Chapter Four: Answers
Adam was sitting at the bar of the Hurricane, the beat pounding into his ears, watching the dance floor. He'd come to meet with the four friends again, to iron out some details of their joining forces but he'd been sure to come early with the rest of his team to give them some time to unwind. Sipping at his beer he looked around at the club, the people, and wondered where Eve was. He'd already spoken with the other three, Jackie, Pete and Mixy, but Eve hadn't shown up yet.
They hadn't mentioned anything to her yet about who she really was. It was hard on each of them to not pull the young woman into their arms; to hold her tight and tell her much they had all missed her. It was hard to see her, to be in the same room as her and to keep his mouth shut. But he would do it; he would suffer through the beginning to attain what he was seeking.
Emma.
Reaching for his beer Adam saw a commotion near the doorway as a small group of men threw a woman up onto their shoulders, parading her through the dance floor towards the bar. Over the already blaring music he heard Mixy riling up the crowd. "Hey all you freaks out there! Give it up for our BarGirl straight from the Garden of Eden, Eve! Watch out for them apples!"
Cheers and whistles rang out in the air as Eve jumped from their shoulders onto the bar. The music in the air shifted to a faster beat and Eve pulled Mixy up onto the bar with her. Together the two young women began to dance atop the bar, bending and swaying, twisting and turning to the beat of the music. Never before had Adam seen Emma dance the way she was atop the bar. He'd seen her out dancing before but never with the freedom she displayed tonight. Adam couldn't help but wonder if it was a result of her loosing whatever had inhibited Emma or if it was the life that Eve had been leading for the last two and a half months.
When the song was over the crowd erupted with cheer as Eve and Mixy jumped down from the bar. Laughing they each reached for a shot and downed it before disappearing into the dance floor, chatting to each other. Scanning the crowds he saw them climbing the stairs and disappear into the office on the third floor. The beer forgotten Adam made his way through the crowds, his team falling in step behind him as the too climbed the stairs to the office. Entering the large room they each took a seat and watched as one woman paced the floor while the other watched from the chair in the corner.
"Eve..."
"How could you, Mixy?"
"He's a nice guy!"
"I don't care!" she yelled, flinging her hands in the air.
"Woah, girl," Pete called to her as he entered the office behind Jackie. "What's wrong with Eve?"
"She just found out about Rick," Mixy replied.
"Aw, Mixy, you didn't?"
"I did..." she sighed.
"Who's Rick?" Jesse piped in, curious as to why she, would be so upset.
"One of Mixy's friends," Pete answered as he sat himself on the desk. "She tried to set him up with Eve."
"Which I have told her repeatedly that I do not want!" Eve pointed out.
"Why not? He is a great guy!" Mixy defended her friend. "I don't get you sometimes, Eve. You refuse to date anyone. There isn't a single guy who has approached you that you would consider for even half a second! What are you waiting for? You could have any guy you want!"
"I don't want just any guy!" Eve cried, facing Mixy.
"Then what do you want?" she yelled back, frustrated at the side of her friend the feral couldn't figure out.
"I want him!"
Putting her hand over her mouth Eve stared at Mixy with wide eyes. What had she just said? Him? Staring at Mixy, she staring back, the room was silent after her outburst, each one staring at her. "Eve?"
"I..." she didn't know what to say.
"Do you remember somebody?" Jackie asked softly from her seat.
"I don't know... not exactly. Not a person, not a name, just... things, feelings mostly." Brow drawn in confusion her pacing became less frustrated and more thoughtful, her arms wrapped around herself. "He... He's kind and... And he... he's smart. He's so smart Mixy, he's a genius!" Sighing she raised her eyes to the ceiling, caught up in her feelings of the little bit she could remember. "No matter what happened, no matter what I was going through... I always knew that so long as I was with him, near him... that he would make everything okay. He took care of everything, of everyone. He made me feel safe."
A tear drifted down her cheek as Eve realized, "And I can't even remember his name."
Needing to leave before she lost control Eve fled the office, running down the hallways and stairwell, through the dance floor until she was at the door that would lead to her Haven. Collapsing onto a bench in her water garden she fought her tears as best she could, hardening the wall that she had built around the confusion, fear and pain of the life she didn't know.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
The stars were still shining brightly in the sky as Adam walked along the shores of the beach. The Double Helix was cloaked a little ways away, hidden from view even though there was no one around to see it. He needed some time alone, away from everyone else; he needed to think. Since Emma, 'Eve' he reminded himself, had fled the club office last night Adam's mind had been a jumble of conflicting thoughts. Did he tell her? Did he keep it to himself until she began to remember more of her life as Emma instead of Eve? Sitting in that office, listening to her describe a man she couldn't remember, it had taken all of Adams will power and self control to keep quiet. Every time he saw her it got more and more difficult to do so, to see her and let her think he was nothing more than a new friend.
No one had known.
They had only just figured it out themselves. Adam had to smile when he thought about it. It had happened in such an absurd way. They had been sitting in the lab, arguing over a hypothetical treatment for an equally hypothetical disease. She had declared that in this particular hypothetical case, the cure was worse than the disease but he had disagreed, arguing the opposite. Finally, after hours of debating the issue back and forth she stood and dug into the pocket of her skirt.
'I'll flip you for it,' she'd smiled producing a small coin. 'Winner is declared right and the looser has to admit it in whatever way the winner decrees.'
'You're on,' he'd grinned back. The odds had been good; a fifty-fifty split down the middle. Emma had flipped the coin, he calling heads and she tails. What had happened next Adam still had to laugh about. The small coin had landed and spun around before stopping still on its edge, standing completely upright. Staring at the coin in disbelief they had looked up at each other and laughed. 'What now?' Adam had asked when they'd finally stopped laughing.
'A compromise,' Emma answered. 'I agree that for some people the disease is worse than the cure if you agree that for others the cure is worse than the disease.'
Extending his hand Adam had smiled, 'I can live with that.' Taking his hand they shook on it but just before releasing her hand he'd added, 'My side just happens to have more people,' he'd teased.
'Ooh, you...!' she laughed, gripping his hand all the more tightly.
Twisting her around so that she was trapped against him he held her there. 'Admit it, you know I'm right.'
'Never,' she fought back, trying to escape from the iron lock of his arms. After a few halfhearted attempts she had laughed. 'Don't make me hurt you Adam.'
'Oh really? You think you could take me?' Leaning his head down to whisper, 'It looks like I've got you in a bit of a tight spot,' he'd been unprepared for what happened next.
Twisting in his arms so that she faced him, her arm bent behind her instead of in front, Emma had stopped short mere centimeters from his face, so close he could feel her breath hitting his face. Staring down at her Adam didn't know what had possessed him to close the distance between them but he had. And nothing had been the same since.
Two days later Emma had gone out on a mission to retrieve some New Mutants with Brennan and never returned.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
"I can't do it anymore, Adam!"
Taking a deep breath Adam looked up to face the young feral who was pacing the floor behind him. Her hands digging into her hips Shalimar was frustrated and Adam could understand where the frustration was coming from. It was getting more and more difficult for all of them, seeing Emma nearly every day and not being able to hug her, hold her close, and tell her how much they had missed her; how happy they were that she was alive. Since they'd seen her in the park everyone's excitement had grown to the point where it was becoming too difficult to keep it to themselves. More than once they had caught themselves just in the nick of time, the word already on their lips, all too ready to call her Emma instead of Eve.
"She's right Adam, we should say something."
Looking past the pacing woman Adam faced the two men who were lounging beyond her. "Brennan, we can't, not yet."
"But why? Maybe saying something will spark a memory," Jesse intervened.
"Or maybe it would push her even farther away!" Adam's patience was beginning to wear thin. "We lost her for two months because we thought she was dead, I'll be damned if we're going to lose her forever because we pushed her too fast." Pausing Adam pulled at the back of his neck. Softening his voice he continued. "I know this is hard on you, it's hard on all of us, but we have to be patient."
Silence fell as they took in his words and the appearance of the man who was usually so calm and collected; Shalimar's words ringing in their ears, 'He loved her.' Sitting on the stairs in the main room Adam put his head into his hands, exhausted both mental, physically, and emotionally. Glancing at each other the three friends realized how hard it was on Adam, even harder for him than it was for them.
"So," Jesse began, folding and refolding his arms nervously. "When are we gonna show them the Sanctuary?"
"I don't know yet. I've completed the background checks on almost all of them. So far their stories check out. Mixy is a feral whose brother was killed a few years ago when the GSA tried to recruit him. Jackie is an elemental who is an ex dancer. She did some time in a State Juvenile Hall for petty theft. Pete doesn't have any sort of a record, he co-owns the club with Mixy. He appears to have exceedingly fast rejuvenating capabilities and an almost impenetrable immune system."
"So what's the problem?"
"It's Eric." Shaking his head Adam stood to pace the floor while he thought. "I can't find any information that's out of place with the story he told us about his life but it all seems..." Sighing he folded his arms, glaring at the floor while he concentrated. "It just seems like he's repeating it from memory."
"Well it was his life," Brennan pointed out. "He should have it memorized."
"No, not like this. The words that he used, the sentences that he said; it was an exact duplicate of the records I found in the system. It's as though he read and memorized the records."
"What are you saying Adam?" Shalimar asked him.
"I'm not sure, I just don't trust him."
Staring at him Shalimar realized what he wasn't saying. "You don't think he'd be hurting Emma... do you?"
Closing his eyes for a moment Adam was silent.
"Adam?" Jesse pressed.
Shaking his head he tried to think of how he could say what he thought without worrying them any farther.
"Adam!" they all cried in unison, their voices filled with worry and concern.
Raising his eyes to meet them, "I'm not sure. Why is she the only one to receive a shot on a weekly basis? I need to find out what is in that injection. He claims it's for the headaches but I have yet to see any sign, even the smallest twinge of a headache on Emma's part. That's what I want you to do, stick with Emma, at least one of you at all times. If he gives her an injection try to get the syringe afterwards. If you can't get that then get me some of her blood, the sooner the better. We have to find out what's in that injection."
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
She could almost see his face.
This man that she knew, that she loved. She knew now that she did love him, with all her heart. He was holding her, telling her everything would be okay. 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. She knew it was important; it was they key to unlocking the entire puzzle.
If only she could figure it out.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Sitting in the middle of the water garden Eve's back was straight, her legs crossed and hands facing up as she meditated on the dream she had woken up from only a few moments ago. Every night for months now it had been the same dream, the same faceless people. Trying to recapture it she had headed down to the garden for some meditation. One of the new people, Jesse had already been in the garden but he left her alone, continuing his own stretching exercises. Eyes closed, picturing the dream she knew as well as the back of her hand, she could hear Eric the moment he opened the door.
Descending the stairs he headed straight towards her, Jackie by his side. "Eve, its time for your medical. You were supposed to come see me last night, why didn't you?"
"I was busy," she replied, her eyes still closed. Though her tone was friendly Eve's heart cringed at his presence. Despite all the good that he was doing for the team there was something about him that Eve just didn't trust. She couldn't put her finger on it, couldn't name or date it, but it was there and it refused to go away.
"Well, let's go," he shot back. "I need to get to you before the headaches do."
"Hey guys," Pete called from the stairs. "Emergency Pow-Wow in the office, you all gotta come."
Getting up from her place on the ground Eve turned to leave when Eric grabbed her arm. Jesse moved to stand behind her and, glancing over Eve's head, Eric released her arm at the sight of the young man's menacing glare. Walking up the stairs and through the hallways the four people approached the office. Jesse entering first, Jackie behind him, Eric held Eve back. "Let's go, Eve,"
"Let go of me, Eric," she cried, wrenching her arm from his grasp and entering the office even as she spoke. "I've decided to stop the injections."
"You can't," he said, grabbing her arms once more as they stood in the middle of the office. "The headaches will start up again and you'll be in too much pain to do anything."
Sighing she removed her arm one more time from his grasp and turned to face him. Though he towered a good foot over her she glared up at him with a clear gaze. "I said no, Eric. I'm through taking the injections. If I'm going to have to deal with the headaches then I want to deal with them on my own. I refuse to live a life dependant on drugs."
"You don't know what you're talking about," he began.
Cutting him off Eve held up her hand to silence him. "I've made my decision Eric, there's nothing more to talk about."
"Mixy, tell her," he said turning to the head of the team. Eric could tell he'd get no farther with Eve and appealed to the higher authority.
"I'm sorry, Eric. Eve and I have already talked about this and I've decided to abide by her decision. Do whatever you can to help her, but no more injections."
"You don't know what you're doing!" he yelled. "I am trying to help you Eve!" Letting him yell Eve turned her back and stared out the window, she'd have no further part in this conversation. "You'll come crying to me when the pain gets to be too much, Eve. I just hope its not too late by the time you realize I was right."
Watching him storm from the office Eve sat down in the nearest chair. Only then did she realize that there were other people in the room. Smiling weakly at Adam, Shalimar, Brennan and Jesse she sat back with a sigh, folding her arms over her chest and staring out at nothing.
"He's right, Eve," Jackie said suddenly. "He's trying to help you and your not being fair."
"Jackie..." Mixy said, trying to stop the woman from coming to the defense of her boyfriend over her friend. "It's still Eve's decision."
"Well it's wrong!" Turning to face Eve Jackie fought for the man she loved. "Eric has done nothing but help you and you turn on him like some ungrateful little witch."
Her attention taken Eve stood and stared at Jackie. "Excuse me?" she cried in disbelief.
"You heard me! He has spent hours taking care of you and you just turn on him when it suits you!"
"Hey, hang on here girls," Pete tried to interfere before things got out of control.
"Shut up, Pete!" Jackie cried, cutting him off. "I am so sick of your attitude, Eve. Everything is always about you! You came on board and you started making changes to everything! Suddenly nothing we do is good enough and we have to change to suit you!"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about! Eve wants the job at the bar... she gets it. You wanted your water garden and you got it. You wanted in on the team; you got it. You want to make changes to our computer system; you got it. Whatever Eve wants Eve gets!" Jackie yelled, her frustrations coming to the fore.
Silence fell, the occupants of the office staring at the two women in disbelief. Mutant X watched the pair nervously, wondering if this would come to blows, while Mixy and Pete just stared in incomprehension. They'd never seen Jackie loose her temper with Eve so quickly. Her jaw twitching Eve stared back at Jackie.
"You think I get everything I want?" she began, her voice low but steely. "You think I can just snap my fingers and get whatever I want, is that it?" Taking a step closer to Jackie Eve pointed a finger at herself. "I can never get what I want, Jackie! No one can give me what I really want!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jackie demanded.
"What do I want?" Eve's eyes were wide, anger and pain filling them. "I want to know who my parents are. I want to know if I have any brothers or sisters. What kind of music do I like? What's my favorite food? What vegetable do I hate? Do I have a car or an apartment somewhere? How about a job, where do I work? Do I have friends outside of the three of you? Where did I live? Which do I like better, skirts or pants? What the hell is my favorite color, Jackie?"
With each point Eve took a step closer to Jackie, her voice raising with each question, hands flailing, finger pointing, eyes tearing until the tears were rolling down her cheeks in a torrential downpour.
"But you know what?" she said softly, her anger suddenly gone as though someone had flipped a switch. Sadness and pain filled her face as her voice broke with tears. "None of that matters. I could care less if I never find any of that out because in the end it doesn't matter. There is only one thing that I want," she whispered, "And I'll never get it."
"What do you want, Eve?" Mixy asked softly, a tear resting on the lash of her dark eyes. "Tell us what you want."
Eve's face crumpled with tears. "I just want to go home," she sobbed. Overcome with the weight of her emotions Eve stumbled into Jackie's arms, the young woman all too ready to catch her friend, sorry for all the pain she had caused by her earlier outburst. Holding her Eve close as she sobbed Jackie stroked her hair softly, apologizing for everything she had said.
"I'm so sorry, Eve," she cried. "I'm so sorry." Hugging Eve close tears fell from Jackie's eyes. "You do such a good job of hiding your pain that I forget the hell you've been living through. I'm so sorry, honey."
From his seat on the couch, watching the women before him Adam realized that the time was here. It was time to finally speak up. His heart breaking at the sight of her tears and pain he cleared his throat. "It's blue," he said, his eyes never leaving her tear-stained face. All eyes turned to him, unsure of what he was talking about. "Your favorite color is blue. You always said that it reminded you of a clear sky and a good day. That no matter what was going on, nothing really bad would ever happen on a day when the sky was blue."
Still crying Eve looked up at Adam in confusion. "How...?"
"You prefer skirts," Shalimar said, taking Adam's cue. "You like the way they make you feel, but you wear pants if you know you might run into the GSA because they're easier to fight in."
Meeting Shalimar's face Eve saw the tears in the ferals eyes.
"Carrot's," Jesse spoke next. "You hate them cooked but you love them raw. Every time someone gives you cooked carrots you'll swallow them whole and make a face because you don't like the texture when they're cooked."
Confused, shocked, bewildered, Eve stared at the fair-haired young man.
"If you can dance to the music, you like it," Brennan said next. "You really don't have a favorite genre of music. All you care about is if it has a beat you can dance to. You love to dance."
Staring wide eyed at the four people she'd only met a few weeks ago Eve was struck speechless. They were answering her questions. She didn't know if the answers were right or not, but they were giving her answers. "How do you know those things?" she whispered breathlessly.
Adam smiled at her and sat forward a little in his seat. "Because we know you." Pointing to her ring, "That ring you're wearing, it's not just a ring. It's a communication device, a comm. link. We all have one." Raising his hand to show her his ring, the other three following suit; his eyes never left hers. "That's how I was able to talk to you in the car that day." Her eyes widened even farther at the reminder of that day. "The poem was by Edgar Allen Poe. You don't really care for his work as a while but you do like that one poem because..."
"It's me," she finished for him, unsure of how she knew that, staring at the man who had given her the answers she'd wished for every day for three months.
From the back of her mind a small bubble rose to the surface, a memory breaking through the barrier between her life now and her life then. But with the memory came the pain. Gasping at the suddenness of it Eve closed her eyes and doubled over, her hands coming up to cradle her head. She could hear Jackie calling to her but the pain was too great to answer. From the distance she heard someone screaming, realizing it was she when her throat grew painfully sore. Over her she could see Jackie and Mixy, they were talking to her but she could barely hear them.
"Eve!" Mixy cried. Looking up to Pete she pleaded with him. "What do we do?"
"Eric," Jackie cried. "He's still downstairs in The Haven, he can help!"
"But Eve said..."
"She needs it, Mixy!" Pete cried.
Looking down at her friend, the pain forcing screams from her mouth and filling the air. Nodding she turned her full attention to Eve while Jackie ran off to get Eric before it was too late. Realization dawned in Eve's eyes and she shook her head. "No!" she cried. "No, Mixy no!"
"Eve, you're in pain! It will help, Eric will help!"
"No!" she cried. "Not Eric!"
Struggling to get away when she saw Eric approaching, uncapping a needle as he walked, Eve was pinned down by Mixy, Pete, and Jackie. Twisting and straining to get away Eve saw Adam and the others trying to calm her down. He could tell she was in pain and Adam needed to stop it but before he could do anything they had called for Eric and the man was approaching with a syringe filled with the tannish liquid.
"No!" Eve screamed. "I don't want it! Not Eric! Not Eric!" she cried, terror and pain filling her eyes at the sight of the approaching man. Even as he kneeled next to her she continued to fight. Twisting her body, trying to get away, the pain searing through her entire head and up and down her spinal cord she barely felt the prick of the needle. As the pressure of the injection entered her body another little bubble broke to the surface and Eve grasped onto it like a drowning man would a float. "Not Eric! I want Adam!" she cried.
Looking to the dark haired, dark eyed, older man kneeling next to her she was horrified that she hadn't recognized the man she loved before this moment. "Adam! Please!" she cried.
But it was too late.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Adam was sitting at the bar of the Hurricane, the beat pounding into his ears, watching the dance floor. He'd come to meet with the four friends again, to iron out some details of their joining forces but he'd been sure to come early with the rest of his team to give them some time to unwind. Sipping at his beer he looked around at the club, the people, and wondered where Eve was. He'd already spoken with the other three, Jackie, Pete and Mixy, but Eve hadn't shown up yet.
They hadn't mentioned anything to her yet about who she really was. It was hard on each of them to not pull the young woman into their arms; to hold her tight and tell her much they had all missed her. It was hard to see her, to be in the same room as her and to keep his mouth shut. But he would do it; he would suffer through the beginning to attain what he was seeking.
Emma.
Reaching for his beer Adam saw a commotion near the doorway as a small group of men threw a woman up onto their shoulders, parading her through the dance floor towards the bar. Over the already blaring music he heard Mixy riling up the crowd. "Hey all you freaks out there! Give it up for our BarGirl straight from the Garden of Eden, Eve! Watch out for them apples!"
Cheers and whistles rang out in the air as Eve jumped from their shoulders onto the bar. The music in the air shifted to a faster beat and Eve pulled Mixy up onto the bar with her. Together the two young women began to dance atop the bar, bending and swaying, twisting and turning to the beat of the music. Never before had Adam seen Emma dance the way she was atop the bar. He'd seen her out dancing before but never with the freedom she displayed tonight. Adam couldn't help but wonder if it was a result of her loosing whatever had inhibited Emma or if it was the life that Eve had been leading for the last two and a half months.
When the song was over the crowd erupted with cheer as Eve and Mixy jumped down from the bar. Laughing they each reached for a shot and downed it before disappearing into the dance floor, chatting to each other. Scanning the crowds he saw them climbing the stairs and disappear into the office on the third floor. The beer forgotten Adam made his way through the crowds, his team falling in step behind him as the too climbed the stairs to the office. Entering the large room they each took a seat and watched as one woman paced the floor while the other watched from the chair in the corner.
"Eve..."
"How could you, Mixy?"
"He's a nice guy!"
"I don't care!" she yelled, flinging her hands in the air.
"Woah, girl," Pete called to her as he entered the office behind Jackie. "What's wrong with Eve?"
"She just found out about Rick," Mixy replied.
"Aw, Mixy, you didn't?"
"I did..." she sighed.
"Who's Rick?" Jesse piped in, curious as to why she, would be so upset.
"One of Mixy's friends," Pete answered as he sat himself on the desk. "She tried to set him up with Eve."
"Which I have told her repeatedly that I do not want!" Eve pointed out.
"Why not? He is a great guy!" Mixy defended her friend. "I don't get you sometimes, Eve. You refuse to date anyone. There isn't a single guy who has approached you that you would consider for even half a second! What are you waiting for? You could have any guy you want!"
"I don't want just any guy!" Eve cried, facing Mixy.
"Then what do you want?" she yelled back, frustrated at the side of her friend the feral couldn't figure out.
"I want him!"
Putting her hand over her mouth Eve stared at Mixy with wide eyes. What had she just said? Him? Staring at Mixy, she staring back, the room was silent after her outburst, each one staring at her. "Eve?"
"I..." she didn't know what to say.
"Do you remember somebody?" Jackie asked softly from her seat.
"I don't know... not exactly. Not a person, not a name, just... things, feelings mostly." Brow drawn in confusion her pacing became less frustrated and more thoughtful, her arms wrapped around herself. "He... He's kind and... And he... he's smart. He's so smart Mixy, he's a genius!" Sighing she raised her eyes to the ceiling, caught up in her feelings of the little bit she could remember. "No matter what happened, no matter what I was going through... I always knew that so long as I was with him, near him... that he would make everything okay. He took care of everything, of everyone. He made me feel safe."
A tear drifted down her cheek as Eve realized, "And I can't even remember his name."
Needing to leave before she lost control Eve fled the office, running down the hallways and stairwell, through the dance floor until she was at the door that would lead to her Haven. Collapsing onto a bench in her water garden she fought her tears as best she could, hardening the wall that she had built around the confusion, fear and pain of the life she didn't know.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
The stars were still shining brightly in the sky as Adam walked along the shores of the beach. The Double Helix was cloaked a little ways away, hidden from view even though there was no one around to see it. He needed some time alone, away from everyone else; he needed to think. Since Emma, 'Eve' he reminded himself, had fled the club office last night Adam's mind had been a jumble of conflicting thoughts. Did he tell her? Did he keep it to himself until she began to remember more of her life as Emma instead of Eve? Sitting in that office, listening to her describe a man she couldn't remember, it had taken all of Adams will power and self control to keep quiet. Every time he saw her it got more and more difficult to do so, to see her and let her think he was nothing more than a new friend.
No one had known.
They had only just figured it out themselves. Adam had to smile when he thought about it. It had happened in such an absurd way. They had been sitting in the lab, arguing over a hypothetical treatment for an equally hypothetical disease. She had declared that in this particular hypothetical case, the cure was worse than the disease but he had disagreed, arguing the opposite. Finally, after hours of debating the issue back and forth she stood and dug into the pocket of her skirt.
'I'll flip you for it,' she'd smiled producing a small coin. 'Winner is declared right and the looser has to admit it in whatever way the winner decrees.'
'You're on,' he'd grinned back. The odds had been good; a fifty-fifty split down the middle. Emma had flipped the coin, he calling heads and she tails. What had happened next Adam still had to laugh about. The small coin had landed and spun around before stopping still on its edge, standing completely upright. Staring at the coin in disbelief they had looked up at each other and laughed. 'What now?' Adam had asked when they'd finally stopped laughing.
'A compromise,' Emma answered. 'I agree that for some people the disease is worse than the cure if you agree that for others the cure is worse than the disease.'
Extending his hand Adam had smiled, 'I can live with that.' Taking his hand they shook on it but just before releasing her hand he'd added, 'My side just happens to have more people,' he'd teased.
'Ooh, you...!' she laughed, gripping his hand all the more tightly.
Twisting her around so that she was trapped against him he held her there. 'Admit it, you know I'm right.'
'Never,' she fought back, trying to escape from the iron lock of his arms. After a few halfhearted attempts she had laughed. 'Don't make me hurt you Adam.'
'Oh really? You think you could take me?' Leaning his head down to whisper, 'It looks like I've got you in a bit of a tight spot,' he'd been unprepared for what happened next.
Twisting in his arms so that she faced him, her arm bent behind her instead of in front, Emma had stopped short mere centimeters from his face, so close he could feel her breath hitting his face. Staring down at her Adam didn't know what had possessed him to close the distance between them but he had. And nothing had been the same since.
Two days later Emma had gone out on a mission to retrieve some New Mutants with Brennan and never returned.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
"I can't do it anymore, Adam!"
Taking a deep breath Adam looked up to face the young feral who was pacing the floor behind him. Her hands digging into her hips Shalimar was frustrated and Adam could understand where the frustration was coming from. It was getting more and more difficult for all of them, seeing Emma nearly every day and not being able to hug her, hold her close, and tell her how much they had missed her; how happy they were that she was alive. Since they'd seen her in the park everyone's excitement had grown to the point where it was becoming too difficult to keep it to themselves. More than once they had caught themselves just in the nick of time, the word already on their lips, all too ready to call her Emma instead of Eve.
"She's right Adam, we should say something."
Looking past the pacing woman Adam faced the two men who were lounging beyond her. "Brennan, we can't, not yet."
"But why? Maybe saying something will spark a memory," Jesse intervened.
"Or maybe it would push her even farther away!" Adam's patience was beginning to wear thin. "We lost her for two months because we thought she was dead, I'll be damned if we're going to lose her forever because we pushed her too fast." Pausing Adam pulled at the back of his neck. Softening his voice he continued. "I know this is hard on you, it's hard on all of us, but we have to be patient."
Silence fell as they took in his words and the appearance of the man who was usually so calm and collected; Shalimar's words ringing in their ears, 'He loved her.' Sitting on the stairs in the main room Adam put his head into his hands, exhausted both mental, physically, and emotionally. Glancing at each other the three friends realized how hard it was on Adam, even harder for him than it was for them.
"So," Jesse began, folding and refolding his arms nervously. "When are we gonna show them the Sanctuary?"
"I don't know yet. I've completed the background checks on almost all of them. So far their stories check out. Mixy is a feral whose brother was killed a few years ago when the GSA tried to recruit him. Jackie is an elemental who is an ex dancer. She did some time in a State Juvenile Hall for petty theft. Pete doesn't have any sort of a record, he co-owns the club with Mixy. He appears to have exceedingly fast rejuvenating capabilities and an almost impenetrable immune system."
"So what's the problem?"
"It's Eric." Shaking his head Adam stood to pace the floor while he thought. "I can't find any information that's out of place with the story he told us about his life but it all seems..." Sighing he folded his arms, glaring at the floor while he concentrated. "It just seems like he's repeating it from memory."
"Well it was his life," Brennan pointed out. "He should have it memorized."
"No, not like this. The words that he used, the sentences that he said; it was an exact duplicate of the records I found in the system. It's as though he read and memorized the records."
"What are you saying Adam?" Shalimar asked him.
"I'm not sure, I just don't trust him."
Staring at him Shalimar realized what he wasn't saying. "You don't think he'd be hurting Emma... do you?"
Closing his eyes for a moment Adam was silent.
"Adam?" Jesse pressed.
Shaking his head he tried to think of how he could say what he thought without worrying them any farther.
"Adam!" they all cried in unison, their voices filled with worry and concern.
Raising his eyes to meet them, "I'm not sure. Why is she the only one to receive a shot on a weekly basis? I need to find out what is in that injection. He claims it's for the headaches but I have yet to see any sign, even the smallest twinge of a headache on Emma's part. That's what I want you to do, stick with Emma, at least one of you at all times. If he gives her an injection try to get the syringe afterwards. If you can't get that then get me some of her blood, the sooner the better. We have to find out what's in that injection."
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
She could almost see his face.
This man that she knew, that she loved. She knew now that she did love him, with all her heart. He was holding her, telling her everything would be okay. 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. She knew it was important; it was they key to unlocking the entire puzzle.
If only she could figure it out.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Sitting in the middle of the water garden Eve's back was straight, her legs crossed and hands facing up as she meditated on the dream she had woken up from only a few moments ago. Every night for months now it had been the same dream, the same faceless people. Trying to recapture it she had headed down to the garden for some meditation. One of the new people, Jesse had already been in the garden but he left her alone, continuing his own stretching exercises. Eyes closed, picturing the dream she knew as well as the back of her hand, she could hear Eric the moment he opened the door.
Descending the stairs he headed straight towards her, Jackie by his side. "Eve, its time for your medical. You were supposed to come see me last night, why didn't you?"
"I was busy," she replied, her eyes still closed. Though her tone was friendly Eve's heart cringed at his presence. Despite all the good that he was doing for the team there was something about him that Eve just didn't trust. She couldn't put her finger on it, couldn't name or date it, but it was there and it refused to go away.
"Well, let's go," he shot back. "I need to get to you before the headaches do."
"Hey guys," Pete called from the stairs. "Emergency Pow-Wow in the office, you all gotta come."
Getting up from her place on the ground Eve turned to leave when Eric grabbed her arm. Jesse moved to stand behind her and, glancing over Eve's head, Eric released her arm at the sight of the young man's menacing glare. Walking up the stairs and through the hallways the four people approached the office. Jesse entering first, Jackie behind him, Eric held Eve back. "Let's go, Eve,"
"Let go of me, Eric," she cried, wrenching her arm from his grasp and entering the office even as she spoke. "I've decided to stop the injections."
"You can't," he said, grabbing her arms once more as they stood in the middle of the office. "The headaches will start up again and you'll be in too much pain to do anything."
Sighing she removed her arm one more time from his grasp and turned to face him. Though he towered a good foot over her she glared up at him with a clear gaze. "I said no, Eric. I'm through taking the injections. If I'm going to have to deal with the headaches then I want to deal with them on my own. I refuse to live a life dependant on drugs."
"You don't know what you're talking about," he began.
Cutting him off Eve held up her hand to silence him. "I've made my decision Eric, there's nothing more to talk about."
"Mixy, tell her," he said turning to the head of the team. Eric could tell he'd get no farther with Eve and appealed to the higher authority.
"I'm sorry, Eric. Eve and I have already talked about this and I've decided to abide by her decision. Do whatever you can to help her, but no more injections."
"You don't know what you're doing!" he yelled. "I am trying to help you Eve!" Letting him yell Eve turned her back and stared out the window, she'd have no further part in this conversation. "You'll come crying to me when the pain gets to be too much, Eve. I just hope its not too late by the time you realize I was right."
Watching him storm from the office Eve sat down in the nearest chair. Only then did she realize that there were other people in the room. Smiling weakly at Adam, Shalimar, Brennan and Jesse she sat back with a sigh, folding her arms over her chest and staring out at nothing.
"He's right, Eve," Jackie said suddenly. "He's trying to help you and your not being fair."
"Jackie..." Mixy said, trying to stop the woman from coming to the defense of her boyfriend over her friend. "It's still Eve's decision."
"Well it's wrong!" Turning to face Eve Jackie fought for the man she loved. "Eric has done nothing but help you and you turn on him like some ungrateful little witch."
Her attention taken Eve stood and stared at Jackie. "Excuse me?" she cried in disbelief.
"You heard me! He has spent hours taking care of you and you just turn on him when it suits you!"
"Hey, hang on here girls," Pete tried to interfere before things got out of control.
"Shut up, Pete!" Jackie cried, cutting him off. "I am so sick of your attitude, Eve. Everything is always about you! You came on board and you started making changes to everything! Suddenly nothing we do is good enough and we have to change to suit you!"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about! Eve wants the job at the bar... she gets it. You wanted your water garden and you got it. You wanted in on the team; you got it. You want to make changes to our computer system; you got it. Whatever Eve wants Eve gets!" Jackie yelled, her frustrations coming to the fore.
Silence fell, the occupants of the office staring at the two women in disbelief. Mutant X watched the pair nervously, wondering if this would come to blows, while Mixy and Pete just stared in incomprehension. They'd never seen Jackie loose her temper with Eve so quickly. Her jaw twitching Eve stared back at Jackie.
"You think I get everything I want?" she began, her voice low but steely. "You think I can just snap my fingers and get whatever I want, is that it?" Taking a step closer to Jackie Eve pointed a finger at herself. "I can never get what I want, Jackie! No one can give me what I really want!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jackie demanded.
"What do I want?" Eve's eyes were wide, anger and pain filling them. "I want to know who my parents are. I want to know if I have any brothers or sisters. What kind of music do I like? What's my favorite food? What vegetable do I hate? Do I have a car or an apartment somewhere? How about a job, where do I work? Do I have friends outside of the three of you? Where did I live? Which do I like better, skirts or pants? What the hell is my favorite color, Jackie?"
With each point Eve took a step closer to Jackie, her voice raising with each question, hands flailing, finger pointing, eyes tearing until the tears were rolling down her cheeks in a torrential downpour.
"But you know what?" she said softly, her anger suddenly gone as though someone had flipped a switch. Sadness and pain filled her face as her voice broke with tears. "None of that matters. I could care less if I never find any of that out because in the end it doesn't matter. There is only one thing that I want," she whispered, "And I'll never get it."
"What do you want, Eve?" Mixy asked softly, a tear resting on the lash of her dark eyes. "Tell us what you want."
Eve's face crumpled with tears. "I just want to go home," she sobbed. Overcome with the weight of her emotions Eve stumbled into Jackie's arms, the young woman all too ready to catch her friend, sorry for all the pain she had caused by her earlier outburst. Holding her Eve close as she sobbed Jackie stroked her hair softly, apologizing for everything she had said.
"I'm so sorry, Eve," she cried. "I'm so sorry." Hugging Eve close tears fell from Jackie's eyes. "You do such a good job of hiding your pain that I forget the hell you've been living through. I'm so sorry, honey."
From his seat on the couch, watching the women before him Adam realized that the time was here. It was time to finally speak up. His heart breaking at the sight of her tears and pain he cleared his throat. "It's blue," he said, his eyes never leaving her tear-stained face. All eyes turned to him, unsure of what he was talking about. "Your favorite color is blue. You always said that it reminded you of a clear sky and a good day. That no matter what was going on, nothing really bad would ever happen on a day when the sky was blue."
Still crying Eve looked up at Adam in confusion. "How...?"
"You prefer skirts," Shalimar said, taking Adam's cue. "You like the way they make you feel, but you wear pants if you know you might run into the GSA because they're easier to fight in."
Meeting Shalimar's face Eve saw the tears in the ferals eyes.
"Carrot's," Jesse spoke next. "You hate them cooked but you love them raw. Every time someone gives you cooked carrots you'll swallow them whole and make a face because you don't like the texture when they're cooked."
Confused, shocked, bewildered, Eve stared at the fair-haired young man.
"If you can dance to the music, you like it," Brennan said next. "You really don't have a favorite genre of music. All you care about is if it has a beat you can dance to. You love to dance."
Staring wide eyed at the four people she'd only met a few weeks ago Eve was struck speechless. They were answering her questions. She didn't know if the answers were right or not, but they were giving her answers. "How do you know those things?" she whispered breathlessly.
Adam smiled at her and sat forward a little in his seat. "Because we know you." Pointing to her ring, "That ring you're wearing, it's not just a ring. It's a communication device, a comm. link. We all have one." Raising his hand to show her his ring, the other three following suit; his eyes never left hers. "That's how I was able to talk to you in the car that day." Her eyes widened even farther at the reminder of that day. "The poem was by Edgar Allen Poe. You don't really care for his work as a while but you do like that one poem because..."
"It's me," she finished for him, unsure of how she knew that, staring at the man who had given her the answers she'd wished for every day for three months.
From the back of her mind a small bubble rose to the surface, a memory breaking through the barrier between her life now and her life then. But with the memory came the pain. Gasping at the suddenness of it Eve closed her eyes and doubled over, her hands coming up to cradle her head. She could hear Jackie calling to her but the pain was too great to answer. From the distance she heard someone screaming, realizing it was she when her throat grew painfully sore. Over her she could see Jackie and Mixy, they were talking to her but she could barely hear them.
"Eve!" Mixy cried. Looking up to Pete she pleaded with him. "What do we do?"
"Eric," Jackie cried. "He's still downstairs in The Haven, he can help!"
"But Eve said..."
"She needs it, Mixy!" Pete cried.
Looking down at her friend, the pain forcing screams from her mouth and filling the air. Nodding she turned her full attention to Eve while Jackie ran off to get Eric before it was too late. Realization dawned in Eve's eyes and she shook her head. "No!" she cried. "No, Mixy no!"
"Eve, you're in pain! It will help, Eric will help!"
"No!" she cried. "Not Eric!"
Struggling to get away when she saw Eric approaching, uncapping a needle as he walked, Eve was pinned down by Mixy, Pete, and Jackie. Twisting and straining to get away Eve saw Adam and the others trying to calm her down. He could tell she was in pain and Adam needed to stop it but before he could do anything they had called for Eric and the man was approaching with a syringe filled with the tannish liquid.
"No!" Eve screamed. "I don't want it! Not Eric! Not Eric!" she cried, terror and pain filling her eyes at the sight of the approaching man. Even as he kneeled next to her she continued to fight. Twisting her body, trying to get away, the pain searing through her entire head and up and down her spinal cord she barely felt the prick of the needle. As the pressure of the injection entered her body another little bubble broke to the surface and Eve grasped onto it like a drowning man would a float. "Not Eric! I want Adam!" she cried.
Looking to the dark haired, dark eyed, older man kneeling next to her she was horrified that she hadn't recognized the man she loved before this moment. "Adam! Please!" she cried.
But it was too late.
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