Chapter 22
By frickangel
It was the oddest feeling he had ever felt. Sort of like someone pulling him around in a washing machine.
The first cycle and then spin dry.
Those three words were enough to have him hold on to the fragile tendrils of life and to sort out the mess.
I love you…
Another turbulent pull at his body and he felt everything go topsy-turvey, This wasn't how it was like, it was never this rough.
Unless…
Something went wrong.
"Ok Sparky, so we're in. Do your stuff." Lexa hissed through clenched teeth as she held onto half of Jesse's weight on her shoulders.
"God, don't you ever shut up?" Shalimar bit back loudly, throwing her hands up in the air. "You just have to have the last word in everything don't you?"
Trying to release her ultimate death glares on the feral, Lexa stopped walking, "So what if I do?"
"My other self must have a hell lotta self control to not kick you to kingdom come."
"Yeah," Lexa smirked, "And by the looks of it she also has better fashion sense than you do."
Jesse gulped with dread- this was getting ugly. "Uh… girls…?"
Shalimar let herself slipped into her feral mode, deep golden eyes glowed. "Why you little bi-."
"Quit it you two!" Brennan bellowed loudly, his agitated voice echoing through what remains of the Naxcom building. "Two bickering women isn't what we need right now."
For two seconds there were united in one common goal, "Brennan, shut up." Lexa and Shalimar spitted back at him in unison.
He sighed and shook his head, "Women can be so damn touchy." He walked away from them, trying to find the centre of the building.
"I'm a woman." Emma muttered back, her gag had been removed when Brennan saw that she wouldn't be spouting anymore songs or rhymes.
He had almost forgotten he was holding on Emma's arm and dragging her with him. "Yes, you are." He stopped where they were and took time to push back her stray strands of hair plastered on her sweaty face.
In the smallest fragment of time as he looked into her eyes and her stoic expression, he almost felt like it was the Emma he loved, the one he had held so close to himself during cold nights. The one he ran to for emotional support and love.
But now, it was his turn to return the favour, he would be the one giving all the support she needs; he was determined to get back the person he fell in love with.
"Come on, let's go." He resumed their brisk walk through the place.
"Are we going home?" she asked.
"I hope so." He whispered.
"I seriously doubt the team would've taken a cheap wannabe like you!"
Slowly, Brennan sighed, hearing the voices of the two females as they crept closer towards his position.
"Wait a minute," Lexa retorted. "I was THE TEAM BEFORE you were, missy!"
"Or so you say. Who knows, you could've made that ALL up. If you were MX 1.0, wouldn't that make you a 40 year old hag?" Shalimar sneered, proud of her realization regarding the rather odd timeline.
"That's it! One laser treatment for the feral coming up!" With a menacing look in her eyes, Lexa swung her free hand up ready to release her wrath and powers.
Shalimar fell into a small crouch and ready, "You are so going to regret it…"
"CAN WE PLEASE ACT LIKE MATURE ADULTS?" Jesse roared, probably unable to take it anymore, Brennan couldn't blame him; he had been with them during the entire quarrel. "Being inter-dimensionally screwed up is NOT an excuse to sound like 5-year old toddlers!"
Why was it that Jesse succeeded where Brennan had failed to do? They won't listen to him but they listen to Jesse?
It's really the end of the world.
"They're noisy…" rolling her eyes at the rowdy bunch, Emma tugged on Brennan's arm and attempted to pull him deeper into the structure, away from the three. But instead he remained rooted to where he was, in case things really did result in fatal blows, and although Jesse may have been able to soothe the beasts, Brennan doubted that he could duck any punches or laser beams.
"Fine… can we just get this over with before I bite someone's head off and I'm not gonna care whose head it is." Shalimar never took her eye off Lexa nor her threatening aim at the feral.
Lexa snorted, "Oh, the feral is carnivorous after all."
"And I'll make sure I'll find a gun to shoot the both of you and be done with it if you guys don't stop now!" Jesse didn't at all look menacing enough to carry out his threat, but miraculously it worked.
Shaking his head slightly, Brennan turned to Emma, "Very noisy."
"Just get on with it, Sparky!" Lexa snapped.
And for once, he agreed with her. He'd like to get away from their messed up version of reality. "Hang on to my jacket, ok?" he gently asked Emma.
It was obvious from her expression that she didn't understand why she needed to do that, but she nodded anyhow. Shrugging his shoulders and breathing in, Brennan let the flow, a flow he had known so long, course through his body. Clasping his palms together, he let it blow.
And blow it did, for the world came crashing down.
"Brennan?" her voice sounded distant. It was there, but still too far away to answer.
Opening his eyes, he viewed the blue sky, peppered with streaks of grey and puffs of clouds. No birds, no rainbows and no wind. Everything was so still and quiet.
And it came again, the pleading sound of a girl, "Brennan?"
Picking himself off his back, Brennan gingerly rubbed the back of his head where he felt one of the biggest lumps begin to form… and to hurt. "Emma?" he looked around, he could hear her calling out, but his eyes were still blurry from… from… what was it anyhow? He didn't remember the ride between the dimensions being so damn rough.
He rubbed his eyes, and found her not too far away, bending over something. "Emma?" he called for her again.
She twirled behind and looked at him in full shock, and looked back at the figure on the floor. Pushing herself up to a standing position, she took two uncertain steps. "Is that you?"
"Yeah, of course it's me, I thought I told you to hang on to me?" he shook his head once more to wipe away the mental cob webs.
"I did, and then… I don't know, I thought I saw you… fly… and…" her eyebrows knotted up in utter confusion. "But, if you're there then who's this?" her finger pointed at the person she was bent over. The person she was calling…
Brennan.
"Oh shit." He looked at his mirrored self, and then behind him. Lexa, Jesse and Shalimar had begun to stir. Slowly Lexa helped the blond man stand again, but left Shalimar to peel herself off the dirty floor. "What the hell is going on? Emma, come here, now!"
With one more glance at the other, she ran into his arms and buried her face in his jacket.
"Why are you still here?" Lexa quizzed, looking around, her face was dirtied with dust and ash.
"This isn't right, is it?" Shalimar surveyed the area and deduced, "It didn't work."
He didn't know what to say, it had worked. Sort of. They were all here, including his other unknown self.
"EMMA!"
The woman in his arms looked up and over at the building's entrance. It sounded like it was Jesse who had shouted her name, but why would he? He was right behind him and the sound came from the…
Unless.
From the darkness, another figure emerged, a figure he knew all too well… Emma.
Now there were two Emmas. Which means...
He swallowed hard and waited for Jesse to appear and he did, right after the other Emma. They seemed completely oblivious to the existence of the two groups.
"Oh. My. God," the Jesse behind him muttered.
Shalimar stepped up to Brennan's side, "What the hell is going on?"
Jesse hadn't thought Emma would run in like that. It was stupid and foolish, and here he was going after her into the building. Idiot.
Soon as Emma realised she was loosing Brennan, again. She hopped into the Double Helix, and of course Jesse had to follow her, making sure she didn't commit suicide. Instead, she flew herself to the Naxcom building. The exact thing she shouldn't have been doing.
"EMMA!" he screamed at her, twisting and turning through the dark corridors, he finally caught up.
She knelt by the fallen Brennan. Wait, he isn't supposed to be here, he was suppose to back in his own world. Rushing up to the couple, he was relieved to find Brennan awake and holding a crying Emma.
Jesse sighed in frustration, "Looks like it didn't wo-."
It was strange to see yourself staring in horror back at you. And this was no exception. "Oh no…" he breathed.
"It seems our worlds have collided." Adam appeared out of the blue, his hair dishevelled and looking just as beat up as Brennan is. In all the chaos, he had forgotten about the older man.
"What do you mean?" he was almost afraid to ask.
"It means, Jesse- that this is going to be more complicated than we anticipated it to be."
He shifted his gaze from the scientist and back to their doubles. Each staring at a mirror of their own realities.
Crap.
