Ooppss…just realised I forgot something…o.k here's my disclaimer : Mutant X does not belong to me, I am only borrowing the characters for this non-profit fiction of mine; only the plot is mine and Jesse (nah…only the plot is mine…Jesse belongs to Jesse's fans out there!). Hahaha…anyway you know what I mean…so please don't sue me (cause I doubt you'll get anything from me…sob! I'm broke! ).

Hmm…I'm sorry if the technical terms of some of the familiar things are not as they should be. It is thermal or heat senses? You know that type of jargon. I'm writing all of these from memory and I must say it's not as good as it was, so bear with me, o.k?

Oh yeah…thank you soo…much for the lovely reviews even though it was a very short beginning (hey the great Laily reviewed; I'm trembling in my seat…not used to such high standards b4)

Hmm, I must say now that I've had in my system for some time it is a good start. Let's hope it'll stay good all the way…I've yet to think of an ending. Suggestions, anyone?

hehehe…yeah yeah I'm cruel I know…so I'm gonna be a good girl and give you guys something longer. Enjoy!

******************************************************************************************

Chapter 2 - Discoveries

The team arrived quickly to their appointed destination with the helix. The helix already set in stealth mode landed near a dilapidated looking warehouse. The doors open to reveal the team all raving and raging to go.

"Adam," Brennan called out through his comring . "There's smoke coming out from the safe house; we're going in now." "Brennan," Adam's voice came over the comlink, "We're still not certain whether this attack is over . For all we know it could be a trap. Guys, be careful."

"Don't worry Adam, I scanned the area beforehand and I could detect no one," Emma tried to reassure him. "And Shal's doing her thermal scan now." She looked up to just in time to see Shalimar's eyes turn back to normal. "Nothing, I could get nothing Adam." Shal confirmed Emma's statement.

"So it that good news or what?" piped Jesse. "I don't know Jess, but we're about to find out soon. Wish us luck Adam! Over and out." Bren ended the transmission. Turning around to face his team mates, he instructed ,"Alright, we know the plan so let's get cracking!" blue sparks visibly appearing on his hands. "Just wait till I get these babies on the guys who did this," he murmured to himself before entering the building.

The four of them entered ground zero. They split into two groups, well aware of the tasks that were assigned to them. Bren and Emma surveying the damaged done in the west side of the warehouse while Shalimar and Jesse did what they could from the east side. Jesse quickly moved on to the second storey where the computer containing the vital information on Mutant X were stored. Shalimar breathed a sigh of relief. There's no fire; whatever flames that had given out the smoke previously had been extinguished with the fire sprinklers. "Thank god we decided to install the sprinkler system last week," she mumbled to herself. "What's that, Shal? I thought I heard you say something," Jesse said as he looked up from the computer screen on the second floor. "Nothing, just talking to myself; don't you have anything better to do?" Shal, feeling slightly embarrassed by her phobia, managed to snap back and change the subject.

"Ooohh…touché, I'm almost done here. All I need to do is bypass the security codes and delete all the files from the hard disk and we'll be on our way soon. Bren, Emma how's it looking on your side? Found anything, yet?"

"Nope, not much, Jess. Got a few bodies here though; none of whom I've seen before. If I didn't know better , I would say this was an inside job," came the reply, tinged with a touch of disgust. "Unfortunately, I do know better and I think too highly of our new mutants for them to resort to this." Emma looked back at Brennan while he was talking to Jesse. Strange, she thought she felt something in the atmosphere. Why hadn't she detected it before? Despair, hurt, betrayal…it was all there but strongest of all she could feel anger and hatred…and it seems to be coming from the east side. She had to warn Jesse and Shal.

"Shal, I can feel someone or something in your vicinity. It's portraying really strong emotions; please be careful." "I hear you Em but," Shal's eyes turned yellow for a while, "I don't see anything; Jesse are you done yet?"

"Almost, just setting up some viruses to 'eat away' our problems should anyone try to get back any information from the hard drive," Jesse replied his fingers typing furiously away at the keyboard.

Unbeknown to the two, a pair of sinister looking eyes were watching them from a dark corner where Jesse, too engrossed in his task had failed to check.

"Brenn, I'm getting kinda worried; could we go and check with the others now? I've got a really uneasy feeling about those two." Brennan looked Emma straight in the eye and sighed. "We might as well, there's nothing much we can do here anyway. Come on, now that you've mentioned it, it's too quiet for a fresh crime scene." Kinda like the calm before the storm, he thought to himself, before moving with Emma to the other side of the warehouse.

A slight breeze blew across the room as if signalling something. Shalimar shivered. Her sharp feral senses suddenly caught on with the smell of someone unfamiliar behind Jesse. She looked up and saw to her horror a figure of a man standing behind an oblivious Jesse with a gun in his hands.

"Jesse, behind you!" she managed to scream before running up to Jesse's aid. "Huh?" came the reply and Jesse turned around only to come face to face with the object of Shal's attention; a madman with a loaded barrel gun.

****************************************************************************************

Oohh…I'm so cruel…but I have to think carefully abt the next chapter…I wanna get it as perfect as possible so bear with it, o.k?