Disclaimer—See Chapter One

A/N: Just finished a rough draft for the final chapter and it's the longest one yet! I am getting way too wordy I think:) At 7000 words for this chapter and 9000 words for the final, these last two chapters are more like 8 chapters put together! But they just seemed to flow better when put together rather than being separated into smaller chapters, so I left them as they were. Thank you so much to kerry, hi, Meg (thank you!), CatJerica (You've about got it all! I think most of your questions will be answered now!), blackpanther2288 (Thank you! J/E have been a challenge to write, so glad you like how they turned out!), Mxfan214 (Glad you liked it!), bren88, Rain, Mayra (Adam has also been a challenge to write, so thank you!), Saphire Ravven8 (Hee-hee, I was trying to be creative! I think you'll get most of your answers now!), Rachel, Anne, Nicole, Fiery Feral, Redhead2 (Thank you so much! I hope I haven't missed anything either, I had to also go back to make sure everything was being addressed!). AliasFan-MutantKitty, I think this chapter should clear things up for you, but just to clarify, one of Adam's flashbacks in chapter 12 revealed that the "girl" was actually a boy and they were deceiving the mother. There's more explanation at the end of this chapter as well. Thank you! So now, here are the answers to most of the plot lines, I saved a few smaller ones for the final chapter. I've been dropping suble hints in each chapter and gave major hints in the last chapter, so I hope it answers everything for you, and I hope the outcome doesn't disappoint! Thank you!

Traveling Souls—Chapter Fourteen

She loved being in his arms. The sensation was still new; two years of scarcely daring to dream, imagining only in secret, suddenly opening up in the past few days. She didn't think she would ever grow tired of the feeling. Body bruised and sore, physically and mentally exhausted, Shalimar allowed herself the brief luxury of enjoying the comfort his arms brought. She could pretend, even if for a moment, that all was well. Brennan's hands began to move, gently stroking up and down her back, and she shivered, mind slamming shut, forgetting everything but the pleasure his touch elicited naturally from her body. Her arms uncurled from around his neck, fingers running lightly along his broad shoulders, feeling the strength in him. She had never had such strong instinctive reactions from someone who wasn't a feral before, and she bit her lip to stop the growl that automatically sprang to her lips, dragging her hands slowly down his chest. She heard his sharp intake of breath, felt his chest swell with air beneath her hands as his body tensed in reactionary awareness. His head turned, lips seeking hers as his hands dropped to her hips, pulling her closer against him. One hand roamed, sliding under the edge of her shirt, knuckles warm as they tickled her stomach. She heard herself whimper, and he answered by bringing his mouth more fully over hers, hand turning, bringing his palm flat against her skin, fingers splayed. And then he pressed.

Shalimar wasn't quite able to hide the wince.

He released her immediately, the guilt streaking across his face before she could even speak. "I'm sorry—"

"Shh, no." She kissed him, swallowing his protest.

"Shal," Brennan reluctantly broke the kiss, hands catching hers when she reached for him again. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine."

He had to smile at her stubbornness, taking her back slightly. "I know." His whisper stirred her hair as he dropped a soft kiss on her temple, arms gathering her close with infinite care, loosely resting his hands on the small of her back, cautious of her bruises. She sighed in acquiescence, leaning against him, resting her cheek against his chest.

"Brennan! Shalimar!"

They both startled, chuckling when Adam hollered their names out of the darkness.

"Yeah, we're coming!"

Shalimar lifted her head from his chest as Brennan called back, lips smiling ruefully, brows rising.

"Later."

He smiled back in silent understanding as they both whispered the word at the same time. Some things never changed. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they started forward again, her arm slipping around his waist, gentle because of his own bruises, free hand resting on his chest. They could see the shadowed figures of the others ahead of them, turning back around and continuing on as they approached.

"Stay close." Adam's frown could be heard clearly in his tone.

Sometimes Adam could play the overbearing father figure too accurately, Shalimar mused, although she couldn't blame him this time. Her grip tightened around Brennan. They were in the house of the enemy, bruised and battle-worn, and Adam had every right to be nervous. Adam. She frowned, eyes narrowing. He had more than one thing to be nervous about. Brennan had accused him of keeping secrets, and she had defended him. She thought of the messages, of Alex, of twins. The clues had been right there in front of them all along. They had just not connected the dots. With everything happening, there hadn't been time. Nor had they had reason to. But in some strange way, it all made sense to her now, the strong feelings she had for both of them, the draw they seemed to have on her. She had unknowingly sensed they were family all along, her family. She looked around her, face tight. Brennan was a part of all this and he didn't even know. But Adam, he had to know. Had he known all along? Her eyes flickered ahead at their leader's tense back, licking her dry lips.

"Hey Bren?"

"Hmm?" He looked down at her whispered inquiry.

"Tell me about your twin sister."

His face reflected his surprise. "Arabella? What about her? There's not much to tell, you know that, Shal."

"Yeah, I suppose." She sighed, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. "I just—just have to wonder if there's more."

"More?" He echoed her in confusion. "More what?"

Her eyes darted to Alex's broad back. "I don't know, maybe more to the story than we know about."

Brennan stopped walking. "Where's this come from, Shal?"

She glanced back up at him, fidgeting as Adam, having realized they stopped again, started toward them in exasperation. She gripped Brennan's hands. "Do you trust me?"

"Always." His answer was immediate despite his quizzical expression.

She raised her voice. "Then ask Adam about your twin."

Adam froze mid-step, heart dropping when he saw Shalimar's face. Over ten years working with the feral, he could read her well. She knew. He was almost surprised it had taken her this long to notice the similarities. But not now. He cleared his throat, starting forward. "Shalimar—"

Brennan's brows furrowed at Adam's warning tone, glancing between them. "What?"

She crossed her arms, chin lifting. "Ask him."

He couldn't read her inscrutable expression. Brennan's mouth soured, stomach twisting with dread. "Adam?"

"What's going on?" Tired of waiting, Jesse had wandered over to them, taken back by their grim faces. "What?"

They ignored him, Adam's face tense as he stared hard at Shalimar. "We can discuss this later, now is not the time."

"Discuss what?" Alex joined in next, Emma stepping up next to Jesse, eyes wide as she picked up the nervous energy.

"My twin." Brennan was impatient, recognizing something was being kept from him.

"You have one too?" Alex spoke without thought.

They both paused as the words hit them.

The room was suddenly silent as they stared at each other.

Adam closed his eyes, feeling the situation spiraling out of his control.

"This isn't a coincidence, is it Adam." Brennan's voice has dropped dangerously low.

All eyes turned to Adam.

"Is it, Adam." Brennan's voice rose, demanding, asking, but somehow already knowing. He wanted to hear it aloud.

"Wait, hold on a minute," Jesse held out a hand in confusion. "This can't be right, Brennan has a sister."

"One he's never seen." Shalimar placed a hand on his back, but he shrugged it away. She stubbornly placed it back. "He was only told his twin was a girl." Her eyes closed at the violent emotion seething from him. He had always had trouble trusting, had worked so hard to tenuously rebuild his faith in anyone, but now… Her hand fell limply to her side.

"You were lied to," Jesse's mouth dropped in realization.

"My mother would've never lied to me," Brennan's teeth were gritted. "That means someone lied to her."

Alex paled at the word mother, struggling to understand.

Brennan understood his train of thought. "She's dead." His tone softened slightly, not quite able to look at Alex. "For the most part, I grew up alone." The man he had hated was suddenly his brother. He turned, nauseated.

Alex made a guttural sound deep in his throat. "And I grew up with Eckhart."

"Adam?" Brennan sounded almost resigned, back turned to the rest of them as he leaned against the wall. For some reason, that scared Shalimar more than his anger.

"Yes, it's true."

Damn it. Brennan rammed a fist into the wall, not turning around.

Adam rubbed his face, he needed to regain control. Their situation was already tenuous, the mission in jeopardy. They couldn't afford to mess it up now. "I need you all to understand, I did not know any of this was connected to Brennan."

"But you figured it out somewhere along the line." Shalimar spoke when no one else did.

"I began to suspect yes, but by then I couldn't tell you, not when we were in the middle of the mission, not like this." His arms flung out helplessly.

"Why not?" Alex's face was calm, but his tone was deadly.

Emma had been standing back, unable to handle the barrage of emotions, but her head came up sharply, watching him. "Jesse?"

Jesse heard her whisper as Adam struggled to explain, stepping back, following her line of sight. Alex. Tiny sparks were dripping from his fingers, evidence of barely contained rage. Jesse inched in front of Adam.

"Why not?" Alex repeated his question, control beginning to slip.

The man was a hotbed of turbulent emotions. Not unlike another Elemental, Jesse suddenly realized with a pang. But where Brennan was all steam, this man was fire. He tensed, eyes glued on a spark as it sizzled in the air.

Adam's attention was still on Brennan. "It was a long time ago. Gabriel Ashlocke had just finally been subdued when a young precog, just a child himself, gave a prophecy of twins, which together, would be the most powerful mutants ever known. Scans showed these twins had all four new mutant elements." Brennan's head lifted as he spoke. Adam paused, taking a deep breath. "Elemental, molecular, psionic, and…feral."

Feral? Shalimar's eyes darted between Brennan and Alex.

Adam stared at Brennan's back. "Another Achlocke syndrome was feared, and Eckhart ordered the twins podded at birth." Brennan's shoulders hunched as Alex sucked in air. Adam dropped his head. "I managed to convince him to separate them instead. Evan and I were partners at the time; we monitored the pregnancy, discovering one had more elements than the other. The less powerful twin was sent home with the mother, while the other was given away for adoption, to a special family equipped to deal with the consequences. We--we knew she desperately wanted a son, and was nervous about having the funds to raise two babies, so we told the mother that her firstborn was a girl, but was sickly and needed expensive medical treatments. We…convinced her to give her up."

Adam fell quiet, watching as Brennan slowly turned around. When he finally lifted his face, his eyes were unrecognizable. "So you separated us to save us."

"Yes."

His mouth flattened. "So you're just the hero."

Adam winced at Brennan's scathing tone. "I can't condone what I did, but at the time, I believed it was for the best."

"What about me?" Alex interrupted, taking a step closer. "You left me in the hands of that madman."

"No," Adam lifted his chin, laying a hand on Jesse's shoulder when he blocked his path. "It's ok," He whispered at the younger man.

Jesse hesitated, glancing at Emma, moving slowly aside when she nodded.

"Alex—" Shalimar watched him uncertainly, recognizing the darkness that flickered in his eyes, the sparks brewing as his fingertips rubbed together at his sides.

"Alex," Adam kept his tone neutral. "I never knew. I don't know why Evan left you in that pod all those years, but back then, we were deceived as well. Soon after you were adopted, we were told you died. I saw you born; I tried so hard to do what I thought was right. I never would have deserted you had I known."

"Alex?" Shalimar left Brennan's side, placing a hand on his arm.

He shuddered, emotion shifting in his eyes for a tense moment before he closed his fists, nodding, eyes closing wearily.

"So you actually knew Brennan as a baby." Jesse seized the thought, desperate to relieve the tension.

"Yes," Adam smiled for the first time. "He was big, grabbed my finger with surprising strength when he wasn't more than two minutes old."

"Wanting his own way from the start," Jesse looked almost amused at the thought, missing the warning look Emma shot him. "I bet you have some interesting stories you could tell—"

"Shut up, Jesse!" He fell quiet again as Brennan snapped in irritation, turning back toward his mentor. "Two years, Adam." His eyes flared. "Two years I've lived with you. I deserved to know the truth."

Adam sighed heavily, regretfully. "You have to understand Brennan, I thought Alex was dead all these years, and you'd already been through enough pain for one lifetime."

Brennan's arms crossed, body trembling with anger. "That should have been my decision."

Shalimar was torn. She leaned into Alex for a brief moment, squeezing his arm, gone before he could respond. Brennan barely reacted when she stepped up alongside him in support. "You could have told us once we got here."

Adam nodded. "I understand your being angry, but I had to keep my suspicions to myself for the sake of the mission. I couldn't take the risk of your losing focus. It's too important that Eckhart not get his hands on the research."

"It's that important?" Brennan hissed angrily.

"Yes," Adam threw back, mouth twisting wryly. "If Eckhart got ahold of that research, those bones we found, all those innocent mutants that were experimented on, would be just the beginning. He would continue to create and play with innocent lives until he perfected the process and then would use it to his advantage. I could not take that risk, not with your temper and not with so many lives at stake." Brennan grunted, but Adam saw a flash of bitter understanding in his eyes. He almost snorted at the irony, knowing the feeling all too well. Knowing the truth didn't make it any easier to bear.

The hallway fell silent, filled with the enormity of emotion. Brennan turned again, leaning forward into the wall, and after a moment, Shalimar pressed into his back, arms wrapping around him. He didn't say anything, but she felt the shudder run through him, felt his hand grab desperately onto hers, locking their fingers tightly together. Her bruised front to his bruised back, she laid her head between his shoulder blades, willing the pain away.

"Adam, if you knew Dr. Shaw, did you know about this research?" Emma spoke up for the first time. Her head was down, hand pressed to her temple as she fought to regain control.

Adam's hesitation was minute. "No." Her head shot up, giving him a sharp look. She stayed silent, but he could feel her eyes watching him for a long time after. Water dripped from somewhere in the background, and he sighed, kneading his temple tiredly. His gaze bounced around the room, finally clearing his throat. "Alright, we need to keep moving. The research is still out there somewhere, and we don't know how much time we have before Eckhart or his agents reappear." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Evan said the baby was the key and to go back to where it all started, so I want us to search the lab again."

That's it? He wants to pick up like nothing even happened? Brennan shoved away from the wall. "I need some air," He muttered to Shalimar, dropping her hand. She watched with a heavy heart as he walked away.

"Where are you going?" Adam's voice rose incredulously. "The mission—"

"Screw the mission, it can wait!"

"Adam," Two steps into following, Shalimar hesitated, turning to look back. "I can't let him go off alone."

"Yeah." Adam waved her on.

She found him at the entrance, slumped against the wall, staring at his hands as he danced a tiny arc of blue back and forth.

He didn't have to look up to know it was her. "I'm sick and tired of his secrets, Shal."

"I know."

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she didn't refute him. She always had in the past when they disagreed about Adam. He shifted when she sank down beside him, laying her head on his shoulder. A moment later, her hand gently squeezed his thigh, creeping up the length of his body. He smiled slightly, fingers closing to extinguish the sparks. Her hand reached his, fingers twined together, and he clung to the feeling.

They were quiet, leaning into each other.

"I have a brother, Shal."

She smiled at the confusion in his voice. His mind must be reeling, anger battling with wonderment at this latest turn of events.

He paused, making a face at the next thought. "It's Alex."

She couldn't help but laugh at his petulant tone. He was going to be fine. Once he worked past his feelings of shock and betrayal, he would discover a whole new world of emotion.

His expression changed again. "I never saw that one coming."

"I was just thinking the same thing."

They both looked up as Alex approached.

He stopped a few yards away, hands shoved in his pockets. "Mind if I join you?"

Shalimar couldn't help but smile to herself as she sensed both their sudden nervousness. She discreetly nudged Brennan, and he roused, starting to his feet. She stood up as well, standing back as they stared at each other, proud when Brennan finally held out his hand.

"Twins, huh?" Brennan's voice was hoarse, adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed tightly.

"Who knew?" Alex's own voice was thick with emotion as he reached out. They clasped hands almost solemnly, looking each other up and down. Though obviously fraternal, they posed a striking picture with their broad shoulders and messy dark hair. Brennan was slightly taller, muscles more developed from years of training. She pressed her lips together when she wondered if Alex's leaner look was due to his years spent inside a pod. They had both been through so much. Her eyes glimmered with unshed tears, and when they looked at her, she was struck by the depth of their chocolate brown eyes. Her lips trembled tumultuously when she smiled at them both, pressing her fingers to her mouth.

"Well," Brennan cleared his throat, trying to break the tension. "I'm obviously the better looking one." His mouth twitched as Alex's brows winged upward, smiling when he huffed in rebuttal.

"I don't think so." Amusement shone in Alex's eyes.

"Don't look at me," Shalimar held up her hands when she realized they were both waiting expectantly.

They laughed together, as much as in relief as in nervousness, smiles faltering again in the ensuing silence.

Brennan cleared his throat again. "So now what?"

They looked uneasily around the facility. Even in the dimness, the cobwebs could easily be seen, quieting forming and hanging heavy from years of desertion.

The answer came to them silently, in the form of thick vaporous mists drifting over their heads.

"Brennan!" Shalimar gasped, remembering.

"I know." He nodded grimly, exchanging glances with Alex.

They had been the only three to try to understand the mist.

And they had been the only three to ever really see it.

Brennan swallowed as it floated over their heads, hesitating, following it after a moment's hesitation.

"Brennan—" Shalimar whispered fearfully when he walked toward it, shocked when it began to move again.

Silently, they followed it as it led them away from the front entrance, back down a hallway.

"This is too creepy," Alex murmured as it drifted through the doorway of the lab.

"Back to where it all started." Brennan felt a shiver run down his spine, stepping through the door of his birthplace, aware of the strangeness of it all, being led by eerie fog and his brother, the man who was also Shalimar's long lost…whatever, flanking on his right side. He swallowed convulsively.

As they watched, the mist stopped by the back wall, hung heavily for a moment, and then shot straight up into the air.

"Think it's trying to tell us something?" Brennan quirked an eyebrow, cautiously approaching the area. He ran his fingers over the smooth plaster, aware of the mist directly above him. He felt nothing. No doors, no cracks or seams, nothing. "Well, this is a little anti-climactic," Brennan finally grunted, turning away in disappointment. He leaned his back against the wall, banging on it for good measure.

"That's strange." Shalimar tilted her head.

"What?" Alex was still watching the mist dangling above Brennan.

"This is the only room with plastered walls. Everywhere else is exposed rock or slate."

"You're right," Brennan straightened up again, pounding on the wall once more. His mouth stretched in a grin. "That sound a little hollow to you?"

"Oh yeah." Alex grinned back. "What do you say we take a peek at what's behind the magic curtain?" He rammed a fist into the wall before Brennan or Shalimar could respond, gasping as his knuckles crunched against the hard surface, pain radiating up his arm. "Never mind," He managed to squeak out, tears pooling his eyes as he shakily pulled his fist back. Cracked plaster revealed a shiny lead surface a few inches behind the wall. "Damn," He swore, holding his throbbing fist between his knees.

Shalimar placed a sympathetic hand on his rounded back as she passed him, biting down to hide her smile as he continued to mutter obscenities. "You ok?"

"Yeah," He braced his hand with the other, tentatively uncurling his fingers, hissing in air between his teeth.

"Check it out." Brennan broke off a chunk of the cracked plaster. "It looks like a metal door or wall or something back here."

Shalimar joined him and they made quick work of knocking down the thin plastered wall. Fine white powder billowed in the air, coating them, and Brennan sneezed violently several times in a row. Shalimar patted his chest, grinning up at him in amusement when more of the white dust flew into the air. He wiped his nose, making a face at her as they turned back to the metal wall exposed by the jagged section of drywall they had torn away.

"There's a seam," Brennan crowed in triumph. He ran his fingers over the cool metal, shoulders drooping in disappointment when he found nothing. "Damn it!" He kicked the door, wincing.

"Hey Bren," Shalimar's fingers curled around his shoulder. "You might want to try the door panel."

He lifted his eyes to where she was pointing, seeing a panel high up on the wall with two buttons. "Oh."

She grinned, wisely staying silent as he reached up and pressed a button. A clicking sound near their feet had both of them jumping backwards just as a six by six section of the wall began to move, the upper half rising into the ceiling and the bottom half dropping into the floor. Shalimar stepped forward, peering into the darkness within. Brennan's hand grabbed her instantly, but nothing happened.

"Why does this seem too easy?" Alex piped up from behind them, still cradling his fist.

"Probably because it is," Brennan muttered, pulling Shalimar back as she started to step through the parted wall. "Let me." He took a breath and stepped through, relieved when nothing happened. He took another step, gasping when something struck his head.

"What?" Shalimar started toward him, confused when he laughed.

"It's ok," Brennan reached up, pulling on the string that dangled above him. A single bare light bulb blazed to life, revealing a large white room.

It was another office.

Shalimar peered in, shaking her head in disbelief. "This is weird." Wispy mists curled lazily around her arms, and she sucked in a breath, stepping backwards, deciding Brennan could handle it just fine. She scurried back to Alex to check on his hand.

Brennan's voice echoed from the next room a moment later. "You're not going to believe this!"

"What did you find?" Shalimar called back to him.

"Another tree statue! Just like the other one!"

"That's got to be it!" Shalimar stood up from where she had been leaning against a dusty lab bed, smile faltering a moment later when she heard a distinctive clicking sound.

And the wall began to move.

"BRENNAN!"

Brennan looked up from across the white room, freezing when he saw the top and bottom sections of the metal wall moving, closing with frightening speed.

"Brennan! Run!"

Shalimar's scream galvanized him. He grabbed the statue, tucking it under his arm like a football and took off running. The lower section of wall was almost four feet high and still moving when Brennan hit it. Slapping a hand to the top, he launched himself up and over with a tremendous heave of his shoulder muscles. He shot over the top of the wall, feeling the upper section grazing his head as he tucked and rolled awkwardly, the bulk of the statue throwing him off center as he came to his feet. Sheer momentum would have carried him further, but Shalimar threw herself into his path, snagging his free arm as he sailed past. They spun and were slammed up against the opposite wall.

The metal wall clanged shut behind him.

Pulse slamming madly in his throat, Brennan looked down at Shalimar's wide eyes. "I knew that was going too well," He managed to pant, feeling every half healed bruise on his body screaming out.

Shalimar huffed, slowly releasing the deathgrip she had on his arms.

"Guys, look." Alex's grim voice caught their attention and they turned, staring in stunned surprise to find the door panel had completely vanished. "No wonder it was so easy," Alex shook his head. "They didn't care about anyone getting in; they just didn't want anyone getting out."

"Uhhh," Brennan exhaled his breath, dropping his head on Shalimar's shoulder. She rested one hand on the back of his head, fingers curling into his short hair. More plaster dust stirred from his dark head, and they both simultaneously sneezed, knocking heads.

"I'm really getting tired of this place," Shalimar groaned, hands gripping her throbbing temple, glaring as Alex chuckled aloud.

"What do you know," Alex spoke a moment later as he picked up the fallen statue. "We found it." He fumbled for a moment, pulling a tiny bronze-colored disk from the trunk of the tree a moment later. "Just like the other one."

"I can't believe it." Pain forgotten, Shalimar took a step forward. "The secret of the genetic code."

Alex held the tiny disk with something between awe and disgust. "Everything we've been through, it's all for this." He shook his head, staring at the unassuming plastic between his fingers. Before the others could react, his hand closed around it, and with a burst of flame, it was gone.

"What are you doing?" Angry, Brennan ran forward, grabbing his arm, but the disk was already destroyed. "Are you crazy!"

Alex's dark eyes showed no remorse. "Eckhart could have used it to destroy more lives. It's not worth it."

"Not worth it!" Brennan stared at the other man in shock. "Adam could have used that to save us!"

"No one else should have to suffer like those people did, like I did!"

"Brennan, look." Shalimar placed a gentle hand on his arm, eyes turning upward. He glanced up impatiently, heart stopping, then thumping erratically in his chest. The mist. It was moving again, into the exposed white room, gathering into a thick, smoky column that whirled around a few times and then dissipated, releasing into the air. It could have been his imagination, but Brennan felt a sudden sense of tranquility. A soft hiss of air, like a quiet sigh, brushed past him, and his mouth stretched into a smile.

It dropped a moment later when a scream shattered the silence.

"That's Emma!" Shalimar was the first one out the door, Brennan and Alex right behind her.

"What in the---" Brennan was cut off as alarms started to blare, deafening loud, and security grates began closing behind them.

"Run!" Shalimar dove under a door that began to lower in front of them, rolled and then was back on the run. She should have known something was wrong. The others, they had planned on going to the lab as well. Adrenaline surging, she pushed her body faster, careening around the corner. She could sense Michael, and she slowed, turning back around to warn Brennan and Alex only to flounder as a sudden groan and explosion of water knocked her off her feet. Hands grabbed her, and she came up gasping, realizing Brennan was trying to yell over the torrents of water spewing from the walls.

"It must be some sort of security system!"

"Michael!"

"What?"

Already, water was swirling around Shalimar's knees. Another scream rent the air, and she took off, racing as fast as possible through the jets of water. Brennan staggered up along side her, arm gripping her waist as the force of the water almost knocked her down. She felt his chest vibrate and could only assume he was calling for the others. The sound of the water seemed to get louder as the hallway filled.

They staggered around another corner, entering a larger main room, only to slam to a halt.

Across the large space, Adam was unconscious, head bobbing above the water as Emma struggled to hold him up. Parts of the walls had collapsed around them, evidence of the geological mutant's handiwork, and Jesse was nowhere to be seen.

"Help me!"

Emma's scream could be heard above the roar, and Shalimar started forward, growling when Alex stopped her with a rough arm around her waist.

"No, Shal!" He screamed in ear. "Let me!" He pushed her back into Brennan, surging powerfully forward through the deepening water.

Shalimar followed anyway, shouting, but Brennan could barely hear her. The water level was high enough that she was swimming more than walking, and he wasn't doing much better. He reached for her, stumbling when she suddenly halted again. Her eyes slid into yellow, lips peeled angrily back, and he understood when he followed her gaze upward to see Michael standing on a catwalk high above them. Shalimar snarled, and Brennan's hold tightened on her just as he felt her muscles tensing, about to spring.

"Let me go!" She struggled against him, easily breaking free.

"Not without me!" Brennan stubbornly grabbed her again, fighting her. "We are not splitting up!"

"Alright, alright!" She glanced across the room to see Alex had reached Adam and Emma before turning her sight back above. "I want him, Brennan."

The mutant finally noticed them, grinning down evilly before sauntering down the catwalk.

"Then let's get him." Brennan's hand automatically fell to Shalimar's waist, boosting her up and out of the water and up onto his shoulders. He felt her fumble for a moment, both hissing in pain, and then her feet pressed against his broad frame, launching into the air. There was the creak of rusted metal, the roar of the water, and then a heavy clang as she dropped a ladder down. Brennan grinned, pulling himself up. The catwalk swayed as he hoisted himself over. He staggered ungracefully to his feet, clinging to the edge until he found his balance. He saw the flash of Shalimar's teeth in the darkness, and then they started forward, twenty feet above the ground. A mid-air run of unconnected catwalks, Brennan blindly followed Shalimar as she ran confidently through the dark, leaping from one section to another. Michael's feet could be seen disappearing over the edge of another catwalk above them, and she narrowed her eyes, feeling the end of the journey in sight. She flew down the metal walk, pausing at the end. "What's wrong?" Brennan panted as she hesitated. "Oh." He found the answer on his own, glancing up at the upper catwalk Michael had maneuvered. At least six feet above them and two feet of horizontal space between them, it looked impossible.

"Shal—"

But she was already gone.

The catwalk creaked and swayed as she sprang off it, and Brennan grabbed the railing in disbelief. Too wet to jet propel himself over, he was stuck.

"Brennan!"

Startled, he heard Shalimar's whisper just before she seemed to fall backward over the edge, knees hooked around the metal rung. He blinked when her arms dangled in his face. He grinned, shaking his head before reaching up to grab hold.

Almost thirty feet above the ground, it was pitch dark. Before Shalimar had finished unhooking her knees and hauling herself back up, Brennan was already gone. She growled under her throat, the blaring alarms and roaring water interfering with her ability to sense him. She held herself motionless for a moment, tense, searching, when a hand suddenly touched her lightly on the shoulder and made a familiar sweep down her back. Her shoulders relaxed, and she sighed. Brennan. His hand nudged her forward, and she took two steps before she realized something was off with his gait.

She concentrated on keeping her steps steady, shock crashing down her spine.

Years of working together, every time he had come close, she had found herself bathed in a scent achingly familiar to her. It had reassured her on so many a time. It was absent now. Eyes widening in fury, she whirled. Instantly, arms wrapped themselves around her from behind, a hand clamping down over her face.

"Too slow." The maddening grin that flashed in her face infuriated her. Through the roar, she heard a scuffle ahead of her, recognizing Brennan's scent immediately. He moaned, and unexpectedly, something uncontrollable triggered within. She trembled slightly, body starting to shake. Michael chuckled, misinterpreting it for fear, and she gave in to the primitive rage. She sank her teeth into the fleshy palm that held her, ruthlessly kicking upward, feeling her boots slam into bone and muscle. There was a howl and then the hands that held her were ripped away by the force of the blow. A flash of electricity lit up the darkness, highlighting Brennan's outstretched arm as he grounded himself with the other, and the contorted face of Michael when it struck, body shaking as the light died out. The catwalk trembled violently, his arm glowing red as he screamed, hanging onto the edge for a breathless moment. Shalimar didn't move, the sound of a body hitting the floor finally releasing her, and she scrambled to the edge, peering down. Brennan dropped beside her, arm clamping onto her as he stared down beside her at the fallen enemy, the harshness of their breathing the only sound.

Until the catwalk gave a great groan.

They screamed as it shuddered, one end dropping suddenly. Brennan slammed into the floor of the catwalk, and then he started to fall. Teeth clenched as fingers grabbed, slipped, then caught and held. A body bumped into his, and he turned his head to see Shalimar dangling next to him.

"Did I mention how tired I am of this place?" Even strained, she managed to inject humor into her voice.

"Shut up and climb," Brennan's mouth grimaced into a grin of sorts as he grunted a response, unsuccessfully trying to ignore the shooting pain running up and down his body.

The catwalk shuddered before they could move, and with a final heaving groan, it fell, crashing into the darkness below.

Ironically, it was the water that saved them.

Slamming upward in a mighty roar, the deafening silence below was startling, straining their eardrums as they plunged nine feet into the cold darkness. Brennan's back scraped rock, and then instinct drove him up, kicking desperately in the swirling madness. His head hit something, and stunned, he realized it was the floor, equilibrium completely messed up in the freezing murkiness. A hand grabbed him, Shalimar's face hazy next to his, tugging him up, and then his head broke the surface, lungs greedily sucking in air.

"Shalimar! Brennan!"

It was Emma's terrified voice that caught their attention. Shalimar waved, signaling her, and then painfully, wearily, they swam their way toward her, another dose of adrenaline kicking in when they saw the look on her face.

She clung to the top of a door, the water level well above her head, clutching Adam as he lay half draped over the metal top.

Her eyes were open, squinted, voice rasping when she spoke. "Jesse." It was all she managed to say, but it was enough.

Brennan spun around in the water, Dread jackhamering in his chest when neither Jesse nor Alex were anywhere to be seen. Shalimar gave a sudden cry, fingers digging into his shoulder as she treaded water beside him.

And then he saw it.

It was hard to make out the scene at the bottom. The water was murky, the result of a partial wall collapse, but two bodies could be seen. One lay motionless, partially buried under rubble, occasional air bubbles the only indication he was alive. Anther figure jackknifed through the water, hands finding his face, head dipping forward, the purpose of his action suddenly clear as he spun and sluggishly swam back to the surface.

Shalimar gave a horrified whimper as Emma struggled to fill in the blanks. Unable to leave Adam, she was forced to hold him, watching as Alex swam back and forth, breathing for Jesse.

He was trapped.

And Alex couldn't get him out.

The unfairness after everything they had already been through seemed to spin and tilt as Brennan struggled for control, surging forward just as Alex's dark head broke the surface.

"Thank god." Alex's tired whisper when he saw them brought instant tears to Brennan's eyes, stinging with the cuts on his face.

Above the shrieking alarms, the rushing of water, Brennan found his brother.

They exchanged determined glances, sucking in air before disappearing beneath the surface side by side.

Shalimar was right behind them, heading straight for Jesse's head as Brennan and Alex dove straight for the base of the collapse. Her hands slid across his face, somehow angry when she found a light coating of mud and silt covering it. She stirred the water, clearing his face, touching him comfortingly when he suddenly started to struggle. Her heart broke, knowing how much it must cost him to lay there, trapped, helpless. Claustrophobic, he surged again, and she fought to clear the rubble from his shoulders. A shudder ran through his body, and then he was still. Her hands found his face again, clearing the silt, pinching his nose and blowing into his mouth. Bubbles rushed between them, and then she was forced to the surface. Her head bopped above water, and she gasped air, ready to go back down when she saw they had freed him. Tears flowed unchecked as she changed direction, swimming to Emma, clenching the exhausted woman's shoulders as they sobbed together in relief.

When they staggered outside, the contrast was blinding. Days spent in dust and darkness, the sweet coolness of the mountain air was startling, the brightness of the overhead sun almost too painful to bear. Pine needles crunched gently beneath them as they collapsed, spent onto the mossy ground. For a moment, they lay there stunned, overwhelmed by all they had endured. Earthquakes and cave-ins, flooding waters, and swirling mists, burning fire and ancient murders, secrets and revelations; it had been an impossible journey. Yet with simple actions, they established their worth. They simply were what Eckhart longed to be, powerful, fighting for something worth saving. Worth dying for. A half step left of the abyss was a world where shadows waited. Men like Michael were lost when they sold their souls too cheaply. Mercenaries who did not value what they held, whose weaknesses became strengths in another's grasp. It was something the enemy always failed to recognize, and something that gave them the strength to endure.

Hope.

Trust.

Belief.

Someone laughed, and the others joined in, overwhelming joy and mirth bubbling forth in the stillness of the mountain beauty.

The roaring had been silenced.

A/N II: Part of the idea for this story came from Brennan's backstory as described in the European version of the MX DVD's: "…They discovered Alice, Brennan's mother, was carrying fraternal twins, a boy and a girl, and that it was highly likely that both twins would inherit her defective genes. Alice immediately snatched at the glimmer of hope offered by the project. The twins were genetically engineered, leaving Alice with a new and terrible choice. Barely subsisting on welfare, she hadn't considered exactly how she was going to afford to raise one child, let alone two. Alice gave the girl, who she named Arabella, up for adoption and kept the boy, Brennan. In her heart, she knew the right thing to do was to give up both children, but she so wanted to have a child of her own. Alice died when Brennan was barely ten and after bouncing around from foster home to foster home, the kid found himself on the street…" I was given the request to give Brennan a brother instead of a sister, hence the start of this story! I was also given the request of a season two story, so set this story between 221 and 222, and tried to weave in elements from 222 into the plot, so that in theory, other than the romance, that episode could pick up right after this story. 222 opens with the team pretending to be buyers for a list of names, created by a Dr. Haines, whose genetic material can be used to crack the code. I reference this list and use it as the reason for creating Dr. Shaw and his research. 222 is also when the team learns about Adam's involvement in gene sequence research, so in this story, he denies knowing about the existence of the research as the team cannot know that yet. I also reference the precog from episode 320, but never introduce him since they don't learn his name or meet him until almost a year later. But I thought he would be an interesting element to use as well, so created a backstory for him since all we know about him from 320 is that he was a surviving member of the links, working with Ashlocke. Since we learned in 201 that some of the Links were former Genomex employees from when Ashlocke podded Eckhart, I created his story around that idea. The facility and Evan and of course Alex are all original creations/characters. Huge thanks to Mari for so many of the plot ideas in this story and for naming the characters, Alex for Arabella and Evan for the "Adam and Eve" reference. Thank you.