I am trying to get this story finished before read weeks for finals. Don't
know if I will. They are coming in short chapters now because I write when
I can.
Adam searched the archives of the county desperately trying to find some kind of history on the facility. All he could find was information that it was built in the 1940's to divert water flow from a cliff-side while the highway department built the road below. It also protected the tiny town that formed below due to the highway construction. " Jesse, it appears that there was an elaborate culvert system that kept water from flowing over the side of the cliff and causing washouts of property that used to be below it. It appeared that it was used somewhat for research in water shed management as well. It was apparently abandoned in the late 1950's when an earthquake destroyed the road and the town below. The history trail stopped in 1980 when the facility was sold to a contractor of the federal government." Adam explained to Jesse.
"So what should we be looking for, Adam, according to the meter, Brennan is right below me," Jesse just finished speaking when Shalimar's eyes went feral-yellow. "What's the matter Shal?" Jesse asked.
"Shhh," Shal whispered, "we are being watched." Just then, Shalimar began to run towards the woods.
"Shal!" exclaimed Emma. Jesse turned to stone just in time to deflect a huge rock that had been thrown from the woods away from hitting Emma. "Adam, we got company."
Just as Jesse radioed into Adam about their predicament, Adam heard a noise in the back of the Helix. "Who is there?" Adam asked. No response, just a breathing that Adam thought might be animal. Right at that moment, Adam saw a flash go past him with a horrible growl and then, he saw only blackness.
"Adam .... Adam," Jesse continued on his com-link but no answer came back. Emma was yelling for Shalimar but to no avail. She was no where to be found. "What the hell just happened Jesse?" Emma asked.
"I wish the hell I knew, Emma. But we better get back to the Helix and see what happened to Adam."
"We can't just leave Shalimar," Emma spat.
"Emma, where ever Shalimar went, it is far from here. We have been looking for over 30 minutes. Adam isn't answering and Shalimar is missing. We have to go back."
"But what about Brennan?" Emma cried. "He's right below us. He needs our help Jesse. If you say that it isn't worth staying here to look for Shal cause she isn't answering, then it doesn't make sense to go back to the Helix for Adam. He isn't answering either." Emma reasoned.
"What do you suggest we do, Emma?" Jesse asked.
"Get Brennan!" was all Emma said.
"OK, we will find Brennan and hope that Shal comes back. Look for a hole in the ground or a cave somewhere. That is what Adam said."
XXX
Shalimar chased the creature deep into the woods. She thought that it resembled the beast the she and Brennan found in the woods earlier in the month. She could smell him, feel him. She finally caught sight of him entering a cave in the side of the mountain. Shal decided to go back and get Jesse and Emma before continuing. She had been gone for quite awhile and her com-link didn't appear to be working anymore.
XXX
Adam woke up in complete blackness. It was cold and dark and it smelled like a swamp. He was very sore. He checked himself over and realized that nothing was broken. Adam took out his tool-knife and switched on the flashlight. "Oh my God!" Adam exclaimed. He realized he was in a chamber of some sort. "Could I be near Brennan?" Adam wondered. "Brennan!" he began yelling. "Brennan!"
Just then, a hatch from above opened up and a face appeared blocking the blinding light. Adam quickly switched off his flashlight. "Draper!" Adam yelled up. "You psychotic son of a bitch! Where is Brennan?" Adam demanded.
"Now, now, Adam. All in due time. Brennan hasn't been much fun. He was injured too badly during capture. I needed someone new." Draper licked.
"You snake, Draper." You are not going to get anything out of me. You and I go back a long way. You know me better than that."
"No, no, Adam. I am not going to play with you. No, you are going to watch the game with me." Adam looked at Draper with utter disgust. "If you think I am going to sit with you and watch you hurt my kids, my family, you're crazier than I thought you were." Adam spat back.
"Well, Adam, you're not going to have much choice. Your kids are going to play, Adam. I'll be back later. I hope you do enjoy the accommodations I have prepared for you." With that, Draper closed the door and Adam was once again sealed in darkness.
Adam couldn't worry about Draper right now. He realized that this was all some elaborate trap for them. He wondered what Draper had planned, though. This had been a research facility for the government quite likely for at least the past 20 years. The record said it was sold to the government for research with a private contract in 1980. That was about one year after Brennan supposedly killed him. Thinking back now, Adam realized that he had never seen Draper's body taken away. He was elemental. While his heart was stopped when he checked him, it could have easily begun again. Brennan's did after the Pushka incident. But why wouldn't Mason be working with him? Adam pushed these thoughts from his mind in order to think about what to do next. First things first, he had to find a way out of this chamber and get to Brennan. For some reason the com-links weren't working. Draper had likely set up some type of electromagnetic interference to keep them from communicating. He switched his flashlight back on and began searching the chamber again. Adam noticed water beginning to fill the chamber. "It must be raining harder," Adam thought. "God, is this what he put you through, Brennan?" Adam silently asked to himself.
XXX
Draper was content. His plan was coming together. MutantX was here and his system was up and working. It would not be long now before the other two would encounter his invention. The genetic weapons he had worked at perfecting for so many years. They were the perfect test subjects. No one knew they were alive, really. Adam had no family to speak of. Shalimar Fox had a family but she never communicated with them. Kilmartin's family didn't care about him or were so deep in cover that they would never wonder where he was and Delauro was as good as an orphan. Brennan had no one. Yes, they were perfect targets. Proficient fighters, mutants, themselves, and no one would even miss them when they disappeared. He opened the door to Brennan's chamber to check on him. "Mr. Mulwray!" Draper yelled. When he got no response, he switched on his flashlight. "Dead already?" Draper mocked. But upon scanning, he realized that Brennan was no where to be found. "Damn it!" Draper exclaimed. He proceeded to flip some switches to open the gates to the chamber. He figured that Brennan had been sucked into the duct when the he drained the water. "Brennan .... I am coming to get you .... come out, come out where ever you are ...." Draper laughed all the way to the stairwell that led to the pump-room. There, he would be able to access the tunnel where he expected to find Brennan.
XXX
Adam heard a horrible thundering noise and realized that the gates were opening in his chamber. Adam understood how these old water management systems worked and knew that they were all connected. If he began moving between them, he should eventually find Brennan. Adam got up and moved to the tunnel where water was spilling from. Adam shown his light into the tunnel and proceeded forward.
XXX
Brennan awoke to the sound of the gates moving again. It thundered in his head, which hurt like hell, by the way. He vomited on himself from the shock and the pain. He couldn't see anything around him except for a small light that seemed to be coming from the tunnel.
Adam searched the archives of the county desperately trying to find some kind of history on the facility. All he could find was information that it was built in the 1940's to divert water flow from a cliff-side while the highway department built the road below. It also protected the tiny town that formed below due to the highway construction. " Jesse, it appears that there was an elaborate culvert system that kept water from flowing over the side of the cliff and causing washouts of property that used to be below it. It appeared that it was used somewhat for research in water shed management as well. It was apparently abandoned in the late 1950's when an earthquake destroyed the road and the town below. The history trail stopped in 1980 when the facility was sold to a contractor of the federal government." Adam explained to Jesse.
"So what should we be looking for, Adam, according to the meter, Brennan is right below me," Jesse just finished speaking when Shalimar's eyes went feral-yellow. "What's the matter Shal?" Jesse asked.
"Shhh," Shal whispered, "we are being watched." Just then, Shalimar began to run towards the woods.
"Shal!" exclaimed Emma. Jesse turned to stone just in time to deflect a huge rock that had been thrown from the woods away from hitting Emma. "Adam, we got company."
Just as Jesse radioed into Adam about their predicament, Adam heard a noise in the back of the Helix. "Who is there?" Adam asked. No response, just a breathing that Adam thought might be animal. Right at that moment, Adam saw a flash go past him with a horrible growl and then, he saw only blackness.
"Adam .... Adam," Jesse continued on his com-link but no answer came back. Emma was yelling for Shalimar but to no avail. She was no where to be found. "What the hell just happened Jesse?" Emma asked.
"I wish the hell I knew, Emma. But we better get back to the Helix and see what happened to Adam."
"We can't just leave Shalimar," Emma spat.
"Emma, where ever Shalimar went, it is far from here. We have been looking for over 30 minutes. Adam isn't answering and Shalimar is missing. We have to go back."
"But what about Brennan?" Emma cried. "He's right below us. He needs our help Jesse. If you say that it isn't worth staying here to look for Shal cause she isn't answering, then it doesn't make sense to go back to the Helix for Adam. He isn't answering either." Emma reasoned.
"What do you suggest we do, Emma?" Jesse asked.
"Get Brennan!" was all Emma said.
"OK, we will find Brennan and hope that Shal comes back. Look for a hole in the ground or a cave somewhere. That is what Adam said."
XXX
Shalimar chased the creature deep into the woods. She thought that it resembled the beast the she and Brennan found in the woods earlier in the month. She could smell him, feel him. She finally caught sight of him entering a cave in the side of the mountain. Shal decided to go back and get Jesse and Emma before continuing. She had been gone for quite awhile and her com-link didn't appear to be working anymore.
XXX
Adam woke up in complete blackness. It was cold and dark and it smelled like a swamp. He was very sore. He checked himself over and realized that nothing was broken. Adam took out his tool-knife and switched on the flashlight. "Oh my God!" Adam exclaimed. He realized he was in a chamber of some sort. "Could I be near Brennan?" Adam wondered. "Brennan!" he began yelling. "Brennan!"
Just then, a hatch from above opened up and a face appeared blocking the blinding light. Adam quickly switched off his flashlight. "Draper!" Adam yelled up. "You psychotic son of a bitch! Where is Brennan?" Adam demanded.
"Now, now, Adam. All in due time. Brennan hasn't been much fun. He was injured too badly during capture. I needed someone new." Draper licked.
"You snake, Draper." You are not going to get anything out of me. You and I go back a long way. You know me better than that."
"No, no, Adam. I am not going to play with you. No, you are going to watch the game with me." Adam looked at Draper with utter disgust. "If you think I am going to sit with you and watch you hurt my kids, my family, you're crazier than I thought you were." Adam spat back.
"Well, Adam, you're not going to have much choice. Your kids are going to play, Adam. I'll be back later. I hope you do enjoy the accommodations I have prepared for you." With that, Draper closed the door and Adam was once again sealed in darkness.
Adam couldn't worry about Draper right now. He realized that this was all some elaborate trap for them. He wondered what Draper had planned, though. This had been a research facility for the government quite likely for at least the past 20 years. The record said it was sold to the government for research with a private contract in 1980. That was about one year after Brennan supposedly killed him. Thinking back now, Adam realized that he had never seen Draper's body taken away. He was elemental. While his heart was stopped when he checked him, it could have easily begun again. Brennan's did after the Pushka incident. But why wouldn't Mason be working with him? Adam pushed these thoughts from his mind in order to think about what to do next. First things first, he had to find a way out of this chamber and get to Brennan. For some reason the com-links weren't working. Draper had likely set up some type of electromagnetic interference to keep them from communicating. He switched his flashlight back on and began searching the chamber again. Adam noticed water beginning to fill the chamber. "It must be raining harder," Adam thought. "God, is this what he put you through, Brennan?" Adam silently asked to himself.
XXX
Draper was content. His plan was coming together. MutantX was here and his system was up and working. It would not be long now before the other two would encounter his invention. The genetic weapons he had worked at perfecting for so many years. They were the perfect test subjects. No one knew they were alive, really. Adam had no family to speak of. Shalimar Fox had a family but she never communicated with them. Kilmartin's family didn't care about him or were so deep in cover that they would never wonder where he was and Delauro was as good as an orphan. Brennan had no one. Yes, they were perfect targets. Proficient fighters, mutants, themselves, and no one would even miss them when they disappeared. He opened the door to Brennan's chamber to check on him. "Mr. Mulwray!" Draper yelled. When he got no response, he switched on his flashlight. "Dead already?" Draper mocked. But upon scanning, he realized that Brennan was no where to be found. "Damn it!" Draper exclaimed. He proceeded to flip some switches to open the gates to the chamber. He figured that Brennan had been sucked into the duct when the he drained the water. "Brennan .... I am coming to get you .... come out, come out where ever you are ...." Draper laughed all the way to the stairwell that led to the pump-room. There, he would be able to access the tunnel where he expected to find Brennan.
XXX
Adam heard a horrible thundering noise and realized that the gates were opening in his chamber. Adam understood how these old water management systems worked and knew that they were all connected. If he began moving between them, he should eventually find Brennan. Adam got up and moved to the tunnel where water was spilling from. Adam shown his light into the tunnel and proceeded forward.
XXX
Brennan awoke to the sound of the gates moving again. It thundered in his head, which hurt like hell, by the way. He vomited on himself from the shock and the pain. He couldn't see anything around him except for a small light that seemed to be coming from the tunnel.