Disclaimer: Only Rosa, Misha and the whole Firefly thing are mine. I won't
even pretend to lay claim to any of the others.
Happy Christmas everyone! And now, back to the story...
Chapter 17: A matter of trust.
She lay on her bed as a girl brushed her hair, weaving in more strands of gold. She had sent Brennan off to a room she had demanded be prepared for him, just next to her own room. He had looked exhausted, and after his revelation about his feelings for her, she decided she could trust him to rest alone in his room. There was a knock at the door.
"Enter Ahriman," she called. The door opened and the Chief Preacher entered, wondering how it was she knew it was him at the door. She smiled at his confusion. "What is it?" she asked, irritated at the interruption.
"Highness, I wonder, could I have a word?" he asked, bowing low.
"You already have. More than one word, in fact," she replied, amused at her little joke. "I suppose I have to listen to the rest of it too. Go ahead."
"Highness, far be it for me to call your judgement into question," he paled as she shot him a glare. "I only fear for your safety."
"Continue," she sighed.
"We have had reports from the guards about unwanted visitors. They have seen other members of Mutant X prowling around. I wondered what you suggest we do next time they appear here."
"Did they attempt to enter the Core?"
"No Mistress, they simply watched, then circled the warehouse and left."
She thought for a moment. They were probably checking the area out for a possible attack in the future. "Alert me immediately the next time they come round," she decided, waving him away.
She stared at him when he didn't leave. "Was there something else?" she asked pointedly.
"Forgive me, Noble One, for my impertinence, but I simply wish to protect you from any problems which may arise."
"Yes, yes," she said impatiently. "What else is there?"
He hesitated, knowing what he was about to say would not sit well with her. "It's about the small matter of the traitor."
"What about him?" she demanded, her attention focused now.
"I worry about his intentions. It would be much safer if we were allowed to put him through the Elimination ritual."
Her eyes glowed angrily. "That matter is not open for discussion. He stays, and no one is to harm him further. Is that understood?"
"But, Highness."
He didn't get to finish his sentence. She raised her hand and shot a ball of crackling fire towards him. He screamed in pain as he went up in smoke. "NO ONE contradicts me, is that clear?" she stormed as she stood. She watched his body crumble to dust as several preachers came running into the room, alerted by the commotion.
"Let that be a lesson to you all," she proclaimed as they stared at the pile of dust in disbelief. "I will not tolerate being contradicted."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Jesse landed the Double Helix in a quiet back lane and they all got out. "Adam, where is he now?" Jesse asked over the comring.
"About 100 metres southwest from where you are now. Go along Bond Street then turn right."
The team started moving along Bond Street, wondering how on earth they were going to get him if he decided to turn invisible. As they turned right as per Adam's directions, Emma saw the now familiar mutant walking purposefully down the street in front of them. She gently probed his thoughts, but she could feel no anxiety, no fear, no anger, nothing but a calm purposeful mind.
"There," she warned the others. Shalimar crept towards the left, aiming to come up in front of him as Emma prepared to mind blast the man before he had a chance to do anything about it. Jesse nodded to Emma once he saw Shal in place, and she sent the blast towards him. As it hit him, he fell to the floor paralysed, and Shal pounced, pinning him to the floor.
"You, my friend, are gonna tell us everything we want to know," she snarled at him.
Before Emma and Jesse had a chance to reach them, the man turned invisible. Shal stared around her, surprised, but she had been briefed about this, and refused to let go of the invisible arms. *I seriously hope this guy's not intangible as well,*she thought to herself, but although he continued to struggle, he couldn't release himself from the feral's grasp.
"Come on Emma, do your stuff," she complained as Emma approached. As the psionic neared, she shot another, more forceful blast into the mutant's mind, and he reappeared, unconscious.
"Got him, Adam," Emma called over the comring.
"Excellent work, guys. Now bring him back here, we've got no time to waste."
"James Miller," Adam called to the unconscious mutant lying on the med bed. "I know you can hear me. Open your eyes, we need to talk."
The mutant opened his eyes. "What do you want with me?" he spat.
"You nearly put on of my team in hospital not so long ago," he said to him.
"It was her own fault for getting involved," he replied. "Firefly should have known not to bring anyone else into this."
"What do you know about Firefly?" Adam demanded.
"I know enough not to get involved."
"It's too late to stay out of it now. You lured Rosalie into the sect's grasp."
"I did no such thing. I was aware that someone had been taken captive and I wanted to help. She was the only one who would have been able to get him out."
"Help us now and tell me what you know. Any information will be useful to us."
"Why should I help you?" she asked with a sneer.
"Why did you want to help Rosalie?" he returned. James remained silent. Adam turned to Emma and nodded, giving her the signal to place safe, cooperative thoughts into James' mind.
James looked at Adam. "I wanted to help the elemental," he replied.
"Brennan?" Emma exclaimed.
"Why? What did you know about him?" Adam continued. James looked down at the floor, not saying a word. "Lynne told me about you. Told me you might be able to help," he said, trying a different tactic. "But there's no record of you or your mutant powers anywhere. What's the story there?"
"Lynne doesn't know the half of it either," he replied. "Lynne thinks the world would be a better place if only people got on with each other," he sneered.
"You don't trust anyone, do you?" Adam finally said.
"Trust is overrated."
The silence in the room was broken only by the bleeping of various machines.
Finally James spoke again. "You probably know I'm a molecular."
"Yes, with powers of invisibility and imperviousness," Adam finished.
"Not many people know I also have the power to heal."
Adam looked quizzically at James. "But I don't understand how the power to heal comes into all this," he said.
"I take it you know the whole Firefly legend," he started. Adam nodded. "Well, there's a part of it that not many people know. In fact, only the highest Preachers in the sect, and myself know."
"Hang on, how do you know all this if you're not a Preacher in the sect?" Adam asked, fearing the worst.
"When Firefly was killed, part of her powers were transferred to the man who did the deed. This included her healing and rejuvenative powers." He paused.
Emma stared at the mutant. "What exactly are you saying?" she asked urgently.
"I got it all," he continued. "This rejuvenative power has kept me young for hundreds of years. I've been keeping an eye on the sect, and searching for signs of Firefly's return, because once she regains all her powers, she's practically impossible to overthrow."
Adam and Emma were stunned into silence.
"I killed her once, and I don't want to do it again. I'd rather stop her regaining power than go through the torture of killing her again."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
From the reviews people have left already, I get the impression that you wouldn't like it too much if I killed Brennan. What about Rosalie? What do you think about killing her? And is this story getting too long?
Happy Christmas everyone! And now, back to the story...
Chapter 17: A matter of trust.
She lay on her bed as a girl brushed her hair, weaving in more strands of gold. She had sent Brennan off to a room she had demanded be prepared for him, just next to her own room. He had looked exhausted, and after his revelation about his feelings for her, she decided she could trust him to rest alone in his room. There was a knock at the door.
"Enter Ahriman," she called. The door opened and the Chief Preacher entered, wondering how it was she knew it was him at the door. She smiled at his confusion. "What is it?" she asked, irritated at the interruption.
"Highness, I wonder, could I have a word?" he asked, bowing low.
"You already have. More than one word, in fact," she replied, amused at her little joke. "I suppose I have to listen to the rest of it too. Go ahead."
"Highness, far be it for me to call your judgement into question," he paled as she shot him a glare. "I only fear for your safety."
"Continue," she sighed.
"We have had reports from the guards about unwanted visitors. They have seen other members of Mutant X prowling around. I wondered what you suggest we do next time they appear here."
"Did they attempt to enter the Core?"
"No Mistress, they simply watched, then circled the warehouse and left."
She thought for a moment. They were probably checking the area out for a possible attack in the future. "Alert me immediately the next time they come round," she decided, waving him away.
She stared at him when he didn't leave. "Was there something else?" she asked pointedly.
"Forgive me, Noble One, for my impertinence, but I simply wish to protect you from any problems which may arise."
"Yes, yes," she said impatiently. "What else is there?"
He hesitated, knowing what he was about to say would not sit well with her. "It's about the small matter of the traitor."
"What about him?" she demanded, her attention focused now.
"I worry about his intentions. It would be much safer if we were allowed to put him through the Elimination ritual."
Her eyes glowed angrily. "That matter is not open for discussion. He stays, and no one is to harm him further. Is that understood?"
"But, Highness."
He didn't get to finish his sentence. She raised her hand and shot a ball of crackling fire towards him. He screamed in pain as he went up in smoke. "NO ONE contradicts me, is that clear?" she stormed as she stood. She watched his body crumble to dust as several preachers came running into the room, alerted by the commotion.
"Let that be a lesson to you all," she proclaimed as they stared at the pile of dust in disbelief. "I will not tolerate being contradicted."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Jesse landed the Double Helix in a quiet back lane and they all got out. "Adam, where is he now?" Jesse asked over the comring.
"About 100 metres southwest from where you are now. Go along Bond Street then turn right."
The team started moving along Bond Street, wondering how on earth they were going to get him if he decided to turn invisible. As they turned right as per Adam's directions, Emma saw the now familiar mutant walking purposefully down the street in front of them. She gently probed his thoughts, but she could feel no anxiety, no fear, no anger, nothing but a calm purposeful mind.
"There," she warned the others. Shalimar crept towards the left, aiming to come up in front of him as Emma prepared to mind blast the man before he had a chance to do anything about it. Jesse nodded to Emma once he saw Shal in place, and she sent the blast towards him. As it hit him, he fell to the floor paralysed, and Shal pounced, pinning him to the floor.
"You, my friend, are gonna tell us everything we want to know," she snarled at him.
Before Emma and Jesse had a chance to reach them, the man turned invisible. Shal stared around her, surprised, but she had been briefed about this, and refused to let go of the invisible arms. *I seriously hope this guy's not intangible as well,*she thought to herself, but although he continued to struggle, he couldn't release himself from the feral's grasp.
"Come on Emma, do your stuff," she complained as Emma approached. As the psionic neared, she shot another, more forceful blast into the mutant's mind, and he reappeared, unconscious.
"Got him, Adam," Emma called over the comring.
"Excellent work, guys. Now bring him back here, we've got no time to waste."
"James Miller," Adam called to the unconscious mutant lying on the med bed. "I know you can hear me. Open your eyes, we need to talk."
The mutant opened his eyes. "What do you want with me?" he spat.
"You nearly put on of my team in hospital not so long ago," he said to him.
"It was her own fault for getting involved," he replied. "Firefly should have known not to bring anyone else into this."
"What do you know about Firefly?" Adam demanded.
"I know enough not to get involved."
"It's too late to stay out of it now. You lured Rosalie into the sect's grasp."
"I did no such thing. I was aware that someone had been taken captive and I wanted to help. She was the only one who would have been able to get him out."
"Help us now and tell me what you know. Any information will be useful to us."
"Why should I help you?" she asked with a sneer.
"Why did you want to help Rosalie?" he returned. James remained silent. Adam turned to Emma and nodded, giving her the signal to place safe, cooperative thoughts into James' mind.
James looked at Adam. "I wanted to help the elemental," he replied.
"Brennan?" Emma exclaimed.
"Why? What did you know about him?" Adam continued. James looked down at the floor, not saying a word. "Lynne told me about you. Told me you might be able to help," he said, trying a different tactic. "But there's no record of you or your mutant powers anywhere. What's the story there?"
"Lynne doesn't know the half of it either," he replied. "Lynne thinks the world would be a better place if only people got on with each other," he sneered.
"You don't trust anyone, do you?" Adam finally said.
"Trust is overrated."
The silence in the room was broken only by the bleeping of various machines.
Finally James spoke again. "You probably know I'm a molecular."
"Yes, with powers of invisibility and imperviousness," Adam finished.
"Not many people know I also have the power to heal."
Adam looked quizzically at James. "But I don't understand how the power to heal comes into all this," he said.
"I take it you know the whole Firefly legend," he started. Adam nodded. "Well, there's a part of it that not many people know. In fact, only the highest Preachers in the sect, and myself know."
"Hang on, how do you know all this if you're not a Preacher in the sect?" Adam asked, fearing the worst.
"When Firefly was killed, part of her powers were transferred to the man who did the deed. This included her healing and rejuvenative powers." He paused.
Emma stared at the mutant. "What exactly are you saying?" she asked urgently.
"I got it all," he continued. "This rejuvenative power has kept me young for hundreds of years. I've been keeping an eye on the sect, and searching for signs of Firefly's return, because once she regains all her powers, she's practically impossible to overthrow."
Adam and Emma were stunned into silence.
"I killed her once, and I don't want to do it again. I'd rather stop her regaining power than go through the torture of killing her again."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
From the reviews people have left already, I get the impression that you wouldn't like it too much if I killed Brennan. What about Rosalie? What do you think about killing her? And is this story getting too long?