Disclaimers: As much as I may wish differently, I don't own Mutant X or its characters. I'm just borrowing, really. I promise to put the boys back in much better moods.

Other stuff:
This story will eventually have SLASH – yup, hot man-on-man squishiness. Have issues with that? Get over 'em. Trust me - you'll be much happier, just like the boys.

Also, consider this AU because I may get some of the canon details wrong.

Feedback is most welcome. This is my first Mutant X fic – and the first thing I've written in many years.

Brennan rolled over in his bed, the sheets twisting around his legs. He kicked at them, pushing them lower until his legs were finally free. He glanced at the clock and sighed when he saw that it read nearly three in the morning.

He felt as though millions of ants crawled beneath his skin; a constant kinetic energy he could not ignore. He had spent too many recent nights this way, his own body feeling foreign to him after the events at Hillview State Penitentiary. Adam said the last traces of the injected steroid had dissipated from his system days ago, but Brennan still felt the effects. He felt his mutant electrical charge humming beneath his skin, still excited from the aggression and adrenaline rush nearly two weeks ago.

He rolled over again, taking a deep breath, intended to help him relax. Minutes passed, which seemed like hours to Brennan, until he finally rose from the mattress, giving up on sleep for the night.

Pulling athletic shorts onto his naked body, and nothing else, he made his way down to the training area. He quickly queued up the holographic sequence that he had repeated nightly since his return and watched as Jesse materialized in front of him. However, this Jesse had an arrogance and confidence not seen on the real man.

Jesse's mouth twitched into a wry smile. "Think you can take me this time?"

"Not just this time. Each and every time," Brennan snarled back.

"Certainly wasn't the case at the prison. There I was, trying to help you, holding back so I didn't hurt you, and you gave me all you had. It even stung a little, I admit," Jesse chuckled. "But let's see, remind me again. Who ended up winning that match?"

Brennan saw that Jesse's damn smile had returned. Fucking asshole!, he thought to himself. "Let's just do this."

"Fine with me. But let me know when you've started – I'm not sure I'll notice." Jesse bantered back.

Furiously, Brennan fired electricity at Jesse, who had the nerve to look away, as if the onslaught meant nothing to him. Brennan screamed and aimed a kick at Jesse's head.

An hour or so later, Brennan dragged himself away from the training platform. The fight had been brutal, just as it had been every night. Yet he'd gotten the two things he needed from the encounter.

First, he'd released a lot of pent of energy. For the first time in hours, the march of the million ants had ended below his skin, the electricity quiet for a time. He might be able to sleep now, relaxation finally possible.

Secondly though, he'd once again established his dominance over Jesse in his mind. Why he needed to do this confused him, why he needed to fight Jesse until his body lay before him, broken, bloody, and still. Brennan shook himself at the memory, knowing he had to let this need go, before the rest of the team found out about his nocturnal crimes.

For Brennan, the fact that Jesse had taken everything he could throw at him at the prison and still get up drove him crazy. Brennan knew he had the stronger mutant powers. He knew he had greater physical strength. He had the natural leadership ability that Jesse lacked. But after having taken everything Brennan could throw at him, would Jesse think that their positions had reversed?

Of course, Jesse hadn't acted any differently to Brennan. Brennan knew on a logical level that his leadership position remained unchallenged, but his psyche still waited for a challenger. Jesse plagued his every thought.

As Brennan walked back to his room, he saw the lights on within Adam's lab. While he couldn't let Adam know about his inner demons, he could certainly tell him about the lingering effect of the steroids. Beating the holographic brains out of his teammate every night wouldn't do as a long-term solution.

He walked into Adam's lab and looked around at the empty room. "Adam? You in here?"

Not hearing a response to his call, Brennan walked further into the lab and glanced at the various workstations. At one of them, he spotted Adam slumped over the keyboard, sleeping.

"All work and no play makes Adam a very dull boy," he muttered to himself. He walked over to Adam, intending to wake him. As he reached out to wake the often stubborn scientist, he glanced at the screen Adam had been working on. His hand fell short of Adam's shoulder, dropping back down to his side as he read what the screen held.

Brennan stared at the text - a record of his treatment after the mission to the prison. Several words jumped off the screen at him, and he decided to let Adam sleep and read what the good scientist had to say.

"Mulwray continues to complain of side effects of the ST1277 injection. The steroidal compound has been completely flushed from his system and there appears to be no other cause for the reactions that Brennan is experiencing. Tests indicate that the electrical charge in his body is increasing, most likely signaling the onset of another phase of his genetic mutation. The timing of this onset is too coincidental for normal progression of his mutation however. It has either been triggered by the ST1277 compound or by exposure to Jesse Kilmartin during the prison fight at Hillview State Penitentiary. While the steroidal compound seems the most likely suspect, I can find no causal pattern to substantiate it. If this phase is not natural or chemical induced, and has been caused by Kilmartin, I may not be able to control the mutation. In addition to the danger posed to Brennan, should Jesse learn of his involvement, the results could be catastrophic for all of us. I must find the answer before any of the team learns the truth about Jesse and especially before Jesse learns the truth about himself."

Brennan read the paragraph several times, each time finding new questions he wanted to ask. With each reading his worry grew. He was mutating again? He was in danger? And Jesse may have caused it? He wanted nothing more than to shake Adam awake and demand answers, but based on what he had just read, he knew Adam would never tell him the truth.

He decided to leave Adam there and crept quietly away. If Adam wanted to keep secrets, then Brennan would as well. And he'd find out Adam's secrets in the process.

He stepped out of the lab, glancing left and right down the hallway to make sure no one had seen his exit. He made his way quickly back to his room, all the while thinking of Jesse.

As if he wasn't in my thoughts enough already. What the hell has he done to me now? Brennan thought. Why does everything keep coming back to Jess?