The Healing of the Dreams
*** Now they are free from the Dream Girl, but as Emma and Jesse heal, Adam discovers there is something more to Sheila's powers, and Emma is slowly weakening. And there is someone who wants to destroy Mutant X ***
Complete Summary: The aftermath of being ensnared in a reverie. Emma and Jesse deal with the effects of Sheila's powers on them, and together, they are healed. But something is wrong with Emma. Sheila's powers have a different effect on her. Adam and the others must find out what is before it is too late. And there's something else - a man with a dark past intent on wreaking havoc inside Mutant X.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Mutant X.
Note ---- Here I am again, Mutant X mania. This is actually a sequel to my previous fic, "Ensnared in my Reverie" and you may or may not read it first. But if you've already read it, then read this one away!
+read, enjoy, review+
Chapter 5 - The Illusions of the Mastermind
"What happened?" Shalimar asked.
Emma explained what she saw.
"Wait, someone hit Adam on the head," Brennan spoke, looking at Emma. "And you felt it?"
Emma nodded.
"That must've been when she cried out," Jesse explained. He was applying some medicine on Emma. She winced. "Sorry," he mumbled giving her an affectionate squeeze.
"But the blood on your head," Brennan began, confused.
Emma looked up at them, her eyes afraid. "It must mean that whoever's place am I in, whatever happens to that person, it also happens to me."
Shalimar frowned. "What? I don't get it. Doesn't this have something to do with mind tricks or something? Maybe someone out there is using your mind, or something," she finished lamely. She was scared for Emma. What if the person connecting with Emma would die, then she would die too?
"Do you connect with these people, or they connect with you?" Jesse asked.
Emma sighed deeply. She didn't want to feel so weak and so hopeless but she was scared of what was happening to her. She didn't have to control of it. Yet.
She looked up at Jesse's intense brown eyes, and felt herself relax. She gave him a weak smile, and said, "I don't know. So far, the only visions I've had were from you and Adam, which is pretty much understandable since you two are my friends."
"What about us?" Shalimar asked, straightening up. Shaking her head, she continued, "I meant, why don't you try me and Brennan? Try sensing us or something, and let's see if you'll have a vision from us."
Brennan wrinkled his nose. "So, she'll go in our heads or something?"
Shalimar looked at him. "If Emma can get visions from the Jesse and Adam, then she can get visions from us," she explained. Turning to Emma, she said, "Just give it a try."
Emma took a deep breath, and nodded. Then she closed her eyes, and concentrated first on Shalimar. She kept thinking about Shalimar, where she was or how she felt, but nothing happened. Emma tried Brennan next, and still nothing happened.
Her eyes opened, and she shook her head at them, feeling dejected. She felt herself growing weary, and she hung her head, staring at the floor. Jesse gave her shoulders a squeeze. "You tried," he murmured consolingly.
Emma looked up at them, her eyes afraid. "I can't control-"
And then she gasped out loud, because what she next was not the Sanctuary. She was surrounded by fire, walls and walls of fire. She kept looking around, trying for a way out, but there was none. Every which way she went, the fire closed in on her.
"Help," a weak, terrified voice spoke.
Shalimar's voice.
"Emma, what is it?" a voice called out to her from behind her mind. Then suddenly, the walls of fire were extinguished and she was once more staring at the anxious faces of her team members. She swallowed hard. She wasn't sure if what she had just seen was a vision from the past, or the future.
Emma coughed, pressing a hand tightly to her chest. She took deep gasping breaths, as though she had been suffocated.
Shalimar watched her warily. Then her eyes clouded over. "Oh my God, it was me," she whispered to herself, staring at Emma. She knew the signs, she'd been there. She cleared her throat, wringing her hands together. "It was me, wasn't it?" she asked Emma.
"You?" Brennan echoed, confused. "What do you mean, you?" Brennan asked, frowning at Shalimar.
Shalimar glanced at him before turning back to Emma. "Just right now, Emma had another one of her visions. And it was me," she explained in a sad voice. "And it was a vision of me surrounded by fire."
"Did that happen recently?" Brennan asked sharply, gripping her arm. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her because he wouldn't know what would happen if anything bad happened to her. He cared for her so much.
Shalimar shook her head. "Not in reality," she replied, her head down. She took a deep breath and looked up at him, her eyes afraid. "Just in my dreams."
Jesse furrowed his brow. "So you're picking up real things and dreams, too?"
Emma shook her head in despair. "I don't know," she choked out. "It's all just too much for me." And she began sobbing.
Jesse wrapped his arms around Emma, whispering soothing words to her. "It's okay, Em. I'll take care of you," he soothed.
"We have to find Adam," Emma mumbled pulling back, and wiping her eyes dry. She looked at the others, then back at Jesse. "He probably knows what's going on inside my head," she added.
"Let's start tracking down that license plate," Shalimar said, moving towards a computer, with Brennan looking over her shoulder.
Emma gave Jesse a teary-smile. "Thanks, Jess."
"No problem, Em," he whispered, kissing her lightly on the lips. When he pulled away, he started deeply into her eyes, and said, "You helped me too, with my nightmares. I haven't thanked you for that. I just," he paused, a smile creeping up his face. "I love you," he murmured to her, so that the others wouldn't hear.
Emma gasped. She smiled at him, and leaned forward to give him a kiss. "And I love you," she said softly, meaning every word. Jesse gave her one of his heart-stopping grins, before he captured her lips in his.
"Hey, uh, love birds," Brennan interrupted, with a pained look in his face. He shook his head, as the two broke apart.
"We found the car," Shalimar explained. "I was able to trace just outside the city. Come on. Let's go get Adam."
They all filed in the Double Helix, and headed for the outskirts of the city. Jesse and Brennan manned the controls, while Shalimar downloaded the info from the computers. Emma was staring outside the window, resisting the pain. Her head was in so much pain, that she felt like she couldn't keep it to herself much longer. She felt like her head was going to burst, but she didn't want to trouble the others with just simple headaches.
"That's it," Shalimar cried out.
As soon as the Double Helix was down, they all got out. They found themselves facing a two-story building. It looked new, yet it was empty. A car was parked out front, and there were several Harleys.
"That's the car," Emma said, pointing. She looked up the building, the sun shining against, and she shielded her eyes with her hand. "Adam's in here, all right. Somewhere," she looked at the others. "There's more to this building than meets the eye."
"Yeah," Brennan muttered as they walked forward. "Like the fact that it's standing in the middle of nowhere."
When they got inside, the whole first floor was empty.
"Spooky, huh," Jesse remarked looking around. "Like a modern ghost town."
Shalimar gasped. She pointed towards the right side. "Guys, look!"
There were two elevators lined up, side by side. The doors were closed, but the panels on both sides of the elevator were what caught their attention. The glowing numbers read 23 and 28.
"This thing has a 23rd floor?" Brennan burst out.
"It's invisible from the outside," Emma explained. "That's why this place is different. Definitely mutants around here."
Jesse looked at her. "Do you think the guy with the scar is a mutant?"
Emma shrugged. "I don't think so."
"Elevator or stairs?" Shalimar asked, as she pushed open a door that led to a stairwell.
"I don't think it's a good idea for us to separate," Emma said, rushing towards the stairwell. She turned to the others. "I know where Adam is."
They all ran up the stairs, following Emma's lead. On the 5th floor, she stopped, rushed outside to the hallway. She looked left and right, before she finally turned left, and went two doors down. She glanced back at the others. "Be careful of what you see," she warned, before pushing open the door.
When she walked inside, Shalimar followed and she reached out behind her. "What the-" she cried out. She was standing on nothing!
"Shal, over here," Emma called, reaching out for her.
"Emma, what is this?" Shalimar asked, grabbing hold of her hand, and Jesse's, who came after her.
"Mind tricks," Emma replied, leading the way. "Everyone okay?"
"Yeah," Brennan called from the back. "I think so. Do I keep the door open, or should I," he broke off. "Hey! The door's gone!"
"Just follow me," Emma said urgently. "And don't lose hold of each other."
She didn't know what she was looking for, actually. She was following her instincts, and her mind. Someone was doing all this, some illusionist. She was able to sense Adam, and she knew he was close. Just as she knew that this illusionist was also somewhere close.
"Emma! What are you doing?" Shalimar suddenly cried out, letting go of Emma's hand. "Are you trying to kill me?"
Emma turned back to Shalimar. "Shal, what are you talking about?"
"Shal, what's going on?" Jesse asked from behind her.
Shalimar pointed an accusing finger at Emma. Then she pointed at something on the wall, and she gasped. "The wall is on fire! I can't go there!" she cried out frantically.
"Shal, there's no fire," Brennan said.
"Yes, there is!" Shalimar exclaimed, fear in her voice. "Right there!"
Emma knew the only to stop this was to send Shalimar one of her psionic blasts. She reached out when Shalimar was affected. "Come on," she called to Jesse and Brennan.
A door appeared out of nowhere, right in front of her.
Emma knew Adam was inside, but she didn't know who else could be inside. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door.
"Adam!"
Adam was tied to a seat, in the middle of the room. He looked at them, and smiled. "Finally, I was wondering when you were gonna come."
"Just in time, too," a voice said from within.
Shalimar's cat eyes flashed as a burly red-haired man rushed towards her. Brennan generates electricity from his hand just as two Chinese thugs rush toward him. Jesse phases from the onslaught of another thug, a black man with the tattoo of a lion on his bare arm.
Emma rushes towards Adam, to help him. But halfway through, she suddenly stops. A burly red-haired man was rushing towards her. She turns around just as two Chinese thugs appear from the shadows. Emma takes a step back, but she hits something solid. Turning around, she finds herself face to face with a black man who towered over her.
Then, it was once more the red-haired man who was rushing towards her. Emma prepared to send him one of her psionic blasts, but she doubled over as something slammed against her side.
At the same moment, Shalimar dropped to the ground, a stinging sensation on her side. With a roar of fury, she pushed herself up. And sent a high kick towards the red-haired man, on his stomach.
Emma gasped as she a felt someone kick her on the stomach. Then, she felt a jolt of electricity run through her body. She cried out in pain as she dropped to the floor.
"Emma!" Adam called, his voice in panic.
Brennan turns around as the two Chinese guys crumple to the ground. He sees Emma lying on the floor, and rushes towards her. "Emma!" he called urgently. She groaned. He scrambled up to get Adam untied, and then went back to Emma.
"What's wrong with her?" Adam asked worriedly.
"It's her powers," Brennan answered, gathering Emma in his arms. "We'll explain later," he called over his shoulder to Adam. "Shal, Jess, come on!"
Shalimar and Jesse followed him, and they all went out the door. Brennan was surprised to see that although before, when they passed here, it was like they were standing on nothing, now, it looked like just any ordinary room.
"What on Earth?" Shalimar was asking.
"Let's go!" Brennan called as they ran down the stairs, and up the Double Helix.
*** Now they are free from the Dream Girl, but as Emma and Jesse heal, Adam discovers there is something more to Sheila's powers, and Emma is slowly weakening. And there is someone who wants to destroy Mutant X ***
Complete Summary: The aftermath of being ensnared in a reverie. Emma and Jesse deal with the effects of Sheila's powers on them, and together, they are healed. But something is wrong with Emma. Sheila's powers have a different effect on her. Adam and the others must find out what is before it is too late. And there's something else - a man with a dark past intent on wreaking havoc inside Mutant X.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Mutant X.
Note ---- Here I am again, Mutant X mania. This is actually a sequel to my previous fic, "Ensnared in my Reverie" and you may or may not read it first. But if you've already read it, then read this one away!
+read, enjoy, review+
Chapter 5 - The Illusions of the Mastermind
"What happened?" Shalimar asked.
Emma explained what she saw.
"Wait, someone hit Adam on the head," Brennan spoke, looking at Emma. "And you felt it?"
Emma nodded.
"That must've been when she cried out," Jesse explained. He was applying some medicine on Emma. She winced. "Sorry," he mumbled giving her an affectionate squeeze.
"But the blood on your head," Brennan began, confused.
Emma looked up at them, her eyes afraid. "It must mean that whoever's place am I in, whatever happens to that person, it also happens to me."
Shalimar frowned. "What? I don't get it. Doesn't this have something to do with mind tricks or something? Maybe someone out there is using your mind, or something," she finished lamely. She was scared for Emma. What if the person connecting with Emma would die, then she would die too?
"Do you connect with these people, or they connect with you?" Jesse asked.
Emma sighed deeply. She didn't want to feel so weak and so hopeless but she was scared of what was happening to her. She didn't have to control of it. Yet.
She looked up at Jesse's intense brown eyes, and felt herself relax. She gave him a weak smile, and said, "I don't know. So far, the only visions I've had were from you and Adam, which is pretty much understandable since you two are my friends."
"What about us?" Shalimar asked, straightening up. Shaking her head, she continued, "I meant, why don't you try me and Brennan? Try sensing us or something, and let's see if you'll have a vision from us."
Brennan wrinkled his nose. "So, she'll go in our heads or something?"
Shalimar looked at him. "If Emma can get visions from the Jesse and Adam, then she can get visions from us," she explained. Turning to Emma, she said, "Just give it a try."
Emma took a deep breath, and nodded. Then she closed her eyes, and concentrated first on Shalimar. She kept thinking about Shalimar, where she was or how she felt, but nothing happened. Emma tried Brennan next, and still nothing happened.
Her eyes opened, and she shook her head at them, feeling dejected. She felt herself growing weary, and she hung her head, staring at the floor. Jesse gave her shoulders a squeeze. "You tried," he murmured consolingly.
Emma looked up at them, her eyes afraid. "I can't control-"
And then she gasped out loud, because what she next was not the Sanctuary. She was surrounded by fire, walls and walls of fire. She kept looking around, trying for a way out, but there was none. Every which way she went, the fire closed in on her.
"Help," a weak, terrified voice spoke.
Shalimar's voice.
"Emma, what is it?" a voice called out to her from behind her mind. Then suddenly, the walls of fire were extinguished and she was once more staring at the anxious faces of her team members. She swallowed hard. She wasn't sure if what she had just seen was a vision from the past, or the future.
Emma coughed, pressing a hand tightly to her chest. She took deep gasping breaths, as though she had been suffocated.
Shalimar watched her warily. Then her eyes clouded over. "Oh my God, it was me," she whispered to herself, staring at Emma. She knew the signs, she'd been there. She cleared her throat, wringing her hands together. "It was me, wasn't it?" she asked Emma.
"You?" Brennan echoed, confused. "What do you mean, you?" Brennan asked, frowning at Shalimar.
Shalimar glanced at him before turning back to Emma. "Just right now, Emma had another one of her visions. And it was me," she explained in a sad voice. "And it was a vision of me surrounded by fire."
"Did that happen recently?" Brennan asked sharply, gripping her arm. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her because he wouldn't know what would happen if anything bad happened to her. He cared for her so much.
Shalimar shook her head. "Not in reality," she replied, her head down. She took a deep breath and looked up at him, her eyes afraid. "Just in my dreams."
Jesse furrowed his brow. "So you're picking up real things and dreams, too?"
Emma shook her head in despair. "I don't know," she choked out. "It's all just too much for me." And she began sobbing.
Jesse wrapped his arms around Emma, whispering soothing words to her. "It's okay, Em. I'll take care of you," he soothed.
"We have to find Adam," Emma mumbled pulling back, and wiping her eyes dry. She looked at the others, then back at Jesse. "He probably knows what's going on inside my head," she added.
"Let's start tracking down that license plate," Shalimar said, moving towards a computer, with Brennan looking over her shoulder.
Emma gave Jesse a teary-smile. "Thanks, Jess."
"No problem, Em," he whispered, kissing her lightly on the lips. When he pulled away, he started deeply into her eyes, and said, "You helped me too, with my nightmares. I haven't thanked you for that. I just," he paused, a smile creeping up his face. "I love you," he murmured to her, so that the others wouldn't hear.
Emma gasped. She smiled at him, and leaned forward to give him a kiss. "And I love you," she said softly, meaning every word. Jesse gave her one of his heart-stopping grins, before he captured her lips in his.
"Hey, uh, love birds," Brennan interrupted, with a pained look in his face. He shook his head, as the two broke apart.
"We found the car," Shalimar explained. "I was able to trace just outside the city. Come on. Let's go get Adam."
They all filed in the Double Helix, and headed for the outskirts of the city. Jesse and Brennan manned the controls, while Shalimar downloaded the info from the computers. Emma was staring outside the window, resisting the pain. Her head was in so much pain, that she felt like she couldn't keep it to herself much longer. She felt like her head was going to burst, but she didn't want to trouble the others with just simple headaches.
"That's it," Shalimar cried out.
As soon as the Double Helix was down, they all got out. They found themselves facing a two-story building. It looked new, yet it was empty. A car was parked out front, and there were several Harleys.
"That's the car," Emma said, pointing. She looked up the building, the sun shining against, and she shielded her eyes with her hand. "Adam's in here, all right. Somewhere," she looked at the others. "There's more to this building than meets the eye."
"Yeah," Brennan muttered as they walked forward. "Like the fact that it's standing in the middle of nowhere."
When they got inside, the whole first floor was empty.
"Spooky, huh," Jesse remarked looking around. "Like a modern ghost town."
Shalimar gasped. She pointed towards the right side. "Guys, look!"
There were two elevators lined up, side by side. The doors were closed, but the panels on both sides of the elevator were what caught their attention. The glowing numbers read 23 and 28.
"This thing has a 23rd floor?" Brennan burst out.
"It's invisible from the outside," Emma explained. "That's why this place is different. Definitely mutants around here."
Jesse looked at her. "Do you think the guy with the scar is a mutant?"
Emma shrugged. "I don't think so."
"Elevator or stairs?" Shalimar asked, as she pushed open a door that led to a stairwell.
"I don't think it's a good idea for us to separate," Emma said, rushing towards the stairwell. She turned to the others. "I know where Adam is."
They all ran up the stairs, following Emma's lead. On the 5th floor, she stopped, rushed outside to the hallway. She looked left and right, before she finally turned left, and went two doors down. She glanced back at the others. "Be careful of what you see," she warned, before pushing open the door.
When she walked inside, Shalimar followed and she reached out behind her. "What the-" she cried out. She was standing on nothing!
"Shal, over here," Emma called, reaching out for her.
"Emma, what is this?" Shalimar asked, grabbing hold of her hand, and Jesse's, who came after her.
"Mind tricks," Emma replied, leading the way. "Everyone okay?"
"Yeah," Brennan called from the back. "I think so. Do I keep the door open, or should I," he broke off. "Hey! The door's gone!"
"Just follow me," Emma said urgently. "And don't lose hold of each other."
She didn't know what she was looking for, actually. She was following her instincts, and her mind. Someone was doing all this, some illusionist. She was able to sense Adam, and she knew he was close. Just as she knew that this illusionist was also somewhere close.
"Emma! What are you doing?" Shalimar suddenly cried out, letting go of Emma's hand. "Are you trying to kill me?"
Emma turned back to Shalimar. "Shal, what are you talking about?"
"Shal, what's going on?" Jesse asked from behind her.
Shalimar pointed an accusing finger at Emma. Then she pointed at something on the wall, and she gasped. "The wall is on fire! I can't go there!" she cried out frantically.
"Shal, there's no fire," Brennan said.
"Yes, there is!" Shalimar exclaimed, fear in her voice. "Right there!"
Emma knew the only to stop this was to send Shalimar one of her psionic blasts. She reached out when Shalimar was affected. "Come on," she called to Jesse and Brennan.
A door appeared out of nowhere, right in front of her.
Emma knew Adam was inside, but she didn't know who else could be inside. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door.
"Adam!"
Adam was tied to a seat, in the middle of the room. He looked at them, and smiled. "Finally, I was wondering when you were gonna come."
"Just in time, too," a voice said from within.
Shalimar's cat eyes flashed as a burly red-haired man rushed towards her. Brennan generates electricity from his hand just as two Chinese thugs rush toward him. Jesse phases from the onslaught of another thug, a black man with the tattoo of a lion on his bare arm.
Emma rushes towards Adam, to help him. But halfway through, she suddenly stops. A burly red-haired man was rushing towards her. She turns around just as two Chinese thugs appear from the shadows. Emma takes a step back, but she hits something solid. Turning around, she finds herself face to face with a black man who towered over her.
Then, it was once more the red-haired man who was rushing towards her. Emma prepared to send him one of her psionic blasts, but she doubled over as something slammed against her side.
At the same moment, Shalimar dropped to the ground, a stinging sensation on her side. With a roar of fury, she pushed herself up. And sent a high kick towards the red-haired man, on his stomach.
Emma gasped as she a felt someone kick her on the stomach. Then, she felt a jolt of electricity run through her body. She cried out in pain as she dropped to the floor.
"Emma!" Adam called, his voice in panic.
Brennan turns around as the two Chinese guys crumple to the ground. He sees Emma lying on the floor, and rushes towards her. "Emma!" he called urgently. She groaned. He scrambled up to get Adam untied, and then went back to Emma.
"What's wrong with her?" Adam asked worriedly.
"It's her powers," Brennan answered, gathering Emma in his arms. "We'll explain later," he called over his shoulder to Adam. "Shal, Jess, come on!"
Shalimar and Jesse followed him, and they all went out the door. Brennan was surprised to see that although before, when they passed here, it was like they were standing on nothing, now, it looked like just any ordinary room.
"What on Earth?" Shalimar was asking.
"Let's go!" Brennan called as they ran down the stairs, and up the Double Helix.