“Daniel!” his grandfather yelled, his eyes opening out of the darkness. He looked about, stunned at first but soon realized where he was as the sight and sounds coalesced into a hastily convened medical ward in the school’s gym. He saw his soldier’s jacket hanging on the back of a folding chair next to the cot on which he was lying. The room was full of injured soldiers. He pushed himself up. There was a slight ache in his side as he put his feet on the ground. He felt dizzy as he pushed himself off the cot but managed to keep his balance.

The soldiers were hurt a lot worse than he was. He slowly shuffled past them. There seemed to be very few doctors here and they were preoccupied, tending to the wounded.

Mr. Cotton surveyed the room and tried to remember what had happened. Most of all he was scanning for his grandson. The scene was busy but he should be able to find Daniel, he thought. What was he wearing? He tried to remember. Was it his blue jacket or his red jacket? He scanned the room but could not find him. Damn, he thought, where has he?

“Mr. Cotton, “ a nurse approached him. She was young and a little bit stocky, he observed. He was partial to nurses; he married one. “You should not be up, sir.”

“I’m fine, miss. Now—have you seen my grandson? His name’s Daniel?”

The nurse looked at Adam Cotton with large soulful eyes drawing upon years of training.

“Mr. Cotton, your grandson is missing.”

“Missing? No—I’m sure he’s just lurking about somewhere—“

“No, sir. There was an explosion. He disappeared. The prisoner—“

“Explosion?”

Adam Cotton remembered. He had thought it was a dream. He had a lot of dreams. About the war. About explosions and soldiers and lost friends. He had learned to live with them and sometimes they were confusing but he knew they were just dreams.

“The prisoner escaped and the soldiers were trying to stop him and Daniel—“

“Yes, I remember now, miss. I remember, “ Daniel’s grandfather said.

“Mr. Cotton—it’s going to be okay, sir,” she said taking his hand. “We’re going to find him, sir.”

“Yes. Yes, we are,” he said. He walked straight back to his cot and grabbed his coat. He brushed past the nurse. He walked past the aisles of wounded soldiers. He noticed the telepath, Kristine, lying unconscious. Her face was swollen with bruises. An IV attached to her arm feeding fluids. She was resting. Daniel’s grandfather pushed out through the gym doors and entered the quad. It was full of people. He did a quick scan and saw Inspector Reynolds, his arm in a sling and his head bandaged up.

“Reynolds!” Daniel’s grandfather shouted.

Inspector Reynolds looked up and a genuine look of surprise filled his face.

“Mr. Cotton, are you absolutely certain that you should be up and about—?” Reynolds blurted.

“Reynolds, where is Daniel?” Mr. Cotton demanded.

“Mr. Cotton, I assure you that we are conducting an extensive search for your grandson. We have dispatched several squads in search of him,” he responded before pausing. “Sir, we are not certain—but as we have not found the boy, there is a possibility that he has been taken—“

“Taken—?”

“Yes, by the escaped prisoner. We have not found him—“

“He wasn’t taken. What would—?”

“Sir, I need you to submit to an interview—you were an eyewitness to the explosion—“

“Shove it,” Daniel’s grandfather said as he started to walk off. “I’m going home. I bet Daniel’s there now.”

He walked away and the Inspector decided to let him. As Mr. Cotton walked away from the quad area and into the main road, he could see that the religious zealots were already making an altar to Ultra, filled with candles and incense. A small group of them were kneeling before the altar offering prayers. Mrs. Dora was among them, singing and crying. She looked up.

“We’re having a service to celebrate our fallen Champion, Ultra, later this evening. Join us,” she smiled through tears.

Adam Cotton looked at her with perplexed disgust and kept on walking up the busy road toward home hoping to find Daniel there but knowing that he would not.