LIKE AN OPEN BOOK
The lab seemed peaceful now, after all the trials of late. Trials that had not yet passed over them fully. They still had business to attend to, but now, they had to recover from the latest task.
Adam looked down at Brennan as he lay still on the bed, his heartbeat slow and rythmic, the sound from the monitor almost soothing.
"You did it, Adam," came the gentle voice of Emma from the other bed, as the young woman rose from a resting sleep. She had awaken about an hour after Brennan had been brought in, whilst Adam was still struggling to figure out how to reverse the tricky process carried out by whatever maniacs had captured him and the others in the first place.
Adam looked back briefly at Emma, his hand hovering near his mouth in pensive consideration. "I was lucky."
He heard Emma sigh, and then rise from the bed. "Don't demean what you've accomplished, Adam. This is more important than luck, and you know that. You saved his life."
Adam remained silent, trapped in his incoherent thoughts, thoughts that nibbled at his subconscious and wouldn't give him a moment's peace.
"What is it, Adam?" Emma asked with a worried edge to her voice.
After a couple more silent moments, Adam looked back at Emma, turning his back on the man lying on the lab bed, and said, "I saved Brennan, that's true, but I was just in time."
He saw the look on Emma's face then, and he knew she understood.
He continued nevertheless for the sake of clarity, "If we don't get Claire and Jesse in here right away, their nervous systems will completely shut down, beyond the point of repair. I won't be able to do a thing for them." He hesitated, hovering over the words for a few tentative moments. "They'll die."
* * *
Emma felt her heart jump at the end of the sentence, and she shook her head. "But you saved Brennan," she explained, indicating the sleeping man behind Adam, "can't you help the others the same way?"
Adam shook his head vigorously. "No. That won't work for much longer. Soon, they'll start losing all control over their powers, before their cells start to come apart, leading to organ failure, and complete shut down."
Emma couldn't believe what she was hearing. Two of the best friends she could ever have were on the brink of death, and they had no idea.
She bowed her head in sorrow, and then looked up to Adam.
He seemed to sense the urgency in her, and he turned. "What's wrong?"
She allowed herself half a smile, and said, "What if I can contact them?"
He shook his head. "You might not be able to reach them. They're not the same people they were before, Emma. I doubt you would even be able to find them amongst the masses."
"But let me try," Emma pleaded, wincing at the pain the bruise on her face caused. Adam had healed some of the damage, but a noticeable darkening of the skin was still clear.
Adam sighed resignedly, and looked her in the eye. "Alright, but the minute you start to feel uncomfortable, you break it off, okay?"
She nodded, and took a deep breath, settling herself comfortably into a seated position on the bed behind her. She closed her eyes, and breathed slowly, rhythmically.
Emma searched her mind for Jesse, who she had known the longest out of the two. She knew his mind better, she had scanned the molecular many a time before, and she was confident she could find him now, amongst the crowds, wherever he was.
Her concentration built swiftly, from practice, and she soon felt her mind reaching out for his, searching quickly and efficiently through the masses, sifting through them with ease.
And then she found him, even though his mind was a jumble. He didn't know what to think, or what to do, what to say, or how to go about saying the words. He was frightened, deep inside, his subconscious silenced, trapped within his mind.
"Emma?" Adam said quietly to her from close by, not wishing to disrupt her progress.
"I've found him," she reported, keeping her concentration fixed on Jesse.
She saw through his eyes, and noticed Claire. The image was blurred, unfocused. Emma wondered then if Jesse could sense her presence in his mind. In his condition, it would probably be counterproductive for him to know he was being read by a psionic.
Jesse looked out of the window, giving her more information than she could have possibly hoped for. She saw tall buildings, and long streets, filled with cars and people going about their daily business. And clubs, with crowds already gathering outside of them.
Opening her eyes, Emma smiled. "I know where they are."
The lab seemed peaceful now, after all the trials of late. Trials that had not yet passed over them fully. They still had business to attend to, but now, they had to recover from the latest task.
Adam looked down at Brennan as he lay still on the bed, his heartbeat slow and rythmic, the sound from the monitor almost soothing.
"You did it, Adam," came the gentle voice of Emma from the other bed, as the young woman rose from a resting sleep. She had awaken about an hour after Brennan had been brought in, whilst Adam was still struggling to figure out how to reverse the tricky process carried out by whatever maniacs had captured him and the others in the first place.
Adam looked back briefly at Emma, his hand hovering near his mouth in pensive consideration. "I was lucky."
He heard Emma sigh, and then rise from the bed. "Don't demean what you've accomplished, Adam. This is more important than luck, and you know that. You saved his life."
Adam remained silent, trapped in his incoherent thoughts, thoughts that nibbled at his subconscious and wouldn't give him a moment's peace.
"What is it, Adam?" Emma asked with a worried edge to her voice.
After a couple more silent moments, Adam looked back at Emma, turning his back on the man lying on the lab bed, and said, "I saved Brennan, that's true, but I was just in time."
He saw the look on Emma's face then, and he knew she understood.
He continued nevertheless for the sake of clarity, "If we don't get Claire and Jesse in here right away, their nervous systems will completely shut down, beyond the point of repair. I won't be able to do a thing for them." He hesitated, hovering over the words for a few tentative moments. "They'll die."
* * *
Emma felt her heart jump at the end of the sentence, and she shook her head. "But you saved Brennan," she explained, indicating the sleeping man behind Adam, "can't you help the others the same way?"
Adam shook his head vigorously. "No. That won't work for much longer. Soon, they'll start losing all control over their powers, before their cells start to come apart, leading to organ failure, and complete shut down."
Emma couldn't believe what she was hearing. Two of the best friends she could ever have were on the brink of death, and they had no idea.
She bowed her head in sorrow, and then looked up to Adam.
He seemed to sense the urgency in her, and he turned. "What's wrong?"
She allowed herself half a smile, and said, "What if I can contact them?"
He shook his head. "You might not be able to reach them. They're not the same people they were before, Emma. I doubt you would even be able to find them amongst the masses."
"But let me try," Emma pleaded, wincing at the pain the bruise on her face caused. Adam had healed some of the damage, but a noticeable darkening of the skin was still clear.
Adam sighed resignedly, and looked her in the eye. "Alright, but the minute you start to feel uncomfortable, you break it off, okay?"
She nodded, and took a deep breath, settling herself comfortably into a seated position on the bed behind her. She closed her eyes, and breathed slowly, rhythmically.
Emma searched her mind for Jesse, who she had known the longest out of the two. She knew his mind better, she had scanned the molecular many a time before, and she was confident she could find him now, amongst the crowds, wherever he was.
Her concentration built swiftly, from practice, and she soon felt her mind reaching out for his, searching quickly and efficiently through the masses, sifting through them with ease.
And then she found him, even though his mind was a jumble. He didn't know what to think, or what to do, what to say, or how to go about saying the words. He was frightened, deep inside, his subconscious silenced, trapped within his mind.
"Emma?" Adam said quietly to her from close by, not wishing to disrupt her progress.
"I've found him," she reported, keeping her concentration fixed on Jesse.
She saw through his eyes, and noticed Claire. The image was blurred, unfocused. Emma wondered then if Jesse could sense her presence in his mind. In his condition, it would probably be counterproductive for him to know he was being read by a psionic.
Jesse looked out of the window, giving her more information than she could have possibly hoped for. She saw tall buildings, and long streets, filled with cars and people going about their daily business. And clubs, with crowds already gathering outside of them.
Opening her eyes, Emma smiled. "I know where they are."