CAUGHT ON TAPE

Rated: R for language and violence

Disclaimer - Please note that I do not own any of the character of Mutant X. There are, however, a few characters in this story that are mine. No copyright infringement is intended.

Here's to Brennan and Shalimar shipper stories! :-)

Shalimar jogged down the street, enjoying her morning exercise and some time alone.

She ran past a few stores on the side of the road and as she was running a man came out of nowhere, running into her and almost knocking her to the ground.

"I'm sorry," he said as he put a hand on her elbow to make sure she was okay. He looked behind him quickly and then back at her before running off down the street.

Shalimar took her headphones off and shook her head as she watched him run down the street. Checking her watch, she realized she'd better get back to Sanctuary so she turned around and headed home.

Just as she turned around, two men came around the corner behind her, looking for the man that had run into her.

"We lost him," one of them said into a device on their wrist.

"Well find him!" a voice yelled back.

The man continued running and finally stopped under a bridge. He put his hands on his knees as he bent over, trying to catch his breath. After slowing his breathing down, he stood up and began walking.

The two men that had been chasing him suddenly appeared before him. "Going somewhere?" one of them asked, aiming a gun at his stomach.

"Look, I don't want any trouble," the man said.

"It's a little late for that. Where's the CD?"

The man didn't answer and soon found himself pinned against the wall with his left arm bent up at an odd angle behind his back.

"I'll ask you just one more time, where's the CD?" The man pushed up on the other man's arm.

The man cried out in pain. "I don't have it!" he screamed.

"Don't bullshit us, where the fuck is it?" With a swift movement, he punched the man in the kidneys. Letting go of him, he fell to the ground in a heap.

"I'm telling you the truth, I don't have it!"

The man reached down and grabbed him by the front of his jacket, "Where is it?" He readied his fist near the man's face, getting ready to launch his fist if the man didn't give him the information he wanted.

"I...I gave it away!"

"To who?"

"I dunno, some girl. I pretended to bump into her and I put it in her jacket pocket. Please don't kill me!" the man pleaded as he began to cry.

The man shoved him to the ground in disgust. "Great, just great," he spat. He paced back and forth, rubbing his chin and watching the man cry like a baby. Then he bent down next to him, "Find the girl and the CD."

"Th...then I you'll leave me alone?"

The man smiled and patted him on the chest, "Okay. You bring the girl and the CD to us and we'll leave you alone."

He smiled through his tears.

"You better get going. Times wasting," the man said as he tapped the face of his watch.

The man got to his feet and began running.

"We should have the CD soon, sir," the man said into his wrist device.

"Good, good. Bring him in as soon as you have it."

"Yes, sir."

Shalimar was jogging in place at a street corner waiting for the crosswalk light to light up. Just as she was about to cross, someone grabbed her by the arm. She quickly turned around and saw that it was the man that had ran into her earlier. "What are you doing?"

"I need to talk to you," he said as he led her back over to the corner. He looked all around the area to see if there was any sign of the guys that were chasing him. "Come with me."

Shalimar whipped her arm away from his grip, "I'm not going anywhere with you! I have no idea who the hell you are? You some kind of pervert or something?"

"No, no, no! Listen to me, I have to talk to you. You have something of mine and I need it back."

Shalimar looked at him with a confused look.

"Please," he pleaded, "I'm in trouble."

Shalimar could see the desperate look in his eyes. "Fine, come on." She walked with him into a small coffee shop where they took a seat in the back.

"I ran into you earlier," he started to say.

"Yeah, I remember. You a football player or something?"

The man laughed, "No. I ran into you on purpose because I put something in your sweat jacket pocket."

Shalimar reached into her pocket and felt a small CD. She pulled it out and held it up. "So what's this all about?" He reached over to take it from her but she moved it away from his reach. "First tell me what's on this CD."

The man hung his head and then raised it again, "It's a surveillance CD. But let's just say that one night the cameras saw something they shouldn't have."

"Like?"

"Murder," he said with a quake in his voice.

"So lemme guess, someone found out that you have this and they want it back. Or should I say, the murderer wants it so there will be no evidence."

"They're going to kill me if I don't give this to them."

"Why did you tell them you had it in the first place?"

The man laughed a bit, "I actually tried to blackmail him with it, you know, to get some money. Money that he's owed me for years, the cheap bastard. But he's a powerful man and knows a lot of people. As soon as I mentioned that I had the CD he had people following me within the hour."

"Who is this guy?"

The man put his hands up in front of him, "No, the less information you know about him the better. I've already told you way too much as it is."

"I can't help you if I don't know who I'm up against," she said as she tucked the CD into her jacket pocket.

"Give me the CD! You don't want to get involved in this. Just give me the CD and I'll be on my way."

"You'll be dead in oh...a half hour, tops."

"Nnnno," he stammered, "they said they'd leave me alone after they got the CD."

Shalimar shook her head, "You'd make a terrible mobster." She stood up and motioned towards him, "Come on, let's go talk to my friends and see how we can take care of this."

The man stood up and they started to walk towards the front of the coffee shop but they got halfway when the man noticed a familiar car out front. He grabbed her arm and stopped her in her tracks, "Wait!"

She turned towards him, wondering why he was stopping her.

"They're outside," he said, squeezing her arm tighter.

Just as she turned back towards the front of the shop, the front windows began to shatter from the numerous bullets that flew through them.

Everyone in the shop hit the ground to take cover as bullet after bullet sailed through the air. Shards of glass flew into the air and onto the floor. Splintered wood from the tables also flew into the air and hit the floor. Screams filled the air and completed the chaotic scene.

When the gunfire stopped, the two men entered the shop and surveyed the area looking for the man. "Shit!" one of them exclaimed in the frustration of not finding him.

Shalimar and the man ran down the alley way behind the shop and then out to the street. He saw a bus coming so he grabbed Shalimar's hand and pulled her over to where the bus came to a stop. They both got on made their way to the back.

The man breathed a sigh of relief. "I told you, these guys aren't screwing around." He dabbed at some small cuts on his face from some of the glass that had been flying around. "Now what do we do?" he asked her. Shalimar was a little quiet beside him and he picked up on it right away. Looking closer at her he could see some blood on her jacket. "Holy shit! You're bleeding."

"Yeah, I noticed. It's no big deal, just a scrape."

The man moved her hand away, "Aw man! You're hit, that's no scrape!" He put her hand back and put some pressure on it.

Shalimar gasped a bit, "I don't think there's any internal damage because it's in a clear area."

He leaned her forward a little to take a look at her back, "It went all the way through." Gently, he leaned her back.

"We need to get some help," she said to him. "Brennan?" she said into her Comlink ring.

"Hey Shal, what's up?"

"Is Adam around?"

"No why?"

"Good. I'm on my way in and I have a guest with me that needs some help."

"Everything okay? You sound a little out of it."

"I'm fine. I'll be there in a few."

"Okay, see ya then."

The man looked at Shalimar and began to wonder who she was. "What is that?" he said, pointing to her ring.

"It's a long story."

Shalimar and the man arrived at Sanctuary and she took off the blinders on his eyes. "Wow," he said as he looked around.

Shalimar leaned against the wall, hugging her side.

Brennan and Emma appeared and immediately noticed that Shalimar was in pain, not to mention bleeding.

"Shal!" Brennan yelled as he ran to her. He knelt down next to her, "I thought you said you were fine?"

"I lied," she said in a weak voice.

"Let's get her to the medical bay," he said as he scooped her up in his arms.

The man followed close behind them.

Brennan laid her down and set up the computer to do what it had to do in order to tend to her wound. The computer sent down a beam of light over the wound and began the healing process. After a few minutes the light turned off and Brennan flew to her side. "Shalimar?"

Shalimar's eyes fluttered open and she took a deep breath. "Ow," she said.

He smiled at her, "You'll be a little sore but the good news is that there was no internal damage. Clean shot through."

"Lucky me," she said as she sat up and then got to her feet, contorting her face a bit as she felt the soreness of her injury.

"I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes," the man said as he watched from outside of the room with Emma.

Brennan helped Shalimar clean up the blood on her hands and arms. "So, who's this guy?"

Shalimar suddenly remembered the man, "He's got a surveillance CD that captured a murder on tape. The murderer wants it back."

"How do you manage to get involved in these things?"

She smiled, "Luck I guess. He ran into me on the street and put it in my pocket." She reached into her pocket and took out the CD.

Brennan took it from her and placed it into a slot in the computer. They watched the video and saw two men arguing then one man pulled out a gun and shot the other man square in the chest.

"Wow," Brennan said, "No wonder they want this tape back."

"Yeah, and obviously they'll do anything to get it back," Shalimar answered, rubbing her injured side.

"Adam's gonna need to know about this one," Brennan said as he ejected the CD from the computer.

Shalimar rolled her eyes, "He's gonna kill me for getting involved in this."

"Would you rather him kill you or these bastards that are after this CD? They've already tried to kill you once, let's not give them a second chance."

Shalimar gave Brennan a half smile. "You're right. What's your plan?"

Brennan looked at Shalimar as he began speaking into his Comlink. "Adam?"

"Yeah, Brennan?"

"We've got a situation here at home and we need your help," Brennan explained.

"Is everyone okay?" Adam asked with concern evident in his voice.

Brennan looked at Shalimar, "Umm, yeah."

Shalimar motioned to Brennan not to tell him about her being shot but it didn't take long for Adam to ask what was going on. "You're not very convincing, Brennan. What happened?"

"Nothing. Nothing we couldn't handle. But..."

"What happened to Shalimar?" Adam asked, cutting him off.

Shalimar turned away from Brennan, still rubbing her sore side.

"She, ummm, she got a little shot but she's okay. Nothing major. She's okay."

"Dammit, Shalimar! I leave you guys alone for a few hours and look what happens."

"It wasn't my fault, Adam!" Shalimar blurted out.

They could hear Adam sigh and pause. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," she said quietly.

"I'll be there in about ten minutes," Adam said before disconnecting.

"He's gonna freak out when he gets back, you know this," Brennan said to Shalimar as he leaned back in his chair.

"You don't have to tell me. First I get shot and then I bring a non-Mutant into Sanctuary." Shalimar got to her feet, hugging her side. "I'm gonna go change out of these bloodstained clothes before Adam gets back or else he'll really throw a hissy fit."

Brennan got up from his chair and put his arm on her elbow, "You need some help getting upstairs?"

Shalimar smiled at him, "Sure, why not."

Brennan stayed by Shalimar's side as they walked out of the room. Emma and the man were sitting on one of the couches talking and laughing. "Hey, you okay Shal?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks."

The man stood up and extended his hand, "Shalimar, huh. I'm Robert McCloud. I guess we've never really been properly introduced." Shalimar shook his hand and smiled. "Thanks for helping me out. I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate it."

"Well, hopefully we can clear this whole mess up soon," she said as she let go of his hand.

"Have a seat and relax," Brennan said as he patted the man on the shoulder and watched as he sat down next to Emma before helping Shalimar walk down the hall.

When they got upstairs, Brennan took a seat on the edge of her bed as he waited for her to change in the bathroom. "Ya know, I don't know whether to feel bad for the guy or whether to punch his lights out."

"What?" she said, coming out of the bathroom, buttoning her leather pants.

"Well, the guy got you into this, knowing full well who he was dealing with. You wouldn't have gotten shot if it wasn't for him."

Shalimar rubbed his arm, "You're right, he did get me involved. But we are here to help people, right?"

"Right. That's why another part of me feels sorry for the guy. I mean, look at him. He doesn't look like he could fight his way out of a paper bag."

"Shalimar!" Adam's voice boomed in the hallway downstairs.

Brennan and Shalimar looked at one another and Shalimar smiled, "Time to face the executioner. Come on."

They walked downstairs and found Adam talking to Robert and Emma.

Emma looked over as Shalimar and Brennan approached and Adam looked over his shoulder. "You mind telling me what's going on here? Who's this?" Adam asked Shalimar.

"I'm Robert McCloud, sir. Nice to meet you," he said as he sprang from his seat and extended his hand.

Adam shook it and looked at him kinda funny as he let go of his hand. Then he motioned to Shalimar to get into the lab.

"I'm fine, Adam, really. I..."

Adam motioned again and she walked into the lab, he followed close behind her. She sat down on one of the recliner chairs, trying to stifle a grunt of pain.

Adam stood beside her with his arms folded over his chest. "Tell me where."

Shalimar sheepishly pointed to her side.

Adam lifted her shirt to reveal a dark bruise and small scar. Rolling her on her side, he frowned as he saw a matching bruise on her back. "How'd this happen?" he asked, shaking his head.

"I was out jogging this morning and Robert ran into me. When he did, he put a CD in my pocket. Turns out, the CD is from a surveillance camera which caught a murder on tape."

"So let me guess, the murderer wants this CD back...at any cost."

"Right."

"You know you're not supposed to bring non-mutants here. It's a huge risk."

"I didn't know what else to do. They tried to kill us both. Hell, they opened fire in a cafe, who knows how many people they DID kill."

"All the more reason not to get involved!" Adam said angrily as he rubbed his hand over his face.

"I didn't choose to get involved. I got involved the second that CD hit my pocket." Shalimar watched him pace back and forth. "What are we gonna do?"

"We have to somehow throw them off track. I have an idea."

"What about Robert?"

"Robert is going to have to take a little vacation for a while."

Shalimar gasped, "Adam, you can't do that! We don't just kill people..."

"No, no. I mean he's going to have to go to a secret location for a makeover."

"Oh, a new identity."

"A new identity, a new face, the works. I have some friends that owe me a favor so I guess it's time to cash in. I'll have Emma make the arrangements." Adam programmed a body scan into the computer. "You sit tight while I go have a little chat with Mr. McCloud. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Shalimar watched as Adam talked to Robert and informed him of what was going to happen to him. They talked a bit more and then Robert got up with Emma and left the room. He waved to Shalimar and smiled before walking away.

Adam came back into the room and checked the computer readings from the scan. "You're lucky that bullet wasn't a few inches over or you'd be dead right now."

Shalimar didn't answer and just lowered her head.

Adam picked up the CD from the table and put it in a small shipping envelope. "I think it's about time we got rid of this. It reeks of trouble."

Shalimar raised her head, "Who are you sending it to?"

Eckhart sat down at his desk and began opening his mail. Picking up a small envelope, he carefully opened it and pulled out a small CD. Holding it up he looked at it closely as he turned it in his hands. "What the hell is this? One of those lame AOL CDs?" Disgusted, he tossed it into the waste basket by the side of his desk.

The man that had been chasing Robert was eating lunch when one of his associates approached, holding a letter in his hand. "I think you're going to want to see this."

The man took the letter and began reading it...

"I have your CD, I assume you'd like it back. Please contact me as soon as possible so we can put an end to this."

The man put the letter down and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Who the hell is Mason Eckhart?"

The large man that gave him the letter shrugged his shoulders.

"I think we need to pay him a visit. Get the boys."

THE END