Title: The Time Has Come
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Mutant X characters, and may occasionally
include a few of my own as the work progresses. All but the characters in the
show are mine.
Feedback: Guys, I really appreciate your feedback and all of the reviews. This
is my first fanfic, and it's been interesting to see it unfold. I hope you guys
enjoy it. I really look forward to your comments. Thank you Ambrosia, Megara,
Chic, Cand, and the rest of you for reading it and taking the time to share
your thoughts on it. I hope you guys aren't disappointed with the ending. : )
Chapter 12: Family Ties
Staring at the brother she hadn't seen in six years, Emma cringed at the guilt radiating off him in waves. Her senses were almost overwhelmed by Jerry's guilt and the confusion of her friends standing close by.
"You know him?" Jesse asked, nervous at what this meant. Nodding her head, Emma looked at the man strapped down to a chair to assure he wouldn't attempt to escape. His brown hair was threaded with gray, and his once awkward and gentle face was now filled out with lines creasing his eyes and forehead. Confused and scared that Jerry was the man they had found at Falcon's Claw that day, Emma took a step forward.
"What were you doing there Jerry?" Emma asked, her confusion and fear evident in her voice. Looking at the woman the girl had become, Jerry wanted to smile. She was more beautiful than he had imagined she would be. However, the desire to tell her so was quickly squashed as he realized who she was with. She was with this group of murderous mutants. He had been forced to use his DNA drug to help the freaks commit crimes. He refused to help them now, even if his foster sister was one of them. Refusing to speak, Jerry turned his head and stared at the wall. Hurt, Emma looked at Jerry and realized that he was not the same man she had known growing up. Sensing his confusion, disappointment, and fear, Emma realized he must be thinking the same thing about her.
"Jerry, my friends found you at the club and brought you here to see if you can help us. That's Adam, Brennan, Shalimar, and this is Jesse." Looking up at the change in Emma's voice upon introducing Jesse, Jerry noticed the way she softly touched his arm during the introduction. The man's instinctual response to her was warm and caring. They obviously had strong feelings for each other. Jerry had often wondered if his young sister in spirit would ever know the joys and sorrow of true love. If in fact that was what she had found with this young man, he was truly happy for her. Picking up on the changes in Jerry's mood, Emma slowly smiled at him. "Please don't be afraid of us, Jerry. We're not going to hurt you. We're here to help people. Adam created this team called Mutant X, to help New Mutants in trouble. He has some questions to ask you about that club and those ferals. He found the drug they placed in the cup they made me drink before I was able to release a psionic pulse to permanently disable them. He needs to ask you questions about it." Looking up suddenly, Jerry scrutinized Emma closely before glancing at the man she called Adam.
"You were the one who did that to the ferals?" Jerry asked in disbelief. Nodding her head in shame, Emma tried to control the tear that threatened to fall.
"Yes, I didn't have a choice. They wouldn't let me leave and insisted on giving me that drug." As understanding began to dawn, Jerry looked at Adam, Brennan, Shalimar, and Jesse each in turn before landing once again on Emma. Breathing a sigh of relief, the thirty-three year old finally relaxed. He felt it was finally time to admit the truth.
"I see, I didn't realize. I thought you guys were with them." Jerry said, looking specifically at Shalimar. Understanding his meaning, Adam sighed.
"No, Shalimar is a feral but Brennan is an elemental and Jesse a metabolic. You're familiar with Emma's telempathic abilities, I take it." Adam said, not surprised to see Jerry nod his head. Walking over, Emma released the cords used to tie Jerry to his seat. Immensely grateful that the restrictions were removed, he smiled up at her.
"Why do you need a counter drug? I would think you would want to use the drug to enhance your abilities by speeding up the mutations." Jerry said, slightly confused. Shaking his head, Adam knew it would take time to explain everything to his misguided colleague. Quick to retort on the fact that they didn't need help accelerating their mutations, Brennan took the growl escaping Shalimar's throat to heart and shut up.
"What Brennan was trying to say, however rudely, is that the mutations in the DNA of New Mutants is unstable. They can mutate at anytime, causing the New Mutants to experience changes in their powers. Everyone here has already experienced that once. Emma, however, has undergone several mutations since then. She's in jeopardy of reaching a point of instability that she won't be able to recover from." Adam explained, trying to be as gentle as possible given Emma's unstable condition and her unknown relationship to the man she calls Jerry.
"I don't understand. You mean the mutations are putting her in danger?" Jerry asked, waves of guilt once again emanating off him. As Adam said yes, Emma began getting weak and looking around before latching onto Jesse's arm.
"Adam, while you explain everything to Jerry, I'm gonna go take a nap." Emma said in a strained voice. Sensing something wasn't right, Jesse immediately offered to escort her to her room. Not pleased, Brennan quickly stepped forward.
"I'm sure she can make it on her own." Sensing the challenge, Jesse hardened his stance and repeated his previous statement. Placing a hand on Brennan's shoulder, Shalimar gently pulled the elemental out of Jesse and Emma's way. Quickly agreeing, Adam offered to have Jesse take Emma to the lab instead of to her room. Glaring at the dark curly-haired leader, Emma quickly asserted that she was fine. She would take a nap in her room and that was that.
As the two left, Jerry looked at the concern clearly written on the faces of everyone in the room. He was surprised as their concern matched his own. Making a decision, Jerry spoke up and addressed Adam. "Tell me everything." Agreeing, Adam quickly explained how unstable the mutations were. Sharing their experiences with Gabriel and his concerns that Emma might share the same fate soon if they didn't find a way to slow down and reverse the mutations, they quickly caught Jerry up to speed.
Understanding why Adam needed his help, Jerry couldn't bring himself to answer the one question that plagued his new friend the most. Why was this happening to Emma in the first place? Jerry knew why, and it was his fault. The initial change in Emma's mutation triggered the genetic markers his drug had previously encoded. Once started, the mutations occurred steadily increasing her powers until the point where she would not be able to physically handle them. At first unaware of anything but the value of his designer drug, Gerald had not realized the long reaching affects of it. In his eagerness at finally completing the research he had dedicated years of his life too, he handed it to Emma insisting he had created something wonderful and magical just for her. Instead, he had assured an early death for his foster sister. At once sad and filled with anger and hate for himself, Gerald looked around at the friends Emma had gained. Once he was her friend too, but no longer. He couldn't bring himself to share his crime, so instead he devoted his time to helping Adam in his lab.
"Do you have a counter drug?" Adam asked once again, pleased to actually receive an answer this time if disappointed at the answer itself. Shaking his head, Gerald knew how much the truth would hurt.
"No, in my arrogance I didn't think one would be needed. Once Don, one of the ferals at the club, discovered what I'd created, he kept me prisoner there. Forcing me to create the drug for him and his feral friends. I never had a chance to create something to counteract the effects of the drug. It seemed to work slowly, so there didn't look like there would be a need for it anytime soon." Disappointed, Adam understood the man's position. If they had found him trying to design a counter drug, they most likely would have killed him.
"I need your help. Emma doesn't have long." As Adam spoke, Gerald quickly agreed and moved to write down the chemical properties of what he was quickly coming to call the drug of death.
Weak, Emma leaned against Jesse as he walked her to her room. Feeling her strength fade fast, Emma didn't know if she would make it. "Jesse..." Calling out his name softly, Emma went to tell him when he quickly responded "Shush." Moving her towards his room, which they came to first, Jesse stopped before picking her up in one large swooping motion. Entering the room, Jesse walked over to the bed and gently laid her down. Making her as comfortable as possible, Jesse laid beside her and watched as she quickly fell asleep. Kissing her cheek, Jesse stood up and walked to the chest of drawers in his room. Opening the top drawer, he rummaged through his clothes before pulling out a tiny box. Opening it up, the gleam of the platinum necklace sparkled even brighter as he moved it back and forth. Seeing the twinkle of the precious metal wrapping around a delicate tear shaped aquamarine, Jesse smiled. He had been waiting for the right time to give Emma the necklace. Now, as every second that passed by brought them closer to a bleak future, Jesse discovered he wanted her to know that he loved her before knowing her condition and would love her long afterwards. He vowed to give her the necklace and tell her soon.
Hearing a slight murmur escape Emma's lips, Jesse closed the box and placed it in his pants. Turning around, he went to lie down at Emma's side. Gently wrapping his arms around her, Jesse held her as she slept. Soon nodding off, he quickly joined Emma in her dreams.