The Orphan and Her Family

Chapter Thirty

The trio take Sarah Jane's car down to the Pharos Institute. It's not that long of a drive. As they step out of the car, she turns to address Jack and Sophie, "Let me take the lead, alright."

They both nod immediately.

She steps toward the door, holding up her journalist ID, "Sarah Jane Smith. I'm a journalist, and I'm interested in doing an article about the Pharos Institute."

The guard at the door nods, and radios to someone inside the facility. About five minutes later a tall, black woman rushes out to greet them. She's dressed in a smart suit, and immediately holds out her hand to Sarah Jane.

"Professor Rivers. It's nice to meet you, Miss Smith."

Sarah Jane smiles, and nods, "Thank you for seeing us, Professor Rivers. This is my assistant, Sophie McCoy, and my scientific researcher, Jack Harkness."

They each shake the Professor's hand, as she leads them into the facility. "Oh, the Pharos Institute doesn't get nearly enough media interest. Most people write off our researchers as cranks, but we are in good company. Galileo and Copernicus were both dismissed by their blinkered scientific contemporaries. This way, Miss Smith, Miss McCoy, Mr. Harkness"

She leads them down another corridor, and Sarah Jane smiles, "Of course, Galileo and Copernicus weren't carrying out experiments in the paranormal."

"Ah, Sir Isaac Newton and Thomas Edison both had strong interests in the paranormal, Miss Smith."

"So did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle," Sophie adds.

Professor Rivers nods at her. Sarah Jane smiles, "It's your work into telekinesis that I'm particularly interested in."

She stops at a wall with a window sitting in it. Through the window they can see three scientists, one with a headset on. "Then you're in for a treat," Professor Rivers nods at the wall.

The scientist in the headset looks at a basketball on the floor. He grits his teeth, and the ball starts to rise. Sophie and Sarah Jane's eyes start to widen, while Jack's narrow.

"It's incredible!" Sarah Jane says in awe.

"Oh, we're not done yet," Professor Rivers smirks.

Sophie notices the tension in Jack's shoulders, and takes his hand in her own. "Are you alright?" she whispers.

Jack sighs, "They shouldn't have this tech, not yet. This is all wrong."

"We'll figure it out, don't worry."

The basketball that was being held in the air suddenly flies across the room, almost hitting one of the other scientists in the room. Sophie and Sarah Jane flinch back.

"Unfortunately, we're having a little difficulty with our energy focus stabilisation," Professor Rivers explains, "MITRE. Magnified Intensification of Telekinetic Reactive Energies. Those headsets take the latent raw psychic ability all humans possess to move objects with the power of thought and directs it."

"Wow," Jack says, feigning excitement. "Who developed it?"

"Our child genius."

Professor Rivers leads them down another corridor. At the end there is a laboratory, with a boy writing some sort of scientific, or mathematic, formula on a whiteboard.

Jack studies the board, and Sophie can see the gears turning in his head. Professor Rivers smiles at the trio, "Sarah Jane Smith, Sophie McCoy, Jack Harkness, this is Nathan Goss."

Sarah Jane walks up, and surveys the board, "Hello, Nathan. I'm pleased to meet you."

The boy glares at the journalist, "I'm working!"

"Oh, I'm sorry to disturb you," she says.

Jack takes a few steps forward, looking over the board himself, "It looks complex."

"Don't waste your time or mine asking me to explain," he waves the man off.

Jack glares at the child, as Professor Rivers smiles at Nathan, "Miss Smith's a journalist, and Mr. Harkness and Miss McCoy are part of her team. They want to talk to you about MITRE."

Nathan turns on the Professor, "You told her about MITRE?" he snarls, "How stupid can you get?"

"Well, I'm sorry, Nathan, but your work is important. It needs recognition. And we need the funding. I thought–"

"Get out!" he shouts in her face. Jack looks angry, and Sophie grabs his elbow, pulling him along behind her, "Leave me alone! And leave the thinking to somebody with the intelligence of actually doing something with it."

"Miss Smith, Mr. Harkness, Miss McCoy, I think we'd better just— Come on."

Sarah Jane walks forward toward the boy, and stands near him, "I used to know someone your age who could wipe the floor with your intelligence, Nathan," she says quietly, "And wipe the floor with you, too."

Sarah Jane turns to the exit, and the trio follow Professor Rivers out of the lab.

"Thank you for the tour, Professor Rivers," Sarah Jane says, smiling at the woman.

"Oh, are you ready to leave then?"

"Yes. I believe I have enough for my article."

The professor smiles, "Well, thank you for coming, Miss Smith," she smiles, and leads them to the exit.

As soon as they are back in the car, Jack turns to Sarah Jane, "There is something not right about that kid."

"He didn't really seem human," Sophie says, shrugging.

"It's very possible," the journalist agrees. "I believe I have a way to check as well."

***

Sarah Jane takes them back to her house, and heads straight for the attic. She walks into the room, and turns to a bricked up fireplace, "Mr. Smith, I need you."

The wall opens up, and a large computer appears. Jack looks at it, and lets out a low whistle, "Nice set up you've got here."

Sarah Jane raises her eyebrows, and smiles. "Mr. Smith, I need all the information you can give me on Nathan Goss."

"Nathan Goss is a genius," the supercomputer says, "He has an IQ of 195. He was reading quantum physics at the age of eight. Some call him the young Einstein. Others say his potential exceeds Einstein."

Jack snorts, "He's an obnoxious brat. And there's something else. Something that made my blood run cold."

"I'm sorry, I do not believe we've met."

"Captain Jack Harkness," he winks.

Sophie drops her head in her hands, "You are flirting with a supercomputer."

"Despite his IQ, a telekinetic energiser such as MITRE is still beyond the genius of Nathan Goss."

"It could make a terrible weapon," Sarah Jane says.

"A destroyer of worlds, in the right hands, with the right mind," Mr. Smith states.

"Where did it come from, though?" Sophie asks.

"If I could analyse its composition, I could be definitive of its technology and origin," the computer states.

"Mister Smith, are you asking me to go back to Pharos and steal one of those headsets?" Sarah Jane smiles.

"It would be of great assistance."