Chapter:
Author's note: Okay, so this has been a long time coming, but please bare
with me. I got a little stuck on this chapter so..
Disclaimer: Don't own em, cept for Max, but you probably figured that
already.
~*~
Jesse paced anxiously around the interior of the small cell. Max hadn't said much upon her return, just nodded to him once and sank onto the cot in the corner. She'd been there ever since, curled up, facing the wall. Jesse had breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that she had been able to get a message through to Brennan and the others.
As grateful as he was, the hard part now began. He hated beyond words being out of touch with his partners. He hated waiting, hated being inactive and unable to help himself. He reached up to touch the sub-dermal governor at the base of his neck and grunted. Even without the infernal contraption he would still be useless and that was the part he hated the most.
Max twitched on the cot, moaning softly. Blue eyes shot over in her direction and Jesse's frown deepened. Even in the dark he could see her shoulders quake. Her legs were pulled close to her, as if she were cold. His hand dropped from his neck and he ventured over to the cot. He peered carefully over Max, sure not to touch her. She looked horrible. Her face was pale, and contorted in a mask of pain. Her eyes were shut tightly and a vein throbbed in her forehead. She clutched her hands near her chest, knuckles bloodless and bony. Her entire body quaked as if in a seizure.
"Max?" He questioned softly. He wanted to reach out and shake her awake, but stopped himself a few inches above her shoulder. He shook his head. He couldn't. Who knew if she could control her powers while she slept? "Max?" He said again, louder this time.
"Max.." a soft, somewhat familiar voice broke through the haze in her mind. Max felt like she was in a deep hole looking out. The voice was so far away. God she hurt. She was crashing hard this time. Pysionics were always worse, she wasn't sure why exactly, but they were, and this was especially bad. She was having flashes, visions she couldn't control.
She could see, as if looking at herself from the outside, the scene when she had killed the pysonic. His terror haunted her, the pain he had felt as his life had been sucked from him. She saw Jackie, cold and alone in a cell much like hers, tears streaming down her face. Then she saw Emma, sitting at a desk in Sanctuary, staring blankly forward. She was worried, thinking of Jesse. "Max." there was that voice again.
Jesse couldn't help it. She was screaming now, and blood dripped from beneath her fingertips, digging into her palms. He reached out tentatively, brushing her clothed shoulder with the tips of his fingers. She shuddered beneath the touch. Suddenly her eyes popped open, wide, wild and bloodshot. She lashed out with a shimmering palm, and Jesse barely had a chance to duck away. He threw himself backward, crashing to the floor and striking his hip.
Max's shoulders heaved as she sucked in deep gulps of air. She clutched her knees to her chest, hugging her legs. Her eyes flicked left and right involuntarily and tears brimmed in them. Never before in her life had she felt so much emotion all at once. She's spent her entire life shutting people out, because it was easier to simply not feel. Then it rushed upon her, a giant tidal wave, crashed sweeping her under and then got sucked back out to sea and once more there was nothing. Now the wave was gone, and she was alone, empty and scared.
She shook her head softly. Tears streamed down her face. "Never. It's never been like that...." She rocked slowly back and forth on the cot. Jesse rose to his feet slowly.
"Max."
She looked up at him, eyes shimmering painfully. "I'm sorry. There's just..pain..so much..Jesse I can't....I can't do it anymore." Jesse sat down near the head of the bed, legs hanging off the side.
"It's okay, it'll be okay. Shhh." Despite the danger to himself he felt compelled to comfort her then, draw her in. He wrapped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer, till her head rested on his chest. He felt the warmth of her tears soak through his shirt, felt her shoulders heave beneath his hands. He let his chin sit atop of head as he murmured soft assurances. They stayed like that for a long while, even after Max's sobs had subsided. Her limbs slackened and soon she slept. With a soft grunt Jesse levered himself carefully back on the cot, leaning back against the wall, till he fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.
--
Brennan approached the back doors of Genomex, casting cautious glances over his shoulders every few seconds. This was always so much easier with Jesse, he mused. Jesse could just slip in and eliminate the alarm system from the inside. He was good like that, with computers, but not this time. This time Jesse was inside, powerless and in God knew what state. Electric waves jumped to his fingers, but he quickly reminded himself that any power surge was likely to send all of Genomex up in arms.
So instead of letting Jesse do his thing, Brennan was there. He was supposed to use the key codes Max had garnered to slip in unnoticed, allowing the others to follow. Emma and Shal were supposed to find Jesse, free him, while Brennan shut down the power in the building. And he hated it. He hated taking information from a woman he didn't trust. "Adam..." he started.
"Brennan, we don't have any other options. Shal and Emma have the Helix ready to pull you out if you need it. Just do it."
He sighed, breathing deeply and grit his teeth. He cast one last furtive glance over his shoulder and made his way out of the underbrush to the door. He pulled the small scrap of paper from his pocket, punching in the seven digit code to the pad to the right of the door. Not that having the code meant he was home free. There were also guards and video monitoring to consider, though Brennan could deal with that. A little shock therapy for the guards and a mysterious short in the electrical system would do him well.
The light at the top of the keypad turned green and he heard the latch release. He smiled grimly and pushed his way inside, hugging close to the dark interior of the passageway. He half expected Eckhart and his men to be waiting for him, but they weren't there. "I'm in," he whispered into his comm..
"Good, Shal and Emma are two minutes behind you. Keep going for the control room, and stay alert, just in case."
"Not an issue," he muttered softly. He rounded a corner, fists up and at the ready. The two guards were there, just as Max had said they would be. Brennan took them out easily with a bolt. He kept low, trotting along the corridor toward the control room. Then suddenly a GS rounded a corner and saw Brennan. A look of shock passed over his face. Brennan summoned another ball of electricity, but the man had turned tail and darted off. He cursed under his breath, and after a brief internal debate decided not to go after him. All it would do was waste time, time he would need to deactivate the sub-dermal governors.
--
Jesse was still half asleep, Max sleeping in his lap, when the alarms went off a few minutes later. Jesse started and he felt Max's entire body tense. Her eyes flew open and only Jesse's hands on her shoulders kept her from leaping off the cot. "It's okay Max," he told her, despite the worry that flickered across his own features. Max sat up slowly.
They both stood, their eyes trained on the door, where they could see numerous GS agents rushing by. Max turned to Jesse, face deathly serious. "Jesse, if anything happens today, please protect Jamie. She isn't involved in any of this. If anything happens to me, just get her out."
His head snapped in her direction. "Nothing's going to happen to you..."
"Just in case Jesse.."
"Nothing is going to happen," he said vehemently. "We'll get you both out."
"Jesse promise me! Promise me if anything happens you'll take care of her. Please!?!!!"
His brow furrowed in confusion, but he nodded all the same. "All right. I promise."
She turned back to watch the door. Her expression was sad and resolute. Her voice was soft. "Thank you."
Suddenly, the door to the cell burst open. Both Jesse and Max tensed, ready to defend themselves. "Shal, Emma!" Jesse exclaimed. "Thank God."
"Hey Jess, nice to see you too. You ready to get out of here?"
He grinned. "Hell yes. Thought you'd never ask. Where's Brennan?"
"Hopefully deactivating your little implants, and clearing our way out. He'll meet us at the Helix." Shal wheeled to nail a wayward GS agent in the face, sending him flying back into the wall. "Can we go now?"
"Jamie.." Max muttered.
"What?"
"Her sister," Jesse explained. Emma gasped. It made sense now, Max's confusion, her fear, the little girl she'd seen in her vision. "We'll get her Max. Come on."
The four new mutants hurried down the corridor toward Genomex's research area. They would have to pass through the labs surrounding the stasis pods before being able to get out. Plus, information about where Jamie was being held was probably inside. Shal led the way, followed by Emma and Max, with Jesse bringing up the rear. The few errant agents that crossed their path were quickly disposed of, first by Shal, then a powerful right hook from Jesse.
They poured out into the central lab. Emma spotted Brennan on the level below them. Emma grinned, but it faded quickly as a whole mass of GS agents flooded in from all sides. "Split up!" Shal yelled, leaping at one group of agents with an angry roar. Emma spun, eyes narrowing as she sent an image of fire at the agents on her left. Jesse grabbed Max's arm and yanked her away from the fight. Brennan had his hands full with three more new mutants below them, while another group raised guns and started to fire. He could hear Eckhart's voice piping into the room.
"Do not let them escape! Detain Mutant X by any force necessary!"
Max was watching the fight dazedly, eyes dull. She and Jesse were crouched on the far side of a control panel, shielded from most of the fight. Then on the level below, Oz skirted by Brennan who was busy with two new mutant agents. Being half dragged along behind him was a slender blonde girl of about 16. She was pulling back, fighting as hard as she was able, to no avail. Her scream ripped through the lab.
Max tensed, rising out of her crouch. Jesse grasped her wrist, yanking her back down as another barrage of bullets struck the control panel. "You can't!" he snapped.
She pulled out of his grasp. "it's Jaime," she growled. She rose her hand, palm shimmering dimly. "I can, and I will. Either help me or get out of my way." Jesse gulped.
"All right. I'll help. Come on." He dashed out from their hiding place first, Max hot on his heels. They kept low, moving in the direction of the stairs. Emma's head snapped around in their direction. She saw a gun wielding agent aim at them out of the corner of her eye. She whirled, directing the image of large, hissing snakes at the man's feet. The mental image distracted him long enough for Jesse and Max to make it to the steps.
Jesse shot a glance over his shoulder just long enough to see Emma halt an attacking GS agent. He grinned and kept moving. Oz was just about to pass in front of the stairs as Jesse and Max began to descend. Jaime's eyes rose and fell upon her sister. "Max!!!" she screamed.
Oz's gaze shot to the steps. He threw Jaime down, the young girl landing hard on her stomach. An evil grin slid onto his features and a green light jumped to his palms. Jesse felt the stairs begin to quake beneath his feet. He grabbed the railing as a large jolt nearly sent him to his knees. He heard a throaty growl just behind him. Max had one foot up on the railing, jaw clenched. She launched herself off the steps at Oz. The surprise at the attack was evident on his face, which just as quickly turned to horror.
Jesse looked back at Jaime, who was just sitting up. She turned to look at her sister, her face deathly pale. Her mouth fell open. Both Max and Oz were completely immersed in green light. The floor of Genomex twisted and cracked beneath them. Jesse bolted down the last few stairs and ran to Jaime. He grabbed the young girl's shoulders, pulling her away from her sister. "No, Max. What's happening?" Tears streamed down her face.
"She'll be all right. Your sister is strong."
"But I don't understand! What's going on??"
Jesse didn't answer. Oz and Max were still locked together. But Oz's face was drawn and sunken. His eyes had rolled back in his head. Max's face was contorted. Then Oz fell, just fell, straight down onto the floor. His body was so emaciated Jesse could barely recognize his face. Max dropped to her knees, still glowing wildly. Brennan, Emma and Shal had the other agents well in hand. Jesse patted Jaime's shoulder. "Stay here while I check on her," he moved a few yard closer to Max, though still staying a safe distance away. "Max?"
Emma allowed herself a sigh of relief as she sent another GS agent running on his way. She reached out, trying to feel Max. Her presence was vague, weak. Then a sharp emotion blasted through her defenses. It was intense, sudden fear. She whirled. There was a GS agent leveling his gun at Jaime. "Help me!" the girl shrieked.
Jesse spun. He saw the gunmen, and sprinted back toward her. He didn't even think about it. He'd blocked so many shots before. Emma felt her heart leap into her throat. "Jesse! NO!" Then gunman pulled the trigger, and she was too late to do anything about it.
Jesse tackled Jaime. He half expected a searing pain from the bullet ripping through his back, but none came. Instead, he felt the bullet ricochet off him. Surprised, he rolled off Jaime and looked at his hands. He'd massed.
Emma felt herself let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding. He was okay, Jesse was okay, thank God. He leapt to his feet, ready to take on the agent, but Brennan had taken him down with a bolt. He let himself phase back, chest heaving. He grinned up at his friends.
"Hey Max," he said happily, "we did..oh hell." Max was on the ground on her side, shaking uncontrollably and she was still glowing. Emma gasped, and Shal and Brennan exchanged concerned glances. Her shaking got worse and suddenly the glowing got brighter, tearing out from her body. The ground beneath Jesse rolled and he was knocked down. All around him the building shifted. Plaster fell from the roof in large chunks.
"This place is coming apart!" Shal yelled. "We need to get out of here! Brennan, help Jesse and let's go!" She bolted toward the Helix, Emma right behind. Brennan ran over, grabbing Jaime and picking her up. Jesse kneeled down beside an eerily still Max and scooped in his arms. Her head hung limply and her skin was cold. He lifted her with a grunt and rushed out.
--
The five new mutants and one girl ran into the Helix. Brennan set Jaime down in a chair and jumped behind the control panel. Shal set next to him. The ship rumbled as the engine sprang to life. Emma and Jesse set Max down gently. "She doesn't have a pulse," Emma observed. She started CPR.
"What happened? What's wrong with her?" Jesse asked in a harsh whisper, trying not to let Jaime hear.
Emma looked at him, a pained expression on her face. "We tried to warn her Jesse. She's sick, her mutation is making her sick. I told her Adam could help her, but she said she had to go back. She already knew she was dying."
Jesse felt a lump in his throat. "She knew?"
"Yes. She's ready for it, expecting it. I felt it in her the last time we talked. Brennan, we need you back here."
The tall brunette handed the controls over to the blonde feral. "What's up?"
"I can't get her heart started again. Try shocking her." Brennan complied. A small jolt leapt from his fingers to her chest. Max's body jumped. Emma pressed her fingers to her neck. She shook her head, "Again." Still nothing. "Again." Brennan furrowed his brow, emitting another carefully controlled shock. Max convulsed, and she sucked in a small breath. Emma grinned. "We got her."
"Will she be all right?" Jamie turned in her seat watching her sister.
Emma exchanged a grim glance with Jesse. "We'll do the best we can," she said. Jesse knew well enough to know that Max wasn't out of the woods yet, probably not by a long shot.
Adam greeted them at the hanger. He nodded to Jamie briefly before turning his attention to Emma and the others. Brennan was carrying Max. Adam held open her eyelids and felt her pulse. "get her to the lab, now." Jesse started to follow. "No Jesse, you need rest. There's nothing else you can do for her right now. Go with Emma and take Jamie to a room."
"Can you help her?"
"I don't know, maybe. Please, just go." Jesse wanted to argue, but went with Emma anyway, jaw clenched.
Emma shut the door behind her. Jamie was exhausted. The young girl had wanted to wait for news on her sister, but Emma had given her something to make her sleep. Jamie looked almost content lying soundlessly beneath the covers and Emma only hoped they would have some good news for her when she woke.
Emma and Jesse sat wordlessly in the Sanctuary's kitchen area. Jesse had a sandwich in front of him, but he didn't feel much like eating. Max's words kept running through his head. Emma didn't need her psyonic powers to recognize her friend was ill at ease. "There wasn't anything for you to do Jess," she told him.
"I should have known. She told me, asked me to take care of Jamie. She said if anything happened... I should have guessed something was wrong. She's not a bad person Emma, she just got screwed up. We all have, you know? I just wanted to help her."
"You did help her Jesse." Emma moved closer, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You were a friend to her, probably the first one she's had in a while, actually I know you're the first in a while. She's been looking out for herself for a long time and I think the fact that you stayed with her scared her a little. But she appreciates it, I know she does. When she attacked Oz I could feel her. She wanted to protect Jamie, and protect you too. She knew, no matter what happened to her, you'd get Jamie out."
"I almost screwed up there too. Thank God I could mass."
Emma shuddered. "I don't want to think about that." His blue eyes met hers. She sighed. "I thought, just for a second, that you were going to die. It scared me more than I thought anything could. I can't lose you Jesse." She seemed surprised at the admission. Blushing, she amended, " None of us could."
He stared at her for a while, absorbing this new bit of information. He rested his hand on hers, squeezing it gently. They stayed like that for a while. Then Jesse started to say something, but Brennan popped in, interrupting them. "hey guys. Adam wants to see you two."
Emma and Jesse stood quickly, hurrying to catch up with Brennan. Jesse felt a new surge of panic. What if she hadn't made it? Adam was standing outside the lab, his face passive. He eyed the two new mutants. His eyes began to twinkle and his mouth quirked. "She'll be okay." They both let out a huge sigh of relief. "She's asleep now. I managed to stabilize her mutation. I'm sure you all will have a lot to talk about when she gets back on her feet."
--
Max and Jamie stayed at Sanctuary for another three days. Max slept, healed, while Jamie learned all about her sister, her powers. In the meantime, Adam set about creating new papers for them. He certainly didn't want Eckhart getting his hands on Max again. She would be a powerful ally, and just as powerful an enemy.
On the third day they prepared to leave. Jamie went around and gave a warm hug to everyone, thanking them for their help. Max looked on, amused. She settled on handshakes for Shal and Brennan. "So what are you going to do now?" the elemental questioned.
Max shrugged. "Well, we're moving, obviously. Then I want to get things settled a bit. Jamie and I have a lot of lost time to make up for. Eventually I want to help set up and run another safe house for new mutants. We need to help our own after all." He nodded in approval.
Shal was next. The feral's grip was almost crushing. "In a fair fight I'd kick your ass," she joked.
Max grinned and ducked her head. "Somehow I don't doubt it." She hugged Emma fiercely. "You're an incredible person Emma. You've been a good, understanding friend. And uh," she said, nodding toward Jesse, "take care of him." Emma's eyes widened. "hey, I was a pysion for while you know."
She shook Adam's hand. "Looking forward to talking to you soon," he said.
"Me too. And thanks."
"Just remember what I told you. You still need to be careful." She nodded, holding her hands up in mock defense.
She hugged Jesse the longest. "You saved my life. You saved Jamie's life. I won't forget it."
"Don't you dare. And keep on touch will you?'
"Absolutely. What you all do is incredible, you have to know that. And you're a team, you all look out for each other. I pity the man that dares take you on. I'll see you soon, Mutant X."
The end
~*~
Jesse paced anxiously around the interior of the small cell. Max hadn't said much upon her return, just nodded to him once and sank onto the cot in the corner. She'd been there ever since, curled up, facing the wall. Jesse had breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that she had been able to get a message through to Brennan and the others.
As grateful as he was, the hard part now began. He hated beyond words being out of touch with his partners. He hated waiting, hated being inactive and unable to help himself. He reached up to touch the sub-dermal governor at the base of his neck and grunted. Even without the infernal contraption he would still be useless and that was the part he hated the most.
Max twitched on the cot, moaning softly. Blue eyes shot over in her direction and Jesse's frown deepened. Even in the dark he could see her shoulders quake. Her legs were pulled close to her, as if she were cold. His hand dropped from his neck and he ventured over to the cot. He peered carefully over Max, sure not to touch her. She looked horrible. Her face was pale, and contorted in a mask of pain. Her eyes were shut tightly and a vein throbbed in her forehead. She clutched her hands near her chest, knuckles bloodless and bony. Her entire body quaked as if in a seizure.
"Max?" He questioned softly. He wanted to reach out and shake her awake, but stopped himself a few inches above her shoulder. He shook his head. He couldn't. Who knew if she could control her powers while she slept? "Max?" He said again, louder this time.
"Max.." a soft, somewhat familiar voice broke through the haze in her mind. Max felt like she was in a deep hole looking out. The voice was so far away. God she hurt. She was crashing hard this time. Pysionics were always worse, she wasn't sure why exactly, but they were, and this was especially bad. She was having flashes, visions she couldn't control.
She could see, as if looking at herself from the outside, the scene when she had killed the pysonic. His terror haunted her, the pain he had felt as his life had been sucked from him. She saw Jackie, cold and alone in a cell much like hers, tears streaming down her face. Then she saw Emma, sitting at a desk in Sanctuary, staring blankly forward. She was worried, thinking of Jesse. "Max." there was that voice again.
Jesse couldn't help it. She was screaming now, and blood dripped from beneath her fingertips, digging into her palms. He reached out tentatively, brushing her clothed shoulder with the tips of his fingers. She shuddered beneath the touch. Suddenly her eyes popped open, wide, wild and bloodshot. She lashed out with a shimmering palm, and Jesse barely had a chance to duck away. He threw himself backward, crashing to the floor and striking his hip.
Max's shoulders heaved as she sucked in deep gulps of air. She clutched her knees to her chest, hugging her legs. Her eyes flicked left and right involuntarily and tears brimmed in them. Never before in her life had she felt so much emotion all at once. She's spent her entire life shutting people out, because it was easier to simply not feel. Then it rushed upon her, a giant tidal wave, crashed sweeping her under and then got sucked back out to sea and once more there was nothing. Now the wave was gone, and she was alone, empty and scared.
She shook her head softly. Tears streamed down her face. "Never. It's never been like that...." She rocked slowly back and forth on the cot. Jesse rose to his feet slowly.
"Max."
She looked up at him, eyes shimmering painfully. "I'm sorry. There's just..pain..so much..Jesse I can't....I can't do it anymore." Jesse sat down near the head of the bed, legs hanging off the side.
"It's okay, it'll be okay. Shhh." Despite the danger to himself he felt compelled to comfort her then, draw her in. He wrapped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer, till her head rested on his chest. He felt the warmth of her tears soak through his shirt, felt her shoulders heave beneath his hands. He let his chin sit atop of head as he murmured soft assurances. They stayed like that for a long while, even after Max's sobs had subsided. Her limbs slackened and soon she slept. With a soft grunt Jesse levered himself carefully back on the cot, leaning back against the wall, till he fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.
--
Brennan approached the back doors of Genomex, casting cautious glances over his shoulders every few seconds. This was always so much easier with Jesse, he mused. Jesse could just slip in and eliminate the alarm system from the inside. He was good like that, with computers, but not this time. This time Jesse was inside, powerless and in God knew what state. Electric waves jumped to his fingers, but he quickly reminded himself that any power surge was likely to send all of Genomex up in arms.
So instead of letting Jesse do his thing, Brennan was there. He was supposed to use the key codes Max had garnered to slip in unnoticed, allowing the others to follow. Emma and Shal were supposed to find Jesse, free him, while Brennan shut down the power in the building. And he hated it. He hated taking information from a woman he didn't trust. "Adam..." he started.
"Brennan, we don't have any other options. Shal and Emma have the Helix ready to pull you out if you need it. Just do it."
He sighed, breathing deeply and grit his teeth. He cast one last furtive glance over his shoulder and made his way out of the underbrush to the door. He pulled the small scrap of paper from his pocket, punching in the seven digit code to the pad to the right of the door. Not that having the code meant he was home free. There were also guards and video monitoring to consider, though Brennan could deal with that. A little shock therapy for the guards and a mysterious short in the electrical system would do him well.
The light at the top of the keypad turned green and he heard the latch release. He smiled grimly and pushed his way inside, hugging close to the dark interior of the passageway. He half expected Eckhart and his men to be waiting for him, but they weren't there. "I'm in," he whispered into his comm..
"Good, Shal and Emma are two minutes behind you. Keep going for the control room, and stay alert, just in case."
"Not an issue," he muttered softly. He rounded a corner, fists up and at the ready. The two guards were there, just as Max had said they would be. Brennan took them out easily with a bolt. He kept low, trotting along the corridor toward the control room. Then suddenly a GS rounded a corner and saw Brennan. A look of shock passed over his face. Brennan summoned another ball of electricity, but the man had turned tail and darted off. He cursed under his breath, and after a brief internal debate decided not to go after him. All it would do was waste time, time he would need to deactivate the sub-dermal governors.
--
Jesse was still half asleep, Max sleeping in his lap, when the alarms went off a few minutes later. Jesse started and he felt Max's entire body tense. Her eyes flew open and only Jesse's hands on her shoulders kept her from leaping off the cot. "It's okay Max," he told her, despite the worry that flickered across his own features. Max sat up slowly.
They both stood, their eyes trained on the door, where they could see numerous GS agents rushing by. Max turned to Jesse, face deathly serious. "Jesse, if anything happens today, please protect Jamie. She isn't involved in any of this. If anything happens to me, just get her out."
His head snapped in her direction. "Nothing's going to happen to you..."
"Just in case Jesse.."
"Nothing is going to happen," he said vehemently. "We'll get you both out."
"Jesse promise me! Promise me if anything happens you'll take care of her. Please!?!!!"
His brow furrowed in confusion, but he nodded all the same. "All right. I promise."
She turned back to watch the door. Her expression was sad and resolute. Her voice was soft. "Thank you."
Suddenly, the door to the cell burst open. Both Jesse and Max tensed, ready to defend themselves. "Shal, Emma!" Jesse exclaimed. "Thank God."
"Hey Jess, nice to see you too. You ready to get out of here?"
He grinned. "Hell yes. Thought you'd never ask. Where's Brennan?"
"Hopefully deactivating your little implants, and clearing our way out. He'll meet us at the Helix." Shal wheeled to nail a wayward GS agent in the face, sending him flying back into the wall. "Can we go now?"
"Jamie.." Max muttered.
"What?"
"Her sister," Jesse explained. Emma gasped. It made sense now, Max's confusion, her fear, the little girl she'd seen in her vision. "We'll get her Max. Come on."
The four new mutants hurried down the corridor toward Genomex's research area. They would have to pass through the labs surrounding the stasis pods before being able to get out. Plus, information about where Jamie was being held was probably inside. Shal led the way, followed by Emma and Max, with Jesse bringing up the rear. The few errant agents that crossed their path were quickly disposed of, first by Shal, then a powerful right hook from Jesse.
They poured out into the central lab. Emma spotted Brennan on the level below them. Emma grinned, but it faded quickly as a whole mass of GS agents flooded in from all sides. "Split up!" Shal yelled, leaping at one group of agents with an angry roar. Emma spun, eyes narrowing as she sent an image of fire at the agents on her left. Jesse grabbed Max's arm and yanked her away from the fight. Brennan had his hands full with three more new mutants below them, while another group raised guns and started to fire. He could hear Eckhart's voice piping into the room.
"Do not let them escape! Detain Mutant X by any force necessary!"
Max was watching the fight dazedly, eyes dull. She and Jesse were crouched on the far side of a control panel, shielded from most of the fight. Then on the level below, Oz skirted by Brennan who was busy with two new mutant agents. Being half dragged along behind him was a slender blonde girl of about 16. She was pulling back, fighting as hard as she was able, to no avail. Her scream ripped through the lab.
Max tensed, rising out of her crouch. Jesse grasped her wrist, yanking her back down as another barrage of bullets struck the control panel. "You can't!" he snapped.
She pulled out of his grasp. "it's Jaime," she growled. She rose her hand, palm shimmering dimly. "I can, and I will. Either help me or get out of my way." Jesse gulped.
"All right. I'll help. Come on." He dashed out from their hiding place first, Max hot on his heels. They kept low, moving in the direction of the stairs. Emma's head snapped around in their direction. She saw a gun wielding agent aim at them out of the corner of her eye. She whirled, directing the image of large, hissing snakes at the man's feet. The mental image distracted him long enough for Jesse and Max to make it to the steps.
Jesse shot a glance over his shoulder just long enough to see Emma halt an attacking GS agent. He grinned and kept moving. Oz was just about to pass in front of the stairs as Jesse and Max began to descend. Jaime's eyes rose and fell upon her sister. "Max!!!" she screamed.
Oz's gaze shot to the steps. He threw Jaime down, the young girl landing hard on her stomach. An evil grin slid onto his features and a green light jumped to his palms. Jesse felt the stairs begin to quake beneath his feet. He grabbed the railing as a large jolt nearly sent him to his knees. He heard a throaty growl just behind him. Max had one foot up on the railing, jaw clenched. She launched herself off the steps at Oz. The surprise at the attack was evident on his face, which just as quickly turned to horror.
Jesse looked back at Jaime, who was just sitting up. She turned to look at her sister, her face deathly pale. Her mouth fell open. Both Max and Oz were completely immersed in green light. The floor of Genomex twisted and cracked beneath them. Jesse bolted down the last few stairs and ran to Jaime. He grabbed the young girl's shoulders, pulling her away from her sister. "No, Max. What's happening?" Tears streamed down her face.
"She'll be all right. Your sister is strong."
"But I don't understand! What's going on??"
Jesse didn't answer. Oz and Max were still locked together. But Oz's face was drawn and sunken. His eyes had rolled back in his head. Max's face was contorted. Then Oz fell, just fell, straight down onto the floor. His body was so emaciated Jesse could barely recognize his face. Max dropped to her knees, still glowing wildly. Brennan, Emma and Shal had the other agents well in hand. Jesse patted Jaime's shoulder. "Stay here while I check on her," he moved a few yard closer to Max, though still staying a safe distance away. "Max?"
Emma allowed herself a sigh of relief as she sent another GS agent running on his way. She reached out, trying to feel Max. Her presence was vague, weak. Then a sharp emotion blasted through her defenses. It was intense, sudden fear. She whirled. There was a GS agent leveling his gun at Jaime. "Help me!" the girl shrieked.
Jesse spun. He saw the gunmen, and sprinted back toward her. He didn't even think about it. He'd blocked so many shots before. Emma felt her heart leap into her throat. "Jesse! NO!" Then gunman pulled the trigger, and she was too late to do anything about it.
Jesse tackled Jaime. He half expected a searing pain from the bullet ripping through his back, but none came. Instead, he felt the bullet ricochet off him. Surprised, he rolled off Jaime and looked at his hands. He'd massed.
Emma felt herself let out the breath she hadn't known she was holding. He was okay, Jesse was okay, thank God. He leapt to his feet, ready to take on the agent, but Brennan had taken him down with a bolt. He let himself phase back, chest heaving. He grinned up at his friends.
"Hey Max," he said happily, "we did..oh hell." Max was on the ground on her side, shaking uncontrollably and she was still glowing. Emma gasped, and Shal and Brennan exchanged concerned glances. Her shaking got worse and suddenly the glowing got brighter, tearing out from her body. The ground beneath Jesse rolled and he was knocked down. All around him the building shifted. Plaster fell from the roof in large chunks.
"This place is coming apart!" Shal yelled. "We need to get out of here! Brennan, help Jesse and let's go!" She bolted toward the Helix, Emma right behind. Brennan ran over, grabbing Jaime and picking her up. Jesse kneeled down beside an eerily still Max and scooped in his arms. Her head hung limply and her skin was cold. He lifted her with a grunt and rushed out.
--
The five new mutants and one girl ran into the Helix. Brennan set Jaime down in a chair and jumped behind the control panel. Shal set next to him. The ship rumbled as the engine sprang to life. Emma and Jesse set Max down gently. "She doesn't have a pulse," Emma observed. She started CPR.
"What happened? What's wrong with her?" Jesse asked in a harsh whisper, trying not to let Jaime hear.
Emma looked at him, a pained expression on her face. "We tried to warn her Jesse. She's sick, her mutation is making her sick. I told her Adam could help her, but she said she had to go back. She already knew she was dying."
Jesse felt a lump in his throat. "She knew?"
"Yes. She's ready for it, expecting it. I felt it in her the last time we talked. Brennan, we need you back here."
The tall brunette handed the controls over to the blonde feral. "What's up?"
"I can't get her heart started again. Try shocking her." Brennan complied. A small jolt leapt from his fingers to her chest. Max's body jumped. Emma pressed her fingers to her neck. She shook her head, "Again." Still nothing. "Again." Brennan furrowed his brow, emitting another carefully controlled shock. Max convulsed, and she sucked in a small breath. Emma grinned. "We got her."
"Will she be all right?" Jamie turned in her seat watching her sister.
Emma exchanged a grim glance with Jesse. "We'll do the best we can," she said. Jesse knew well enough to know that Max wasn't out of the woods yet, probably not by a long shot.
Adam greeted them at the hanger. He nodded to Jamie briefly before turning his attention to Emma and the others. Brennan was carrying Max. Adam held open her eyelids and felt her pulse. "get her to the lab, now." Jesse started to follow. "No Jesse, you need rest. There's nothing else you can do for her right now. Go with Emma and take Jamie to a room."
"Can you help her?"
"I don't know, maybe. Please, just go." Jesse wanted to argue, but went with Emma anyway, jaw clenched.
Emma shut the door behind her. Jamie was exhausted. The young girl had wanted to wait for news on her sister, but Emma had given her something to make her sleep. Jamie looked almost content lying soundlessly beneath the covers and Emma only hoped they would have some good news for her when she woke.
Emma and Jesse sat wordlessly in the Sanctuary's kitchen area. Jesse had a sandwich in front of him, but he didn't feel much like eating. Max's words kept running through his head. Emma didn't need her psyonic powers to recognize her friend was ill at ease. "There wasn't anything for you to do Jess," she told him.
"I should have known. She told me, asked me to take care of Jamie. She said if anything happened... I should have guessed something was wrong. She's not a bad person Emma, she just got screwed up. We all have, you know? I just wanted to help her."
"You did help her Jesse." Emma moved closer, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You were a friend to her, probably the first one she's had in a while, actually I know you're the first in a while. She's been looking out for herself for a long time and I think the fact that you stayed with her scared her a little. But she appreciates it, I know she does. When she attacked Oz I could feel her. She wanted to protect Jamie, and protect you too. She knew, no matter what happened to her, you'd get Jamie out."
"I almost screwed up there too. Thank God I could mass."
Emma shuddered. "I don't want to think about that." His blue eyes met hers. She sighed. "I thought, just for a second, that you were going to die. It scared me more than I thought anything could. I can't lose you Jesse." She seemed surprised at the admission. Blushing, she amended, " None of us could."
He stared at her for a while, absorbing this new bit of information. He rested his hand on hers, squeezing it gently. They stayed like that for a while. Then Jesse started to say something, but Brennan popped in, interrupting them. "hey guys. Adam wants to see you two."
Emma and Jesse stood quickly, hurrying to catch up with Brennan. Jesse felt a new surge of panic. What if she hadn't made it? Adam was standing outside the lab, his face passive. He eyed the two new mutants. His eyes began to twinkle and his mouth quirked. "She'll be okay." They both let out a huge sigh of relief. "She's asleep now. I managed to stabilize her mutation. I'm sure you all will have a lot to talk about when she gets back on her feet."
--
Max and Jamie stayed at Sanctuary for another three days. Max slept, healed, while Jamie learned all about her sister, her powers. In the meantime, Adam set about creating new papers for them. He certainly didn't want Eckhart getting his hands on Max again. She would be a powerful ally, and just as powerful an enemy.
On the third day they prepared to leave. Jamie went around and gave a warm hug to everyone, thanking them for their help. Max looked on, amused. She settled on handshakes for Shal and Brennan. "So what are you going to do now?" the elemental questioned.
Max shrugged. "Well, we're moving, obviously. Then I want to get things settled a bit. Jamie and I have a lot of lost time to make up for. Eventually I want to help set up and run another safe house for new mutants. We need to help our own after all." He nodded in approval.
Shal was next. The feral's grip was almost crushing. "In a fair fight I'd kick your ass," she joked.
Max grinned and ducked her head. "Somehow I don't doubt it." She hugged Emma fiercely. "You're an incredible person Emma. You've been a good, understanding friend. And uh," she said, nodding toward Jesse, "take care of him." Emma's eyes widened. "hey, I was a pysion for while you know."
She shook Adam's hand. "Looking forward to talking to you soon," he said.
"Me too. And thanks."
"Just remember what I told you. You still need to be careful." She nodded, holding her hands up in mock defense.
She hugged Jesse the longest. "You saved my life. You saved Jamie's life. I won't forget it."
"Don't you dare. And keep on touch will you?'
"Absolutely. What you all do is incredible, you have to know that. And you're a team, you all look out for each other. I pity the man that dares take you on. I'll see you soon, Mutant X."
The end