Chapter 22

Legal Disclaimer-The rights to these characters do not belong to me, they belong to the folks at Marvel, Fireworks, Alliance Atlantis and Tribune Entertainment. I write this fanfic because they haven't bothered to continue with a new season. Reruns just energize the fanbase, remember that!

Authors Note-The election is over and my guy didn't win. That's all I want to say about it, other than I fear for the country in the next four years. Intelligence, it seems, doesn't really matter anymore. The following is really, really dark. It's partially my mood, partially the situations. Review please. I need the boost really, really bad.

The scene that they arrived to was nearly too horrible to be believed. The night sky was lit with the fire, the smoke from it actually hiding the stealth covered Strand as Brennan landed. The farmland the Creator owned was empty. The people that had populated it had left the reminder of what had been there a side by side screen that Jesse had pulled up in the computer well. The only life signs they had now were from the warehouse and they were fading fast.

The pain and agony of the children's thoughts ate at Jesse as he fought for control. The anger welled in him, a rage he only knew when his friends had been double-crossed. He had heard the children's screams then the eerie quiet. The fire, the fear, the smell of the air just before the explosion were replaying in his mind as they flew toward it, the thoughts getting stronger. He struggled to think, but stared at the computer screen ahead of him. He scanned the warehouse again silently praying for life signs. A number of red dots appeared, so Jesse knew they were alive.

"Brennan," he didn't hide the urgency in his voice, "Land now."

Brennan caught the message. They were landing and saving the kids, if anyone saw them, the hell with it. Jesse was up and running as they landed, forgetting his equipment. Emma tried to stop him but she wasn't fast enough. Jesse was in such a hurry that he phased through the doorway of the Strand before it opened.

Shalimar was steps behind him. Jesse sped for the warehouse, not caring if anyone saw him using powers. He needed to get in and get the kids out. Brennan was on his heels, yelling at him to slow down but he knew that Jesse didn't hear him. Brennan caught up with him then with a simple glance, they both ran into the smoke filled warehouse. Together, Jesse and Brennan pulled kids out of pods, Jesse phasing the pod and pulling the kids out, putting them into Brennan's arms, then Lexa's, then Emma's.

The pods were lined up one by one, and it was a sight that Jesse knew would haunt him for the rest of his days. The pods in the front of the warehouse were a lost cause, they were broken and burning, while the pods in the back were just filling with smoke. Brennan, Jesse, Emma, Shalimar and Lexa worked together, one pod after the other, picking the kids out of the pods and running them out into the night air. The kids were slowly waking up, but the fire was racing them for control of the building.

As Shalimar watched the kids awaken, the townspeople began to join her. They had been lead to the farm by the fire and were doing their best to wake the children. The ones who did not wake they covered with blankets and said silent prayers for their departed souls. The others were wrapped in blankets and songs were gently sung to them to keep them calm.

As the last pod emptied, Jesse turned and looked in the smoke filled warehouse, trying to find some reason for this disaster, some last life to save. When he couldn't find an answer in the smoke, he ran outside, falling to his knees and breathing in clean air in desperate breaths. The horror of the scene here he knew would follow him to his grave. Brennan came up behind him, and gently leaned over him. He tried to find the words to help him.

"We got who we could out, man, you did your best," he said, pulling Jesse to his feet, "You did good."

Jesse looked at him and couldn't focus. The image of the children played in his mind over and over again. Brennan looked into his eyes.

"Jesse?" Brennan asked, "Did you even hear what I said?"

Jesse shook his head. Brennan's face came into focus and the words he spoke began to make sense. He had gotten so focused on saving the kids that he didn't even think. Brennan looked at him, the same worry coming back to him, which he quickly clamped down on. He didn't know how to handle Jesse in this state, he didn't look human.

"You okay?" he asked slowly.

"Why did they do this Brennan?" Jesse asked, trying to fight the tears that were beginning to fill his dry eyes, "Why kill them?"

Brennan couldn't answer. The death around them was horrifying and the prayers of the Amish around them was little comfort to the scene. Emma, Lexa, and Shalimar were tending to the children who made it, putting them in the hands of the Amish and tending whatever medical care that they could. The kids who were alive were very young, looking somewhere around age three.

Jesse took a deep breath. It was hard to breathe, but he felt that he was at least able to breathe. Inside the warehouse he wasn't able to breathe.

"How many did we save?" Jesse thought aloud, looking back toward their makeshift triage, "Did you keep a count?"

"Maybe 200," Brennan said, "The rest were already gone."

"Yeah, they were," Jesse said, walking back toward the triage they had set up.

Emma looked up from one of the children as Jesse approached. She looked at him. Jesse looked completely defeated. She wanted to run to him, to save him from this hurt. Jesse met her eyes and his face when blank.

Don't, was the thought that he sent to her.

He walked through the row of kids that were lying on the ground, sleeping and stirring slowly. The kids were blond, pale and reminded him of a bad horror film. He stopped for a second, looked at the children, and then realized what was in front of him.

Instinctually he touched the edge of his commring.

"Adam," he said softly, "Pierce doesn't need to hear this."

"He's busy, I have him playing computer games," Adam said, pacing the floor of his lab, "What's happening?"

"They burned the warehouse," Jesse said flatly, "We rescued about 200 of the kids, Adam. The rest didn't..."

"Jesse, you did the best you could do, I feared this might happen," Adam interrupted, stopping and sighing, "How are the other kids?"

"They are okay, somewhat," Jesse replied, "The Amish have come out to try and put out the fire and they are looking after them."

"Good," Adam said, "They can offer more help than we can. You guys should come back here, we can track what we can from here. The Amish will adopt these kids, Jesse."

"How can you be so sure about that Adam?" Jesse said, "They don't even talk to strangers."

"They're still human beings Jesse, they'll take them," Adam argued, hearing the anguish in Jesse's voice, "The Creator has probably set it up that way. Talk to the townspeople, Jesse, you can. Do it for them."

Jesse stopped. He looked back at the kids, many of whom didn't speak, just looked his direction. He could tell how excited they were that they were free of the pods, and actually able to walk in some cases, while the other children lay on the ground, breathing for the first time unaided by the pod. They would be able to live their lives now, not have them dictated by the Creator.

"I'll do it Adam, but you need to know something," Jesse said, after he thought about it, "They all look like Pierce."

"All of them?" Adam asked stunned, "You think they're..."

"Yeah, I think they are Adam," Jesse replied, "And I wouldn't put it past him. Killing clones of a child to him is not killing human beings. The Amish will never know they're clones, Adam. I won't allow it."

"Agreed," Adam breathed, "Jesse, once you're done, get back here."

"Yeah, I will," Jesse replied.

Jesse walked over to Brennan and pulled the ring off of his finger and handed it Brennan.

"You talk to Adam," he said, "I'm done."

He walked back toward the group with the kids. He knew that finding the leader of the group was going to be easy, he could still talk to them and let them know that these kids had no parents and this was their gift from the Creator. He knew that Amish weren't stupid, but they would look after the children. That was what he could hope for. He wasn't disappointed, the families that came to the farm all took children, leaving them with families in the community. Since they were born there, the elders stated, they were part of the community. Jesse mentioned nothing about their mutancy. He knew to do that would be the children's death sentence.

The children all glanced back at him and at the fire as they left the farm. He saw their eyes. They were going someplace better, he knew, and that one thought he played over and over with every child who left. He gave them back their hope.

Shalimar and Lexa began packing up their equipment as Brennan helped the remaining townspeople put out the fire. Sadly, due to the intensity of the fire, there was nothing left of the warehouse, or the pods within. It was lucky, yet sad to the team, since it left no evidence of these children's lives, but, it kept their secret.

After making the arrangements for the children, Jesse headed back to the Strand, settling into his seat in the computer well. He didn't talk to anyone, just made the appropriate flight plans for home, then sat staring at the screen. He didn't even hear the rest of the group loading the Strand and settling in next to him. He literally jumped when Emma touched his arm.

"Honey?" she asked, both verbally and telepathically, "You alright?"

His eyes met hers. The anguish of the screams of the children, the energy used to save them, and the vision he had of the burning warehouse hit him at once and mercifully, he passed out.