That One Little Thing
Disclaimer: M-X, Don't own them. Enjoy!
Brennnen Mulray was far more complicated than he projected to be. After nearly three years, Jesse knew this to be a solid fact. The ego he projected only covered the good guy surviving the rough days of his youth. Now, the man was in a desperate search for peace, in his mind and in the world. No doubt the forced battles with Lexa were not helping him. "So, what do you think it is?"
Brennen looked up form the controls, obviously pulled from his thoughts. "What?"
"This 'new' Genomax." Jesse replied with gesturing fingers. "What do you think they're working on?"
The elemental pushed a hand through his short hair, while dark eyes focused onto the screen. "I don't know, but my gut tells me its' bad."
"Same here."
"Eckhart may have been the super brain, but Thorne,,," the man's voice drifted at the thought of his former adversary. The last time he him, the man was running from an electric charge with his name on it. "Thorne is devious. He knows what he does and enjoys it. That bastard's up to no good."
"You and Emma got to know him pretty well, huh." The words spilled from Jesse's lips before he could stop. Any mention of their former teammate seemed to cast a shadow on Brennen. They had been family long before Mutant X ever came into the picture. "Sorry."
"For what, Jess? Her name isn't taboo or anything. I'm just glad she isn't around, now I can deal with that bastard like I should have."
Jesse's brow contorted in question. "What stopped you?"
That look on the darker man's face said it all. His smile spread too easily and the danger almost glowed from him. "Shalimar."
"Ah, you too first met then. "
"Yep. She was a fox."
The men sat back joking about their earlier days. This was how it was for them. Two brothers finally bonded after enduring so much. It carried them over the endless skies of the city, keeping them ready for what was out there.
"You've done well." The older man said, as he circled the laboratory in patient steps. His hands folded behind him in study of the machinery. "How long do we have to wait?"
"Another twenty-four hours."
Thorne looked up at his scientist. The man though a junkie to his work, felt the weight of reality on his shoulders. His brunette head begged to hang in realization. "God will never forgive me for this." He said under his breath. The words were nothing new to his lips.
"I want to be notified when the time is up, doctor." Thorne placed a hand on the sapphire glass, and peered in. Between the functional beeps and humming of the computers around him, he could see the movement inside. "You come and let me know personally, then we complete our deal."
"Twenty-four hours." He repeated again.
Thorne walked to the door, before turning. "I'll leave you to your work. You are a genius, Adam."
The man's head rose, guilt lined the aging of his face in torment. "Twenty-four hours." Dr. Kane in his heart begged for forgiveness, from God, and more importantly from his 'children'. They would never handle what was waiting for them. After Thorne left, he walked back over to the chamber, checking the status of his 'subject'. In his heart, there was time. Twenty-four hours would be enough to make it right.
"Are you guys there?" Lexa buzzed over the COMM link. Jesse watched as Brennen's eyes rolled.
"We're here, Lex. What's up?"
"We got something. " her voice held a shakiness never heard by either one of them.
"Is someone crying?" Brennen asked, straining his ear to the sounds of the COMM system. "What's happening over there?"
"We got a message from someone inside Genomax."
"A distress signal." Jesse added.
"Who is it?" Brennen continued. Now he did recognize the sniffling. "Shal?" he whispered, though loud enough for Jesse to hear. "Lex, what's going on?"
"The signal was from Adam." She replied, her hand gripping that of the shaking feral.
"Genomax had Adam's ring, remember?" The elemental interrupted. "It's how they lured us out after Naxcon."
"No." She replied. "It was Adam who sent the signal. He used one of his secure channels.
"So, he's inside Genomax." Brennen snorted. No fuckin' surprise there." Shalimar's heightened sniffling made him resent his words.
"He's being held there." The feral managed in a broken tone. "They've had him all along."
"You two have to go in and get him." Lexa said.
"We're on it." Jesse replied.
"No way." Brennen interrupted.
"Brennen, you have to." Shalimar nearly begged.
"Shal, I'm sorry. He's been there this long, supposedly against his will and sends out a signal now. If it wasn't Adam, I could believe it. But he's too resourceful."
"Brennen, think about this." The molecular said, before turning to him.
"Oh, I've thought about this every night for the past few months. Every time that Shalimar broke down or you got drunk over Emma. Every time I stepped in that Lab, thinking Adam was there. It was easy for us to believe he survived, because there's no way he would let himself die in that explosion- and he should have."
"Don't say that." Shalimar pleaded.
"Tell that to Emma." The man snapped. "His ass can rot in that place. Let go of him just the way he let go of her."
"I'll put it this way." Lexa interjected. "You two have been ordered to go in and get him out by the Dominion. His message told us you have less than twenty-four hours. You don't have a choice, Brennen."
"Like I give a damn."
"Brennen." Jesse said after cutting the link so the girls wouldn't hear. "Do this for Shalimar." Immediately, his face softened at the mention of her name. Jesse knew his 'brother' would walk through hell for her. "She needs the closure. Give her that much."
"Alright." He replied. "Get Lex to download us the info. We'll bust into Genomax-again."
In the safety of his lab, Adam smiled. His steps carried him over to the generator, a large hand pressing gently onto the glass. "They're coming." He grinned into the window. "Soon, everything will be alright."
Inside, a small hand opened and closed aimlessly, intrigued by the action of it's own fingers. The older man smiled as he walked away. There wasn't much time to get ready at all.
Disclaimer: M-X, Don't own them. Enjoy!
Brennnen Mulray was far more complicated than he projected to be. After nearly three years, Jesse knew this to be a solid fact. The ego he projected only covered the good guy surviving the rough days of his youth. Now, the man was in a desperate search for peace, in his mind and in the world. No doubt the forced battles with Lexa were not helping him. "So, what do you think it is?"
Brennen looked up form the controls, obviously pulled from his thoughts. "What?"
"This 'new' Genomax." Jesse replied with gesturing fingers. "What do you think they're working on?"
The elemental pushed a hand through his short hair, while dark eyes focused onto the screen. "I don't know, but my gut tells me its' bad."
"Same here."
"Eckhart may have been the super brain, but Thorne,,," the man's voice drifted at the thought of his former adversary. The last time he him, the man was running from an electric charge with his name on it. "Thorne is devious. He knows what he does and enjoys it. That bastard's up to no good."
"You and Emma got to know him pretty well, huh." The words spilled from Jesse's lips before he could stop. Any mention of their former teammate seemed to cast a shadow on Brennen. They had been family long before Mutant X ever came into the picture. "Sorry."
"For what, Jess? Her name isn't taboo or anything. I'm just glad she isn't around, now I can deal with that bastard like I should have."
Jesse's brow contorted in question. "What stopped you?"
That look on the darker man's face said it all. His smile spread too easily and the danger almost glowed from him. "Shalimar."
"Ah, you too first met then. "
"Yep. She was a fox."
The men sat back joking about their earlier days. This was how it was for them. Two brothers finally bonded after enduring so much. It carried them over the endless skies of the city, keeping them ready for what was out there.
"You've done well." The older man said, as he circled the laboratory in patient steps. His hands folded behind him in study of the machinery. "How long do we have to wait?"
"Another twenty-four hours."
Thorne looked up at his scientist. The man though a junkie to his work, felt the weight of reality on his shoulders. His brunette head begged to hang in realization. "God will never forgive me for this." He said under his breath. The words were nothing new to his lips.
"I want to be notified when the time is up, doctor." Thorne placed a hand on the sapphire glass, and peered in. Between the functional beeps and humming of the computers around him, he could see the movement inside. "You come and let me know personally, then we complete our deal."
"Twenty-four hours." He repeated again.
Thorne walked to the door, before turning. "I'll leave you to your work. You are a genius, Adam."
The man's head rose, guilt lined the aging of his face in torment. "Twenty-four hours." Dr. Kane in his heart begged for forgiveness, from God, and more importantly from his 'children'. They would never handle what was waiting for them. After Thorne left, he walked back over to the chamber, checking the status of his 'subject'. In his heart, there was time. Twenty-four hours would be enough to make it right.
"Are you guys there?" Lexa buzzed over the COMM link. Jesse watched as Brennen's eyes rolled.
"We're here, Lex. What's up?"
"We got something. " her voice held a shakiness never heard by either one of them.
"Is someone crying?" Brennen asked, straining his ear to the sounds of the COMM system. "What's happening over there?"
"We got a message from someone inside Genomax."
"A distress signal." Jesse added.
"Who is it?" Brennen continued. Now he did recognize the sniffling. "Shal?" he whispered, though loud enough for Jesse to hear. "Lex, what's going on?"
"The signal was from Adam." She replied, her hand gripping that of the shaking feral.
"Genomax had Adam's ring, remember?" The elemental interrupted. "It's how they lured us out after Naxcon."
"No." She replied. "It was Adam who sent the signal. He used one of his secure channels.
"So, he's inside Genomax." Brennen snorted. No fuckin' surprise there." Shalimar's heightened sniffling made him resent his words.
"He's being held there." The feral managed in a broken tone. "They've had him all along."
"You two have to go in and get him." Lexa said.
"We're on it." Jesse replied.
"No way." Brennen interrupted.
"Brennen, you have to." Shalimar nearly begged.
"Shal, I'm sorry. He's been there this long, supposedly against his will and sends out a signal now. If it wasn't Adam, I could believe it. But he's too resourceful."
"Brennen, think about this." The molecular said, before turning to him.
"Oh, I've thought about this every night for the past few months. Every time that Shalimar broke down or you got drunk over Emma. Every time I stepped in that Lab, thinking Adam was there. It was easy for us to believe he survived, because there's no way he would let himself die in that explosion- and he should have."
"Don't say that." Shalimar pleaded.
"Tell that to Emma." The man snapped. "His ass can rot in that place. Let go of him just the way he let go of her."
"I'll put it this way." Lexa interjected. "You two have been ordered to go in and get him out by the Dominion. His message told us you have less than twenty-four hours. You don't have a choice, Brennen."
"Like I give a damn."
"Brennen." Jesse said after cutting the link so the girls wouldn't hear. "Do this for Shalimar." Immediately, his face softened at the mention of her name. Jesse knew his 'brother' would walk through hell for her. "She needs the closure. Give her that much."
"Alright." He replied. "Get Lex to download us the info. We'll bust into Genomax-again."
In the safety of his lab, Adam smiled. His steps carried him over to the generator, a large hand pressing gently onto the glass. "They're coming." He grinned into the window. "Soon, everything will be alright."
Inside, a small hand opened and closed aimlessly, intrigued by the action of it's own fingers. The older man smiled as he walked away. There wasn't much time to get ready at all.