SOMETHING WICKED.
Claire sat with Brennan, rested up against the back wall, where they had discovered there was no charge flowing through the cell. It was obvious that there was no way to escape. they had tried countless times. Brennan was feeling a little dizzy from being shocked so many times. He hung his head down on his knees, his hands knotted in front of him.
Claire didn't have to be a psionic to know that he felt responsible, unnecessarily. They had all been present, and unprepared for what they had come across.
She looked over to where Jesse had been lying before those men had come and taken him away.
With a heavy sigh, she ran a hand gently through Brennan's damp hair. He was still partially wet from his soaking, although it wasn't taking him that long to dry out. It was his clothes that were the worst, dripping wet still.
Brennan would probably reconsider wearing leather from now on, Claire decided.
"What do you think they're gonna do with Jesse?" she asked quietly, hating the silence that hung around the room and inside the brightly lit cell.
Brennan shook his head, and replied without looking up, his voice slightly muffled, "I don't even wanna think about it. It can't be good."
With a silent nod, Claire looked over to the door, and furrowed her brow when she saw the handle turn.
"Brennan," she whispered, standing immediately.
Brennan was off his feet before the door had fully opened, staring with clear anger at the four people who entered.
Claire recognised two of them. They had entered with Sampson before. The other two were new; she hadn't seen them before.
One of them smiled wickedly, and came up to the cell door, running a key card through a lock.
They heard a shrill noise, and the door was unlocked.
Immediately, the men entered the cell. One of them crossed to Claire, who backed away defensively.
Brennan pulled Claire behind him, and faced the man off. "Get away from her," he growled protectively.
Claire appreciated the concern, but she could handle herself against these jerks. She wanted a chance to make them regret what they were doing.
The man punched Brennan hard in the gut, causing him to double over.
"Brennan!" Claire cried, and went to help him, only to be threatened with a gun aimed at her chest.
She knew better than to go against a handgun one to one, and hung back, watching in disdain helplessly as the men dragged Brennan from the room. The tall elemental struggled futilely.
The cell door was locked again afterwards, leaving Claire alone in the silence.
* * *
Brennan went along with the men, silently walking in between them. Two of them held guns. The remaining two seemed to have no need for weapons; they were strong enough to handle Brennan without firearms.
They came to a steel door, and one of the men ran the key card through it, unlocking it.
Immediately, the door was opened from inside, and two figures exited.
"Jesse?" Brennan muttered in utter disbelief, as a darkly clad young man exited the room with another. His hair was tousled, but seemed styled that way, making it appear wilder than before. He wore leather trousers, and a black sleeveless vest.
He looked back at Brennan, a wicked grin on his young face, his blue eyes narrowed.
Brennan fell silent, speechless at what he saw.
With a quiet laugh, filled with evil, Jesse paced away with the other man, his heavy black combat boots echoing around the blank hallway.
What the hell? Brennan thought, shortly before being dragged into the white room by the large men at his sides.
He was greeted with the sight of men wearing white lab coats, and facemasks. Scientists.
"What did you do to him?" he asked then, even as two of the men left the room, locking it after them.
One of the men was Sampson. He could tell that much by looking at him. He didn't wear a facemask. His hands were calmly hidden in his pockets. He gave a silent nod to the men at Brennan's sides.
They pulled Brennan's coat off of him, and walked him over to the table set in the middle of the room.
Brennan noticed the restraints, and immediately pulled away from it, only to be struck in the back.
He gave a cry, and fell to his knees with the shock of the hit.
Sampson came over to him, smiling that same smile, and pulled Brennan's head up, his fingers twined tightly through Brennan's black hair.
"You'll find out soon enough," Sampson said, just loud enough for Brennan to hear, "as soon as you wake up."
Without warning, Brennan felt the needle in his arm, and moments later, he passed out.
* * *
Claire sat hunched against the back wall, her knees drawn up to her chest. She was alone, frightened, and clueless as to what had happened to her friends.
The door opened again, and two figures walked in. She saw them out of the edge of her vision, and she refused to grant them the pleasure of acknowledgement.
If they wanted something, they would have to tell her where her friends were first.
"Claire," came a terrifyingly familiar voice.
Claire's head snapped up suddenly, and her eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly at what she saw.
It was Jesse, conscious. He was staring right at her, leaned up against the back wall. He gave a nod to the man accompanying him, and the nameless stranger left.
"Jesse?" she mumbled, rising from the floor, and pacing curiously over to the cell door, her eyes locking with Jesse's.
He smiled at the corner of his mouth, and there was a look in his blue eyes that sent a shiver down Claire's spine.
She resisted touching the cell wall, knowing what would happen to her if she did.
Jesse pushed away from the wall, and moved over to her, his movements alone telling her that something was indeed wrong with him.
"What happened to you?" she asked, looking the young molecular up and down. His clothes were completely different; identical in style and colour to that of the men she had seen before in this place.
His hair hung in gelled spikes down his forehead, hovering away from his head as though they had a life of their own, no longer straight as it had been before, instead styled so that it spiked out at the bottom in every direction.
The black clothes were startling to see on someone so gentle as Jesse Kilmartin, and the leather trousers were tight, meeting steel-toe capped boots at the ends. The vest top showed off his arms and part of his chest. His hands were constantly clenching and unclenching.
He smiled then, coming right up to the cell, facing Claire like a predator teasing its helpless prey. "I'm fine. I feel great."
His words were filled with intent, and she screamed in shock as he slammed a fist into the cell door, sending her backwards with the suddenness of it.
She breathed heavily in disbelief, and heard his evil laughter fill the room. He turned his back on her for a moment, and paced over to the side of the room, into the shadows.
After having recovered from the shock of the action, she said, "What have they done to you?"
Jesse folded his arms over his chest, and cocked his head to the side, his spiked hair falling across his eyes partially. He didn't even bother shaking it aside. "They've opened my eyes, Claire."
She frowned, and closed her eyes for a moment. This new Jesse was horrible; something she wished would be gone from her presence when she once again opened her eyes. To her disappointment, he was still there when she looked up again. She had hoped she had just imagined him.
"Don't worry," Jesse said spitefully. "They'll do the same for you soon. Which reminds me," he began, with that same fierce smile, "Brennan should be back soon."
Claire sighed lightly, avoiding looking at the cruel Jesse. She wanted nothing more than to wake up in her own bed now.
She knew that wasn't going to happen.
Jesse glanced at a pager on his belt, and looked up at Claire sadistically. "Time to go."
She shook her head slowly, and backed right up into the rear of the cell, watching in horror as Jesse swiped a key card through the lock.
He entered the cell, pacing predatorily directly over to Claire.
Knowing how much she would have to apologise later, pushing down the guilt, she roundhouse kicked Jesse in the head, hoping to knock him down and out.
Instead, he simply shook his head as though stunned, laughed, and looked her in the eye. The smile faded instantly.
In the blink of an eye, he had her forced back against the rear wall, his hand latched around her throat.
She choked, trying to pry him off with her hands, failing miserably.
Obviously not intending to kill her, only terrify her -and succeeding- , Jesse grabbed a rough and painful hold on the back of her hair, at the back of her head, his fingers knotted in it tightly.
She gasped with pain, and had no choice but to be forced out of the room, even as Brennan appeared at the opened doorway.
He looked down at her intently, and smiled lopsidedly.
She looked up at him with pained eyes, pleading with a look for him to help her.
Jesse did not loosen his hold.
Brennan was dressed all in black now as well; wearing a long-sleeved shirt with wide cuffs that hid his hands partially; leather trousers identical to Jesse's but longer and not so tight; and thick combat boots, no doubt reinforced in the toecaps with steel.
"They're waiting for you," Brennan whispered into her ear, leaning over to be close to her.
She felt the tear roll down her cheek, as she stared at the man she loved.
Jesse tugged her away then, and led her down the corridor, coming to a halt at a steel door.
It opened as though they had sensed their presence on the over side of the door, and Jesse threw her roughly inside.
Claire looked up from her place on the floor where she had landed, and soon noticed the men in white approaching her.
Claire sat with Brennan, rested up against the back wall, where they had discovered there was no charge flowing through the cell. It was obvious that there was no way to escape. they had tried countless times. Brennan was feeling a little dizzy from being shocked so many times. He hung his head down on his knees, his hands knotted in front of him.
Claire didn't have to be a psionic to know that he felt responsible, unnecessarily. They had all been present, and unprepared for what they had come across.
She looked over to where Jesse had been lying before those men had come and taken him away.
With a heavy sigh, she ran a hand gently through Brennan's damp hair. He was still partially wet from his soaking, although it wasn't taking him that long to dry out. It was his clothes that were the worst, dripping wet still.
Brennan would probably reconsider wearing leather from now on, Claire decided.
"What do you think they're gonna do with Jesse?" she asked quietly, hating the silence that hung around the room and inside the brightly lit cell.
Brennan shook his head, and replied without looking up, his voice slightly muffled, "I don't even wanna think about it. It can't be good."
With a silent nod, Claire looked over to the door, and furrowed her brow when she saw the handle turn.
"Brennan," she whispered, standing immediately.
Brennan was off his feet before the door had fully opened, staring with clear anger at the four people who entered.
Claire recognised two of them. They had entered with Sampson before. The other two were new; she hadn't seen them before.
One of them smiled wickedly, and came up to the cell door, running a key card through a lock.
They heard a shrill noise, and the door was unlocked.
Immediately, the men entered the cell. One of them crossed to Claire, who backed away defensively.
Brennan pulled Claire behind him, and faced the man off. "Get away from her," he growled protectively.
Claire appreciated the concern, but she could handle herself against these jerks. She wanted a chance to make them regret what they were doing.
The man punched Brennan hard in the gut, causing him to double over.
"Brennan!" Claire cried, and went to help him, only to be threatened with a gun aimed at her chest.
She knew better than to go against a handgun one to one, and hung back, watching in disdain helplessly as the men dragged Brennan from the room. The tall elemental struggled futilely.
The cell door was locked again afterwards, leaving Claire alone in the silence.
* * *
Brennan went along with the men, silently walking in between them. Two of them held guns. The remaining two seemed to have no need for weapons; they were strong enough to handle Brennan without firearms.
They came to a steel door, and one of the men ran the key card through it, unlocking it.
Immediately, the door was opened from inside, and two figures exited.
"Jesse?" Brennan muttered in utter disbelief, as a darkly clad young man exited the room with another. His hair was tousled, but seemed styled that way, making it appear wilder than before. He wore leather trousers, and a black sleeveless vest.
He looked back at Brennan, a wicked grin on his young face, his blue eyes narrowed.
Brennan fell silent, speechless at what he saw.
With a quiet laugh, filled with evil, Jesse paced away with the other man, his heavy black combat boots echoing around the blank hallway.
What the hell? Brennan thought, shortly before being dragged into the white room by the large men at his sides.
He was greeted with the sight of men wearing white lab coats, and facemasks. Scientists.
"What did you do to him?" he asked then, even as two of the men left the room, locking it after them.
One of the men was Sampson. He could tell that much by looking at him. He didn't wear a facemask. His hands were calmly hidden in his pockets. He gave a silent nod to the men at Brennan's sides.
They pulled Brennan's coat off of him, and walked him over to the table set in the middle of the room.
Brennan noticed the restraints, and immediately pulled away from it, only to be struck in the back.
He gave a cry, and fell to his knees with the shock of the hit.
Sampson came over to him, smiling that same smile, and pulled Brennan's head up, his fingers twined tightly through Brennan's black hair.
"You'll find out soon enough," Sampson said, just loud enough for Brennan to hear, "as soon as you wake up."
Without warning, Brennan felt the needle in his arm, and moments later, he passed out.
* * *
Claire sat hunched against the back wall, her knees drawn up to her chest. She was alone, frightened, and clueless as to what had happened to her friends.
The door opened again, and two figures walked in. She saw them out of the edge of her vision, and she refused to grant them the pleasure of acknowledgement.
If they wanted something, they would have to tell her where her friends were first.
"Claire," came a terrifyingly familiar voice.
Claire's head snapped up suddenly, and her eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly at what she saw.
It was Jesse, conscious. He was staring right at her, leaned up against the back wall. He gave a nod to the man accompanying him, and the nameless stranger left.
"Jesse?" she mumbled, rising from the floor, and pacing curiously over to the cell door, her eyes locking with Jesse's.
He smiled at the corner of his mouth, and there was a look in his blue eyes that sent a shiver down Claire's spine.
She resisted touching the cell wall, knowing what would happen to her if she did.
Jesse pushed away from the wall, and moved over to her, his movements alone telling her that something was indeed wrong with him.
"What happened to you?" she asked, looking the young molecular up and down. His clothes were completely different; identical in style and colour to that of the men she had seen before in this place.
His hair hung in gelled spikes down his forehead, hovering away from his head as though they had a life of their own, no longer straight as it had been before, instead styled so that it spiked out at the bottom in every direction.
The black clothes were startling to see on someone so gentle as Jesse Kilmartin, and the leather trousers were tight, meeting steel-toe capped boots at the ends. The vest top showed off his arms and part of his chest. His hands were constantly clenching and unclenching.
He smiled then, coming right up to the cell, facing Claire like a predator teasing its helpless prey. "I'm fine. I feel great."
His words were filled with intent, and she screamed in shock as he slammed a fist into the cell door, sending her backwards with the suddenness of it.
She breathed heavily in disbelief, and heard his evil laughter fill the room. He turned his back on her for a moment, and paced over to the side of the room, into the shadows.
After having recovered from the shock of the action, she said, "What have they done to you?"
Jesse folded his arms over his chest, and cocked his head to the side, his spiked hair falling across his eyes partially. He didn't even bother shaking it aside. "They've opened my eyes, Claire."
She frowned, and closed her eyes for a moment. This new Jesse was horrible; something she wished would be gone from her presence when she once again opened her eyes. To her disappointment, he was still there when she looked up again. She had hoped she had just imagined him.
"Don't worry," Jesse said spitefully. "They'll do the same for you soon. Which reminds me," he began, with that same fierce smile, "Brennan should be back soon."
Claire sighed lightly, avoiding looking at the cruel Jesse. She wanted nothing more than to wake up in her own bed now.
She knew that wasn't going to happen.
Jesse glanced at a pager on his belt, and looked up at Claire sadistically. "Time to go."
She shook her head slowly, and backed right up into the rear of the cell, watching in horror as Jesse swiped a key card through the lock.
He entered the cell, pacing predatorily directly over to Claire.
Knowing how much she would have to apologise later, pushing down the guilt, she roundhouse kicked Jesse in the head, hoping to knock him down and out.
Instead, he simply shook his head as though stunned, laughed, and looked her in the eye. The smile faded instantly.
In the blink of an eye, he had her forced back against the rear wall, his hand latched around her throat.
She choked, trying to pry him off with her hands, failing miserably.
Obviously not intending to kill her, only terrify her -and succeeding- , Jesse grabbed a rough and painful hold on the back of her hair, at the back of her head, his fingers knotted in it tightly.
She gasped with pain, and had no choice but to be forced out of the room, even as Brennan appeared at the opened doorway.
He looked down at her intently, and smiled lopsidedly.
She looked up at him with pained eyes, pleading with a look for him to help her.
Jesse did not loosen his hold.
Brennan was dressed all in black now as well; wearing a long-sleeved shirt with wide cuffs that hid his hands partially; leather trousers identical to Jesse's but longer and not so tight; and thick combat boots, no doubt reinforced in the toecaps with steel.
"They're waiting for you," Brennan whispered into her ear, leaning over to be close to her.
She felt the tear roll down her cheek, as she stared at the man she loved.
Jesse tugged her away then, and led her down the corridor, coming to a halt at a steel door.
It opened as though they had sensed their presence on the over side of the door, and Jesse threw her roughly inside.
Claire looked up from her place on the floor where she had landed, and soon noticed the men in white approaching her.