Summary: When an old friend of Adam turns up craving revenge, it results in the capture of Bren/Shal, but is the love they hold for each other enough to keep them alive?
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Mutant X. Tribune Entertainment Co. owns the rights to these characters. But I do own any other characters.
Notes: Italics with indicate thought. Stars indicate time change or place.
Story by: Quest – shadowfox_fuse@yahoo.com, feel free to email me on any questions or well anything!
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Chapter 8: Black and blue allover
Jesse and Emma had been back for two hours and Adam had never stopped blaming himself for Shalimar and Brennan's disappearance. He had looked for any information on where they could be, but ended up with nothing. Emma had begun to cry into Jesse's arms as Adam began pacing back and forth almost giving up all hope.
"We're not going to give up are we?" Jesse asked making Emma cry harder.
"I don't know Jesse, I can't seem to get a trace on them," Adam pinched the bridge of his nose. "I guess we'll have to wait and pray that they'll turn up somewhere."
"You're…saying…we're…going…to do… nothing?" Emma sobbed. Adam slumped down in a chair nodding his head yes.
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Shalimar and Brennan had falling asleep in each other's arms; the door slamming open awakened them. Shalimar saw Zan standing in the doorway with two girls. She tightened her grip around Brennan knowing what Zan could do to her. Brennan could feel Shalimar shiver underneath his arms.
He entered and stood in front of them. "Get up, he wants to meet you," Zan announced as the two girls picked up Shalimar and Brennan by their elbows.
Zan smiled seeing Crawford was right about the cold getting to them. Their lips and fingertips were turning purple. Their overall energy level had diminished significantly as they dragged their feet as they started walking slowly out of the holding cell and down the hall. Four guards soon followed suit and pointed their guns towards the prisoners making sure they followed.
Zan opened a door and walked in. Shalimar looked up from her trance on the floor; the room was dark with only one light overhead spotlight over the center room, lighting up seven-foot circle. It had one metal chair in the middle of the room a few feet away from a table with a new looking computer set on top. He nodded to the two girls and they pushed Shalimar and Brennan apart. Ashley brought Shalimar over to the metal chair, she turned the chair around facing the wall that Brennan was heading to and cuffed Shalimar's hands in back of the chair. Abby chained Brennan, his arms over his head; she flashed her feral eyes at him and headed over to Zan.
Shalimar looked over at Brennan, "who is he?" She finally asked.
"Why me of course," a voice answered from one of the corners near the door.
Shalimar and Brennan turned their heads towards the voice, trying to focus on this figure slowly approaching the light. "Who the hell are you?" Brennan snapped.
"Oh I'm sorry Mr. Mulwray I haven't fully introduced myself," he smartly apologized as he crept closer and closer to the light. "I'm Doctor James Crawford," He announced as he stepped into the light.
Shalimar's eyes widened finally getting her first look at Crawford. He was tall, and lanky, but looking around Adam's age. That wasn't the part that scared Shalimar and finally Brennan once Crawford turned towards him. His right hand was no longer a human hand, it was scaly like lizard skin, and two-inch claws had replaced his fingernails. Half of his neck was covered in lizard skin and slowly reaching up to his right ear. Shalimar was grateful that his face was still human or she would have puked, she turned her head away unable to look at him any longer.
"Oh Miss Fox, you don't like my looks?" Crawford laughed and walked up closer to her. "Take a closer look!" His eyes flashed fire red as he grabbed her chin and forced her to look him in the eye. "OPEN YOUR EYES AND LOOK AT ME!" Crawford yelled at her wanting her to open her eyes. Shalimar shook her head no, "OPEN THEM!!" He screamed in anger. Slowly but surely Shalimar opened her eyes and stared at him. She wished she could feel anger towards him for kidnapping Brennan and herself, but she couldn't all she felt was sorrow. Shalimar looked at him, she could believe someone could do this to anyone, he was literally transforming into some sort of monster.
Crawford turned towards Brennan; his mouth was open and looking straight at him. "You're wondering why I am like this. Aren't you Mr. Mulwray?" Crawford asked him finally letting go of Shalimar's chin. Brennan didn't say a word just hung his head.
"I thought you might," Crawford said. "I'm surprised Adam hasn't mentioned my name in his explanation on how New Mutants came to be," he explained.
"What?" Brennan asked confused.
"That's right, I worked with Adam on his projects and now I need to know where he his," Crawford explained.
"We're not going to tell you," Shalimar spat.
Crawford shook his head in disappointment. "I was afraid of that. So I have Zan here to help me convince you two other wise." He motioned for Zan to join him.
Zan walked over carrying a black suitcase in his hand. He set it on the table next to the computer and opened it up. Shalimar noticed a selection of knifes, a metal rod, and what looked like a lion tamer's whip. She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath not wanting to know what those were for.
"He's great at persuasion," Crawford grinned walking up to Brennan. He dragged his claws on Brennan's shirt shredding it in half.
Shalimar watched in horror as Zan grabbed one of the knives from the case and head over to Brennan. He stopped standing in front of Brennan, "this is one of my favorites," Zan explained.
"Like I care," Brennan replied smartly.
Zan sliced the knife across Brennan's chest; blood trickled from the wound as Brennan yelped in pain. Without hesitation Zan sliced him again, Brennan struggled to keep from screaming out from the sharp, throbbing pain across his chest.
"STOP IT!!" Shalimar cried out struggling to get out of her chair.
"I'm sorry Miss Fox I'm afraid I can't let that happen," Crawford explained as he watched Zan. "See neither of you will tell me where Adam is, so I had to resort to drastic measures. As soon as you tell me this might stop."
Shalimar thought for a minute. "DON'T tell him Shal!" Brennan yelled at her as Zan started to punch Brennan in the face and gut.
"But…" Shalimar started almost in tears.
"SHAL NO!" Brennan replied getting hit once again.
"Come on Miss Fox, just tell me something and Zan will stop," Crawford offered.
Shalimar looked over at Brennan blood was flowing from his mouth and chest and Shalimar didn't want to see him get hurt again. Brennan looked her in the eye and shook his head no. Crawford nodding to Zan, and Zan moved over to the table grabbing a new weapon from his suitcase. He took the metal rob in his hand twirled it around a couple of times and went back over to Brennan.
He swung at Brennan's stomach; Shalimar didn't have to have her feral senses to hear the cracking of ribs as the metal connected with bone. Brennan screamed making Shalimar flinch. Zan smiled and continued the beating.
Ashley and Abby stood off in the corner watching carefully. Abby was intrigued and anticipating every hit that Zan threw. Ashley on the other turned away every time Brennan screamed from the pain. She wasn't sure if she could handle being in the same room as this charade continued.
"PLEASE STOP!" Shalimar begged watching Brennan spitting up blood.
"Tell me something and it might," Crawford told her trying not to loss his temper.
Shalimar turned at stared at Zan who backhanded Brennan across the face with the rod in his hand making the blow harder. He did this four or five more times before moving back down towards Brennan's ribs.
She couldn't stand seeing Brennan like this, "web cam," she whispered.
"Excuse me?" Crawford asked.
"You can contact him by a web cam," Shalimar explained. "NOW stop hurting him!"
Crawford nodded for Zan to stop, Zan swung at Brennan's stomach before stopping. Brennan just moaned trying to stay conscious, "Shal?"
Shalimar didn't reply she knew he wondered what she was doing but she had to make them stop. Crawford moved closer to Shalimar, "a web cam?"
"Yes, you can connect to the computer in the lab at Sanctuary and talk to Adam directly," Shalimar, explained.
Crawford smiled and pointed for Abby to move to the computer, she did and tuned it on for him. Shalimar glanced over at Brennan who was staring at her with disbelief, wondering why she was giving this mad man information. She immediately hung her head in shame.
Crawford watched Abby log on to the web cam a message popped up. "We need the code to Adam's computer."
Shalimar didn't respond and Zan punched Brennan several times in the ribs. Brennan winced as Zan elbowed him twice in the stomach causing him to cough up blood.
"FINE!" Shalimar yelled. "It's one…seven…four…two…two…nine."
Abby nodded giving Crawford acknowledgement that the code went through. "This should be fun," Crawford smirked as he awaited Adam's reply.
TBC
A/N: I almost forgot to post it this morning…oops…. but then I remembered!!!! I hope everyone liked this chapter, don't worry I will post on Wednesday and I know I'm evil for where I ended this chapter…. oh the torture…. LOL!!! Don't forget to give a REVIEW!!!!!