Control
Disclaimer; sigh not mine. sniff never will be. Ah well – why else do we have imaginations?!
Part 3
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Brennen and Jesse paced anxiously around the main recreational area of the Sanctuary, waiting to see what Adam had managed to get from Emma. Brennen sat heavily on the sofa.
"Man she's stubborn. I'd have cracked ages ago – you know what Adams' questioning sessions are like." Jesse paused in his pacing to look at Brennen.
"She still blames herself for what happened, dunno why. Shame we don't have a telepath or summit – just read the thoughts from her brain. Would be so much easier than this." Brennen sighed. "I hope Shal's alright. What the fuck did Eckhart do to her though? I mean, this is Shal we're talking about, it would take a hell of a lot to turn her."
Jesse glanced away, his voice wavering. "What if….what if she was never on our side? What if she was one of Eckharts' long term spies? I mean, she could be telling him the location of Sanctuary right now for all we know." Brennen stood then, turning to face Jesse.
"You know Shalimar would never do that. She'd rather die than give us away. We're family; she won't give up on us, and we're not gonna give up on her." Speaking more gently, he took hold of Jesses' jaw, turning so he looked him in the eyes. "We're gonna get her back, Jess, you gotta believe me on that, okay?" Letting go, he clapped him on the shoulder. "C'mon, let's go see what Adam found out – I'm fed up of waiting."
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Opening her eyes, Shalimar realised she was back on the metal table in the laboratory. With a killer headache. Whimpering as she moved her head, she looked around her. The lab was in darkness, the only light in the form of a pale glow from the viewing port, and the many blinking lights from the various machines surrounding her. Closing her eyes as she began to fall asleep, she jumped as the laboratory lights came to life, wincing as her headache began the growth to migraine. Opening her eyes, she fought to focus and found Eckhart and a new Doctor standing over her.
"You're a lot stronger than you first appear, Miss Fox. I'm impressed. But this time you won't be so lucky," Turning to the man beside him, he spoke in a slightly more menacing tone "….As I'd *hate* to lose another Doctor." Turning back to Shalimar, he continued "I do so hate failure. Well my dear, I hopefully won't be speaking with you again, if all goes as planned." He walked from the laboratory, leaving the Doctor and Shalimar alone in the room.
Once again Shalimar felt the agonising pain throughout her body, as the bright light appeared and took her back into unconsciousness.
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Opening her eyes after what seemed like ages, she realised she was once again trapped in her psyche, this time alone. Looking around, she took a closer look at her environment. She appeared to be in a cell of some kind, darkness all around her, an appropriate representation for her confinement within her mind. She was chained to the wall of the 'cell', hanging a few inches off the floor by her wrists. Whilst she knew it was all quite literally in her mind, she could still feel the pain the cuffs on her wrists were causing as all her weight hung from them. Shifting, she soon realised that movement caused her more pain, and that there was no comfortable position to hang from. Suddenly she sensed movement across from her; a flash of colour, a slight shuffling sound on the other side of her mental cell.
"Who's there?" she called, trying to sound confident. Truthfully, the thought of something else lurking around inside her mind terrified her, but she refused to give the intruder the satisfaction of seeing her scared. Staring at the point where she thought she'd seen the movement, she saw a shadowy figure moving in the darkness. Swinging her head round, she frantically tried to get a clear look. "Come out!" she yelled, putting her feet on the wall to pull against her restraints, with no effect.
"It's pointless" a quiet, hissing voice said. "Your mind is in my control now, and you'll never escape while I'm here" The figure moved closer to Shalimar, staying away from the pale light that filtered into the middle of the cell. All that Shalimar could see was a vague dark outline, and a pair of intense, green eyes. "And I have no intention of going anywhere anytime soon." The figure began to walk away from her, vanishing into the darkness yet again.
"Wait! Who are you?" Shalimar yelled, trying to see where the figure had gone. The reply echoed around the cell in a menacing voice.
"Your worst nightmare."
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Brennen, Jesse, and Adam sat around the briefing table, planning their next move for the recovery of Shalimar.
"All I could get from Emma was that she and Shalimar had a dispute of some kind; she refuses to tell me exactly what happened between the two of them." Adam looked down at the table. "And that the person that you encountered in the safe-house wasn't the Shalimar we know. Emma doesn't know what's been done to her, but she said she could barely recognise her. She also said that whoever it was told her that Shalimar was gone for good." Looking back up at them, he sighed. "We've got to face it guys, we might not win this one. This time we might actually have lost her."
"No." Brennen stood, leaning over the table and looking at both of them. "No, I won't accept that. Shalimar's strong – whatever they've done to her she can overcome it with our help, we just have to get her back. That should be our focus for now. That and Emma, who I'm going to go and check on now." Turning he stalked out of the room.
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Jesse and Adam were still at the briefing table when Brennen returned a half- hour later.
"Hey, either of you seen Emma? She's not in her room, and I've checked all of her normal hideouts." Lifting his hand to his mouth, Adam spoke into his com-link.
"Emma? Emma, answer me!" Slamming his hand back down on the table, he silently fumed.
"Where'd you think she's gone?"
"Where else?! She's gone on some foolish solo mission to get to Shalimar. Which most likely means she's headed straight to Genomex. You two take the Double Helix and find her, I'm going to try and trace her ring. Let's go!" Running from the room all three prepared for their part in the now double rescue mission.
"Okay guys, primary goal is to retrieve Emma. If you can get Shalimar as well, that'd be a bonus, but don't put yourselves at risk to get to her. Understood?"
"Yup, got it. We're heading out now. We'll report in as soon as we know something." Engaging the Double Helix, they flew out of the hanger towards Genomex, cloaking mid-air.
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Emma drove along deserted back-roads, out in the middle of no-where. She'd been following her telempathic senses for the past few hours, grabbing onto the faint mental trace that she had of Shalimar. She could feel the weight of her com-link ring in her pocket, a constant reminder that she was going completely against Adams' wishes. He is gonna be *so* mad with me. Well, maybe if I manage to bring Shal back with me he won't be too bad Her lip twitched up in a sarcastic grin. Yeah, right! And maybe the moon *is* made of cheese after all Feeling her link growing stronger, she slowed the car and looked around her. The horizon was clear for as far as she could see. Frowning, she focused harder, finally pinpointing it somewhere to her left. Staring out of the window, she carefully examined the horizon. Then she saw it – a small decrepit structure a short drive away. She couldn't quite make out what it was, but her senses were definitely drawing her in that direction. Turning the car, she looked for the nearest access point, and drove on.
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Adams voice came over the link once again. "Hey guys, I've got a hit off of the car Emma's in. She's quite a distance away from your current location – I'm sending the data now."
Watching the screen at his seat, Jesse saw the information loading onto the computer. "Right Adam, we've got it." Altering the course of the Double Helix, he and Brennen prepared to land the craft. "There's plenty of open space – loads of fields. Seems like a strange place for Eckhart to build a hideout, doesn't it?" Brennen looked out the window as the ground streamed past.
"Yeah, definitely not his style. Don't think it's a trap do you?"
"Let's just keep a lookout – you know what Eckhart's like. And we don't know what state Emma's gonna be in when we get there, she might not be able to help us." Arriving at the co-ordinates, they could see a silver car parked near a run-down building. "Wonder what that was used for?" Brennen mused.
"Don't ask." Jesse replied. "Chances are we won't want to know." Chuckling at his comment, Brennen engaged the landing gear, stopping close to the building. Standing up, they both moved to the exit.
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Emma paused at the doorway to the building. Closing her eyes, she scanned for any people in the vicinity. Other than the altered Shalimar, whose mind she couldn't read properly, she couldn't sense anyone nearby. Carefully pushing the door open slightly, she slid into the building. On the inside, it was one giant room, the ceiling stretching further than she could see in the dim light. The room was vast, she could barely see across to the other side, and seemed almost completely empty. Sticking to the edge of the room, she walked around, looking for any signs of life or what the room could have been used for in the past. She was halfway along the second wall when she heard it; a low moan, as if from a wounded animal. Standing still, she shivered, suddenly wishing she had brought Jesse or Brennen with her. Pull yourself together Emma! she chided, gathering her courage. Moving towards the sound, she found herself walking to the middle of the room. It was then that she saw the small figure huddled in the middle of the room. Nearing it, she sensed that it was the altered Shalimar. Warily circling the prone form, she gradually got near enough that she could see the face of her friend. Her golden hair was partially covering her face, however Emma could see one eye through the hair. Staring at it, she blinked, looking closer. The colour was changing, from the yellow feral colour to an eerie green and then back again. Crouching down to the floor, she got into position to run if the need arose, then cleared her mind and entered that of Shalimars'.
Opening her eyes, she looked around her. She was standing in the middle of a barely lit room, the darkness encompassing her. She could hear the soft sound of breathing, like a person in deep sleep. Walking through the room, she explored her environment, looking for the source of the sound.
In the near distance she could see a large object hanging from the wall. Going forwards, she had covered about half the distance before she recognised the object, or rather person, hanging from the wall. Running, she covered the distance swiftly, stopping before crashing into the wall. Standing before her friend, she gazed in horror at her condition. Speaking softly, she reached out towards her friend, laying her hand on the side of her face.
"Shalimar? Shalimar, it's Emma; wake up? Please, c'mon, you've got to wake up." Looking up, she examined the cuffs that were holding her hands together above her head. It appeared to be one large cuff, holding the two wrists together. Reaching up, she stretched up on tiptoe to get a better grip on them. "Hang on Shal; we'll have you out of them in a minute." Holding onto either side of the cuff, she gave a swift tug to pull them apart. Straining, she managed to separate them enough to get her fingers inside to get a better hold. Relaxing slightly, she prepared herself, then tore them apart. Catching Shalimar as she fell, she staggered slightly under the weight of her, awkwardly laying her on the floor. Kneeling down beside her, she gently shook her shoulder. "Shal, c'mon it's time to wake up now."
Groaning, Shalimars' eyes opened slightly. "Wha….Emma?" Confusion was replaced by fear as she realised her friend was in her mind with her. "No! No, you've got to get out now, before it gets you! Leave, now!" her voice was rasping, terrified for the safety of her friend. Struggling to get up, she rolled onto her side, coughing harshly at the sudden movement.
"Shal, calm down, this is all in your mind. There's nothing in here that can actually hurt you, it's all your imagination."
"No, no this isn't! Eckhart did something to me; put something in here with me! You have to get out before it realises, before it comes after you!" Helping her to sit up, Emma turned Shalimars' face up to hers.
"I'm not leaving here until I'm sure you're coming back with me. I know you might not like me anymore, but I can't leave you behind Shal, I can't do that." Desperation lined her voice, her eyes glistening slightly.
Shalimar frowned momentarily. "What do you mean….not like you?"
Emma looked away, unable to face Shalimar. "When we were in your room, you….you seemed to be upset with me, then you ran out. I assumed that was because of what I….did." Pausing, she shook slightly. "I honestly didn't mean to….I would never…." She stopped, unable to continue what she was saying, unable to look at Shalimar.
Shalimar meanwhile was deep in thought. Thinking back to the day they'd been in her room. Realisation dawned, and a horrified look appeared on her face. "Oh shit." She muttered. "Emma….Emma look at me." Reaching up, she gently took her face in her hand, turning it so she could see her. "Emma….please….look at me. What happened that day….it wasn't anything to do with you. I….I can't talk about it right now, but I swear it wasn't you." She smiled slightly "….or what you were doing. You have to believe me, okay?" Seeing the doubt still in her eyes, she pulled her down into a close embrace. Returning the embrace, they sat there for a few moments before Emma felt Shalimar tense.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"It's back. Emma, you have to get out of here….now. Please, don't argue with me, you have to leave me."
"No! Whatever it is, we'll face it together. Just like we always do. Shal, I told you, I'm not leaving you – I *can't* leave you." Dragging her up to her feet, she leaned her up against the wall, keeping a close watch behind her. "What is it anyway?"
Shalimar fought to stay upright against the wall. "I don't know – it's like a second person that Eckhart's put in my head. I think he dumped us out here when who – or what- ever it is failed to control me. They kept having to repeat the procedure to implant it in me." She cringed, remembering the pain she'd felt each time they'd used the machine on her. "I haven't seen it yet – it always stays in the shadows. All I ever see are these kinda green eyes, staring at me."
"D'ya mean like those eyes over there?" Emma asked, staring at a point directly in front of them.
"Yuh-huh." Shalimar shook, fear clutching at her. "Just like those."
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Dum dum duuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmm! Heh heh, oh look, a cliff hanger. How bizarre. snigger.