Jacob watched the news on Saturday evening. That wasn't something he usually did. He thought that the news was a bunch of crap made up by the people in high places. He didn't care about the two middle-aged women that took care of their ninety-year old mother. That wasn't real news. However, he had to deal with stories such as that one in order to hear the one he was waiting for.

Finally he heard the headline he'd been waiting for. The news anchor announced what he had been waiting to hear at half past four. Finally, thought Jacob.

"Just this afternoon, at the Wilson Conference Center in Des Moines, the mediator of the political debate between George Fredericks of Cedar Rapids and Richard Knolls of Markusville, Martin Soloman, collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest. Paramedics rushed to the scene after multiple sources called 9-1-1. Even the candidate for governor, Richard Knolls, did not hesitate to call."

The television showed a clip of Larkin's father pulling his cellphone.

"Soloman was declared dead at 2:11 p.m. on the way to the hospital. The debate will be rescheduled for next Saturday."

Sway had warned Jacob that this would happen. She had apprehended him on his way home after his run in with Neutron. She'd practically yanked him off the street in order to tell him about what was going to happen.

He replayed Sway's words.

"It's going to happen on Saturday afternoon, during the debate. The mediator should die. If he does, then that means all of our plans are falling into place, and you won't have to worry about killing Richard Knolls anymore."

"But doesn't your leader still want him dead?" Jacob asked.

Sway pursed her lips. "Yes."

"How's that going to happen if neither one of us does it?"

With a smirk, Sway said, "It's not like you've been having any luck. How many times have you tried?"

"That's not relevant information. How is your leader guy going to accomplish this, again?"

"He has his ways."

That was the end of their conversation. Sway had then shoved him back onto the street, where Jacob had almost been hit by a car after using his powers to make himself practically invisible to everyone else. He could tell how much Sway cared about his wellbeing.

Now, sitting on the couch in his living room, Jacob knew that he had to tell Larkin. He couldn't let her father be killed. He seemed like a decent guy.

Provided, Jacob didn't actually know how the mediator had been killed, so he couldn't exactly warn Larkin or tell her how to stop it. He would try, though.

()()()

Jacob walked all the way to Larkin's house from his. It wasn't that far, but it was far enough for him to wonder if the sun would go down before he actually made it there.

He walked up the steps and onto her front porch. He rang their doorbell and waited before starting to knock. Then he waited some more. Apparently, no one was home.

With a sigh, Jacob realized that she might have gone to the debate and wasn't back yet. Or maybe she was at Greta's house. He knew they were neighbors after all.

He hopped off Larkin's porch and walked through the grass to Greta's house. He hadn't seen Greta since the night in the park. She'd asked him to lure out the supers, make them active again. He could tell that Greta was only worried about Larkin's father because she cared so much about Larkin. To have a best friend like that, one that cared enough to walk around the city in the middle of the night looking to help the other, was unfamiliar to Jacob. He had friends, plenty of them, but they didn't care like Greta did for Larkin.

He rang the doorbell and waited patiently until someone came to the door. He heard it open, and looked up in surprise to see a middle-aged woman who was most likely Greta's mother. She had reddish-brown hair the same color as Greta's, except that it had some light streaks of gray running through the front.

She smiled at him, probably confused about the boy she had never seen before standing on her porch. "And who might you be?"

"I'm one of Greta's classmates," Jacob paused, knowing that he would need an actual reason to see Greta. "We have a project." He felt only slightly bad lying.

The woman raised her eyebrows. "Oh. Well, you can come in and sit at the table. I'll go get Greta."

Jacob followed her through her home and into the dining room. He sat at the wooden table and waited for Greta. He could hear her mother calling for her in some other part of the house. It didn't take long for Greta to come pounding into the dining room. She was frowning.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

Cutting right to the chase, Jacob asked, "Where's Larkin?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"We have a project. I don't have her number." This time, it was true. He and Larkin really did have a project, but that wasn't what he really wanted to talk to her about today.

"And she's not at her house?"

Jacob shook his head. He watched as Greta thought for a moment.

"She might be at her aunt's house. She goes there a lot when her parents travel, but I don't know how to get there."

Jacob sighed in frustration. He would just have to wait until Monday when he could see her at school. He might be able to catch her in the hallways and warn her about what might happen at the rescheduled debate.

He just hoped they could figure out what to do. He didn't know how one could prevent a death if they didn't even know how it happened in the first place.

He began the walk back to his house. It was close to five thirty now, but the sun wasn't setting yet: a perk of late summer.

On his way back to his house, he was stopped, rather abruptly, by a hand latching on to his arm. He turned towards the owner of the arm and was hit with recognition. A man in a gray bodysuit with frayed sleeves and mask faced him. Jacob looked around at his surroundings. There were buildings on the other side of the road, but on his side, there were only trees.

Neutron pulled him gently towards a large tree. Jacob was helpless to refuse. He knew he couldn't match this man.

"Sit," said Neutron.

Jacob did as he was told.

"How've you been since I last saw you? Surely you've been well. It has been only a day, if I am not mistaken."

Jacob nodded. "I've been fine."

Neutron sat as well. Jacob found it only slightly funny that a grown man was sitting crisscross-applesauce on the grass underneath a tree. He didn't laugh though. Neutron didn't seem like the kind of man that would appreciate being made fun of.

"I've been well. I had a chat with Larkin, too. You supers really need to shape up. It was not difficult to stop her from attacking me either. But, that's not what I'm here for." Pause. "I assume you know of the murder this weekend?"

"Murder?"

"Oh yes. It was most definitely a murder."

Jacob was becoming braver. He didn't think Neutron was going to hurt him. "How do you know?"

Neutron smiled. Jacob noticed his straight, white teeth. He wondered briefly if he'd had braces as a kid.

"Does the name Contingence mean anything to you?" inquired Neutron. He leaned closer to Jacob, anticipation written all over his face.

Contingence. It was the name Neutron had mentioned the day before, during their first meeting. Jacob still didn't know who that was or what it meant. He shook his head in response to Neutron's question.

"You might consider Google. You know, it does have a whole lot of answers. Or you could ask your friend."

"Friend?" he questioned. Jacob didn't know which 'friend' Neutron was talking about. Larkin? He didn't think she'd have any clue what this was about.

"You'll figure it out," assured Neutron. With an endearing pat on the back, Neutron rose from the grass and was gone.

"Why do you have to be so cryptic?" Jacob yelled. He knew that Neutron was gone, but his frustration was rising.

Jacob stayed sitting. For a moment there, he thought he was actually going to get some answers from the guy. In the end, he was left with more questions.