Author's Note: I live on reviews, I need them to live. (Well, I need them
at least for inspiration to write more!) Thanks to everyone who has fed my
need so far!
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Chapter 15
Shal moved over to Jesse as Emma ushered Rhian away and Brennan took up position at the door, ready for whatever came their way. She lifted him up gently, trying to bring him back to consciousness, and heard him moan softly.
"Jess, I know it hurts, but you've got to wake up, we have to get out of here." Her heart lifted as she saw him half open his eyes. "Come on, Jess. We have to go," she encouraged him. Still Jesse couldn't seem to wake up completely. "Can you stand up?" she asked him. Jesse's eyes suddenly opened wide as he stared at her.
"What's going on?" he whispered, panic evident in his voice.
"We're here to take you home," she replied softly. He pulled himself away from her grasp and fell onto the floor. "What's wrong, Jess?" she asked him, hurt that he had recoiled from her touch.
"What do you want?" he asked again, confusion and terror shining in his eyes. Shal leaned over to help him up off the floor as he pushed her away violently. Shal stopped dead.
"Jess, it's me, Shal. I've come to take you home." His eyes flashed yellow for a split second as he scrambled away from her. "Don't you recognise me?"
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Jesse had been in a deep sleep when he felt his aches and pains magnified by someone attempting to move him. He opened his eyes warily, scared at what he might see. It was a woman, trying to take him away. Something didn't feel right. Where was the other woman?
"I've come to take you home," she said. What did she mean? He was home already. He was where he belonged. He was with his soul mate, the one who was just like him, who would look after him. He looked around in panic. SHE wouldn't let this woman take him away. Where was she when he needed her?
As he looked towards the door, he saw her being pushed away by another woman.
"Where are you taking her?" he snarled at the woman in front of him.
"Who, Rhian?" she asked. "She's coming with us."
"No," he yelled, as he ran, stumbling towards the door and falling on the floor once again. "You can't take her away."
"What's wrong Jesse," she asked again, unshed tears gleaming in her eyes.
"She has to stay with me," he cried again, focusing on the woman once again with an evil stare. "You're not taking her away."
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Shalimar backed away from him. She didn't recognise him like this. What had they done to him?
"Jess, come with me, and everything will be OK," she tried once again. He recoiled, crouching on the floor in a stance she recognised well as one she used before she pounced. As expected, he jumped up and landed on her, throwing her to the ground. She looked over towards Brennan for help, but he was busy fighting off guards with electric blasts.
"Are you coming, Shal?" he called out.
She pushed Jesse off her, not before noticing the yellow gleam in his eyes. He retaliated by throwing a punch, and hitting her squarely on the cheek as she kicked out, throwing him onto his back on the floor.
"Shal, I can't hold them off much longer, are you coming or not?" Brennan asked more urgently.
"Some help, Bren?" she called out. Brennan looked over his shoulder to see Jesse and Shalimar embroiled in a bloody fight.
"We don't have time for this. We're all going to get caught here. Leave him for now, we'll come and get him later on."
"No," she called back, not wanting to accept the situation.
"Shal, leave him!" Bren yelled yet again as he grabbed her collar and dragged her away.
"Let me be, Brennan," she almost cried as he dragged her away, hot on Emma and Rhian's tails. "We have to get him away from here."
"Another time, Shal. Once we know what's going on," he said, trying to soothe her as he pelted down the corridor.
As he bundled her into the Double Helix, she caught sight of the canine sitting beside Emma. * She isn't worth saving, * she thought as pure hatred ran through her veins.
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Back at Sanctuary, Rhian spent a gruelling few hours locked in the lab with Adam, the man she had come to hate, as he explained Mutant X's mission, his own role in the team, the truth about Eckhart, and finally convinced her to let him run some non-invasive tests on her, non-invasive being the key words that convinced her. Slowly, she felt herself lowering her guard, and more than once she wondered whether this was an altogether good thing. Somehow, she couldn't help but be swayed by the man's aura of kindness and desire to do good.
"Adam, there's something else," she began hesitantly as the scan swept over her body. He fixed her with a questioning look. "I think something's happening to Jesse. No one told me anything, but I could tell he was in a lot of pain." She paused as his stare became more piercing and more urgent. "I'm worried, because it was very reminiscent of the symptoms I feel when I transform."
He broke off his stare and nodded briefly. "I was worried about that. Brennan nearly underwent the same transformation, but his body fought it, and ultimately, he recovered. It looks like Jesse's DNA is more susceptible to this feral mutation." She felt herself flushing as the guilt swept through her. "Has this happened to the people you've attacked before?" Adam asked.
"No," she replied meekly. "Never. They always, well, died before any transformation was able to take place. I never meant for any of this to happen."
"There must be some way, some genetic code that will combat the mutating effect of your own code," he mused as he continued scanning the feral. "Well, everything seems to be fine. Now, I'm sure Emma or Brennan will be glad to show you around. In the meantime you'll have to excuse me whilst I work on a serum for Jesse."
* Short and to the point, * thought Rhian as she walked out of the lab warily, in search of someone else.
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Brennan lay on his bed, one hand behind his head, pondering the events of the day so far. Not a place one would usually find him, but Shal was currently threatening to kick anyone's ass if they so much as neared the dojo. She was stressed and worried, and this was how she worked it out of her system, but she tended to take things a little too far, needing to prove to whoever was closest that she could still beat them outright.
Emma was wandering around Sanctuary somewhere, probably meditating, Brennan thought. He was wary about spending too much time with her these days. He loved the girl like a sister, but she had a nasty habit of sensing how people were feeling, even though she didn't always do it intentionally. He was feeling very unsettled recently, and he wanted time alone to sort himself out. The last thing he wanted was Emma knowing all about it when he wasn't ready to tell.
He still couldn't figure out how he felt about the new feral. There were too many conflicting situations. First she had nearly killed him, then she had sneaked her way into his heart at the club. *Your heart, Bren?* he asked himself. *Are you sure you didn't just find her attractive?* Then she had attacked them yet again, and then, as she confronted Emma and Shal at Genomex, he had seen something else in her eyes. Fear, vulnerability, confusion, and all prior preconceptions he had about her had evaporated. *OK, yeah, she's attractive,* he tried to justify to himself, *but there's something else to her too. Something she's hiding from everyone, and I just can't work her out.* It was at times like these that he envied Emma just a little.
He raised his head at a sound from outside the door. He had left it open, and saw a dark shape hovering just outside.
"No, Shal, I am NOT going to challenge you to a duel. Neither will I accept any challenges from you," he sighed loudly. *This really has to stop,* he thought. *Everyone's absolutely exhausted except her!* As the shape crept into the stream of light coming from his room, he saw it wasn't Shal, but Rhian. He sat up quickly, running his fingers through his tousled hair.
"Rhian!" he exclaimed. "Adam's finished with you?" He winced as he heard himself. She was paranoid enough about Adam and Mutant X without him putting more thoughts into her mind.
"Yeah," she replied somewhat nervously. "I'm kinda lost actually," she continued. "Adam told me to go have a look around, but. . ."
"I'll show you around if you like," he offered as he got up. "It's Brennan, by the way."
She smiled gently. "Yes, I overheard you earlier talking to Adam." She hesitated as Brennan ushered her into the corridor. "Brennan," she began hesitantly. "I, I'm sorry for the other day."
He grinned, trying to reassure her. "No problem. You can hardly see the scars now."
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So how do you like what's happening to Jesse so far? Still to come is Shal and Rhian facing off, Emma and Adam action, Emma and Brennan having a serious chat, and more Jesse torture, so plenty to look forward to!
Brigitta - you make my day with your reviews, love ya girl!
K.A.T.E. - (1) Thanks, (2) Thanks for the compliment, if it means you're seeing her as a 3 dimensional character, then I've done something right! (3) Seriously considering it, (4) OK!!!
Emma0211 - Am I turning you into an A/E shipper?? And just to clear up any misunderstandings, Brennan managed to fight off the mutation, but Jesse is still battling it. His DNA is, for some reason, more susceptible to feral mutation. Don't ask me why, it's just fic!
Evanfarmersonlygirl and jesse#1fan - thanks!
R&R!!!
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Chapter 15
Shal moved over to Jesse as Emma ushered Rhian away and Brennan took up position at the door, ready for whatever came their way. She lifted him up gently, trying to bring him back to consciousness, and heard him moan softly.
"Jess, I know it hurts, but you've got to wake up, we have to get out of here." Her heart lifted as she saw him half open his eyes. "Come on, Jess. We have to go," she encouraged him. Still Jesse couldn't seem to wake up completely. "Can you stand up?" she asked him. Jesse's eyes suddenly opened wide as he stared at her.
"What's going on?" he whispered, panic evident in his voice.
"We're here to take you home," she replied softly. He pulled himself away from her grasp and fell onto the floor. "What's wrong, Jess?" she asked him, hurt that he had recoiled from her touch.
"What do you want?" he asked again, confusion and terror shining in his eyes. Shal leaned over to help him up off the floor as he pushed her away violently. Shal stopped dead.
"Jess, it's me, Shal. I've come to take you home." His eyes flashed yellow for a split second as he scrambled away from her. "Don't you recognise me?"
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Jesse had been in a deep sleep when he felt his aches and pains magnified by someone attempting to move him. He opened his eyes warily, scared at what he might see. It was a woman, trying to take him away. Something didn't feel right. Where was the other woman?
"I've come to take you home," she said. What did she mean? He was home already. He was where he belonged. He was with his soul mate, the one who was just like him, who would look after him. He looked around in panic. SHE wouldn't let this woman take him away. Where was she when he needed her?
As he looked towards the door, he saw her being pushed away by another woman.
"Where are you taking her?" he snarled at the woman in front of him.
"Who, Rhian?" she asked. "She's coming with us."
"No," he yelled, as he ran, stumbling towards the door and falling on the floor once again. "You can't take her away."
"What's wrong Jesse," she asked again, unshed tears gleaming in her eyes.
"She has to stay with me," he cried again, focusing on the woman once again with an evil stare. "You're not taking her away."
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Shalimar backed away from him. She didn't recognise him like this. What had they done to him?
"Jess, come with me, and everything will be OK," she tried once again. He recoiled, crouching on the floor in a stance she recognised well as one she used before she pounced. As expected, he jumped up and landed on her, throwing her to the ground. She looked over towards Brennan for help, but he was busy fighting off guards with electric blasts.
"Are you coming, Shal?" he called out.
She pushed Jesse off her, not before noticing the yellow gleam in his eyes. He retaliated by throwing a punch, and hitting her squarely on the cheek as she kicked out, throwing him onto his back on the floor.
"Shal, I can't hold them off much longer, are you coming or not?" Brennan asked more urgently.
"Some help, Bren?" she called out. Brennan looked over his shoulder to see Jesse and Shalimar embroiled in a bloody fight.
"We don't have time for this. We're all going to get caught here. Leave him for now, we'll come and get him later on."
"No," she called back, not wanting to accept the situation.
"Shal, leave him!" Bren yelled yet again as he grabbed her collar and dragged her away.
"Let me be, Brennan," she almost cried as he dragged her away, hot on Emma and Rhian's tails. "We have to get him away from here."
"Another time, Shal. Once we know what's going on," he said, trying to soothe her as he pelted down the corridor.
As he bundled her into the Double Helix, she caught sight of the canine sitting beside Emma. * She isn't worth saving, * she thought as pure hatred ran through her veins.
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Back at Sanctuary, Rhian spent a gruelling few hours locked in the lab with Adam, the man she had come to hate, as he explained Mutant X's mission, his own role in the team, the truth about Eckhart, and finally convinced her to let him run some non-invasive tests on her, non-invasive being the key words that convinced her. Slowly, she felt herself lowering her guard, and more than once she wondered whether this was an altogether good thing. Somehow, she couldn't help but be swayed by the man's aura of kindness and desire to do good.
"Adam, there's something else," she began hesitantly as the scan swept over her body. He fixed her with a questioning look. "I think something's happening to Jesse. No one told me anything, but I could tell he was in a lot of pain." She paused as his stare became more piercing and more urgent. "I'm worried, because it was very reminiscent of the symptoms I feel when I transform."
He broke off his stare and nodded briefly. "I was worried about that. Brennan nearly underwent the same transformation, but his body fought it, and ultimately, he recovered. It looks like Jesse's DNA is more susceptible to this feral mutation." She felt herself flushing as the guilt swept through her. "Has this happened to the people you've attacked before?" Adam asked.
"No," she replied meekly. "Never. They always, well, died before any transformation was able to take place. I never meant for any of this to happen."
"There must be some way, some genetic code that will combat the mutating effect of your own code," he mused as he continued scanning the feral. "Well, everything seems to be fine. Now, I'm sure Emma or Brennan will be glad to show you around. In the meantime you'll have to excuse me whilst I work on a serum for Jesse."
* Short and to the point, * thought Rhian as she walked out of the lab warily, in search of someone else.
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Brennan lay on his bed, one hand behind his head, pondering the events of the day so far. Not a place one would usually find him, but Shal was currently threatening to kick anyone's ass if they so much as neared the dojo. She was stressed and worried, and this was how she worked it out of her system, but she tended to take things a little too far, needing to prove to whoever was closest that she could still beat them outright.
Emma was wandering around Sanctuary somewhere, probably meditating, Brennan thought. He was wary about spending too much time with her these days. He loved the girl like a sister, but she had a nasty habit of sensing how people were feeling, even though she didn't always do it intentionally. He was feeling very unsettled recently, and he wanted time alone to sort himself out. The last thing he wanted was Emma knowing all about it when he wasn't ready to tell.
He still couldn't figure out how he felt about the new feral. There were too many conflicting situations. First she had nearly killed him, then she had sneaked her way into his heart at the club. *Your heart, Bren?* he asked himself. *Are you sure you didn't just find her attractive?* Then she had attacked them yet again, and then, as she confronted Emma and Shal at Genomex, he had seen something else in her eyes. Fear, vulnerability, confusion, and all prior preconceptions he had about her had evaporated. *OK, yeah, she's attractive,* he tried to justify to himself, *but there's something else to her too. Something she's hiding from everyone, and I just can't work her out.* It was at times like these that he envied Emma just a little.
He raised his head at a sound from outside the door. He had left it open, and saw a dark shape hovering just outside.
"No, Shal, I am NOT going to challenge you to a duel. Neither will I accept any challenges from you," he sighed loudly. *This really has to stop,* he thought. *Everyone's absolutely exhausted except her!* As the shape crept into the stream of light coming from his room, he saw it wasn't Shal, but Rhian. He sat up quickly, running his fingers through his tousled hair.
"Rhian!" he exclaimed. "Adam's finished with you?" He winced as he heard himself. She was paranoid enough about Adam and Mutant X without him putting more thoughts into her mind.
"Yeah," she replied somewhat nervously. "I'm kinda lost actually," she continued. "Adam told me to go have a look around, but. . ."
"I'll show you around if you like," he offered as he got up. "It's Brennan, by the way."
She smiled gently. "Yes, I overheard you earlier talking to Adam." She hesitated as Brennan ushered her into the corridor. "Brennan," she began hesitantly. "I, I'm sorry for the other day."
He grinned, trying to reassure her. "No problem. You can hardly see the scars now."
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So how do you like what's happening to Jesse so far? Still to come is Shal and Rhian facing off, Emma and Adam action, Emma and Brennan having a serious chat, and more Jesse torture, so plenty to look forward to!
Brigitta - you make my day with your reviews, love ya girl!
K.A.T.E. - (1) Thanks, (2) Thanks for the compliment, if it means you're seeing her as a 3 dimensional character, then I've done something right! (3) Seriously considering it, (4) OK!!!
Emma0211 - Am I turning you into an A/E shipper?? And just to clear up any misunderstandings, Brennan managed to fight off the mutation, but Jesse is still battling it. His DNA is, for some reason, more susceptible to feral mutation. Don't ask me why, it's just fic!
Evanfarmersonlygirl and jesse#1fan - thanks!
R&R!!!
