I woke up with a serious need to pee. I'd had a nap, woken up briefly to have a cup of tea, then gone back to sleep. I did this twice before enjoying a long sleep in. After I had gotten out of bed and was mid-pee there came a sudden knock at the door. I finished up as quick as I could, peeled back on the top half of my blue overalls, then hurried over to the door.

I peered into the peephole expecting to see another Pied Piper officer standing in the hallway but instead there was a smartly dressed young woman with long dark hair and a pretty face.

I opened the door quickly.

"Hello?" I said.

My eyes were still fuzzy with sleep and my throat raspy. I hadn't given much thought to how disheveled I must have looked before opening the door.

The young woman looked me over and seemed neither particularly mean nor friendly.

"Mr O'Bannon," she said in an American accent like the type I'd heard many times watching movies, "My name is Abigail Hoffman, We have a meeting scheduled."

"We do?" I said, "I don't remember any-"

"-I scheduled it," she said, cutting me off, "Mind if we talk in private?"

She waited a moment, letting the question hang in the air. I looked down at her wondering if it was proper to let a very pretty woman, who looked maybe six or seven years older than me, into my room. I didn't however want to cause any unnecessary friction. Choosing the path of least resistance I stood aside and let her make her way inside. She was quite short, and, I had to admit, looked very nice in the smart black heels she was wearing.

She turned and I made an effort to inspect the wall to my left to not give off the impression I had just been ogling her.

"Mind if I sit down?" she said, gesturing to the desk chair.

"Sure," I said.

She sat down and put her hands neatly on her lap. I could tell she was a prim and proper type by the way she sat with her back perfectly straight. In comparison I felt like a bit of a slob standing in the blue overalls, shoe-less, in front of her. I moved over to the bed and sat down, ignoring the messed up bed covers.

After a moment of silence Abigail said, "I understand you went through a lot yesterday?"

"...yeah," I said, nodding. I wasn't in the most talkative mood so I decided not to elaborate.

"Well, Mister O'Bannon–mind if I call you Burgess?"

"Sure."

"Well, Burgess, I'm here because I would like your help with something."

She paused, her pretty hazel eyes studying me.

"Okay…?" I said.

I didn't know whether to feel bashful around her or to be bluntly arrogant, the latter seemed more appropriate considering the way I had been treated since the evacuation began.

Abigail continued, "I work for a specific division of Pied Piper. Namely, the Research Division. Our division created that Meter device you're wearing. Isn't it great?"

I looked at the device on my wrist. It was showing a steady green light. For now.

"How does it work?" I said.

"That's confidential information," said Abigail, "Sorry."

Sorry? I thought, Is she really this…shy?

"Burgess," she said, "Do you know what you managed in Lintern's Gym, on the treadmill, jogging at six miles per hour for nearly twelve hours straight. Do you understand how impressive that is?"

I didn't know what to say. What I did feel however was a sudden swell of inner pride. I tried to keep the thrill of being told how impressive I was from showing on my face.

"What you did," said Abigail, plucking at the hem of her knee-length pencil skirt with her manicured fingers, "Isn't normal. Do you agree?"

"I don't know," I said. I didn't know what to say for fear of saying the wrong thing.

"You're not in trouble," said Abigail, "The whole reason everyone has been evacuated to Lintern and elsewhere across Britain; the whole reason the whole global initiative to evacuate those at-risk of spontaneous-combustion is because something truly abnormal is taking place. Everything that is happening is entirely unprecedented. Because of this we are trying to figure out what is causing the spontaneous-combustions to happen."

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She paused to make sure I was following, which I was, so she continued.

"Our research division had to find any way they could to prevent at-risk teenagers like yourself from spontaneously-combusting. They discovered physical exertion brought the danger level down to a safe level."

"But what about those that turn red?" I said, "Running on the treadmill didn't help them much."

I was thinking about Alex Landly and all the other teenagers that had given up or collapsed under the strain of so much running.

"It is a major issue," said Abigail. She looked genuinely remorseful.

"Even the exertion on the treadmill or any other exercise is proving not to be enough to bring the danger down to a safe degree. We have lost a lot of youths because we don't know a more effective means of stopping the spontaneous-combustions. Which is why someone like yourself could be the piece of the puzzle we need to figure out how to beat this thing."

"Me?" I said.

"Yes, Burgess," said Abigail, "There appears to be a connection between the energy built up inside of you, that puts you at risk of spontaneously-combusting, and how you managed to accomplish a feat most trained athletes couldn't match."

"You know," I said, "I was thinking something similar. Like…maybe my body was converting that pent up energy so I didn't tire out on the treadmill?"

"Perhaps!" said Abigail, excitedly, "That could very well be the reason. The issue is we don't know for sure. What needs to happen is more research so we can learn what it is that makes you so special. Would you be opposed to the idea of helping us learn more about your abilities?"

My mind felt like it had been wiped clean when Abigail had said I was special. Could I really be? Maybe on some egotistical level I had always wondered if there was something particularly special about me, but every facet of my life before had proved that I was mediocre at everything I did. But things seemed to be changing.

"I'm not opposed to it," I said, "But I'm not sure what it is you're asking of me."

"Right," said Abigail, "Let me explain. I would like to make you an offer, which you are free to refuse if you wish. The Pied Piper Research Division would like to invite you to stay at a private research facility where we will do everything we can, within reason, to learn more about your abilities."

"But all I did was run for a long time on the treadmill…?" I said.

"That's not all," said Abigail, "Your body at the end of those twelve hours was in a state of shock which should have killed you. Yet somehow, in the last few hours, your body has recovered. That is an exceptional healing ability."

I didn't like being told I should have died under normal conditions. But it did make sense. I had been on the brink of so much pain and exhaustion after finishing up on the treadmill, so much so I had really wondered how it was I was able to even breathe and walk.

"And," said Abigail, "If you choose to work with us. We will pay you a salary of two-thousand pounds a week for every week you stay with us."

I liked the sound of that. It wasn't exactly a fortune but it was far and away more money than I would be able to make on my own in the next few years. Money however wasn't going to sway my decision, since there were far more important things to worry about.

"I can't do anything unless I can tell my parents where I am and what I'm doing," I said.

"Of course," said Abigail, "You'll be able to be in regular contact with your family at the facility."

Abigail looked around the little bed and breakfast room.

"But that wouldn't be the case here. You may have noticed the Pied Piper officers here are a little…rough. You can expect far better treatment and freedom at the facility."

"For how long?" I said.

"For as long as you're willing to work with us and for as long as we feel it is still beneficial for us to learn more about your abilities," said Abigail.

"You're not going to make me join a superhero team are you?" I said, jokingly.

Abigail smirked, "We're not planning on it…but you never know. This does seem like something out of a comic book, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," I said, "It really does. Though it's set in rainy old Britain. What's up with that?"

Abigail giggled this time. It was such a lovely giggle.

"Yeah, what is up with that?"

"Where is this facility?" I said, trying to put the conversation back on track.

"In Europe," said Abigail, "That's as much as I can say at this time."

"And if I don't want to do this?" I said.

"Then," said Abigail, "You'll stay here, not at this bed and breakfast, but at some smaller, less comfortable place in Lintern Village. The whole village has been evacuated of the original populace to house the at-risk youths. You'll be staying here until such a time as the government deems it safe for everyone to return home; but we have no indication of when, if ever, that might be…"

The choice seemed pretty simple to me. Go and get paid and be a part of something that sounded like it was straight from a comic book, or stay and wait for everything to blow over.

"I need to think about this first," I said.

"Of course," said Abigail, "But I will need an answer within the next three hours. After that the offer will be rescinded. If you wish to get in contact with me you can ask one of the officers to get in touch."

"Okay," I said, "Thank you."

Abigail stood and offered me her hand to shake, which I did.

"Pleasure," she said, and I showed her to the door.

I closed the door but continued to look through the peephole. Abigail took one step over, took a moment to collect herself, then knocked at Tiffany's door. A few moments later Tiffany answered the door, Abigail introduced herself just like she had done with me, and then entered Tiffany's room. One of the reasons I hadn't accepted Abigail's offer right there and then was because of Tiffany. Last night we agreed to stick together. It was very likely Tiffany was about to receive an identical offer. Would she want to go to the facility or to stay in Lintern?

Unable to keep my curiosity at bay I moved over to the wall and put my ear against it. To my surprise I could hear the muffled conversation between Abigail and Tiffany enough to listen in.