This is the continuation of the storyline from Chapter 275: Shadow Revealed of Forsaken.

Sunday, 22nd May, 2016

Memorial Park Cemetery
Chicago, United States of America

"What are we doing here?"

"All will become clear, Stephanie."

We were walking through a cemetery and despite how I had spent the past couple of years and what I did when I went out at night, I hated cemeteries. Why were we walking between row upon row of graves?

Mindy and Dave stopped at what was obviously a fresh grave. I pushed between them and froze as I saw the gravestone and what had been carved into the highly polished dark marble.

Here lies a Hero

Miranda
Swedlow

She gave her life
so that another could live

Died, April 27th 2016, aged 28

'Aurora'

I was completely and utterly stunned. I felt a cold chill run from the top of my neck, right down my spine to my tailbone. The stone was beautiful, so beautiful, and it must have cost a bomb. I could not take my eyes off the stone.

"When did...? How did...?"

"After she died, I used my contacts to have her body recovered and repatriated. Marcus arranged for the burial plot. She was back in the US long before we were," Mindy advised.

I still could not tear my eyes away from the stone, especially the nine words in the middle. She died protecting me. I was 'another'. I had no idea how to respond. I could come up with only two words.

"Thank you."

Two words that barely seemed to even attempt to cover what Dave and Mindy had done for me. However, it was all that I could think of to say as I felt the tears fall unimpeded down my cheeks.

Stirling, Scotland
Blairhoyle

Commander Richard Perrin, his wife, Alexandra, and his daughter, Cassie, stood uneasily as the car pulled up a few feet away on the large gravel drive of their home.

Out of the front passenger seat, came a tall young man, Cameron King. He opened the rear door of the Corinthian grey Overfinch Range Rover and two young girls of eight and nine emerged. Out of the driver's seat, came Natasha King. The two young girls looked very scared at the rather obvious and intimidating welcoming committee.

Cameron passed the two girls over to his twin, who stepped forwards, a small hand in each of her own. She led the two girls up to the front door of the large house.

"Naomi, Kaitlin. Please meet Richard, Alexandra, and Cassie."

That same time, in another time zone

The room was small by most standards, but the boy had lived there for two months.

The eight-year-old boy was of average height and he had light brown hair that generally refused to lie flat. His eyes were brown and they seemed filled with sorrow rather than the happiness that was normally expected for a boy of his age.

The boy was startled as the door to his room burst open. It was his handler.

"Here, kid..."

A small packet was thrown at him, which was easily caught by the boy.

"What's happening?"

"You're on your own, kid – that lot, there, should see you right."

The boy ripped open the packet and stared at the contents which spilt out onto his bed.

"Good luck – we won't meet again."

With that the man vanished and a minute later the front door was heard to open and then close. The boy knew that he was very much alone – he may have only been eight-years-old but he had skills; some anyway, so he was not unduly worried. Not for the moment, at least. He studied the contents of the packet.

There was a VISA bank card, in his name, plus a pair of bank passbooks, again in his name. Under those, there was a thick wad of bank notes. He flipped through them – they were all crisp, new, £20 notes. The final item was a burgundy passport which the boy opened at the photo page. Unsurprisingly, the photo was of himself and the name was his current name.

James Carter began to gather his limited possessions and as he did so, he began to plan his future.

That is the end of The Fusion Ultimatum.

However:

The Fusion storyline continues in Chapter 276: Party Time of Forsaken.

The story of James Carter will continue in Chapter 1: Kidnap of my upcoming story Predator.

Aiden Maxwell, last seen in Chapter 25: Toulouse of this story, will continue his life in a forthcoming chapter: A New Boy at The Manor of my story Dark Days in Gotham.

The two girls mentioned above, Naomi and Kaitlin, previously seen in Chapter 26: Predator Showdown of this story, will feature in my upcoming story Vengeance.