Disclaimer—See Chapter One
A/N: I am blown away by your amazing support. I was feeling a bit discouraged, as I was afraid only a few people were still reading this, so I cannot thank you enough for your comments and feedback. I also got good news that my new computer was shipped already, so I should get it within a few days. That is much faster than what was estimated, so I am very excited about that! I think your good luck wishes paid off! :) Lucy, since you were so kind to ask, I now have 15 chapters written! I think this story will end up being 17 chapters total. Brennan's Angel, Alicia Emmanuel, Mayra, MariShal, Fiery Feral, Kerry, Rain, Blackpanther, Rachel, and CatJerica, thank you all so much! Just to warn you, almost every chapter from now going forward will end with cliffhangers...just what you love so much! :) Thank you again!
Things More Beautiful—Chapter Six
"Brennan!"
Shalimar's voice echoed in his ears as he dropped to his knees on the trembling earth. He heard the rasping of her scream, the frightened yelping of Chester as her body was thrown around, the crash of falling trees, the roar of the earth as it groaned in agony. And then it grew mercifully black and silent.
She saw him go down at the same time she saw the stranger staggering off into the jungle. From afar, Luka screamed at her to go after him. It wasn't a tough choice. She crawled on her hands and knees, determined to reach him, afraid he would somehow disappear from her sight.
"Brennan!" She sucked in a deep breath, hands roving his body, searching for injury as she rolled him over. His face was pale, and she pulled his head into her lap, bending over him and blocking out the rest of the world as it continued its torment.
And suddenly it was still.
She raised her head and growled, eyes narrowing on the Dominion agent responsible for all this. He was already walking back down the trail, not even bothering to check on them. Limbs tensed and stretched and she flew through the air, landing agilely on her feet and launching herself on the doctor, knocking him to the ground. They rolled two times, and then she had him pinned, teeth bared inches above his face, eyes sparking in righteous anger.
"What did you do?" She enunciated each word slowly, clearly.
Luka stared up at her, eyes large in his pasty white skin. "I-I don't know what you mean."
She slammed his head against the ground, making him cry out. "Wrong answer."
"I didn't do anything!"
"Wrong answer!" She pressed the flat of her hand against his neck, ignoring the warning pains shooting up her arm as he gasped for air. "Tell me why that mutant is after you!" Her lips curled back as he whimpered in fear. "You did something to him, didn't you?!"
He coughed deeply as she slightly released the pressure on his windpipe. "I'd advise you back off," he finally sputtered, trying to catch his breath. "You forget your place."
Her hand slammed back down and his eyes bugged out in response, chest immediately heaving. "I know exactly who you are," she gritted in disgust. "And that is exactly why I'm asking you. Tell me!"
He stared rebelliously back at her for another moment, eyes flickering when he saw her deadly expression. "Alright." He faltered, "Alright."
She loosened her hold, sitting slightly back, waiting.
"His name is Riley. He was ah, one of my subjects."
"You mean you experimented on him." Her voice was flat.
"I offered him a cure." He stared defiantly up at her. "He became greedy and wanted more. He stole the serum and overdosed."
"What happened to him?" Her fingers tightened again.
"In high concentrations, the serum can have an adverse affect on the mind. The psychoactive compound of the plant altered the chemical reactions of his body."
"Meaning?" Her voice was flat.
"Meaning he went crazy." Luka's voice was just as toneless.
"And now he's after you."
"No."
She raised her eyebrows.
"He's after the serum. He's addicted." He took advantage of her lax hold and sat up.
I need that serum. Riley's words replayed in her mind. She eyed Luka as he staggered back to his feet. "Addicted?"
"Addicted." He dusted off his coat. "In Riley's mind it is all or nothing. He gets it all or no one else can have it either. Now if you're satisfied, we must get back to the office."
She frowned, allowing him to walk away. She didn't sense Riley's presence at the moment, and she had to get back to Brennan. He moaned, and her head whipped around at the sound, forgetting her anger at the Dominion as she raced back to his side.
"Brennan?" She dropped to her knees beside him, guilt hitting her hard. She hadn't meant to leave him alone for so long. Despite herself, she smiled when she noticed Chester perched protectively on Brennan's chest. For the first time, she felt a kinship toward the ugly thing. It obviously loved Brennan deeply, and she had to admire its loyalty. Her loyalty, she mentally corrected, bending over Brennan's face as his eyes began to flutter.
"Brennan?"
He caught her off guard, releasing a great groan and shooting up into a sitting position. Chester went tumbling from his chest to his lap with a surprised whimper.
"Careful," She cautioned, steadying him as he began to slump to one side.
"Where is he?" Brennan rasped, struggling to rise.
"No, Brennan." She stilled his thrashing. 'It's ok, it's ok. He's gone for now." She ran her hands up and down his chest and arms. "Where are you hurt?"
He winced as her hands fell on his lower left side. She noticed and pulled up his shirt, clucking her tongue in anger when she saw the large burn gouged into his side.
"I'm ok, he just grazed me." He shook off her hands, embarrassed to have passed out over such a minor thing.
She hid a small smile when she sensed his chagrin, hand rising to cup his cheek. "Bren, stop. It's a bad burn and it happened in the middle of an earthquake. And look—" Her hands continued their examination of him. "It looks like something struck you in the head as well." She frowned at the dried blood in his hair, peering at the gash. "I think it will need stitches." Cursory exam finished, she again met his eyes. "You're being too hard on yourself."
He remained silent, but the high color on his cheeks let her know he didn't agree.
"Come on," She helped him to his feet, "Let's go home."
The rest of the walk back to the Dominion office was uneventful, and they reached it by dusk. A bed had never looked so inviting to them and after stopping off in the infirmary to get Brennan bandaged and declared concussion-free, they sank gratefully onto the soft mattress. Under the soft glow of technology, the danger seemed far away, and they fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, wrapped in each other's arms.
They didn't know how much later the screams began.
Brennan leaped out of the bed, shoving open the door and running out into the hallway. "What is it?" He shouted at the handful of agents and scientists pouring out of various doors of the residential wing. "Somebody—what's going on?"
Loud cries and hoarse calls sounded from down the hall.
"What is it?" Shalimar appeared behind Brennan, clutching a sheet around her shoulders. Under the dim florescent lighting of the hallway, her eyes appeared huge in her pale face, and her hair hang in large tangles down her back. She looked…vulnerable. Brennan drew her against his side with one arm.
"What's happening?" He roughly grabbed the arm of a man running past.
"It's bad!" He gasped, struggling to wrench his arm free, "It's bugs, stinging bugs!"
"What?" Brennan asked in shocked stupor. "Bugs? You're all screaming because of bugs?"
The man's face, upturned in the dim light, was a round circle, with dark slashes for his eyes and straight mouth. "You don't understand! It's a—a plague! They're everywhere, and they sting! They bite!"
Brennan released his arm in shock, and the man scurried away.
"Brennan." Shalimar's horrified voice drew his eyes downward. The floor was littered with gigantic dead things. "Centipedes." She whispered in a choked voice as Brennan gasped with revulsion. "We have to hurry!"
She pulled them back into the room and slammed the door, shuddering.
"Are…do they…?" Brennan stammered, eyes searching the floor around their room.
"Yes, they bite." Shalimar breathed. "They're poisonous."
Brennan stared down at her bare feet. "We better get dressed Shal." His voice was grim.
Shalimar flinched, toes curling up. She couldn't see a single insect in their room yet, but outside were screams. She dropped the sheet and quickly threw on her clothes. Beside her, Brennan did the same, and they hurried out of the room, Chester firmly tucked under Brennan's arm. They hurried to the stairwell. Shalimar gulped when she saw a line, a single line, of giant centipedes patiently crawling up the stairway. She could see them on the third from the top step, leading all the way down the stairs.
"Stay to the left," She commanded calmly to Brennan, "Don't try to kill them. They're marching or in formation, or-or something."
"Yeah, let's not upset them or anything." Brennan muttered in sarcasm.
Shalimar glared at him, and he shut his mouth with an audible click. They went down the stairs, sliding along the left wall with their backs pressed hard up against it, staring at the creeping dark line only a few feet from their cringing toes. It seemed to take a long time to reach the bottom step. Another column of centipedes was beginning its ascent. At the end of the hallway, Shalimar could see many of them, beginning to fog through the doors. With horror, she saw one monster, a black one, that was at least a foot long.
"Damn." Brennan sucked in a deep breath, tightening his hold on the squirming dog and clamping an iron grip on Shalimar's shoulder. "Where do we go?!" He shouted in her ear. It seemed the hallways were already deserted, save for a few people in front of them, standing frozen in shock.
"Water!" Shalimar screamed, "We need to find water! Come on!" She grabbed his hand and together they leaped off the bottom step, landing both feet down, cringing when they heard the sickening crunching sound under their boots.
"Run!" Brennan hollered at the stupefied agents as they flew past them on a dead run.
Outside, people were running, screaming, shouting, crying. Men and women in various states of undress huddled in terror.
"To the pool!" Shalimar kept shouting as they ran past them all, "Run to the swimming pool!" Some heard, turned their faces to her, and then veered around to follow them.
The lights around the pool had been turned off for the night, and the water shimmered in the darkness of the night. Without hesitation, she jumped right in, automatically holding up her arms when Brennan shoved Chester at her.
"Take her!" He screamed, bending over the edge of the pool so their faces were only inches apart. "Don't let go of her!"
"What are you doing?!" Shalimar watched with horror as Brennan stayed on the pool's edge. "Get in!"
"I have to go back, Shal." He grimly shook his head. "Those people—I have to help."
"I'll go too then." She struggled to climb back out.
"No!" His hands stilled her frantic movements. "Please Shalimar," His voice was desperate. "You need to stay and help the people here. Keep them calm, and whatever you do, don't get out of the water!" His fingers tightened painfully on her shoulders. "Please, Shal!"
She numbly nodded, knowing what he was saying was true. Already, people were shoving each other in their haste to get into the pool.
He kissed her lips lightly, and then he was gone.
The night seemed never-ending. Shalimar looked about her, the shock only now beginning to creep over her, a slow but inexorable paralysis of her thoughts and freezing blue water in her veins. Her eyes widened, and she seemed to be blinking very, very slowly. Her back ached, and she longed to sit down.
It had taken her a long time, but she had finally gotten everyone calmed down and into the water. Chester's body pressed tightly against her chest, and she welcomed the warmth of the little dog, even as her arms shook, tired from the strain of holding her above the water. All around the circle of the pool were the black outlines of men and women, oddly silent, waiting with her. Throughout the night, Brennan had appeared and disappeared, sometimes forcibly carrying a hysterical person and dumping them in the water. From there, Shalimar would take over, keeping calm over her ragged little group.
Shalimar stared at her hands, wrapped around the shivering brown dog. They were strong hands, long-fingered, agile, lissome. She was proud of her hands. It took her a moment to realize that a weak and tentative light rested on them. Abruptly, she realized how well she could see. At that moment, the sun threw its floodlight onto the scene, the instantaneous sunrise of a flat eastern horizon.
"Ohh," She murmured in revulsion. Several people screamed and some cursed and still more started to cry. Surrounding the forlorn little group were thousands, perhaps millions, of dead centipedes. Even at a cursory glimpse, Shalimar could see that many were monsters, at least a foot long. They littered the grounds and floated dead in the water around them.
And Brennan was nowhere in sight.