Emma gets up to check on Emmanuel, but Lady cries out in her sleep. Both Adam and Emma go over to the couch. Emma puts her hand on Lady's forehead then swears under her breath.
"What's wrong?" Adam asks.
"Unless anything's changed over the last two years. She easily gets ear infections."
"Nothing's changed," Lady whines.
"C'mon," Adam says and scoops the little girl up in his arms.
Emma follows both of them into the lab. Emma looks over at Shalimar's sleeping form. Adam is keeping her over night for observation.
"Will Shalimar be okay?" Emma asks as Adam places Lady on a table.
"She sure will. I had to fight with her to keep her overnight."
Emma smiles an understanding smile. Adam finishes getting his equipment and putting on his latex gloves. Lady sits straight up. Adam holds Lady's right ear as he gently places the equipment in her left. He changes the covering and looks into her right. Adam looks at Lady.
"Well?" Lady asks, holding out her hands like she's weighing something.
"Well, your much better at getting your ears checked out then your aunt," Adam says.
Emma is very squeamish when it comes to things being put in her ears. Adam remembers times he's practically had to restrain her to look at her ears. The only time she willingly put something in her ears was headphones when she entered into Henry's mind after he had put the other three team members in a dreamscape. Even then Adam kissed her on the head as his way of saying good job.
Lady giggles. "I had to hold her hand one time at the doctors office," she tells them.
"Me too," Shalimar says tiredly.
Adam fills one of the inoculators as Emma confesses it's true.
"Will it hurt?" Lady asks, eyeing the inoculator.
"You've been through it once before," Adam reminds her.
"I was asleep," she counters, "will it hurt?" she asks again.
"Tremendously," Adam purposefully lies and injects her.
Emma has a confused look on her face.
"Oh wait I get it," Lady says, not hiding the grogginess in her voice, "you told me it would hurt bad, because I would think your lying. Instead of telling me it wouldn't hurt and think your lying about that instead," Lady's words were becoming slurred as the medicine makes it's way through her system.
"Did it hurt?" Adam asks
"It pinched," Lady says.
Adam and Emma guide her down as the drug begins to take its full effect.
"Is she all right?" Emma asks.
"Yes, it's just an ear infection. She's not allowed to operate heavy machinery for the next week," Adam says with a smile.
"I'll be sure to tell her father," Emma says, and then regrets it when she sees Lady stir.
Emma realizes she had no intention of passing the joke on to Emmanuel.
"Emma, I'd like your permission to run a few tests on her. To see how her powers work. Maybe find a way to help her a little bit."
Emma stares off for a second. She knows full well none of Adam's scans hurt. Just a couple of them feel a bit uncomfortable.
"Yes," Emma says, "just none that will wake her up."
"That's fine," Adam agrees.
A few minutes later the tests are done and Lady is still sleeping. Emma looks at Adam questioningly.
"Let's take her to her bedroom and I'll tell you all about it," Adam tells Emma.
"Why does she get to go back to her room and I don't?" Shal asks.
"Because she doesn't have a concussion," Adam says like he's talking to a five year old.
Shalimar groans a little.
"Get some sleep," Adam tells her, "you'll feel a lot better tomorrow."
Emma puts Lady in her bed and meets Adam in the living room.
"What did the tests say?" Emma asks.
"She's more like her aunt then you'd think."
"What do you mean?"
"Lady's a telempath, like you. She can't read people's thoughts, but she can read people so deeply she can tell when they're lying even unconsciously. When someone lies to her and she senses it. It sends a small vibration to her left ear," Adam pauses for a minute searching for his next words.
"There's a 'but' coming isn't there?" she asks.
"But," Adam continues, "as you noticed even when we try to stop lying for Lady's sake we still ended up lying a few times. The constant vibrations to Lady's ear are what is causing so many ear infections." Adam looks at his hands for a second then looks at Emma. Emma knows bad news is coming. "The ear infections and the vibration is making Lady lose more and more of her hearing in her left ear. Emma, she has about a year left before she completely loses her hearing in her left ear."
"Then she wont be able to tell if people are lying?" Emma inquires.
Adam shakes his head sadly. "It only means the vibrations will be sent to her right ear. Which she'll have about another six or seven years on."
"She'll be completely deaf by the time she's 12," Emma analyzes quietly. "Is there anything you can do?" she then asks.
"No, I'm sorry," he tells her. Adam puts his hands on Emma's shoulders. "You should tell her father," he says and leaves to the lab.
Emma slowly walks to Emmanuel's room. She rests her head on the door listening for movement. When she hears it she knocks softly.
"Come in," Emmanuel says.
Emma enters his room hesitantly. Emmanuel stands up as soon as he realizes it's her.
"Are you all right?" he asks, noticing the pained look on her face.
Emma shakes her head no and sits on his bed. Emmanuel sits down beside her.
"Lady has an ear infection."
"That's not what's upsetting you is it?" Emmanuel asks.
"No, Adam has the technology to check out the stability of new mutants. Her power that causes her left ear to tickle will eventually cause her to go deaf. She's already lost a lot of her hearing in her left ear."
Emmanuel gets up and paces angrily. "Will she still be able to tell if people are lying?" he asks, the anger in his voice undisguised
"Is that your fear? That she'll still catch you in lies?"
"No," he snaps at her. "I can't take her to any public places without her having to plug her ears. I can't read her stories or take her to plays. It's as hard on her as it is on me," all his frustrations come out in his voice.
"She probably wont be able to tell," Emma states, "her powers will be more like mine. She'll be able to feel people."
"Will her powers mutate more?"
"Powers usually mutate," she says showing the pink from her forehead.
"She'll might be able to send images," he thinks out loud, "she could make people think they're on fire."
That one was bellow the belt. Emma remembers how she killed her mom. She knows she didn't do it intentionally. She just had no control over her power. Emma gets up and runs out of the room she doesn't get far before her brother catches her. He leans his weight on her and Emma falls to her knees. Emma begins to sob. Emmanuel sits down and holds her.
"I'm sorry," he says over and over again. "That was an awful thing for me to say."
"Is everything all right?" Adam asks, bearing a concerned look on his face.
"I'm sorry," Emmanuel, says, "It's all my fault."
"Okay," Adam says calmly, "come on sweetie," he says pulling Emma up by the waist.
Emmanuel sits there and watches until Adam takes his wrist and pulls him along.
They all head for the kitchen. When they get there Emma sits on the counter with her head hanging down. Adam takes a paper towel and wets it. He cleans off Emma's face with it.
"Why don't you get her a glass of water," Adam says to Emmanuel, only briefly taking his eyes off Emma.
Emmanuel gets a glass from the cabinet and turns on the sink. Watching the water flow he can't resist, but use his power. Emmanuel has the power to manipulate water. He spreads the water into little droplets. Then makes it go back together and starts making the water do loop-de-loops. He makes them do about four and then starts putting the water in the glass. He is so absorbed in his work he doesn't realize he has an audience.
Adam and Emma stare at him. Emma has her lips quirked just a little. Adam is just enjoying the show. It doesn't take long for Emmanuel to know he's being watched. As soon as he sees them he lets the water flow naturally, mumbles an apology and then gives Emma a glass of water. Adam smiles a little bit then asks Emma if she's all right. Emma nods her head.
"Okay then. I'm going to get some work done in the lab and then get some sleep."
"I only believe the first part," Emma says to him. It's a known fact in Sanctuary that Adam sleeps about as much as Emma.
Adam chuckles softly and pats her knee. He turns around to leave, but gives Emmanuel a small push for causing the trouble in the first place.
After Adam leaves Emmanuel turns to his sister and says, "he's really protective of you isn't he?"
"He's protective of all of us," Emma tells him.
"Is that why you want to stay with him instead of go with me?" Emmanuel asks.
"Emmanuel, I already said I belong here. There my family."
"What about the de Lauros?" he questions.
"I stopped talking to them when I was eighteen. Look," Emma says after sensing where her brother was going, "Lady is your daughter. You've fought tooth and nail to keep her. You worked hard to get your green card and even became wanted in two countries. You don't need me."
"I know I'm perfectly capable of taking care of Lady. I just don't want to lose contact with you forever."
"Not forever. I can't work here all my life. If I ever get injured or go into retirement, I'll go into hiding as well. And if anything horrible were to happen I still carry the cell phone you pay for around."
"Promise you'll find us one day?" he asks.
"Promise," Emma says and jumps off the counter.
Emma gives her brother a hug. They both make their way to the living room as they prepare to catch up on the last few years in only what little time they have.
***** Day of showdown *****
Shalimar and Adam are the first ones up. Emma and her brother are still in the living room talking. They had been speaking the whole night in French in case anyone wanted to eves drop. After everybody begins to wake up Emma is having a hard time crossing back over to English. She starts speaking half of her sentence in English, but will finish it in French. After Jesse is up they enlist his help. Neither Emma nor Emmanuel ever taught Lady the French language. They like to use it to have private conversations with each other.
After everyone is up and Emma can speak in complete sentences. Adam gets them all together and shows them the plan on how they are going to out smart General McMahon.
Shalimar gulps when Adam finishes. The plan is so precise and accurate that if one thing goes wrong it could mean losing everything. Not to mention the toll it'll take on Emma.
When Shal, Adam, Brennan, Private Davenport and Lady arrive on the roof of a corporate building, General McMahon and his two men are already waiting for them. Brennan is holding Private Davenport's arm as Davenport holds his daughter close. Davenport moves hesitantly as Brennan tugs him along.
"I really didn't want it to come to this," Adam informs Davenport.
"I can take it from here Mr. Kane," General McMahon says.
Sergeant Tillery and his partner keep their hands on their weapons as they approach Davenport. Both simultaneously draw them out when they hear the crash of the door being opened. Jesse comes running in. Both men point their guns at him. He raises his hands like surrender and moves slowly.
"She's coming," he warns everyone.
"Who?" McMahon demands not wanting any surprises.
"Emilia, she found out what is going on. I beat her here to warn you, but she was hot on my tail."
McMahon studies Lady's face any twitch of an eye or movement toward her ear will indicate when someone is lying. Right now however, she is just clinging to her dad not letting her head off his shoulder.
"I told you to watch her," Adam yells, breaking McMahon out of his thoughts.
"I did. I watched her figure it out and then I watched her storm out," Jesse states.
As if on cue the roof door flies open. Emma comes barging in and tackles Adam.
"You told me you were bringing him to safety," she shouts over his grounded body. "I knew I should have had Lady in the room with me. I should never have trusted you." Emma makes her way over to McMahon.
McMahon stays focused on Lady. He finds it simply amazing how nobody has lied yet.
"So you must be the sister, Emilia. Private Davenport has told me a lot about you."
"I wont let you take them," she says producing a gun from her jeans.
She starts to point the gun at McMahon, but Sergeant Tillery points his at her. Before he gets a chance to fire Davenport shields his sister, but forgets he's holding his daughter. The bullet penetrates through father and daughter before Emma can do anything.
"Noooo," she screams hysterically as Davenport and Lady drop to the floor.
Brennan electrocutes Tillery and runs where Emma is kneeling. Everyone makes a semi-circle around her. McMahon runs up, he too kneels down by them, but only to confirm they're dead. An angry look crosses his face as he realizes they are.
"Take the rest of them out!" he orders his other Sergeant.
The Sergeant's brown eyes glow a feral green. Shal's eyes flash a feral gold. Jesse masses his body and tackles him. After he is down Brennan throws electricity at him. Both of McMahon's Sergeants are down. Jesse, Brennan and Shalimar all stand in attack pose. McMahon angrily shakes his head and runs out.
"Oh God that hurts," Emma says releasing the mental projection she has on everybody.
"Tell me about it," Emmanuel says wiping the fake blood off his back and chest.
"Are you guys all right?" A man with a southern accent asks.
The man is named Jason Biggs. He is one of the Privates that helped Emmanuel escape from Iraq. They called him over to have him stand in for Tillery. The team didn't want just anybody firing the gun. Emma projected the images into everybody's head to make them think he was Sergeant Tillery. Emma also had to simultaneously project not feeling a pulse on either of the bodies and Tillery getting electrocuted. When Emma was able to release the images she practically fell over. Emmanuel is now holding her steady.
"What?" Lady asks taking off the audio-blocker Adam made for her. Adam wanted to make sure not to hurt Lady's ears during their whole skit, which was just one big lie. He also had a feeling McMahon would watch her for any signs of a lie.
"Hey, ya'll. I hate to rain on your parade, but the real Sergeant Tillery is still in the jeep."
The Mutant X team gasps. While McMahon and his two sergeants were coming up the stairs. Emma knocked out the real Tillery with a psionic blast and replaced him with Jason. Jesse put the real Tillery back in the jeep. Jason was supposed to follow McMahon halfway down the stairs to keep up with the illusion, but Emma forgot to project Tillery regaining consciousness.
"I'll take care of it," Jesse says.
Jesse phases himself and lets himself drop the thirty stories down. When he reaches the bottom he phases the jeep and takes out the real Tillery. Jesse waits holding the unconscious Tillery, until he hears McMahon exit. As quick as he can Jesse phases an opening in the building and gets both of them inside before McMahon can turn around. Jesse cautiously watches McMahon through a one-way window. McMahon stays in his jeep and doesn't leave. Jesse quickly runs up to meet everyone on the roof. Emmanuel is standing up carrying his twin sister. Who at the moment is too worn out to actually stand, let alone walk. Adam is holding Lady.
"He's waiting for us to leave," Jesse tells them. "I think he wants to make sure we're not trying to pull a fast one."
Adam deeply sighs and shrugs his shoulders. "All right," he says. He puts Lady down and takes off his leather jacket. "We should have some respect for the dead," he tells Lady, dropping the jacket over her face. Adam picks her up and cradles her. Lady takes the hint and goes limp.
"I like the smell of your cologne," she says to Adam, her words a bit muffled by the jacket.
Brennan takes off his jacket and gives it to Shalimar. He goes over to Emmanuel and takes Emma from him. Not a move Emmanuel is too happy about. And becomes increasingly more unhappy when he finds out it's Shalimar who will be carrying him out of there.
"This is so humiliating," he groans as Shal puts Brennan's jacket over his face.
"Don't worry I've done this to you once before. Plus, It could be worse," she tells him, lifting him up.
"Oh yeah. How so?"
"You could actually be dead."
Emmanuel laughs sarcastically, knowing his daughter is out of earshot.
Brennan follows behind with Emma last. "Try to look distraught," he tells her.
Emma already has one hand behind Brennan's neck she puts the other one over his shoulder and hides her face in his chest.
Just like Jesse warned. When the Mutant X team gets outside. McMahon is hiding in some dark corner with his jeep, making sure he isn't being played. The team staggers by like they don't know he's watching. All of them wear fake grief stricken faces. When they make it into the cloaked helix everybody is relieved. Emmanuel eagerly claims back Emma in his arms. He takes her over to the back part of the Double Helix and lays her across his lap on the floor. Emma is too tired to even attempt opening her eyes. Adam comes over and quickly checks her vitals.
"Will she be okay?" Emmanuel asks.
"She's just exhausted right now. Besides a nice migraine that is already forming, she should be up in a couple hours." Adam leaves the two of them alone.
Emma whimpers and shifts uncomfortably in Emmanuel's lap. Shalimar gets up and heads over to the nervous looking brother. Shal gives him a reassuring smile and kneels down beside the two.
"Here," Shal says in a whisper. Shalimar props Emma up so that her head is resting on her brother's chest. Emmanuel holds his sister with one hand while Shalimar guides his other hand to a place on Emma's head.
"Put pressure there," she continues to whisper. Lastly Shal takes off her coat and puts it over Emma's eyes. "As long as there is dark, quiet and comfort she'll be alright. Adam can give her some medicine before it reaches its climax.
"You've been through this before?" Emmanuel whispers.
"She's pro when it comes to pushing herself to her limits." Shalimar smiles. "But we make sure she doesn't take first place."
Emmanuel watches Shalimar walk off. He tilts his head and sees Lady on Jesse's lap as Jesse shows her how to fly the Double Helix. Brennan is on the co-pilot's seat also educating the little girl. Shalimar sits down across from Adam, who glances over to check on Emma. He looks back at Shalimar and they start a quiet conversation. Emmanuel rests his head on top of Emma's. Emmanuel knows he is leaving his beloved twin sister in good hands.
A/N: Epilogue will be posted soon. Reviews are greatly appreciated. J
