Thanks for all the reviews. I am really happy you all keep reading. Enjoy too.

Adam, Emma, and Shalimar walked across the street to the local diner. It was the only thing open this early in the morning. They chose a booth in the corner and ordered coffee. Emma and Shal sat next to each other facing Adam. Adam looked back and forth between the two girls and let out a big sigh and ran his hands through his hair. Emma looked at Shal and prepared herself for what was coming. She pretty much knew but wanted Shalimar to hear the truth from Adam. Emma was keeping her mind on other thoughts right now – specifically Jesse and Brennan. Something was really wrong. She couldn't feel either of them after her latest contact but she needed to keep trying. Every time she tried, however, she got so tired. It was cloudy in Jesse's mind and Brennan had put up walls. She was startled out of her thoughts by Shalimar.

"WHAT?" Shalimar exclaimed.

"Shalimar, calm down," Adam replied. They had been holding hands across the table and Emma woke up in time to see Shalimar pull her hand quickly back from Adam's.

"No, Adam, I am not going to calm down! What do you mean they injected us with something? Why didn't you stop them? Why didn't you come for us?" Shalimar was obviously crushed by Adam's latest revelation. Emma reached over and grabbed Shalimar's hands. She looked into her eyes and saw a fear and disbelief she had rarely seen in Shalimar. It was disconcerting.

"Shalimar," Adam interrupted. "There is more."

Shalimar looked over at Adam and prepared herself for what was yet to come. Emma had mentioned that the guys were in trouble and she needed to understand what that meant.

"Shalimar," Adam continued, "you, Jesse, and Brennan all have inside of you a type of destabilization device. The group called the Dominion controls it and Lexa works for them. You see, a long time ago, when I worked for Genomex, Eckhart and I worked to find cures for the human conditions. We wanted to end human suffering. Or, at least I thought that was the reason. In reality, as you know, Mason wanted to rule the world and needed new mutants to do it. Our benefactor, however, had a different goal. The Breedlove Foundation was actually being backed by the Dominion, a group of scientists and leaders from the free nations of the world. Their goal was to control human evolution. The governments saw too much change occurring in DNA structures that would accelerate the demise of the human race. They wanted to change that. But I didn't know about this, Shalimar, Emma, I swear. I only wanted to cure diseases and end suffering. After the explosion, I really wanted out. I found out that the Dominion was funding us and that Mason was trying to be Hitler – I just had enough. I had to at a minimum, get you all away from Mason. So, I fled. The Dominion continued to follow me, though. They kidnapped me one day and brought me to their compound. They explained how the experiments were really for the best and that if they did not continue, all of you would die horrible deaths. I couldn't let that happen. So, I set up the underground and collected information and performed countless hours of research and failed miserably. The Dominion continued to fund my research and the underground project. They knew where everyone was hidden."

"What?" Shalimar exclaimed.

Adam tried to calm her by holding up his hands in surrender. "Shalimar, just wait. The reason they knew was so if a cure was developed, we would be able to get to all of them very quickly. That's it. They were still protected from Mason. But, late in November, the Dominion chose to give up on the project. They demanded the rest of my research and for me to deliver you all to them – for termination. I couldn't do that! So, I staged it. I staged it all. I needed to make it look like I was dead and that all of the information was destroyed. I was too late though. I couldn't get to all of you before the Dominion did. They injected Brennan first and then the rest of you. I was surprised that Brennan survived it, really. Then I thanked God that you all did. I was able to get to Emma in time. "

"But – I saw her dead, Adam. The paramedics ..."

"I know, Shalimar, the paramedics thought she was dead. That is one of the medical phenomena about psionics. When they have suffered head trauma, they can go into a psionic state that slows their heart rates and breathing rates to almost nothing. She wasn't dead, Shalimar, she was just unconscious."

Shalimar and Emma looked at one-another and Shalimar still seemed confused.

"Shalimar," Emma interjected, "do you remember my run in with our vampire – friend?"

"Don't remind me Emma," Shalimar replied. "He killed you."

"No, Shal, he didn't. I had hit my head and went into one of these states. You only thought I was dead."

Shalimar looked at Adam. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"About Emma? She didn't want me to. She was afraid that you all might treat her differently and protects her from fighting. She didn't want that."

"But, I digress," Adam continued. "The Dominion sent Lexa to watch Mutant X and use them to bring in mutants for them and run interference against anyone who may interfere with them. Also, they are hoping that you would find us." Shalimar's mouth opened and she furled her brow in question of what Adam had just told her.

"Yes, they know Emma and I survived and they want Emma badly. You see, the Dominion, as it turns out, was not calling back research. They were done. They had found their perfect psionic for world leadership – Emma. You see, Emma is the only psionic with her type of broad power that has not gone completely mad and destabilized. The Dominion wants to know why. They are with Mason. They want world domination and the psionics are the key. I had to hide Emma. And, before you yell at me, Shalimar, there is something else you need to know. The Dominion is trying to get me to do the research on Emma. They are planning on using you and Jesse as ploys to make me do it. They figure that I would not let the two original team members – children that I have personally raised – die. So, they injected you to speed up the destabilization rate at their whim and sent me the formula. You see, we know how to speed it up. We just have no clue on how to stop it."

Shalimar was in shock. "So now what? I heard you mention Jesse and me. What about Brennan? Do they have plans for him?"

Adam cast his head down and then looked back at Shalimar. "Shalimar, Brennan has already destabilized once. Emma and he were able to control it themselves but it is just a matter of time before he goes 100%."

"Like Gabriel?" Shalimar whispered. Her throat was too tight to speak fully. Tears began to run down her face.

"Not if I can help it, Shalimar," Adam comforted. "I just have to find a way to get this formula to neutralize and then I may have the key to the permanent solution. I will not, however, allow the Dominion to get a hold of Emma and use her as a lab rat! I won't."

Their breakfasts arrived at that point and the three of them were silent. Adam began to eat while the girls remained with their eyes fixed on their pancakes.

XXX

Brennan woke up when Jesse sat him in the back seat of the sedan. "Jesse," Brennan mumbled.

"Yeah, Bren, I'm here," Jesse replied as he got in the driver's side.

"Jesse, you can't believe Lexa. She tried to kill me – she tried to kill you. Jesse ..."

"Brennan, shhh," Jesse responded as he made sure the car was out of the garage. He had chosen the Sedan on purpose because he had recently scanned it for wiretaps. When they had cleared the garage, Jesse filled Brennan in.

"Brennan, I didn't believe her. Man, she had you in her sights. She would have killed you in a heartbeat if she felt that I was not sincerely on her side. It was the only way I was going to be able to get us out of there."

Brennan let out the breath he had been holding and coughed miserably.

"We need to get you to a doctor," Jesse said as he looked back at Brennan. "You're bleeding again."

"No, no doctors, Jesse. They'll find us. Mason will find us. He is alive, Jesse and still very much in the picture."

"Well, Bren, I have to take you somewhere. "What if we go back to the psychiatric hospital? You knew that doctor there, Brennan. Maybe they could help us."

"No, they know the Dominion," Brennan replied. "Let's just go to a hotel. I want to sleep. I will feel better after I sleep."

Jesse looked in the rear view mirror at Brennan who was already drifting off to sleep. "OK, Brennan. I know where we are going to go – someplace better than a hotel and where they will never think to look." Jesse put the pedal down and headed for the countryside.