ‘cool’ with this—”
“Play nice, Elixir,” Hope demanded, though she was looking a little wary herself. After all, it’s not every day that the son of the Scarlet Witch walks in with a disemboweled corpse. “What is this, Northstar?”
The man was more than happy to get back on track. “Siryn came to us earlier today because her father has been missing for a few days. Speed found him disemboweled in the alley behind the safe-haven on Hill Street. Prodigy and Eye-Boy found copious amounts of alcohol in his system.”
“What? That’s impossible,” Tempus replied. “He’s been sober for years!”
Northstar nodded in agreement. “Speed said the same thing. Prodigy believes that someone had been giving Banshee drinks without him noticing.”
“Do you have any proof of foul play?” Proteus asked.
“Nope. That’s what we’re in the process of finding,” David interjected. “We brought Banshee’s body back so the resurrection process could begin while we investigate.”
“Right, well,” Elixir began, nose scrunched up distastefully, “we will take over from here. If you could hand the body over, that would be great, Speed.” He said “Speed” as though he were spitting poison, venomous and hostile.
Tommy shrugged nonchalantly, trying not to show his own discomfort at the other’s unwelcoming attitude. “Sure,” he said. “Where do you want him?”
Dr. Reyes motioned for him to follow her. “This way. You can set him down on the autopsy table.”
The two wandered away, heading to the side room where the doctor did all of her autopsies. She showed Tommy which table he should put Banshee’s body down and left him to grab her tools. He gently laid the man down, trying his hardest to keep whatever organs he had left inside the carcass. It was a slow process, but Tommy had managed to successfully lay the body down without spilling any fluids.
“Is that everything, Doc?” he asked, looking at the doctor expectantly.
She waved him away. “No need. Go ahead and meet up with your team.”
Tommy nodded in acknowledgment before pivoting to run back to the main chamber where his friends were waiting for him.
・・・
They were finally back at the Boneyard, lounging around and relaxing until they were needed again. Dr. Reyes would take care of the cause of death and the Five would take care of the resurrection, so X-Factor wasn’t really needed for the rest of the case. They were all free to hang around in loungewear doing whatever they wanted to unwind. That is until Siryn, the Theresa Cassidy, marched in with a giant relieved grin on her face.
Jeanne-Marie flew over to her, charging straight into the redheaded lady’s body with her arms outstretched. “Siryn!” she shouted. “How are you?”
The other woman still had a smile on her lips despite being hit by the freight train that was Jeanne-Marie Beaubier. “I’m doing better now that my dad’s been found,” she said. Her eyes dragged from side to side, taking in the group of mutants relaxing around the large flatscreen TV. Her gleaming gaze landed on one in particular.
“I understand that I have Speed to thank for that,” she called, trying to bring his attention away from the phone components held in his boyfriend’s hands.
It worked. His head jerked up so fast the others were concerned he’d given himself whiplash, his while locks flying with the movement.
“Me?” he asked incredulously, pointing to himself with a raised eyebrow.
Siryn nodded with a kind smile. “You. Dr. Reyes told me that you found him and brought him in.” She walked over and put a hand on the young man’s shoulder, knowing that he probably wouldn’t accept a hug from her. “So, thank you.”
Siryn didn’t know it then but she really made Tommy feel like he was part of the team with those words. She probably never would. But Tommy was grateful all the same.