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!
* * *
Chapter 12: A glimpse into the future
Adam's eyes were beginning to get heavy. He had been up the whole night trying to work on a cure. Tubes of different color formulas were spread all over the tables in the lab. Adam's eyes were now blood shot from staring at the tubes for hours; his anger was starting to grow immensely. He threw a tube at the wall shattering the glass all over the floor, and growled at his troubles.
Emma walked in to the lab, rubbing her eyes as she was trying to have a 'quiet nap' with Jesse but Adam's noise had kept her up. "What are you doing?" she asked groggily.
Adam turned around and whipped away the small tears under his eyes, "nothing."
"That's not your 'nothing' face," Emma observed as she sat down in a chair curling up in a ball, watching him closely.
Adam looked at her and had to crack a smile at the sight of her hair all messy and still half asleep, "really?"
"Ya, so what's up?" Emma yawned.
"I can't get this formula right," Adam, said in fury.
Emma sighed, "Adam just take a break and try again tomorrow."
"I CAN'T!" Adam slammed his fist down on the table jumping Emma in her chair.
"Why not?" Emma asked with a great deal of concern in her voice.
"I have to do this for Shal and Brennan's sake. If I don't then Crawford will torture or might even kill them until I get this stupid thing right," Adam explained as his eyes began to water up.
Emma got up from the chair and rubbed his arm in comfort. "You're not doing them any good if you wear yourself out over this formula," Emma told him. "Go get some rest and try again in the morning when you have a clear head."
Adam hung his head knowing she was right, Emma smiled. She turned and left the lab leaving Adam to ponder her words of wisdom. He placed down the tube in his hand and walked slowly out of the lab. Before he left he turned around and looked at the mess he had made and sighed in frustration, then went to bed.
* * *
Riley thought quietly wondering what had happened to Shalimar. Shannon and Vince had fallen asleep about an hour ago, but Riley couldn't sleep. She sighed and closed her eyes, concentrated on Shalimar.
'Shal' Riley asked trying to make contact with her.
Shalimar was just about to finally fall asleep when she heard Riley's voice in her head. 'Riley?'
'Thank god, are you ok,' Riley sighed in relief.
'Ya I think so, my ribs hurt, but I'm ok,' Shalimar replied a she traced the dried blood on her neck.
Riley smiled, 'so how are you holding up?'
Shalimar held back her tears, even thought Riley wasn't even in the same room she knew she could feel her sadness. 'How would you feel if someone you knew had died right in front of you? Or you get tortured every time you get taken out of the room?'
'So you cared for Brennan a lot, huh?' Riley dared to ask.
'I don't know for sure,' Shalimar couldn't make up her mind on whether or not she truly loved Brennan or if it was just a one-time fling.
Riley could feel Shalimar doubt in her feelings, she knew she should keep out of it but she had to intervene. 'Shal, I'm going to show you something ok?'
'Ah ok,' Shalimar replied.
A rush of cold wind swept over Shalimar as she closed her eyes.
She stepped out of a cold fog and saw Riley standing in front of her. "So glad for you to join me," Riley smirked.
Shalimar smiled and took a look around her surroundings, which were unfamiliar. "Where are we?"
"Just watch and find out," Riley said pointing to the door.
The door slowly opened and Shalimar saw herself enter the room carrying a duffle bag in hand. She went over to the table in the room and placed a pair of keys down, then started to walk into another room, with Riley and Shalimar right behind her.
She entered a bedroom and took off her jacket throwing it over a chair. She slumped down on the bed with the duffle bag on her lap, as the two watching her were invisible to her knowledge. Shalimar sighed as she started to unzip the duffle bag, she slowly empted it out onto the bed. Riley and Shalimar eyes widened when they saw the huge amount of money spewing out onto the sheets.
Shalimar got up from the bed and fumbled behind her back and brought out a handgun. She took out the clip and placed both of the pieces on the nightstand next to the bed. She turned around and started counting the money, as Riley and Shalimar watched in shock at the sight they were seeing. Shalimar finished that counting and stuffed it half of it back into the duffle bag, then placed it underneath the bed. She walked over to a closet and pulled down a smaller duffle bag from the top shelf. She went back over to the bed and put the remaining money in, she zipped up the bag and threw it furiously into the open closet.
She flopped back down on her bed, and reached over to the nightstand grabbing a photo frame. She clutched the frame close to her chest and began to cry. "I'm so sorry…I'm just soooo sorry," Shalimar sobbed.
"Why couldn't I have been as strong as you were," Shalimar said looking at the photo.
Shalimar turned to Riley, "what am I looking at? And why do I have all that fuckin' money?"
"Why don't you go have a look," Riley nodded toward the future Shalimar.
Shalimar bit her bottom lip, "ok." She walked slowly over to the bed and glanced at the photo. Shalimar almost collapsed, when she saw the image of Brennan in the frame. She stumbled back over to Riley standing by the door. "It…was…Brennan," she choked.
Riley nodded slightly and pointed back over to the bed.
"I love you," she said kissing the photo right before the phone rang.
She placed the picture down and picked up the phone, "hello?"
"Do you have it?" a male's voice on the other end asked.
"Ya," Shalimar said with a sigh.
"Good, drop it off at the corner of Lincoln and Spring. Place it in the trash can and make sure no one sees you do it," the man instructed.
Shalimar gritted her teeth, "I keep half of the money right?"
"Yes, only if you pull off this one other job for me. It also has a bigger pay off than the others," the man explained.
Shalimar rubbed the back of her neck. "Fine what is it?" she asked pulling out a piece of paper and pen.
Riley pointed for Shalimar to go look at what she was writing. So Shalimar moved up closer and looked over her own shoulder waiting for her to start writing.
"Alright on Thursday the federal bank on River St. is getting a huge shipment of money, now the guards are tight but I have a feeling you'll have no problem getting the money," the man explained. "I will call you on Friday to give you the drop off point, and you don't forget the more money you can get the more you can keep."
Shalimar began writing notes down, 'federal bank on River St.', 'heavy guards', 'large amount of money', 'Friday he calls', and 'personal note: I need this money badly'.
Shalimar shook her head not believing what she was seeing, then walked over to Riley. "I've seen enough can we go now?"
"Nope not yet, keep watching," Riley, said without looking at her.
Shalimar huffed and continued watching.
Shalimar hung up the phone and sat at edge of her bed holding the paper in her hand. She stood up folding the paper up and placed it in her pocket, then was about to reach for her gun when the phone rang again. She picked it up, "hello?"
"Shal, don't hang up," a woman's voice said on the other line.
"I don't want to talk Emma, I've had enough of Mutant X I just can't handle it with him not being there," Shalimar said.
"Like we can Shal, you're not the only one that misses him." Emma told her.
Shalimar sat down on the bed again, "every time I walked through the halls or past his room, I excepted to see him come out and say hi or something," Shalimar explained hold in the tears as best as she could.
"Shal we could have helped you get through this, you didn't have to leave," Emma said.
"Yes Emma I did have to leave, I was going to lose it if I didn't," Shalimar said running her hands through her hair slowly.
"So you leave and start robbing banks for people…to get a little cash…so you can…make a living," Emma in tears.
"Emma it's the only thing I'm good at on the outside…robbing banks." Shalimar admitted.
Emma was silent on the other line finally she spoke. "Will you please come home? We want you back."
"Sorry I can't Em. I can't be there with him not there, sorry." With that Shalimar hung up the phone.
She sat there looking at Brennan's photo; she reached over and grabbed the gun pieces. Shalimar put them together and stared at it, she finally cocked the gun and placed it back on it spot beside Brennan's photo. She laid down facing the gun and his photo; she began sobbing as she looked at the picture, with in a few minutes she had cried herself to sleep.
Riley turned to Shalimar, "We're done here."
Shalimar found herself opening up her eyes back in her holding cell, 'Riley what was that?'
For a few minutes she didn't reply. 'That was your alternate future if you don't tell Brennan how you feel when you find him.'
'But he is dead, I saw him die.' Shalimar said tears beginning to stream down her face.
'You wait and see what is to come for you Shal…just wait,' Riley said opening her eyes breaking the connection with Shalimar.
'What is that suppose to mean Riley?' Shalimar asked, but there was no reply from her. 'RILEY?' There still was no reply. 'RILEY YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!!' Shalimar finally broke down into tears.
TBC
A/N: What do you guys think of it so far? ……… ::dead silence:: …….ok. Well Friday will come quickly I promise, don't think it's going to be ending soon cuz it's not…LOL! But I am trying to think of a new idea for a fic… so any suggestions??? My friend Bas wants me to challenge my self and try to do a Horror, but I don't know yet. Don't forget to REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!