The Serum

Part 2

Adam looked over the results and sighed.

"Well, that's final. You're no longer feral. The process has been completely successful." Shalimar stretched and slipped off the bed.

"Why do I ache so much?" She moaned as her muscles complained at the movement.

"Your whole genetic structure was altered. Every single cell in your body has been affected, but mostly you will feel the effects in the places where your feral genetics were dominant. Your muscles, for example, and your eyes. I can see you've had some irritation."

"Yeah, but they're fine now. I just ache."

"Well." He turned back to the read out. "What can I tell you. You haven't physically lost any muscle tissue, but it has been changed quite a bit. It will be less dynamic and not as strong so you won't be able to use it in such an extreme manner. You're still going to be as strong as any other person with just as much muscle. You will have lost quite a bit of balance as well. Jumping off high buildings is inadvisable, as is trying to leap through the air as you once could. That's likely to just get you hurt until you re-learn exactly how much force you need to put into those kind of jumps and exercises. I would work yourself back up until you find the things you can and can't do, OK?"

"OK, Adam." She answered quietly, knowing that he needed this, needed these scientific reassurances. Knowing that he knew what she was about to do. "I'll keep myself safe." The unspoken words were enough to make him flinch. She was leaving. She was leaving them. After all this time she wasn't one of them any more. She wasn't a child of Genomex. She wasn't his and he had no claim over her life.

"I want you to take the ring. I'll adjust it for you." She nodded, realising only as he said it that the pattern had indeed faded from the silver ring that she had replaced on her finger just that day as she set out to see them. For the last time. He handed it over, watching him roll it over in his fingers. "If you get into any trouble and want you to call us. Even if you just want one of us to come over to talk to, OK?" She bit back tears as she nodded again. "Once you're gone I'm going to have to lock you out of the security systems."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." They sat in silence for a while longer, each lost in their own thoughts. "Is Eliza still around?" Shalimar asked eventually.

"I wondered if you would ask. I got her ready for you. She quit her job yesterday, she's ready for you to take on."

"You know it seems kind of weird that a computer has been choosing the direction of my cover's life over the last couple of years. What if I don't like her?"

"She was programmed to make decisions as you would, I made sure you were as similar as I could make you. She is you Shalimar, you've just not been living that life until now."

"Does she still have that apartment, the one on the lakeside?"

"The one that was too small to be a safehouse? Yes, you chose that, Shalimar, I wasn't about to let her sell it."

"I never expected to live in it." She said, suddenly somber. "I never expected to have to use Eliza at all."

"Stay for dinner. Say goodbye properly."

"Adam, please don't make me do this in front of them."

"Shalimar, you can't leave without telling them, they're your team. At the very least do it for Jesse. We're all but family." Shalimar forced herself not to turn as she heard someone come in. She knew who it was, but she didn't want to have to face him yet.

"Shalimar!" Jesse called, recognising the feral immediately. She screwed her eyes up, breathing deeply. Fixing a smile on her face she turned.

"Jesse, hey. How are you?"

"Are you coming back? We missed you, where've you been? You're coming back, right?" The look of quiet consternation on the young man's face almost made her flinch.

"Oh Jesse." She pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm staying for dinner, OK? I'll explain everything then."

"A long time ago, or so it seems now, Adam set up the Eliza program as a prototype. It would take all of my characteristics and build a life for me, running in real time. She would have jobs, a house, bank accounts, insurance, all of these kinds of things. That way if anything drastic happened and we had to split up Mutant X and go into hiding I would have a viable history and would be able to get a job, things like that. When Jesse arrived, Andrew was set up. I'm sure Adam's already starting ones for you two now that you've joined Mutant X."

"ChloƩ and Dean, they're already done." Adam provided.

"That's why you asked us our favourite names?" Emma exclaimed.

"Anyway, I'm going to be leaving Mutant X, so I'll be falling back on Eliza."

"You're leaving?" Emma asked sadly.

"I have to Emma. I took the serum. I'm not new mutant any more."

"But you could stay." Jesse argued. "You don't have to fight with us, you can help Adam, or help out in the safe-houses."

"Jesse, I'm sorry, but I can't. I need to start fresh. You know where the apartment is, I'll only be there. We're going to live there while Eckheart is after Richard, they have his house staked out, and it won't be long until they find out about Donna. Then her apartment won't be safe either."

"What happened to Donna?" Emma asked.

"She got drugged up that night. Something she took reacted with the serum. She missed a couple of appointments, and that killed her. Once you've started taking the serum you can't stop until you're finished."

"The heat will come off Richard once he's been gone for a while." Adam reassured her. "I have a feeling that with the addition of Brennan and Emma, Mutant X will be more of a threat to him than ever. But think what could happen if Eckheart got control of Richard. At the moment he is the only one with the knowledge of how to create the serum. He's agreed to destroy all existing stock and research once everyone who's currently taking it is finished, but we need to make sure they're safe. Everyone has to understand, Shalimar has to die for us tonight. Eliza is going to walk out of that door and Shalimar will never be seen again. I'm going to write her death certificate, it's that serious, understood. We can't acknowledge her existence or we put her in danger."