"Emma...I-I..." Brennan started, but he had no idea what to say next. He
didn't know how she felt - whether she was just shocked or even disgusted
that he was a mutant, or as most people called it, 'a freak'.
She just looked at him, but he couldn't read her eyes. She hadn't run or
even started to move away which was a little comforting, but for all he
knew she might stay there for a few more seconds and then bolt off. He
couldn't stand there, just waiting like that, having to wait for her to
speak first, even though he knew that was what he should do. Finally, he
took a deep breath, turned around and began to walk away.
He wasn't sure why he was, but it seemed that other than standing there and
waiting painfully it was the only thing he could do. 'It'll be better for
her,' he told himself. 'She should have never got involved. This way she'll
be safer.' The thought comforted him, for reasons he didn't want to admit,
even to himself. But it was a cold sort of comfort.
Suddenly, he heard her voice call, "Brennan, wait!" But he couldn't. He
kept walking forward until he heard her call, "It's okay. I knew you were a
mutant."
At that he turned round immediately.
"What?" he asked.
"I knew you were a mutant. Well, at least I thought you were. I knew Kristin and Mary were so when you were looking for them I thought you had to be."
"How did you know about Kristin and Mary?" Brennan asked in wonder.
"I saw them using their powers one day," she told him. "I didn't want to say anything about it in case you weren't."
"Then...are you a mutant?" Brennan said.
Emma shook her head. "No."
They stood like that some more, except this time it was a different kind of silence. A noise came from behind Emma, and before Emma could turn around to see what it was, Brennan saw that the door was opening. He could only guess who it was, but something told him it was the man he had been mistaken for.
"Brennan is something wrong?" Emma asked, noticing the strange look on his face. "Brennan?" she added when he still didn't say anything and just looked straight past her.
"Hey! Who are you?" shouted the man from behind her. Emma turned round as he started to move towards them. "What are you doing here?"
Brennan leapt forward in front of Emma and threw a bolt of energy at the man, but he ducked and it missed him. Brennan was about to throw another one when he heard Emma squeal. He looked up and saw the man's eyes change a horrible blood shade of red until it turned black from the center outwards - as if his pupils had extended. He was bringing his hands up from his sides, but Brennan didn't want to wait around to see what would happen next. He grabbed Emma's arm and pulled her to the back door with him as he sent a bolt of energy to a beam on the ceiling so that it fell and stalled the man.
They ran out and as Brennan didn't stop running, Emma did her best to stay as close as she could. He finally stopped a few blocks afterwards outside a small roadside shop.
"What the hell was that?" Emma panted.
"I have no idea," Brennan replied, managing to stand up straight. Emma was having a harder time and appeared to him as if she was about to fall over, so he held her by the arms.
"Thanks. The last time I ran that fast was in junior high." Brennan didn't say anything. He just nodded. "You know, I kind of wanna go back."
"There?" Brennan asked incredulously.
"No," Emma shook her head and would have laughed if she had the energy. "To my dorm."
"Oh, yeah. I should probably take you back," he answered. He looked around to get his bearings and realized where they were. "The college is that way, isn't it?" he said and pointed back in the direction they had come.
Emma nodded. "Yup."
"Wanna go the long way?" Brennan asked.
"Oh, yeah."
*
"So Adam have you got anything yet?" Jesse asked.
"I'm still working my way through them. Christopher is incredibly clever man - he codes his information before printing it out to store in the files."
"Clever? Sounds more like paranoia to me," Shalimar commented.
"Whichever way, it is still extremely effective. He seems to have used at least three codes on only this page."
"You should see the security in that place," Jesse said. "I expected two password checkpoints, but five? You could've told me Adam."
"Would you have gone if I had? And anyway, it was four last time I checked. By the way, Shalimar, have you heard from Brennan?"
"No, he hasn't called."
"Do you want me to go and see?" Jesse asked.
"No, not yet. He might not even be there when you go and that would be a complete waste of time."
"Yeah. He might have met some hot college chick," Jesse joked.
*
As Brennan and his 'hot college chick' walked down the corridor of a dormitory he noticed something different. "Emma? This isn't where your room is, is it?"
"No," she shook her head. "This is where Mary and Kristin stayed. I thought there might be something here."
"Kristin? Adam said that she lived at home."
"She did, but a few weeks before she disappeared she moved in here with Mary."
"How come?"
"Mary and her boyfriend split and he used to stay here with her."
"So Kristin moved in with her?"
"They had been dating since she was fourteen."
"Oh."
"Here we go," Emma said when she reached the right door. The door wouldn't open when she turned the handle, but Emma expected that. "Do you think you could break it down?"
Brennan nodded and moved her out of the way before kicking it till it swung open.
They entered the room and began looking around. Emma almost tripped on Kristin's mattress, but that usually happened when she came round - she could never see it underneath all their stuff. She sat down on the side of the bed and looked at the side table but there were no new messages on the phone. However, she did notice a small slip of paper that was being weighed down by the telephone. She picked it up and read the address in her mind, but couldn't recognize it as one she knew.
"Brennan?"
"Yeah?" he turned around.
"I found this." She gave him the paper and upon inspection he said that he'd check it out. "You mean we'll check it out."
"No, Emma this is getting too dangerous for you."
"It's already gotten dangerous, Brennan."
"Well, that's why I don't want you coming. Something could happen."
"But -" she protested.
"No, Emma," he said and held her arms. He tried to think of what he could say without telling her how he felt, but while he was thinking he noticed her blue eyes staring up at him and it somehow willed him to lean down and kiss her.
She was shocked, but when she felt him she started to kiss him back, in spite of all the thousands of things her brain was screaming at her.
The kiss grew and finally Brennan realized what he was doing and jumped backwards, breaking the kiss.
They stood like that for a few moments before Emma muttered, "Maybe you should go - check that out."
"Yeah." And he ran.
"What?" he asked.
"I knew you were a mutant. Well, at least I thought you were. I knew Kristin and Mary were so when you were looking for them I thought you had to be."
"How did you know about Kristin and Mary?" Brennan asked in wonder.
"I saw them using their powers one day," she told him. "I didn't want to say anything about it in case you weren't."
"Then...are you a mutant?" Brennan said.
Emma shook her head. "No."
They stood like that some more, except this time it was a different kind of silence. A noise came from behind Emma, and before Emma could turn around to see what it was, Brennan saw that the door was opening. He could only guess who it was, but something told him it was the man he had been mistaken for.
"Brennan is something wrong?" Emma asked, noticing the strange look on his face. "Brennan?" she added when he still didn't say anything and just looked straight past her.
"Hey! Who are you?" shouted the man from behind her. Emma turned round as he started to move towards them. "What are you doing here?"
Brennan leapt forward in front of Emma and threw a bolt of energy at the man, but he ducked and it missed him. Brennan was about to throw another one when he heard Emma squeal. He looked up and saw the man's eyes change a horrible blood shade of red until it turned black from the center outwards - as if his pupils had extended. He was bringing his hands up from his sides, but Brennan didn't want to wait around to see what would happen next. He grabbed Emma's arm and pulled her to the back door with him as he sent a bolt of energy to a beam on the ceiling so that it fell and stalled the man.
They ran out and as Brennan didn't stop running, Emma did her best to stay as close as she could. He finally stopped a few blocks afterwards outside a small roadside shop.
"What the hell was that?" Emma panted.
"I have no idea," Brennan replied, managing to stand up straight. Emma was having a harder time and appeared to him as if she was about to fall over, so he held her by the arms.
"Thanks. The last time I ran that fast was in junior high." Brennan didn't say anything. He just nodded. "You know, I kind of wanna go back."
"There?" Brennan asked incredulously.
"No," Emma shook her head and would have laughed if she had the energy. "To my dorm."
"Oh, yeah. I should probably take you back," he answered. He looked around to get his bearings and realized where they were. "The college is that way, isn't it?" he said and pointed back in the direction they had come.
Emma nodded. "Yup."
"Wanna go the long way?" Brennan asked.
"Oh, yeah."
*
"So Adam have you got anything yet?" Jesse asked.
"I'm still working my way through them. Christopher is incredibly clever man - he codes his information before printing it out to store in the files."
"Clever? Sounds more like paranoia to me," Shalimar commented.
"Whichever way, it is still extremely effective. He seems to have used at least three codes on only this page."
"You should see the security in that place," Jesse said. "I expected two password checkpoints, but five? You could've told me Adam."
"Would you have gone if I had? And anyway, it was four last time I checked. By the way, Shalimar, have you heard from Brennan?"
"No, he hasn't called."
"Do you want me to go and see?" Jesse asked.
"No, not yet. He might not even be there when you go and that would be a complete waste of time."
"Yeah. He might have met some hot college chick," Jesse joked.
*
As Brennan and his 'hot college chick' walked down the corridor of a dormitory he noticed something different. "Emma? This isn't where your room is, is it?"
"No," she shook her head. "This is where Mary and Kristin stayed. I thought there might be something here."
"Kristin? Adam said that she lived at home."
"She did, but a few weeks before she disappeared she moved in here with Mary."
"How come?"
"Mary and her boyfriend split and he used to stay here with her."
"So Kristin moved in with her?"
"They had been dating since she was fourteen."
"Oh."
"Here we go," Emma said when she reached the right door. The door wouldn't open when she turned the handle, but Emma expected that. "Do you think you could break it down?"
Brennan nodded and moved her out of the way before kicking it till it swung open.
They entered the room and began looking around. Emma almost tripped on Kristin's mattress, but that usually happened when she came round - she could never see it underneath all their stuff. She sat down on the side of the bed and looked at the side table but there were no new messages on the phone. However, she did notice a small slip of paper that was being weighed down by the telephone. She picked it up and read the address in her mind, but couldn't recognize it as one she knew.
"Brennan?"
"Yeah?" he turned around.
"I found this." She gave him the paper and upon inspection he said that he'd check it out. "You mean we'll check it out."
"No, Emma this is getting too dangerous for you."
"It's already gotten dangerous, Brennan."
"Well, that's why I don't want you coming. Something could happen."
"But -" she protested.
"No, Emma," he said and held her arms. He tried to think of what he could say without telling her how he felt, but while he was thinking he noticed her blue eyes staring up at him and it somehow willed him to lean down and kiss her.
She was shocked, but when she felt him she started to kiss him back, in spite of all the thousands of things her brain was screaming at her.
The kiss grew and finally Brennan realized what he was doing and jumped backwards, breaking the kiss.
They stood like that for a few moments before Emma muttered, "Maybe you should go - check that out."
"Yeah." And he ran.