AN: Soooo sorry this is sooooo late. I completely did not intend to leave you guys hanging like that. Work just happened, and then my muse ran away...I think I've corraled her, so there shouldn't be nearly as long before the next update. Thanks to those of you who are hanging in there.
Feedback is always appreciated. ;-)Chapter 32: Choices
"Is there any way we can disarm it?" Lexa paced behind Jesse and Brennan, who had located the device and were now examining it.
Both men ignored her. "What about here?" Brennan asked Jesse. "Looks like it might be the trip wire."
Jesse let out a heavy breath. "I would say yes, but so is this one. And this one here... Whoever designed this circuit, it wasn't Holly. This is pure genius. Look at this. It's rigged to go off if any one of these wires is interrupted; there are at least two dozen. Multi-trip, circular circuit, simultaneously linked."
Shalimar bent down over Jesse's shoulder, watching as the digital display cycled downward from five minutes. 4:55, 4:54, 4:53... "Is there any way you can cut them simultaneously. You've done that before, haven't you?"
He looked over his shoulder at her. "Yeah, but this is different. In that case, all the lines were in the same area, relatively compact. Here, they're spread out over a wide area, about eight cubic feet. There's no way I'd be able to reach all the wires and be as delicate as I need to be."
"What if Brennan or I acted as a second pair of hands?"
"Wouldn't work. By definition, because we're separate people, it's impossible to disable the wires at exactly the same nanosecond, which is what needs to happen."
On the other side of the room, Lexa turned and started pacing back toward them. "Fine, if that won't work, what about getting rid of the shield so we can get out of here."
Jesse shifted to look at her. "She did leave the computer in with us…" His voice trailed off as he shifted over to the desktop computer. A few silent moments passed as he clicked away at the keyboard. He whistled. "Damn. I really want to meet whoever she had working for her."
Lexa stepped closer to peer over his shoulder. "What is it?"
"Whoever did this is incredible. In fact, it's so intricate that I'm willing to bet that it's a telecyber psionic. The bomb is linked to the computer system. So even if we were able to cut the physical wires, an internal wireless sensor, hooked to this computer, would have ignited the C4 inside." He tapped a few dozen more keys. "And look here. This is the program she managed to hack from our system last week. And based on what I see here, it was corrupted, just like it was supposed to be. But his person managed to reverse engineer, decrypt and restructure the program. It's not as sophisticated as Adam's, which sucks for us."
"What do you mean, Jess?" Brennan asked.
"This version just uses the basic premise of Adam's program. Its strength, size and specific frequency can't be adjusted, and all it can do, basically, is go on and off."
"Great, then turn the damn thing off so we can get out of here."
"Not that easy. It goes on and off – which is what Holly did earlier. She turned it off to make it seem like it had short circuited. But this program also has the option of going permanently on, which, if used, can't be revered except by destroying the generator. Guess which setting Holly chose before she left."
Brennan swore under his breath, looking down at his feet and putting his hands on his hips. "This whole damn thing was a trap. All right, let me guess. The generator is part of the same computer that the bomb's linked to, so if we try to short the generator, we trigger the bomb."
Jesse stood up. "Bingo. Well, close enough, anyway."
Shalimar kicked out at the chair behind the computer. "What about a basement? Is there a basement you could phase us into, Jesse?"
Jesse paused a moment, his eyes brightening for a second. "David and Katie just checked the blueprints for the house, and he says there isn't. I had to use our telepathic link," he explained. "The shield interferes with the transmission distance on the comm. rings. We could talk to each other over them but that's about it."
"What about massing then? Could you mass us for the duration of the explosion?" Brennan tossed out the suggestion.
Jesse shook his head again. "Not all four of us for that length of time. There's enough C4 there to keep this place burning for awhile. And if you guys are massed, you can't move. We'd be frozen in place, and I'd have to take a breath before the fire has a chance to burn out."
Nobody said anything then. They were all thinking the same thing, and there was no reason to talk about it if it was the last thing they were going to say to each other.
Shalimar seemed determined not to give up, though, and after a moment, she stopped shuffling her feet and walked over to the border of the barrier. Looking at it as if she could see it, she asked, "What about up? Is this thing a bubble, or is it just four walls?"
Jesse frowned, twisting around to look back at the program specs, which were still showing on the monitor. His face fell. "Fifty feet," he said coming back to lay a hand on her shoulder. "The field is only on four sides, not a sphere, but it goes fifty feet up. Straight through the ceiling and into the sky; only works to stop mutants. Not even you can high enough to get over it. Besides, the ceiling's only 10 feet up."
Shalimar turned and looked at him, here eyes bright, and one eyebrow arched high. "I can't jump that high, but Brennan can."
Jesse and Lexa looked confused. Brennan looked over at Shalimar, frowning. It took a moment before he realized what she was getting at. "Yeah, I can propel myself that high, but I can't break though a ceiling with electricity, and we'd break our necks if we tried to crash through it. Plus, I don't have enough power or balance to lift all four of us."
Lexa caught on. "I can take care of that ceiling for you. I'd just need a minute"
"And the weight?"
After a half second, Jesse turned his head and looked Brennan in the eye. "I can handle that."
The others glanced over at him with skeptical looks. "Do you have that much control?" Lexa asked. "Brennan's powers won't work if he's phased."
"I can do it," he replied with determination. "I'll split the difference between phased and normal density. You just get started on that ceiling. We've only got about a minute left," he said, indicating the timer.
Lexa looked into his eyes for a moment longer. She saw only certainty and determination. With a curt nod, she turned her back to him, and angled a powerful laser straight into the ceiling.
After a few seconds of watching Lexa cut through the layers of sheetrock, lumber and a steel beam, Brennan felt a tap on his left shoulder. He looked away from Shalimar, who was helping Lexa by using her excellent vision to determine the location of the beams based on the coloring of the ceiling, to find Jesse, who pulled him to the other side of the room.
"Brennan, could you lift just Shalimar and Lexa?" Jesse asked in a whisper once they were away from the girls.
Brennan frowned. "What are you getting at, man? I though you said you could handle the weight problem."
Jesse shook his head. "I don't have anywhere near that control. I don't even think it's possible to split the difference between phasing and normal density. But just answer the question. Could you get yourself, Lexa and Shalimar up and over the barrier? Just the three of you?"
Brennan let out a breath and thought for a moment. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I can."
"You think or you can?" Jesse's voice was intense, but still soft.
"I can. I can do it." Brennan responded.
"Good. As soon Lexa gets that ceiling down, have Shal hang on to one side, Lexa on the other. I'll act like I'm on your back, but I'm going to let go."
"But Jesse –"
"You said it yourself, Brennan. You can't get balance or lift all four of us. I can stay behind and mass myself through the explosion."
"But you said that you can't move when you're massed."
"No, I said you guys can't move when Imass you. If I'm alone, I should be able to get out after the explosion."
"Can or should?"
Jesse noticed the worried tone in Brennan's voice. "Can, all right? I can. Once the bomb goes off, it will take out the generator too, and I can just walk right out of the fire. I'll meet you guys outside. I'm telling you this so you can balance right when you take off."
"Jess, are you sure about this?"
"Brennan, it's the only way right now, and we don't have time to argue."
Brennan looked like he wanted to say something else, but he was interrupted by a shout from Lexa to stand back. A second later, a large portion of the ceiling crashed to the floor, opening the room to the bright sky outside. Knowing Jesse was right about there being no time, he let out a breath and turned away from his friend. "Let's go girls. Jesse and I have the aerodynamics worked out."
He stepped under the center of the hole, and looked up. Mentally, he cursed when he saw that a maple tree outside hung over a large part of the airspace, but automatically added the knowledge to the adjustment he'd be making. "Ten seconds, guys. Let's balance this thing. Shalimar, hang onto my shoulder. Lexa other side, Jesse, hold onto my back." Brennan directed them, catching the knowing glance Jesse sent his way. He closed his eyes for a half second, summoning all the electrical power in his body to his hands.
Once he had enough power as he could handle, he expelled the energy as forcefully as possible, lifting himself and the others suddenly and violently off the ground. He felt Jesse's hands slip off his back, and the branches of the maple tree scratch his face. Then he both heard and felt the explosion. Heat licked at his heels. He ignored it all, concentrating on getting them up and over the barrier. How high was fifty feet anyway? When was he supposed to know? Hoping he was high enough, he changed the direction of the jets emanating from his hands.
