DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Mutant X characters-just like to
play with them for a little while and return them to you. My thanks go to
the producers, writers, cast and everyone having to do with the production
of this excellent show.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is partly a sequel of Dynasty (reading Chapters 7,8 would probably give you enough of a background to jump into this story) and partly a continuation of the Gabriel Ashlocke saga from the TV series-- as Ruffyan sees it. I didn't expect to write any more MX stories, but Ashlocke's dilemma sort of grabbed me, so I write on..next stop, the Twilight Zone, perhaps?
SUMMARY: Strange things are happening at Sanctuary. Is there a connection between the strange activities at Mutant X and the plight of Genomex Chief of Security Mason Eckhart. I wonder that myself.
This chapter may be a little premature. As I've considered a number of ways to write this story, I really had to flip a couple coins to choose which version I'd write-so here's ample warning, I MIGHT change my mind and rewrite this chapter depending on which ending seems most appropriate. Hope you like.
*************************************
Chapter 1 - .Our past episodes and.. Valerie lay unconscious on the table. Despite Adam's efforts to revive her, she began to convulse uncontrollably as her life signs shut down. Emma suddenly stared into space as her mind locked for a moment with that of Gabriel Ashlocke--"Ashlocke is dying!" she gasped in surprise to her friends.
Later..The team had followed Gabriel Ashlocke back in time and restored what Ashlocke had tried to change. They had returned successfully. That night, Emma bolted upright in bed in apprehension. She could hear Ashlocke laughing and laughing. Was he in Sanctuary, she thought. Why could she hear him? She got up to investigate and found Adam working late in the Lab. "Adam," she said, "Something very bad happened to you."
"I know, Emma. Jesse told me about it." Adam wore a pensive, humbled expression.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Adam stroked Shalimar's hair. "The way he got to you is through your soul," he said gently. Shalimar turned her large frightened brown eyes to Adam. "I don't want him to get to anyone else's soul" she said brokenly.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "DO IT NOW," Ashlocke roared at Adam, holding him at arm's length in the air by the neck like a child holding a rag doll. Adam glared at him angrily. Ashlocke tightened his grasp on Adam's neck, his eyes smiling as his nails broke skin. Adam finally complied angrily, thrusting the needle into the Psychotic's neck. Ashlocke released his grasp and fell back as he felt the serum take effect.
Adam, Jesse and Brennan backed away as Ashlocke's body began to break up. Rage now filled Ashlocke's eyes as he realized he had been betrayed and that his body was still self-destructing. Even in the midst of his fear and rage over his predicament, there was a hint of mockery in Ashlocke's eyes. "WE'RE NOT FINISHED", he screamed at the fleeing trio, moments before his body exploded from the buildup of awesome power, destroying Sanctuary's lab and surrounding area. ******************************* It had been a month since Gabriel Ashlocke's demise. Adam's main focus was to rebuild Sanctuary. It was painful to walk through what was once the laboratory and see the scarred, bare walls. The structural integrity had been compromised more than he cared to admit in the explosion and they had lost part of the computer system. Ashlocke must have knocked out one of the main nodes. Adam shook his head wishing that there could have been more time to work on Ashlocke. He was sure that he could have found a cure for Ashlocke's accelerated metabolism but everything had happened so quickly.
Was the same end in store for Emma, Shalimar, Jesse and Brennan? For Michelle Eckhart? Adam didn't want to think about it, but he continued to explore that avenue. His only consolation was that his people didn't have the multiple mutancies that Ashlocke had. Perhaps this would slow the process, perhaps prevent it from happening. But he worried about Michelle. Unbeknownst to him and Mason Eckhart at the time, she had, like Gabriel, been subjected to multiple genetic enhancements through a team of scientists that didn't report to him and were unaware of the biological relationship of their subject to the Head of Security. He glowered at the computer thoughtfully, and absently rubbed the chronically sore spot on his neck under his ear.
Later that evening, Emma ran her hand gently along the side of Adam's neck.
"OK, look up." She said. Adam obeyed and found himself gazing directly into Emma's intense, grey eyes. The slender red-headed woman, startled, dropped the scanning device she was holding as his gaze met hers. She grabbed at the falling device as Adam deftly caught it. Their hands touched. Adam wordlessly handed Emma the scanner. "Um, sorry" Emma murmured. Looking guilty, she resumed the scan of the sore area on Adam's neck.
After she finished, she said, "At first it seemed like an infection because the scratch remained inflamed for so long. The area has apparently healed, Adam, but now there seems to be a 1.4 centimeter mass of scar tissue."
Adam studied the data from the scans. "Hm. It does look like scar tissue, damned uncomfortable scar tissue." He shrugged. "I guess we'll keep an eye on it." Emma nodded in agreement but blushed as she looked away. Adam looked at Emma appreciatively and gave her a lingering hug.
He resumed typing parameters on Sanctuary's computer, instructing it to scan for carcinogenic, necrotic, angiogenic potential or activity in the sample they had just scanned into its database. Emma had unconsciously crouched to the monitor's level and leaned up against Adam, mesmerized observing his deductive reasoning in action. Adam, sensing her closeness half closed his eyes and sighed quietly as an intense feeling of attraction passed through him. Although she was the newest member of Mutant X, Emma, above all of the others had the ability to intellectualize in a manner similar to his own; she understood him better than all of the others. Integrity and strength of character were trademarks that he admired. Adam mentally shook himself clear of the sensation, reminding himself that he was old enough to be her father.
Emma, fascinated and compelled by Adam's train of deductive reasoning, leaned closer to the older man to see the readout better. She had always loved this enigmatic, mysterious man, who had rescued her from her life in the street and gave her a home, a new life, hope and purpose. She couldn't imagine him returning her feelings, where he assumed responsibility for so many New Mutant 'children'. She knew she would always have to share Adam with everyone. Still, she wished that for once, she could have him all to herself, body soul and mind. "Um, Emma" Adam began softly, turning around to look at her and was startled to see her clear gray eyes only inches away and looking directly into his. Adam forgot what he was about to say, taken off guard and captivated by the intensity of Emma's gaze. Emma found herself looking deep into Adam's dark mesmerizing eyes, suddenly fully aware of how he felt about her and how he was struggling over it.
They remained for another eternal moment, locked deeply in each others eyes. Emma looked away first. Adam stared astonished into space for a moment then looked down at the console.
"I didn't know." Adam and Emma began to say at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise. Adam gently took Emma's hand. "I appreciate you sharing your feelings with me," he said quietly.
"I'm sorry, Adam. I didn't mean to pry." Emma said. Later on, as she reviewed the moment over and over in her mind, Emma would realize that she didn't send Adam any telempathic messages about her feelings for him. How did he know? Was she that obvious?
They had, still holding hands, decided to treat this as case of mutual infatuation, a product of the incredible stress that they had all endured together. They agreed that if they moved too fast on their feelings, it could forever change the history of Mutant X. Better to allow the feelings to flow harmlessly without passion. Adam kissed her forehead gently, as he always did.
"An answer to prayer," he said. Emma hugged him, not wanting to ever let him go.
******************************************* A couple weeks later, Adam finished giving Jesse his physical. He wrapped up the scans and readings with a prognosis of 'healthy'.
"You're good to go," he said with a smile, sweeping his arm in a playful dismissive gesture.
Jesse jumped as if he had been pinched from behind and eyed Adam suspiciously.
"Do that again, Adam." The younger man challenged.
Adam rubbed his neck. "Do what again, Jesse?" he asked patiently.
The blond molecular hesitated. "This is going to sound crazy, but I felt a field of some sort sweep past me, behind me. I don't know where or how it happened, but there was something there. You are the only one here with me."
Adam frowned. Sanctuary just hadn't been the same since Ashlocke had invaded it a few weeks ago. "Perhaps there is a security breach here." Concerned, he began punching in some parameters into Sanctuary's mainframe. "Isolate all power signatures in this location, biological, elemental, molecular." He said. "Display."
The computer indicated on a small hologram that a minor molecular- compression wave had occurred here, in this room. Adam looked at Jesse with a concerned, puzzled expression.
"A Molecular-compression wave-Jesse, have you started to evolve new abilities?" he asked.
"Adam, I swear I didn't do anything." Jesse protested. "I felt something pass by me, right here. It seemed to be moving in this direction. I wonder if there is another Intangible or Invisible here in this room?"
"Danielle? Michelle Eckhart?" Adam wondered aloud. He raised his eyebrows thoughtfully. "It's not likely that Danielle is paying us a visit. Michelle however, certainly has camouflage abilities so highly developed that even Gabriel Ashlocke was never aware of her. In addition to shape-shifting, she is Feral, has latent Psionic abilities and Molecular regenerative powers and has the Elemental ability to throw force fields. She may have other abilities that she hasn't disclosed fully." Adam frowned thinking about the daughter of Mason Eckhart.
"So either one of them could have been or can be here now, invisible?" Jesse asked.
"That is a possibility. There may be other explanations for that wave that passed by you." Adam frowned thoughtfully again. Speaking into his Comm- link, he informed Brennan, Shalimar, and Emma of the disturbance. "Report anything that seems unusual," he said. "Out."
*********************************************** Adam reflected on the events involving the acquisition of Eckhart. Mutant X had located Mason Eckhart where he was being held captive in a stasis pod, transported the container back to Sanctuary and revived him there. It turned out that Mason's daughter Michelle was a New Mutant and had been instrumental in keeping him alive during the takeover of the Strand. Adam didn't remember working on her, but was sure that another team had administered treatment to her as a child. When she disclosed the fact of her multiple mutancies to him, Adam was amazed at the level-headedness of the woman, so unlike Gabriel Ashlocke, despite her multiple god-like powers. Michelle had been reluctant to take all the credit, however, claiming that Eckhart may have been maintained by and possibly have been in communication with the master computer. It was a wild claim and had the remotest of possibilities. Adam believed that Eckhart's biological daughter, a former GSA agent simply didn't want to disclose all of her secrets to a former enemy, or to her father. She didn't realize that Adam had obtained a sample of her blood and had subsequently accessed the confidential files that the secret Genomex team had maintained about her experiment.
The U.S. government had taken over Genomex since the debacle had become public. Citizens were uneasy at the thought of mutated humans with abnormal powers among them. The government took over the embarrassing situation and manipulated the press to effectively suppress the bulk of the information and appease the public.
Mason Eckhart lay in a sterile room of a military hospital, in a coma. His daughter, Michelle was a frequent inhabitant whenever Adam visited.
After being rescued from a four-month captivity without proper care and nutrition, in one of his own stasis pods at Genomex, the white-haired nemesis of Mutant X drifted in and out of a coma state. Without Michelle's constant presence, his body reverted back to his former destroyed immune system state which necessitated returning him into the protective exo-skin designed to shelter him from the environment. Adam engineered a small head- set that would monitor his brain function and deliver a small shock whenever his brain threatened to flat-line. This would have at least kept Eckhart conscious, but in his last visit, Adam learned that during one of his brief returns to consciousness, Mason had removed the device. He didn't want anything. He just wanted to sleep, the attending physician told him. Adam frowned. He couldn't believe that Mason Eckhart would just give up. Adam decided that he was going to continue to provide whatever was necessary to get Mason back on his feet. He negotiated an anonymous fund to manage Eckhart's upkeep and medical expenses -it was the least he could do for an old friend whose life had been ruined by one of his experiments.
He was, after all, part of the chase.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is partly a sequel of Dynasty (reading Chapters 7,8 would probably give you enough of a background to jump into this story) and partly a continuation of the Gabriel Ashlocke saga from the TV series-- as Ruffyan sees it. I didn't expect to write any more MX stories, but Ashlocke's dilemma sort of grabbed me, so I write on..next stop, the Twilight Zone, perhaps?
SUMMARY: Strange things are happening at Sanctuary. Is there a connection between the strange activities at Mutant X and the plight of Genomex Chief of Security Mason Eckhart. I wonder that myself.
This chapter may be a little premature. As I've considered a number of ways to write this story, I really had to flip a couple coins to choose which version I'd write-so here's ample warning, I MIGHT change my mind and rewrite this chapter depending on which ending seems most appropriate. Hope you like.
*************************************
Chapter 1 - .Our past episodes and.. Valerie lay unconscious on the table. Despite Adam's efforts to revive her, she began to convulse uncontrollably as her life signs shut down. Emma suddenly stared into space as her mind locked for a moment with that of Gabriel Ashlocke--"Ashlocke is dying!" she gasped in surprise to her friends.
Later..The team had followed Gabriel Ashlocke back in time and restored what Ashlocke had tried to change. They had returned successfully. That night, Emma bolted upright in bed in apprehension. She could hear Ashlocke laughing and laughing. Was he in Sanctuary, she thought. Why could she hear him? She got up to investigate and found Adam working late in the Lab. "Adam," she said, "Something very bad happened to you."
"I know, Emma. Jesse told me about it." Adam wore a pensive, humbled expression.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Adam stroked Shalimar's hair. "The way he got to you is through your soul," he said gently. Shalimar turned her large frightened brown eyes to Adam. "I don't want him to get to anyone else's soul" she said brokenly.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "DO IT NOW," Ashlocke roared at Adam, holding him at arm's length in the air by the neck like a child holding a rag doll. Adam glared at him angrily. Ashlocke tightened his grasp on Adam's neck, his eyes smiling as his nails broke skin. Adam finally complied angrily, thrusting the needle into the Psychotic's neck. Ashlocke released his grasp and fell back as he felt the serum take effect.
Adam, Jesse and Brennan backed away as Ashlocke's body began to break up. Rage now filled Ashlocke's eyes as he realized he had been betrayed and that his body was still self-destructing. Even in the midst of his fear and rage over his predicament, there was a hint of mockery in Ashlocke's eyes. "WE'RE NOT FINISHED", he screamed at the fleeing trio, moments before his body exploded from the buildup of awesome power, destroying Sanctuary's lab and surrounding area. ******************************* It had been a month since Gabriel Ashlocke's demise. Adam's main focus was to rebuild Sanctuary. It was painful to walk through what was once the laboratory and see the scarred, bare walls. The structural integrity had been compromised more than he cared to admit in the explosion and they had lost part of the computer system. Ashlocke must have knocked out one of the main nodes. Adam shook his head wishing that there could have been more time to work on Ashlocke. He was sure that he could have found a cure for Ashlocke's accelerated metabolism but everything had happened so quickly.
Was the same end in store for Emma, Shalimar, Jesse and Brennan? For Michelle Eckhart? Adam didn't want to think about it, but he continued to explore that avenue. His only consolation was that his people didn't have the multiple mutancies that Ashlocke had. Perhaps this would slow the process, perhaps prevent it from happening. But he worried about Michelle. Unbeknownst to him and Mason Eckhart at the time, she had, like Gabriel, been subjected to multiple genetic enhancements through a team of scientists that didn't report to him and were unaware of the biological relationship of their subject to the Head of Security. He glowered at the computer thoughtfully, and absently rubbed the chronically sore spot on his neck under his ear.
Later that evening, Emma ran her hand gently along the side of Adam's neck.
"OK, look up." She said. Adam obeyed and found himself gazing directly into Emma's intense, grey eyes. The slender red-headed woman, startled, dropped the scanning device she was holding as his gaze met hers. She grabbed at the falling device as Adam deftly caught it. Their hands touched. Adam wordlessly handed Emma the scanner. "Um, sorry" Emma murmured. Looking guilty, she resumed the scan of the sore area on Adam's neck.
After she finished, she said, "At first it seemed like an infection because the scratch remained inflamed for so long. The area has apparently healed, Adam, but now there seems to be a 1.4 centimeter mass of scar tissue."
Adam studied the data from the scans. "Hm. It does look like scar tissue, damned uncomfortable scar tissue." He shrugged. "I guess we'll keep an eye on it." Emma nodded in agreement but blushed as she looked away. Adam looked at Emma appreciatively and gave her a lingering hug.
He resumed typing parameters on Sanctuary's computer, instructing it to scan for carcinogenic, necrotic, angiogenic potential or activity in the sample they had just scanned into its database. Emma had unconsciously crouched to the monitor's level and leaned up against Adam, mesmerized observing his deductive reasoning in action. Adam, sensing her closeness half closed his eyes and sighed quietly as an intense feeling of attraction passed through him. Although she was the newest member of Mutant X, Emma, above all of the others had the ability to intellectualize in a manner similar to his own; she understood him better than all of the others. Integrity and strength of character were trademarks that he admired. Adam mentally shook himself clear of the sensation, reminding himself that he was old enough to be her father.
Emma, fascinated and compelled by Adam's train of deductive reasoning, leaned closer to the older man to see the readout better. She had always loved this enigmatic, mysterious man, who had rescued her from her life in the street and gave her a home, a new life, hope and purpose. She couldn't imagine him returning her feelings, where he assumed responsibility for so many New Mutant 'children'. She knew she would always have to share Adam with everyone. Still, she wished that for once, she could have him all to herself, body soul and mind. "Um, Emma" Adam began softly, turning around to look at her and was startled to see her clear gray eyes only inches away and looking directly into his. Adam forgot what he was about to say, taken off guard and captivated by the intensity of Emma's gaze. Emma found herself looking deep into Adam's dark mesmerizing eyes, suddenly fully aware of how he felt about her and how he was struggling over it.
They remained for another eternal moment, locked deeply in each others eyes. Emma looked away first. Adam stared astonished into space for a moment then looked down at the console.
"I didn't know." Adam and Emma began to say at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise. Adam gently took Emma's hand. "I appreciate you sharing your feelings with me," he said quietly.
"I'm sorry, Adam. I didn't mean to pry." Emma said. Later on, as she reviewed the moment over and over in her mind, Emma would realize that she didn't send Adam any telempathic messages about her feelings for him. How did he know? Was she that obvious?
They had, still holding hands, decided to treat this as case of mutual infatuation, a product of the incredible stress that they had all endured together. They agreed that if they moved too fast on their feelings, it could forever change the history of Mutant X. Better to allow the feelings to flow harmlessly without passion. Adam kissed her forehead gently, as he always did.
"An answer to prayer," he said. Emma hugged him, not wanting to ever let him go.
******************************************* A couple weeks later, Adam finished giving Jesse his physical. He wrapped up the scans and readings with a prognosis of 'healthy'.
"You're good to go," he said with a smile, sweeping his arm in a playful dismissive gesture.
Jesse jumped as if he had been pinched from behind and eyed Adam suspiciously.
"Do that again, Adam." The younger man challenged.
Adam rubbed his neck. "Do what again, Jesse?" he asked patiently.
The blond molecular hesitated. "This is going to sound crazy, but I felt a field of some sort sweep past me, behind me. I don't know where or how it happened, but there was something there. You are the only one here with me."
Adam frowned. Sanctuary just hadn't been the same since Ashlocke had invaded it a few weeks ago. "Perhaps there is a security breach here." Concerned, he began punching in some parameters into Sanctuary's mainframe. "Isolate all power signatures in this location, biological, elemental, molecular." He said. "Display."
The computer indicated on a small hologram that a minor molecular- compression wave had occurred here, in this room. Adam looked at Jesse with a concerned, puzzled expression.
"A Molecular-compression wave-Jesse, have you started to evolve new abilities?" he asked.
"Adam, I swear I didn't do anything." Jesse protested. "I felt something pass by me, right here. It seemed to be moving in this direction. I wonder if there is another Intangible or Invisible here in this room?"
"Danielle? Michelle Eckhart?" Adam wondered aloud. He raised his eyebrows thoughtfully. "It's not likely that Danielle is paying us a visit. Michelle however, certainly has camouflage abilities so highly developed that even Gabriel Ashlocke was never aware of her. In addition to shape-shifting, she is Feral, has latent Psionic abilities and Molecular regenerative powers and has the Elemental ability to throw force fields. She may have other abilities that she hasn't disclosed fully." Adam frowned thinking about the daughter of Mason Eckhart.
"So either one of them could have been or can be here now, invisible?" Jesse asked.
"That is a possibility. There may be other explanations for that wave that passed by you." Adam frowned thoughtfully again. Speaking into his Comm- link, he informed Brennan, Shalimar, and Emma of the disturbance. "Report anything that seems unusual," he said. "Out."
*********************************************** Adam reflected on the events involving the acquisition of Eckhart. Mutant X had located Mason Eckhart where he was being held captive in a stasis pod, transported the container back to Sanctuary and revived him there. It turned out that Mason's daughter Michelle was a New Mutant and had been instrumental in keeping him alive during the takeover of the Strand. Adam didn't remember working on her, but was sure that another team had administered treatment to her as a child. When she disclosed the fact of her multiple mutancies to him, Adam was amazed at the level-headedness of the woman, so unlike Gabriel Ashlocke, despite her multiple god-like powers. Michelle had been reluctant to take all the credit, however, claiming that Eckhart may have been maintained by and possibly have been in communication with the master computer. It was a wild claim and had the remotest of possibilities. Adam believed that Eckhart's biological daughter, a former GSA agent simply didn't want to disclose all of her secrets to a former enemy, or to her father. She didn't realize that Adam had obtained a sample of her blood and had subsequently accessed the confidential files that the secret Genomex team had maintained about her experiment.
The U.S. government had taken over Genomex since the debacle had become public. Citizens were uneasy at the thought of mutated humans with abnormal powers among them. The government took over the embarrassing situation and manipulated the press to effectively suppress the bulk of the information and appease the public.
Mason Eckhart lay in a sterile room of a military hospital, in a coma. His daughter, Michelle was a frequent inhabitant whenever Adam visited.
After being rescued from a four-month captivity without proper care and nutrition, in one of his own stasis pods at Genomex, the white-haired nemesis of Mutant X drifted in and out of a coma state. Without Michelle's constant presence, his body reverted back to his former destroyed immune system state which necessitated returning him into the protective exo-skin designed to shelter him from the environment. Adam engineered a small head- set that would monitor his brain function and deliver a small shock whenever his brain threatened to flat-line. This would have at least kept Eckhart conscious, but in his last visit, Adam learned that during one of his brief returns to consciousness, Mason had removed the device. He didn't want anything. He just wanted to sleep, the attending physician told him. Adam frowned. He couldn't believe that Mason Eckhart would just give up. Adam decided that he was going to continue to provide whatever was necessary to get Mason back on his feet. He negotiated an anonymous fund to manage Eckhart's upkeep and medical expenses -it was the least he could do for an old friend whose life had been ruined by one of his experiments.
He was, after all, part of the chase.