Ally jumped from her seat. "Oh my God!" She rushed over to check on him.
"Guess there was at least one New Mutant afterall." Shalimar droned.
Girls? Came Brennan's voice again. What's going on?
"We picked up another passenger." Shalimar explained.
"He's injured..." Ally reported. "And I think he's sick. It doesn't look good."
# # # # #
Adam had joined Brennan and overheard the last of the conversation.
"Bring him back so I can take a look at him." He ordered.
# # # # #
Emma joined Adam as he and Ally looked at the injured mutant's file. He looked sullen in his photo, but Emma thought his dark features remained charming.
"Anthony Chaplin," Adam read aloud. "A reptilian feral. His greater talent is the chameleon like camouflage you and Shalimar witnessed."
Ally was standing over the unconscious feral, looking down on him and remembering how her first day in Sanctuary had been so similar.
"What's wrong with him?"
"Aside from the beating he took, it looks like he's been poisoned." Adam explained.
Emma elaborated. "I tested a sample of his blood--which is cold by the way--it seems to have been a gradual build up of toxins, most likely due to environmental damage."
"You mean like oil spills?" Ally guessed. "Or illegal dumping?"
"That would be my theory." Adam agreed.
"Is he going to be okay?"
"It'll take some time for his more serious injuries to heal and for the toxins to exit his system. But he is a feral and I've done what I can to speed up the process. He'll pull through."
Relief flooded Ally's face and Adam smiled kindly at her. "Lucky for him you and Shalimar were there."
"What were you two doing there anyway?" Emma questioned.
Ally shrugged. "You'll have to ask Shalimar that."
# # # # #
Adam and Jesse did just that.
"The oil company's been getting threats, I thought it sounded like Ashlocke, so I followed up on it." Shalimar answered.
"Without telling anyone?" Jesse asked angrily.
Her reply was calm and simple. "I told Ally."
"No, Jesse's right. You two shouldn't have gone after Ashlocke on your own." Adam chided.
"But I was wrong, it wasn't Ashlocke. They weren't even New Mutants."
"You could have gotten hurt or worse!" Jesse argued.
"I'm fine!" Shalimar cried. "Anyway, you said it was lucky for Anthony that we were there. Why don't we worry about why he was there and how he got beaten up like he did?"
Adam relented. "What's this oil company's name?"
Shalimar didn't know, but, "It's a subsidiary company to X.I.I., Xenos Industrial Incorporated."
Before Adam could speak, Emma came bustling in. "Adam, Anthony's waking up." She announced.
"Alright, thank you Emma. Jesse, I want you to find out as much as you can about X.I.I. Emma why don't you give him a hand? Shalimar, come with me. Anthony came to you and Ally; I want you both there while I talk to him. He might open up more."
# # # # #
When Adam and Shalimar entered the Med Lab they saw Ally and Brennan perched on the far counter together. Anthony was just opening his eyes.
"How are you feeling?" Ally asked him.
Anthony squinted and his voice was raspy. "Cold...it's really bright in here..."
"I always feel a chill in here too." Ally commented lightly. "Let me dim the lights for you." She reached over Brennan for a wall panel and the room got a little darker.
"Thanks..." Anthony looked around. "Where am I anyway?"
"It's our Sanctuary." Brennan said as if reciting a speech.
"You stowed away in our jet." Shalimar spoke up. "What were you even doing out on that rig in the first place?"
Slowly Anthony sat up to look at her. "Getting proof." He gave her a weak but sly smile and Shalimar wondered what for.
"Proof of what?" Adam asked, the smile apparently going unnoticed.
"Pollution. My beach's become a toxic swamp in a matter of weeks."
"What makes you think the rig had anything to do with it?" Brennan asked.
"The tide." Anthony said matter-of-factly. "It's the only place it could have come from."
"So what happened tonight?" This question came from Ally.
"I brought a video camera, you know, to catch them in the act and send it to the Coast Guard. Those guys, the ones you bumped into, they're the creeps who are doing it, and they caught me when I tried to get out. I was able to get far enough away to camouflage myself, but being injured as well as sick made it impossible to swim out of there."
"Good thing Ally and Shalimar showed up when they did." Brennan said, smiling at Ally, who smiled adoringly in return.
Again, Anthony smiled slyly at Shalimar. "You saved my life."
Shalimar frowned and glanced at the others, hoping they'd seen this weirdness too, but they all seemed oblivious.
"Did you get the tape?" She asked next.
"I managed to hide it. It's still on the rig as far as I know."
"We'll help you get that tape to the proper authorities. But it's no good if we don't find out who that waste belongs to."
"How about the oil company?" Ally suggested. "Some of the chemicals Emma found in Anthony's blood sample are by-products of oil refining."
"It's Tony." The reptilian feral blurted.
Everyone looked at him and he shrugged.
"Less formal."
Ignoring the interruption, Shalimar spoke up. "Some isn't all. We're going to need more if we're really going to nail an oil company. Even then, there might only be a fine."
"Pocket change for a company like that." Brennan commented.
"So let's make sure we get all the evidence we need for a prison time ruling." Adam suggested.
"Well we may have your start here." Jesse announced as he and Emma entered. "It seems Xenos Industrial has been accused previously of illegal dumping by radical environmentalist groups."
"But how often are the radicals taken seriously?" Emma asked rhetorically.
"Oh they do..." Brennan was sure.
"Yeah, after they start making threats..." Ally finished. "And bombs."
"Let's try to end this before any radicals get involved." Adam said.
"Before anymore beaches get harmed." Tony added.
"Guess there was at least one New Mutant afterall." Shalimar droned.
Girls? Came Brennan's voice again. What's going on?
"We picked up another passenger." Shalimar explained.
"He's injured..." Ally reported. "And I think he's sick. It doesn't look good."
# # # # #
Adam had joined Brennan and overheard the last of the conversation.
"Bring him back so I can take a look at him." He ordered.
# # # # #
Emma joined Adam as he and Ally looked at the injured mutant's file. He looked sullen in his photo, but Emma thought his dark features remained charming.
"Anthony Chaplin," Adam read aloud. "A reptilian feral. His greater talent is the chameleon like camouflage you and Shalimar witnessed."
Ally was standing over the unconscious feral, looking down on him and remembering how her first day in Sanctuary had been so similar.
"What's wrong with him?"
"Aside from the beating he took, it looks like he's been poisoned." Adam explained.
Emma elaborated. "I tested a sample of his blood--which is cold by the way--it seems to have been a gradual build up of toxins, most likely due to environmental damage."
"You mean like oil spills?" Ally guessed. "Or illegal dumping?"
"That would be my theory." Adam agreed.
"Is he going to be okay?"
"It'll take some time for his more serious injuries to heal and for the toxins to exit his system. But he is a feral and I've done what I can to speed up the process. He'll pull through."
Relief flooded Ally's face and Adam smiled kindly at her. "Lucky for him you and Shalimar were there."
"What were you two doing there anyway?" Emma questioned.
Ally shrugged. "You'll have to ask Shalimar that."
# # # # #
Adam and Jesse did just that.
"The oil company's been getting threats, I thought it sounded like Ashlocke, so I followed up on it." Shalimar answered.
"Without telling anyone?" Jesse asked angrily.
Her reply was calm and simple. "I told Ally."
"No, Jesse's right. You two shouldn't have gone after Ashlocke on your own." Adam chided.
"But I was wrong, it wasn't Ashlocke. They weren't even New Mutants."
"You could have gotten hurt or worse!" Jesse argued.
"I'm fine!" Shalimar cried. "Anyway, you said it was lucky for Anthony that we were there. Why don't we worry about why he was there and how he got beaten up like he did?"
Adam relented. "What's this oil company's name?"
Shalimar didn't know, but, "It's a subsidiary company to X.I.I., Xenos Industrial Incorporated."
Before Adam could speak, Emma came bustling in. "Adam, Anthony's waking up." She announced.
"Alright, thank you Emma. Jesse, I want you to find out as much as you can about X.I.I. Emma why don't you give him a hand? Shalimar, come with me. Anthony came to you and Ally; I want you both there while I talk to him. He might open up more."
# # # # #
When Adam and Shalimar entered the Med Lab they saw Ally and Brennan perched on the far counter together. Anthony was just opening his eyes.
"How are you feeling?" Ally asked him.
Anthony squinted and his voice was raspy. "Cold...it's really bright in here..."
"I always feel a chill in here too." Ally commented lightly. "Let me dim the lights for you." She reached over Brennan for a wall panel and the room got a little darker.
"Thanks..." Anthony looked around. "Where am I anyway?"
"It's our Sanctuary." Brennan said as if reciting a speech.
"You stowed away in our jet." Shalimar spoke up. "What were you even doing out on that rig in the first place?"
Slowly Anthony sat up to look at her. "Getting proof." He gave her a weak but sly smile and Shalimar wondered what for.
"Proof of what?" Adam asked, the smile apparently going unnoticed.
"Pollution. My beach's become a toxic swamp in a matter of weeks."
"What makes you think the rig had anything to do with it?" Brennan asked.
"The tide." Anthony said matter-of-factly. "It's the only place it could have come from."
"So what happened tonight?" This question came from Ally.
"I brought a video camera, you know, to catch them in the act and send it to the Coast Guard. Those guys, the ones you bumped into, they're the creeps who are doing it, and they caught me when I tried to get out. I was able to get far enough away to camouflage myself, but being injured as well as sick made it impossible to swim out of there."
"Good thing Ally and Shalimar showed up when they did." Brennan said, smiling at Ally, who smiled adoringly in return.
Again, Anthony smiled slyly at Shalimar. "You saved my life."
Shalimar frowned and glanced at the others, hoping they'd seen this weirdness too, but they all seemed oblivious.
"Did you get the tape?" She asked next.
"I managed to hide it. It's still on the rig as far as I know."
"We'll help you get that tape to the proper authorities. But it's no good if we don't find out who that waste belongs to."
"How about the oil company?" Ally suggested. "Some of the chemicals Emma found in Anthony's blood sample are by-products of oil refining."
"It's Tony." The reptilian feral blurted.
Everyone looked at him and he shrugged.
"Less formal."
Ignoring the interruption, Shalimar spoke up. "Some isn't all. We're going to need more if we're really going to nail an oil company. Even then, there might only be a fine."
"Pocket change for a company like that." Brennan commented.
"So let's make sure we get all the evidence we need for a prison time ruling." Adam suggested.
"Well we may have your start here." Jesse announced as he and Emma entered. "It seems Xenos Industrial has been accused previously of illegal dumping by radical environmentalist groups."
"But how often are the radicals taken seriously?" Emma asked rhetorically.
"Oh they do..." Brennan was sure.
"Yeah, after they start making threats..." Ally finished. "And bombs."
"Let's try to end this before any radicals get involved." Adam said.
"Before anymore beaches get harmed." Tony added.