"H-how is that possible?" Shalimar's voice was so shaky she was certain she
was going to break down any minute. She was never one to be able to control
her emotions very well for long and usually at any sign of distress, she
was always the first one to freak out. But not this time. This time she was
not just freaked out, she was terrified. But she wasn't going to show it in
front of Jesse.
Adam's voice was hushed. "I've never seen anything like this before. It could be an acute side-effect from the initial alteration to his genes.it could also be genetic. Either way, I have to perform more tests on him to be certain." Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that Jesse had curled up onto his side with his knees raised to his chest, pale and shaking.
"But-cancer-" Helplessly, Shalimar tore her eyes away from Adam and stared imploringly at Emma. She raked a hand restlessly through her mane of golden hair, obviously distressed. "How-how could this happen?"
As she stared in forlorn at the shivering figure lying on the bed, Shalimar could feel the first tremors of realization dawn on her. Cancer was treatable these days, yes, but people do still die from it, she thought to herself in fear. But this was all happening too fast for her, too-sudden for her to really absorb the whole gist of the situation.
Adam was working furiously, trying to pinpoint the exact cause of Jesse's sudden illness and as his fingers flew over the numerous buttons and keys on the monitor, he could feel the wheels in his mind whir in time to the rapid beatings of his heart. Something like this would have shown up in Jesse's physical, Adam thought disbelievingly. His EDD check-ups on all four of them had always been thorough and nothing like this should have escaped him.
Shalimar and Emma were now standing on both sides of Jesse, holding his hands. Emma's face was unreadable as she rubbed his hand comfortingly but Adam knew she was equally worried; probably even more. Because she was the only one among them who could feel Jesse's pain. Since she had discovered her abilities, or 'the shining' as she sometimes called it, she had had her own share of pain as well as other people's. One thing she regretted about having the ability to connect was that how the people closest to her always failed to see her as a part of themselves and accept her the way she was, without having to deal with the insecurities and the distrust her own friends had in her. Just because she could read people's minds, fears and emotions, that made everyone naturally wary of her and though she knew they couldn't help feeling that way around her, she had always thought herself as an outsider.
But now, she was glad she had the shine. She leaned down close, so close her lips nearly brushed Jesse's clammy forehead, concentrating hard. The tremble of his hand beneath her fingers confirmed her suspicions. She didn't have to read him to know that the pain was almost unbearable; so unbearable that his mind was now a huge, gaping void, undefined yet she could still find it. She didn't know what was causing Jesse's illness but she was thankful that she could help ease the pain a little.
"Shalimar." Jesse whispered sickly, his voice so weak she could barely hear him. "Hurts."
Shalimar whispered soothing words to her friend, but she doubted that he was even listening. His eyes were half-closed, glazed and lifeless, and he appeared half-conscious. His blond hair was matted to his scalp, and she had never seen him look so sick.
"Adam, isn't there anything you can give him?" She asked pleadingly, her eyes imploring. Adam nodded, and after giving Jesse a shot, Adam realized for the first time that Brennan was no longer in the room. He watched solemnly as Jesse stopped twitching around and at last, settled into a deep, exhausted sleep.
Suddenly Emma froze. "I'm going to find Brennan." Without another word, she gave Jesse's hand one last squeeze and stalked out of the lab. As he expected, Shalimar refused to even budge from Jesse's side, his head wedged against the inside crook of her elbow as she tenderly caressed his hair.
"You have to help him, Adam," she said dully. He gave her a knowing look and nodded.
"Is he going to-?" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question.
Adam inhaled deeply. When he didn't say anything, that was when the tears came for real.
***************
"Brennan." Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes before turning around to the sound of the voice. Behind him she could vaguely see a profile of someone on display. She had a good guess whom the person might be. Brennan's fears and anxiety were so vivid she couldn't help overhearing his thoughts.
"I should have known." He shook his head slowly, leaning back against the bar and lowering his head dejectedly.
"You couldn't have known Brennan." She sidled up to him slowly, unsure of what to say. "There's no way you could have known."
"But I was there. I could have stopped her." Emma turned her back toward him to take a look at what was on the screen. She read every word slowly. The woman's cold green eyes stared back at her and she shivered inwardly.
"I've never heard of a carcinogenic mutant before," he commented nonchalantly, but deep inside, Emma knew he was not feeling as calm as he appeared to be. There was a storm in his eyes and she could feel the beginnings of a turmoil lurking deep within him somewhere.
"An elemental. Able to emit radioactive waves at will, causing severe mutation of the oncogenes." Genes involved in cell division. Her genetics knowledge was certainly nothing compared to Adam's but she knew enough to know what that meant. Bitch blasted a few radioactive waves into Jesse, causing his cells to divide abnormally, forming a tumor, she realized, feeling more than a little sick. "The touch of death," her mouths formed the words, but no sound came out.
Brennan was still staring into space. "It wasn't an accident, was it? Coz for one moment there, I really thought I saw him slip."
Emma shook her head. "No, it wasn't."
Brennan pursed his lips and nodded slowly, raising his eyebrows in acknowledgement.
"So how's he doing?" There was real concern in his voice now.
"Not good," a voice answered from behind the stairs. And soon Adam came into view, striding purposefully toward the console. He pressed on a key and Proxy Blue flickered onto the screen. A small vid-cap on the far bottom- left of the screen showed the image of the same, beautiful woman Emma saw earlier.
"Eaine Perraudin. She's currently working for the GSA, and has until now managed to stay in Eckhart's good books, bringing in one New Mutant after another without fail. She's carcinogenic elemental as you yourself might have read, and currently the most dangerous asset of Genomex. I want you to find her and bring her here."
Brennan's jaw dropped open. "What?"
Adam's eyes turned darker. "The New Mutants inflicted with this disease she spreads around all began to show signs of illness within days of meeting her. And from the strand of hair you tested on, you missed something." Adam retrieved the DNA results from the hair and added in a few commands. A few seconds later, virtual scrawling filled the screen.
"The genetic mutation caused by the radioactive waves can only be cured by the same frequency of waves she emitted. In other words, laboratory radiotherapy is not going to eradicate all cancerous cells from Jesse's body, they will only grow back once destroyed. The radiotherapy we need has to come from her."
"In other words." Brennan stared at the older man unblinkingly.
"In other words, she is the only one who can help Jesse."
"In other words." Brennan repeated, still unable to understand.
"In other words, without her, Jesse dies."
Adam's voice was hushed. "I've never seen anything like this before. It could be an acute side-effect from the initial alteration to his genes.it could also be genetic. Either way, I have to perform more tests on him to be certain." Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that Jesse had curled up onto his side with his knees raised to his chest, pale and shaking.
"But-cancer-" Helplessly, Shalimar tore her eyes away from Adam and stared imploringly at Emma. She raked a hand restlessly through her mane of golden hair, obviously distressed. "How-how could this happen?"
As she stared in forlorn at the shivering figure lying on the bed, Shalimar could feel the first tremors of realization dawn on her. Cancer was treatable these days, yes, but people do still die from it, she thought to herself in fear. But this was all happening too fast for her, too-sudden for her to really absorb the whole gist of the situation.
Adam was working furiously, trying to pinpoint the exact cause of Jesse's sudden illness and as his fingers flew over the numerous buttons and keys on the monitor, he could feel the wheels in his mind whir in time to the rapid beatings of his heart. Something like this would have shown up in Jesse's physical, Adam thought disbelievingly. His EDD check-ups on all four of them had always been thorough and nothing like this should have escaped him.
Shalimar and Emma were now standing on both sides of Jesse, holding his hands. Emma's face was unreadable as she rubbed his hand comfortingly but Adam knew she was equally worried; probably even more. Because she was the only one among them who could feel Jesse's pain. Since she had discovered her abilities, or 'the shining' as she sometimes called it, she had had her own share of pain as well as other people's. One thing she regretted about having the ability to connect was that how the people closest to her always failed to see her as a part of themselves and accept her the way she was, without having to deal with the insecurities and the distrust her own friends had in her. Just because she could read people's minds, fears and emotions, that made everyone naturally wary of her and though she knew they couldn't help feeling that way around her, she had always thought herself as an outsider.
But now, she was glad she had the shine. She leaned down close, so close her lips nearly brushed Jesse's clammy forehead, concentrating hard. The tremble of his hand beneath her fingers confirmed her suspicions. She didn't have to read him to know that the pain was almost unbearable; so unbearable that his mind was now a huge, gaping void, undefined yet she could still find it. She didn't know what was causing Jesse's illness but she was thankful that she could help ease the pain a little.
"Shalimar." Jesse whispered sickly, his voice so weak she could barely hear him. "Hurts."
Shalimar whispered soothing words to her friend, but she doubted that he was even listening. His eyes were half-closed, glazed and lifeless, and he appeared half-conscious. His blond hair was matted to his scalp, and she had never seen him look so sick.
"Adam, isn't there anything you can give him?" She asked pleadingly, her eyes imploring. Adam nodded, and after giving Jesse a shot, Adam realized for the first time that Brennan was no longer in the room. He watched solemnly as Jesse stopped twitching around and at last, settled into a deep, exhausted sleep.
Suddenly Emma froze. "I'm going to find Brennan." Without another word, she gave Jesse's hand one last squeeze and stalked out of the lab. As he expected, Shalimar refused to even budge from Jesse's side, his head wedged against the inside crook of her elbow as she tenderly caressed his hair.
"You have to help him, Adam," she said dully. He gave her a knowing look and nodded.
"Is he going to-?" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question.
Adam inhaled deeply. When he didn't say anything, that was when the tears came for real.
***************
"Brennan." Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes before turning around to the sound of the voice. Behind him she could vaguely see a profile of someone on display. She had a good guess whom the person might be. Brennan's fears and anxiety were so vivid she couldn't help overhearing his thoughts.
"I should have known." He shook his head slowly, leaning back against the bar and lowering his head dejectedly.
"You couldn't have known Brennan." She sidled up to him slowly, unsure of what to say. "There's no way you could have known."
"But I was there. I could have stopped her." Emma turned her back toward him to take a look at what was on the screen. She read every word slowly. The woman's cold green eyes stared back at her and she shivered inwardly.
"I've never heard of a carcinogenic mutant before," he commented nonchalantly, but deep inside, Emma knew he was not feeling as calm as he appeared to be. There was a storm in his eyes and she could feel the beginnings of a turmoil lurking deep within him somewhere.
"An elemental. Able to emit radioactive waves at will, causing severe mutation of the oncogenes." Genes involved in cell division. Her genetics knowledge was certainly nothing compared to Adam's but she knew enough to know what that meant. Bitch blasted a few radioactive waves into Jesse, causing his cells to divide abnormally, forming a tumor, she realized, feeling more than a little sick. "The touch of death," her mouths formed the words, but no sound came out.
Brennan was still staring into space. "It wasn't an accident, was it? Coz for one moment there, I really thought I saw him slip."
Emma shook her head. "No, it wasn't."
Brennan pursed his lips and nodded slowly, raising his eyebrows in acknowledgement.
"So how's he doing?" There was real concern in his voice now.
"Not good," a voice answered from behind the stairs. And soon Adam came into view, striding purposefully toward the console. He pressed on a key and Proxy Blue flickered onto the screen. A small vid-cap on the far bottom- left of the screen showed the image of the same, beautiful woman Emma saw earlier.
"Eaine Perraudin. She's currently working for the GSA, and has until now managed to stay in Eckhart's good books, bringing in one New Mutant after another without fail. She's carcinogenic elemental as you yourself might have read, and currently the most dangerous asset of Genomex. I want you to find her and bring her here."
Brennan's jaw dropped open. "What?"
Adam's eyes turned darker. "The New Mutants inflicted with this disease she spreads around all began to show signs of illness within days of meeting her. And from the strand of hair you tested on, you missed something." Adam retrieved the DNA results from the hair and added in a few commands. A few seconds later, virtual scrawling filled the screen.
"The genetic mutation caused by the radioactive waves can only be cured by the same frequency of waves she emitted. In other words, laboratory radiotherapy is not going to eradicate all cancerous cells from Jesse's body, they will only grow back once destroyed. The radiotherapy we need has to come from her."
"In other words." Brennan stared at the older man unblinkingly.
"In other words, she is the only one who can help Jesse."
"In other words." Brennan repeated, still unable to understand.
"In other words, without her, Jesse dies."