"Wait. You better start from the beginning," Adam says, after a long
pause.
"We were thorough. No one should know he's alive," Brennan says, losing his focus again.
"Brennan, tell us," Emma urges.
Brennan shakes as his emotions start to overcome him. He is silent for several minutes but when he looks up again, his face is placid.
"Britt and I were born two minutes apart. We were identical except he had dark blue eyes and I have brown eyes. When we were five, our parents were murdered. They were doused in gasoline and burned to death…" Brennan pauses, shuddering. "Britt and I were taken to a government facility, not associated with anyone like Genomex, but equally as evil. We stayed there until we were 13 and we escaped."
Emma senses something. "Brennan, you escaped? You were a prisoner there?"
"Not a prisoner. An experiment. It's not important," Brennan says, shortly, his eyes clouded.
"Go on," Adam encourages, glancing at Emma.
"Britt and I weren't identical twins. I'm just an elemental, but Britt had something more. He could move things with his mind. He was psionic. He could throw fire with his hands. I once saw him heal someone by touching them."
"Brennan," Adam starts.
"I know it sounds impossible but I'm not lying. Once we got out, we knew that they would never give up until they found him. He was just too powerful for them to let him go." Brennan looks down. "We hacked into the files and altered everything we could get away with. Then we set up surveillance. When the time was right and all the key people were there, we blew the compound."
"I remember the rumors about that," Adam nods. "What about…"
"Britt and I released all the other kids. They helped us with the destruction of the compound. I know we probably murdered some innocent people, but at the time, we had no other choice. I will never forgive myself for what happened, but we were kids…there's no excuse…" Brennan starts to tremble again.
"Go on," Adam says, his face unreadable.
"Britt was a genius. His powers were growing even at 13. He found a way to stall the mutations and he got our powers under control. We had to find a way to get out of sight, quick. I convinced him that if we stuck together that they'd find us. He wouldn't have survived another stint in a place like that…it would have broken him…so we eliminated all proof of his existence. We changed everything. We knew that the government would probably have some records that we couldn't access, so we inserted false information indicating that he died in the explosion at the compound," Brennan says.
"So what happened to him?" Jesse questions.
Brennan shudders. "Britt and I had a telepathic connection. We could talk to each other without words and we could feel each other's pain. Britt stifled the connection when he was slowing our mutations. I helped him create his new identity and I left. The understanding was that we should never meet again."
"You've never seen him since?" Adam asks.
"Never. It would put him at risk. He's too important. If Eckhart knew that there was a mutant with combination powers, he'd never give up until he found him." Brennan finishes.
"Okay. Let's get you patched up and we'll discuss our options. Jesse, I want you to go on the web and find any information about the compound…" Adam begins.
"I told you we altered everything and I meant it. Britt created a virus and every time someone accesses a database, the information is changed." Brennan's eyes cloud over as he loses himself in thought.
"Brennan…" Emma says, approaching him. "I feel like there are some things you aren't telling us."
Brennan glances up at her, his face a mask. "Of course there are."
To Be Continued.
"We were thorough. No one should know he's alive," Brennan says, losing his focus again.
"Brennan, tell us," Emma urges.
Brennan shakes as his emotions start to overcome him. He is silent for several minutes but when he looks up again, his face is placid.
"Britt and I were born two minutes apart. We were identical except he had dark blue eyes and I have brown eyes. When we were five, our parents were murdered. They were doused in gasoline and burned to death…" Brennan pauses, shuddering. "Britt and I were taken to a government facility, not associated with anyone like Genomex, but equally as evil. We stayed there until we were 13 and we escaped."
Emma senses something. "Brennan, you escaped? You were a prisoner there?"
"Not a prisoner. An experiment. It's not important," Brennan says, shortly, his eyes clouded.
"Go on," Adam encourages, glancing at Emma.
"Britt and I weren't identical twins. I'm just an elemental, but Britt had something more. He could move things with his mind. He was psionic. He could throw fire with his hands. I once saw him heal someone by touching them."
"Brennan," Adam starts.
"I know it sounds impossible but I'm not lying. Once we got out, we knew that they would never give up until they found him. He was just too powerful for them to let him go." Brennan looks down. "We hacked into the files and altered everything we could get away with. Then we set up surveillance. When the time was right and all the key people were there, we blew the compound."
"I remember the rumors about that," Adam nods. "What about…"
"Britt and I released all the other kids. They helped us with the destruction of the compound. I know we probably murdered some innocent people, but at the time, we had no other choice. I will never forgive myself for what happened, but we were kids…there's no excuse…" Brennan starts to tremble again.
"Go on," Adam says, his face unreadable.
"Britt was a genius. His powers were growing even at 13. He found a way to stall the mutations and he got our powers under control. We had to find a way to get out of sight, quick. I convinced him that if we stuck together that they'd find us. He wouldn't have survived another stint in a place like that…it would have broken him…so we eliminated all proof of his existence. We changed everything. We knew that the government would probably have some records that we couldn't access, so we inserted false information indicating that he died in the explosion at the compound," Brennan says.
"So what happened to him?" Jesse questions.
Brennan shudders. "Britt and I had a telepathic connection. We could talk to each other without words and we could feel each other's pain. Britt stifled the connection when he was slowing our mutations. I helped him create his new identity and I left. The understanding was that we should never meet again."
"You've never seen him since?" Adam asks.
"Never. It would put him at risk. He's too important. If Eckhart knew that there was a mutant with combination powers, he'd never give up until he found him." Brennan finishes.
"Okay. Let's get you patched up and we'll discuss our options. Jesse, I want you to go on the web and find any information about the compound…" Adam begins.
"I told you we altered everything and I meant it. Britt created a virus and every time someone accesses a database, the information is changed." Brennan's eyes cloud over as he loses himself in thought.
"Brennan…" Emma says, approaching him. "I feel like there are some things you aren't telling us."
Brennan glances up at her, his face a mask. "Of course there are."
To Be Continued.
