Chapter 2

"Emma, Brennan, Jesse, can you come out here please?" Adam didn't take his eyes off the computer screen until they had gathered at his side. "I have a young new mutant that's agreed to join the underground. There's no sign that the GSA have shown any interest in her yet, so it should be an easy pick-up. Then I want you to check out the Sampson road Safe-house, they've been complaining that there are some strangers hanging around, I want to know who it is and why they're there. Try not to reveal the safe-house though, if you can. Oh, and Shalimar's at this address, can you pick her up on your way out?"

Information given, Adam turned back to the computer.

"The Lion's Paw." Jesse read. "Shalimar went out to a club with her eyes like they are?"

"Actually they're not anymore. But I only found that out this morning when she rang." Adam replied absently.

"And the club?" Brennan asked.

"It was a feral thing."

"Well. That's just fine. Shalimar gets to party while we work our asses off." Brennan retorted.

"We went out last night, Brennan." Jesse pointed out.

"So?" Sighing at the now arguing boys of Mutant X, Emma headed towards the Double Helix, knowing they would catch up eventually.

They were shown into a huge warehouse of a room where a square of empty floor was surrounded by tables with chairs stacked upside down on top of them.

By night this was obviously a dance-floor, but by day it was used for other purposes. It was hard for them not to notice that the open dance floor was not completely empty. On it were two dancers. One had long dark hair restrained behind her with a long pin and wore dark trousers and a tight black T-shirt. The other was a blond whose hair curled loose about her shoulders and who was wearing a tank top and jean cut-offs. Neither seemed to pause as they went from movement to movement, barely touching in their fight.

It was beyond anything they had ever seen before. Hologram exercises and badly trained goons showed nothing of the pure power and agility contained in the feral body. Shalimar - for it was her - and her opponent barely seemed to break a sweat as they continued the almost endless movement, an un-choreographed demonstration of feline grace.

Emma was almost disappointed when she saw the dark haired woman miss a beat, hesitate and end up on the floor beneath her opponent.

Shalimar grinned down at her, then jumped as a round of applause from a nearby table alerted her to their audience.

Realising the others had sat at one of the tables and she was still stood staring, Emma moved over to join the others.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting you here. Am I late?"

"No, Adam had a few jobs for us and he said we should pick you up on the way out." Shalimar nodded, still breathing heavily from the work out.

"This is Brice." Shalimar introduced them. "She runs this place."

"Nice workout." Brennan congratulated her. "Any chance I could have a go?"

"Forget it Brennan, that was my first win in five fights. She's too good for you."

"Always the way. Anyway, we going or what?"

"Yeah, I'm coming. Will you apologise to Onca for me?" She asked Brice.

"Sure girl. And remember, we want your decision as soon as possible."

"I'm thinking on it."

As they walked out of the club Emma could feel the uncertainty that Shalimar was feeling, and it worried her because Shalimar was not an uncertain person. "Shalimar, what's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing. I was justoffered something last night and I'm not sure what to do about it."

"The solution will present itself in time. Put it to the back of your mind and you'll be amazed how simple it all becomes." Shalimar smiled.

"Thank you. I needed a sensible point of view."

"No problem."

"She's not here." Brennan called down the stairs as he and Jesse finished examining the rooms upstairs. "Adam's led us on a wild goose chase."

"Emma's checking the garden." Shalimar supplied.

"She sense something?"

"She wasn't sure. From what I can see she just abandoned whatever she was doing and ran. The back door was open."

"You think she heard us coming and panicked?"

"She was expecting us, why would she run?"

"I don't" A crashing sound interrupted Brennan as six GSA agents stormed into the house through the front door. Spotting Mutant X they were immediately ready for a fight. The six surrounded them, preparing to attack.

Two to each team member, Mutant X may have been outnumbered but their victory was almost assured. The henchmen were all human and the new mutant's powers made them superior fighters.

Three agents were on the floor when Shalimar heard it. A scream. Emma's scream. The distraction earned her a blow to the jaw that knocked her into the far wall. Righting herself she made sure that Jesse and Brennan had control of the situation she headed out of the door.

The garden was dark; the evening had set in, but to sensitive feline vision it was alive with activity. Unfortunately none of it was Emma. Following a trail out of the garden that would be invisible to any other, Shalimar ended up in front of a warehouse, empty and dilapidated, on the edge of the estate. Stepping inside she quickly spotted Emma, laid on her side in the middle of the empty space. There was no movement from her and Shalimar resisted the urge to dash to her side in favour of a more wary approach. She could be no help to Emma if she was hurt herself.

Reaching her side she quickly sought out a pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when she found one, sluggish but present. And still there was no sign of her assailant.

"Emma honey, wake up for me, OK? We need to get out of here." Getting no response to her request - and not truly expecting one - Shalimar bent to pick up the empath.

And it hit her.

Wave after wave of emotion, bitterness, hatred, guilt, each one causing her an infinite amount of pain until she screamed for release.

As the emotions began to fade she realised that what she had felt could only be a fraction of what Emma had experienced. An overflow of the emotions she could no longer contain. As the images cleared she heard a sobbed breath that could only have been her own and pulled herself off the floor, trying to reassemble her thoughts.

"Jesse, Brennan, I need the Double Helix here. Emma's hurt, we need to get her out of here now." She moved the ring away from her mouth, adding 'hell, I want out of here now'.

"Shalimar, What happened? Is Emma OK?"

"I don't know what happened, but I don't think Emma's OK. Just Hurry will you?"

"We're on our way."