Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X. If I did, do you really think that I would be allowed to write here? J

Rating: PG

Summary: Jesse and Adam wake up to find chaos. Emma's psionic wave leaves the team at lost as to what had happened. An interesting relationship is explored between two unlikely mutants... That's all for now- read on to find out more. ~* *~ means someone's thoughts. And please, READ AND REVIEW! Thank you so much! J

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Revelations Chapter 6: Tribulation : Part 1

I'm going to keep this secret... I'm going to break the cycle. I'm going to shake up the system. I'm going to destroy my ego. I guess I'll die another day. It's not my time to go. I guess I'll die another day...

-Madonna

************************** Sanctuary *****************************

The hallway was dark and silent, a dusty haze covering the floor. The only light had been destroyed several minutes earlier by the wave of psionic energy which had radiated from the med lab.

Here, two bodies lay limply on the floor, separated by a short distance. Jesse had fallen onto his stomach, a bloodstain barely visible on his tan tee-shirt. Still unconscious, he was breathing irregularly, gasping for air every few seconds, then calming down and looking placid again.

Beside him lay Adam, who was bent over on his side in an odd position, a small puddle of blood forming around his head. Adam's eyes shot open as he laid still, staring at the floor and taking long, deep breaths.

~* Why am I on the floor? *~ Adam thought, as he tried to get up. Rolling over to his back with great effort, Adam slowly sat up, his head aching horribly. Dizziness overcame him almost immediately. Raising his hand to touch the back of his head, he felt something soft and warm seeping out.

~* Blood?! *~ Bringing his hand in front of him, Adam saw that he was correct. He stood up and slowly paced back and forth in the hall, staring at the ground solemnly.

"Uugghh!" Jesse coughed and choked as he started to sit up, spitting blood onto the floor. Adam stopped walking and looked up, giving Jesse a confused look.

"Jesse?" he shook his head slightly, unsure if what he saw was real or not. "Are you okay?" Jesse gave a sardonic glance towards Adam before wiping the blood from his nose and mouth with the back of his sleeve.

"What do you think?" Jesse answered sarcastically as he spit more blood out of his mouth.

"Sorry, Jesse," Adam walked over and put out his hand. Grabbing it, Jesse stood up next to Adam. The two glanced at each other momentarily, glaring into the other's face. "What hap."

"Why were." the two said simultaneously. Jesse and Adam smiled slightly, the tension lightening some, as Adam set his hand on Jesse's shoulder momentarily before taking a few slow steps past Jesse.

"What did happen to us?" Jesse asked seriously turning to face Adam. About to answer, Adam noticed a broken light bulb and debris laying on the floor at the end of the hallway. Walking there, Adam paused at what he saw in front of him.

"Jesse!" Adam yelled, motioning for Jesse to come with him. "I think we're about to find out!" Adam finished, as both of them ran through the cluttered mess of plaster and glass covering the hallway. Stopping in front of where the med lab door used to be, they both stood there, staring at the chaos with utter confusion.

************************************************************************

You can try to resist, but you can't hide from my kiss, But you know, but you know, that deep in the dark, you'll surrender your heart, But you know, but you know, you can't escape my love. -(it's not mine, belongs to someone else, but I can't their remember name)

XXXX The Strand's Place XXXX The leopard print chiffon canopy curtains blew softly in a dark and drafty room, deep within the Strand's hideout. Dozens of short, white candles were placed on tables surrounding the bed, providing the room's only light.

Behind the masking curtains lay Shalimar, her chest heaving up and down rhythmically as she rested peacefully. She lay in the center of the bed, tousled blond hair flung out around her head and covering the cheetah print pillows. Her weathered hands tightly grasped the black satin sheets that were wrapped loosely around her torso as she moved her head slightly, stirring from her sleep.

Shalimar yawned softly as she stretched out her arms, cracking her scapulae and neck, all the while keeping her eyes closed. She sat up slowly, wiping her eyes lightly and pulling her hair out of her face, then blinking several times as she tried to keep her heavy eyelids open. Still feeling disoriented and tired, she sat there momentarily, her eyes closing as her head lurched forward, her body attempting to sleep again. Bobbing back up, Shalimar shook her head fiercely, waking herself into complete consciousness.

Shalimar turned her head and looked at what was around herself, only able to see the bright flames of the candles through the chiffon curtain.

~* Where the heck am I? *~ Shalimar thought, alarmed slightly. Suddenly, a glass fell over on one of the tables nearby, spilling water onto the floor. Instinctually, Shalimar threw the off the sheets and jumped into a crouching position, flashing her gold feral eyes.

"Good morning, Shalimar. You've been asleep for awhile, baby," a figure said calmly from the shadows, stepping forward ever so slowly. The curtains to the canopy bed flew open, exposing a shocked and upset Shalimar.

"You." Shalimar mouthed, as she glared at the silhouetted person.

"Yeah, baby. Love seeing you when you're angry, especially in what you're wearing." Looking down, Shalimar found herself wearing only a black satin tank top and lacy bikini underwear. Her anger rose as each second lagged on, her face turning bright red with utter embarrassment. Shaking her head slightly, Shalimar pounced at the now visible Gabriel with full force. Before Shalimar was more than a few feet off the bed, Gabriel threw his arm to his side, sending Shalimar flying back to the bed telekinetically.

"Shalimar,. Shalimar, you know that I would never do anything to hurt you," Gabriel sincerely said, as he walked over to Shalimar, who lay sprawled on the bed. Tucking her legs into her chin, a single tear of helplessness quivered at the tip of her eye. Gabriel sat down beside her, wiping the tear away and softly caressing her head.

"No need to worrrryy." he started to say, but was kicked by Shalimar before he could finish.

"Get off of me!" Recovering from the blow after several gasps, Gabriel stood up, back towards Shalimar.

"You were always the hard one to get, weren't you?" he said smirking as he placed his forehands on his hips. At this, Shalimar sat up and wiped a tear away, proud that she had fought back.

"Where's Brennan?!" she demanded. Gabriel turned around to face Shalimar before answering.

"Forget about Brennan! It's just me and you now,. for as long as I like." he said half-angry. Shalimar glared horror-stricken at Ashlocke for several seconds before Gabriel finished his sentence.

"He's alive," Gabriel said shaking his head. "Just busy."

"You bastard! What'd ya do to him?" Shalimar hissed at him as she tried to stand up, finding herself unable to even move more than an inch or two.

"No use in trying. You're not going anywhere," he replied coarsely. Flashing her eyes gold, Shalimar decided to forgo her struggle. Seeing this, Gabriel slowly walked around the canopy bed, as if he were eyeing his prey, all the while Shalimar's eyes following him. Pausing for a moment, Gabriel raised his hand, telekinetically yanking Shalimar across the bed towards him. With her arms wrapped around her knees, Shalimar just sat there calm, yet confused, as Gabriel stared at her.

~* Why don't I want to fight him? I hate him so much, this should be a protective instinct,. not even requiring conscious human thought. What's wrong with me? *~ she thought, as tears of frustration formed in her eyes, her human side surfacing. Trying hard to keep her cool, Shalimar closed her eyes momentarily, concealing her feelings in a tough, callous shield- her feral half.

"Come on Shalimar," Gabriel whispered as he sat down beside her. "Don't fight so much."

Grabbing her shoulders, he started kissing the back of her neck, ever so softly. Letting her feral side take over, Shalimar let her animal instincts and thoughts rule. Her eyes changed into a fluorescent gold and stayed that way.

~* Uncomfortable. being touched by. must fight back. *~

"Stop that now!" Reacting to her thoughts, Shalimar found herself swinging her arm to slap Gabriel's face, but as she did, she had the strangest feeling- a sharp pain at her fingertips. Terrified, Shalimar saw her fingernails sprout into long, clear claws. As her arm reached Gabriel's face, the newly-grown claws tore through his cheek. Blood splattered her hand and his face, as four slash marks appeared quickly.

Staring at the blood on her hand and in her new claws, Shalimar felt very scared. She had no idea what had just happened to her, or even how. As shock took away the control she held over her feral side, her eyes switched back to brown, her human form. Looking at her hands in fear, she started to breath deeply and quickly.

Meanwhile, as Gabriel's face was slashed, he fell to the bed, pain running through his body. Putting his hand to his face, Gabriel wiped the warm blood onto his fingers and licked it. As he stood back up, Gabriel shook his head slightly.

"Why Shalimar?" Shalimar looked up, still breathing deeply, as she watched Gabriel's face completely heal in a matter of seconds. Lurching for Shalimar, Gabriel yanked her by the neck and lifted her several inches off of the floor.

"Please. stop.," Shalimar managed to say as she gasped for air. In his growing rage, Gabriel proceeded to lift her even higher, laughing as she was suffocated by his tightening hand.

"Don't you EVER do that again!" Flashing his feral eyes, Gabriel threw her across the room towards a heavy desk. As the desk splintered, Shalimar screamed once as her right temple smashed into its' sharp corner. Knocked unconscious, she fell forward onto the floor.

************************************************************************

XXXX Sanctuary XXXX

"What the hell happened?" Jesse asked exasperated, as both he and Adam stood in what used to be the doorway to the med lab. Inside, the entire room had been destroyed. All of the graduated cylinders and flasks had been smashed onto the floor, covering the ground with glass everywhere. The work bench that had stored Adam's recent experiments had been overturned and splintered, its' chemical contents spread around the lab, several compounds bubbling and fizzing because they had been mixed together.

The med chairs were smashed up against a wall, destroyed. The laptops and wall monitors lay ruined, the hardware fried, still giving off sparks, and the LCD's were dripping because they had been punctured by glass in multiple places. The shelves and cabinets had been dented and tipped, the books and papers strewn around the lab. The overhanging wires hung dangling down, discharging every few seconds, and most of the lights were smashed on the floor, the few still hanging were crooked and several feet lower than they had been. Large, heavy chunks of plaster from the walls were scattered around on the remaining tables, on the overturned med chairs, with smaller chunks covering the area where the computers used to be.

Taking a few cautious steps forward, Adam was the first to go into the lab, Jesse following several seconds behind. Carefully stepping around the glass, Jesse made his way to where the majority of computers had been, staring at the liquid trickling out of the LCD's with partial annoyance.

"Uumm," Jesse mumbled to himself as he set off to clearing the debris, plaster and glass off of what remained of the computers.

"Do you think that you can get any of them working again?" Adam asked as he stood across the room from Jesse.

"Um, I'll try. maybe in a while," Jesse said, as he tried to sound enthusiastic.

"Good. Maybe one of the security cameras will help explain what happened," Adam replied, as he walked over to where his experiments lay on the floor, staring at the ruin with both anger and shock.

~* Why? These were important for. *~ his thoughts paused momentarily as he saw a broken bottle of concentrated acid burning through a storage box and several old reference books. Finding the plastic container containing sodium bicarbonate nearby, he quickly dumped some to neutralize the spill. While Adam stood crouching there, several worn papers to his right distracted him. Setting down the plastic bottle, he carefully moved aside the glass covering them, and slowly picked them up.

Holding them in his hand, Adam stared at the worn drawings and old photograph with awe for several long seconds.

"What's that?" Jesse asked from behind a computer he was trying to fix. Looking up, Adam paused a moment before answering.

"A. nothing," he said quickly. Not convinced, Jesse glared doubtfully at Adam.

"Really, it's nothing." There was an awkward silence for several seconds before anyone answered.

"Okay," Jesse remarked sarcastically as he went back to working. Waiting until he was sure that Jesse wasn't looking anymore, Adam folded the papers and put them into his pocket.

Standing up, Adam looked over the lab, fully realizing how long clean-up would take when he noticed something strange underneath a particularly large piece of plaster. Walking quickly towards this, he noticed a bloody foot protruding from beneath the heavy plaster block.

"Damn it, Jesse! Get over here quickly!"

-TBC.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX A/N- So, how'd you like it? Drop me a REVIEW and give me your opinions. Thanks a bunch for your input. J