Blood Price - Chapter Three
Standing just inside the doorway Marla waited for Eckhart to call her forward the last few steps. With a simple look he requested her report.
"She's overcome with despair. In her mind she knows she had no choice but in her heart she hopes that somehow Mutant X will be able to rescue her. She knows they'll try and that more than likely they'll fail but she hopes it all the same. With the proper training she can be put to use in the field. I wouldn't trust her completely, not even after the training, but she will be able to do the work."
"What else did you find out?" Mason asked her with a calm demeanor.
"She's in love."
At that Eckhart raised his eyebrow. "And who is the boy so fortunate to have caught her heart?"
"No mere boy, Mr. Eckhart. She's in love with Adam."
Contemplating this little tidbit for a moment he motioned for her to leave, report done. Turning his chair around to stare out the window he thought over what he had just found out. Emma was in love with Adam. This could come in handy in her programming. Turning back around he called up a program on his computer and began to type. He would control her programming himself.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Sitting in the chair Emma looked around at the room she was being kept in, the stainless steel tables and chairs were antiseptically clean. Suddenly a commotion sounded in the hallways and she watched as Jesse ran by, Brennan behind him, neither one stopping when they heard her cries to them. A moment later Shalimar raced by, glancing in the window she flashed her eyes at Emma before running past, following the guys to the safety of the Double Helix.
Wide-eyed, unable to believe they would leave her at the GSA Emma saw Adam run into view. "Adam!" she screamed to him.
Pausing for a moment he stared through the window at her and saw the bonds that held her in place. Glancing off to the side for a moment he shook his head and ran off in the same direction as the others, GSA agents hot on his heels.
"Adam...?" she whimpered.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
In the middle of an empty park Emma saw her team heading towards her, determination in their pace, and she knew they were coming to take her home. Smiling at them she was unprepared for the first swing Shalimar threw. Ducking she barely managed to avoid the second and third ones. From the corner of her eyes she saw Brennan and Jesse fighting with the GSA Agents who were with her.
Facing off with Shalimar Emma called up ever tactic she could to get away, all the while trying to calm Shalimar down. "Shalimar, come on, it's me, Emma! I don't want to fight you!" she cried to her friend.
"Then you shouldn't have left Mutant X!" she growled back, landing a punch to Emma's jaw.
Falling to the ground the last thing she saw was Adam, walking away from her, calling his team to come with him. He was leaving her again.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
She was standing in the middle of an empty room. There was nothing in it except herself. Suddenly a door opened, one she hadn't seen before, and Adam entered the room. "Adam!" she cried to him.
She watched as he approached her, placing his hand on her shoulder, kissing her. While his lips were still on hers Emma suddenly felt a searing pain in her side. Looking down she saw Adam taking his hand away from the knife that has buried to the hilt in her side. Towering above her Adam watched as she fell to the floor, her life ebbing away with each drop. Just before she closed her eyes Emma watched him turn away and leave her to die on the floor.
In that same moment she saw Eckhart enter the room, picking her up and carrying her away to the safety of the labs where the doctors worked their magic to heal the wound Adam had caused. Mason had saved her life. Turning her head she stared at him as the doctor's worked. It was he who had saved her when Adam had simply walked away. It was he who had wanted her when Adam had not.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
The door slid open and Eckhart entered the control room of the programming unit. Watching Emma standing in the center of the ring, a device on her head to block out everything except what was being pumped into her mind, he turned to the technician. "Well?"
"She's progressing on schedule, Mr. Eckhart. The programs you designed are working perfectly. She should be ready in a few more days."
"Very well. Keep me informed."
"Yes sir."
Hearing the door slide shut behind his boss the technician prepared to load the next sequence of programs to be uploaded to the woman's brain.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
She found him in her room.
Opening the door Shalimar entered Emma's room to see Adam hunched down in the corner. Staring out at the picture on her desk he didn't notice the feral until she was kneeling next to him. Putting a soft hand on his arm she searched his eyes. There was so much pain and guilt, the likes of which she hadn't seen in his brown eyes since before he had started Mutant X.
"I failed her." He said after a moment, his eyes never leaving the smiling face of the woman in the middle of the group picture. "I promised Julie I would get Emma home but I couldn't. I failed her."
"Adam," she breathed.
She didn't know what to say. It had been months since Emma had gone with Eckhart and no one had any clue as to where she was. Adam's contact in the GSA had no information, the underground network hadn't heard about her; it was as if she had disappeared from the face of the earth. She was just gone.
"You don't think..." Shalimar couldn't bring herself to say it.
"No," he shook his head. "She's not dead. Jack's been reading her every now and then to make sure. He says there's been a change in her but he can't figure out what it is. All he does know for sure is that she's not dead."
"Then there's still hope," unwittingly echoing Jack's words to Adam from so long ago.
Loosing Emma had been hard on him; they all could see it. Had she died he could have grieved for her and eventually moved on but instead she had handed herself over to the devil incarnate. She was out there, somewhere, suffering who knew what torture, and he was powerless to help her. Adam's love for Emma had proven to be the thorn in his side, hampering everything he did. He couldn't spend endless hours in his lab anymore, the memory of his time with Emma proving to be too much to bear. His concentration had waned, everything he saw or did prodding some memory of the young woman to the fore making it impossible for him to focus.
Sitting in silence for a little while longer Adam closed his eyes and stood, trying to shake himself out of his stupor. "Did you need something Shalimar?"
She nodded. "Jesse says the GSA are on the move again. They're heading towards our area, he thinks they've found the safe house in the basement of City Hall."
"Then we'd better get going."
Walking through the corridors to the Double Helix they were in the air before Shalimar and Jesse could fill him in. "Brennan's already there, trying to clear everyone out. Thankfully there was only a few people there and he's getting them to safety. He'll meet us there when he's done."
"All right, when we get there I want you to seal off all the rooms, hide them behind a holo-field. If they've found it then they won't be able to find all of it," he instructed Jesse. "Shalimar I want you to stick with me. If things get hairy I'll need your skills."
"You got it Adam," they both replied to him.
Adam fell into silence; only half listening to them banter back and forth. Absent-mindedly he began twisting the ring on his pinky finger. He had taken to wearing Emma's Comm Ring on his pinky finger, swearing to himself that he would return it to her one day. Over the last few months he would twist it every time he thought about her, every time he was worried about something. It was a small reminder that she was still alive, a link to her that was all he had left.
The Double Helix set down and, after cloaking it, they made their way through the rain to City Hall. Down to the basement Adam unlocked the Janitor's room and crossed it to another door. Passing through that one he unlocked a third door and, entering a key sequence on the small electronic pad the three of them entered the safe house. Opening the door Adam jumped back when a bolt of electricity shot towards them, hitting the wall panel instead.
"Sorry Adam," Brennan called with a sheepish grin. "You caught me off guard."
"Apparently." Examining the panel Brennan had hit Adam frowned. "You fried the entry system. I'll have to get this repaired before we can use this safe house again."
Jesse sat himself down at the computer to begin setting up the holo-fields while Brennan told Adam what he'd done, where' he'd taken the hideaway's for now. As he was finishing the last room they all heard the sound of a pail being overturned. Turning around they saw GSA Agents entering the safe house. Quickly they sprang into action. By the time they had knocked out a few of them the rest of the agents had surrounded Mutant X, each one holding tazers in their hands. Before they could move to attack again another person entered the safe house.
"Emma," Adam whispered to himself, staring at the woman who walked around the outside of the circle.
Her eyes never left the leader of Mutant X as she walked around the circle of agents that had surrounded the team. Passing between two of the agents she approached the team in the center of the circle. Using her mutancy she forced them to their knees before turning to face on in particular. "Where are the New Mutants that you were hiding here?"
Looking up into her cold eyes Brennan knew that the Emma he had known wasn't here. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Staring at him Emma once more used her power. His skin feeling as though it were on fire Brennan cried out in pain against her abuse. After a moment she stopped and repeated her question. "What did you do with them?"
Breathing heavily, the memory of the pain still making him tremble, Brennan knew he couldn't tell her. "What makes you think I'm the one who would know?"
"You're dry," she said simply. "They're wet. You've been here longer. Where did you send them?"
"Sorry Em," he said, tossing a rebellious smile at her, trying to remind himself that she was working for the opposite side now.
Glaring at him Emma knew it would be pointless to cause him further pain. Closing her eyes for a moment, when she opened them it was Shalimar who screamed as, in her mind, thousands of knives buried themselves into her skin.
"Emma stop!" Adam yelled to her.
Her attention diverted by the sound of his voice the abuse of Shalimar ceased and the feral fell to the ground, still recovering from the pain of the mental attack. Moving to stand before Adam Emma stared down at him. She didn't do anything, didn't move, didn't speak; all she did was stare at the man she knew from somewhere, a small bug in the back of her mind nagging her to be noticed and set free. Turning on her heel suddenly Emma stalked away, calling to the agents who encircled them.
"Team A come with me. Team B, make it quick, the New Mutants aren't here and we have a limited time to catch them. Dispose of Mutant X and follow us to the next zone."
Four of the ten men followed Emma out the door while the other six enclosed on the team. Jesse and Adam made it to their feet first, Brennan next and a weakened Shalimar last. Angry, hurt, they fueled their emotions into the fists, using both hands and feet to take care of the agents that were left. When the last agent fell Jesse and Shalimar raced after Emma, to try and catch her while Brennan and Adam took the agents pictures and dragged them out into the hallway, sealing the safe house up behind them. It would be some time before it could be used again.
Hurrying up to the surface they saw their two team mates heading back to their position, dejection on their faces. "We lost her, Adam," Jesse shook his head.
With Shalimar between the two men the foursome made their way back to the Double Helix to try and find Emma and the other team before they made it to their next destination. Up in the air they hovered under cloak as Jesse made a scan of the area. In the back Adam did a scan of Shalimar only to determine what she kept insisting.
"I'm fine, it just hurt is all." She was silent for a moment before looking up at him. "I've never been on the receiving end of her power before Adam."
"I know."
"What happened to her? Why did she turn on us?"
Sighing he took a seat. He knew they were all listening, waiting for an answer. "Emma's been programmed. It's a system that Mason designed to help victims come to terms with what had happened to them. Only after he had designed hit he found out that the opposite was also true. He began to use it to 'convince' people to join him."
"It uploads images into the brain that become the main memories for that person. He can literally re-write the personality of anyone, turn the meekest person into an elite soldier or the hardest of criminals into a little child. Whatever it is that he's done to Emma... it might not be possible to reverse it."
"But we can try, right?" Brennan asked.
"If we get to her in time."
"What do you mean?"
"After a period of time the new personality takes over and the old one is abolished forever. If we don't get to her in time, we've lost her forever. Of course that might not ever happen. If something reminds her too much of the memories from before the programming then they'll try to resurface and take over again."
"What happens then?" Jesse asked for the other two.
"Then..." Adam sighed hoping it wouldn't come to this. "Then the two memories will battle it out in her head. Whichever is the stronger set will win and the other set will be eliminated. But in the process we could very well lose her."
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Standing in his office, hands behind her back, Emma stared straight ahead, her face giving no indication of the turmoil inside her head.
"What happened?"
"We met up with Mutant X at the safe house, Mr. Eckhart. They had already warned the new Mutants of our presence and they were gone."
Glancing from the commander giving the report to Emma standing behind him quietly Mason wondered how the young woman had been affected by it. "What happened then?"
"Agent DeLauro attempted to use her mutancy to make them talk but they refused. Team B was left behind to finish off the rebels while Team A went on to the next site. When we hadn't heard from them we returned to check on their status and found them all unconscious in the hallway and the rebels gone."
"Very well. Agent Hopkins, make your full report to the officer in charge. Agent DeLauro will stay for a moment." The man nodded and left the office, glad to be gone. It was well known that an agent who failed his task usually didn't come out of that office alive. Once the door had shut behind the man Mason Eckhart turned to Emma. "And your version, Agent DeLauro?"
"They were ready for us," she said simply. "They were able to get the New Mutants out in time but how they managed to defeat Team B I don't know. I left two of them wounded. One human and one new Mutant shouldn't have been nearly enough to eliminate six men. Your men must not have been trained very well."
"A harsh sentence from one who failed in her own task."
Emma was silent. She knew he was right and had no response for him. With a curt wave of his hand she was dismissed. Walking down the hallway she entered the reporting officers unit to give her full report. Once done there she reported to the medical unit for an exam and then was free to return to her quarters. Not bothering with the lights she sat at her desk, staring out into the darkness.
She had known that man.
Closing her eyes she pictured him in her mind. Deep brown eyes stared back at her, they were kind eyes, not the ones she would think to recall in the face of an enemy. She had so many conflicting memories about the man that she saw before her. She remembered good things, working for hours on end in a lab, laughing, and talking. But she also remembered bad things, leaving her to face the enemy alone, walking away from her when she needed him most, causing her such incredible pain.
How could they both be true? Who was this man that was invading her mind? Needing to know she turned on her computer and called up the Genomex records. She remembered they had worked together in a lab, somewhere. It had to be the Genomex labs. Doing a facial search of the Genomex employees she was just entering her fourth hour of searching when his face came onto the screen. Reading the information below Emma's mind became an even worse jumble as she took in the information she read.
A knock sounded on her door and, shutting off the screen she crosse4d to it, opening the door to see the head agent standing before her. "Report to the briefing room, we have an assignment."
Abandoning her quarters she fell into step behind the man all the way to the briefing room. Sitting at the head of the table was Mr. Eckhart himself, a change from the normal routine. Taking her seat Emma recalled how she had come to be in the GSA. He had saved her life, taking a personal interest in her training he had given her a chance to turn around her wayward life. She owed him everything.
As the briefing began she paid close attention to it, memorizing every detail. "Now that you know the particulars there is one more detail. Mr. Eckhart has an interest in this assignment so he will be accompanying you. Remember that his safety comes above all else, even your own lives. If he returns wounded in anyway you had better not come back alive."
The group was dismissed and they headed out to the carport to claim their vehicles. The ride was a silent one, Emma's mind a jumble of thoughts as she recalled various memories she had never previously known; a headache began to form in the back of her head, growing rapidly with each conflicting memory. When they reached their destination the agents emerged from their vehicles to begin hunting down the New Mutant who was hiding out in the abandoned warehouse. While three agents went in to flush her out the rest covered the exits.
Standing by the one doorway with Agent Martin Emma tried to focus on her assignment but found her mind wandering all over the place, her headache growing phenomenally. A call went out over their earpiece that the New Mutant had been captured and everyone began to head back to the vehicles. In the middle of the empty parking lot a large ship Emma knew from somewhere landed and four people, three men and one woman, emerged from it.
"Let her go," the one called out.
Standing just out of sight Emma knew she hadn't been seen yet and took the moment to observe them. She recognized them as the rebels from the City Hall safe house, Mutant X. Her eyes studied each one and nagging memories began to rise to the surface. Training sessions on a platform with the girl. A bar scene, running from the enemy, for the tall boy. Standing behind a computer console laughing with the shorter one. She knew these people, they had been her friends.
Her headache growing, nearly to the point of making it impossible to walk, Emma stumbled out to the car, falling against the hood. All eyes turned to her as she groped around the edge of it, coming to a stop between the two groups that were facing off. Putting her hands to her head Emma wanted to scream, the pain was intense. Bending over double she fought the cry that was rising in her throat.
"Agent DeLauro," Eckhart called to her. "Return at once."
Standing she turned to look at him when Adam called out to her a well.
"Emma, come home with us, I can help you."
Turning she looked at Adam and he could see the pain in her eyes, the conflicting battle that was waging in her head. He was too late; the process had already begun. Before she could make up her mind the pain became too much. Emma collapsed on the ground.
"Get her!" Eckhart called to his agents.
Rushing forward Adam knew he had to get to Emma before they did or she was as good as dead. Just as he reached her so did two of the GSA agents. Before Adam could do anything a bolt of electricity knocked the one man off his feet while the other was sent flying by a feral kick to the chest.
"Get her out of here Adam, we'll handle this garbage."
Picking up Emma's limp form Adam ran to the Double Helix while the other three kept the GSA agents at bay. When the battle was no longer in their favor they ran for the transport, Brennan sending out one last bolt of electricity before the door shut and they were off into the safety of the sky. With Jesse at the controls they headed back to the Sanctuary as fast as they could. Emma's life depended on it.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Standing just inside the doorway Marla waited for Eckhart to call her forward the last few steps. With a simple look he requested her report.
"She's overcome with despair. In her mind she knows she had no choice but in her heart she hopes that somehow Mutant X will be able to rescue her. She knows they'll try and that more than likely they'll fail but she hopes it all the same. With the proper training she can be put to use in the field. I wouldn't trust her completely, not even after the training, but she will be able to do the work."
"What else did you find out?" Mason asked her with a calm demeanor.
"She's in love."
At that Eckhart raised his eyebrow. "And who is the boy so fortunate to have caught her heart?"
"No mere boy, Mr. Eckhart. She's in love with Adam."
Contemplating this little tidbit for a moment he motioned for her to leave, report done. Turning his chair around to stare out the window he thought over what he had just found out. Emma was in love with Adam. This could come in handy in her programming. Turning back around he called up a program on his computer and began to type. He would control her programming himself.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Sitting in the chair Emma looked around at the room she was being kept in, the stainless steel tables and chairs were antiseptically clean. Suddenly a commotion sounded in the hallways and she watched as Jesse ran by, Brennan behind him, neither one stopping when they heard her cries to them. A moment later Shalimar raced by, glancing in the window she flashed her eyes at Emma before running past, following the guys to the safety of the Double Helix.
Wide-eyed, unable to believe they would leave her at the GSA Emma saw Adam run into view. "Adam!" she screamed to him.
Pausing for a moment he stared through the window at her and saw the bonds that held her in place. Glancing off to the side for a moment he shook his head and ran off in the same direction as the others, GSA agents hot on his heels.
"Adam...?" she whimpered.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
In the middle of an empty park Emma saw her team heading towards her, determination in their pace, and she knew they were coming to take her home. Smiling at them she was unprepared for the first swing Shalimar threw. Ducking she barely managed to avoid the second and third ones. From the corner of her eyes she saw Brennan and Jesse fighting with the GSA Agents who were with her.
Facing off with Shalimar Emma called up ever tactic she could to get away, all the while trying to calm Shalimar down. "Shalimar, come on, it's me, Emma! I don't want to fight you!" she cried to her friend.
"Then you shouldn't have left Mutant X!" she growled back, landing a punch to Emma's jaw.
Falling to the ground the last thing she saw was Adam, walking away from her, calling his team to come with him. He was leaving her again.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
She was standing in the middle of an empty room. There was nothing in it except herself. Suddenly a door opened, one she hadn't seen before, and Adam entered the room. "Adam!" she cried to him.
She watched as he approached her, placing his hand on her shoulder, kissing her. While his lips were still on hers Emma suddenly felt a searing pain in her side. Looking down she saw Adam taking his hand away from the knife that has buried to the hilt in her side. Towering above her Adam watched as she fell to the floor, her life ebbing away with each drop. Just before she closed her eyes Emma watched him turn away and leave her to die on the floor.
In that same moment she saw Eckhart enter the room, picking her up and carrying her away to the safety of the labs where the doctors worked their magic to heal the wound Adam had caused. Mason had saved her life. Turning her head she stared at him as the doctor's worked. It was he who had saved her when Adam had simply walked away. It was he who had wanted her when Adam had not.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
The door slid open and Eckhart entered the control room of the programming unit. Watching Emma standing in the center of the ring, a device on her head to block out everything except what was being pumped into her mind, he turned to the technician. "Well?"
"She's progressing on schedule, Mr. Eckhart. The programs you designed are working perfectly. She should be ready in a few more days."
"Very well. Keep me informed."
"Yes sir."
Hearing the door slide shut behind his boss the technician prepared to load the next sequence of programs to be uploaded to the woman's brain.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
She found him in her room.
Opening the door Shalimar entered Emma's room to see Adam hunched down in the corner. Staring out at the picture on her desk he didn't notice the feral until she was kneeling next to him. Putting a soft hand on his arm she searched his eyes. There was so much pain and guilt, the likes of which she hadn't seen in his brown eyes since before he had started Mutant X.
"I failed her." He said after a moment, his eyes never leaving the smiling face of the woman in the middle of the group picture. "I promised Julie I would get Emma home but I couldn't. I failed her."
"Adam," she breathed.
She didn't know what to say. It had been months since Emma had gone with Eckhart and no one had any clue as to where she was. Adam's contact in the GSA had no information, the underground network hadn't heard about her; it was as if she had disappeared from the face of the earth. She was just gone.
"You don't think..." Shalimar couldn't bring herself to say it.
"No," he shook his head. "She's not dead. Jack's been reading her every now and then to make sure. He says there's been a change in her but he can't figure out what it is. All he does know for sure is that she's not dead."
"Then there's still hope," unwittingly echoing Jack's words to Adam from so long ago.
Loosing Emma had been hard on him; they all could see it. Had she died he could have grieved for her and eventually moved on but instead she had handed herself over to the devil incarnate. She was out there, somewhere, suffering who knew what torture, and he was powerless to help her. Adam's love for Emma had proven to be the thorn in his side, hampering everything he did. He couldn't spend endless hours in his lab anymore, the memory of his time with Emma proving to be too much to bear. His concentration had waned, everything he saw or did prodding some memory of the young woman to the fore making it impossible for him to focus.
Sitting in silence for a little while longer Adam closed his eyes and stood, trying to shake himself out of his stupor. "Did you need something Shalimar?"
She nodded. "Jesse says the GSA are on the move again. They're heading towards our area, he thinks they've found the safe house in the basement of City Hall."
"Then we'd better get going."
Walking through the corridors to the Double Helix they were in the air before Shalimar and Jesse could fill him in. "Brennan's already there, trying to clear everyone out. Thankfully there was only a few people there and he's getting them to safety. He'll meet us there when he's done."
"All right, when we get there I want you to seal off all the rooms, hide them behind a holo-field. If they've found it then they won't be able to find all of it," he instructed Jesse. "Shalimar I want you to stick with me. If things get hairy I'll need your skills."
"You got it Adam," they both replied to him.
Adam fell into silence; only half listening to them banter back and forth. Absent-mindedly he began twisting the ring on his pinky finger. He had taken to wearing Emma's Comm Ring on his pinky finger, swearing to himself that he would return it to her one day. Over the last few months he would twist it every time he thought about her, every time he was worried about something. It was a small reminder that she was still alive, a link to her that was all he had left.
The Double Helix set down and, after cloaking it, they made their way through the rain to City Hall. Down to the basement Adam unlocked the Janitor's room and crossed it to another door. Passing through that one he unlocked a third door and, entering a key sequence on the small electronic pad the three of them entered the safe house. Opening the door Adam jumped back when a bolt of electricity shot towards them, hitting the wall panel instead.
"Sorry Adam," Brennan called with a sheepish grin. "You caught me off guard."
"Apparently." Examining the panel Brennan had hit Adam frowned. "You fried the entry system. I'll have to get this repaired before we can use this safe house again."
Jesse sat himself down at the computer to begin setting up the holo-fields while Brennan told Adam what he'd done, where' he'd taken the hideaway's for now. As he was finishing the last room they all heard the sound of a pail being overturned. Turning around they saw GSA Agents entering the safe house. Quickly they sprang into action. By the time they had knocked out a few of them the rest of the agents had surrounded Mutant X, each one holding tazers in their hands. Before they could move to attack again another person entered the safe house.
"Emma," Adam whispered to himself, staring at the woman who walked around the outside of the circle.
Her eyes never left the leader of Mutant X as she walked around the circle of agents that had surrounded the team. Passing between two of the agents she approached the team in the center of the circle. Using her mutancy she forced them to their knees before turning to face on in particular. "Where are the New Mutants that you were hiding here?"
Looking up into her cold eyes Brennan knew that the Emma he had known wasn't here. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Staring at him Emma once more used her power. His skin feeling as though it were on fire Brennan cried out in pain against her abuse. After a moment she stopped and repeated her question. "What did you do with them?"
Breathing heavily, the memory of the pain still making him tremble, Brennan knew he couldn't tell her. "What makes you think I'm the one who would know?"
"You're dry," she said simply. "They're wet. You've been here longer. Where did you send them?"
"Sorry Em," he said, tossing a rebellious smile at her, trying to remind himself that she was working for the opposite side now.
Glaring at him Emma knew it would be pointless to cause him further pain. Closing her eyes for a moment, when she opened them it was Shalimar who screamed as, in her mind, thousands of knives buried themselves into her skin.
"Emma stop!" Adam yelled to her.
Her attention diverted by the sound of his voice the abuse of Shalimar ceased and the feral fell to the ground, still recovering from the pain of the mental attack. Moving to stand before Adam Emma stared down at him. She didn't do anything, didn't move, didn't speak; all she did was stare at the man she knew from somewhere, a small bug in the back of her mind nagging her to be noticed and set free. Turning on her heel suddenly Emma stalked away, calling to the agents who encircled them.
"Team A come with me. Team B, make it quick, the New Mutants aren't here and we have a limited time to catch them. Dispose of Mutant X and follow us to the next zone."
Four of the ten men followed Emma out the door while the other six enclosed on the team. Jesse and Adam made it to their feet first, Brennan next and a weakened Shalimar last. Angry, hurt, they fueled their emotions into the fists, using both hands and feet to take care of the agents that were left. When the last agent fell Jesse and Shalimar raced after Emma, to try and catch her while Brennan and Adam took the agents pictures and dragged them out into the hallway, sealing the safe house up behind them. It would be some time before it could be used again.
Hurrying up to the surface they saw their two team mates heading back to their position, dejection on their faces. "We lost her, Adam," Jesse shook his head.
With Shalimar between the two men the foursome made their way back to the Double Helix to try and find Emma and the other team before they made it to their next destination. Up in the air they hovered under cloak as Jesse made a scan of the area. In the back Adam did a scan of Shalimar only to determine what she kept insisting.
"I'm fine, it just hurt is all." She was silent for a moment before looking up at him. "I've never been on the receiving end of her power before Adam."
"I know."
"What happened to her? Why did she turn on us?"
Sighing he took a seat. He knew they were all listening, waiting for an answer. "Emma's been programmed. It's a system that Mason designed to help victims come to terms with what had happened to them. Only after he had designed hit he found out that the opposite was also true. He began to use it to 'convince' people to join him."
"It uploads images into the brain that become the main memories for that person. He can literally re-write the personality of anyone, turn the meekest person into an elite soldier or the hardest of criminals into a little child. Whatever it is that he's done to Emma... it might not be possible to reverse it."
"But we can try, right?" Brennan asked.
"If we get to her in time."
"What do you mean?"
"After a period of time the new personality takes over and the old one is abolished forever. If we don't get to her in time, we've lost her forever. Of course that might not ever happen. If something reminds her too much of the memories from before the programming then they'll try to resurface and take over again."
"What happens then?" Jesse asked for the other two.
"Then..." Adam sighed hoping it wouldn't come to this. "Then the two memories will battle it out in her head. Whichever is the stronger set will win and the other set will be eliminated. But in the process we could very well lose her."
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Standing in his office, hands behind her back, Emma stared straight ahead, her face giving no indication of the turmoil inside her head.
"What happened?"
"We met up with Mutant X at the safe house, Mr. Eckhart. They had already warned the new Mutants of our presence and they were gone."
Glancing from the commander giving the report to Emma standing behind him quietly Mason wondered how the young woman had been affected by it. "What happened then?"
"Agent DeLauro attempted to use her mutancy to make them talk but they refused. Team B was left behind to finish off the rebels while Team A went on to the next site. When we hadn't heard from them we returned to check on their status and found them all unconscious in the hallway and the rebels gone."
"Very well. Agent Hopkins, make your full report to the officer in charge. Agent DeLauro will stay for a moment." The man nodded and left the office, glad to be gone. It was well known that an agent who failed his task usually didn't come out of that office alive. Once the door had shut behind the man Mason Eckhart turned to Emma. "And your version, Agent DeLauro?"
"They were ready for us," she said simply. "They were able to get the New Mutants out in time but how they managed to defeat Team B I don't know. I left two of them wounded. One human and one new Mutant shouldn't have been nearly enough to eliminate six men. Your men must not have been trained very well."
"A harsh sentence from one who failed in her own task."
Emma was silent. She knew he was right and had no response for him. With a curt wave of his hand she was dismissed. Walking down the hallway she entered the reporting officers unit to give her full report. Once done there she reported to the medical unit for an exam and then was free to return to her quarters. Not bothering with the lights she sat at her desk, staring out into the darkness.
She had known that man.
Closing her eyes she pictured him in her mind. Deep brown eyes stared back at her, they were kind eyes, not the ones she would think to recall in the face of an enemy. She had so many conflicting memories about the man that she saw before her. She remembered good things, working for hours on end in a lab, laughing, and talking. But she also remembered bad things, leaving her to face the enemy alone, walking away from her when she needed him most, causing her such incredible pain.
How could they both be true? Who was this man that was invading her mind? Needing to know she turned on her computer and called up the Genomex records. She remembered they had worked together in a lab, somewhere. It had to be the Genomex labs. Doing a facial search of the Genomex employees she was just entering her fourth hour of searching when his face came onto the screen. Reading the information below Emma's mind became an even worse jumble as she took in the information she read.
A knock sounded on her door and, shutting off the screen she crosse4d to it, opening the door to see the head agent standing before her. "Report to the briefing room, we have an assignment."
Abandoning her quarters she fell into step behind the man all the way to the briefing room. Sitting at the head of the table was Mr. Eckhart himself, a change from the normal routine. Taking her seat Emma recalled how she had come to be in the GSA. He had saved her life, taking a personal interest in her training he had given her a chance to turn around her wayward life. She owed him everything.
As the briefing began she paid close attention to it, memorizing every detail. "Now that you know the particulars there is one more detail. Mr. Eckhart has an interest in this assignment so he will be accompanying you. Remember that his safety comes above all else, even your own lives. If he returns wounded in anyway you had better not come back alive."
The group was dismissed and they headed out to the carport to claim their vehicles. The ride was a silent one, Emma's mind a jumble of thoughts as she recalled various memories she had never previously known; a headache began to form in the back of her head, growing rapidly with each conflicting memory. When they reached their destination the agents emerged from their vehicles to begin hunting down the New Mutant who was hiding out in the abandoned warehouse. While three agents went in to flush her out the rest covered the exits.
Standing by the one doorway with Agent Martin Emma tried to focus on her assignment but found her mind wandering all over the place, her headache growing phenomenally. A call went out over their earpiece that the New Mutant had been captured and everyone began to head back to the vehicles. In the middle of the empty parking lot a large ship Emma knew from somewhere landed and four people, three men and one woman, emerged from it.
"Let her go," the one called out.
Standing just out of sight Emma knew she hadn't been seen yet and took the moment to observe them. She recognized them as the rebels from the City Hall safe house, Mutant X. Her eyes studied each one and nagging memories began to rise to the surface. Training sessions on a platform with the girl. A bar scene, running from the enemy, for the tall boy. Standing behind a computer console laughing with the shorter one. She knew these people, they had been her friends.
Her headache growing, nearly to the point of making it impossible to walk, Emma stumbled out to the car, falling against the hood. All eyes turned to her as she groped around the edge of it, coming to a stop between the two groups that were facing off. Putting her hands to her head Emma wanted to scream, the pain was intense. Bending over double she fought the cry that was rising in her throat.
"Agent DeLauro," Eckhart called to her. "Return at once."
Standing she turned to look at him when Adam called out to her a well.
"Emma, come home with us, I can help you."
Turning she looked at Adam and he could see the pain in her eyes, the conflicting battle that was waging in her head. He was too late; the process had already begun. Before she could make up her mind the pain became too much. Emma collapsed on the ground.
"Get her!" Eckhart called to his agents.
Rushing forward Adam knew he had to get to Emma before they did or she was as good as dead. Just as he reached her so did two of the GSA agents. Before Adam could do anything a bolt of electricity knocked the one man off his feet while the other was sent flying by a feral kick to the chest.
"Get her out of here Adam, we'll handle this garbage."
Picking up Emma's limp form Adam ran to the Double Helix while the other three kept the GSA agents at bay. When the battle was no longer in their favor they ran for the transport, Brennan sending out one last bolt of electricity before the door shut and they were off into the safety of the sky. With Jesse at the controls they headed back to the Sanctuary as fast as they could. Emma's life depended on it.
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