Author's Notes: As always, thank you for the comments, they help inspire me. Just a fair warning that the next update may be even later than usual due to upcoming surgery. Will do my best to update at one more time before then. Hope you all enjoy this bit…
An Eye for An Eye Part Five"Okay, I think I have everything we need," Brennan announced, turning away from the computer with a satisfied look on his face.
"What did you come up with?" Emma asked, coming to stand by his shoulder.
"Well, let's see, I have a fairly current picture of Mr. Thorton, courtesy of the State of New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles. I have a listing of rentals within a two mile radius of where Jesse was held, and a cross reference of which ones had space or units for rent in the last six months. I have the statewide dealers for some of the hardware and equipment we found in there, including a list of suppliers in the city itself. Plenty of clues to follow up on, I'd say. Feel up to doing some sleuthing?" he asked with a gleam in his dark eyes.
"Absolutely. But first we have to let the others know where we're going. I'll go check in with Shal, why don't you talk to Adam?" Emma suggested, leading the way to the exit from the garage back into the main living area of Sanctuary.
"Good enough. I'm going to grab a shower and change, as well. Let's say we meet at the Double Helix in a half hour?" Brennan proposed.
"I'll be there."
With a wave at the elemental, Emma strode toward their living quarters, already reaching out mentally to check on her two friends. The redhead paused outside the door to Jesse's quarters, and took a deep breath before gently knocking. Quietly she pushed to door partway open and peeked inside, already knowing that Jesse was asleep but Shalimar was awake. Seeing Shal's dark eyes peering at her from beyond the now empty bed, Emma crept to a position where she could see them both; close enough for her to speak to the feral, but not so close as to alert or upset Jesse.
"He's doing better," Emma whispered, smiling at her friend conspiratorially. "You're doing great."
"I wish I felt as confident," the blonde sighed, her hand still stroking Jesse's light hair unconsciously.
"Shal, I feel him again, and I couldn't before. I won't lie to you; he's hurt and scared - more than I've ever felt before - but there are hints of Jesse again. It's amazing you were able to reach him as quickly as you have. He loves and trusts you so much," the psionic insisted, her own eyes dimmed as she gazed at their injured friend.
"I just hope it's enough. It's so hard though, what I really want to do is get to the bastard who did this to him. Make ME feel better," Shalimar confessed.
"I suppose this isn't the best time to tell you that Brennan and I are heading out to find Thorton, is it?"
"You guys going for revenge, or just to capture him?" Shal's brown eyes glowed with anger.
"Just capture, for now. I'm thinking Jesse should have the opportunity to at least have a say in what happens to Thorton. It might be important to his recovery, to give him a sense of some sort of closure," Emma explained.
"Brennan is going along with the 'just capture' him idea?" Shalimar scoffed.
"That's why I'm going with," the psionic smirked, pleased to see Shal's spirits lift, even if only for a short time.
"Good. Because I want my chance with him as well," the feral insisted, her hand never faltering in its comforting motions. "I want him to know what it feels like to be captured, alone, scared, and tortured. I want him to scream and beg and cry. I want him to suffer ten times the pain he put Jesse through, then maybe justice could be served when I tear out his throat."
Emma had to smile at the dichotomy of her best friend's words and actions. "You're the only person I know who can make a death threat seem so comforting," she grinned.
Shalimar's return smile was subdued. "You two be careful, okay? We can't afford to lose you."
"We will." Emma gave a last, lingering look at the sleeping molecular, then slipped out the door, closing it softly behind her. Deciding Brennan had the right idea about cleaning up before they went out, Emma detoured to her own quarters for a quick shower and change before heading to the Double Helix.
~*~
While Emma had been talking with Shalimar, Brennan had made his way down to Adam's private quarters, waiting until he was outside to hail the older man. Expecting that Adam would still be resting, if not sleeping, the elemental was surprised when the door to their mentor's rooms opened less than a minute after he called. Kane was still dressed in the same clothes he'd been wearing the last time Brennan had seen him, and the older man's dark eyes were red rimmed and sunken looking. It appeared the Mutant X founder had aged a couple of decades in less than seven hours.
"What can I do for you, Brennan," the older man asked just short of brusquely.
"Just wanted to let you know Emma and I are going out for a while," Mulwray replied neutrally.
"And where do you two think you're going?"
"We're going to look for Thorton, hopefully before he has a chance to make a complete escape. I somehow don't think he's going to simply sit around and wait for us to come find him. Hell, it's probably already too late," Brennan explained.
"And if you find him?" Adam asked, ignoring the implied criticism.
"We bring him back here. Emma seems to think Jesse should have a chance to face him again, and I'll go along with that for now," the elemental said.
Adam sighed, running a hand over his mussed dark hair and frowning. "Okay, I guess that should be okay. But, Brennan, Emma is right. Bring him back here alive, for all our sakes."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," the younger man grumbled, before his expression softened to one of concern. "Are you okay, man? You don't look so good."
For a brief moment Kane debated telling the young man who'd become essentially his second-in-command what he'd spent the sleepless night watching, but ultimately he decided against it. It would not be a good idea to make Brennan any angrier than he already was, and it also felt uncomfortably close to betrayal to tell anyone about the tapes. Jesse had had almost every visage of dignity stripped from him; it wasn't in Adam to take this last bit away from the young molecular.
"I'm fine," he replied at last. "Listen, I want you two to call me when you locate Thorton, before you approach him, okay?"
"You aren't going to talk us out of this…" Brennan started, only to be stopped by Adam's raised hand.
"I realize that. I simply want to have open contact with you when you take him. Call me overcautious, but we can't afford for anyone else to become his captive. Understood?"
"Understood."
~*~
Relieved to finally be on the move and doing something more productive than waiting for Shalimar and Adam to heal Jesse, Brennan grinned at Emma as they pulled up in front of a specialty construction supply outlet. Deciding it would be easier if they could get an actual address on Thorton, they elected to try and trace the equipment used first.
Emma slipped on her glasses, having tied her red hair into a neat bun at the back of her neck, a few wisps of copper colored silk curling in feigned disarray beside her face. A simple white jacket over her blouse and pants gave a casually professional air to the young woman's 'disguise'. Brennan donned a plain tie that complemented his long sleeved button down shirt, and grabbed a briefcase from the back seat of the car. Nodding to his companion, they entered the business and looked around curiously until they were approached by a red-jacketed employee.
"Can I help you folks?" he asked.
"I hope so," Emma replied in that subtly sensual way she had when she wanted to ease information from someone. "My research mentor, Dwayne Thorton has bought a lot of equipment from this shop, and he sent me to order some more," she lied smoothly, slipping easily into a slightly haughty demeanor to throw the salesman off balance.
"Dwayne Thorton…Thorton…the name does sound familiar," the clerk, whose nametag read simply 'Eddie', mused.
"About six feet tall, big fellow, dark hair and eyes," Emma prompted. "A small scar under his left eye." Thank God the picture had been clear enough to show that detail.
"Oh, yeah, now I remember him. He bought a ton of stuff from us. He needs more?" Eddie's hazel eyes all but glowed at the potential commission.
"Yes, he needs to modify some of the equipment to specific applications. Here's a list of what he's looking for," the psionic replied, handing over a list Brennan had put together. "He would like it charged to his account."
"No problem, I'm sure," Eddie agreed readily, recognizing some high priced technology on the list.
"By the way, he wanted to make sure you weren't still using his old Mayfield Avenue address," she commented casually as they neared a service island in the large store.
"Let me look it up," the clerk said agreeably enough. "Won't take but a second." He quickly accessed their system and much to Emma and Brennan's delight Thorton's name popped up. "No, we have his address as 2384 Sycamore. Is that correct?"
"That's it," Emma smiled in reply. "Tell you what, how about you gather the order and we'll just look around?" she suggested.
"That sounds good. If you have any questions just give me a holler. I'll come and find you when the order is ready," Eddie proposed with a wide grin.
"Perfect."
And when Eddie had located all the requested items and totaled them up, he discovered his two customers were nowhere to be found.
~*~
Jesse's world had narrowed to a small oasis of memory deep within his mind; a place he could retreat to far away from the pain and despair that his waking life had become. At first he'd made the occasional forays back to the 'outside' world, only to find ever more agony and horror, necessitating a hasty retreat. Eventually he stopped wondering about the universe beyond the confines of his sanctuary; he heard only echoes and whispers from the outside, which were easily ignored. The once soothing mantra he'd kept up became little more than meaningless syllables with a significance he no longer understood, chanted by habit only.
The connection between his physical self and his spirit grew weaker with each passing hour. As his physical condition had deteriorated his dependence on his mental refuge increased, until he could scarcely remember who or what he used to be…before. That was the designation of time his fragmented mind used; 'before' and 'now'. Before was warm, soft…comfortable. Now was harsh, hateful, dark pain in endless cycles swirling around his refuge. Before was a dream, a memory sweet with joy and strength. Now was the endless, mindless plodding of time, endured without anticipation.
Before was hope. Now was misery.
Then something changed.
At first the change was so subtle, so slight, that Jess barely noticed it. The noise surrounding his haven decreased slightly. The darkness lightened marginally. There was even a time of unawareness, a sensation he vaguely recalled as sleep. Memories of a place he'd called home and a young woman he'd called friend suffused his mind, tempting him to consider attempting contact with the outside world again.
If only he could be sure it was safe, that the madman who had captured him was finally, fully gone. Unbidden, memories of his treatment at Thorton's hands invaded his mind; pain, humiliation, and fear delivered nonstop. That was what waited outside the sanctuary of his mind.
No, it was prudent to stay within, he decided. Much as he treasured the memory of the blonde woman with the warm eyes and gentle hands, it was too dangerous out 'there'.
Best to stay safely inside.
~*~
2384 Sycamore boasted a small white house trimmed with sun-faded blue, and topped with age-pocked aluminum. The entire dwelling had a distinct eastern tilt, and over half the stones in the walk leading to the front door were missing. Brennan took a look around, noting the dark blue van parked in the street in front, a light dusting of dirt from the road where he abducted Jesse still visible. The elemental's mind provided the cynical suggestion that the man had been too busy since then to bother washing his vehicle.
Emma stood motionless beside him, focusing her mind on the interior of the house, trying to get a fix on the occupant. Puzzled, she turned to her companion, a frown marring her smooth brow.
"He's inside. He knows we're here, but he doesn't care. It's almost as if he's been waiting for us to show up," she reported.
"He probably has been doing just that," Brennan replied.
"What makes you think so? Personally, I'd think he'd want to be as far away from here as possible; he must know we're not exactly here to thank him."
"I'm sure he knows that. And I'd be willing to wager that when he first came up with this plan, he did intend to bail as soon as we found Jesse. And he would have…if Jess had been his intended victim," Mulwray explained.
"I'm not sure I follow," Emma confessed, her puzzled gaze encouraging the tall man to clarify his theory.
"What did Thorton want, above all else? Revenge against Adam, right? And hurting Jesse definitely did that. But…Thorton didn't get to enjoy it - not really. He thought it would be enough, but it wasn't. He feels Adam hurt him; hurt him badly in a very personal way. That means he will only be satisfied if he can witness Adam's pain, he needs evidence of his misery, just knowing it exists will not be enough. It's not personal enough. Hence, he needs to get to Adam, and what better way than to allow himself to be captured by us?"
Emma shuddered slightly. "I don't know what's worse; that there are people that actually feel that way or that you were so easily able to come up with that theory."
"Go with your first choice," the dark haired man grinned disarmingly.
"Okay, then. Let's go see if your theory is correct, shall we?"
"Ladies first." A half bow and a broad sweep of a well-muscled arm accompanied the invitation.
In the end it was all so very anticlimactic; Dwayne Thorton was indeed expecting them, even had brewed enough tea for three, just in case his captors felt like some refreshment before they took off. Within five minutes they Double Helix was on its way back to Sanctuary, with Thorton secured to his seat by the restraints Brennan had taken much pleasure in attaching.
tbc