A nice, friendly breakfast isn't too much to ask for, is it?
Breakfast was half over before Roslin appeared. Her smile faltered slightly as she saw Brennan, and she detoured to the stove, putting the kettle on a burner. Jesse and Shalimar greeted her quietly, but left her to make her tea. Toby caught whispers of concern from Jesse, but they were almost unheard under the annoyance in Brennan's thoughts. The telepath frowned and glanced at Adam, only to find Adam watching Brennan himself. Toby took a sip of his coffee and leaned back. At least Adam was aware that something was going on with the other man.
Actual voices intruded on his thoughts, and Toby blinked. Roslin had joined them at the table, taking a seat between Jesse and Shalimar. A seat that just coincidentally was just about as far away from Brennan as she could get. He hadn't heard her, not even mentally. Not even stray thoughts were getting out past her defenses, and that had to be causing her pain. He gave her a small smile and a nod, then went back to finishing his food.
It didn't take an empath to feel the tension at the table, at least not if you were one of the people that was looking for it. Or a telepath listening for it. The thing about tension and worry was that both tended to cause people's mental walls to slip. More surface thoughts became audible and they generally had more depth to them. The only two people Toby wasn't 'hearing' were Emma and Roslin.
He glanced at each of the woman. Emma looked slightly annoyed. No doubt she was picking up the emotions, if not the thoughts, even if she wasn't letting anything out past her own shields. Roslin was looking a little pale, her eyes narrowing a bit in what Toby thought was pain. She lifted her mug and took a drink, briefly meeting his eyes over the rim of the mug.
"Adam!"
Brennan's exclamation cut through other conversations, a slight whine in his voice as he apparently responded to something Adam had said. His thoughts reflected an annoyance bordering on anger that was somehow connected with Roslin.
Adam looked at him mildly, though Toby could tell the scientist's thoughts were anything but.
"I need you to check on the safe houses on today's list for restocking. Jesse's still on light duty and I need Shalimar here. If you don't want to do it alone, take Emma with you."
Even as Brennan was working up steam to reply, Roslin pushed away from the table. She glanced at Adam and Jesse, muttering a vague apology, before almost running from the kitchen. There was a long silence, though the mental atmosphere was loud enough for Toby to read without half trying. Roslin's actions seemed to have loosened everyone's grip on their mental defenses.
Shalimar was concerned, though not overly so. She was fairly sure she knew what had happened. She was just as certain that between Adam, Emma, and Toby, Roslin would be fine after she'd had some time to herself. Adam was worried, but also less than happy with Brennan. He was debating what his best choice of action was. Brennan - well, to say the elemental was pissed would be an understatement. A part of his mind was convinced that Roslin was acting out just for attention and he resented that. Emma had risen to her feet, concern written across her face as she debated whether to follow Roslin or not. The last member of Mutant X was still sitting, face blank as he popped his knuckles. Underneath that apparent calm, Jesse's thoughts were racing, rebounding between a deep concern for Roslin, and an equally powerful anger at Brennan.
Toby gestured to everyone to stay put and finish their breakfasts. If what he'd briefly heard from Roslin as she fled was any indication, none of them were going to be able to get through to her at the moment.
"You guys stay put. I'll go. Where's her room?"
Emma pointed in the general direction and Toby nodded his thanks. He didn't really need the direction though. Roslin's telepathic defenses had broken, and he could still hear her. They weren't completely down, and it was unlikely anyone but another telepath would hear her, but something had definitely put a hole in them. And the noise, after her utter mental silence, was like a beacon.
Roslin had gone in the general direction Emma had pointed out, but she'd apparently bypassed her room. Toby paused for a moment, trying to get a better feel for where she'd gone. Her thoughts seemed to be coming from below him and he remembered the meditation room she'd mentioned the previous day. He'd checked with Adam later that evening so he wouldn't need to ask someone to show him how to find it. It took a minute to remember, but then he was headed in the right direction and Roslin's thoughts were enough to guide him.
He was halfway down the stairs when the sound of Roslin's thoughts cut off abruptly. His eyes widened in surprise and he sped up his pace. By the time he got down the stairs, he'd relaxed just a touch. Roslin had said the room was EM shielded, and Adam had explained that an EM shield seemed to block thoughts and emotions for new mutant psionics. Hopefully, that was all it was. Though the stress Roslin's shields had been under before she fled worried him.
He found the room, pausing outside the door to order his thoughts and reinforce his own mental defenses before going in. Opening the door carefully, he looked into the dim room, not seeing anyone. He couldn't see her at first, but he could hear Roslin. Her breathing and her thoughts were both panicked. Her thoughts were moving in a mental spiral that was reinforcing itself and pulling her farther away from everything outside.
It still took him a minute to physically locate her, and Toby sighed softly when he did. Roslin was curled up as small as she could get in the farthest corner. Stepping into the room, Toby closed the door softly behind himself. A few steps brought him to the middle of the sparsely furnished room, and he moved slightly to one side, where Roslin would be able to see him if she happened to look up. Given the way her thoughts were spiraling, she'd lost control of her telepathic defenses, and, quite likely, her empathic ones as well. Whether it was just too much stress on them, or another fluctuation in her telepathy, Toby had no way of knowing at this point.
He didn't want to startle her and make her panic even more, but he wasn't certain how to avoid doing just that. After a moment, he crouched down, calling her name softly, both mentally and audibly. Roslin jerked, pressing closer to the wall, and Toby closed his eyes, inhaling quietly before trying again. This time, she didn't move.
Well, that was an improvement at least. Toby sat on ground, scooting a few feet closer and watching Roslin closely. She was shaking, but she didn't seem to be making any effort to get away from him. He called her name mentally again. Keeping his own thoughts soothing was difficult, but it did seem to be helping. This time Toby got a slender thread of attention. It was fragile, the still panicking thoughts threatening to sweep it away. He extended a mental hand and waited for Roslin to take it. It took longer than he liked, but eventually, she did.
At that point, he moved close enough to touch Roslin, laying a hand on her arm. After a long moment, she lifted her head, blinking dazedly. Her panic seemed to receding, but as it did, it was easy for Toby to read the signs of pain in her eyes and face. If he had to guess, she probably had a monster headache, if not a migraine.
Keeping his voice low, his hand still on her arm, he started talking as he watched her. "Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly." He watched, and he thought he felt her shaking ease just a bit as she exhaled. "Again, Roslin. Deep breath. And let it out."
This time, Toby was certain. Her shaking eased to almost nothing. He relaxed a bit, letting go of the tension that had crept up on him even as he continued to talk her through the relaxation technique.
It took a few more minutes, but eventually Toby was able to get her relaxed enough to sit back against the wall. He gave her a couple of minutes then, since she seemed to be getting herself back under control. He knew he was right when all but a few surface thoughts cut off. Moving slowly, he sat back against the wall next to her.
"What happened? Brennan's thoughts too loud?"
Roslin's eyes flew to his face for a second before she looked at the wall across from them. She was silent for so long, Toby wasn't sure she was going to answer him. "Partly. His emotions are pretty loud too."
Something in her voice made Toby pause before he replied. He doubted it was just the volume of the dark haired mutant's mental voice and emotions that caused such a violent reaction. "You deal with him everyday, right? So that's not new. Roslin, did your telepathy fluctuate?"
She swallowed and nodded. "It was like everything got turned up a notch." Her voice was quiet, almost ashamed, but she continued. "I couldn't push it all away again."
Roslin dropped her head into her hands, massaging her temples. Toby watched her with the eyes of a former EMT and sighed lightly. Her breathing was a bit fast, and even in the dim room, he could tell she was pale. Reaching over, he took her closest hand gently, slipping his fingers to her wrist and nodding as his count proved her heart rate was a bit high too. She was probably hiding her head because even the dim light in the room was painful. If it wasn't a full blown migraine, Toby was pretty certain it would be shortly.
"Do you think you can get to your room, Roslin?" He asked the question quietly, but Roslin still winced before answering.
"Do I have a choice?" Her voice was flat, but she lifted her head carefully. "Don't answer that. Yeah. If I go slow, I'll make it."
Toby wasn't certain she was right, but he wanted to get her moving. That was more important at the moment. "Why don't you head back there. I'll go head the others off and get you something for the migraine."
Roslin's eyes narrowed as she looked at him, but she nodded slowly. He helped her to her feet, holding her arm for a few extra seconds when she swayed slightly. Walking her to the door, he opened it and stepped into the hallway. Turning back to her, he offered a comforting smile.
"Take it easy. If I get done with others before you get to your room, I'll come back and help you."
After Roslin nodded, Toby headed for the stairs, his pace quick. He wanted to make sure her path was clear - she was in no state to deal with anyone, even someone who meant well. He wanted to talk to Adam, as well get Roslin something for the migraine. He heard the door close just before he reached the stairs, and he took them up two stairs at a time.
When Toby left her at the door, Roslin started to doubt she'd be able to make back to her room, despite what she'd told him. She clung to the door frame, wavering, for a moment. She hadn't expected the light to hurt so much and she had to squint, which didn't exactly ease the throbbing in her head.
Finally, she let go of the door frame and started for the stairs. Concentrating on taking one step at time got her there. Both hands on the rail and taking one stair at time got her up them, though each step jarred her head and sent a surge of nausea to roiling in her stomach.
It took a few seconds for it to register when she reached the top of the stairs and found the door blocking her way. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the wall for several minutes, gathering herself. Opening her eyes was hard, especially when the spots she was seeing didn't go away even after she blinked several times.
Roslin leaned against the door, letting her weight open it, and staggered into the hallway. Her room wasn't far, but even so, she wasn't sure how she managed to get to her door. It was blessedly dark once she was inside. She leaned against the door, trying to catch her breath, but after a moment found herself lurching for the bathroom.
Losing what little she'd managed to eat at breakfast only made the pain in her head worse. After wiping her mouth, she collapsed on the bed, closing her eyes and trying not to think, because even that hurt. She was hoping no one, including Toby, would come looking for her. Maybe she could sleep the migraine off.
Sleep wouldn't come though, and she couldn't get comfortable. The pillow felt like a rock and the ache in her head seemed to flow down into her body. Even the dim light from the alarm clock was too much. She was trying to lay still and at least not cause herself more pain, when the door opened. Sitting up too fast, she moaned softly as the pain behind her eyes seemed to explode.
It didn't take long for Toby to find Adam. He'd guessed he'd find Mutant X's leader in the lab, and he was right. What did surprise him was that he didn't encounter any of the other members of the team. He'd half expected to have Jesse waiting for him.
Whatever Adam was doing, it was apparently just something to keep him occupied, because he didn't hesitate to turn away from it when Toby stepped through the door. The older man looked tired and he ran a hand over his jaw, unable to find any words for the moment.
"Roslin will be okay, Adam. I sent her to her room. She's got a migraine the size of Everest, but rest and a painkiller is what she needs most. She said her telepathy fluctuated."
Adam nodded and leaned back against the counter, thinking on what Toby had said. "Did she ask for something?"
"No, but trust me, she needs it. I'm not sure was capable of thinking past getting to her room. Pulse and breathing were rapid and even the dim light in that meditation room was too much."
Adam moved to the computer, typing in a command. As he waited for the result, he turned back to Toby, a measure of desperation in his eyes. "Can you help her, Toby?"
"I think so. It didn't take much for her to get things back under control. She just needed a little outside help."
Toby watched as the other man checked the screen and proceeded to load a syringe, nodding slightly to himself.
"I'm going to go relax a bit, Adam. I'll check in with you later."
Adam nodded absently as he double checked the information on the computer again, but then he looked at Toby with a grim smile. "Thanks Toby."
The telepath just nodded and left the lab, heading for his room.
Adam found himself outside Roslin's room, almost afraid to open the door. There was a better than even chance that Roslin would refuse the painkiller he'd brought, based on her previous behavior. It might be a bit of an argument, but he intended to see she took it, especially if her migraine was as bad as Toby had implied.
He opened the door as softly as he could, but it wasn't soft enough. Roslin bolted upright in her bed, a soft moan the only sound she made. The light from the doorway illuminated the room just enough that he could see the pain twisting her expression. He could also see the green eyes were wide and unseeing.
Crossing the room, he knelt next to the bed, trying to soothe her somewhat. It took several minutes before the pain subsided enough for Roslin to do more than react.
"Slowly, Roslin." He helped her lay back down, waiting until she rolled her head toward him.
"I brought something for the pain." He held up the syringe where she could see it. "I know you don't like drugs, but I think it's the best choice this time."
Roslin swallowed, closing her eyes and only nodded. He felt her tense when he took hold of her arm, but she barely seemed to notice the prick of the needle itself. Adam injected the drug and recapped the syringe before setting it on the nightstand.
Pulling a chair next the bed, Adam took a seat. Mutant X's leader sat there in the dark room, watching Roslin as she slipped into sleep. The argument over the painkiller had never surfaced. Neither had even a token protest, and that worried Adam. It told him a great deal about the level of pain Roslin had to be in. He only hoped she wouldn't process the drug as quickly as she did many others.
