Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Mutant X.
Author's Note: It's a long chapter this time, I don't know why. Maybe I've had a bit more time on my hands and I got carried away. In any case, here it is. Enjoy!
Chapter 18: Communication
"Brennan, honey, come in," she called as she saw a shadow at the door. He strode in, not one hundred percent certain of her. "You feeling better"?
"My ribs are still excruciating," he replied as he walked over to her.
"Let me help you," she said as she raised her hands.
Seeing this action, he flinched, remembering the fire she could shoot at will. She stopped, showed him her palms face upwards, and then placed them on his chest. He could feel warmth coming from her hands and radiating throughout his chest. The warmth targeted the painful points on his body, and soon they dissipated, leaving a feeling of relief and contentment.
"Better?" she asked. He smiled, as she led him to the as she led him to the pile of cushions on the floor. "Don't tell me you don't trust me enough to sit with me," she exclaimed. "How can I prove to you that I'm the same person who kicked your ass so many times in the dojo?" she asked with a grin.
He smiled back at her as he sat down on a large cushion. "You've gotta understand that all this is new to me, it's a strange situation."
"I know, honey, it's just that nothing's changed in me. It's frustrating that I can't make you see that." She paused as she looked into his eyes. "I suppose it's a matter of time and patience. I'll wait however long it takes for you to understand."
He raised his hand to her face and stroked her cheek. "You mean so much to me." His hand dropped down onto the cushion. "But what's next for you? For us?"
"Do we have to discuss this now?" she asked. "I'm not even sure myself. I know that these people expect certain things from me, but to be honest, I'm just not comfortable with their method of working."
"Are you going to stay on with Mutant X?"
"I don't see how I can. Not for the moment anyway. These people don't trust Mutant X. I've got to get their trust first, and show them that there are other ways of achieving what the original Firefly achieved." She cast her eyes downwards. "As for us, how are we going to handle this?"
"I'll do whatever I have to in order to keep us together." She looked up at him with hope in her eyes.
"Would you really do that for me?"
"Any day of the week, babe," he replied as he stroked her hand.
"So this is why I love you then," she whispered as she leaned towards him. As their lips met, their bodies melted together and he put his arms around her and stroked her neck.
"What about Adam?" he murmured against her neck.
She stopped, "What about Adam?" she asked.
"I'm assuming that he and the rest of the team will be worried about us. We should get in contact and let them know we're OK."
"You're right. I don't know what they've done with my comring. It's too much to hope that you've still got yours right?"
He flashed the back of his hand at her. "They took it off me immediately. Does this place have any communication facilities?"
"I don't actually know," she replied, a little put off that she didn't know a lot of things about this place. "There's no way we'll be able to convince them to let either of us out either."
"Do you think we could get Emma to pick up our thoughts?" Brennan asked. "We have to try something."
She racked her brain for some way to get a message to Mutant X. "I suppose it's worth a try," she eventually agreed.
"Highness," came a voice from the doorway. Brennan pulled away from her. After all, he didn't want to get into more trouble by having his motives misunderstood by there guys.
"What is it?" she asked, a tad irritably.
"I humbly request your presence for the anointment of the new Chief Preacher," he announced.
"I'll be on my way in a minute," she replied. "By the way," she called him back. "I need access to a communications system. I need you to tell me where it is."
"But, only the highest Preachers are allowed to use it," he said, awed by her request.
"Am I not ranked higher than any Preacher?" she asked, annoyed that he was putting up a fight. He bowed as he remembered the fate of the last Chief Preacher.
"But of course, Highness. Shall I lead you to it now?"
She nodded her assent and glanced at Brennan as she stood up. She lowered a hand to Bren, helping him up from the cushions.
"Will the tr... will the m... will he be coming too?" the Preacher asked.
"Yes," she stated, almost daring him to say otherwise. He nodded reluctantly before turning and leading the two mutants out of the room.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
She held his hand tightly as they followed the Preacher. Brennan understood that she had to hide her insecurities in front of these people, so he squeezed her hand reassuringly in return as they trailed through the long corridors.
They reached the end of the corridor and started down some steps. It was a while before Bren realised that the concrete walls were being replaced by walls made of large slabs of pale coloured stone. The air became mustier and more humid, and the pale flickering from the flame torches hanging off the walls made everything spookier and more surreal, but still they carried on descending the stone steps.
Finally they came to an opening in the wall, and they turned into it, entering a large, dark hall. She let go of his hand, raised a finger and sent a thin sliver of fire towards the nearest unlit torch, creating a cascade effect as every torch in the hall lit up. The orange light from the torches lit up the hall and glinted off the various pieces of electrical equipment. Brennan's eyes lit up as he saw the communications equipment.
"You may leave us now," she spoke to the Preacher as he nervously backed away from her and out through the door. Brennan started forwards towards the communications devices in awe.
"Do you realise how old these are?" he asked her whilst running his fingers lightly over them. "They're practically antiques."
"I suppose they don't really use them much. Everything and everyone they need is within these walls," she shrugged.
He tapped a couple of buttons lightly and the screen in front of him lit up. She smiled, "Brennan, the computer whiz," she said affectionately stroking his shoulder.
He grinned in return. "Unfortunately, I gotta admit, Jesse's the guy you go to when you've got a problem with the electronics."
"So can you get through to Sanctuary?"
"Give me a minute," he muttered, deep in thought tapping various keys. "Got it."
Adam's face came up on the screen. "Brennan! What's going on? Where are you? Have you seen Rosalie?"
"Woah, Adam. How about a friendly hi first?" he joked. Then seeing Adam's worried face, continued, "I'm in the sect's headquarters, I'm OK now, and Rosalie is here with me." She leaned into focus so that Adam could see her too.
"I've been trying to get through to either of you on your comrings."
"They've been taken off us. I couldn't get them back," she supplied.
"What exactly is happening over there?" Adam asked.
"Rosa's been able to act as go between with these guys. I don't think they're that dangerous as long as Rosa can keep them calm."
Adam looked at her questioningly.
"Yes, I can," she replied to his unspoken question. "Indefinitely. And before you ask, I have remembered everything about Firefly. I also remember everything about Rosalie, which means I can merge the two successfully."
"Rosa thinks we can work together, Mutant X and the Firefly sect. Only problem being she has to gain their trust first. That shouldn't be a problem, should it Adam?"
"I don't see why," he replied. "It sounds like an excellent idea Rosa. Obviously you would have to stay on there for a while in order to sort out that side of things," he continued. "But as you know, we're always here for you."
"Likewise," she answered him. "I'm sure we'll be able to work together."
"In the meantime, it IS ok for me to stay here a while, isn't it?" Bren asked Adam.
"Of course, as long as I have some way of communicating with you. I still need you as part of the team Brennan."
"I think you'll find that Emma can communicate with me whenever she wants to," she answered for Bren. "My telepathic powers have increased recently, as have my healing powers."
"That might be interesting to look into," Adam suggested.
"NO," she interrupted, fear in her eyes. Brennan looked at her in surprise. "I. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable with that just yet, Adam. I need a while to get used to myself again."
"Understandable," Adam replied. "Then I'll let you know if you're needed, Brennan. And Rosalie, remember, whenever you need me, I'll always be there for you."
"Thanks Adam," she nodded her understanding as the screen blinked off.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Adam turned to James and the rest of the team.
"What do you make of that," asked Jesse. "She seems OK to me."
Adam exchanged a worried glance with James. "I don't think so Jesse. Didn't you notice anything strange about her? Anything not quite Rosalie?"
"Yes, I did," Emma said softly. "You're right Adam, there's something not quite right about her. But couldn't that be due to her new memories about Firefly?"
Adam looked at James for an answer.
"I don't know what Rosalie was like before all this," James replied. "I didn't exactly get the chance to talk to her much. However, there is something about her which is definitely reminiscent of Firefly, and that isn't a good sign."
"But if she's got Firefly's memories, of course there's going to be aspects of Firefly about her," Jesse argued, not willing to give up on his point of view.
"What none of you understand is exactly how powerful Firefly is," James continued. "I can't ignore the fact that Firefly can manipulate anyone, absolutely anyone, no matter how strong they are mentally."
"Are you saying that she's telepathic too?" questioned Emma.
James nodded. "That's why she'll be able to contact you, and you her, whenever either of you wish. And therefore manipulate anyone she wants."
"Hang on a minute," Shalimar interrupted. "We're all judging Firefly here. How about we assume just for one minute that Rosalie can remember Firefly's memories and,..... get this guys," she stopped theatrically, and a touch sarcastically, "can choose not to go along with Firefly's behaviour?"
"I'm sorry to say that that option is highly unlikely," James answered. "Once Firefly's memories are reawakened, there's no way Rosalie can stop it taking over her whole mentality."
"Remember what she did to you Emma, when you tried to find her telempathically," Adam said softly. He didn't want to believe Rosalie had gone bad any more than the rest of the team, neither did he want to burst their bubble that Rosalie hadn't been swamped by Firefly, but he and the others had to face the hard facts.
Emma felt tears come to her eyes as she remembered what one of her best friends had done to her. She couldn't believe that Rosa would have done that under any other circumstances.
"Maybe she just wasn't able to control her new power?" she asked softly, hardly wanting to hear the reality that it had been done to her purposefully. Jesse put his arm around her as he looked James straight in the eye and asked the question on everybody's minds.
"So what do we do about it?"
"Will we be able to get Rosa back?" Shal asked. Adam joined the others in staring at the newcomer, waiting for an answer.
"Very well," he finally replied. "You can count on me for whatever information you need."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Not exactly one of my best chapters, but I had to set this all up for my next chapter. More suspense to come in chapter 19!
Author's Note: It's a long chapter this time, I don't know why. Maybe I've had a bit more time on my hands and I got carried away. In any case, here it is. Enjoy!
Chapter 18: Communication
"Brennan, honey, come in," she called as she saw a shadow at the door. He strode in, not one hundred percent certain of her. "You feeling better"?
"My ribs are still excruciating," he replied as he walked over to her.
"Let me help you," she said as she raised her hands.
Seeing this action, he flinched, remembering the fire she could shoot at will. She stopped, showed him her palms face upwards, and then placed them on his chest. He could feel warmth coming from her hands and radiating throughout his chest. The warmth targeted the painful points on his body, and soon they dissipated, leaving a feeling of relief and contentment.
"Better?" she asked. He smiled, as she led him to the as she led him to the pile of cushions on the floor. "Don't tell me you don't trust me enough to sit with me," she exclaimed. "How can I prove to you that I'm the same person who kicked your ass so many times in the dojo?" she asked with a grin.
He smiled back at her as he sat down on a large cushion. "You've gotta understand that all this is new to me, it's a strange situation."
"I know, honey, it's just that nothing's changed in me. It's frustrating that I can't make you see that." She paused as she looked into his eyes. "I suppose it's a matter of time and patience. I'll wait however long it takes for you to understand."
He raised his hand to her face and stroked her cheek. "You mean so much to me." His hand dropped down onto the cushion. "But what's next for you? For us?"
"Do we have to discuss this now?" she asked. "I'm not even sure myself. I know that these people expect certain things from me, but to be honest, I'm just not comfortable with their method of working."
"Are you going to stay on with Mutant X?"
"I don't see how I can. Not for the moment anyway. These people don't trust Mutant X. I've got to get their trust first, and show them that there are other ways of achieving what the original Firefly achieved." She cast her eyes downwards. "As for us, how are we going to handle this?"
"I'll do whatever I have to in order to keep us together." She looked up at him with hope in her eyes.
"Would you really do that for me?"
"Any day of the week, babe," he replied as he stroked her hand.
"So this is why I love you then," she whispered as she leaned towards him. As their lips met, their bodies melted together and he put his arms around her and stroked her neck.
"What about Adam?" he murmured against her neck.
She stopped, "What about Adam?" she asked.
"I'm assuming that he and the rest of the team will be worried about us. We should get in contact and let them know we're OK."
"You're right. I don't know what they've done with my comring. It's too much to hope that you've still got yours right?"
He flashed the back of his hand at her. "They took it off me immediately. Does this place have any communication facilities?"
"I don't actually know," she replied, a little put off that she didn't know a lot of things about this place. "There's no way we'll be able to convince them to let either of us out either."
"Do you think we could get Emma to pick up our thoughts?" Brennan asked. "We have to try something."
She racked her brain for some way to get a message to Mutant X. "I suppose it's worth a try," she eventually agreed.
"Highness," came a voice from the doorway. Brennan pulled away from her. After all, he didn't want to get into more trouble by having his motives misunderstood by there guys.
"What is it?" she asked, a tad irritably.
"I humbly request your presence for the anointment of the new Chief Preacher," he announced.
"I'll be on my way in a minute," she replied. "By the way," she called him back. "I need access to a communications system. I need you to tell me where it is."
"But, only the highest Preachers are allowed to use it," he said, awed by her request.
"Am I not ranked higher than any Preacher?" she asked, annoyed that he was putting up a fight. He bowed as he remembered the fate of the last Chief Preacher.
"But of course, Highness. Shall I lead you to it now?"
She nodded her assent and glanced at Brennan as she stood up. She lowered a hand to Bren, helping him up from the cushions.
"Will the tr... will the m... will he be coming too?" the Preacher asked.
"Yes," she stated, almost daring him to say otherwise. He nodded reluctantly before turning and leading the two mutants out of the room.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
She held his hand tightly as they followed the Preacher. Brennan understood that she had to hide her insecurities in front of these people, so he squeezed her hand reassuringly in return as they trailed through the long corridors.
They reached the end of the corridor and started down some steps. It was a while before Bren realised that the concrete walls were being replaced by walls made of large slabs of pale coloured stone. The air became mustier and more humid, and the pale flickering from the flame torches hanging off the walls made everything spookier and more surreal, but still they carried on descending the stone steps.
Finally they came to an opening in the wall, and they turned into it, entering a large, dark hall. She let go of his hand, raised a finger and sent a thin sliver of fire towards the nearest unlit torch, creating a cascade effect as every torch in the hall lit up. The orange light from the torches lit up the hall and glinted off the various pieces of electrical equipment. Brennan's eyes lit up as he saw the communications equipment.
"You may leave us now," she spoke to the Preacher as he nervously backed away from her and out through the door. Brennan started forwards towards the communications devices in awe.
"Do you realise how old these are?" he asked her whilst running his fingers lightly over them. "They're practically antiques."
"I suppose they don't really use them much. Everything and everyone they need is within these walls," she shrugged.
He tapped a couple of buttons lightly and the screen in front of him lit up. She smiled, "Brennan, the computer whiz," she said affectionately stroking his shoulder.
He grinned in return. "Unfortunately, I gotta admit, Jesse's the guy you go to when you've got a problem with the electronics."
"So can you get through to Sanctuary?"
"Give me a minute," he muttered, deep in thought tapping various keys. "Got it."
Adam's face came up on the screen. "Brennan! What's going on? Where are you? Have you seen Rosalie?"
"Woah, Adam. How about a friendly hi first?" he joked. Then seeing Adam's worried face, continued, "I'm in the sect's headquarters, I'm OK now, and Rosalie is here with me." She leaned into focus so that Adam could see her too.
"I've been trying to get through to either of you on your comrings."
"They've been taken off us. I couldn't get them back," she supplied.
"What exactly is happening over there?" Adam asked.
"Rosa's been able to act as go between with these guys. I don't think they're that dangerous as long as Rosa can keep them calm."
Adam looked at her questioningly.
"Yes, I can," she replied to his unspoken question. "Indefinitely. And before you ask, I have remembered everything about Firefly. I also remember everything about Rosalie, which means I can merge the two successfully."
"Rosa thinks we can work together, Mutant X and the Firefly sect. Only problem being she has to gain their trust first. That shouldn't be a problem, should it Adam?"
"I don't see why," he replied. "It sounds like an excellent idea Rosa. Obviously you would have to stay on there for a while in order to sort out that side of things," he continued. "But as you know, we're always here for you."
"Likewise," she answered him. "I'm sure we'll be able to work together."
"In the meantime, it IS ok for me to stay here a while, isn't it?" Bren asked Adam.
"Of course, as long as I have some way of communicating with you. I still need you as part of the team Brennan."
"I think you'll find that Emma can communicate with me whenever she wants to," she answered for Bren. "My telepathic powers have increased recently, as have my healing powers."
"That might be interesting to look into," Adam suggested.
"NO," she interrupted, fear in her eyes. Brennan looked at her in surprise. "I. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable with that just yet, Adam. I need a while to get used to myself again."
"Understandable," Adam replied. "Then I'll let you know if you're needed, Brennan. And Rosalie, remember, whenever you need me, I'll always be there for you."
"Thanks Adam," she nodded her understanding as the screen blinked off.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Adam turned to James and the rest of the team.
"What do you make of that," asked Jesse. "She seems OK to me."
Adam exchanged a worried glance with James. "I don't think so Jesse. Didn't you notice anything strange about her? Anything not quite Rosalie?"
"Yes, I did," Emma said softly. "You're right Adam, there's something not quite right about her. But couldn't that be due to her new memories about Firefly?"
Adam looked at James for an answer.
"I don't know what Rosalie was like before all this," James replied. "I didn't exactly get the chance to talk to her much. However, there is something about her which is definitely reminiscent of Firefly, and that isn't a good sign."
"But if she's got Firefly's memories, of course there's going to be aspects of Firefly about her," Jesse argued, not willing to give up on his point of view.
"What none of you understand is exactly how powerful Firefly is," James continued. "I can't ignore the fact that Firefly can manipulate anyone, absolutely anyone, no matter how strong they are mentally."
"Are you saying that she's telepathic too?" questioned Emma.
James nodded. "That's why she'll be able to contact you, and you her, whenever either of you wish. And therefore manipulate anyone she wants."
"Hang on a minute," Shalimar interrupted. "We're all judging Firefly here. How about we assume just for one minute that Rosalie can remember Firefly's memories and,..... get this guys," she stopped theatrically, and a touch sarcastically, "can choose not to go along with Firefly's behaviour?"
"I'm sorry to say that that option is highly unlikely," James answered. "Once Firefly's memories are reawakened, there's no way Rosalie can stop it taking over her whole mentality."
"Remember what she did to you Emma, when you tried to find her telempathically," Adam said softly. He didn't want to believe Rosalie had gone bad any more than the rest of the team, neither did he want to burst their bubble that Rosalie hadn't been swamped by Firefly, but he and the others had to face the hard facts.
Emma felt tears come to her eyes as she remembered what one of her best friends had done to her. She couldn't believe that Rosa would have done that under any other circumstances.
"Maybe she just wasn't able to control her new power?" she asked softly, hardly wanting to hear the reality that it had been done to her purposefully. Jesse put his arm around her as he looked James straight in the eye and asked the question on everybody's minds.
"So what do we do about it?"
"Will we be able to get Rosa back?" Shal asked. Adam joined the others in staring at the newcomer, waiting for an answer.
"Very well," he finally replied. "You can count on me for whatever information you need."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Not exactly one of my best chapters, but I had to set this all up for my next chapter. More suspense to come in chapter 19!