HIGHS AND LOWS
"Damn it, Jesse, don't do this to me!" Adam yelled as the monitor continued to register flat line.
Natty watched from the side of the room, her eyes wide in shock, a solitary tear rolling down her cheek. Shalimar was nearby for comfort, and Brennan stood beside his cousin, watching helplessly.
Emma aided Adam, and tried to treat Claire, looking back in horror at the sound that filled the room.
"Jesse!" Adam shouted in frustration at the figure lying on the table.
Brennan moved over swiftly, and mumbled, "Stand back a minute."
Adam did as he was told, a little reluctantly. Quickly though the realisation dominated his features, and he realised the elemental's intentions.
Brennan took a deep breath in, silencing the noise in his mind, cutting it out from his concentration, and let the electricity ball form in his palm, before lowering it to Jesse's chest. He let the energy flow into Jesse, building it up gradually.
"C'mon, c'mon," he muttered to himself, watching Jesse's face, and the monitor in turn.
Suddenly, a pulse started to sound from the monitor, erratic, but still present.
Brennan allowed himself a little smile, and stepped back, the smile fading instantly as he remembered that Jesse still wasn't completely out of the woods.
"Adam," Emma called, alerting him to Claire's weakening condition.
Adam rushed over, bringing a medical instrument of some kind along with him. He ran it over Claire, and cursed quietly. He injected something into her arm, and waited patiently for a few moments until Claire's vitals started to normalise slowly.
"Yes," Adam mumbled happily, and ran a hand over Claire's damp hair as she lay on the bed, extremely pale.
Brennan sighed in relief as Adam administered the same drug into Jesse's system, triggering an identical response.
Adam looked up to the rest of his team, and let out a deep breath he probably didn't realise he had been holding in. "Now for the hard part," he said regretfully.
Brennan leaned against the wall, standing beside his cousin, who still didn't seem to be able to relax. She knew as well as Brennan did that this wasn't going to be easy. The devices in their brains had to be deactivated carefully, so that they didn't trigger a shutdown in their systems, which would inevitably kill the two.
Adam had managed with Brennan, the device having been activated for less time than Jesse and Claire's. True, Claire had been the last to undergo the procedure, but she had in total been under the control of it longer than Brennan.
It was complicated, and it made Brennan's skull pound mercilessly.
Adam looked up at the three figures standing against the wall, and he told them gently, "You don't have to stay in here. I'll call you when I'm finished."
Reluctantly, Natty left the lab, followed by an equally reluctant Brennan. Shalimar hovered for a few moments, staring sadly at her two friends, and then into the soft, gentle eyes of Emma, who nodded.
Shalimar smiled wanly, and left the lab.
* * *
A soft hum seemed to hover around Sanctuary, filling the three figures with a sense of content. The emergency was not yet over, but they trusted in Adam's skills. They knew that if anyone could help Jesse and Claire, it was him.
Brennan looked into Natty's brown eyes, and he rubbed her back.
She started softly, and then smiled at him.
"They'll be okay," he told her sincerely.
She nodded twice. "I hate this," she grumbled, staring down at the floor, her fingers knotted together nervously. "I hate it that everything's so dangerous now."
"I know," Brennan agreed.
Shalimar paced slowly, back and forth, looking ironically enough like a caged tiger, impatient.
"You're making me dizzy, Shal'," Brennan teased lightly, looking up at the feral from where he sat.
She looked down at him. "Sorry," she apologised, and took to standing still, not moving a muscle.
I didn't mean it like that, Brennan thought with a smile at Shalimar.
It would all be over soon.
* * *
"You did it, Adam," Emma congratulated, beaming happily, looking at the two patients.
Adam allowed himself a triumphant smile. It had been anything but easy, that was for certain. He had had to be especially careful this time. Sampson had obviously seen this coming after Brennan's capture, and had started a shutdown sequence in Jesse and Claire, giving them less than twenty-four hours to live. They had gotten to them just in time.
After deactivating the devices through a computer link, Adam had watched with intrigue as they had started to degrade immediately, designed to become absorbed into the body.
They were going to be perfectly fine, given some time to rest that was.
Adam looked up from his patients then, and smiled again. "I need to tell the others."
With that, he strode from the lab.
Emma was left behind, sighing in relief as she sensed the flow of controlled, regulated emotions from the two. There was no more confusion, no more of the jumble she had sensed before.
It was a relief.
"Damn it, Jesse, don't do this to me!" Adam yelled as the monitor continued to register flat line.
Natty watched from the side of the room, her eyes wide in shock, a solitary tear rolling down her cheek. Shalimar was nearby for comfort, and Brennan stood beside his cousin, watching helplessly.
Emma aided Adam, and tried to treat Claire, looking back in horror at the sound that filled the room.
"Jesse!" Adam shouted in frustration at the figure lying on the table.
Brennan moved over swiftly, and mumbled, "Stand back a minute."
Adam did as he was told, a little reluctantly. Quickly though the realisation dominated his features, and he realised the elemental's intentions.
Brennan took a deep breath in, silencing the noise in his mind, cutting it out from his concentration, and let the electricity ball form in his palm, before lowering it to Jesse's chest. He let the energy flow into Jesse, building it up gradually.
"C'mon, c'mon," he muttered to himself, watching Jesse's face, and the monitor in turn.
Suddenly, a pulse started to sound from the monitor, erratic, but still present.
Brennan allowed himself a little smile, and stepped back, the smile fading instantly as he remembered that Jesse still wasn't completely out of the woods.
"Adam," Emma called, alerting him to Claire's weakening condition.
Adam rushed over, bringing a medical instrument of some kind along with him. He ran it over Claire, and cursed quietly. He injected something into her arm, and waited patiently for a few moments until Claire's vitals started to normalise slowly.
"Yes," Adam mumbled happily, and ran a hand over Claire's damp hair as she lay on the bed, extremely pale.
Brennan sighed in relief as Adam administered the same drug into Jesse's system, triggering an identical response.
Adam looked up to the rest of his team, and let out a deep breath he probably didn't realise he had been holding in. "Now for the hard part," he said regretfully.
Brennan leaned against the wall, standing beside his cousin, who still didn't seem to be able to relax. She knew as well as Brennan did that this wasn't going to be easy. The devices in their brains had to be deactivated carefully, so that they didn't trigger a shutdown in their systems, which would inevitably kill the two.
Adam had managed with Brennan, the device having been activated for less time than Jesse and Claire's. True, Claire had been the last to undergo the procedure, but she had in total been under the control of it longer than Brennan.
It was complicated, and it made Brennan's skull pound mercilessly.
Adam looked up at the three figures standing against the wall, and he told them gently, "You don't have to stay in here. I'll call you when I'm finished."
Reluctantly, Natty left the lab, followed by an equally reluctant Brennan. Shalimar hovered for a few moments, staring sadly at her two friends, and then into the soft, gentle eyes of Emma, who nodded.
Shalimar smiled wanly, and left the lab.
* * *
A soft hum seemed to hover around Sanctuary, filling the three figures with a sense of content. The emergency was not yet over, but they trusted in Adam's skills. They knew that if anyone could help Jesse and Claire, it was him.
Brennan looked into Natty's brown eyes, and he rubbed her back.
She started softly, and then smiled at him.
"They'll be okay," he told her sincerely.
She nodded twice. "I hate this," she grumbled, staring down at the floor, her fingers knotted together nervously. "I hate it that everything's so dangerous now."
"I know," Brennan agreed.
Shalimar paced slowly, back and forth, looking ironically enough like a caged tiger, impatient.
"You're making me dizzy, Shal'," Brennan teased lightly, looking up at the feral from where he sat.
She looked down at him. "Sorry," she apologised, and took to standing still, not moving a muscle.
I didn't mean it like that, Brennan thought with a smile at Shalimar.
It would all be over soon.
* * *
"You did it, Adam," Emma congratulated, beaming happily, looking at the two patients.
Adam allowed himself a triumphant smile. It had been anything but easy, that was for certain. He had had to be especially careful this time. Sampson had obviously seen this coming after Brennan's capture, and had started a shutdown sequence in Jesse and Claire, giving them less than twenty-four hours to live. They had gotten to them just in time.
After deactivating the devices through a computer link, Adam had watched with intrigue as they had started to degrade immediately, designed to become absorbed into the body.
They were going to be perfectly fine, given some time to rest that was.
Adam looked up from his patients then, and smiled again. "I need to tell the others."
With that, he strode from the lab.
Emma was left behind, sighing in relief as she sensed the flow of controlled, regulated emotions from the two. There was no more confusion, no more of the jumble she had sensed before.
It was a relief.