Chapter 11
Brennan, Shalimar and Jesse had all been afraid for Adam. Now, two members of their team were missing and there was nothing they could do about it. If Marlowe and the Strand truly intended to create a mutant-ruled world, those with mutant abilities, even if opposed to the Strand's goals, might be spared, but Adam was a normal human. What would happen when he outlived his usefulness?
Nearly twelve hours after Adam was taken, he was returned to the cell. Shalimar rushed up to him and hugged him once his escorts closed the door. "We've all been so worried since they took you."
"They were truthful in what they wanted me for. Julia Lechner is in a very bad state," he said.
"She seemed strong enough when she was coming after me and Emma," Jesse said.
"That flagrant use of power may have accelerated her deterioration. We were right to seek her out and it might already be too late. She is very unstable. She turned one of the walls of the lab into dust just as I arrived on the scene."
"How is she?" Jesse asked.
"Bad, but not as bad as the three Links who were standing by the wall of the lab when she disintegrated it. They turned instantly to dust. I put a subdermal governor on her to protect the rest of the research staff, and myself. Her internal condition continues to deteriorate and it is always possible that the governor will not be able to keep up."
"Then you are helping them?" Brennan said in an accusing voice.
"Brennan, I'm helping her," Adam emphasized the distinction. "I'm a doctor. If I can help, I will. Her condition is the result of my research. And remember, she is older than the four of you. What she is suffering could be your future. As with previous mutations, this wasn't foreseen by any of us at Genomex. If possible, I will get one of you permission to help me in the lab. We will be closely supervised, of course, but sitting here in this cell has not provided us with any opportunities."
"Did you see Emma?" Shalimar asked. Adam just shook his head slowly.
They were all silent for a moment. Getting one of them out of the prison for a while opened up a faint hope of escape. None spoke the thought, though. They knew they were being monitored, though Marlowe would already know the risks of letting Adam out of his cage. Would he ever risk letting another of them out?
The next morning two guards came again to escort Adam to the lab. Julia Lechner was strapped down to an examination table in the middle of the room. Adam looked at the wall made up of bare four by fours and particleboard. Working with Lechner could be life threatening and he was not entirely confident in the subdermal governor's ability to contain her. Today, the woman's eyes were open. She was awake and could see the arrival of Adam and his escort.
Julia asked, "Will all of these New Mutants fall apart like me?"
"You aren't falling apart," Adam said.
"I've been falling apart since I left you all those years ago."
"What happened between us shouldn't have. I was too old for you and I was your doctor. It was a mistake to let you get as close as I did," Adam said. It had only been a kiss, but it was a breach of ethics and morals. That moment of weakness and his subsequent refusal to let things go any further had alienated the young woman.
"Seems you made a lot of mistakes back then," Lechner accused. "One good thing came from it. Your rejection gave me the strength to run away."
"I made sure the G.S.A. didn't find you until I lost track of you as well."
"At least that's something." Suddenly, the fight seemed to go out of her. "Those times are long past, but don't think they are forgotten." There was silence in the room until she finally asked, "So, what is wrong with me?"
"There is a minor glitch with your genetic mutation. It is evolving in an unanticipated way. We need to find a way to stabilize it."
"Tell the three people who were standing by that wall yesterday that it is just a 'minor glitch'," Lechner said bitterly.
"I can understand your resentment. Genomex did not treat you well. I did not treat you well," Adam said, "but you have to believe I am here to help you. I'm sure Charles Marlowe would not have given me access to you if he felt there was any other chance of saving you."
"I thought you said it was a minor problem?" she said, spitting the words.
"For now, it is. The main danger was the one you posed to others. With the subdermal governor, that danger is erased. Your internal condition is not perfect, but you are not yet on death's door."
Adam swabbed under Julia's tongue to collect a sample of her DNA and stepped to the holographic bio-simulator, which had been retrieved from the Helix and placed in one corner of the room. He examined the fresh slide and compared it to his research from Sanctuary, which was still in the emulator's memory. He also factored in the Fasergen samples Marlowe's people had taken and the results from yesterday. He entered the analysis of the new sample into a scatter diagram plotting her deterioration. It was accelerating…quickly. Adam wished he hadn't been forced to fry all of the computer systems on the Helix when they were forced to abandon it. He also wished he had access to Sanctuary's computers. It felt as if he was operating with one hand tied behind his back.
Two weeks of work in the lab passed by quickly. Adam had failed to get any of the other members of Mutant X out of the cell to assist him, but he had managed to sneak out materials with which he deactivated his team's subdermal governors while making them still appear functional. Even if Marlowe and his people did not realize what he had done, they were still not in a position to escape. He had struggled to prevent Brennan from launching a tesla coil at the door and leading them from their prison. It was especially difficult to do so without speaking any words or making any obvious gestures that could be observed, but the closeness of the team and their experiences together allowed such subtle communication to be possible. Adam realized that they had no idea how to get out of the facility or off the grounds, they didn't know where to find Emma and unless an opportunity presented itself, they were impossibly outnumbered. On his trips to and from the lab, Adam saw dozens of Links positioned around their cell. They could also see the shadows of the guards up above them. Even so, Brennan would occasionally lose patience. He would head toward the door or begin to pass one hand over the other preparatory to making an electrical charge. Adam would give a sharp shake of the head or Shalimar would place a gently restraining hand on his arm and he would desist. She and Jesse had been in Mutant X longer and had a deeper trust of Adam. They did not question his prohibition against immediate action. An ambush might already be set, because Adam knew that even these delicate gestures and interactions might be enough to tip their hand to Marlowe's people. Given Marlowe's thoroughness so far, he might be in a constant state of readiness for an escape attempt even without any evidence. Since Charles Marlowe had no fear for his own safety, he might just be waiting to see what they would do.
During Adam's two weeks of studying Julia Lechner, why his team brooded and waited for a chance to bust out, the patient underwent a significant change for the worse. Now, select Strand mutants stood watch around the clock at his request. Their powers made them adept at restraining a subject. When Adam entered the lab one morning for another day of work Lechner was twitching and yelling that she was in pain. Adam administered a shot of midazolam to calm her, but it had no effect. He filled a syringe to give another injection, but as he approached, Julia looked at him and suddenly there was a sound like an enormous explosion. Adam was thrown back ten feet and went sliding along the ground unconscious. The Fasergen lab technicians who had been assisting Adam were holding their ears, as were the Strand guards.
Julia writhed on the table. All of the laboratory equipment began sparking with bright blue electrical current. The guards and technicians shook as electricity rocked their bodies. Sparks and small explosions broke out all around them.
Balls of burning fire appeared around Lechner's bindings and they disappeared. She rose from the table. The floor rumbled. The ceiling above cracked apart and the roof was caving in all around. Julia was about to disintegrate the entire building and everyone around her. Two of the Link guards recovered. One was a psionic and fired a stun blast at Lechner, who staggered, but didn't go down. The second mutant launched a blast of icy blue cold that hit the woman, throwing her back into the wall, collapsed in extreme hypothermia next to Adam.
