Disclaimer: MutantX and its associated characters, locales, etc. belong to Tribune Entertainment et al and I claim no ownership of them and intend no copyright infringement. Original characters and locales such as Father Awa, Detective Lewis, and St. John of the Cross church are my own and I would appreciate being consulted if someone wishes to use them.

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story and forgiven how long it's taken me to get updates posted. There will be one chapter after this, probably in the next few days, but it'll be a shorter one.

Crisis of Faith – Chapter 8

By Deichtine

Brennan paced the small holding cell restlessly. Before he had learned about the GSA's involvement, he had wanted nothing more than for the questioning to be over and to get back to the cell to lie down and think. He had been confident that he could handle going to prison, wait it out and accept it – unrealistically so, he now realized - but now that the GSA were coming, all of his confidence had left him, and he began to feel the closeness of the walls around him. Why hadn't he taken the opportunity to escape when he had the chance? Now that he was in the middle of the police department, surrounded by armed officers, things were not just so simple as sending a jolt through the lock and fighting his way out. The police might not fight so well hand-to-hand or react as quickly as GSAgents, but GSAgents don't carry guns. He was trapped.

Adam and Shalimar, eyes sore and dry from hours spent in front of the computer screen, searched doggedly through the police case file. Unfortunately, it looked like the case against him was very good, and the police had lacked only his whereabouts for the arrest warrant until the anonymous caller gave them his location. When Carter had been picked up for insurance fraud, he had been quick to try to roll over on the three thieves who had done his dirty work for him, but they had sensibly refused to give him their full names or any personal information. However, not too many criminal e-men were over 6 feet tall and strikingly handsome, and Carter had immediately ID'd him from the picture in his police record, and other eyewitnesses agreed. As a clincher, the police had found Brennan's fingerprints both in the bank itself, and inside Carter's car.

"I don't know how we're going to fight this, Adam," Shalimar said. "Their case is solid."

Adam sighed. "I know. We can't even get them on tampering with the evidence – everything's been documented almost to a fault. Brennan was mirandized before witnesses and on the record, and – oh, damn!"

Shalimar moved over to look at his screen. "What?"

"Look – the transcript of his questioning is starting to be entered into the system. Not only has he refused counsel, but he's signed a full confession."

Emma looked up from the nearby table where she'd been trying to prepare for her pose as Brennan's attorney. "He's refused counsel?"

Adam nodded. "And confessed. I think we're going to need a new plan."

Shalimar returned to her screen, and refreshed the information so that she could see what Adam was seeing – and her eyes widened. "And we're going to need it fast. Look – the GSA are taking over custody of Brennan!"

"Already!" Adam asked, incredulously. "How did they manage to do that so fast?"

"They must have someone on the inside," Emma reasoned.

"Get into the GSA system, would you?" Adam said, moving to Shalimar's shoulder to watch. "We need to intercept their agents before they can reach the station."

Pride was in Adam's eyes as he watched the feral effortlessly moved through firewalls and backdoors to invade the Genomex system. "There – stop. Damn, they're already moving."

"Don't waste any time, do they?" Shalimar murmured.

Adam's eyes were scanning the scrolling text quickly. "Looks like they're sending a 6-man team, with an agent Joanna Gleason in the lead." He thought for a moment. "Shalimar, can you and Jesse take them down?"

Shalimar smiled. "Do you really need to ask?"

Suddenly, Jesse's voice spoke from the com system. "Adam, I've made a big mistake."

"Jesse, I'm glad you called. Look, there's a team of GSAgents on the way to the police station to pick up Brennan. I'm sending Shalimar and Emma, and I want you to meet them at…the corner of 9th and Harrington to intercept the GSAgents. Then you can change clothes and go get Brennan."

"Change clothes?" Jesse and Shalimar said together.

"Shalimar will bring a GSA uniform for you. You guys are going to take their places."

Emma looked up. "But Adam, I can't really fight yet. What am I supposed to do?"

"I should think that would be obvious – Agent Gleason."

"But Adam," Jesse spoke again. "I have to tell you – "

"Not now. Get moving. There's absolutely no time to waste here."

"I'm on my way, but Adam?"

"Yes, Jesse, what is it?"

"I want you to get in touch with the priest at St. John of the Cross church and ask about Brennan."

"What?"

"Just do it." With that, Jesse broke the connection.

"Okay, you guys. Let's get moving."

The fight was fierce, but swift. Emma watched from a safe vantage point as the GSAgents drove up to the roadblock she and Shalimar had improvised from the old Ford and several garbage cans and cardboard boxes. They jumped out of their cars, and an imperious-looking woman with long red hair yelled something at the uniformed agents, pointing at the roadblock commandingly. Obediently, the agents approached the garbage cans – only to meet Jesse and Shalimar, fists and feet flying. There were six agents and two Mutant X members, but the agents, predictably, had the worst of it. Apparently, either none of them were mutants, or they had never been trained on their powers, but none of them evinced any special abilities. Shalimar and Jesse didn't have that problem.

Emma cried out involuntarily as she saw an agent approaching Jesse's turned back, his stunner raised high, but as he brought it down he was surprised to find his hand went right through the suddenly intangible young man, and he hit the agent who had been grappling with Jesse only seconds before and now stumbled when he lost his grip on the younger man, losing his balance. A third agent was already on the ground.

Shalimar had engaged three of the agents at once. Her blond hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, which swung wildly through the air as she twisted to send her booted foot into the face of one of her attackers.

Emma was startled from her anxious watching as she felt a vice-like grip close on her arm and pull her up and out of her hiding spot. She found herself face-to-face with the red-haired agent Gleason. Her green eyes were triumphant, her thin lips stretched into a smile. "Emma de Lauro," she said. "Now won't Mr. Eckhart be pleased when I bring back you and Mulwray together?"

Emma's eyes widened in fright, and she struggled to pull her arm away, but Gleason's grip was firm. "Please, don't take me back there," she began to plead piteously. "I can't bear it, please – Ow!" Suddenly her ankle turned, and her weight shifted heavily to her left foot, where the high-heeled shoe was sideways on the ground, her foot still in it. "My shoe!" She bent down to fix it, and came up with her hand curled into a fist. With a growl she drove her fist into Gleason's stomach, wrenching her other arm away as the agent's grip reflexively loosened. As the proud agent doubled over, gasping, Emma followed it up with a hard punch to the woman's jaw, then stepped away to see Shalimar and Jesse watching her, grinning.

"Good job," Jesse said.

Emma rubbed her fist tenderly. "Does it always hurt that much when you hit someone?"

"You get used to it. And you learn the right way to hit," Shalimar said, and casually stepped forward to deliver a kick to Gleason, who was trying to push herself up off the ground.

Adam entered the dark little church with unaccustomed nervousness. The hushed atmosphere seemed somehow expectant, and yet Adam had no idea why he was here.

Adam slowly walked up the centre aisle, looking around at the artwork, the candles, the flower-decked altar. He had stood there perhaps a minute when a voice broke the silence.

"Good afternoon." The voice was coming from a short but stout older man, his features dark and somehow exotic-looking. His simple black shirt had a Roman collar at the throat. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, actually. Are you the priest of this parish, Father?" Adam asked respectfully.

"Yes. My name is Fernando Awa."

"Adam," Adam shook the little priest's hand. "Father, this may sound a little strange, but have you ever seen this man?" From a pocket in his suit jacket, Adam produced a snapshot of Brennan.

"Ah, yes, the young man with the sad eyes. Brennan." Adam's eyes must have betrayed his surprise, for Awa continued, "He's been coming here to Mass the past month or so. A troubled young man, but I have great hope for him."

"He's been coming to church on Sunday mornings? Brennan?"

Awa nodded. "Yes. And he and I have had some talks. May I assume that you are the same Adam of whom Brennan spoke? The friend at whose home he has been staying at?"

Adam nodded. "Yes. Um, if you don't mind my asking, I'm a little curious. What did Brennan tell you about me?"

"Oh, not much, really. Just that you had been helping him to get off the street, gave him a job, and so on. He really looks up to you, you know."

Adam's eyes filled with held-back emotion. "I don't really know how to ask this, but…do you know if Brennan has been involved in anything…criminal…lately?" He winced. "That came out all wrong. It's just that, well, Brennan's been sneaking out on the weekends, and he and I had a bit of a fight. I'm beginning to think maybe…"

"You assumed the worst?" Awa surmised, his eyes watching Adam speculatively. "Yes, I know. Brennan told me about it the last time we spoke. He thought that you were angry with him for coming here to the church, but I was certain it must have been a misunderstanding. Was I right?"

"Yes. I had no idea he was coming here. We…one of the other people working for me saw Brennan leaving one Sunday morning, and followed him to see where he was going, and saw him talking to a known criminal from Brennan's past."

Awa nodded. "I understand now. Mike. Brennan told me about him too. You may put your fears to rest, Adam. I can't tell you everything Brennan told me, as much of it lies under the seal of confession. But I can tell you that Mike had come to Brennan, asked him to join him in a job, and Brennan refused him. Mike grew angry, and Brennan was very saddened – Mike had been a close friend."

Adam's face was stricken. "I can't believe we were so wrong," he whispered. "Brennan came for confession?"

"Yes. And I cannot know for sure, but I think it really helped him. Now, when Brennan left here the last time, the police were waiting for him. If you don't mind my sticking my nose in, I know that you and he were not on good terms the last time you parted, but I think he really needs you now."

Adam swallowed. "I'm not sure he would listen to me now. I said some terrible things, and he must have thought….oh, God, what can I say to him now?"

Awa placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "That's the idea. If anyone can help you two figure this out, it's God. Brennan is coming to terms with his past life, admitting his sins in order to be free of them. Adam, you too will need to admit your guilt in this matter to Brennan to make this right between you. Do you think you can do this?"

Adam took a deep breath. "I'm not sure. But I have to try. Now, my people are already helping Brennan get out of jail, and I had better get back. Thank you, Father. You've given me a lot to think about."

"Tell Brennan I expect to see him back here on Sunday."

Adam smiled. "I will."

Brennan was sitting on the cot in his cell, his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor, when the door opened with the sound of metal on metal. He looked up and saw the guards waiting for him.

"They're here. Time to go, Mr. Mulwray."

Brennan stood, taking a deep breath, determined not to allow the Agents sent to collect him to see his fear. Somehow, he told himself, he'd get away. He just had to wait for the opportunity. He stepped out of the cell and allowed the guards to cuff his wrists and ankles and lead him slowly down to the reception area.

His face was hard and he stood tall as they entered the room where the agents waited. He almost lost his composure, however, when he saw who was waiting for him.

Emma, in glasses and a power suit, was standing hands-on-hips by the desk, a GSA badge clipped to her jacket and a sour, impatient expression on her face. Her customarily flippant hair had been pulled back tightly into a clip at the crown of her head, making her face seem narrow and emotionless.

"Is this him?" She asked, waving in Brennan's direction. Her voice was so commanding, so unlike the Emma he knew that Brennan almost thought that he had mistaken her, that it was not Emma at all. The guards confirmed Brennan's identity, and handed her a clipboard to sign.

But when the woman signaled the two waiting GSAgents, who had been waiting by the door, forward to take charge of Brennan, any doubt left Brennan's mind, and he had to force himself not to grin. Jesse and Shalimar moved forward to take their places on either side of Brennan. Jesse took his arm, and Brennan shook it away, but Jesse grabbed it again, hard. Emma signed the form, and passed it back to the guard.

"Thank you." She looked back over her shoulder at her teammates. "Bring him," she said peremptorily, then stalked out of the room, leaving them to trail behind her.

None of them spoke again until they had placed Brennan in the back of a waiting black van, and they were well on their way.

"Thanks guys," Brennan said finally. "I was getting pretty worried there."

"Yeah, well, I'd like to meet the guy who thought these hats were a good idea," Jesse grumbled, pulling at the elastic which held the little cap on his head.

"I don't know," Emma said, her manner now fully returned to her normal, gentle self. "I think they're kind of cute."

Shalimer winced as she tried to disentangle a stray lock of blonde hair from her elastic. "Cute is not the word I would use."

"So…" Brennan said. "Are you going to let me out of these?" He shook the chains he still wore suggestively.

"Sorry, Brennan," Emma said over her shoulder. "We have to keep up the act until we're all the way out of the city, just in case we're stopped for any reason."

"So where are we going?" Brennan asked then.

"Sanctuary."

There was a pause. Brennan didn't know how much Adam had told the others about the altercation in the hallway when he had given Brennan his ultimatum, and he didn't want to open the door to an uncomfortable conversation, so he let it lie, and stared out at the passing traffic.

When they finally reached Sanctuary, The girls went on in to change and Jesse began unlocking Brennan's restraints. "Brennan?" he said finally, as he straightened up from the last ankle shackle.

"Yeah?" Brennan was scratching his nose with profound relief.

"You need to have a serious talk with Adam."

"I know."

Jesse's blue eyes were earnest. "And, I want to say – I'm sorry."

"Yeah," Brennan said, looking away. "Well, so am I."

End of Chapter 8.

Last chapter – epilogue – should follow soon. It's almost finished now anyway.