Disclaimer—See Chapter One
A/N: I'm halfway through chapter seven now, so slowly getting this poor story written! Sorry again it's taking so long! Thank you for your patience and encouragement in the meantime, I can't tell how much I appreciate you all! Thank you so much Anne, hi, Rachel, Kerry, MariShal, Donna Lynn (another long one for you!) Saphire Ravven8. Rain, love how you pick up on the little things. :) Thank you! Mayra, thank you! I don't want to say too much, but please don't worry. :) Fortunately, I'm over that horrible flu now, so am feeling much better and am hoping to get a lot written this weekend. But anyway, here's the next chapter for you. Thank you!
Traveling Souls—Chapter Four
The air was silent, save for a steady drone that hummed in their ears. Though Brennan normally flew the helix on autopilot during long flights, he kept it on manual this time, desperately needing the distraction of something to do, anything to ignore the people in the cabin behind him. He was angry, frustrated, and he didn't want to deal with any of them at the moment. He could feel their curiosity, their confusion at his behavior, but he didn't care. He shifted in his seat, eyes glued ahead, unsure why exactly he was behaving this way. Jesse had tried numerous times to engage him in conversation, but had finally taken the hint and fallen silent, staring over Adam's shoulder instead, trying to catch glimpses of what the older man was reading. Next to Brennan, Adam had his nose buried in whatever information he was pulling from the disk. Shalimar and Alex, having exhausted all topics of conversation within the first few hours, had mercifully fallen silent. Brennan cleared his throat, and it was loud in the silence. He could feel Emma staring at him, could feel her probing the edges of his mind, asking permission, but he flatly refused. She retreated, and he was alone.
But she didn't give up that easily. He should have known.
"Hey, Adam," Emma spoke up sweetly, conveniently ignoring the mental daggers Brennan was throwing her way. "Can you tell us what you've found so far?"
Jesse, still craning his neck, grumbled in agreement. "Or at least where we're going."
Even Brennan perked up at that. He had only been told to fly West.
"Alright, fair enough." Adam smiled slightly and a moment later, a map appeared on their terminals. "We're going to an old, underground Genomex facility."
"In the Rocky Mountains?" Jesse raised an eyebrow. "Sounds a little familiar."
"True." Adam chuckled. "Although this place won't be like Sanctuary I'm afraid. It was abandoned by Eckhart in the early 80's."
"So what's the connection between Alex and this place?" Shalimar's lips had flattened at the mention of Eckhart.
"Well, I'm working on that," Adam turned in his chair, pressing his hands together and pointing them at Alex. "From what I can gather, your friend, Dr. Shaw, has been a very busy man."
"What do you mean?" Shalimar shook her head, hand landing on Alex's shoulder in reassurance.
Brennan's gaze flicked toward them, then back straight ahead.
"This disk contains years of his work, research done in secret." Adam paused for a moment. "He claims to have cracked the missing gene sequence."
"What?" Brennan couldn't stay silent any longer, turning in his chair to stare at Adam.
"According to his notes, he worked in the facility for years, but hid his physical research there when it was shut down. I think it was about that same time that he was beginning to get a true picture of Eckhart's plans and didn't want him to find it."
"I still don't understand the connection to Alex in all this?" Shalimar persisted, looking at Alex who shrugged blankly.
"I don't know if there is one," Alex smiled back at Shalimar, touching a strand of her hair. "I think he just trusted me to help him."
Brennan narrowed his eyes, whirling back around, turning his back to the cabin. He missed the look Shalimar threw him as she pulled back slightly from Alex's touch.
"That's what we have to find out," Adam continued, turning back around in his own chair, staring out the window. "And we have to find that research before Eckhart does."
"Oh that's brilliant," Brennan sarcastically muttered, fingers tightening angrily on the grip. "With Eckhart's goons on his tail, Alex is going to lead them straight to it. Even more reason he shouldn't be here—"
"Brennan, stop it."
Shalimar's sharp tone brought uncomfortable silence back to the helix, save for the occasional click of keys from Adam.
"We're almost there." Brennan finally announced, reaching up to prepare for landing. "What the-" His hands lifted in surprise when an eerie rasping noise filled the cabin. "Adam?"
"It's from the disk." Adam curtly explained, struggling to make out the sound.
Emma made a strangled sound in the back of her throat, reaching out and gripping Jesse's arm.
"Emma?" He looked at her in concern as the sound intensified.
The rasping noise faded into heavy breathing, and then a voice, so cold it chilled Brennan to the bone as it heaved and rattled, came through the speakers. "So I have seen, so it shall be."
"Adam?" Jesse's voice rose as he stared at the back of the older man's head. "What was that?" He winced as Emma's fingers dug tighter, laying his hand over hers in reassurance.
"A precog." Emma's pained whisper interrupted them, and they all exchanged startled glances.
Nameless dread inked through Brennan. "What the hell are we getting ourselves into?" He glanced once more toward the back of the plane, as if the answers would magically appear. He only saw the faces of his teammates staring back. He pressed his lips together, turning back to complete the landing sequence.
"You've got to be kidding." Jesse stared at Adam in disbelief a few minutes later; eyes flickering to the jagged cliffs rising behind him. "Please tell me you're kidding."
"Oh come on Jesse, where's your spirit of adventure?" Feeling better in the fresh air, Emma forced a cheerful tone, looping her arm through Jesse's, pulling him up the grassy slope.
"Waiting for my stomach to catch up," Jesse muttered, allowing himself to be led way.
"The landing wasn't that bad," Emma threw Brennan a sympathetic look as they passed by him.
Thanks. Brennan wryly raised his eyebrows at Emma. It hadn't been very easy landing the helix on the side of a mountain. He glanced sideways at Adam. "Are you sure we couldn't have flown in a little closer?" He followed Adam's stare further up the mountain to the sharp cliffs and heavy treeline. "Never mind."
Adam chuckled, clamping a hand on his shoulder. "Ready?"
"Yeah." Brennan watched as Shalimar leaped gracefully from the open door of the cloaked helix, tugging a pack over her shoulder. "Let's do this."
It didn't take them long to reach the cover of the thick treeline, but already they were struggling for breath in the thin air. The spring ground cover was dark and dank, not yet green in the higher elevation. They staggered silently, roughly following the winding trail of a little river which at times narrowed to almost a creek. It was deep however, filled with runoff from the glaciers above, and occasionally creaked with strange, furtive splashings that made them jump. Rustles and crackles sounded in the dense vegetation around them. Brennan paused to catch his breath, panting, glancing uneasily over his shoulder at the sound. He hadn't been entirely wrong with what he said earlier about Alex. Having the hunted man with them did put them all at higher risk, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He looked over at Emma, meeting her gaze. She smiled back at him, but he noticed she too was glancing continually around.
By silent consent, they continued their ascent after a moment. Only Shalimar seemed unaffected by the altitude, easily climbing the steep slope ahead of Brennan. The river creaked again, and he jumped slightly at the sound, relaxing when he heard Shalimar chuckle, frowning when he realized she was focused on Alex. The dark-haired man was slipping, hanging onto a slender tree for dear life as he desperately tried to regain his footing in the rugged terrain. She paused beside him, reaching out her hand to his, helping him. He murmured something, and she grinned, squeezing his fingers before releasing them. It only took a moment, they had already fallen back in line walking, but for Brennan, the touch was a few seconds too long. He glowered behind them, his earlier bad mood easily falling back into place. He knew she could sense him, her shoulders squaring minutely, her back stiffening as she purposely ignored him. He sighed, grunting as he labored up the mountain. Most of the time, they couldn't see the sun because of tall trees that leaned over the river, and where it was narrowest, actually met in a roof over their heads. The canopy made for relatively easy going despite the steepness of the ground because the undergrowth didn't grow thick in the perpetual shade.
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Jesse finally broke the silence from somewhere at the front of the group. "How could an entire lab function this far from nowhere?"
"Can you imagine Eckhart huffing and puffing up this hill?" Emma giggled at the thought.
Brennan smiled at the sound of her laughter, reaching out as Shalimar suddenly staggered hard in front of him, instinctively grabbed her with both hands to steady her. "I've got you." Anger forgotten, he whispered into her hair, not caring the others could see him.
The warm touch of his hands spanning her slender waist immediately confused and unsettled Shalimar, and as they moved up the slope, he didn't remove them, but continued to support her. Brennan's face was expressionless, but her cheeks were a deep shade of pink.
"There used to be a road here," Adam paused to catch his breath, continuing the conversation. "It's grown over by now."
"How does he know that?" Brennan suspiciously murmured, breath stirring her hair.
"What do you mean?" Shalimar stole a glance at him over her shoulder.
"I mean he couldn't know that unless he's been here before."
"So?" She frowned as his tone again grew tight.
"More secrets, Shal. Don't you ever get tired of Adam keeping things from us?"
"So now this is about Adam?" She pulled away from his touch.
"Isn't it always?" His hands dropped back to his side.
"No, it's not." She hissed at him over her shoulder as they kept walking. "You've been in a bad mood for no reason ever since Alex showed up."
"Yeah," Brennan snorted derisively, "His arrival doesn't seem too convenient to you either?"
"No." She growled impatiently. "Just leave it alone, Brennan."
He made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat. "How can you be so blind? I'm telling you, something stinks around here."
She whirled around, seething. "Yeah, it does."
His lips flattened angrily at her insinuation, and he stared as she walked back a few steps before deliberately turning her back on him again and putting distance between them.
The afternoon wore sluggishly on as the tired group trudged up the mountain. Slowly, the terrain changed, treeline thinning to scraggly white pines, the river widening and gaining strength as glacial water melted and roared downward. Though it was spring, snow still covered the higher peaks, and the air carried a decisive chill. Brennan shivered in abject misery, already tired of it all. Tired of the mission, tired of climbing, tired of his emotions. He just wanted things to go back to normal. Whatever normal for them was, he grumbled under his breath. And he wanted Alex to go away. He glared at the back of the man's head, deciding it was all his fault. His foot slipped, and he scrambled to grab ahold of a tree, grunting as a branch scratched his face. It stung, and he swore miserably, scrubbing his face. He was just too damn tired.
Ahead of him, Shalimar abruptly stopped, head tilting to the side.
"What is it, Shal?" Emma had also stopped, signaling the rest of the group.
"Nothing," Shalimar shook her head after a moment. "I thought I heard something, but I don't see anything." She started forward again, pausing when Adam called after her.
"It's this way," Adam pointed to the east. "We should find the entrance just beyond the lower crest of the mountain."
Jesse wrinkled his nose as he followed Adam's finger. "So we have to?"
"Go across the river." Adam looked resigned at the words, sitting down and pulling off his shoes.
"Oh, this is going to be fun," Brennan groaned to himself as he sat down beside Adam, pulling off his own shoes. He hated water, was afraid of the stuff. Taking a quick shower in a controlled environment was one thing, crossing a moving river in the middle of nowhere was quite another. He sighed, tying the laces on his boots together and looping them around his neck. At least his boots would stay dry. He could feel Shalimar watching him, and he raised his head. Their eyes met, and he couldn't look away. Until Alex leaned toward Shalimar in question and then turned pitying eyes on Brennan as she whispered back to him in response. Pity. He bristled at the expression, abruptly standing and wading into the water.
"Brennan," He could hear Shalimar calling after him, but he ignored her, pushing deeper into the torrent of water. It rose quickly, easily hitting his waist, and he worried it would be too high for Shalimar and Emma. Jesse came up beside him, cringing against the iciness of the water.
"Hey," He glanced sideways at the shivering molecular.
"Hey," Jesse strained against the rising current. "How are you doing?" His head nodded back toward Alex.
"I'm fine."
"Uh-huh." Jesse raised his eyebrows. "So what's it this time, protectiveness or jealousy?"
"What?"
"You heard me." An amused smiled played around Jesse's mouth. "You're starting to get predictable, Brennan."
"Smart-ass." Brennan mumbled, hand slamming against the current, drenching Jesse with an arcing spray of water.
Jesse laughed, moving ahead of Brennan. He turned around, walking backward. Brennan's hands dipped down, ready to splash him again, abruptly stopping when Jesse froze, eyes locked behind him.
"Jesse?"
"Run!" Jesse whipped around, staggering toward the opposite bank.
Without looking, Brennan surged forward, adrenaline immediately pumping, causing him physical pain as it awoke the energy rippling just beneath his skin. He clenched his teeth, struggling to contain the energy surge, gasping as a wave of cold water poured over his head. Another wave immediately bashed against him, and he staggered to the shore, startled to feel another body next to him. He turned his head, seeing Adam coughing into the muddy bank.
"Emma!"
Shalimar's voice screamed behind them. He pushed his shaking arms into the mud, forcing his body to turn over, groaning in frustration at the inner struggle within his limbs, stopping in shock. The river had suddenly come alive, wild waves thrashing in angry upheaval. Water churned around Emma, trapping her in a mad vortex, sucking her down with impossible strength. Even as he scrambled to his feet, Shalimar had already reversed her direction, charging back into the chortling water.
"Emma! Hang on!" Shalimar desperately dove after Emma, grasping for her hands.
"Shalimar, no!" For the first time, Brennan realized Alex was also running back into the middle of the storming river, struggling to leap over large waves that kept sweeping him back. He started forward, but Adam and Jesse grabbed his arms.
"Let me go!" Brennan fought their hold, sucking in a sharp breath when Shalimar's head went under. Emma's bright red hair flashed in the light, and then she was gone as well. "No!"
"Brennan, stop!" Adam screamed in his ear, muscles bulging as he wrestled him back. "Let Alex handle it, it's too dangerous for you!"
"Shalimar!" Brennan ignored him, heaving against their hold, dragging them forward a few inches. "Emma!"
"Brennan-look!" Jesse pulled back, digging his feet into the slippery mud, hurtling forward when Brennan suddenly stopped resisting. He grunted as he slammed into the broad back of the elemental, struggling to regain his footing. "Look!" He excitedly jabbed his finger into the air, not realizing Brennan's eyes were already latched onto Shalimar as she lurched out of the water, Emma firmly clasped to her side. Alex caught up with them just as Shalimar staggered under the extra weight, sweeping Emma into his arms. Shalimar's face was contorted with pain, but still she smiled broadly.
"We're ok!" She waved bravely, grunting when a wave swept over her, knocking her down. She came back up, spitting out mud. Brennan reached for her as she neared, but she veered past him, accepting Jesse's hand instead.
"I got you, Shal." Jesse lowered her to the ground, arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder. "You ok?"
"Yeah."
Brennan stood, hurt coursing through his body at her rejection. She was still angry at him. He clenched his jaw, crossing over to Emma as she huddled against a tree, coughing. Adam was already hunched over her, busily checking her out. Brennan's gaze swung to Shalimar and then back to Emma, feeling strangely left out. Alex stood near Emma, watching, smiling at Shalimar as she thanked him for his help. Alex, the rescuer. Adam and Jesse, the caregivers. And he? Brennan hunched his shoulders. Apparently he wasn't needed anywhere. Miserably, he leaned against another tree, arms crossed. He knew he was being unreasonable, but he couldn't seem to stop the feelings from pouring out of him. Stupid river. Damn weakness. He glowered back at the now still water, mysteriously calm once more.
He straightened in sudden awareness. "Hey Adam?"
"Yeah, Brennan?" Adam looked up distractedly from Emma, mentally counting as his fingers gauged her pulse.
"The water."
They all turned and stared.
"It's calm again." Jesse scratched his head, stating the obvious. "That can't be natural."
"It's not." Alex's face was grim, water running in silent rivulets down his cheeks.
"He was here." Shalimar's eyes flashed golden as scanned the area. "But I can't see him anywhere."
"Shalimar?" Adam looked to her for an explanation.
"The geological mutant after Alex." Brennan answered lowly. "The one that nearly killed Shalimar."
"Eckhart knows we're here?" Emma looked up from a coughing spell.
"I told you we shouldn't have brought-"
"Brennan." Shalimar whirled toward him in angry exasperation, silencing him with a furious glare.
Brennan snapped his jaw shut, glaring mutinously back.
Adam tactfully cleared his throat, intervening, waiting until they all turned to look at him. "We're a few miles away yet from the entrance, and we're all soaking wet."
"What do you want to do, Adam?" Jesse had tucked his hands under his armpits, shivering as he looked around the surrounding trees.
"We need to get everyone dry, this mountain gets cold at night, and I don't want any of you getting sick out here."
"You want to spend the night out here?" Emma made a face.
"Think of it as one of your picnics…at night." Adam grinned at Emma until she couldn't help but smile back. "We've got emergency gear in our packs, even small tents. It won't be the most comfortable night we've spent together, but we'll be warm and dry."
"Don't forget about the psychotic mutant after us," Brennan grumbled, bending over to retrieve his backpack, glad to see it was at least still dry.
"Nothing new there," Jesse countered back, picking up his own bag. He yawned, looking around the group and then out into the darkening forest. "Who wants first shift?"
The sun had long disappeared by the time they had their makeshift camp set up. True to his word, Adam showed them tiny pop-up tents in a small compartment at the bottom of each of their packs. Four of them were still dry enough to be used, prompting Shalimar and Emma and Brennan and Jesse to double up.
"I hope you don't snore," Jesse jabbed his elbow into Brennan's side as they fought to assemble the flimsy tent.
"Don't even start," Brennan jabbed Jesse back, elbowing his way into the narrow opening and shoving his pack inside.
Adam shook his head as they bantered back and forth, glancing up as Shalimar limped past them. "Are you alright, Shalimar?"
Brennan's head popped out at his words, and turned to look at Shalimar.
"I'm fine," She raised her chin.
Adam noticed she didn't start walking again until Brennan's head had again disappeared inside his tent. She limped a few more yards before settling against a tree, legs spread out in front of her. She winced as she untied her boots, immediately stopping when Brennan once more emerged from his small tent.
The elemental looked around briefly, seeing everyone occupied except Shalimar. He crossed over to her. "We need to collect firewood, get everyone dried out. If you can go look that way, I'll go over there—"
"No, Brennan." Shalimar's face was unreadable from where Adam stood. He frowned appraisingly as Brennan stared back at her.
"Fine." He finally heard Brennan grit out, turning away and disappearing into the trees.
Adam approached as she bent her head back over her unlaced boot.
"What do you want, Adam?" She didn't look up.
"Let me see, Shalimar." Adam squatted in front of her, tone firm. Startled, she looked up at him. Adam's heart broke at the trace tears streaked across her dirty cheeks. "I know you hurt your foot, let me see it."
She frowned slightly, grudgingly pulling her boot off and allowing Adam to examine her foot, wincing as he tugged off her sock.
"Shalimar." Adam clucked his tongue in chagrin at the sight of the angry, red gash on the bottom of her foot. It was deep and already inflamed. He immediately stood back up, grabbing his pack and coming back. He shook his head as he drew her foot into his lap. "You should have said something."
Shalimar winced as Adam started to clean the wound. "You wouldn't understand."
"You must have stepped on a jagged rock or something," Adam murmured, glancing back at her. "You chose not to tell any of us, Shalimar."
She shrugged, looking away.
Adam bent his head back down, wrapping a white bandage around her foot. "It's alright, I understand better than you think." He finished off the wrapping, tying off the end before standing back up. "Brennan doesn't have to know." Her head rose sharply at his words, shocked eyes meeting his. He chuckled at her expression, knowing he had guessed correctly. "But I would rather you talk to him and settle things before they affect the mission." She reddened slightly at his reprimand, nodding. He smiled, handing her a small bottle of pills. "For the pain." She frowned, but he insisted she take them. If it was anyone other than Shalimar with that injury, they wouldn't even be able to walk. Ferals. Adam tiredly rubbed his eyebrows, crawling into his tent.
It was several hours later that Shalimar awoke from her drug-induced sleep. It was pitch dark, and it took a moment for her hazy mind to realize what had woken her up. Oh great, she muttered under her breath as her bladder screamed at her in protest once more. I knew I should have gone earlier. Though morning couldn't be more than a few hours off, Shalimar decided she couldn't wait and reluctantly crawled out from the small tent, careful not to wake Emma. Cold air immediately hit her as she straightened up, and she grumbled under her breath, yawning, ignoring the nausea rolling around her empty stomach. Her foot felt much better, thanks to Adam's drug, but it made the rest of her feel horrible. She grunted, clutching her stomach as she staggered toward the dying campfire. Jesse lay dozing beside it, not waking as she brushed past him. He was supposed to be on guard. She rolled her bleary eyes, blinking rapidly in attempt to get them to refocus. Trees swarm in front of her, and she finally gave up, picking a spot and squatting down, praying Jesse wouldn't chose this moment to suddenly wake up. She chortled giddily under her breath at the thought, shivering as she stood back up. Whoa. The ground tilted crazily before her, and she grasped a tree trunk, bracing her forehead against it. The drug must have affected her more than she thought. She staggered back past the snoring molecular and crawled into her tent, releasing a grateful sigh as she lay back down. She was freezing, that was all her muddled brain could focus on as she drew the covers over her head, seeking the warmth of body heat behind her. Hope Emma doesn't mind, she hazily thought as she pressed against the solid warmth, instantly falling back asleep.
In his sleep, it was the most natural thing in the world for Brennan to roll over and throw his arm around the slender waist before him, fingers splaying protectively across the flat stomach, nose burying in the musky warmth of golden-blonde hair.