Chapter 2
Waking up
The first thing Emma was aware of as consciousness returned was pain. There wasn't a spot on her body that didn't hurt. For a moment she didn't remember why she should be in such pain but then the memory of the attack came crashing back. She could hear her assailant moving near her. Her abilities had failed her earlier but now as she tried once more, she discovered she could defend her herself. He wouldn't hurt her this time.
When Adam first felt the tendrils of tightness around his throat, he was caught by surprise. But then he realized Emma was projecting images onto him with her mutant abilities. That knowledge did him little good as he was forced to his knees. "Emma." he choked out. "Emma, you're safe."
"ADAM!" Shalimar screamed at the sight of him writhing on the floor. Realizing Emma was responsible, Shalimar gathered the injured young woman in her arms and gave her a gentle shake. "Emma, wake up. It's Adam you're hurting."
Emma's eyes rolled open and after a moment she vaguely realized what was happening. She released her mental hold on Adam and slumped wearily against Shalimar. She began to cry.
As soon as Adam had recovered, he joined Shalimar at Emma's side. The young woman looked at him through tear-filled eyes. "I'm sorry."
She grimaced at the pain the two words caused and at the raspy, almost inaudible tone in her voice. Adam touched her shoulder. "Easy Emma. It's going to take a few days for your voice to return to normal. Try not to use it if you can. Nod yes or no, are you in pain?"
Emma nodded. She wanted to wipe the tears from her eyes but found her hands were too shaky and weak to obey her brain's commands. She shivered. "I'm cold." She admitted huskily.
"No wonder, your shirt is cut open in the back. Let me help you change into." Shalimar cut off suddenly as she noticed something on Emma's back. "Adam, come here."
Despite the pain, Emma tried twisting her head to see just what had alarmed Shalimar so. Adam looked at Emma's back and frowned. He shook his head. "Well, now we know."
"Know what?" Emma demanded, growing more and more alarmed. "Adam, what's going." Her voice died out completely before she could finish.
Adam tried to look reassuring but Emma could feel his worry just the same. It didn't help her any to see, though she tried to hide it, Shalimar's feral eyes were practically flashing fire. What had that monster done to her? Vaguely, she remembered him cutting her shirt and the pressure that followed but there had been no pain. She blinked back tears. "Adam?"
"Your attacker cut your forehead three times. Do you remember that?" Emma nodded, unsure what that had to do with her back. "The three cuts formed the letter F. We couldn't figure out what it meant but he left a message on your back that I think explains it."
Despite her shaky, weak hands, Emma reached behind her to feel for a wound but felt nothing. Her eyes pleaded with Adam to tell her just how bad it was. Adam sighed. "It looks like he used a black magic marker. He wrote three words; Die Freaks Die."
Emma shuddered. "He kept calling me a freak. Somehow he knew I had mutant abilities. He wanted to kill me. He wanted to kill me and I couldn't."
Adam hugged her as she began to sob. His heart was breaking for his young friend. He felt guilty that she was having to go through this and wished there was something more he could do.
"Hey, Kiddo, you scared me pretty badly back there." Jesse entered the room and kissed Emma gently on her uninjured cheek. Knowing her other teammates needed the reassurance that she was going to be okay, Adam relinquished his hold on her. As Jesse gently took Adam's place holding her, he hoped she wasn't reading him his emotions. He didn't want her to know that he didn't think she looked too much better now than she had when he found her lying on the ground unconscious. "I wish I'd gotten there quicker. I'm sorry, Emma."
"You didn't know; you couldn't have." Emma swallowed what little saliva her battered throat would produce and grimaced. Shalimar quickly brought her a glass of water and even held it for her when it was obvious the younger girl's hands were too shaky to hold it by herself without spilling it.
Adam filled a syringe with an amber liquid and returned to Emma's side. Ordinarily he wouldn't give someone with a concussion this painkiller and sedative but he knew it was the only way that Emma wouldn't talk and cause herself more pain. "This will ease the pain and help you get some rest. In the morning, when you feel stronger, we can all sit down and figure out who is responsible for this and how we are going to stop him."
Brennan frowned. "You don't think it was Eckhardt and the GSA? Emma, did you recognize the guy?"
She shook her head eyeing Adam as he prepared to give her the injection. She wasn't sure she wanted to sleep. She knew she was safe here in Sanctuary, physically at least. She wasn't sure, however, how safe she was from dreams that would force her to relive the attack. She was about to protest when she saw the worry in each of her teammates' eyes. She'd proven her weakness earlier by not being able to fight off her attacker; she wouldn't further prove it by admitting her fears.
"Brennan, Jesse, why don't we step outside and let Shalimar help Emma into something more comfortable." Adam suggested firmly. He waited until both Jesse and Brennan had said goodnight to their injured comrade and left before he too squeezed her hand. "Emma, I know it might be difficult but give into the medicine and get some rest. You've been through something terrible but you are safe now. We'll be nearby."
"Adam." Emma began, her voice thick with pain and raw emotion. "My psionic abilities. they wouldn't work. Why. why wouldn't they work?" Before Adam could even frame a reply, the painkiller he'd given her took effect and Emma slipped back asleep.
"Adam?" Shalimar frowned. "How could that be? Why wouldn't her mutant abilities work? There was nothing wrong with them when she woke up."
Adam wouldn't look at the feral. "I don't know. Nothing showed up in the scan. A couple of ideas come to mind but they are very farfetched. Maybe she can give me more to go on once she wakes up. Do you mind helping her into more clothes and staying with her until I get back? If I know Brennan and Jesse as well as I think I do, I'd better go head them off from rushing off into the night on a futile manhunt."
Shalimar smiled, remembering the fight she'd interrupted earlier. "Either that or they are back at each other's throats. Don't get me wrong, Adam. I want us to make this scumbag pay for what he did to Emma but I'm glad you didn't press her for details tonight."
Adam nodded. "I think it would have been crueler than the actual attack. And for the record, no one wants this guy as bad as I do." Especially if Crueben is involved he added to himself.
The first thing Emma was aware of as consciousness returned was pain. There wasn't a spot on her body that didn't hurt. For a moment she didn't remember why she should be in such pain but then the memory of the attack came crashing back. She could hear her assailant moving near her. Her abilities had failed her earlier but now as she tried once more, she discovered she could defend her herself. He wouldn't hurt her this time.
When Adam first felt the tendrils of tightness around his throat, he was caught by surprise. But then he realized Emma was projecting images onto him with her mutant abilities. That knowledge did him little good as he was forced to his knees. "Emma." he choked out. "Emma, you're safe."
"ADAM!" Shalimar screamed at the sight of him writhing on the floor. Realizing Emma was responsible, Shalimar gathered the injured young woman in her arms and gave her a gentle shake. "Emma, wake up. It's Adam you're hurting."
Emma's eyes rolled open and after a moment she vaguely realized what was happening. She released her mental hold on Adam and slumped wearily against Shalimar. She began to cry.
As soon as Adam had recovered, he joined Shalimar at Emma's side. The young woman looked at him through tear-filled eyes. "I'm sorry."
She grimaced at the pain the two words caused and at the raspy, almost inaudible tone in her voice. Adam touched her shoulder. "Easy Emma. It's going to take a few days for your voice to return to normal. Try not to use it if you can. Nod yes or no, are you in pain?"
Emma nodded. She wanted to wipe the tears from her eyes but found her hands were too shaky and weak to obey her brain's commands. She shivered. "I'm cold." She admitted huskily.
"No wonder, your shirt is cut open in the back. Let me help you change into." Shalimar cut off suddenly as she noticed something on Emma's back. "Adam, come here."
Despite the pain, Emma tried twisting her head to see just what had alarmed Shalimar so. Adam looked at Emma's back and frowned. He shook his head. "Well, now we know."
"Know what?" Emma demanded, growing more and more alarmed. "Adam, what's going." Her voice died out completely before she could finish.
Adam tried to look reassuring but Emma could feel his worry just the same. It didn't help her any to see, though she tried to hide it, Shalimar's feral eyes were practically flashing fire. What had that monster done to her? Vaguely, she remembered him cutting her shirt and the pressure that followed but there had been no pain. She blinked back tears. "Adam?"
"Your attacker cut your forehead three times. Do you remember that?" Emma nodded, unsure what that had to do with her back. "The three cuts formed the letter F. We couldn't figure out what it meant but he left a message on your back that I think explains it."
Despite her shaky, weak hands, Emma reached behind her to feel for a wound but felt nothing. Her eyes pleaded with Adam to tell her just how bad it was. Adam sighed. "It looks like he used a black magic marker. He wrote three words; Die Freaks Die."
Emma shuddered. "He kept calling me a freak. Somehow he knew I had mutant abilities. He wanted to kill me. He wanted to kill me and I couldn't."
Adam hugged her as she began to sob. His heart was breaking for his young friend. He felt guilty that she was having to go through this and wished there was something more he could do.
"Hey, Kiddo, you scared me pretty badly back there." Jesse entered the room and kissed Emma gently on her uninjured cheek. Knowing her other teammates needed the reassurance that she was going to be okay, Adam relinquished his hold on her. As Jesse gently took Adam's place holding her, he hoped she wasn't reading him his emotions. He didn't want her to know that he didn't think she looked too much better now than she had when he found her lying on the ground unconscious. "I wish I'd gotten there quicker. I'm sorry, Emma."
"You didn't know; you couldn't have." Emma swallowed what little saliva her battered throat would produce and grimaced. Shalimar quickly brought her a glass of water and even held it for her when it was obvious the younger girl's hands were too shaky to hold it by herself without spilling it.
Adam filled a syringe with an amber liquid and returned to Emma's side. Ordinarily he wouldn't give someone with a concussion this painkiller and sedative but he knew it was the only way that Emma wouldn't talk and cause herself more pain. "This will ease the pain and help you get some rest. In the morning, when you feel stronger, we can all sit down and figure out who is responsible for this and how we are going to stop him."
Brennan frowned. "You don't think it was Eckhardt and the GSA? Emma, did you recognize the guy?"
She shook her head eyeing Adam as he prepared to give her the injection. She wasn't sure she wanted to sleep. She knew she was safe here in Sanctuary, physically at least. She wasn't sure, however, how safe she was from dreams that would force her to relive the attack. She was about to protest when she saw the worry in each of her teammates' eyes. She'd proven her weakness earlier by not being able to fight off her attacker; she wouldn't further prove it by admitting her fears.
"Brennan, Jesse, why don't we step outside and let Shalimar help Emma into something more comfortable." Adam suggested firmly. He waited until both Jesse and Brennan had said goodnight to their injured comrade and left before he too squeezed her hand. "Emma, I know it might be difficult but give into the medicine and get some rest. You've been through something terrible but you are safe now. We'll be nearby."
"Adam." Emma began, her voice thick with pain and raw emotion. "My psionic abilities. they wouldn't work. Why. why wouldn't they work?" Before Adam could even frame a reply, the painkiller he'd given her took effect and Emma slipped back asleep.
"Adam?" Shalimar frowned. "How could that be? Why wouldn't her mutant abilities work? There was nothing wrong with them when she woke up."
Adam wouldn't look at the feral. "I don't know. Nothing showed up in the scan. A couple of ideas come to mind but they are very farfetched. Maybe she can give me more to go on once she wakes up. Do you mind helping her into more clothes and staying with her until I get back? If I know Brennan and Jesse as well as I think I do, I'd better go head them off from rushing off into the night on a futile manhunt."
Shalimar smiled, remembering the fight she'd interrupted earlier. "Either that or they are back at each other's throats. Don't get me wrong, Adam. I want us to make this scumbag pay for what he did to Emma but I'm glad you didn't press her for details tonight."
Adam nodded. "I think it would have been crueler than the actual attack. And for the record, no one wants this guy as bad as I do." Especially if Crueben is involved he added to himself.