This is a bit of a filler chapter, no real action, its leading up to that. I'm also still attempting to work out why Ali would take Shalimar in the first place. I think I've got it but any ideas/suggestions/orders would be great too. And Ace I promise to have someone kick Shalimar's ass a little more.

Thanks for the reviews, please try to again, they are, as always appreciated. Also, just a quick request. If anyone knows when Mutant X is coming back to Sky One if they could let me know that would be great.

Have a nice day.

***

Jesse practically jumped off his chair as he heard the lab door slide open. He didn't realize he had been so tired until his eyelids had started drooping. But he had forced himself to keep on looking through all the information they had, information that he himself had been through atleast five times already just to make sure that he hadn't missed anything. But there was nothing and then his head had fallen against his chest and before he knew it he was waking up from an uncomfortable sleep where his head had been resting on the hard table.

He brushed his hand through his hair trying to make himself look slightly less 'dragged through a hedge backwards' before turning around to see who was there. Emma stood, framed in the doorway a smile on her face. It was the first genuine one he had seen in a while and he allowed the corners of his mouth to curl up. She walked into the room and wrapped her arms around Jesse, hoping to provide him with some sense of comfort. She knew he was worried and scared for Shalimar but he was gonna end up killing himself if he kept on like this.

'Found anything else?'

'No. I was just checking Shalimar's blood again.' He looked at her puzzled expression. 'I didn't expect to find anything.'

'Nothing like grabbing at straws to get rid of all the hope in a room.'

They looked at each other and then Jesse pulled Emma into a tight hug. They broke apart when Adam walked into the room. He looked flushed, excited.

'What's up Adam?' asked Emma.

'I think I might have found something.'

***

Ali looked up as the door opened. She saw the tall, dark and handsome man enter and as he closed the door behind him she took the opportunity to run her eyes up and down his body. He was incredibly sexy...she knew she had singled him out for a reason.

She remembered him when he had been in the club. He hadn't been dancing, she really couldn't see him doing that. He had been standing at the bar, a beer in one hand, watching the people on the dance floor. Two of his friends had been playing pool and the other one, the blonde one, the one to whom his gaze was directed had been dancing and flirting with pretty much every man in the club who dared approach her. It was the feral thing. They all had certain traits, the felines was the letting off of certain chemicals that floated around waiting for someone of the opposite sex to come along and be infected so to speak.

Taking advantage of the absence of his teammates Ali had approached him. She had flirted with him a little, he had brought her a couple of drinks and then when she was sure he was wasted enough she had lured him outside, using her own less than feral charms. She had seduced him and before she or he knew it they were making out in a back alley. The noise of the music from inside the club had floated outside and the vibrations the beat caused could still be felt. She had sucked the humanity out of him there and then.

Obviously the effects of the alcohol had stunted the procedure. It hadn't taken affect till the next morning and she had seen it as an unexpected setback but it looked like it had turned out to be beneficial. He had managed to get one of the new mutants from Mutant X out of their base without any trouble. Sure she had put up a fight but she had nothing on her Brennan.

He turned around and she raised her eyebrows and smiled. He smiled back but it didn't seem genuine. It was more of a smirk. She had seen him smirking at the bar but he had also smiled openly, taking no heed as to whether or not he looked like an idiot. Of course he didn't but that wasn't the point. And he had smiled most often when looking at the blonde.

She wasn't jealous. The only reason Ali wanted Brennan was because she didn't want to get her hands dirty. The fact that he was gorgeous had just made it easier. And him being a new mutant as well. He could be recycled.

***

'Have we checked speed cameras along the main road?' Adam asked the panic and urgency apparent in his voice. He looked at Jesse and Emma waiting for an answer. Jesse spun round in his chair and started typing furiously on the computers keypad. Within seconds he was tapping into the city's database and checking the local main roads for any video feed they might have simply lying around. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it sooner. He had just been so wrapped up in the fact that Shalimar was gone that he hadn't thought any of it through, he hadn't been thinking clearly.

He felt Emma's hand on his arm. Without looking up he knew she had concern in her big blue eyes. He didn't know who she was more concerned for, Shalimar, Brennan, or him.

After five minutes of hacking Jesse managed to download the video feed off of the speed cameras on the main roads near Sanctuary. He started to narrow down the field starting with a one hour long window around the time Brennan and Shalimar would have been passing.

'It might take a little while Adam,' Jesse pointed out.

'Okay,' Adam said. He had nothing better to do but wait. 'What club did you say you went to?' he asked Emma.

'Evolution. Its on Fifth and Carmichael.' Realization came to Emma. 'We didn't check the security cameras from there.'

'Exactly,' Adam replied. If they could spot someone talking to Brennan then they could find out whether it was a new mutant or just someone with a grudge. And then, depending on which this person turned out to be they could match the face with the mutant database or police records or...anything like that.

Emma could feel a wave of guilt and embarrassment that he hadn't thought of it sooner wash over her. Or maybe it wasn't Adam, maybe it was her feeling guilty, maybe it was her feeling embarrassed. She walked over to the computer on the opposite table and started hacking into the clubs computer system. Admittedly she wasn't as fast as Jesse but she got there eventually.

She fast forwarded to the time slot when the team had been there. She could remember pretty clearly where everybody had been for most of the evening. Her and Jesse had alternated between the pool table, the bar and the dance floor while Shalimar had preferred to rid herself of some of the pent up energy of the week. With Adam gone training for most of the team had gone completely out of the window but Shal couldn't really help but train. It was like she needed to make up for the fact that she didn't go out hunting like the predator atleast half of her was every night. But she still had extra energy floating around inside her muscles which would normally come out in the form of kicking someone's ass. No one on the team had volunteered for that special honour. They had all learnt their lessons from past experiences.

And Brennan had hung around at the bar for most of the night. He had been people watching...or atleast person watching. She couldn't believe that they still hadn't confronted their feelings for each other. She really wished they would get it over with sometimes. Once they got it out in the open they would stop bottling the emotions up. She didn't care if they argued through the intensity, their shouting wouldn't be nearly as loud as the mental messages they were throwing around.

But Brennan had disappeared quite late on. She hadn't been paying attention, Jesse had been kicking her ass at pool and she had been trying to win back some of her dignity and pride. She had looked over at the bar and there Brennan was not. She hadn't thought anything of it. He had probably found some beautiful girl to go hang out with, yet again denying he felt anything towards Shalimar other than friendship.

Emma squinted her eyes slightly. She was looking at a still-screen of the bar. Brennan was talking to a woman. They were both staring at the mass of bodies, sharing a drink. What with all the lights the woman's face wasn't too clear.

'Hey Jess, any chance you could isolate a section of this image and make it a little clearer. I think I've spotted Brennan's friend.'