Brennan and Shalimar stood in the shadows of a decrepit looking building. They had met there five minuets ago and brought each other up to date, now they stood waiting for the all clear from Adam.
"Why do all the bad guys have a secret base always in a bleak looking warehouse in a rundown looking part of town?" grumbled Shal.
"Lack of real-estate, I mean take it from the thief, crime just doesn't pay as much anymore," Brennan said earning himself a semi-grin from Shal.
"Alright you two," Adam's voice crackled out from the coms, "you have the all clear, straight up. One target, be careful please. We know he's powerful…" Adam's voice trailed off.
"Roger Adam," Shalimar said, "I'm going up via fire escape, Brennan's taking the stairs. Divide and conquer and all that fun stuff."
"Understood, let me know, Sanctuary out."
"Will do, talk to you in a few," Sal said then looked over to Brennan. "You ready?"
Brennan's face was set with a grim concentration, "We can't kill him until we know what he did to Jess."
"But after that, it's fair game," Shal agreed, her face looking equally as grim. "Let's stop wasting time."
Before Brennan could reply she was gone, off to find her way up and Brennan was left on his own.
Emma was busying herself in the lab by bathing Jesse's brow with a cool cloth. He had suddenly spiked a fever and, with Adam afraid to give him any drugs, Emma had decided a home remedy was in order.
She sighed as she dampened the towel she was using and dabbed it on his brow yet again. The lack of reaction from her friend was daunting to say the least. Normally when Jesse was sick he would be fidgety, constantly squirming or twitching. Now he was just still as the fever began to take control of his body, no reaction to touch or sound, just this inhuman stillness. And for all her powers, the ones known and unknown, she could do nothing.
Another sigh escaped Emma as she continued her administrations. She was growing tired of playing nursemaid, but sense she couldn't help Shal and Bren with bringing in their suspect this was it. She was about to reapply the towel to Jesse's brow when she noticed that his right arm was twitching.
Confused Emma ran her hand along the limb, hoping to sooth the muscles. The opposite happened though as soon Jesse's entire body began to twitch. Nearing panic, Emma tried to call Adam over the com as she took hold of Jesse's hand. She never got a word out though for as soon as she touched Jesse she was pulled out of her mind into his…
Everything was black or white, except for the gray street that stretched up and down the middle for endless miles. On one side of the street was a distorted and shattered suburban utopia and on the other the bleak and horrifying version. Again the ever present walls were there, trapping Emma in the street.
Everything was the same as when she was here before except for the storm that she saw forming on the horizon of the dark side. Drawn to the change, Emma made her way closer to the weakening wall of the evil side.
As she got closer to the wall she noticed the outline of a figure tied spread eagle. At first she couldn't quit make out any details but as her mind cleared she started to pick out details…blond hair, pale skin, and lean frame…Jesse…
As soon as the realization dawned on her Emma raced to the street's limits. She ran into the wall separating the gray from black, and though the wall was weak it kept her from reaching her goal. "Jesse!" she cried as she slammed herself against the wall, "Jesse!" It was so unfair; she was only inches from him. So close that she could see his muscles trembling and his body shaking, but she might as well of been miles from him for all the help she could offer.
From deep in the depths of his hell Jesse heard his name and by the grace of god managed to look up. Through blood shot eyes he saw the vision of an angle with red hair and tearstained cheeks. It took a moment but Jesse finally connected a name to the angle and a brief smile played with his lips.
"Emma…" he breathed softly.
Emma's face lit up slightly when Jesse called her name, "I'm here Jess, I'm right here! How do I help you? There's a wall in my way, how do I get to you?!"
"Der Mann am Restaurant kennt alles," Jesse answered matter-of-factly.
"Jesse…I don't understand…I can't understand you," Emma cried desperately.
Jesse sighed and repeated, "Der Mann am Restaurant kennt alles"
"Jesse please, I don't understand!" frustration, desperation, and hopelessness now coating Emma's voice.
"Der Mann am Restaurant kennt alles," was the only reply offered before Jesse's body faded from her view.
"JESSE!" she screamed and banged on the wall. It gave some under her assault, but it was hopeless.
A gust of wind swept up the street and tossed Emma like a rag doll into the middle of the street.
"I told you to get out!" a loud, angry, voice boomed over her, nearly crushing her body with it's force. "Steigen Sie aus! Steigen Sie aus! Steigen Sie aus!!"
With each word the pressure on Emma's body increased and she felt her bones breaking. Her lungs screamed for air but none would come and she was left with her mouth hanging open in a soundless scream.
She couldn't move, she couldn't breath, and all other senses were failing her all she could feel was pain. No thought entered her mind, the only thing that seemed to break through the looming inky blackness was the constant chanting of "¡Salir!". And just when she thought it was to much, that she was going to break, a force like no other picked her up and tossed her away, into oblivion…
When it came to breaking and entering, Shal was unsurpassed. Even Brennan with all his street skills and smarts didn't hold a candle to Shal and her natural skills. It had been easy to find a fire escape and even easier to make her way up. For a powerful mutant this man was lackluster on security. It didn't bother Shal though, the sooner she got her target the sooner she helped Jess.
The top floor was a maze of computers, monitors, and lab equipment. Shal had no clue what it all was, but the thought that Jesse and Adam would be drooling about now kept entering her mind.
Her senses on full alert, she made her way towards the center of the room where she could smell the scent of a man. It seemed to her a never ending trek as her body strained to remain unnoticed, but finally she made it to her goal. A lone man sat in the center of the maze, his back to her staring into a projector screen flashing imagines from some old family film reel.
"Hallo Fräulein Fox," said the man in a heavy German accent, without taking his eyes from the screen, "Warten Sie einen Moment bitte I want to wartezeit for Herr Mulray to join us, if you don't mind."