Old Flame
Chapter 4: Forget Me Not
Lamont tilted his head to the side and raised a eyebrow as he felt someone probe Jades memories. He looked back at Tylena and nodded to a computer near the window "search the data banks for any mutants near here that are telepathic or tel-empathic..."
Tylena gave a nod of her head and walked over to the computer, giving a little swing to her step. She sat down and started to type, her assignment was clear and she would find whatever Lamont needed, she had no remorse for the mutants that she helped hunt and kill. As long as it wasn't her, she was fine with whatever her boss did with the mutants.
Emma looked at Shalimar as they sat in the car "so do we know where these two mutants are and what their powers are?"
Shalimar nodded "they are in the east end of town. The guy can create high sound waves, that can effect any mutant that he wishes. The girl can shift into any human shape she wants... Adam wants to scan both of them, to see how vast their powers are."
Emma smiled and looked down at the device they had, it peeped as it traced the mutant powers that they had found earlier. "That way...to the left" she said pointing.
Shalimar nodded her head and turned left, their eyes searched the sides of the road. Shalimar spotted something and pulled over and jumped out of the car, "there...that's them!" she said reaching into the car and turning it off and pocketing the keys.
Emma and Shalimar ran after the two new mutants, Emma speaking into her comring as they ran."We found the two mutants. Were running after them, their afraid of us."
Adam smiled "Good work. Catch up to them and convince them that you won't hurt them and then bring them back here."
"Sounds good Adam" Emma said using her powers to imbolize the two mutants, making them think that they were under a heavy net and unable to use their powers.
The two mutants fell to the ground struggling to get up.
"It's okay. We aren't going to hurt you" Shalimar said as they reached them.
Krysta moved close to her brother and looked at him "Cole...should we trust them?"
Cole glared at Shalimar and Emma "leave us alone! Were not going anywhere with
you!" He looked at his sister "grow up Krysta, of course we can't trust them, didn't you learn anything at all?"
Krysta's bottom lip trembled and she looked at Shalimar "excuse my brother...I'm Krysta and this is my brother Cole."
Emma smiled and used her powers to calm them both down. "I'm Emma and this is Shalimar." She moved and took hold of Cole's arm and Krysta's arm and helped them both up.
"Come on...we'll take you somewhere safe. No one will hurt you" Shalimar said with a smile.
Cole looked at the two women and nodded his head finally. "Fine. But you had better not be lying to us, or else..."
The two new mutants followed Shalimar and Emma to the car and got inside. Shalimar drove them back to the Sanctuary, after blindfolding them.
Jade slowly stood from the chair, her hand still held onto the side it. She took a hesitant step forward to make sure she was able to walk on her own, she sighed in relief that she could.
She looked around, Adam wasn't in the room and that surprised her. Ever since Jade had been fighting the virus Adam hadn't left the room, but he was somewhere else and now was the time for her to leave.
Jade walked as fast as she could out of the lab and towards the garage, she paused to grab a pair of keys. She moved her way to the door pausing when she heard the occasional noise, but she moved steadily towards the cars.
A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she reached the car the keys belonged to, she unlocked the door and slipped inside. Starting up her car she drove out of the Sanctuary, grateful that Adam had gotten someone to bring it to the Sanctuary.
She sped down the road, trying to decide where she should go.
Shalimar frowned at the computer screen and spoke into her comlink.
"Adam, Jade's gone."
Adam set down the glass he had in his hand and sighed softly.
"Not again..." he said with a sigh. "Track her, once you find where she is send Brennan after her. I need you, Jesse and Emma to work with Krysta and Cole."
Shalimar smiled "will do." She frowned a little "what will you be doing?"
Adam sighed shaking his head. "I don't know, probably go over her scans, see if there's anything there that will tell me what she's up to."
Shalimar looked at Adam "she'll be back Adam. I saw how she looked at you, you won't be getting rid of her so easily this time."
Adam gave a weak smile, glad that Shalimar couldn't see him. "I hope your right Shalimar..."
He turned back to the scans he'd done of Jade, there had to be some clue as to where she had gone.
Jade pulled to a stop outside an apartment building. She stepped out of her car and looked up at the building, taking a deep breath she walked to the front door and opened it. She took the stairs two at a time, she didn't even know if the person she needed to see was even there.
She looked at the numbers on the doors, even though she remembered which apartment it was that she needed to go to. The place hadn't changed much in the few years that she hadn't visited there, the hallways were still littered with trash and beer bottles.
Stepping over them she walked to an apartment door and knocked three times and waited. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed softly, wondering if she knew what she was doing, but she also knew that there was more then one reason why she'd run away from the Sanctuary.
The door opened a woman peered through the small crack of space she allowed between the door jam and the door. "Who's there and what do you want?" she said fearfully.
"Erica, it's me Jade. Remember me?" she asked softly, her eyes flickering in pain at how she saw her old friend.
The woman paused in closing the door and opened it a little wider so she could look at Jade better. "Jade? Is that you?" she asked softly her eyes still fearful.
Jade smiled softly "yes Erica. It's Jade, may l come in?"
Erica studied Jade for a few minutes and finally opened the door wide enough for Jade to slip through. Jade walked through and gasped as she looked around the apartment, she looked at her old friend in concern.
"Erica what's happened to you?" she said looking around the once spotless apartment. That was now littered with what looked like years worth of junk, dust lay heavily on a lot of the furniture.
Erica closed the door and locked it, she ran her hands through her shoulder length dirty blonde hair. She licked her lips and shuffled her way through the mess of her home to where Jade had found a place to sit "what happened to me?" she asked confused.
Jade looked sadly at her friend "l don't know Erica. What did they do to you?"
Erica looked at Jade blinking, her confusion obvious in her eyes. "What happened to me?" she repeated and then licked her lips again.
"They are what happened to me... they made me like this..." she babbled, her eyes glittering for a minute.
Jade sighed and moved to Erica and draped a arm around her shoulders. "It's okay...shh...l told you l know someone who can help you. Do you want me to take you to him?"
Erica looked at Jade and shook her head "no...NO! Get away from me...their coming...always coming for me..." she whispered, pushing Jade away from her. "Go...get out of here...don't return..." she said her voice suddenly clear, she looked at Jade for a moment and looked around her.
"See what they've turned me into? They will do this to you too...now leave, go to where you will be safe..." Erica said her head snapping to the side as she stared expectantly at the door.
"Their coming...can't you hear them coming?" she whispered, her body rocking back and forth.
Jade stared at her friend, she had changed so much. Jade listened and shook her head "no, l can't hear them coming" she said and leaned over and hugged Erica, feeling the woman shrink away from her.
She sighed and heard it, a slight noise in the hall. Jade was on her feet and looked at the door Erica was staring at.
Erica's voice whispered hoarsely "they are here...leave...the window...fire escape...go Jade..." she turned her eyes to Jade. "You'll be safe with your friend, only if you tell him the truth."
Erica stood from the couch and grabbed Jade in a grip that she didn't look like she could have. Then she pushed her towards the window, Jade stumbled ramming her shoulder into a book case causing pain to race through her arm and shoulder.
Then came the splintering noise of the door being shattered. Jade looked at Erica but found she couldn't move in any direction but the window, Erica was using her powers on her and she sighed "please...Erica...save yourself. Your life can be different then this..." she said finally giving up fighting trying to get away from the window.
Voices were shouting in the hall, a arm appeared through the hole in the door and it stretched forward, like it was searching to see if someone was standing near the door. Erica continued to use her powers to force her old friend to the window "go..." she whispered.
Jade nodded and used her own powers to raise the window and she jumped out and the window shut silently behind her. Jade paused long enough to look back over her shoulder to look inside as several mutants broke the rest of the door down and swept into the room in a group.
Erica was beyond help Jade knew that, she couldn't help her or else she would be gone to. So Jade ran down the steps of the fire escape and landed lightly on the ground, she felt a jab of pain in her back and she looked back and saw a fire ball heading towards her.
She jumped to the side as the ball of fire hit the wall of the alley. She ran to her car and dropped her head onto the steering wheel.
Shalimar spoke to Brennan, giving him the location of Jade. The two spoke quietly for a few minutes and Brennan gave her arm a squeeze, then the two headed in different directions.
Brennan went to the parking lot to go get Jade and Shalimar headed to the rec room where Emma and Jesse had taken Krysta and Cole.
Shalimar walked into the rec room and smiled at the 4 other mutants there. "So are you two up to some work?"
Krysta looked at her brother nervously and then back to Shalimar. "Work? What kind of work?"
Cole looked up at Shalimar, his eyes narrowed slightly. He looked at his sister then towards the others, they had spent the last little while talking and watching TV. They seemed nice enough, but that didn't matter...they were just like the other mutants him and Krysta had met.
Emma smiled at them "she doesn't mean housework. Don't worry...it's Jesse turn to clean the place today" she said grinning over at Jesse.
"It is not! It's Brennan's turn and he should of done it by now" he whined, though his eyes has an amused look in them.
Emma rolled her eyes and stood up and pulled Jesse up with her "stop whining. Lets give them a training session? See how they can fight?"
Jesse grinned at Shalimar "l'm sure Shal will love that. She loves fighting, get rid of some of that built up feline energies..."
Shalimar placed her hands on her hips and flashed her eyes at him, her lips frowning at him. "You better watch it rock boy...or else you'll be going one on one with me without their help and with full contact."
Krysta looked at Shalimar and Jesse and burst out laughing.
Cole merely scowled and rolled his eyes "childish" was all he said.
Shalimar grinned at Cole "childish? Nah, were all harmless unless were in a real fight."
Cole shrugged miserably and stood, yanking his sister up. "Whatever" he said looking at them all. "Lets get this over with" he said looking at his sister with a frown at her laughing.
Brennan walked up to the car, he looked around seeing noone else. He tapped on the window lightly and studied Jade, "Adam, l found Jade. I'm going to be bringing her back...l should of brought Emma, so she could bring back the car."
Adam smiled in relief "leave Jade's car there. I'll send you and Shalimar out later to pick it up."
Jade slowly lifted her head and looked at Brennan in shock. She slowly opened the door after Brennan stepped back from it "Adam sent you?" she asked softly.
"Alright. We'll be back soon" he said watching Jade step out of her car. She looked shook up, "yes, he's been worried sick about you."
Jade smiled weakly at that "he always is. I...have to check on a friend...before we go."
Brennan furrowed his brow as he looked at her "sure, l'll follow you. What happened?"
"My friend's home was broken into. I was going to stay and help her, but she made me leave, the mutants broke in just as l left through the window. Erica was too weak to protect herself..." she whispered, her eyes staring past Brennan.
She gave her head a fierce shake and turned and walked towards the building. Brennan followed close behind her, trying to process all the information she had given him.
"Mutants? From Eckhart?"
Jade shook her head slowly, remembering that she hadn't told them anything about Lamont. She looked at Brennan and sighed softly "it's not something to talk about out in the open. I need to see if Erica is okay..." she said biting her lip.
Brennan looked around as she spoke and made sure that it was all safe before he let her go inside the building. "Well then, we'll check on your friend and then get back to the Sanctuary. We can help you know, we know all about mutants you know" he said with a smile.
Jade nodded and moved through the door, glad to have someone with her this time. She looked around as they walked inside and then up the stairs towards Erica's apartment.
Brennan came to a stunned stop beside Jade as they saw the total damage that had been done to the front door of the apartment. Brennan gently pushed Jade behind him and walked slowly to the door, he didn't have to open the door to get in. There was a huge hole in the middle of the door and he slowly stepped through and looked around, the messy apartment was even worse then it had been.
He heard the surprised gasp behind him and Brennan turned his head. "Jade, you might want to stay there. Until we know that all the mutants are gone..." he said holding out his arm to stop her from coming inside.
The apartment was silent, the couch was overturned and glass crunched under Brennan's feet. Suddenly he bent down and straightened a table and chair, staring down at the woman laying in a pool of blood at his feet. His stomach churned and he felt like being sick, but he pushed the feeling away and he sighed softly "does Erica have blonde hair?" he asked, glancing back at Jade.
Jade closed her eyes, "yes. She's dead isn't she?" she said softly, moving from the doorway to stand behind Brennan.
"Yes..." he said reaching back and taking Jade's hand and pushed her back towards the door. "There is nothing we can do for her. We'll go back to the Sanctuary and Adam will send someone to take care of her..."