Part I

Adam breathed a sigh of relief as he drew into the garage of Sanctuary. The feral had stopped shaking not long into the journey but had remained low in the seat, obligingly staring at the floor the rest of the way to Sanctuary. Getting out of his seat he rounded the car to open the psionic's door. Reaching out to remove the psionic's optical cloak he found a hand around his wrist. Looking into his eyes the feral shook her head slowly and moved his hand. She took off the device and offered the psionic a small smile, nodding as she closed her eyes and rested back against the headrest. The feral held a hand out to Adam - palm out - a silent request to stay where he was. Adam stopped her as she reached the other side of the car, a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, curious.

"Let me carry her, you're in no fit state." He said, hoping she would understand. She made no reply, only shrugged off his hand and pushed past him. "Can you ask her please?" He asked the psionic over her head.

"She lip-reads, she knows what you said." She relied verbally, eyes still shut. "But she won't let you touch me if it isn't necessary."

"Why not?"

"She wasn't the only one to be tested on all those years ago." Adam nodded as the feral stood with the other girl in her arms once more. He was unsatisfied with the answer but he could almost visibly see the blond's strength waning and knew he would have to wait for answers.

Leading the two once more, he took them into the medilab, gesturing for the feral to lay the psionic on the bed. He moved to her side to remove the heavy coat she wore, to allow the machine better access but paused, frowning as the psionic visibly tensed. He stepped away, turning to the feral once more.

"Her jacket, it needs to be taken off." She frowned at him, not understanding. "Can you do it, so I don't touch her?" It was more a question than anything else, he wasn't sure if it was his touch, the environment or him personally that the psionic reacted to, but a smile spread over her face and she moved to his side, lifting the psionic gently from the bed so that she could slip off the jacket. The job done he moved back over to the machine. It took only seconds to set up the scan, and Adam turned back before he started. "There will be a bright light." He warned the feral, who was still watching him intently. She nodded briefly, but still jumped, started, away from the bed as the beam shot out of the machine in the ceiling. She clutched the coat close to her chest, muttering what sounded like reassurances to the psionic, though who she was reassuring was questionable.

Turning away to scan over the results; Adam nodded, satisfied. The wound was clean and would heal well. With rest the girl would be back on her feet in no time. He looked up as the computer beeped at him, it wanted a name to save the data under. Looking up he realised, startled that he had no idea what the names of these two new mutants were. He chided himself, normally he would know the names of the new mutants before he went after them, but he hadn't know who these two were and he hadn't even thought about asking their names when he had met them. Too many other things on his mind. Turning, he smiled seeing the psionic's eyes open, the two communicating silently.

"What are your names?" He asked when the feral glanced up. "I need them for the computer."

"I am Sharon. My friend is Eber." The psionic answered for the two of them.

"Eber?"

"It is the only name she knows."

"Is it the name her parents gave her?"

"If she has parents she does not know of them." Adam nodded it was the same with many new mutants.

"OK, Sharon and Eber it is then." Typing quickly, he set up two new identities in the medical files and started up a search in the database under the two names. "Lay still for a minute please." He asked as he set up the second beam to begin knitting the damaged tissue. A red beam this time descended from the machine, covering the small area over her abdomen where the wound was several times over. When it was finished Adam scanned Sharon again with a simple analytical beam. Her DNA was remarkably stable for a new mutant, although it showed signs of strangely regular stresses in the recent past. He wondered if perhaps this was due to the experiences she had mentioned. The computer estimated her age as fourteen.

"You can take the bandage off now." He told Eber as he checked off the last few pieces of information. She frowned but complied, seemingly unconvinced, but looked on in shock as the dressing came away with little resistance, the skin underneath nothing more than a little bruised. She grinned up at him, gratitude clear on her face. "You're next." He said, moving over to the side of the bed. He had to restrain himself as he found himself reaching out to put his hand on her shoulder. He hadn't realised how much the time he had spent with Shalimar had changed him, reassurance through touch had always been something she had used and it had obviously rubbed off on him. He withdrew his hand, stepping back to recover his control, unwanted tears threatening. Clearing his throat he looked up into two pairs of worried eyes. A question mark appeared in his thoughts and the imagery made him smile.

"I'm sorry." He sighed. A hand was offered, pale and with a slight shake. He looked into Sharon's blue eyes once more a question in his own eyes.

"Take it. I can explain better that way." Blue eyes spoke. He wondered absently why her mental voice had a different accent to her spoken voice as he reached out and took her hand.

~~

~~

Apologies for the late addition of names. Still have no idea where this story is going, all reviews welcome.