DESPERATE TIMES.
"I don't want the three of you putting yourselves at risk," Adam said through Natasha's ring. The woman nodded, and immediately realised the man couldn't see her, and replied, "We understand, Adam."
"Good," Adam said calmly.
Shalimar came over, saying clearly into Natty's ring, "But, Adam, we only found two commrings; Brennan's and Jesse's. What does that mean?"
"It could mean any number of things," Adam began, and Natty could just imagine the man pacing back and forth pensively. "It could mean that Claire wasn't captured; or that someone stole her ring from Gerald's building; or even that whoever took Brennan and the others took her ring for some reason."
"But why would they take it?" Emma asked, looking over her shoulder.
She just caught a figure slinking off into the shadows.
Before Adam could reply, Emma said quietly, "Wait, there's someone back there."
They had just exited the narrow dirty street where Gerald Elliot lived, and they hadn't been out more than five seconds when the movement had caught her eye.
Shalimar turned, and her eyes flashed. "You're right. They must have been waiting for us to leave."
"Which probably means they've got something to hide," Natty added, lowering her hand to her side.
They heard Adam finish up by saying, "Be careful."
With that, the three women paced back into the street, silently moving after the mysterious skulking figure.
Shalimar took the lead, and headed off at a swifter pace ahead of the other two.
Suddenly, the figure whirled, and a ball of bright orange flames shot from his hands, rocketing towards them.
Shalimar dropped immediately to the ground, and rolled out of the path of the fireball.
Emma and Natasha jumped aside, only just managing to avoid being burned by the hot flames.
The man laughed, and took off at a run away from them.
"Gerald!" Shalimar called, and quickly pursued the New Mutant.
Emma and Natty followed closely behind Shalimar, even as the feral had a sudden burst of unbelievable speed.
She soon caught up with Gerald, and knocked him flat on the floor, dropping herself, and punching him square in the jaw afterwards.
Emma and Natty hung back, watching Shalimar quickly gain the upper hand over the elemental.
Within no time at all, Shalimar had subdued Gerald, having simply rendered him unconscious.
"Adam, we've got Gerald," Natty announced into her ring.
She could almost see the man's smile. "Alright, bring him in."
"Will do, Adam." Natty lowered her hand, and aided Shalimar in lifting the man off the ground.
* * *
They had just left the Double Helix in the hangar, and had immediately transported the unconscious Gerald to the lab, met by Adam.
"What's wrong with him, Adam? He was acting like he was possessed or something. I've never seen a New Mutant so volatile," Shalimar said to the man, helping him lift Gerald onto the table.
"And his mind is a mess. I doubt even he knows what's going on in there," Emma added, coming up behind Shalimar.
Adam began examining Gerald straight away, not even looking up when he replied, "Well, I have to do a few preliminary scans. We should get some answers then, hopefully. And when he wakes, he should be able to tell us where the others are."
"Hopefully," Natty mumbled glumly from the rear of the group, and simply watched with brown inquisitive eyes as Adam went about scanning, aided by Emma.
* * *
Two hours had passed before Adam called Shalimar and Natasha back into the laboratory.
They had had plenty of time to change into more comfortable clothes, and now felt much more free to move.
Shalimar strode confidently and very gracefully into the lab, followed by the younger Natty, a denim skirt settling around her knees above knee-high boots.
Adam looked up with a grave expression, and that expression was mirrored in Emma's gentle blue eyes, and the sadness on her face.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
It was then that they noticed there was no sound coming from the heart monitor, and that a flat line had trailed across it.
Shalimar swallowed, and looked to Adam in disdain. "He's dead?"
Adam nodded sorrowfully. "Yes. There was nothing we could do."
"But what happened? He was fine a few hours ago," Natty inquired, puzzled beyond comparison.
Adam rubbed his tired eyes for a moment, and then explained, clearly and slowly, "After we took the scans, we immediately noticed he had had his brain chemistry drastically altered. That's what caused the shutdown that killed him. There was no explanation as to why someone would do that kind of dangerous procedure in the first place. The part of the brain altered controls mood, and feelings, towards other people and situations. The alteration caused Gerald to appear carefree and cruel. That would explain why he murdered Shelley, his friend."
Shalimar's brow knitted in concern. "That's actually possible?"
Adam sighed. "Unfortuanately, in this time of science, yes, it is. Only the most experienced surgeons can perform the procedure, and it's extremely risky. I would never dare to go through with it. Why someone would do so willingly is a mystery to me."
"Why would they do it in the first place?" Natty wondered aloud, coming to stand beside Emma, and looking down at the dead figure of Gerald Elliot.
Adam shook his head. "That's what I'm afraid of. The only reason I can think of to perform this procedure is to alter someone's personality, to make it completely the opposite of what it was before. The kind become cruel, the sensitive turn their backs on the people they love. And friends become enemies."
They stood in silence for a moment.
"All I can think of is that they must have released a chemical into the brain to alter the emotions this drastically. There's no other explanation for what Gerald turned into."
Shalimar bowed her head. She knew as well as the others what Adam was getting at, where his point lay.
He was talking about Brennan, Jesse and Claire.
"I don't want the three of you putting yourselves at risk," Adam said through Natasha's ring. The woman nodded, and immediately realised the man couldn't see her, and replied, "We understand, Adam."
"Good," Adam said calmly.
Shalimar came over, saying clearly into Natty's ring, "But, Adam, we only found two commrings; Brennan's and Jesse's. What does that mean?"
"It could mean any number of things," Adam began, and Natty could just imagine the man pacing back and forth pensively. "It could mean that Claire wasn't captured; or that someone stole her ring from Gerald's building; or even that whoever took Brennan and the others took her ring for some reason."
"But why would they take it?" Emma asked, looking over her shoulder.
She just caught a figure slinking off into the shadows.
Before Adam could reply, Emma said quietly, "Wait, there's someone back there."
They had just exited the narrow dirty street where Gerald Elliot lived, and they hadn't been out more than five seconds when the movement had caught her eye.
Shalimar turned, and her eyes flashed. "You're right. They must have been waiting for us to leave."
"Which probably means they've got something to hide," Natty added, lowering her hand to her side.
They heard Adam finish up by saying, "Be careful."
With that, the three women paced back into the street, silently moving after the mysterious skulking figure.
Shalimar took the lead, and headed off at a swifter pace ahead of the other two.
Suddenly, the figure whirled, and a ball of bright orange flames shot from his hands, rocketing towards them.
Shalimar dropped immediately to the ground, and rolled out of the path of the fireball.
Emma and Natasha jumped aside, only just managing to avoid being burned by the hot flames.
The man laughed, and took off at a run away from them.
"Gerald!" Shalimar called, and quickly pursued the New Mutant.
Emma and Natty followed closely behind Shalimar, even as the feral had a sudden burst of unbelievable speed.
She soon caught up with Gerald, and knocked him flat on the floor, dropping herself, and punching him square in the jaw afterwards.
Emma and Natty hung back, watching Shalimar quickly gain the upper hand over the elemental.
Within no time at all, Shalimar had subdued Gerald, having simply rendered him unconscious.
"Adam, we've got Gerald," Natty announced into her ring.
She could almost see the man's smile. "Alright, bring him in."
"Will do, Adam." Natty lowered her hand, and aided Shalimar in lifting the man off the ground.
* * *
They had just left the Double Helix in the hangar, and had immediately transported the unconscious Gerald to the lab, met by Adam.
"What's wrong with him, Adam? He was acting like he was possessed or something. I've never seen a New Mutant so volatile," Shalimar said to the man, helping him lift Gerald onto the table.
"And his mind is a mess. I doubt even he knows what's going on in there," Emma added, coming up behind Shalimar.
Adam began examining Gerald straight away, not even looking up when he replied, "Well, I have to do a few preliminary scans. We should get some answers then, hopefully. And when he wakes, he should be able to tell us where the others are."
"Hopefully," Natty mumbled glumly from the rear of the group, and simply watched with brown inquisitive eyes as Adam went about scanning, aided by Emma.
* * *
Two hours had passed before Adam called Shalimar and Natasha back into the laboratory.
They had had plenty of time to change into more comfortable clothes, and now felt much more free to move.
Shalimar strode confidently and very gracefully into the lab, followed by the younger Natty, a denim skirt settling around her knees above knee-high boots.
Adam looked up with a grave expression, and that expression was mirrored in Emma's gentle blue eyes, and the sadness on her face.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
It was then that they noticed there was no sound coming from the heart monitor, and that a flat line had trailed across it.
Shalimar swallowed, and looked to Adam in disdain. "He's dead?"
Adam nodded sorrowfully. "Yes. There was nothing we could do."
"But what happened? He was fine a few hours ago," Natty inquired, puzzled beyond comparison.
Adam rubbed his tired eyes for a moment, and then explained, clearly and slowly, "After we took the scans, we immediately noticed he had had his brain chemistry drastically altered. That's what caused the shutdown that killed him. There was no explanation as to why someone would do that kind of dangerous procedure in the first place. The part of the brain altered controls mood, and feelings, towards other people and situations. The alteration caused Gerald to appear carefree and cruel. That would explain why he murdered Shelley, his friend."
Shalimar's brow knitted in concern. "That's actually possible?"
Adam sighed. "Unfortuanately, in this time of science, yes, it is. Only the most experienced surgeons can perform the procedure, and it's extremely risky. I would never dare to go through with it. Why someone would do so willingly is a mystery to me."
"Why would they do it in the first place?" Natty wondered aloud, coming to stand beside Emma, and looking down at the dead figure of Gerald Elliot.
Adam shook his head. "That's what I'm afraid of. The only reason I can think of to perform this procedure is to alter someone's personality, to make it completely the opposite of what it was before. The kind become cruel, the sensitive turn their backs on the people they love. And friends become enemies."
They stood in silence for a moment.
"All I can think of is that they must have released a chemical into the brain to alter the emotions this drastically. There's no other explanation for what Gerald turned into."
Shalimar bowed her head. She knew as well as the others what Adam was getting at, where his point lay.
He was talking about Brennan, Jesse and Claire.