Emergence

Henry Pope sighed as we walked around the Taj Mahal. Michael really did do wonderful work, even on a fake building made of plaster and sticks. It pained the elder warden to put his young charge in solitary; despite the circumstances, Henry knew he truly was a good man. But officer misconduct was not something to which he could turn a blind eye, he needed answers.

He turned his back on the palatial miniature to face his windows, looking over his dismal domain. Too many men had he seen chewed up by the system, only to be eaten alive or spat back out into the world, battered and broken. The old lawman sincerely hoped Michael would be one of the few survivors, though he knew the brilliant young man would have a hard time of it inside, especially once his brother was gone.

Sighing, Henry gathered up his coat. It's time to go home. Hopefully Scofield will be more talkative in the morning. As he opened the door, already nodding goodnight to his secretary, a piercing shriek resounded in his ears and mind. "What the hell?!" But even as he stopped, shocked and shaken, his instincts placed the sound. There wasn't a person on the planet that wouldn't recognize that primal cry. A sentinel had emerged, inside Fox River Penitentiary. "Oh no."

Chapter 1

Already Warden Pope was barking orders. "Becky get Bellick on the horn and tell Dr Tancredi that I want her in my office NOW!"

"Yessir!" Clearly spooked, her fingers flew across the phone as Henry made an about-face back into his office. No sooner had he thrown his jacket across a filing cabinet than his own phone was ringing.

"Pope." He snapped. "Sir, Bellick here." He sighed and dropped into his chair. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you what's going on Brad."

"No sir, we heard it here too. It's not one of the staff so I've got the men doing a cell by cell search, can't miss an emergent sentinel."

Henry blew slowly through his mouth. "Good work Brad, but move quickly. It's bad enough for a new sentinel when they come online, but to do it as an adult in prison? They'll spike immediately, and there's a very good reason sentinels are never put with regular prisoners. One man makes a wrong move, and we'll have a feral on our hands." Even through the phone line, Bellick's horrified gasp was clear. "A feral sentinel in a prison? Sir, it'll be a bloodbath." Nodding, though the other man couldn't see, Henry replied, "Exactly. Find that sentinel Brad, ASAP!"

As he hung up, Dr Tancredi fairly flew in through his door. "Sir! I don't understand, I personally review all prisoner records as part of the intake process, and none of them have shown guardian tendencies. There shouldn't be a single sentinel or guide among them."

"I know Doctor, but the tests aren't absolute, and records can be wrong. One thing is for sure, we have a sentinel emerging here. I'd like you to return to the infirmary and get anything ready that you may feel our new guardian might need. I'll let you know as soon as we've found him."

Sara nodded tightly and quickly strode out. The door had scarcely shut when the Warden's phone rang again. "Warden Pope."

"Sir? This is Blaine in Ad Seg. We've got'em."

Henry Pope stopped in the dimly lit corridor of Solitary. "Open it up!" With a buzz and a clang, the metal door groaned open, light kept off in deference to the sensitive eyes they knew to be within. A warning snarl echoed out of the small room as Henry's heart sank in his chest. "Michael."

All his life, like so many others, he had admired sentinels. They were majestic, powerful and so very mysterious. There was no envy now. Newly emerged, adrift without a guide to call his own, Michael Scofield had been reduced to little more than a snarling beast crouching in a dark prison cell. That sharp intellect was no longer present in the pin prick eyes that bored into Henry's soul.

"Oh Michael. I'm so sorry." Apparently talking was a mistake.

No sooner had the older man finished his sentence, the new sentinel was launching himself out of the cell. "Hold him men!" The Warden yelled, hoping casualties would be low.

He needn't have worried. Contrary to his expectations, the feral sentinel didn't make an attempt for the corridor, rather he headed straight to the cell across from his.

Henry stood aghast as he watched the other man throw himself against the thick door that stood between himself and his brother. Splashes of red began to decorate the old steel in tune to loud smacks of flesh against metal and desperate gasps of air as he tried to get through to his brother. Said brother wasn't much better.

"Michael! Michael stop! You're hurting yourself!" His pleas fell on ironically deaf ears. Still Linc's younger brother battered the door, getting more frantic by the second. Finally the jostling had some effect. The small flap door below the window popped open. Immediately the elder of the pair dropped and stuck his hands through. "Michael here! Down here!"

Michael noticed and fell to his knees, entangling his hands with larger ones, pressing his face into them. Henry felt like a voyeur, spying on a private moment. He had to turn away as the strung out sentinel whimpered, shifting as close to the door and those disembodied hands as he could. How the hell am I supposed to deal with this?

A feral, unbonded sentinel with a family member on death row. What a mess. "Ok boys, I'm pretty sure he's not going anywhere." The Warden began in a whisper, "Call in the Doctor and get the Guardian Affairs office on the line, we're out of our depth here." Men started to move out of the narrow hall, leaving room for the fair young doctor and her bundle. Henry greeted her with a nod. "Sara."

"Henry. I stopped by the emergency bonding suite and grabbed the supply kit. At the very least I imagine he's in need of the sentinel friendly clothes. Prison standard garb is likely rubbing his skin raw at this point." Her voice dropped to a low murmur at the end as she peaked over Henry's shoulder.

Michael was finally calming a bit. Still pressed tight to the door, clutching his brother's hands, his frantic attempts to get through the door had ceased. Worryingly however, he'd started to shake. Sara said, "He can't stay like this. Right now he's on full alert, every sense at its max, searching for his guide, cataloguing possible threats, locked onto his brother. The strain on his body in this state is immense, let alone what the stress will do to his mind. We need to get him out of here and into a Quiet Room until Guardian Affairs can step in."

Henry sighed. "You're right of course. I just hate to break them up like this." A gentle hand guided Sara back toward the main door as his other gestured the guards forward. "Take it easy on him gentlemen, none of this is his fault and it would be far too easy to hurt him right now."

As the bulls moved past the warden towards the trembling sentinel he began to tense. With every step they took, his body drew more stiff until finally he dragged his head away from the comfort of his brother and unleashed a deep, hissing snarl. "Woah, woah boys wait." Henry jumped in. "Michael?"

Another warning growl rumbled through the narrow hall.

"Okay. Michael I know you're confused right now."

There was nothing for it. Michael moved into a defensive crouch, teeth bared even as his eyes squinted against the dim Ad Seg lights. Henry frowned, this was not going well. He made another attempt, "Mr Scofield. Relax, we're trying to help." He said with more authority.

It didn't do any good. This time, the new sentinel actually made an abortive charge towards the old warden who in turn threw his hands up in a placating gesture. "Ok! Ok!" backing away carefully. Realising that the perceived threat had passed, Michael slowly returned to his place at the door. He grabbed his brother's hands again, but this time his eyes never left the men gathered at the other end of the hall.

Sara came up behind Henry again. "Sir, we need to calm him down." He sighed as he turned. "I'm aware of that Doctor, but he won't let us anywhere near him." She bit her lips. "Let's try something else. He wants his brother, let him have that. Open the cell, let Michael get to Lincoln. Maybe that will calm him enough for him to regain his senses. Worst case scenario, his brother can keep him stable until Guardian Affairs can get someone here to help him."

He turned, contemplating. "That's… a good idea." Henry looked over her head. "Open it up!" Another buzz-clang and the door creeped open. The brother's wasted not a moment. Both scrambled to get around the door and grab each other, the smaller brother engulfed by the larger. Nothing else seemed to exist for either of them. Lincoln whispered low in his brother's ear, "Easy, easy little brother. I've got you Mike. Easy." He took up a soft rocking motion, trying to gentle down his shaking brother, and Michael? Eyes squeezed tightly shut, curled around his big brother and shaking, he finally fell silent.

Could anyone look on such a sight and not be affected? Henry inhaled deeply, forcing the emotion down. This is all so wrong. The Doctor moved forward. "Lincoln? I have some clothes here that will be easier on his skin. Can you get him into them?"

Burrows looked up. "Yeah Doc. Chuck 'em over. I'll take care of him." Sara complied, gently tossing the bundle next to their feet. "C'mon Michael, let's get you sorted out."