Thanks guys, I will keep going.
Brennan wasn't asleep for long. The noise eminating from the tunnel thundered in his ears. It sounded like a freight train echoing from the chamber and duct below. He undid his make-shift sling so that he was free to move. It was still pitch dark but Brennan's eyes had adjusted again and dried out a bit so he was able to somewhat see where he was. Brennan felt his side where the bullet had torn into him. It was still bleeding but it appeared his blood-soaked shirt had formed a permanent seal with his skin. His entire body ached and his abdomen throbbed. He felt like vomiting. He controlled the urge, though for fear of starting that bleeding again. He was having difficulty breathing and his leg really hurt. It didn't seem to move correctly when he tried to get it to climb up the ladder. "Great," Brennan thought to himself. "That's probably broken." He knew he had to climb. It was his only hope of escaping his would-be tomb. Brennan began edging his way up the ladder. It was metal and the rungs were implanted right into the concrete. Some of them were crumbling and Brennan could tell that the manhole he was in was very old. He couldn't use his right leg for much more than stabilization of weight. So, he climbed using only his arms and uninjured leg. He whimpered with each movement. He rested at each rung he ascended. It seemed like an eternity. At times, he thought that he was just going to let go and fall back down into the water. Maybe he would get lucky and strike his head and drown peacefully. Those thoughts, though, were fleeting. His fever was getting worse. This much he knew and he realized that he could not trust his emotions right now. He focused on climbing - one rung at a time.
When he reached the top, Brennan was elated. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he realized there was a top. He thought briefly what would happen if Draper was on the other side waiting for him. He didn't care. As long as he got out of this tunnel and away from the water. He had so much hope as he reached for the manhole cover.
Brennan's elation was squashed, however, when he pushed against it and it did not even budge. "No!" Brennan cried. He pushed again, harder. "No!!!" Brennan yelled. He beat on it with his fist. "God damn it!" Brennan cried at the top of his lungs. It was really just a gurgle, though. He was weak, tired, hurt, and desperate. And now, the only hope he had of getting help was destroyed. He had tried so hard. It reminded him of when he was little. All the times he had tried to escape only to have his hopes dashed by Draper, Eckhart or Adam. "Yes, Adam too," Brennan thought. It was equally his fault that he was here. That he never got to lead a normal life. The horrible home-life he had. Letting Draper do what he did to him." He felt abandoned. Adam had left him alone, again, with this monster, left him alone to die. As Brennan began a slow descent, he thought about all the times he had enjoyed with Mutant X. How he met Emma and how Jesse had become his brother and Shalimar acting like everyone's mother. He cursed himself for his thoughts about Adam. Adam was the only one who tried to help him when he was little. It was really a miracle that he met up with him again in Mutant X. He liked to think of Adam as a father. But because he didn't trust, really, anyone, he loved him as much as he was capable of and questioned him always. Brennan didn't realize that he was drifting into unconsciousness again. He was about ten rungs from the bottom of the chamber when he passed out. His last thought was of Adam and the team. He saw Draper laughing as he attacked the rest of Mutant X. Brennan was helpless mentally, physically and emotionally. He was spent. Brennan plunged the last ten feet to the bottom of the chamber. He connected with the concrete and the water with a crash. He slammed his head against the second- to- last rung on the ladder and accidentally caught his arm on the last one. It halted his complete collapse into the water and managed to keep his now battered head out of the water. Brennan's gurgled breath sounds were barely audible against the roar in his head from the noise in the chamber. In the distance, Draper was laughing, but mercifully, Brennan wasn't able to hear him.
The team exited the Helix once it was on the ground. Jesse maintained a lock on Brennan's position with a portable locator Adam had given him. "Adam, you said that this thing will lock onto the new implant in Brennan's arm right?" Jesse asked Adam, who had remained back at the Helix to control the mission.
"Yes Jesse, why? Is it reading something strange?" Adam replied.
"Yeah, Adam, it still says that he is below us."
"Jesse, if Brennan is in a deep tunnel or dike, he very well could be below you. Just move until it reads that he is directly below you and look for some sort of manmade entrance to the ground or a cave near the location. But everyone, be careful. Draper is sadistic. He also has elemental powers. I don't know what type of damage he could cause any of you. Do not let your feelings get in the way of your wit, OK? Adam warned.
"Yeah, right Adam, what ever you say," Jesse mumbled under his breath. Emma was reading him and flashed him a serious look. "Let's go, it says he is this way. Man, it started raining again - pretty hard, Adam."
"Then all I can say is hurry. Emma, try to get a hit off of Brennan," Adam suggested.
As Jesse tried to read the locator, Emma went into a trance. She searched through fog to find Brennan. He was huddled in a corner - rocking gently - in a fetal position really. He was surrounded by blood and his legs were chained together. There was a large wooden box to his right side. As Emma persisted, she realized it was a coffin. Brennan kept looking up at it. On the other side of him was a butcher knife and AR-15 (assault rifle). She realized he was struggling to remain alive..
"Adam!" Emma cried. "Yes, Emma," replied Adam and Jesse cam back to her side. Shalimar had never left it. "He is still alive, but barely. He is trapped, Adam. He is cold and hurt. He is also frightened. It seems the only thing keeping him from letting go and dying is his desire to kill." Emma exclaimed, obviously distraught.
Jesse just sighed in disgust and walked back over following his meter.
"Emma, that means you were right. He is alive. And we are going to find him. I promise," Adam said.
"Hey, guys?" yelled Jesse. He was standing on the edge of a cliff about 10 feet from its drop-off. "I think I got him."
Brennan wasn't asleep for long. The noise eminating from the tunnel thundered in his ears. It sounded like a freight train echoing from the chamber and duct below. He undid his make-shift sling so that he was free to move. It was still pitch dark but Brennan's eyes had adjusted again and dried out a bit so he was able to somewhat see where he was. Brennan felt his side where the bullet had torn into him. It was still bleeding but it appeared his blood-soaked shirt had formed a permanent seal with his skin. His entire body ached and his abdomen throbbed. He felt like vomiting. He controlled the urge, though for fear of starting that bleeding again. He was having difficulty breathing and his leg really hurt. It didn't seem to move correctly when he tried to get it to climb up the ladder. "Great," Brennan thought to himself. "That's probably broken." He knew he had to climb. It was his only hope of escaping his would-be tomb. Brennan began edging his way up the ladder. It was metal and the rungs were implanted right into the concrete. Some of them were crumbling and Brennan could tell that the manhole he was in was very old. He couldn't use his right leg for much more than stabilization of weight. So, he climbed using only his arms and uninjured leg. He whimpered with each movement. He rested at each rung he ascended. It seemed like an eternity. At times, he thought that he was just going to let go and fall back down into the water. Maybe he would get lucky and strike his head and drown peacefully. Those thoughts, though, were fleeting. His fever was getting worse. This much he knew and he realized that he could not trust his emotions right now. He focused on climbing - one rung at a time.
When he reached the top, Brennan was elated. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he realized there was a top. He thought briefly what would happen if Draper was on the other side waiting for him. He didn't care. As long as he got out of this tunnel and away from the water. He had so much hope as he reached for the manhole cover.
Brennan's elation was squashed, however, when he pushed against it and it did not even budge. "No!" Brennan cried. He pushed again, harder. "No!!!" Brennan yelled. He beat on it with his fist. "God damn it!" Brennan cried at the top of his lungs. It was really just a gurgle, though. He was weak, tired, hurt, and desperate. And now, the only hope he had of getting help was destroyed. He had tried so hard. It reminded him of when he was little. All the times he had tried to escape only to have his hopes dashed by Draper, Eckhart or Adam. "Yes, Adam too," Brennan thought. It was equally his fault that he was here. That he never got to lead a normal life. The horrible home-life he had. Letting Draper do what he did to him." He felt abandoned. Adam had left him alone, again, with this monster, left him alone to die. As Brennan began a slow descent, he thought about all the times he had enjoyed with Mutant X. How he met Emma and how Jesse had become his brother and Shalimar acting like everyone's mother. He cursed himself for his thoughts about Adam. Adam was the only one who tried to help him when he was little. It was really a miracle that he met up with him again in Mutant X. He liked to think of Adam as a father. But because he didn't trust, really, anyone, he loved him as much as he was capable of and questioned him always. Brennan didn't realize that he was drifting into unconsciousness again. He was about ten rungs from the bottom of the chamber when he passed out. His last thought was of Adam and the team. He saw Draper laughing as he attacked the rest of Mutant X. Brennan was helpless mentally, physically and emotionally. He was spent. Brennan plunged the last ten feet to the bottom of the chamber. He connected with the concrete and the water with a crash. He slammed his head against the second- to- last rung on the ladder and accidentally caught his arm on the last one. It halted his complete collapse into the water and managed to keep his now battered head out of the water. Brennan's gurgled breath sounds were barely audible against the roar in his head from the noise in the chamber. In the distance, Draper was laughing, but mercifully, Brennan wasn't able to hear him.
The team exited the Helix once it was on the ground. Jesse maintained a lock on Brennan's position with a portable locator Adam had given him. "Adam, you said that this thing will lock onto the new implant in Brennan's arm right?" Jesse asked Adam, who had remained back at the Helix to control the mission.
"Yes Jesse, why? Is it reading something strange?" Adam replied.
"Yeah, Adam, it still says that he is below us."
"Jesse, if Brennan is in a deep tunnel or dike, he very well could be below you. Just move until it reads that he is directly below you and look for some sort of manmade entrance to the ground or a cave near the location. But everyone, be careful. Draper is sadistic. He also has elemental powers. I don't know what type of damage he could cause any of you. Do not let your feelings get in the way of your wit, OK? Adam warned.
"Yeah, right Adam, what ever you say," Jesse mumbled under his breath. Emma was reading him and flashed him a serious look. "Let's go, it says he is this way. Man, it started raining again - pretty hard, Adam."
"Then all I can say is hurry. Emma, try to get a hit off of Brennan," Adam suggested.
As Jesse tried to read the locator, Emma went into a trance. She searched through fog to find Brennan. He was huddled in a corner - rocking gently - in a fetal position really. He was surrounded by blood and his legs were chained together. There was a large wooden box to his right side. As Emma persisted, she realized it was a coffin. Brennan kept looking up at it. On the other side of him was a butcher knife and AR-15 (assault rifle). She realized he was struggling to remain alive..
"Adam!" Emma cried. "Yes, Emma," replied Adam and Jesse cam back to her side. Shalimar had never left it. "He is still alive, but barely. He is trapped, Adam. He is cold and hurt. He is also frightened. It seems the only thing keeping him from letting go and dying is his desire to kill." Emma exclaimed, obviously distraught.
Jesse just sighed in disgust and walked back over following his meter.
"Emma, that means you were right. He is alive. And we are going to find him. I promise," Adam said.
"Hey, guys?" yelled Jesse. He was standing on the edge of a cliff about 10 feet from its drop-off. "I think I got him."