Disclaimer: do not own MX, you know that already

Here is chapter 13, hope it will be posted with good luck. :-)

Anyway, please enjoy it, and tell me what you think

Darkness, humid suffocating darkness. The cold, coarse leaf carpet cracked under her bare feet. Above her head, Emma could see a sky peculiarly painted in a greenish color. Dark green, all around her had the same color; the color of the forest that seemed to swallow her in its abyss. She put her hand to the chest; her heart was beating as fast as the one of a mouse and she did not know why. Somehow she had lost control over her own feelings and her senses were stretched to the maximum. Everything felt so intense: the smell of the moisture in the forest, the colors that seemed to emerge out of the pitch black background, even the air tasted sweet, a bitter sweet that definitely did not announce something good. The place was enwrapped in an infernal silence which amplified the sound of the dead leafs hushing under her feet and the lament of the humid wind that animated the luxurious branches, placing unpleasantly cold, eerie touches on Emma's skin. Hurried, rapid, disoriented footsteps were heard at close range but never from the same place. She was not alone. Realizing this she felt like the blood had been drained from her body and her chest ached from the claw clutching her heart. The footsteps which she heard were of none other but her friends. But that and a mass of confused feeling was all she could sense from them, because they were nowhere to be seen.

In vain she ran in their search, they were just ethereal sounds in the darkness. The thick forest that surrounded the Sanctuary appeared now like a maze from which she could not escape anymore. Emma felt already lost, running, making her way through the lavish vegetation that seemed massively overgrown. "Guys! Shal, Jesse, Bren? Wait! I can't see you! Where are you running? Wait for me!" The sound of their footsteps was distorted by that of her own insanely beating heart and uncontrolled breath. She ran desperately, disconcerted, in a futile attempt to catch them or at least to see them. She knew they were in there, running, she just had to find them, even if she did not know why. Confused, Emma stopped and looked around her. A second ago she was in the heart of the forest. How could she get here? Why was she here on the beach? Not far away she distinguished a figure. "Adam! Adam…" she yelled "… don't go there, it's too deep … ADAM! No! It's too dangerous. Adam stop! Please!" Why wasn't he listening? Why didn't he hear her? She had to stop him, so she began climbing the rocks which bordered the sea, trying to reach him.

Adam's ghostly figure vanished as unpredictably as it had first appeared in her sight. Up on one of the cold slippery rocks, she scrutinized the place. But he was nowhere to be found, nowhere to be seen. No soul in her sight; even the seagulls which were this grounds' perpetual inhabitants had inexplicably disappeared. The only things animating the place were the waves which were furiously breaking against the cliffs. Stroke by an attack of panic, she hopelessly cried: "Adam…." But all she got in response was the echo of her own voice. Suddenly, Emma felt a chill down her spine sensing a cold touch on her back. A wet cloak enwrapped itself around her body and in a split second she was completely engulfed by it. Reacting to the freezing water that pierced her skin like icy needles, Emma struggled chaotically to escape that endless murky blue in which she was immersed. "Not again … please, not again." She could not stand reliving this. She had passed through the same experience when she got plunged into that infernal cold water, in the Naxcon explosion.

"Emma, wake up! Emma listen to me … it's just a dream, wake up!"

No response. He had been awaken by her screams. At first it appeared that she was having a nightmare. But all attempts to wake her up had been in vain, including this one. No, this was not an ordinary nightmare. The rapid breathing rhythm, accelerated pulse and cold perspiration on the forehead, he could understand; they were typical of nightmares. But this total lack of response to reality, this inability to regain consciousness, this he could not comprehend or explain. This was not the Emma he had next to him, the same Emma that a few moments ago slept peacefully in his embrace. What had happened all of a sudden? What was happening to her? What could he do to help her?

In her dream, which she perceived as being all too real, Emma could not struggle anymore, could not fight that unexplainable force that was pulling her deeper and deeper into the sea. She could feel how the salty liquid gradually filled her lungs, making her body ache more than it did before. Ba-Bom, Ba-Bom … the sound of the beating heart that seemed to echo in her ears was now slowing its pace. Little by little numbness took over her body relieving her from pain. It was better this way. "Just let it go" said a voice inside her head. Yes, why not? She had no strength to fight anymore. Ba-Bom … the heart struggled to keep its rhythm, although it was the only one still trying. "Just let go" said Emma, her eye lids closing slowly, accompanied by the last, weak sounds of the heart. Ba-Bom …

The signs of this abandon were visible to Kyan as well. The struggle had stopped, she seemed calmer. Had the nightmare, or whatever tortured her, ceased? For a moment Kyan felt appeased by this thought, before noticing she wasn't breathing. The color of her skin became paler with every second that passed and her lips and fingernails had turned blue. "EMMA!" shouted Kyan, taking her in his arms. She was ice cold and her pulse had lowered so much that he could barely feel it. "Emma please snap out of this." Why was he calling her? It was obvious that he was losing her. Her life was slipping through his fingers and he did nothing but call her foolishly. Trying to keep his temper, as much as he could in such a situation, he wrapped Emma quickly in a blanket and rushed with her to the lab. He had to do something, even if at that moment he did not know what. Why wasn't Adam here when he was needed? Why the hell hadn't he paid attention to his father when he tried to teach him these bloody things? He put her on the examination chair, grabbed the oxygen mask and placed it on Emma's face. "Come on Em, breathe … Em please hang on … what the bloody hell is happening?"

From afar she heard a dim voice calling her. She had to reach the one crying out her name; she knew that voice well. It was Kyan. She felt him so desperate; he was as lost as she was right now. Focusing on him, she succeeded in seeing an unclear image of his face. Slowly the contour became clearer and she managed to get to the surface. She hugged him, gasping frantically for air. Looking around she realized she was in the lab, on her face she had an oxygen mask. Where was the water? Of course, just in her subconscious.

"It's ok. Everything will be fine now …" Kyan was not sure if that was true or not, he was just thankful that she had regained consciousness. He just kept repeating that, holding her tightly.

"Look at you you're trembling" said Kyan wrapping Emma in the blanket. "I'll go make you some tea. That will warm you up and calm you at the same time."

It was true. She was trembling and she could not help it. Was it from fear or because she was cold? Maybe both. But seeing him leave her side made it worse. In a moment of panic she jumped of the examination chair grabbed his bathrobe. "No!"

Kyan stopped and went back to her side. He took the hands clutched in his bathrobe and warmed them in his own. "I'm just going to the kitchen. I'll be right back." he smiled tenderly to the frightened face in front of him.

"Then ... I'm coming with you…" she definitely did not want to be left alone. She feared that he will disappear the same as Adam and the others did; feared that once he would go through that door he would never come back. It was insane, but she was afraid that she could sink back in that nightmare at any moment, that she will find herself in another eerie location. Lost again.

Without uttering a single word, Kyan lifted her up and took her with him to the kitchen. If there was one thing he could not stand it was seeing Emma in that state. It angered him to see her so terrified; he hated seeing her suffer like that. If being with him made her feel better than he would take her anywhere with him.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Are you better now?" enquired Kyan sitting beside her.

Emma gave an affirmative "aham" and leaned her head over his shoulder.

"You gave me quite a fright. What happened to you back there?"

"Would you believe me if I said I don't know? I mean my dreams appear more real than to a normal human being, my mind has a stronger influence on my body … but they never been to such extent. All I experienced was as authentic to me as you are like now. I was really drowning, I felt how the water …" she stopped, closing the eyes to block the images that were coming in her mind.

"That's all right. You don't have to continue if it makes you uncomfortable." said Kyan wrapping protectively an arm around Emma. No matter what was the cause of her crisis one thing was sure, it had nearly killed her. He could not leave her alone after this. He had to stay with her at least until Adam came back. Yes it was the right thing to do; he could not leave, not now. It was decisive:" I have to call my father"

"What for?" asked Emma lifting up her eyes.

"I'm going to postpone my leave ... at least for a day until Adam comes or till we know you are out of any danger"

"Kyan no! Don't make me feel guiltier than I feel right now…"

"Guilty about what?"

"For interfering with your planes, for making you worry right before your mission. I do not want to be the cause of that; I do not want to be a pain for you."

"Emma, listen to me! You will never be that... " he tried to appease her "… how can you say such a thing?"

"But that is how I'll feel like if you postpone the mission because of me. Don't do that, please." she begged him, already feeling a node in her throat. There were such opposite feelings fighting in her heart: a part of her wanted him to go in the mission but the other one selfishly wished him to stay.

Kyan smiled sadly giving up on her plead. "At least let me call Adam"

Emma leaned again her head on his chest and replied: "What for? It is better if he did not know about this. If he knew he would be able to put me in a glass bubble to make sure that nothing happens to me. I do not want him to know."

"And do you think I can just leave you alone in the base without worrying about what could happen to you? You're not playing fair."

"Please don't worry …" she begged him, arranging a hair strand covering his eyes and kissing him. "I'll be fine … I promise" tears blurring her sight.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Sometimes he was amazed of how much power of conviction Emma had on him. Here he was, baggage packed, ready to depart. Of course he hated leaving her like that. He tried to convince himself that this mission was all too important to postpone it. Yes it was. But was it right to abandon Emma right now? Why was she sacrificing like that? Sometimes she was such a mystery to him. There they were, standing at the door, tightly embraced. He could feel her trembling in his arms, he could see her humid eyes but she was still standing strong, wishing him goodbye.

Emma stood by the side of the door watching him walk, leaving her behind. God, how she wished to call him back, to run after him. But no, that was not possible; she could not be so selfish. She could not have him all for herself, he was not an object which she owned ... and that would mean suffocating him. She turned away leaving his image behind and as she did that she felt how her heart ached. She could not repress her tears anymore.

Each step felt so hard to take. It felt so hard to leave her. "Go, just go. Don't look behind" If he would do that he would not be able to stop himself from running back to her. Damn, how guilty he felt … In a moment of impulse he dropped his bags on the ground and ran back to her. Reaching her he grabbed her waist, making her turn and kissed her passionately. "You'll be all right till I'll come back … promise me that"

"I promise" said Emma letting the tears flow down her face.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Looking through the window, Kyan reflected on what had passed in the last hours. He still could not get out of his mind Emma's image lying lifeless on the examination chair: cold, breathless body, pale face … he thought he would lose her at that moment and that made him as desperate as he had never been before. Emma had somehow become the center of his existence, the focus and reason of his actions and concerns. It was a strange feeling, being so dependent on someone and at the same time being so completely free. If anything would happen to her, he could not bear it… And yet, here he was, on the road again, leaving her behind. He could not repress his concern. How could he? It was impossible not to worry …

Seamus put the jet on automatic pilot and went to his son. He seemed so far away, oblivious to what was happening around him. He took a sit next to him and closed the laptop that had been definitely abandoned by Kyan for a long time now.

"Promise me that you'll check on her when you get back … promise that you'll announce me if anything happens to her"

Seamus looked back at his son and smiled, agreeing to his request. Ever since Adam had brought Emma to the clinic, Kyan had been there for her. For the first time he had seen his son having other purpose than his work. It was good for Kyan to have someone to care so much about. But he definitely did not want to see him so troubled. The truth was that even he was worried about what Kyan had told him: Emma's crisis. That dream had been too intense even for a psionic. What could have caused that? And why wasn't Adam back at the base? When he had left the clinic he said that he'll go to one of the safe houses to get some material he needed and then head back to the base. That must had been more than three days ago. Things just did not add up.

special message for my Editor: hope I did not blew things up at the end, if I did, I'm sure that you won't be afraid to scold me.

oh poor me, "como eu sofro" if I did. :-p