Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or X-Men, titles or characters. Evie is my
character.
I must thank everyone for all your encouraging reviews. I enjoy reading so many of the stories posted. Your talents and love of the characters inspire me. I am pleased to read that you think what I am writing is touching. I enjoy exploring emotions, though I have not ventured to the darker ones yet. I hope as the story continues it doesn't disappoint. Thank you for reading. ~Redhead2~
Chapter 5 - Goodbye
In her room, Evie began to dream again. ~~ "Evie, I need you." Evie looked around, having heard the sound of Adam's voice.
"Adam, where are you?"
"Here I am." He appeared behind her. She spun around and tried to put her arms around him. Like in the other dream she stumbled through him.
"Adam, please tell me where you are."
"Evie, come to me." Adam's voice was getting weaker as his image began to fade. "Come to me. I need you."
"Adam, no. Don't go. Don't leave me. Tell me how to find you." ~~ Evie's pleas were fruitless as he disappeared and she woke with a start.
Tears filled her eyes as she again looked to Adam's side of the bed and had to admit that he was still missing. Suddenly she felt as if she wasn't alone. Unafraid but wondering she called out, "Who's there?"
~~Evie, my dear, are you all right?~~
~~Charles, I dreamt of Adam again. He's alive, Charles and he's calling me. This time he said he needed me.~~
~~Yes, Evie. Try to relax and go back to sleep now. We will find him.~~
~~Thank you, Charles.~~
In the morning everyone gathered early for breakfast. Kitty walked into the kitchen ahead of a now showered and shaven Jesse. "I smell Ororo's pancakes." Kitty moved out of the doorway as everyone stopped talking when they heard his voice. Evie and Shalimar together went to him and he wrapped one arm around each of them and nodded to Brennan across the room, silently letting them know that he was ok. "They smell as good as I remember." Jesse walked over to an empty seat at the table.
"Welcome back, Jesse."
"Thank you, Professor. I owe it all to Kitty." Jesse smiled as he saw the young woman at his side blush.
"We will have a busy day, today."
"I know." His voice weakened momentarily. Then he turned to Evie. "Any leads on Adam?"
She could only look away, so Brennan spoke up. "Not yet. We were hoping you could think of something we missed."
"I'll try," he said as he turned back to the breakfast Ororo had placed in front of him.
"Charles, why am I having dreams like this? Why am I feeling like this? It's more than grief. I know it is."
"I'm not sure, my dear. When I read you during our first communication, I did sense your feelings of it being more real than dream. Have you slept since then and not had any dreams?"
"No, actually. I haven't been sleeping very well, anyway."
"Perhaps it could just be all the stress. With not sleeping one's mind could play many tricks on them, both during the day and at night." Ororo voice was compassionate.
"But it seemed so real." Evie's confusion was obvious. She desperately needed to hold on to the idea that her husband was still alive, yet the scientist in her knew this didn't sound logical.
Charles could sense the deep conflict within her. There was also something else. "Evie, with your permission, I would like to monitor you as you sleep tonight. If you begin to dream again I can enter it with you and perhaps determine from there what exactly you are dealing with."
"I'll try anything, if you think it'll help."
"Very well. This morning though, we have other matters to attend to. At 1 pm we will all go outside to pay our respects to one we all loved dearly." He paused and glanced at Jesse, as did everyone else.
He could feel their eyes and hearts on him. He could also feel Kitty move her hand and place it delicately on his shoulder. Mustering all the strength he could, Jesse tried to smile and looked at her then turned to the professor. "Thank you for handling---everything." He pushed his chair back and stood. "I---um---I'll meet you all there. Excuse me." He quickly headed back upstairs.
Kitty stood to follow but Ororo took her hand. "Let him have some time alone, Kitty. You can go back to him in a while. He needs to be able to say his own good bye."
After finishing breakfast both teams were gathered around the center computer stations. "I would like Brennan, Shalimar, Wolverine, Storm, Rogue and Shadowcat to go back to the place where Evie found Adam's ring." The Professor watched as Evie reached for the chain around her neck, which now was a permanent accessory. "See if you can find any leads at all. Even the smallest clue can give us a lead. Gambit will stay here and search on the computers. Evie and I will coordinate from here as well. We will all meet back here for lunch to discuss our progress. Good luck to all of you."
The search party started by flying the Blackbird over the sight where NAXCON once stood. Now the entire place was corded off with police tape and construction fencing on the landside to keep the curious away from danger. Logan scanned the area and found nothing more than the information they already had. From the air they could see that the force of the explosion scattered the area in all directions with some wreckage. The strongest forces, though, shot most of the debris in one direction, which caused a trail leading to the vicinity where they found the ring.
"Adam must have gotten caught in the brunt of the explosion." Logan whispered to Ororo in the cockpit. Glancing back he could see by their faces that he was not the only one who came to that conclusion. After the Blackbird landed everyone spread out in search of---whatever. After an hour of searching in ever widening circles they were yet coming up empty. The ocean spread out to one side and a cliff face rose to oppose it. The beach was searched well past where the debris stopped. Dreading the thought of the ocean claiming their friend, everyone turned their attention to the rocks.
Turning to Shalimar, Wolverine spoke. "Do you smell it?"
She immediately let her eyes glow and turned to a certain area of rock. "Yeah, I got it." Her feral eyesight focused in on the spot.
As everyone gathered around her, Brennan asked, "What is it?
"Blood," Wolverine answered.
Kitty pulled out the pack that she carried and took a sample. "When we get back we can run the DNA."
Wolverine had been searching. "There's more here. We better sample all we can find."
After inspecting the rock face they ended up finding three areas of blood but no other evidence of a body.
"The surf doesn't come up this far," Rogue noticed.
"I will be back," Storm informed them as they saw her eyes turn white and her majestic figure rise into the air as she called the winds to aid her. Everyone watched as she flew in one direction and then the other. Coming to land gently on the ground next to Wolverine, she reported, "There is no sign that anyone wandered away from this sight. Around the bend is another cliff that juts out far into the water. There would be no way an injured person could swim around it."
"Ah think we should get back and get these samples run before we have a chance to jump to conclusions," Rogue encouraged.
Back at Sanctuary Kitty ran the blood samples she had taken to identify the DNA. Evie sat in a chair next to Charles as she awaited the results. After a few minutes the computer signaled the answers. Evie almost subconsciously moved her hand to Charles' arm. He comfortingly covered hers with his as Kitty began to read the results.
"One sample matches Adam's DNA," she said as softly as she could.
Evie closed her eyes and slumped in the chair.
Shalimar put her hands on her shoulders for support. "But there wasn't that much blood there. The injury couldn't have been too bad."
"I concur," Charles gently squeezed her hand. Turning to Kitty he continued. "What of the other samples, Kitty?"
One matches the Genomex files belonging to Mason Eckhart and the other matches a guy from the NAXCON download, a Styles.
"Eckhart didn't make it out, after all." Brennan sounded almost pleased.
"Professor, three bodies couldn't be that well hidden."
"You're right, Logan. Gambit, see if you can pull up the satellite imagining for that area for the last three days. Perhaps that will show us something."
"Gambit, have your answer in just a few minutes, mon professor."
"Thank you. Meanwhile, I believe Ororo has lunch ready. We will await your response, there."
As everyone ate, Kitty took lunch for two to Jesse's room. In a matter of moments she was rushing back into the kitchen with the tray. "Guys, Jesse's gone."
Shalimar and Evie both looked to Brennan with new worry in their eyes. He lifted his hand and was about to activate his ring when Shalimar put a hand to his uplifted arm. "Let me." She activated her comlink so all could hear and began softly. "Hey, Jess, are you ok?" She waited. Nothing. "Jesse, please answer." Again she waited. She saw Brennan stand and as he was about to leave the kitchen to track him on the computer a voice finally responded.
"I'm ok, Shal. I just had to get out and I wanted to pick something up."
"Ok, we got worried when Kitty found your room empty."
"I'm on my way back now. I'll be home soon."
Brennan and Evie seemed to relax almost immediately when they heard his voice as did someone else in the group.
Gambit entered the kitchen soon after. "Gambit got sometin' interestin'. It seems Monseuir Adam was given a ride." His statement was met with confusion and many questions. He led everyone back to the computer station where he displayed the image he retrieved which he explained was taken about 45 minutes after the explosion.
"That's a helicopter signature," Brennan stated.
"Can you get any more images? Maybe we can follow its path." Shalimar asked.
A series of images began playing, covering the time the chopper landed and took off. "De trouble is dat the chopper must have had a cloak." Gambit said as he pointed to the image. "You see, it disappears, right dere, over de ocean."
"Could Eckhart have found him and called for a pick up?" Evie's mind began to race.
"But from the blood we found, he would have been hurt, too," Logan offered. "If he was thrown as far as Adam was, then most likely he was unconscious."
Just as they were discussing the possible scenarios, Jesse came in from the garage carrying something wrapped in brown paper. He walked up to the group. "Did you find something?" His voice was weak but concerned.
"We think a chopper picked him up, but it evidently had a cloak." Brennan filled him in as he tapped a hand on Jesse's back. "Any ideas of who it might have been?"
"None," Jesse replied. "I didn't get a chance to fully examine the download we pulled from the computer at NAXCON, before we had to go back in to find you and Shalimar."
"Then that's where we'll start, this afternoon. But first, we all need to get ready and take care of some other most important business." The professor saw everyone nod and silently disperse to prepare for the service for Emma.
Kitty never moved when she saw Jesse come in. She watched him intently but it was almost as if he was intentionally trying to not make eye contact with her. Now, even as he passed her to go to his room he still didn't even seem to notice her.
Evie sensed her concern and she moved to put a caring arm around the young girl. "Don't worry, Kitty. He'll be all right." Then added, "You didn't do anything wrong. Just give him some time."
Charles just watched, eyebrow raised in wonder as the two women went up the stairs.
At the appropriate time everyone gathered at the exit. Kitty went and knocked softly on Jesse's door. There was no answer. She went in and began to worry when she couldn't find him again. "He's not in his room," She told the others as she rejoined the group.
Worry began to spread quickly. "Just a moment," Charles said as he closed his eyes. Feeling Jesse's pain he spoke again with a tear in his eye. "Jesse is already there."
They all went outside to a lovely plateau on one side of the mountain. It was a beautiful clearing that got sun most of the day. The grass was thick and wildflowers spread all around. A man knelt there by a newly made grave covered in fresh flowers. Charles left orders that it was to be beautified as much as possible to reflect the beauty of the person who would forever rest there.
When he heard them approach, Jesse kissed the flowers in his hands and laid them over the others. Standing, he allowed Shalimar and Evie to take his hands. He also felt Brennan place a hand on his shoulder as he stood behind the three. Everyone stood in silence for a long while before the professor tearfully spoke paying tribute to a short yet heroic and loving life.
Logan turned as he heard low, painful, stressful growls. After three years of friendship he knew her calls. He also knew that they were in a range that no one else could hear. She was mourning, yes, but there was something else, too. Something he recognized all too well. Rage was trying to break the yoke she was holding on it.
Though Logan's attention was on Shalimar, Ororo was focused on the subtle changes she felt in the air next to her. When she looked at Brennan, she could see a hand by his side flexing and sparking. She looked to his face to see the muscles in his jaw flexing. She knew he was having a hard time containing the tempest within.
As each began to personally whisper their goodbyes, Jesse collapsed to his knees crying out his grief. Kitty was immediately on the ground with her arms around him. He, once again, cried into her shoulder as she just held him and allowed this time to pass. In a few moments they were alone. After another 15 minutes, Jesse stopped crying and moved away from Kitty. He silently stood and offered her his hand. Smiling through her tears, she took it and he pulled her to him as he guided her back inside with his arm securely around her waist.
Once inside, Jesse immediately threw his jacket on the chair and went to his computer. Focusing completely and expertly on the information he and Shalimar had retrieved from NAXCON, he almost immediately seemed like a different person. Everyone was amazed as they watched him get to work.
"I must call the mansion." The professor stated as he excused himself. Everyone busied themselves as best they could with the search.
TBC
I know that these first chapters have be wrought with sadness. You will begin to feel better as the search for Adam continues. Thanks for staying with me through the tears.
I must thank everyone for all your encouraging reviews. I enjoy reading so many of the stories posted. Your talents and love of the characters inspire me. I am pleased to read that you think what I am writing is touching. I enjoy exploring emotions, though I have not ventured to the darker ones yet. I hope as the story continues it doesn't disappoint. Thank you for reading. ~Redhead2~
Chapter 5 - Goodbye
In her room, Evie began to dream again. ~~ "Evie, I need you." Evie looked around, having heard the sound of Adam's voice.
"Adam, where are you?"
"Here I am." He appeared behind her. She spun around and tried to put her arms around him. Like in the other dream she stumbled through him.
"Adam, please tell me where you are."
"Evie, come to me." Adam's voice was getting weaker as his image began to fade. "Come to me. I need you."
"Adam, no. Don't go. Don't leave me. Tell me how to find you." ~~ Evie's pleas were fruitless as he disappeared and she woke with a start.
Tears filled her eyes as she again looked to Adam's side of the bed and had to admit that he was still missing. Suddenly she felt as if she wasn't alone. Unafraid but wondering she called out, "Who's there?"
~~Evie, my dear, are you all right?~~
~~Charles, I dreamt of Adam again. He's alive, Charles and he's calling me. This time he said he needed me.~~
~~Yes, Evie. Try to relax and go back to sleep now. We will find him.~~
~~Thank you, Charles.~~
In the morning everyone gathered early for breakfast. Kitty walked into the kitchen ahead of a now showered and shaven Jesse. "I smell Ororo's pancakes." Kitty moved out of the doorway as everyone stopped talking when they heard his voice. Evie and Shalimar together went to him and he wrapped one arm around each of them and nodded to Brennan across the room, silently letting them know that he was ok. "They smell as good as I remember." Jesse walked over to an empty seat at the table.
"Welcome back, Jesse."
"Thank you, Professor. I owe it all to Kitty." Jesse smiled as he saw the young woman at his side blush.
"We will have a busy day, today."
"I know." His voice weakened momentarily. Then he turned to Evie. "Any leads on Adam?"
She could only look away, so Brennan spoke up. "Not yet. We were hoping you could think of something we missed."
"I'll try," he said as he turned back to the breakfast Ororo had placed in front of him.
"Charles, why am I having dreams like this? Why am I feeling like this? It's more than grief. I know it is."
"I'm not sure, my dear. When I read you during our first communication, I did sense your feelings of it being more real than dream. Have you slept since then and not had any dreams?"
"No, actually. I haven't been sleeping very well, anyway."
"Perhaps it could just be all the stress. With not sleeping one's mind could play many tricks on them, both during the day and at night." Ororo voice was compassionate.
"But it seemed so real." Evie's confusion was obvious. She desperately needed to hold on to the idea that her husband was still alive, yet the scientist in her knew this didn't sound logical.
Charles could sense the deep conflict within her. There was also something else. "Evie, with your permission, I would like to monitor you as you sleep tonight. If you begin to dream again I can enter it with you and perhaps determine from there what exactly you are dealing with."
"I'll try anything, if you think it'll help."
"Very well. This morning though, we have other matters to attend to. At 1 pm we will all go outside to pay our respects to one we all loved dearly." He paused and glanced at Jesse, as did everyone else.
He could feel their eyes and hearts on him. He could also feel Kitty move her hand and place it delicately on his shoulder. Mustering all the strength he could, Jesse tried to smile and looked at her then turned to the professor. "Thank you for handling---everything." He pushed his chair back and stood. "I---um---I'll meet you all there. Excuse me." He quickly headed back upstairs.
Kitty stood to follow but Ororo took her hand. "Let him have some time alone, Kitty. You can go back to him in a while. He needs to be able to say his own good bye."
After finishing breakfast both teams were gathered around the center computer stations. "I would like Brennan, Shalimar, Wolverine, Storm, Rogue and Shadowcat to go back to the place where Evie found Adam's ring." The Professor watched as Evie reached for the chain around her neck, which now was a permanent accessory. "See if you can find any leads at all. Even the smallest clue can give us a lead. Gambit will stay here and search on the computers. Evie and I will coordinate from here as well. We will all meet back here for lunch to discuss our progress. Good luck to all of you."
The search party started by flying the Blackbird over the sight where NAXCON once stood. Now the entire place was corded off with police tape and construction fencing on the landside to keep the curious away from danger. Logan scanned the area and found nothing more than the information they already had. From the air they could see that the force of the explosion scattered the area in all directions with some wreckage. The strongest forces, though, shot most of the debris in one direction, which caused a trail leading to the vicinity where they found the ring.
"Adam must have gotten caught in the brunt of the explosion." Logan whispered to Ororo in the cockpit. Glancing back he could see by their faces that he was not the only one who came to that conclusion. After the Blackbird landed everyone spread out in search of---whatever. After an hour of searching in ever widening circles they were yet coming up empty. The ocean spread out to one side and a cliff face rose to oppose it. The beach was searched well past where the debris stopped. Dreading the thought of the ocean claiming their friend, everyone turned their attention to the rocks.
Turning to Shalimar, Wolverine spoke. "Do you smell it?"
She immediately let her eyes glow and turned to a certain area of rock. "Yeah, I got it." Her feral eyesight focused in on the spot.
As everyone gathered around her, Brennan asked, "What is it?
"Blood," Wolverine answered.
Kitty pulled out the pack that she carried and took a sample. "When we get back we can run the DNA."
Wolverine had been searching. "There's more here. We better sample all we can find."
After inspecting the rock face they ended up finding three areas of blood but no other evidence of a body.
"The surf doesn't come up this far," Rogue noticed.
"I will be back," Storm informed them as they saw her eyes turn white and her majestic figure rise into the air as she called the winds to aid her. Everyone watched as she flew in one direction and then the other. Coming to land gently on the ground next to Wolverine, she reported, "There is no sign that anyone wandered away from this sight. Around the bend is another cliff that juts out far into the water. There would be no way an injured person could swim around it."
"Ah think we should get back and get these samples run before we have a chance to jump to conclusions," Rogue encouraged.
Back at Sanctuary Kitty ran the blood samples she had taken to identify the DNA. Evie sat in a chair next to Charles as she awaited the results. After a few minutes the computer signaled the answers. Evie almost subconsciously moved her hand to Charles' arm. He comfortingly covered hers with his as Kitty began to read the results.
"One sample matches Adam's DNA," she said as softly as she could.
Evie closed her eyes and slumped in the chair.
Shalimar put her hands on her shoulders for support. "But there wasn't that much blood there. The injury couldn't have been too bad."
"I concur," Charles gently squeezed her hand. Turning to Kitty he continued. "What of the other samples, Kitty?"
One matches the Genomex files belonging to Mason Eckhart and the other matches a guy from the NAXCON download, a Styles.
"Eckhart didn't make it out, after all." Brennan sounded almost pleased.
"Professor, three bodies couldn't be that well hidden."
"You're right, Logan. Gambit, see if you can pull up the satellite imagining for that area for the last three days. Perhaps that will show us something."
"Gambit, have your answer in just a few minutes, mon professor."
"Thank you. Meanwhile, I believe Ororo has lunch ready. We will await your response, there."
As everyone ate, Kitty took lunch for two to Jesse's room. In a matter of moments she was rushing back into the kitchen with the tray. "Guys, Jesse's gone."
Shalimar and Evie both looked to Brennan with new worry in their eyes. He lifted his hand and was about to activate his ring when Shalimar put a hand to his uplifted arm. "Let me." She activated her comlink so all could hear and began softly. "Hey, Jess, are you ok?" She waited. Nothing. "Jesse, please answer." Again she waited. She saw Brennan stand and as he was about to leave the kitchen to track him on the computer a voice finally responded.
"I'm ok, Shal. I just had to get out and I wanted to pick something up."
"Ok, we got worried when Kitty found your room empty."
"I'm on my way back now. I'll be home soon."
Brennan and Evie seemed to relax almost immediately when they heard his voice as did someone else in the group.
Gambit entered the kitchen soon after. "Gambit got sometin' interestin'. It seems Monseuir Adam was given a ride." His statement was met with confusion and many questions. He led everyone back to the computer station where he displayed the image he retrieved which he explained was taken about 45 minutes after the explosion.
"That's a helicopter signature," Brennan stated.
"Can you get any more images? Maybe we can follow its path." Shalimar asked.
A series of images began playing, covering the time the chopper landed and took off. "De trouble is dat the chopper must have had a cloak." Gambit said as he pointed to the image. "You see, it disappears, right dere, over de ocean."
"Could Eckhart have found him and called for a pick up?" Evie's mind began to race.
"But from the blood we found, he would have been hurt, too," Logan offered. "If he was thrown as far as Adam was, then most likely he was unconscious."
Just as they were discussing the possible scenarios, Jesse came in from the garage carrying something wrapped in brown paper. He walked up to the group. "Did you find something?" His voice was weak but concerned.
"We think a chopper picked him up, but it evidently had a cloak." Brennan filled him in as he tapped a hand on Jesse's back. "Any ideas of who it might have been?"
"None," Jesse replied. "I didn't get a chance to fully examine the download we pulled from the computer at NAXCON, before we had to go back in to find you and Shalimar."
"Then that's where we'll start, this afternoon. But first, we all need to get ready and take care of some other most important business." The professor saw everyone nod and silently disperse to prepare for the service for Emma.
Kitty never moved when she saw Jesse come in. She watched him intently but it was almost as if he was intentionally trying to not make eye contact with her. Now, even as he passed her to go to his room he still didn't even seem to notice her.
Evie sensed her concern and she moved to put a caring arm around the young girl. "Don't worry, Kitty. He'll be all right." Then added, "You didn't do anything wrong. Just give him some time."
Charles just watched, eyebrow raised in wonder as the two women went up the stairs.
At the appropriate time everyone gathered at the exit. Kitty went and knocked softly on Jesse's door. There was no answer. She went in and began to worry when she couldn't find him again. "He's not in his room," She told the others as she rejoined the group.
Worry began to spread quickly. "Just a moment," Charles said as he closed his eyes. Feeling Jesse's pain he spoke again with a tear in his eye. "Jesse is already there."
They all went outside to a lovely plateau on one side of the mountain. It was a beautiful clearing that got sun most of the day. The grass was thick and wildflowers spread all around. A man knelt there by a newly made grave covered in fresh flowers. Charles left orders that it was to be beautified as much as possible to reflect the beauty of the person who would forever rest there.
When he heard them approach, Jesse kissed the flowers in his hands and laid them over the others. Standing, he allowed Shalimar and Evie to take his hands. He also felt Brennan place a hand on his shoulder as he stood behind the three. Everyone stood in silence for a long while before the professor tearfully spoke paying tribute to a short yet heroic and loving life.
Logan turned as he heard low, painful, stressful growls. After three years of friendship he knew her calls. He also knew that they were in a range that no one else could hear. She was mourning, yes, but there was something else, too. Something he recognized all too well. Rage was trying to break the yoke she was holding on it.
Though Logan's attention was on Shalimar, Ororo was focused on the subtle changes she felt in the air next to her. When she looked at Brennan, she could see a hand by his side flexing and sparking. She looked to his face to see the muscles in his jaw flexing. She knew he was having a hard time containing the tempest within.
As each began to personally whisper their goodbyes, Jesse collapsed to his knees crying out his grief. Kitty was immediately on the ground with her arms around him. He, once again, cried into her shoulder as she just held him and allowed this time to pass. In a few moments they were alone. After another 15 minutes, Jesse stopped crying and moved away from Kitty. He silently stood and offered her his hand. Smiling through her tears, she took it and he pulled her to him as he guided her back inside with his arm securely around her waist.
Once inside, Jesse immediately threw his jacket on the chair and went to his computer. Focusing completely and expertly on the information he and Shalimar had retrieved from NAXCON, he almost immediately seemed like a different person. Everyone was amazed as they watched him get to work.
"I must call the mansion." The professor stated as he excused himself. Everyone busied themselves as best they could with the search.
TBC
I know that these first chapters have be wrought with sadness. You will begin to feel better as the search for Adam continues. Thanks for staying with me through the tears.
