Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X.

Chapter 7 - Breakthrough

The morning passed swiftly. They worked on their projects to keep up appearances but Adam spent every spare moment trying to hack into the Dominion database.

The Creator smiled often as he watched their constant covert interaction. All morning he caught a glance here a touch there and noticed the small loving gestures shared between them.

Lunch came and Adam asked to skip lunch in order to take a nap. "I'm not sleeping well. I guess I haven't adjusted to captivity yet." He let his voice carry slight discontent. "I'm finding that I'm staring at the screen instead of reading it."

"Are you sure it's lack of sleep?" The Creator tried to keep a smile off his face. "Perhaps you are just preoccupied with thoughts of other things†or other people." He turned and looked at Tasha who was giving him a most disturbed look. "Very well; Tasha, walk with him." He turned to Adam again. "This afternoon I want you to be at your best. I believe we will have a breakthrough."

Adam nodded as he opened the door of the lab for Tasha. They walked in silence, passed the guard and entered Adam's room. Once inside he turned and pulled her to him. With one hand on her back he held her close as he moved his other hand into her hair. "He really is a genius. He knew about us even before we did."

Tasha smiled at him. "I know. He's been watching us all morning. I hope we're better at covert operations with the Dominion than we are with him."

Adam smiled then lowered his head to kiss her. After a few moments he moved away and slid his hand through her hair, turning on the communicator. Looking into her eyes and licking his lips he spoke. "Jesse?"

"Yes, Adam. We're here." Tasha repeated his words as she sat with Adam on his bed.

"Listen, I only have a minute. Tasha has to get back. I was able to get into the minor systems. I think they're a little over confident about their superiority. They probably don't think anyone would dare try to infiltrate the system even after Lexa's virus. I found some new security measures recently installed but it wasn't that hard to get around them."

"I set up the communication site again. Were you able to find it?"

"Didn't get that far. I should be able to get it this afternoon."

"If you could set up a signal link, I should be able to work it from here. It would be least detectable if you piggybacked it on something likeâ€the utility signals. That should keep it quiet enough."

"Alright. The fist thing you should try to find is the directory. If we can find a way to contact the other members we can start coming up with a plan and a time schedule. I'm also going to send you a feed of all the files from the lab. Get it stored somewhere safe. Tell the others not to worry. We're very close to stabilization. I'll call in again tonight." He touched her hair and slipped his finger behind her ear.

"You had better get back now. He'll be waiting for you." Adam smiled and stood extending a hand to Tasha.

"Please do try to get some rest," she pleaded with him. "I'll be back in half an hour."

He opened the door and watched as she walked down the hall and into the lab.

The afternoon wore on as they worked. The Creator was caught in the imminence of breakthrough and did little noticing of Adam's constant attention to his own keyboard.

Adam called Tasha over and showed her the last linking of the systems. He indicated his desire to talk to Jesse and smiled as Tasha looked at the busy man across the room then moved closer by Adam's side. "Jesse," he whispered, "I made the link. Did you get it?"

"Hold on, Adam. I'll find out nowâ€Got it," Jesse declared. "Link established and holding. Files transmitting. I can take it from here." Tasha quickly turned and stepped away from Adam.

Confident that Jesse would find what they needed, Adam turned his attention to the work that had the Creator so engrossed. He had wanted to be at his side all day but knew that the system link had to take first priority. As he approached the Creator he watched as DNA molecules were being arranged and rearranged.

"Check the readouts." The Creator seemed to notice his presence. "See if the process is holding."

Together they worked for the better part of the afternoon and into the evening. Thoughts of dinner were pushed aside as they felt they were close to something. Tasha's job was to compare their present work to the files Adam made on the work done to Jesse's DNA. She watched as manipulation after manipulation was tested and retested. After countless times of reading 'UNSTABLE' across the screenshe almost missed the reading that flashed for an instant then disappeared. "Adam, come quick. I think that was it." She turned and saw him bolt to her side as the Creator turned and waited. "The reading flashed momentarily then was gone. It was as if a last minute change caused it to loose the stability."

"But Jesse is stable. There must be an error in the sequencing. Let's go back to this point and work it slower." He indicated a pattern to start with then moved back to the Creator. "If we work it through manually instead of letting the computer do it, maybe we can find the exact point of stabilization." Seeing the Creator nod his agreement they began the process.

Entering sequencing by hand was slow and tedious. Everyone was tiring quickly as the anticipation of the day wore on. "Stop!" Tasha yelled.

"That's it," agreed the Creator. "That's the manipulation that caused full stabilization." He sat back in the chair that supported him.

Adam stood staring at the holographic representation they were just working with. Wonder and relief mixed on his face as he whispered, "That's it. That's the sequence that should work on all Moleculars." He turned to Tasha and smiled. "Didn't I see a recent test done on Lexa when she was captured?"

Tasha could see the joy in his eyes. She knew he wanted more proof and at this point knew what he would find. Sharing this moment brought tears to her eyes. She knew how long and hard the Creator had worked on this project. She knew he was seeing a goal accomplished. For Adam though, it was more than a goal. This was a mission to save lives; the lives of the people who meant the most to him. She quickly brought up Lexa's file and stepped aside. They were all so happy she wanted to share that joy with the people that it touched the most. Moving away she whispered, "Jesse, put this on speakers. I think Adam would want you all to share this."

Curious, Jesse did as she requested and called the others to gather. Soon they were all hearing Adam's voice. "That's the manipulation that stabilized Jesse. Theoretically it should work on all Moleculars. With Lexa's recent testing, I should be able to simulate the affects."

Tasha moved next to the Creator and held his hand as they watched Adam work.

Jesse stepped closer to Lexa and put his arm around her as Brennan and Shalimar gathered closer.

Time seemed to almost stand still as Adam worked furiously to prove his theory. He finished the manipulations and stepped back to await the results.

"Yes!" they all heard him yell in triumph. "It works. I can stabilize any Molecular now."

Lexa had tears in her eyes as she turned and looked at Jesse. He pulled her to him as he embraced her. "I knew he'd be able to do it," Jesse stated proudly.

"Now, will he be able to use that to stabilize the rest of us?" Shalimar asked.

"Adam," Tasha called, knowing everyone could hear her. "Can you make that same manipulation work on ferals?"

He turned to her and saw the intense look in her eye. He knew she'd opened the channel and was allowing everyone to hear. Smiling his gratitude, he went back to the computer. "This exact manipulation won't work on ferals but with a slight modification I should be able to find the exact sequence. The Dominion has sample DNA of all the mutations." He brought up a sample he could work with. "If I adjust the sequencing and allow forâ€the behavioral modifications," he spoke aloud as he worked knowing that his team was now with him. "We know how temperamental ferals can get."

"Hey," yelled Shalimar. Her friends just laughed, though tension was high.

Adam turned a quick smile to Tasha when he heard her giggle. He knew Shalimar reacted to his teasing. He stepped away and waited. He watched as Tasha walked closer to him. When he turned back to the read out he smiled. "It looks like we'll have to get used to the temper. Ferals have the potential of a very long life." He turned and hugged Tasha.

Brennan pulled Shalimar to him as she buried her face into his chest and cried.

"Now let's see what we can do aboutâ€psionics." Adam knew he was making them sweat but he also knew that psionic manipulation would be the easiest. "Just change this and plug in that andâ€very nice."

"Adam," Tasha spoke, trying to convey the treat in Brennan's voice.

"Alright, now on to elementals." Adam found a file to work with. "Here's an electric elemental. Let's see if this works on her." Adam began the procedure with a smile knowing what Brennan and the others must look like at that moment. He wished they were with him so he could do the actual manipulations and have them cured. He thought about a time in the not too distant future, he hoped, when they would all be celebrating the actual success of these tests. He was shaken from his thoughts as the computer beeped a signal of warning. Reading the display he furiously tapped buttons to reset the simulation and try again.

"What happened, Adam?" Tasha's voice was tense.

"I don't know. I'm running it again." Adam's voice was low but the team still heard him.

Suddenly the joy in the safe house turned into worry as Shalimar held Brennan tighter and Jesse and Lexa moved closer to them for support.

"It's not working," Adam stated. "Why isn't it working?"

Tasha moved to another computer and began a new set of simulations. In a few moments she called him over. "Adam, I did a simulation here, on a fire elemental. It's stable."

"Try a water, and I'll try a wind," Adam directed. After a moment of processing he stated, "This one's stable."

"So is this," Tasha reported.

"Let me try electric again," Adam began to sound worried.

Tasha watched him work and looked at the Creator. He was sitting with his head down and eyes closed in thought. If she hadn't seen it before she would have thought him asleep. She turned back to Adam as the warning again blared and she saw him pound his fist on the desk.

"What am I missing?" Adam looked up at her with desperation in his eyes.

"Adam," the Creator called softly. "Put the simulation here."

Adam complied and in a matter of seconds the file was transferred and made into a hologram floating before the Creator. He and Tasha both moved to his sides as he began to work.

"Give me a moment. I believe the problem is in the generation of electricity. None of the other elementals consistently give off their energy. It only manifests when they use their powers. An electrical is unique. The electricity is constantly being generated and absorbed as it is linked to the electrical impulses which run through out his entire body." The Creator knew about Brennan. He also knew that these tests meant more to Adam than just proving a theory. "Manipulations like the others won't work. This one is much more intricate and must be cascading in the initialization of the procedure. I knew from the beginning that electric elementals would give us the most trouble."

Jesse playfully punched Brennan's shoulder in an attempt to lighten the tension around them.

Tasha felt guilty now for bringing the team into this. The moment was so happy that she wouldn't have expected it to turn so drastically. All she could do was picture the sadness on Brennan's face. She knew it must have mirrored what she now saw in Adam.

Time moved slowly as the Creator worked. "You would have gotten this as well. I was just aware of it longer and had the advanced time to think about it." He stopped and leaned back in his chair. "Take that sequencing and see what happens."

Adam and Tasha moved quickly to the computers. He redid the simulations and waited for the read out. When it came he turned to Tasha and quickly and silently stopped her reaction with a glance. Again he restarted the simulation. Again they waited. When the screen displayed his answer, confirming the first result he leaned against the desk for support as he let the tension drain.

"Adam," Tasha called to him. She could see the screen but wanted him to tell them.

"It worked," he whispered as he turned to her. He embraced her as he whispered in her ear, "Thank God, it worked."

They all heard Adam's emotional reply and stood in silence for just a moment before they all shouted with joy.

Tasha turned her head on Adam's shoulder as they were in affect yelling in her ear. She whispered back to him as she broke the link, "they're all cheering."

Adam held her tighter until a raspy laugh was heard from the other end of the room. They both released each other and turned to face the Creator.

"My Dear, I believe I will take that trip tomorrow."

"Trip?" she asked.

"Yes. My work on this project is finally finished and I would like to rest. I think some time with Gabriela would be very relaxing." He smiled at the shock on her face.

TBC