Chapter One: Waking Up
Genomex
Her head was pounding; even lying still made it hurt. With some difficulty she cracked open one of her eyes and looked around. Her vision was slightly blurry but she could just make out the room she was in. It was almost all metal, everything from the tables and lamps to the chair she was strapped to. Where was she, what was this place? Opening her other eye she blinked them to try and clear her vision but it was no use. Hanging her head, unable to keep it up, she closed her eyes against the pain that was clobbering her from the inside out.
A moan caught her attention and she raised her head as much as she could, turning it to see another woman strapped to another chair, her face contorted in pain. Her face was sporting a large bruise and she wondered if hers did as well. "Where are we?" the other woman whispered, her voice filled with pain.
"I don't know," she replied. "How did we get here?"
"The last thing I remember is running from some men with guns or something. After that..." the woman's voice slacked off. With a moan she shook her head a little. "I don't know."
"It was the GSA," a third voice rang out.
It had come from behind her so she couldn't see the man who had spoke; he too was in pain. Closing her eyes she tested her bonds but found them stronger than she, which wasn't saying much at the moment. She felt beaten, as though she'd been in an accident or something. Everything hurt.
"The GSA?" the woman whispered. "I've heard about these guys. They run tests and experiments on New Mutants. No one ever gets out of here alive," she said, her voice becoming more and more agitated with each word. "I gotta get the hell outta here!"
She began to struggle with her bonds but couldn't get anywhere. Her fear beginning to take over sparks shot out from her fingers.
"Hey watch it!" the man cried. "You could fry us all, Jackie!"
"Sorry, Pete!" she cried, her voice shaky.
She'd been quiet as she listened to the two of them, her two cellmates in this metal prison. Shaking her head, her vision beginning to clear, she looked around again. There was a door on the one wall, through the glass window she could make out a hallway of doors. The table that sat on the other wall held a variety of instruments ranging from needles to some sort of large gun like object. Looking up she saw a sprinkler system and an idea began to form in her mind.
"Hey," she called out to the other two, her own voice reverberating in her head like a chainsaw. "You're an elemental, right?"
"Yeah, I've got sparks."
"Can you shoot bolts of electricity or just make sparks?"
"I've done bolt's a few times, but it's hard. Why, what's it to ya?"
"It may be our way out. You, back there, what's your power?"
"I'm a rejuvenator, I can repair or re-grow just about anything."
"So like if you break a hand or something..."
"It'll repair itself in a matter of seconds."
Her plan continuing to form she kept thinking. "Is there anyone else in the room?"
"Just Mixy, she's a feral, but she's out cold."
"Can you wake her?"
"Yeah, hang on a sec," Jackie said. Furrowing her brow in confusion she pointed her finger towards the unconscious feral and seconds later a small bolt of electricity shot out from her fingertip, hitting its target. The young woman, Mixy, jumped at the contact and was roused from her unconsciousness.
"What the hell!" she yelled.
"Shut up!" Jackie hissed. "You want to call the whole place in on us?"
"Listen," she cried out to them all. "I have an idea but we're all gonna have to work together to make it work. Are you in?" They all replied; they would do whatever it took to get out. "Pete, I need you to break our hand and get out of your bonds. On the table next to us is the key. With one hand free you should be able to reach it and get us all free. Jackie, I want you to shot a bolt of electricity to the sprinkler and make them go off that'll..."
"Are you crazy! I'm electrical, we don't like the water!"
"You're gonna like what the GSA will do to you a lot less than a stupid shower!" she hissed to her, making the point clear. "This is our only chance but if we don't work together than we're as good as lab rats. Are you in or not?"
"All right, all right! But I'm gonna be weak when the water hits me."
"Okay, Pete, you'll help Jackie once the water starts. Mixy you and I will have to fight off who ever comes into our path. Hopefully in all the confusion they won't miss us but you never know. We'll get the hell outta here, steal a car, and get as far away from here as we can. Agreed?"
"Hell yeah!" they cried.
Immediately, Pete went to work. Breaking his thumb he was able to slide his hand out of the cuffs that held him to his chair. Even as it repaired itself he was reaching for the key to unlock his other hand. Unlocking everyone else he nodded to Jackie. Turning her attention to the sprinkler system overhead she focused her energy and shot a bolt of electricity out of her hands, overloading the system and the waterworks began. Wet and weak Jackie leaned on Pete while the other two opened the door and looked around. The coast was clear.
"Come on, let's go!" she whispered to them.
As they hurried down the hallway she saw a coatroom filled with white lab coats. Grabbing four they donned them and continued down the hallways. More and more people began to fill the halls as they ran for the doors to freedom from the alleged fire. Mixing in with the crowd the four New Mutants escaped the building and made tracks for the nearest car. Just as they left the grounds guards came running out of the building, yelling at them to stop. They'd been discovered. Jumping into the nearest black vehicle Mixy hot-wired it in a matter of seconds and they were off, tearing down the drive to freedom.
"Yeah!" Mixy screamed as they hit open road. "We did it!"
Laughing they all glanced around at one another, the foursome of escapee's that were bound and determined never to go back again. "We're not out of trouble yet, guys. This car is probably being tracked. We need to dump it and find another as fast as possible," she cried out over their laughter.
The laughter stopped as they realized that their freedom wasn't as complete as they had thought. Putting her foot to the floor Mixy raced down the road. Soon the pulled into a town to find another car. The first one they came to had a for-sale sign on it and they hopped in, leaving the other car behind in return. Once more they were on the road and tearing away to get back to the city, a place where it was just a little easier to get lost than in the open country. Her head still pounding she laid it back on the headrest and closed her eyes while the other three laughed and boasted over the escape.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
She could almost see his face.
This man that she knew, that she cared about... loved. He was holding her, telling her everything would be okay. Welcoming her back from the dead. She had died, but she was alive. How was that possible?
Suddenly the man was gone, she was alone in a place that felt as safe as a mothers arms. Looking around she saw stairs leading up to a platform, a water garden just beyond it. She knew this place; it felt... like home. She was home, but she didn't recognize it. And yet at the same time she did. It was an odd feeling to know this place and yet not know anything about it. As she stared at the open room laughter floated out to her from the hallway and a trio of friends entered the room, two men and a woman. They were laughing at a shared joke when one of them noticed her.
"Hey!" he cried, why couldn't she see his face? "Welcome home."
"Where've you been hiding?" the woman asked her as she hugged her close. "We miss you."
"Yeah, you should come back to us, it's not the same without you," the third one said as he hugged her.
"I..." she began, unsure of what to say. Looking down at her hands she twisted the ring on her finger. As she twisted it the ring seemed to glow and a whispered name rang echoed in her mind. She couldn't make out what the word was but she knew it was important. If only she could understand the whisper. If only she could make out what the word was. If only she could...
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
She was being shaken.
"Come on, girl, we're here!"
Opening her eyes she realized that she had fallen asleep during the ride and that they had reached their destination. Getting out of the car her sore and beaten body stumbled into the building and sank gratefully into a chair at the table with the other three.
"Man, you don't look so hot."
"I don't feel so hot," she replied. "Where are we?"
Mixy grinned. "This is our club, The Hurricane. We all own it."
"You should get to a doctor or something, girl," Jackie said with a frown. "You look like you were beat up pretty bad."
She shook her head. "Sleep. I just want to sleep."
"All right," Jackie nodded. "Come on, I'll take you to my room."
Slowly, painfully, she got up from the chair and followed Jackie through the club's main floor, up the elevator, and down the hallways to a bedroom. Dropping gracelessly into the bed she was barely aware of Jackie pulling the covers over her. Drifting in and out of sleep she barely heard the question Jackie asked as she pulled the cover up over shoulders.
"What's your name, girl?"
"I don't know," she mumbled before slipping into her dreams once more.
Watching their new friend sleep for a moment she shut off the light before going back downstairs to Pete and Mixy. "You know, I think she really needs to see a doctor."
"We can't make her," Mixy said with a shrug. "Maybe she really does just need to sleep."
Pete shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I saw her when she fell; she should be dead by all rights. The GSA must have fixed her somehow, but it makes me wonder if they didn't do something else to her at the same time."
"Well she's asleep for now but I still think we should call Eric and have him look her over."
"I agree," Pete backed her up. "I'll give him a call and see if he can stop by. What are we gonna do when she gets better?"
"She might not even want to stay," Mixy said as she came back with three drinks.
"I don't know," Jack chewed on a straw from her drink. "I asked her what her name was and she said she didn't know. I think she might have amnesia or something."
"She did fall pretty hard. Maybe we could keep her around if she's got nowhere to go. She fights pretty good, with a little training she could fit in well."
"You want to keep her here at the club?"
"And below," he nodded. "We've got that bartender position open and if we think she'll fit in we can show her the rest of our little business."
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Sanctuary
"He's waking up, Adam," Jesse announced from his place by Brennan's side. Taking the force field emitter's offline he watched as a greenish line dropped from around Brennan's weak body. Since they'd found him in the river, out cold, two days ago, it had been a fight for his life.
"Brennan?" Adam spoke as he approached the young man's side. "Can you hear me?"
Standing next to Jesse Shalimar took Brennan's hand in her own, wishing he would wake up to answer the one question they'd all been desperately trying to solve. Blinking Brennan opened his eyes and looked up at the three faces peering over him. Groaning at the pain in his chest he frowned when he remembered what had happened.
"It was the GSA," he said after a moment. "They surprised us. I stopped to fight them while Emma went on ahead to warn the New Mutants. She got there but she was too late, the agents already had them. They fought and she was kicking ass but she lost her balance and..." he closed his eyes trying to remember what had happened. As the image played itself out in his mind Brennan's eyes began to sting. "Oh shit, Adam," he whispered in pain. "There... she..." Brennan's voice became thick; his breathing hitched as he saw in his minds eyes what had happened.
"Calm down, Brennan," Adam warned him. The young mans pulse was spiking, his breathing irregular. "Just calm down and try to tell us what happened."
Swallowing Brennan fought to continue. "She fell off the edge of the parking ramp," he said, his voice hoarse. "I heard her screaming for help but by the time I got to the edge of the ramp I was too late." Tears slipped form the corner of his eyes. "She was just lying there, on the ground. Oh God, Adam! There was so much blood! It was everywhere... and she... she was just...!" Closing his eyes Brennan fought to regain control of his emotions. "Emma's dead, Adam!"
Tears streamed from Shalimar's eyes as she listened to Brennan's tale. It was really real this time. There would be no coming back to life for Emma. His throat tight, his eyes stinging, Jesse put his arms around Shalimar and held her close as they both mourned their teammate and close friend. Neither one noticed that Adam had left until the doors had slid shut behind him.
Out in the hallway, in a deserted corner of the Sanctuary, Adam doubled over. He couldn't breath. She was dead, really dead this time. Emma, sweet little Emma. She hadn't done anything to deserve that kind of a death, no one did. But Emma... Emma deserved so much better. She deserved a full life filled with love and happiness, purpose. She deserved... she deserved to be alive. Bent over in two the tears began to flow, he couldn't stop them.
Emma was dead.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
He finished his examination and pulled the covers back over the sleeping woman. Sitting by her side for a moment Eric watched her sleep. She was beautiful. Dark hair that framed her creamy skin, long smooth fingers that tapered into manicured nails. Her face was peaceful as she slept but her eyes were rapidly moving in their REM and he wondered what she was dreaming. With a last glance he gathered his bag and headed back down to the main floor where the other three were waiting.
"She should be okay. She was pretty banged up, what happened?"
"She fell off the parking ramp a few blocks form here."
"Then she should be dead!"
"No, she caught herself halfway but couldn't hold on and she fell the rest of the way and got knocked out cold. Her friend tried to help her but he couldn't get there in time. He got his ass kicked when he tried to fight them after that. They threw him into the river and took us with them. I guess they took her too 'cause when we woke up she was there with us in the room."
"Damn," Eric whispered. "She'll be in pain for quite a while. Giver her one of these every six hours but no more. I'll stop back in a day or two to see how she's doing. Make sure she rests, she needs it."
Nodding Pete and Mixy headed upstairs to check on their friend one more time while Jackie headed out to the car with their doctor friend. "Listen, we're supposed to be getting a new shipment in a few days. Will you be here to look them over before we ship them out?"
"Yeah," Eric grinned. "I'll be here."
Leaning down he captured Jackie's face in his hands and kissed her. Like butter in a pan Jackie melted to his kiss. For a few moments they were oblivious to the rest of the world, caught up in themselves and the chemistry that flowed between them. Finally releasing her Eric smiled and got into his car. "I'll see you in a few days."
Waving him off Jackie watched until he rounded the corner before going back inside. Sitting in his parked car, just around the bend from the club, Eric pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.
"She's fine, a little beat up still but she should recover nicely. I'll know more in a few days. They're expecting a shipment in a few days, you'll want to keep an eye on them."
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
She was lying in bed when she heard the yelling from somewhere below her. Gingerly she removed the covers and climbed out of the bed she'd been ordered to stay in for the last few days. Opening the door the yelling got louder and a loud crash rang out followed by the shattering of broken glass. Descending the stairs she saw Jackie stalking between the tables and chairs while Mixy was crouched on the bar, growling and glaring at the walls. Pete was standing over a woman she didn't know, patching up a cut on her arm.
"What's going on?" she asked them from her spot on the last stair.
All four glanced up at her for a moment before resuming what they were doing. "Nothing," Jackie said through clenched teeth. "Not one damn thing."
Emerging a little farther into the club she saw broken glass and an overturned table in the middle of the club. Silently she moved to upright the table and began to pick up the glass. When she had finished she turned her attention back to the others still in the room. "Is everyone okay?"
Sighing in frustration Pete ran his hand through his hair. "We will be." As if suddenly realizing what she was doing he walked over to her. "You shouldn't be up. Get back to bed, you're not well yet."
"What happened?" she asked again, ignoring his statement.
"We lost a shipment," he replied. Both Mixy and Jackie glared at him for a moment but he shrugged them off. "We were going to collect the shipment but someone got to it before we could."
"For the third time!" Mixy growled before leaving the room.
Watching the feral leave she wondered what was really going on. But answers wouldn't be coming any time soon, she realized as Pete led her back upstairs. Settling her back into the bed Pete watched her for a moment. "We need to give you a name," he declared. "We can't keep calling you 'girl'. Any preferences?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. It seems like there's a lot I don't know."
Smiling at her he nudged her shoulder. "All right then looks like its up to me to give you a name. What should I call you?" Making a show of pondering everything he finally smiled at her. "I think we should call you Eve."
"Eve?"
"Yeah, you now, like Adam and Eve."
"Adam..." she whispered. That name, it sounded so right, like she had heard it before, like it meant something to her. "Adam and Eve," she smiled. "I like it."
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Genomex
Her head was pounding; even lying still made it hurt. With some difficulty she cracked open one of her eyes and looked around. Her vision was slightly blurry but she could just make out the room she was in. It was almost all metal, everything from the tables and lamps to the chair she was strapped to. Where was she, what was this place? Opening her other eye she blinked them to try and clear her vision but it was no use. Hanging her head, unable to keep it up, she closed her eyes against the pain that was clobbering her from the inside out.
A moan caught her attention and she raised her head as much as she could, turning it to see another woman strapped to another chair, her face contorted in pain. Her face was sporting a large bruise and she wondered if hers did as well. "Where are we?" the other woman whispered, her voice filled with pain.
"I don't know," she replied. "How did we get here?"
"The last thing I remember is running from some men with guns or something. After that..." the woman's voice slacked off. With a moan she shook her head a little. "I don't know."
"It was the GSA," a third voice rang out.
It had come from behind her so she couldn't see the man who had spoke; he too was in pain. Closing her eyes she tested her bonds but found them stronger than she, which wasn't saying much at the moment. She felt beaten, as though she'd been in an accident or something. Everything hurt.
"The GSA?" the woman whispered. "I've heard about these guys. They run tests and experiments on New Mutants. No one ever gets out of here alive," she said, her voice becoming more and more agitated with each word. "I gotta get the hell outta here!"
She began to struggle with her bonds but couldn't get anywhere. Her fear beginning to take over sparks shot out from her fingers.
"Hey watch it!" the man cried. "You could fry us all, Jackie!"
"Sorry, Pete!" she cried, her voice shaky.
She'd been quiet as she listened to the two of them, her two cellmates in this metal prison. Shaking her head, her vision beginning to clear, she looked around again. There was a door on the one wall, through the glass window she could make out a hallway of doors. The table that sat on the other wall held a variety of instruments ranging from needles to some sort of large gun like object. Looking up she saw a sprinkler system and an idea began to form in her mind.
"Hey," she called out to the other two, her own voice reverberating in her head like a chainsaw. "You're an elemental, right?"
"Yeah, I've got sparks."
"Can you shoot bolts of electricity or just make sparks?"
"I've done bolt's a few times, but it's hard. Why, what's it to ya?"
"It may be our way out. You, back there, what's your power?"
"I'm a rejuvenator, I can repair or re-grow just about anything."
"So like if you break a hand or something..."
"It'll repair itself in a matter of seconds."
Her plan continuing to form she kept thinking. "Is there anyone else in the room?"
"Just Mixy, she's a feral, but she's out cold."
"Can you wake her?"
"Yeah, hang on a sec," Jackie said. Furrowing her brow in confusion she pointed her finger towards the unconscious feral and seconds later a small bolt of electricity shot out from her fingertip, hitting its target. The young woman, Mixy, jumped at the contact and was roused from her unconsciousness.
"What the hell!" she yelled.
"Shut up!" Jackie hissed. "You want to call the whole place in on us?"
"Listen," she cried out to them all. "I have an idea but we're all gonna have to work together to make it work. Are you in?" They all replied; they would do whatever it took to get out. "Pete, I need you to break our hand and get out of your bonds. On the table next to us is the key. With one hand free you should be able to reach it and get us all free. Jackie, I want you to shot a bolt of electricity to the sprinkler and make them go off that'll..."
"Are you crazy! I'm electrical, we don't like the water!"
"You're gonna like what the GSA will do to you a lot less than a stupid shower!" she hissed to her, making the point clear. "This is our only chance but if we don't work together than we're as good as lab rats. Are you in or not?"
"All right, all right! But I'm gonna be weak when the water hits me."
"Okay, Pete, you'll help Jackie once the water starts. Mixy you and I will have to fight off who ever comes into our path. Hopefully in all the confusion they won't miss us but you never know. We'll get the hell outta here, steal a car, and get as far away from here as we can. Agreed?"
"Hell yeah!" they cried.
Immediately, Pete went to work. Breaking his thumb he was able to slide his hand out of the cuffs that held him to his chair. Even as it repaired itself he was reaching for the key to unlock his other hand. Unlocking everyone else he nodded to Jackie. Turning her attention to the sprinkler system overhead she focused her energy and shot a bolt of electricity out of her hands, overloading the system and the waterworks began. Wet and weak Jackie leaned on Pete while the other two opened the door and looked around. The coast was clear.
"Come on, let's go!" she whispered to them.
As they hurried down the hallway she saw a coatroom filled with white lab coats. Grabbing four they donned them and continued down the hallways. More and more people began to fill the halls as they ran for the doors to freedom from the alleged fire. Mixing in with the crowd the four New Mutants escaped the building and made tracks for the nearest car. Just as they left the grounds guards came running out of the building, yelling at them to stop. They'd been discovered. Jumping into the nearest black vehicle Mixy hot-wired it in a matter of seconds and they were off, tearing down the drive to freedom.
"Yeah!" Mixy screamed as they hit open road. "We did it!"
Laughing they all glanced around at one another, the foursome of escapee's that were bound and determined never to go back again. "We're not out of trouble yet, guys. This car is probably being tracked. We need to dump it and find another as fast as possible," she cried out over their laughter.
The laughter stopped as they realized that their freedom wasn't as complete as they had thought. Putting her foot to the floor Mixy raced down the road. Soon the pulled into a town to find another car. The first one they came to had a for-sale sign on it and they hopped in, leaving the other car behind in return. Once more they were on the road and tearing away to get back to the city, a place where it was just a little easier to get lost than in the open country. Her head still pounding she laid it back on the headrest and closed her eyes while the other three laughed and boasted over the escape.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
She could almost see his face.
This man that she knew, that she cared about... loved. He was holding her, telling her everything would be okay. Welcoming her back from the dead. She had died, but she was alive. How was that possible?
Suddenly the man was gone, she was alone in a place that felt as safe as a mothers arms. Looking around she saw stairs leading up to a platform, a water garden just beyond it. She knew this place; it felt... like home. She was home, but she didn't recognize it. And yet at the same time she did. It was an odd feeling to know this place and yet not know anything about it. As she stared at the open room laughter floated out to her from the hallway and a trio of friends entered the room, two men and a woman. They were laughing at a shared joke when one of them noticed her.
"Hey!" he cried, why couldn't she see his face? "Welcome home."
"Where've you been hiding?" the woman asked her as she hugged her close. "We miss you."
"Yeah, you should come back to us, it's not the same without you," the third one said as he hugged her.
"I..." she began, unsure of what to say. Looking down at her hands she twisted the ring on her finger. As she twisted it the ring seemed to glow and a whispered name rang echoed in her mind. She couldn't make out what the word was but she knew it was important. If only she could understand the whisper. If only she could make out what the word was. If only she could...
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
She was being shaken.
"Come on, girl, we're here!"
Opening her eyes she realized that she had fallen asleep during the ride and that they had reached their destination. Getting out of the car her sore and beaten body stumbled into the building and sank gratefully into a chair at the table with the other three.
"Man, you don't look so hot."
"I don't feel so hot," she replied. "Where are we?"
Mixy grinned. "This is our club, The Hurricane. We all own it."
"You should get to a doctor or something, girl," Jackie said with a frown. "You look like you were beat up pretty bad."
She shook her head. "Sleep. I just want to sleep."
"All right," Jackie nodded. "Come on, I'll take you to my room."
Slowly, painfully, she got up from the chair and followed Jackie through the club's main floor, up the elevator, and down the hallways to a bedroom. Dropping gracelessly into the bed she was barely aware of Jackie pulling the covers over her. Drifting in and out of sleep she barely heard the question Jackie asked as she pulled the cover up over shoulders.
"What's your name, girl?"
"I don't know," she mumbled before slipping into her dreams once more.
Watching their new friend sleep for a moment she shut off the light before going back downstairs to Pete and Mixy. "You know, I think she really needs to see a doctor."
"We can't make her," Mixy said with a shrug. "Maybe she really does just need to sleep."
Pete shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I saw her when she fell; she should be dead by all rights. The GSA must have fixed her somehow, but it makes me wonder if they didn't do something else to her at the same time."
"Well she's asleep for now but I still think we should call Eric and have him look her over."
"I agree," Pete backed her up. "I'll give him a call and see if he can stop by. What are we gonna do when she gets better?"
"She might not even want to stay," Mixy said as she came back with three drinks.
"I don't know," Jack chewed on a straw from her drink. "I asked her what her name was and she said she didn't know. I think she might have amnesia or something."
"She did fall pretty hard. Maybe we could keep her around if she's got nowhere to go. She fights pretty good, with a little training she could fit in well."
"You want to keep her here at the club?"
"And below," he nodded. "We've got that bartender position open and if we think she'll fit in we can show her the rest of our little business."
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Sanctuary
"He's waking up, Adam," Jesse announced from his place by Brennan's side. Taking the force field emitter's offline he watched as a greenish line dropped from around Brennan's weak body. Since they'd found him in the river, out cold, two days ago, it had been a fight for his life.
"Brennan?" Adam spoke as he approached the young man's side. "Can you hear me?"
Standing next to Jesse Shalimar took Brennan's hand in her own, wishing he would wake up to answer the one question they'd all been desperately trying to solve. Blinking Brennan opened his eyes and looked up at the three faces peering over him. Groaning at the pain in his chest he frowned when he remembered what had happened.
"It was the GSA," he said after a moment. "They surprised us. I stopped to fight them while Emma went on ahead to warn the New Mutants. She got there but she was too late, the agents already had them. They fought and she was kicking ass but she lost her balance and..." he closed his eyes trying to remember what had happened. As the image played itself out in his mind Brennan's eyes began to sting. "Oh shit, Adam," he whispered in pain. "There... she..." Brennan's voice became thick; his breathing hitched as he saw in his minds eyes what had happened.
"Calm down, Brennan," Adam warned him. The young mans pulse was spiking, his breathing irregular. "Just calm down and try to tell us what happened."
Swallowing Brennan fought to continue. "She fell off the edge of the parking ramp," he said, his voice hoarse. "I heard her screaming for help but by the time I got to the edge of the ramp I was too late." Tears slipped form the corner of his eyes. "She was just lying there, on the ground. Oh God, Adam! There was so much blood! It was everywhere... and she... she was just...!" Closing his eyes Brennan fought to regain control of his emotions. "Emma's dead, Adam!"
Tears streamed from Shalimar's eyes as she listened to Brennan's tale. It was really real this time. There would be no coming back to life for Emma. His throat tight, his eyes stinging, Jesse put his arms around Shalimar and held her close as they both mourned their teammate and close friend. Neither one noticed that Adam had left until the doors had slid shut behind him.
Out in the hallway, in a deserted corner of the Sanctuary, Adam doubled over. He couldn't breath. She was dead, really dead this time. Emma, sweet little Emma. She hadn't done anything to deserve that kind of a death, no one did. But Emma... Emma deserved so much better. She deserved a full life filled with love and happiness, purpose. She deserved... she deserved to be alive. Bent over in two the tears began to flow, he couldn't stop them.
Emma was dead.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
He finished his examination and pulled the covers back over the sleeping woman. Sitting by her side for a moment Eric watched her sleep. She was beautiful. Dark hair that framed her creamy skin, long smooth fingers that tapered into manicured nails. Her face was peaceful as she slept but her eyes were rapidly moving in their REM and he wondered what she was dreaming. With a last glance he gathered his bag and headed back down to the main floor where the other three were waiting.
"She should be okay. She was pretty banged up, what happened?"
"She fell off the parking ramp a few blocks form here."
"Then she should be dead!"
"No, she caught herself halfway but couldn't hold on and she fell the rest of the way and got knocked out cold. Her friend tried to help her but he couldn't get there in time. He got his ass kicked when he tried to fight them after that. They threw him into the river and took us with them. I guess they took her too 'cause when we woke up she was there with us in the room."
"Damn," Eric whispered. "She'll be in pain for quite a while. Giver her one of these every six hours but no more. I'll stop back in a day or two to see how she's doing. Make sure she rests, she needs it."
Nodding Pete and Mixy headed upstairs to check on their friend one more time while Jackie headed out to the car with their doctor friend. "Listen, we're supposed to be getting a new shipment in a few days. Will you be here to look them over before we ship them out?"
"Yeah," Eric grinned. "I'll be here."
Leaning down he captured Jackie's face in his hands and kissed her. Like butter in a pan Jackie melted to his kiss. For a few moments they were oblivious to the rest of the world, caught up in themselves and the chemistry that flowed between them. Finally releasing her Eric smiled and got into his car. "I'll see you in a few days."
Waving him off Jackie watched until he rounded the corner before going back inside. Sitting in his parked car, just around the bend from the club, Eric pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.
"She's fine, a little beat up still but she should recover nicely. I'll know more in a few days. They're expecting a shipment in a few days, you'll want to keep an eye on them."
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
She was lying in bed when she heard the yelling from somewhere below her. Gingerly she removed the covers and climbed out of the bed she'd been ordered to stay in for the last few days. Opening the door the yelling got louder and a loud crash rang out followed by the shattering of broken glass. Descending the stairs she saw Jackie stalking between the tables and chairs while Mixy was crouched on the bar, growling and glaring at the walls. Pete was standing over a woman she didn't know, patching up a cut on her arm.
"What's going on?" she asked them from her spot on the last stair.
All four glanced up at her for a moment before resuming what they were doing. "Nothing," Jackie said through clenched teeth. "Not one damn thing."
Emerging a little farther into the club she saw broken glass and an overturned table in the middle of the club. Silently she moved to upright the table and began to pick up the glass. When she had finished she turned her attention back to the others still in the room. "Is everyone okay?"
Sighing in frustration Pete ran his hand through his hair. "We will be." As if suddenly realizing what she was doing he walked over to her. "You shouldn't be up. Get back to bed, you're not well yet."
"What happened?" she asked again, ignoring his statement.
"We lost a shipment," he replied. Both Mixy and Jackie glared at him for a moment but he shrugged them off. "We were going to collect the shipment but someone got to it before we could."
"For the third time!" Mixy growled before leaving the room.
Watching the feral leave she wondered what was really going on. But answers wouldn't be coming any time soon, she realized as Pete led her back upstairs. Settling her back into the bed Pete watched her for a moment. "We need to give you a name," he declared. "We can't keep calling you 'girl'. Any preferences?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. It seems like there's a lot I don't know."
Smiling at her he nudged her shoulder. "All right then looks like its up to me to give you a name. What should I call you?" Making a show of pondering everything he finally smiled at her. "I think we should call you Eve."
"Eve?"
"Yeah, you now, like Adam and Eve."
"Adam..." she whispered. That name, it sounded so right, like she had heard it before, like it meant something to her. "Adam and Eve," she smiled. "I like it."
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