Jesse leaned against the doorframe of the computer room in Sanctuary, closing his eyes against the merry-go-round inside his head, hoping no one would notice.
Didn't work.
"Idiot," came Brennan's cheerful voice, followed by a strong arm taking him under the shoulder. "Didn't Adam tell you to take it easy for the next few days?"
"I am," Jesse lied, swallowing hard, wishing the rest of him didn't feel like he'd phased into a two ton dead weight. Brennan didn't seem to notice, securing his hold on the molecular.
Ben too sprang into action, shoring up the other side. "Hey, man, I'm really sorry that I got you into this," he offered. Like Brennan, Ben was too tall to effectively shoulder the molecular but he took Jesse's other arm to escort him to where he could sit down. The pair placed the mutant onto the lounge chair and ignored the fact that Jesse's knees buckled underneath him on the way down.
"No sweat," Jesse lied. Was that a cold sweat breaking out? Staying right here in this chair for the next year or so sounded really attractive.
"No, really, man," Ben insisted. "Without you I'd still be an overgrown four year old."
"Still could happen." Jesse resisted the urge to shake his head. Something seemed likely to fall out, something that he wouldn't do well without. "The serum isn't perfect."
"No, but Dr. Sutter and I think that it may have done the trick." Adam advanced into the room. He took one look at Jesse and clucked. "Brennan's right. You are an idiot. Why aren't you in bed where I put you?" He turned to Ben. "The additional sample that we took from Jesse yesterday was enough to concentrate the serum to the proper levels. We could be wrong, but the preliminary tests look promising. I don't think you'll have to worry about the effect going away. You should have this intelligence for the rest of your life."
Ben closed his eyes. "You don't know how good it feels to hear that." He opened them, suddenly scared, looking for reassurance. "Mother?"
"Adam's right, Ben." Bea Sutter's eyes shone. "We did it. You and I, we did it."
"But—?"
Adam nodded soberly. "You're right; Eckhart and Genomex will be after you. Both of you, now that we've demonstrated that we can solve all the problems associated with being a mutant super-soldier." He gestured at Brennan and Shalimar. "They'll take you to our underground connections. You'll be set up with new identities, somewhere where Genomex will never find you."
"Adam." Bea looked around her. "All of you. I don't know how to thank you. Without each and every one, Ben and I wouldn't be here today. How can we ever repay you?"
"Join the underground," Adam returned promptly. "We're all of us going to need friends. Some day you'll be able to return the favor."