ONCE INSIDE
Disclaimer: M-X, Don't Own them. Enjoy!
Brennen pushed his large hands into the duster pockets, watching his 'brother' lean against the damp streetlight. He seemed flooded with a release that finally wanted to come to the surface. The elemental said nothing for a while. The only option was for Jess to get it out of his system, something he couldn't seem to do until now.
"This is it, Brennen." He started "She had on this read leather coat and that flippy hairdo she wore back then. She had just ran out of this club, away from some agents trying to catch her for Eckhart. I pushed her out of the way of an SUV."
"Always did play hero."
The blonde rested his head on the cool metal, closing his eyes at the ghosts reenacting the moment. "Brennen, she was my life. And I waited too late to tell her."
"You guys had some time together, Jess." The elemental was hurting more than helping. "And you made the most of it."
"She should still be here."
"And so should Adam. They both should be here, and we shouldn't be left so,,,blinded by their loss." His mind remembered the blast, the coldness of waking up in triage and the numbness on the red head's lifeless body on the table. He could 'see' Jesse's hands on either side of her face, and the light leave his eyes. Brennen shook himself, still raging as he remembered killing Eckhart and their attempt at a 'service' for Adam and Emma. So much flooded in him. His 'father' and 'sister', the people Jesse got to know in a way that he'd never experience were gone.
"If things were done differently,,," he started.
"Don't do that!" Brennen warned stepping forward. He suddenly didn't need more truths staring him in the face.
"But if they were, they'd be here! Adam wasn't strong enough to hold her! I should have! He kept screaming for her to hold on and he knew he couldn't do it. I held Shalimar's father, a man who damn well didn't deserve to live!"
"Jess, who are we to play God? That's what was done to us!"
"IF!" He continued. " If we would have killed Eckhart, that one time, INSTEAD of fucking putting him in stasis! IF we would have been more careful about the whole thing!"
"Jess!"
"IF ADAM HADN'T FUCKED UP AND SENT JORDAN ON ANOTHER FREAKIN' SAFE HOUSE MISSION! SHE COULD HAVE SAVED HER!"
Now all Brennen could do was be quiet.
"She could have done what the doctors couldn't. " He was broken now. "She could have brought Emma back to me." The man leaned over as if hit in the stomach. "She WOULD have brought her back to me, Brennen."
"I know." The irony in it all was so tragic; so unavoidable. Jordan didn't even know Adam and Emma were dead when she returned. They were all too grief stricken and too caught up in Lexa to think. His find still saw the pretty face drain in disbelief at words that still didn't seem to fit in their mouths. The woman didn't break in front of them though. For the longest time, she was still, almost afraid to move. Numbness seemed to be the drug of choice for them then.
"She stayed with me a lot then." Jesse said, running fingers through his growing locks. "And she kept apologizing for not being there. Part of me blamed her, but that didn't last. "
"Y'know, she would have died to save any of us."
"That's why I couldn't blame her. She had no way of knowing. Shalimar didn't even tell her of Naxcon and her father. If she did, Jordan would have come straight back." The man again leaned onto the metal light. "The one person who would have ensured all of us walking away wasn't there. Ain't that some shit!"
Brennen watched as his friend began to compose. His face seemed a little less tight. "Things feel different hen they come to the surface, huh?"
"It's,,,It's just like not being able to breathe. You know it's in the air pipe and all you have to do is get it out, but it's still choking you."
Brennen placed a hand on the man's shoulder. " Yeah. And you can't function till it's gone."
"But, the place." Jesse said, holding his chest. "The place where it was still burns."
They stood there for the moment, two brothers bonded by this one thing that seemed to keep imploding on their lives. Jesse finally stood, facing the elemental. " I think I need to stop drinking."
"Don't blame it on the beer, dude." The man grinned. "Alcohol does nothing. You just had a female moment!"
Jesse cracked in laughter. "Chauvinism is good sometimes."
"Oh yeah. Lets find these mutants and go home." Brennen replied patting the man on his shoulder.
The night, or more so early morning was much cooler on the men. It sat ready to calm anything that waited to sneak up on them. And that always seemed to be around the corner.
Several minutes into walking they rounded the corner. Jesse searched the area, waiting as Brennen made sure no one followed him. The fizz of sparks pulled them back.
"What the hell is that?" Brennen asked, walking towards his teammate.
"Sounds like a sparkler." Jesse frowned. Their looks exchanged instantly. "Pyro."
"Yeah." A charge curved along the elemental's palm, whom preceded Jesse into the alley. Amongst the trashcans and shadows, a girl lay dead.
"Must be the psionic." Jesse said, checking her neck. "Doesn't look intentional though."
"Probably wasn't." Brennen stepped forward, trying to scan the darkness. Only to shield at the flash of fire exploding before his eyes. A boy, of about seventeen stood engulfed in his own abilities. Through the flames, his face begged for help.
Jesse moved beside the elemental, ready to act. "How should we do this?"
"WE can't do anything!" Brennen replied. "His mutation is out off control. We can't even tou-" A blast surged between them, just singeing the men's' coats. Brennen flew backwards as Jesse turned solid. The man covered him, as the fire flew, raging past the two. Brennen only needed one shot.
He set a current wailing into the air hitting the boy in the chest. He fell in an implosion of flames, jumping erratically before staying still. The elemental kept a current, waiting for the next move. "We got him, Jess."
"I,,,I know." He replied. "He got me, too." The darker man could see where the fire had hit. Burning the molecular heavily on his chest.
"Shit man! You didn't stay massed?" His words spilled as he caught the falling blonde.
"I couldn't hold my breath,,,"
Brennen pulled the man from the alley, eyeing the place for an outlet.
"Over,,,,there." Jesse nearly snickered, pointing to a church. "If anybody will let us in, it's God."
Brennen pulled the man along, trying not to brush the injury. His eyes searched for any entrance. "Nobody's home."
"Then let us in, man!" Jesse snapped. "I'm fucking roasting right now!"
"I don't think you should be cursing before entering a church, dude." He replied zapping the lock. "It just isn't kosher."
"Just get me in."
The elemental pushed into the empty Sanctuary, laying his teammate on one of the pews. This was somewhere he could actually say he'd never been before. "Okay, hold on, Jess."
The blonde nodded watching his teammate lift the COMM link, calling the only people he knew. His eyes slackened in a weak smile. They'd be there, no matter what.
Disclaimer: M-X, Don't Own them. Enjoy!
Brennen pushed his large hands into the duster pockets, watching his 'brother' lean against the damp streetlight. He seemed flooded with a release that finally wanted to come to the surface. The elemental said nothing for a while. The only option was for Jess to get it out of his system, something he couldn't seem to do until now.
"This is it, Brennen." He started "She had on this read leather coat and that flippy hairdo she wore back then. She had just ran out of this club, away from some agents trying to catch her for Eckhart. I pushed her out of the way of an SUV."
"Always did play hero."
The blonde rested his head on the cool metal, closing his eyes at the ghosts reenacting the moment. "Brennen, she was my life. And I waited too late to tell her."
"You guys had some time together, Jess." The elemental was hurting more than helping. "And you made the most of it."
"She should still be here."
"And so should Adam. They both should be here, and we shouldn't be left so,,,blinded by their loss." His mind remembered the blast, the coldness of waking up in triage and the numbness on the red head's lifeless body on the table. He could 'see' Jesse's hands on either side of her face, and the light leave his eyes. Brennen shook himself, still raging as he remembered killing Eckhart and their attempt at a 'service' for Adam and Emma. So much flooded in him. His 'father' and 'sister', the people Jesse got to know in a way that he'd never experience were gone.
"If things were done differently,,," he started.
"Don't do that!" Brennen warned stepping forward. He suddenly didn't need more truths staring him in the face.
"But if they were, they'd be here! Adam wasn't strong enough to hold her! I should have! He kept screaming for her to hold on and he knew he couldn't do it. I held Shalimar's father, a man who damn well didn't deserve to live!"
"Jess, who are we to play God? That's what was done to us!"
"IF!" He continued. " If we would have killed Eckhart, that one time, INSTEAD of fucking putting him in stasis! IF we would have been more careful about the whole thing!"
"Jess!"
"IF ADAM HADN'T FUCKED UP AND SENT JORDAN ON ANOTHER FREAKIN' SAFE HOUSE MISSION! SHE COULD HAVE SAVED HER!"
Now all Brennen could do was be quiet.
"She could have done what the doctors couldn't. " He was broken now. "She could have brought Emma back to me." The man leaned over as if hit in the stomach. "She WOULD have brought her back to me, Brennen."
"I know." The irony in it all was so tragic; so unavoidable. Jordan didn't even know Adam and Emma were dead when she returned. They were all too grief stricken and too caught up in Lexa to think. His find still saw the pretty face drain in disbelief at words that still didn't seem to fit in their mouths. The woman didn't break in front of them though. For the longest time, she was still, almost afraid to move. Numbness seemed to be the drug of choice for them then.
"She stayed with me a lot then." Jesse said, running fingers through his growing locks. "And she kept apologizing for not being there. Part of me blamed her, but that didn't last. "
"Y'know, she would have died to save any of us."
"That's why I couldn't blame her. She had no way of knowing. Shalimar didn't even tell her of Naxcon and her father. If she did, Jordan would have come straight back." The man again leaned onto the metal light. "The one person who would have ensured all of us walking away wasn't there. Ain't that some shit!"
Brennen watched as his friend began to compose. His face seemed a little less tight. "Things feel different hen they come to the surface, huh?"
"It's,,,It's just like not being able to breathe. You know it's in the air pipe and all you have to do is get it out, but it's still choking you."
Brennen placed a hand on the man's shoulder. " Yeah. And you can't function till it's gone."
"But, the place." Jesse said, holding his chest. "The place where it was still burns."
They stood there for the moment, two brothers bonded by this one thing that seemed to keep imploding on their lives. Jesse finally stood, facing the elemental. " I think I need to stop drinking."
"Don't blame it on the beer, dude." The man grinned. "Alcohol does nothing. You just had a female moment!"
Jesse cracked in laughter. "Chauvinism is good sometimes."
"Oh yeah. Lets find these mutants and go home." Brennen replied patting the man on his shoulder.
The night, or more so early morning was much cooler on the men. It sat ready to calm anything that waited to sneak up on them. And that always seemed to be around the corner.
Several minutes into walking they rounded the corner. Jesse searched the area, waiting as Brennen made sure no one followed him. The fizz of sparks pulled them back.
"What the hell is that?" Brennen asked, walking towards his teammate.
"Sounds like a sparkler." Jesse frowned. Their looks exchanged instantly. "Pyro."
"Yeah." A charge curved along the elemental's palm, whom preceded Jesse into the alley. Amongst the trashcans and shadows, a girl lay dead.
"Must be the psionic." Jesse said, checking her neck. "Doesn't look intentional though."
"Probably wasn't." Brennen stepped forward, trying to scan the darkness. Only to shield at the flash of fire exploding before his eyes. A boy, of about seventeen stood engulfed in his own abilities. Through the flames, his face begged for help.
Jesse moved beside the elemental, ready to act. "How should we do this?"
"WE can't do anything!" Brennen replied. "His mutation is out off control. We can't even tou-" A blast surged between them, just singeing the men's' coats. Brennen flew backwards as Jesse turned solid. The man covered him, as the fire flew, raging past the two. Brennen only needed one shot.
He set a current wailing into the air hitting the boy in the chest. He fell in an implosion of flames, jumping erratically before staying still. The elemental kept a current, waiting for the next move. "We got him, Jess."
"I,,,I know." He replied. "He got me, too." The darker man could see where the fire had hit. Burning the molecular heavily on his chest.
"Shit man! You didn't stay massed?" His words spilled as he caught the falling blonde.
"I couldn't hold my breath,,,"
Brennen pulled the man from the alley, eyeing the place for an outlet.
"Over,,,,there." Jesse nearly snickered, pointing to a church. "If anybody will let us in, it's God."
Brennen pulled the man along, trying not to brush the injury. His eyes searched for any entrance. "Nobody's home."
"Then let us in, man!" Jesse snapped. "I'm fucking roasting right now!"
"I don't think you should be cursing before entering a church, dude." He replied zapping the lock. "It just isn't kosher."
"Just get me in."
The elemental pushed into the empty Sanctuary, laying his teammate on one of the pews. This was somewhere he could actually say he'd never been before. "Okay, hold on, Jess."
The blonde nodded watching his teammate lift the COMM link, calling the only people he knew. His eyes slackened in a weak smile. They'd be there, no matter what.