Back at Sanctuary, in the lab.
Adam finished the last stitch and cut the extra thread, standing up. "You are on bed rest for two days. And nothing except walking for five days after that." He told Alanna firmly, knowing that was all he could hope for if she was anything like Shalimar. "What about a shower?" The teen asked. "That's ok." He consented. "I guess there isn't anything you can do about the governor?" Alanna asked, hoping there was. Adam looked at Emma questioningly. "She's fine Adam." Emma responded quickly. Adam nodded and turned back to Alanna, "I can remove it." Alanna nodded, closing her eyes while Adam deactivated, and then removed the offending device.
Several minutes later after Adam won the argument that Alanna needed a wheelchair and was sitting in one, glaring at Adam and looking disgusted with herself. Adam shook his head at the youth, turning to Emma. "If you could find a set of clothes Alanna could borrow and show her to the bathroom?" Emma nodded, walking behind the wheelchair and pushing the glowering feral out of the lab. Emma smiled at the girl; "If it helps he's had Shalimar on a wheelchair and crutches before." Alanna snapped her head up to look at Emma, an expression of shock on her face. "Shalimar was in a wheelchair?" Emma nodded, walking down towards her room in silence. Alanna just looked ahead after Emma's confirmation, her eyes unfocused. Emma stopped at her room and opened the door, pushing Alanna in ahead of her. "Alanna?" Emma asked, walking around to the front of the wheelchair. Alarmed at getting no response she shook her shoulder, "Alanna?"
The girl suddenly shook her head, eyes focusing on Emma's face. "Yeah?" Emma looked at the girl, still slightly worried. "I'm fine," "Fine?" Emma asked doubtfully. Alanna smiled, "I'm ok." Emma stood there blinking; wondering if the girl had gone crazy. "Are you sure?" Alanna nodded, "Yes." Emma turned to her closet, while Alanna looked around. "Really nice room, it's… soothing." Emma turned around, handing Alanna some sweatpants and a loose t-shirt. "It was meant to be. Think these will work?" Alanna nodded, "Thanks. Sort of your sanctuary within Sanctuary?" Emma smiled as she turned Alanna's wheelchair around and pushed her out of the room, closing the door behind her. "Sort of."
Adam and the remaining members of Mutant X were holding a discussion in the lab while Adam removed splinters from Shalimar's exposed skin. "Why was Eckhart so focused on getting Alanna?" Brennan asked as Adam deposited a large sliver of wood into a metal dish with a dull ping. Jesse guiltily looked on as Adam dropped another splinter into the dish, wincing as it hit; "Well as far as we know she's a Feral and Psionic. That alone would be a good proposition for one of his agents." Adam nodded as Shalimar got up and Brennan sat on the chair; "Or an assassin." He said pointedly. Shalimar looked at Adam, grim faced. "Why her and not an invisible?" Adam paused a moment, before dropping another splinter into the dish. "Could be he couldn't find an invisible in the first place, they're not easy to catch either. A feral is just one step down from a stealth assassin, and a little easier to spot and catch at a young age." He pointed out, checking for more splinters.
Emma walked in, a small smile on her face. Brennan got up, vacating the examining chair so Emma could sit. "Your turn," Adam said, grabbing a new pair of tweezers. Emma sighed and sat on the edge of the chair. Shalimar looked at Emma expectantly as she stood. "She's taking her shower," Emma said as Adam started to pick shards of wood from her skin. "Something happened," Shalimar said, raising an eyebrow. Emma nodded, grimacing as Adam removed a splinter. "She blanked out for a moment." Adam's eyebrows shot up at Emma's statement as he dropped the splinter onto the pile in the dish.
"Blanked out?" Jesse asked curiously, pushing off of the wall. "I don't think it's anything to worry about." Adam stated. As Brennan grimaced, and continued on their earlier conversation "Did he use her as a lab rat?" Adam nodded, putting down the tweezers down. "It's probable. It's rare that you have two mutations in the same area, but almost unheard of to have yet another in a separate classification. She would be very valuable to him in that prospect. " Adam stopped, shaking his head at the idea.
"He was using her as a guinea pig, and after that was through with his experiments, he was going to use her as a killing machine." Shalimar stated shortly, as Emma involuntarily shivered from the implications for Eckhart in the underlying vehemence. Adam didn't need to confirm that statement; it verified itself through Eckhart's previous actions. After a few seconds Brennan pushed off of the wall he had been leaning against, "So what are we going to do after she's healed?" Adam sighed, "Take her back to her parents, and put them in the underground." "I wanted to talk to you about her parents Adam," Emma asserted after he had finished his statement. "She had several old bruises, too old to be from Eckhart." Emma glanced at Shalimar, sensing a barely controlled rage that pounded through her shields. "You're saying her parents abused her?" Adam asked, knowing that she was correct, he had seen the bruises himself and had dismissed them to Eckhart's causing at first.
Emma nodded. "We can't put her in the underground alone," Shalimar stated, clearly outlining what she thought they should do. "Shalimar she's fifteen!" Adam exclaimed as Shalimar glared at him, "She doesn't have anywhere else, Adam. Where do you expect to put her? With another family that will abuse her?" Shal asked heatedly as Adam interrupted; "What about school?" Jesse answered before Shalimar could, "There are computer schooling programs." He interjected, smiling a little. Adam looked at the other four, sighing as he saw the looks of determination on all of their faces. "Another teenager in Sanctuary at my age." Adam stated as Shalimar grinned. "Was I that bad?" She asked jokingly. Jesse smirked and nodded. "Ouch!" He yelped as Shalimar punched his shoulder, rubbing it and glowering at the laughing feral.
Alanna smiled as she rolled herself in. "What did I miss?" She asked, dressed now in the sweatpants and t-shirt. Adam raised his eyebrows at the large cat sitting on her lap, "How about we take this out of the lab?" Alanna nodded, backing herself out of the doorway. Emma walked beside Alanna as they made their way to the rec room, and sat beside her as the rest of the group arranged themselves in chairs. Alanna nervously stroked her cat as Adam sat across from her, avoiding their eyes as she looked into her cat's uncannily blue ones.
The emotion from them that piled on her was one of content, happiness, decision and welcome as she scanned tentatively. Puzzled she looked at Emma, wondering what Adam was going to say. Emma just gave her a comforting smile, still puzzled she looked to Adam as he began to talk; "We've talked about you staying here at Sanctuary; and you are definitely going to stay here until you are healed. But, if you want, you can stay." Alanna looked at them in turn, disbelief showing for a moment then a small, tentative smile. "Do you really mean that?" She asked, riveting her iron gray eyes on Adam.
Adam nodded, meeting her gaze. Shalimar walked over to Alanna and knelt beside the wheelchair. Alanna looked at Shalimar, relief and gratitude illustrated on her face as Shal spoke; "You never have to go back." Alanna's eyes filled as she hugged Shalimar, forcing her disgruntled cat off of his perch. "Thank you." Alanna said softly, returning to her sitting position when her gash complained. "Thank you. All of you." She said slightly louder as her cat resettled on her lap. Brennan smiled, getting up; "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starved." Alanna laughed when her stomach rumbled loudly at the end of his sentence. "I think you read my mind, or rather," she paused with a chuckle "my stomach."