Okay! This is where things really pick up speed. This is my longest chapter yet so if you haven't reviewed for any past chapters at least review for this one. Have FUN!! I'm sorry I didn't get this up sooner (I would have because of all the great reviews) but I kind of got distracted by… Harry Potter. Oh well. I promise If I get a lot of reviews for this chapters that the next one will come up much sooner.

Disclaimer: NOT MINE, wish they were but THEY'RE NOT. However Corey and Analyn do belong to me along with a couple of others, if you use, ask first.

Bold indicates emphasis on a word.

Italics indicate thoughts, or time lapse

***** indicate time lapse or scene change

Chapter 3

A Mask Unveiled

"You made a mutant?!? I thought you weren't in that department!"

"I was not, but he was my sol creation. There were all kinds of projects separate from the group work and I decided to make one of my own while I was at it. I had all the resources I needed, so when the Monroes came and left me their son to treat him for damaged nerves I improved on him more than they knew. I tampered with his nerve center enabling him to be conscious to a lot more of his brain activity. This in turn made him a telepath and a precog. To give you an idea of his power, us humans merely use 10% of our brain capacity; the average psionic uses around 52% while this mutant… he uses over 85%. But… I've never produced a successful one since. That is why I need him, so I can study what I did to make him the mutant he is."

"I don't think there's much luck, no one knows where he's been the last five years!"

"Taking that into consideration I think I can find just the person who does. Or rather just the mutant."

************

"I have just the assignment for you Miss DeLauro. One I know you can handle with your… talents."

"I don't know… I don't think they're buying my excuses any more! They're getting suspicious." Emma was talking over a cell phone with Eckhart. "Okay, okay. I'll get right on it." Eckhart hung up the phone and turned to the approaching Darnel.

"Why is she informed of this contact before me? I'm higher ranking--"

"But she is more valuable; therefore, she knows first."

"Fine, but who is this mutant you think knows where Mr. Monroe is?"

"Oh, I don't think she knows. I know she knows." Eckhart smiled smugly at Ms. Darnel before proceeding to answer her question. "Her name is Analyn, Analyn Carter. She has had past… acquaintances with Corey Monroe and there is evidence she was the last known person to be in contact with Mr. Monroe. Though she will be tough to get at I know Emma DeLauro can get her." Darnel, still looking puzzled stared at Eckhart's superior look as if he'd already succeeded.

**********

"NOOOO!! Get OFF!!!!" Screams filled the air as far as the sound could carry as Emma was wrestling with a girl around the age of 19 or 20. She was screaming her head off making it difficult for Emma to concentrate to get into her mind. "You have no right you thieving bitch!!"

"You are going to pay for that!" Focusing her abilities Emma used her frustration to throw a desk at this girl, Analyn, but much to Emma's surprise the desk stopped mid-air. Now Analyn was staring down the desk and was much better at it than Emma; obviously she was a telekinetic so she had much more focused abilities and precise aim. Emma knew that if she tried to enter Analyn's mind instead the desk would knock her out the window. Deciding quickly Emma switched her focus to Analyn's mind and the desk started flying straight for her but right before it collided with her it stopped dead and dropped. Emma had tampered with her mind fast enough that she could no longer concentrate; therefore, avoiding being hit with a desk. Emma knocked her unconscious and threw Analyn over her shoulder, carried her to the van and sped off.

************

"Where is he HIDING!?!" Emma, along with Darnel, stood in a cramped dark room questioning Analyn. She sat tied to the back of a chair, this way she couldn't use her telekinesis. Eckhart knew she wasn't developed enough to focus her power without her hands. Darnel constantly threatened by holding a fireball up to Analyn's face who still refused that she knew any Corey Monroe. "I swear it'll feel like you are dying a thousand deaths if you don't tell us where he is!!" Darnel was now breathing heavily and sweating, as Emma stood back a little bit with some of her face cloaked in shadows.

"Please Miss Darnel, relax. There has got to be a better way than this to get answers out of her." Eckhart's voice came over an intercom. He was standing in a room that had a window into where they were but from the other side you can't tell because it looks like a mirror. "Miss DeLauro, Why don't you take a whack at it?" Emma stepped forward.

"You should have heeded her warning and told us willingly." Emma said darkly before powering up a psionic blast in front of her. She fired it off, hitting Analyn in the head and causing her head to roll on her shoulders. She wasn't unconscious, yet. "Now, tell us the last known location of Corey Monroe." Analyn's eyes rolled to the back of her head and back to the front, as she seemed dazed. Her jaw opened slightly; she was about to say something.

"Umnhhh…" She made sort of yawning sound and sat up as straight as she could in the restraints and looking right into her captor's eyes. "Not in your life," she paused, "bitch."

"That's IT!!" Emma screamed, but Darnel got there first. She powered up a fireball, about to torch their victim, when an alarm started filling the entire building. Everyone stopped and looked around them, wondering why it was going off.

"You two, follow me immediately." They started towards Eckhart and the door but stopped to look back at Analyn. "Leave her." They didn't need another order telling them so, as they rushed into the surveillance room to look over all the security cameras.

"So? Who's come to bother us this time?" Darnel asked, annoyed, as they walked up to a camera.

"Oh, shit." Emma saw on the screen two figures advancing through the complex.

"Well," started Eckhart. "It looks like Miss Fox and Mister Kilmartin have decided to… join us." Emma stared at the screen and began backing away.

"Uhhh… I, I gotta go. I have to leave." Emma said in a very urgent far off kind of voice.

"Where do you think you're going Miss DeLauro. You said so yourself you're at my disposal, so--"

"So?"

"Dispose of them."

"Hey, you know? I did sign up for this but it's not the right time! There are very important things that need to be accomplished with the leverage I have here. Anyway…" Emma trailed off, staring at Jesse on the monitor.

"Anyway what?!?" Darnel butted into their 'conversation'.

"What they don't know won't hurt them." Emma hurried off down the hall and Darnel started after her only to be stopped by an arm. Eckhart's to be precise.

"You… won't be following her or trying to stop her. Understand?"

"But you, she--"

"She is right. If she reveals herself now, then we'll lose valuable playing field. For the time being, as long as Adam does not know that's one for us and nothing for him." Both turned to watch the monitor. They were interested in seeing Emma's escape from the complex without her 'teammates' knowing she was ever there.

**Elsewhere**

Shalimar and Jesse made their way through the halls, any guards they met didn't stop them for very long. They made an impeccable team with speed and strength. Plus there was no wall they couldn't get through with Jesse there.

"Okay, why exactly are we here again?" Shalimar asked Jesse, this was very short notice and Adam had only told them to get this mutant Analyn away from Eckhart as quickly as possible.

"Apparently Analyn knows or is said to know very important information and we can't let Eckhart get it."

"Well we could be screwed! She's been here over an hour, and who knows what she's said about anything!

"Shal relax. We're in, we're out, piece of cake! So go on, sense away." Shalimar's eyes went feral as she slowly walked down the halls. She sniffed the air.

"This way!" Shal said pointing left, at a four-way intersection. They turned and began to run. "Okay, right!" They hurried onward. "Right again! Now straight ahead!" They came to a door that (duh!) was locked. "Will you do the honors?"

"Certainly." Jesse said as he pressed his hand against the door and it became slightly distorted as he phased it. "Ladies first." Shal walked in, followed by Jesse. In the room was a girl around the age of 19 chained to a chair. There was only a single light that hung on a long cord from the ceiling. The girl was out of it, dripping in cold sweat.

"Hey," Shalimar nudged the girl and whispered to her. The girl, Analyn, woke from her trance with a start. "We're going to get you out of here. Don't worry." Shalimar stood back as Jesse lay his hands on the chains, phasing them off the girl. "We need to get out of here, and fast!" Shal rushed her whispers.

"Wait," It took Analyn all she could muster to say that, when out of nowhere she just collapsed from exhaustion. Jesse and Shalimar shot looks at each other as if conversing without words. Apparently Jesse lost this wordless argument because he leaned over and picked her up so she was lying over his right shoulder.

"Ready when you are." Jesse said since he couldn't phase the door without dropping Analyn. Shal flashed her feral eyes at Jesse before she leapt off the right wall and kicked down the door mid-air. They took no time to waste as they hurried down the halls led by instinct.

Meanwhile, somewhere near the opposite side of the complex Emma was making her way, a bit panic stricken, through the maze of halls. Turning left, right, left, left, right, she had no idea where she was or where she was going. Panting heavily she tried to calm herself down and went on, practically running. She was rounding a corner; about to go right when she stopped. Holding her breath and concentrating, one more step and she would have run right into Shalimar and Jesse.

"Hold IT!" Shalimar yelled to Jesse, her eyes flashing feral as she looked to her left staring up and down the hall. Taking slow steps in that general direction she sniffed the air.

"What?!?" Jesse yelled and looked around curiously where she was.

"I could have sworn there was someone there." Shal's eyes were still glowing feral as she continued investigating. Holding her arms out in front of her, feeling for something.

******

"Ingenious." Eckhart said as he and Darnel watched the screen that projected the image of the intersection that Emma, Shalimar, and Jesse were in.

"I know, she's standing right in front of them, and they don't even know she's there. She did cut it a little close though."

"It doesn't matter how close she cut it. What matters is she's safe… for now."

******

Emma stood very still as Shalimar reached out and actually touched her. Gritting her teeth, Emma concentrated even harder in order to trick Shal into believing she wasn't touching anything.

"That's just so weird. I know that there was someone… or at least something there. I sensed it."

"Yeah well, do you sense anything there now? Come on Shal we need to--"

"Maybe, maybe it was a new mutant with invisibility!" Shalimar said, cutting Jesse off. She kept on feeling around and was actually touching Emma, but all her senses were blocked in processing the physical evidence that would tell her someone was right in front of her. "I know there was someone here." Shalimar mumbled to herself.

"SHAL!" She jumped since Jesse yelled without warning. "We need to go! Before the reinforcements locate us." He grabbed her by the arm and started pulling her forward. Still concentrating hard, Emma walked faster so she cut in front of them.

"If they came from that way then this must be the way out." Emma thought to herself, making sure to stay well ahead of her 'friends'. She put all her focus on Shalimar and Jesse as she made her way, walking backwards, to the exit. "I have to make sure they don't know the door is opening. Otherwise they'll be too suspicious and Shal already suspects something." Emma felt for the handle to the door and pushed. Luckily it made no sound when opening and she was safely outside. Dropping all her focus she ran for her car, jumped in through the sun roof, plugged the key in the ignition and backed the car right out of the lot (very fast I might add). Right after she was on the road speeding off Shalimar and Jesse came out of the complex, Jesse carrying Analyn, and they uncloaked the Helix for take-off.

************

Back at Sanctuary Emma pulled into the garage, not as fast as she had left. Looking around she saw the Helix was not back yet so she had made good time. She entered and walked into the lab where Brennan and Adam were.

"Hey! Look who decided to show up." Brennan said in response to her entrance. "We haven't seen you around for a while. So… what have you been up to?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Well, that's an awfully long time to be gone for nothing." Brennan teased. Emma shot him a look, but Adam interrupted this little exchange.

"Okay, we need to get ready. Jesse and Shalimar are going to be back any minute with Analyn." Emma needed to pretend she didn't know what was going on so she gave him a puzzled look. "Analyn is a new mutant psionic, and earlier she was apprehended by some of Eckhart's people. She has very important information that we must ensure does not get out in the open. If it does, it could be like all hell breaking loose. It would not be good."

"You still haven't explained to me, Adam, what we're going to do here." Brennan cut in. Adam looked up at him from his work, almost like he was holding something back.

"First we need to test her DNA. Make sure that it's all in order. I also think she is a much more powerful mutant than she leads on. Analyn, I believe, is a very hard mutant to break. Our work is probably cut out for us and Analyn didn't reveal anything to Eckhart or his people." For once Adam actually seemed confidant in what he was saying about a mutant on their mission. This was one of the few times Adam was probably telling everything instead of holding back.

"So we're going to what? Make her comfortable? I still don't get it." Emma's gaze turned to Brennan when he said that, and he almost looked… upset?

"I think someone is mad he didn't get to go on the mission this time." Emma said teasingly and she looked away from him when she said that. Brennan looked up with a fake hurt face.

"You know that isn't funny." Brennan said through a sarcastic chuckle.

"On the contrary I thought it was very funny!" Emma said looking straight at him. While this went on Adam just laughed to himself and continued his work.

"You won't think it's so funny when I'M through with you." Brennan began to run after her, but in mid-step there was the sound of the hanger door closing, and footsteps could be heard. With an addition of talking.

"Okay!" Jesse said coming into the lab. He lay Analyn on the lab chair and backed up. He turned to Shalimar, "You know? She is A LOT heavier than she looks."

"Well then it was a good thing you carried her. You being a big strong man and me being a petite little lady." Shal seemed very smug with her answer as Jesse just glared at her as if saying 'you are anything but a little lady'. She then went over to see what Adam and Brennan were working on.

"So you're back." Jesse said walking over to Emma. "Where have you been all this time? It's like I… we never get to see you anymore." Emma took a long pause, just looking into Jesse's clear blue eyes. She felt like there was a hole in her stomach. Then pulling herself together she answered him.

"Oh… you know. I've been… around." The voice she spoke in was kind of raspy as if she was losing it. Jesse just looked down at the floor after she answered. "That, ahem!" She cleared her throat. "That wasn't the answer you were looking for… was it?"

"If you don't want to tell me that's fine. We need to attend to Analyn anyway; she seemed really out of it. When we rescued her she fainted before we got her loose, so I had to carry her all the way back here."

"Stop complaining!" Shal said in a play mocking sort of voice. "At least you didn't have to carry her when we flew back in the Double Helix." Once again Jesse glared at her.

"Alright, let me run a full diagnostics to see what the problem is." Adam said, punching in some keys. "Activate scan." The usual beam came down from the ceiling and went up and down Analyn twice before showing the results.

"So what seems to be the problem?" Shal asked, looking from the girl to the screen.

"It seems there's mass brain activity. Look at the fluctuation of her brainwaves, it indicates possible signs of mass trauma."

"Well, can we fix it?" Brennan questioned, crossing his arms.

"Usually I would… but there doesn't seem to be any signs of injury. So… trauma couldn't have been the cause since physically she's perfectly fit." Emma just listened to all this. She would do something to try and act less suspicious but she didn't want to lead them onto her trail when they couldn't even find it.

"Still, I've got to say something. I could convince them a different possibility than what actually happen. Bend the truth so it's still believable but keeps me safe." Emma thought hard as to what she could say. "Adam, is it possible that the trauma could have been caused, or induced rather, by a psionic mutant?"

"Hmmm… Actually that is a definite possibility. It would explain the lack of injury in order to produce trauma."

"What, so Eckhart has a new psionic on his pay roll?" Jesse asked, slightly annoyed by this considerable fact. "Judging by the look on your face, Adam, this isn't good, is it?"

"No, it's not. With a psionic that could do this much damage to a strong-minded person such as Analyn. Who knows what else they're capable of? I'm just letting you all know right away, and Emma, with a psionic this strong they may even be a challenge to you." Emma did her best to look as if she were trying to hide fear even though there wasn't any really there. Brennan had just made his way to a console, checking something, when.

"Hey guys? I think we have a problem." Everyone looked up at him when he said this.

"What is it?" Emma asked Brennan the question that was in all of their minds.

"Looks like Eckhart's men are on the move. They've already broken into one of our running safe houses to gain themselves leverage in this situation."

"So he's trying to blackmail us into handing him Analyn back? Ha! If he thinks we'll need to resort to that he has another thing coming." Shalimar said what some of them were thinking.

"Shal! He's already got hostages. We can't just abandon them!"

"Brennan is right, we have to think this through. Right now we need to try and take everything back before they can get away with it." Emma realized she needed to come up with an excuse not to go and fight Eckhart's men. Everyone had started towards the hanger and Emma was about to say something when.

"Ahgg! My head." Jesse cried as he almost collapsed but the wall broke his fall. Brennan had lifted his right hand, putting his middle finger and thumb on his temples. They couldn't resist their mutations any longer, the one that compelled them to fight each other. Then Brennan powered up his electricity and shot a stream of it at Jesse. Luckily he phased before it could hit him.

"Not again!" Emma moaned in her head. It's like it's my job to look after those two now!

"Adam! I still don't get why they do this!" Shal yelled as she and Adam struggled to stop the quarrel. "Can't they fight it?"

"Not quite yet, this concept is too new to them. They don't have as much experience dealing with fighting their instincts as you do. Apparently since both of them mutated it caused some sort of subconscious battle for the alpha male position. I think that the mutant gene, well the male mutant gene, has a similar make-up as an animal's so it's possible every male mutant may eventually if not already have to go through this." Jesse and Brennan's fight had become more intense already. They weren't even speaking, just locking warrants. Brennan already had thrown several electric streams at Jesse, and all of them missed. Now it was Jesse's chance, he had disappeared into a wall and Brennan searched for where he went. Then he came up behind Brennan massed and smashed his fist into Brennan's shoulder.

"DAMN!" Brennan yelled in pain, as he took the chance and finally shocked Jess but not with as much force as he would have liked to. Jesse did the same thing again and came up behind Brennan, about to mass and hit him.

"Emma!" Adam and Shalimar spoke in unison, and they didn't even need to ask her since she knew why they said her name.

"Here I go, once again Emma to the rescue. Whop dee doo." Jesse had unphased; about to smash Brennan in again when Emma's forehead began to glow pale lavender. Then as if time had stopped for a split second Brennan and Jesse's foreheads began to glow the same color as her own. They both stopped mid-motion, then relaxed, ceasing their fight as the glow died down. Both boys were panting from exhaustion.

"Thanks, pant, pant, Emma." Emma didn't even need Jesse to say that 'cause she could see it in his eyes. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes as he took slower, deeper breaths.

"Yeah, cough, Emma. I don't know what we'd do…" He faded out and coughed some more as he tried to quickly recover from that smash in the shoulder blade Jesse had delivered. Pulling himself together, "I wish that… thing," he gestured to his forehead, as he was talking about whatever Emma did, " would last longer, I mean it's not like I actually want to fight you Jesse."

"Hey, I know how you feel. After all it's happening to me too isn't it?"

"Enough of this, are both of okay?" Adam asked, rushing the situation.

"Fine."

"Fine." Echoed Brennan, both spoke in monotone.

"Then we need to get moving and stop Eckhart's people."

"Uh… Adam?" He stopped, walking towards the door, the others did too but he gestured them to go on. She didn't need to wait for him to ask what because it was what his face was saying. "I think I should hang back."

"Emma out of all of you you'll be needed the most. Especially if this psionic is there."

"Well I'll be ready if you absolutely need my help, but I think someone should stay back with Analyn. I mean what if she wakes up and there's no one here. She'd probably go into panic."

"Very well, but you will be ready to come if I call?" Emma smiled confidently when Adam asked this.

"Do you even have to ask?" She watched Adam follow the path of the others towards the Helix. Then once she heard it take-off and the hanger door close she turned back to Analyn with beady eyes.

************

"This is getting boring!" Darnel said with a sigh of annoyance. She looked around, "where the hell are they. Don't they even care that we found one of their safe houses and took hostages?!?" Darnel paced back and forth inside the pharmacy that masked the hidden chamber beneath it.

"Please Miss Darnel, this is Adam we're talking about. He won't pass up a chance to save his freakish creations." Eckhart looked the group of three hostages up and down. "Nice work containing them."

"Do you really think he'll take part in an exchange?"

"Not at first; Adam will do everything in his power to avoid it, and that is where you and your… allies come in. You are going to beat it into them that they will have no choice other than a trade to save these three. I expect he hasn't told them the information Miss Analyn knows, so his entire team will back this up as well. They will all rather save three and lose one than save one and lose three." Darnel looked curiously at Eckhart as he smiled smugly.

Not much time had passed when the sounds of a brewing fight came in from the outside through the door. Eckhart looked out the front of the building and caught a glimpse of Shalimar beating the crap out of two currently unarmed agents.

"Show time." Eckhart said as Darnel exited, followed by two other new mutant agents.

"This is too easy." Jesse said as he massed and punched two guys in the heads.

"Well then, allow me to step it up a notch." The woman known as Karyn Darnel stepped forward and behind her stood two others. She was more rugged looking because she had her long red hair down and it seemed to cause her eyes to have a real fire to them. She no longer wore a professional suit but more comfortable clothes so it'd be easier to fight.

"You don't look so tough." Shalimar said confidently as she walked forward to pick a fight with her. Then Shal leapt forward and would have kick Karyn in the stomach in mid-air, but right before she could the agent formed a ring of fire around herself. Shal forced herself down as quickly as she could. She didn't run from it as she had convinced herself she wasn't afraid of it, but she couldn't go forward to fight either.

"I think you're the one who isn't so tough, Shalimar Fox. I have heard that you willed yourself to be around fire and 'conquer' your fear. All you have done is suppress it, which in this case isn't good for you at all." Karyn then gathered up the fire surrounding her into the palm of her hand, "heads up." She then shot a stream of fire aimed at Shalimar's head. Luckily she did a back bend just in time to avoid it.

"That's it, you're going down." Brennan stepped forward to protect Shalimar. He then powered up electricity on both of his hands. Karyn walked forward and began hand-to-hand combat with him. As they fought each other she was able to turn Brennan around with a kick in the back so he was facing away from her. Taking advantage of this she walked up to him, about to touch him, but he grabbed her hand before she reached him. They stared daggers at each other and then Karyn took her left hand and placed it over the right side of his face. Immediately Brennan let go his grip and tore away from her. "Argh!" His hands covered that side of his face as he yelled in pain.

"Shal don't worry, I'll take care of her." Jesse went forward as Shalimar went to see what was wrong with Brennan.

"Brennan, what did she do?" Finally getting him to pull his hand from his face she gasped. There was a burn mark in the shape of a hand and it even went over his eye. The one it covered, the right one, was bloodshot. "Oh my God." Brennan covered it back up as Shal told him to go to Adam who was trying to break into his own safe-house which Eckhart's agents had put into lock down. "You know he'll have some way to treat it."

"Hey, I'll be back 'cause she doesn't look like a walk in the park." Brennan didn't like to leave in the middle of a fight but he had to. The pain was too much.

Meanwhile, Jesse was throwing some punches Karyn's way but so far did not successfully hit her; although, she hadn't hit him with her fire yet either. Jesse was overall feeling confident in this fight; then he massed to avoid being hurt by one of her kicks. Taking advantage of Jesse in his massed state Karyn grabbed his neck, while he was still massed. Suddenly, smoke began rising from where her hands were and Jesse fell backwards as he took deep breaths, clutching his neck in the process. When he moved his hands Shal saw a huge burn mark on the front of his neck.

"Oh… my… God!!!" yelled Shalimar through gritted teeth. "I'll get you, you flaming little bitch!!!" Shalimar was at least fifteen feet away from her and she tackled her in a single leap. Karyn didn't go down, but Shal stood on her shoulders and got in several punches that in turn made her collapse. At this the other two new mutant agents joined the fight. Jesse forced himself to recover so he could go help Shalimar.

"You're mine, molecular!" The other woman blocked Jesse's path to pick a fight with him. She leapt in the air to deliver a kick but he phased through it. Quickly, he massed himself so he could knock her out but when their punches met she was the one to block his, despite the fact he was massed. The woman then picked him up (he was still massed) and threw him against a brick wall which crumbled around him upon collision.

"You need to get back out there!" Adam told Brennan as he was punching in codes to try and override his own security. Brennan turned to leave, he wasn't going to argue with Adam (not now anyway). "Before you go lock warrants I need you to give this a little jumpstart." Brennan's solemn face conveying a bit of pain showed a bit of his normal smirk as he powered up an electrical stream.

"Here we go." Said Brennan as he let loose his power into the tiny box. It immediately sprung to life, allowing Adam entrance. "Now I'm outta here." Since he was distracted from it the pain didn't seem as bad anymore. He hurried to go rejoin the fight. When he got there Shal was out numbered, as she was fighting the thermal and the only man who had to be some kind of feral. He was literally climbing the walls. While Jesse was not doing to well against the woman who apparently had muscle-enhancement. Fed up with the thermal mutant, Brennan powered up and let loose a high voltage bolt from his hands. It probably would have hurt her more if she wasn't surrounded by a heat wave that lowered the electricity to a point that it couldn't do damage. It still did some good, as she broke away from her fight with Shal and took on Brennan.

"That was a biiiig mistake pal." Her eyes raged with fire as she let out a stream of heat. Brennan matched her strength as he shot a stream of lightning to block the heat. Both streams fought each other back and forth until it was at the point where both of them were hit with a little voltage and heat. The force knocked each of them on their backs.

Shalimar was not having much luck with this feral, who apparently was an Insectum. He could walk up walls and had much more strength than she did. He could match her punches and kicks as well as get past them. She was actually looking beaten with bruises on her face, stomach, arms, and probably a few other places not currently visible. Shal's lack of fight was also due to the fact she constantly looked over at Jesse and Brennan's fights. Neither of them was doing to good; Brennan had the burns to prove it and Jesse probably had several bruised, if not broken, ribs.

From afar Adam watched his team suffering extreme damage from their fights. He knew that if they were to win this fight it'd have to be mind over matter. He would have to call in the cavalry, Emma.

************

Emma stared at Analyn for a very long time. She kept thinking to herself to figure out what her next move would be.

"What am I going to do with you? You're not supposed to be here. I could've gotten something out of you if I had, had more time." Just as she was finally getting deep in thought Adam's voice rang over the comlink system.

"Emma we need you here right away! The only way for them to walk away from this fight is mind over matter. Get here as soon as possible!" There was a pause and Emma knew Adam was waiting for an answer.

"Be right there." She replied, and began getting her coat on. All ready to go Emma paused. "What am I doing, I don't want to get myself into that fight. Even if I hadn't made that deal with Eckhart I still wouldn't want to go fight! At least not this time." As Emma pondered her thoughts another voice came over a communicator but it wasn't the comlink system and it definitely wasn't one of her teammates.

"Miss DeLauro." Eckhart's voice sounded no different over machine. "Is Analyn with you?" Not needing to have a conversation about this Emma said something that applied to all of the above Eckhart would ask her.

"We are on our way." Emma said before shutting of her communicator. Then she grabbed Analyn tightly around the right arm and began dragging her towards the garage. At this point she was beginning to awaken so she was half walking, half being dragged. Analyn's eyes fluttered open and when she saw who was pulling her she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"OH MY GOD!!!" She struggled to get out of Emma's grip and get as far from her captor as possible. Emma knew this would happen and was prepared for action. "What, what are you doing here!?! I was rescued by Mutant X, you work for that bastard, Eckhart!!" Turning her head to the left, Emma powered up a psionic blast and hit her in the forehead with it.

"I'm not the one who captured you, it was someone else. Mutant X did rescue you but this place is still not safe." Emma began giving Analyn posthypnotic suggestions. This was part of her ability whenever she hit someone with one of her mental blasts. "I am going to take you to a much safer place. Right now we are in an abandoned safe-house." This worked very well, as Analyn immediately began cooperating. Emma then lead her to one of Mutant X's many vehicles. "Get in."

"Where are we going?" Analyn asked, naïve as a little child.

Emma hesitated; about to yell when she decided a calmer approach would be better. "Someplace safe." She said before getting in herself. Starting up the engine she pulled out of the garage and into the mountains with Analyn in the passenger seat.

"If, if we just came out of an abandoned safe-house. How come we're in the mountains surrounded by forests?" Emma turned her head to the left and hit Analyn with another psionic blast.

"We're not in the woods on a mountain; we are in the suburbs surrounded by many houses. Now we are beginning to enter the outskirts of the city. The buildings are getting bigger." Emma once again ended her posthypnotic suggestion, and was quite proud of herself for her capabilities.

************

"Where the hell is she!?!" Shouted Brennan, while he delivered a higher voltage shock to Karyn, the thermal, as payback for the burns she gave him.

"Shouldn't she be here already?!?" Jesse yelled to Adam who had come to help them out a bit in their fight.

"I contacted her almost twenty minutes ago she should be here soon." Adam reassured the two men.

"And she will!" Shal chimed in, having faith that their friend would soon be there to give them a hand.

No sooner had this conversation gone on that a silver car pulled up right to the fight and Emma got out of the driver's side. Her friends' faces showed traces of relief as they still continued to fight. If they were able to get a closer glimpse they'd notice the dark look upon Emma's face. Everything that occurred next happened in what seemed slow motion to everyone.

Emma pulled Analyn out of the car on the other side, and very roughly too. Adam looked up, wondering why.

"Emma! Why did you bring her?!? It's not safe for her here. She should be back at Sanctuary!"

"On the contrary Adam, depending on whose point of view she'll be perfectly safe here." Emma walked Analyn through the fight to the front of the pharmacy. There was an agent standing guard there and with her left hand still holding onto Analyn she took a gun out of the holster of the agent with her other hand. She pointed the gun at Adam. "I'm fed up with this Adam! All of you better stop… NOW!" She cocked the gun to prove she meant business.

"Emma!" Jesse, Shalimar and Brennan all yelled her name in unison as they tried to take it in that this was actually happening.

"Emma, what do you think you're doing?" Jesse said in a calmer voice since he figured that yelling would get them nowhere.

"I'll tell you what she's doing Mister Kilmartin." Eckhart cut in as he waltzed right out of the pharmacy, accompanied by four of his agents. "Miss DeLauro is simply doing her job, and she's doing a damn good job if I do say so myself." The remainder of Mutant X exchanged bewildered looks.

"You can't do this Emma." Emma probably would have lashed out with a snide remark to counter Brennan's, but she was in too good of a mood with herself.

"You know what? You're right Brennan." Emma dropped the gun about two feet in front of her. "Using a gun would be doing things the hard way in my case. Why use a gun to do what needs to be done when I have all I need inside my here?" She pointed to her forehead as she finished her sentence. Turning her attention Emma held out Analyn by her shoulders. "I believe you were looking for her." Emma said handing her over, but before she did she hit Analyn with another psionic blast. "They will take you to a safe place." Analyn just nodded as three agents stuffed her into one of the vans.

"I am very pleased with your efforts Miss DeLauro. All of you!! Back in the vans!! We're through here." Eckhart complemented Emma as he gave his other mutants orders. Everyone began piling in and Emma went in last.

"You can't do this Emma!! You can't!" Brennan yelled practically in anger after her.

"How Emma?!? WHY!?!" Shouted Shalimar. Adam was too speechless to say anything and Jesse. Well, Jesse was more stunned so what he was saying you couldn't hear unless you were right next to him. He was basically was whispering to himself, but Emma could hear him.

"How could you do this Emma, and why on earth would you even want to? You betrayed us." Jesse's whispers echoed inside her head. She hadn't closed the door yet to the van she was in which also contained Eckhart, Analyn and a couple agents. Turning her emotions to anger she reemerged from the vehicle.

"You shouldn't even need to ASK THAT!!!" Emma yelled walking in their direction. "The lot of you are in denial if you can't even figure out why!! And Adam… you had it coming." As Emma turned and started walking back, she could sense everyone's confusion turn to anger just because of what she said. Brennan and Shalimar started to follow her, actually thinking they would attack her. "This'll teach you!!" Emma turned back around and first hit Adam with a psionic blast. They stopped in their tracks. She then hit Brennan followed by Shalimar. Knocking them down like dominoes. Turning to Jesse she hesitated, unlike with the others. Emma had powered up a psionic blast but hadn't fired it off.

"Emma…" Jesse started pleading softly. "Please." Emma looked right into Jesse's eyes and even from a distance she felt she could see right into him effortlessly. Emma began shaking her head back and forth.

"I'm sorry Jess." Emma mouthed and fired off the last blast hitting Jesse, and making him crumple to the ground where the others lay beaten, bruised and well… burned. She stood there a moment just staring at Jesse's still body amongst the others.

"Please Miss DeLauro! We need to get a move on." Taking one last look, Emma hurried back to the van, got in and closed the door as the van took off. Although she boiled with anger she still looked back almost longingly at her former teammate's motionless body lying on the pavement until it was out of sight.

"I'm sorry Jesse, but I had to. You wouldn't understand." After that thought Emma cleared her mind as it soon began to fill with vengeful thoughts. "And so it starts."

TBC…

So? What did you guys think? Am I doing a good job at keeping you guys at the edge of your seats? Like I said at the top this is my longest chapter yet. It comes to over 7,000 words, so please, if you haven't reviewed yet at least send one in for this chapter. If you had time to read this you definitely have enough time to send in a little review.