Hi everyone, I am so sorry it took so long to update. I have been studying
quite a bit. But, I took a break to get this out. I love the reviews!
Thanks to everyone. This story is going to get pretty complex, I think. I
have really trapped them. See you all after finals!
Adam was at the top of the stairs before he heard them coming. There were several footfalls coming fast down the hall directly towards his location. He ducked into one of the doors to an adjacent laboratory just in time as the creatures ran by. There were at least 10 of them. Four others who had come up the stairs after them joined them shortly. Adam noticed a peculiar site at the end of the hall, however, where a couple of them had come from. There appeared to be mud on the floor of the hallway. He investigated further. Bending down by a doorway, he touched the floor - definitely mud - wet mud. Just then, an arm reached out from behind him and covered his mouth. He struggled but was pulled backwards into a room.
"Adam!" Shalimar shrieked while hugging him. "Shhh," Jesse whispered. "Adam, great to see you. God, man, what happened to you?"
"Jesse, Shalimar, Emma, am I glad to see you!" Adam whispered. "Draper had me kidnapped from the Helix. Hey, I found Brennan ." the other team members shrieked out in glee but Adam silenced them. "There are creatures here," Adam continued. "I think they are the same as Michael was. I think Draper was working on experiments with them and now they literally work for him. I hid Brennan downstairs." Adam looked at the rest of the team members who were listening to him diligently. He pursed his lips and looked at them sympathetically. "He is not in very good condition. Please, do not startle him when you see him. I am not certain we can get him back to the Helix. He's lost a lot of blood and is in severe shock."
"Adam," Jesse began, "we saw the creatures too. Adam, we have to tell you something." Jesse looked at both Shal and Emma who now had tears in their eyes. "The Helix ."
"What about it? Jesse, we have to get Brennan back to it. He needs urgent attention." Adam interrupted.
"Adam! The Helix is .. well .. Adam, it's destroyed. It appears that maybe these creatures trashed it after they took you. Adam, it's in ruin." Jesse finished.
"Damn it!" Adam said while striking his fist against the wall. He rubbed his face and hair with his hand and continued, "Look, we have to get Brennan out of here first. We will worry about the Helix when we get back to it. Brennan is a sitting duck where I left him. We will do out best to get him out and alive, OK?"
"OK, let's go. Adam, you lead. Emma, since this is our way out, you stay here by the door," Jesse commanded.
"She can't stay here alone!" Shalimar interjected.
"She's not," Adam said. "Shal, you are going to stay at the top of the stairs down the hall right there (Adam pointed) in complete view of Emma and the steps. You gotta watch our backs."
"Got it"
"Let's go, Jesse"
Just as Adam and Jesse began to move out, they heard a blood curdling scream from one of the floors below and then a garbled scream immediately after.
"Oh God, Brennan!" Adam yelled. All four team members ran towards the source of the noise - all of them forgetting the plan.
XXX
Draper was really pissed off that he had lost Adam and Brennan. He was even more angry that Adam had been the one to outwit him. He really wanted to torture Adam. He wanted to observe Adam as he saw his kids, his inventions, losing against Draper's army. But, as he turned back towards his monitors to watch what was happening in his sanctuary, he laughed again. "That's OK. They will still lose and I will just get to watch Adam from here as he witnesses his kids die one by one. Starting with . Brennan." He switched the camera to Brennan's location at the bottom of the stairwell. The creature wasn't moving on top of him but a new puddle of blood had formed around Brennan and he assumed the creature had torn his lungs out before Brennan was able to kill it. "I see movement, here they come." Draper laughed even harder as he saw the look on Adam's face when he turned the corner at the bottom of the steps and gazed upon his oldest.
XXX
"Brennan!" Adam nearly yelled. "Oh son, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Adam wailed as he ran to Brennan. Shalimar, Jesse, and Emma were coming behind him. They, too, gasped when they saw Adam trying to roll the creature off of Brennan. They managed to move the creature and examined Brennan's condition. Adam felt for his pulse and Emma wiped the blood off of his face. Jesse and Shalimar maintained vigilance for more interference from either Draper or his minions. "He has a pulse," Adam announced, "it's weak, but it's there."
"His breathing is really ragged, Adam. I think his lungs are damaged," Emma commented.
"I know, Emma. Let's just get him out of here. I can deal with his breathing when I get him back to the Helix ." Adam's voice trailed off as he thought about the Helix and how it likely would not be able to help Brennan or any of them that much given the state it was apparently in.
"Adam?" Jesse said as he approached them, "let's get moving. Shal hears them upstairs and we have noticed that there appear to be cameras in the hallways. Draper may know exactly where we are." Jesse leaned down to pick Brennan up.
"Careful, Jesse," Adam cautioned, "his ribs are broken. I don't want to do any further lung damage. Can you manage him? He's heavy, Jesse."
Jesse looked at Adam and commented to himself as he picked Brennan up into his arms, "He ain't heavy, he's my brother." Just as they turned to go back up, they noticed Shalimar lunge herself at something emerging from the stairway.
"Shal, you can't fight it!" Emma yelled. With that, Emma concentrated everything she had, all the emotion she had been feeling since Brennan disappeared and the site of him now, her hatred for Draper and what he had done to him - to all of them - and threw it at the animal. Shal backed off just in time for Emma's wave to hit and the creature went down screaming. "Shal looked at Emma in amazement. "Nice work Emma! I didn't know ." was all Shal got out. "Let's go," Emma said. With that, the four of them patrolled up the stairs carrying Brennan.
XXX
Draper looked on in disgust. "Get them!" he yelled into his com link. It connected with all of his men - his creatures - his army. "They are headed for the cave entrance," Draper continued as he switched his view on the monitors to watch their harried escape.
XXX
Shalimar was the first to reach the top of the stairs with Emma making a close second. Jesse was next, carrying Brennan, and Adam brought up the back. Brennan had begun to stir somewhat and was moaning with each step Jesse took. "I'm sorry, Bren. Hang in there, brother. I know it hurts, but you gotta hang in there, K?" Jesse whispered to Brennan in reassurance.
Once Shal and Emma reached the floor with the cave entrance, their progress was once again hindered. There were at least five of the creatures mulling about the entrance and more coming through the entrance from the cave into the facility. They were all huddled together and failed to notice them cross the hallway into one of the labs across from the stairway. "They're going to be on us at any moment, Adam. They're gonna smell us. I definitely can smell them," Shalimar warned under her breath.
"I know," Adam returned. Jesse laid Brennan down gently onto the floor of the lab. They had tucked deeply into a corner that was quite dark. Adam hoped that Draper's cameras would not reveal their location. They were in desperate need of a plan. Brennan was regaining consciousness again. His cry was stifled by Jesse's hand. Brennan choked up frothy blood when Jesse removed his hand. "God, Brennan, it's OK. Adam, they're gonna us. At that point, Emma looked at Adam and he knew immediately what she was about to do. "Emma, don't. I don't think you'll be able to link to them," Adam cautioned. "Adam, if I don't do this, we're dead anyway. Wish me luck." Shal, Jesse, and Adam looked after Emma as she walked briskly out into the hall. They heard her bark out an order to them. "What are you doing here?" Emma yelled to them. When they turned to face her, Emma realized that her scheme was working. "I said, what are you doing here? Why aren't you downstairs looking for the New Mutants?" What must have been the leader in the group walked up to Emma with his hand on his gun. "I am sorry, sir, Mr. Draper, sir, but we thought you told us to head for the cave entrance." The creature was quite subservient to its would-be master. Adam looked on from one of the windows in awe. Her powers had really advanced.
"I don't keep you here to think. I keep you here to fight! I do the thinking! Is that clear? I told you to come in through the cave entrance and continue down to find them! Now all of you, go! It is quite obvious they are not here on this floor!" Emma was perfect as Draper. The creatures passed by her and the door where the Team was hiding and down the stairway as directed.
Emma flashed back into the room and barked at them to move quickly. "That isn't going to last long, let's go!" The three who could smiled at Emma. Jesse picked Brennan back up and he let out a hiss, trying to suck in his scream. Emma ran up to Brennan and they paused for one moment while Emma gazed into his tormented eyes and transmitted sleep. Brennan was out and they were again on the move. Jesse made it to the door with Brennan and phased both of them through first. He laid Brennan onto the floor of the cave and phased the door. The rest of them came through immediately. Adam looked his team and told them that they needed Brennan to seal the door. It would buy them some time at least if he could seal this entrance. Emma approached Brennan and gently woke him up. Adam was happy to see that she could.
"Brennan, I need you to seal the door. Do you think you can do that?" Adam asked him quietly.
Brennan seemed confused by the question. He was still in shock and Adam wasn't even sure he knew where he was. His fever was still quite high and probably rising. Adam turned to Emma. "Emma, do you think you can get inside Brennan's head and make him seal the door?"
"I don't know, Adam. I can try," was Emma's response. Emma looked into Brennan's eyes again. She wished there wasn't so much pain in them. She would work on that after, but right now, she had to get him to try and seal that entrance. Suddenly, she was in his mind, controlling his very thoughts. She saw him struggling in the distance. Slowly, she approached him and took his hands in hers. She willed the energy to generate; and it did. Emma felt an unbelievable sensation as the energy built up pressure. It needed to release. She tingled. She imagined the door of the cave entrance and directed the thought of the energy welding it closed. Adam, Jesse, and Shalimar looked on in disbelief as the energy wielded from Brennan's fingertips and fused the door to its jam. Now, nothing was coming through it. Emma stopped when she felt that the job was done and gave Brennan a kiss on his forehead and squeezed his hands. She told him to hang on, that they all loved him and would get him out. She promised him. With that, she left his mind and awoke to a very proud Adam. While Emma had been taking care of the door, Shalimar had been smelling the air trying to pick up on any lingering creatures that could be near. Jesse was taking care of Draper's camera - his only connection to the cave - he hoped. Jesse pointed it towards the lock on the door so he could not see the damaged door or anywhere else in the cave. He took out the wire that allowed it to be remotely controlled and hoped that would be enough.
As soon as Emma left Brennan's mind, Brennan fully awoke to Adam hovering over him looking over his wounds. "How bad is it?" Brennan managed to get out before going into a coughing spell. Adam had never lied to Brennan and he did not intend to start now. "Petty bad, Brennan, it's pretty bad," Adam empathetically told him. "I know," Brennan replied with tears running down his face. Jesse and Emma were with his now as well and he looked at each of them spending a few seconds on each of their faces. Shalimar couldn't come up to him. She just couldn't. "I'm sorry guys," Brennan coughed out.
"For what, Brennan?" Jesse got out. He took his head into his hands and cradled it gently. "You don't have anything to be sorry about. Now just stay quiet, K?" Jesse consoled. Both Adam and Emma repeated various parts of what Jesse had said. Brennan continued. "No, I do. I have not been easy. I know. But if I had it to do over, I would have trusted you all more. I would have .." Brennan began coughing hard and a pink froth escaped his mouth. Jesse held onto him and wiped his mouth with his sleeve and rested his cheek on his forehead. "I would have told you more about me. I am so sorry I got you all involved in this. Draper used me to get to all of you." Brennan was crying now and Emma looked at Adam. She was about to ease Brennan's suffering when Adam put up his hand to her. "Brennan," Adam said sternly, "you are not to blame for this. I am. Do you understand? This is my fault, Brennan. I knew what Draper was. I knew what he was capable of. I knew what he did .. to you. I didn't do anything to stop him. I just wiped up his messes and tried to make you and the others as comfortable as I could. But I didn't stop him or Eckhart. I didn't want to lose the project. I really thought I was helping. I did. " Adam had tears rolling down his cheeks as he confessed. "I knew, Brennan. I didn't stop him. I wish I had. God, I have wished that every day of my life since the day you had the courage to do what I couldn't. I let a child do the work of an adult that day. Brennan, son, I am the one who is sorry. Me."
Brennan took one last look at everyone and then looked at Adam again. "No, Adam. I made my own decisions in my life. I just wish I would have had more time. I love y ." Brennan never got the rest of his affirmation out of his mouth. He passed out in Jesse's arms as his raspy breathing finally ceased.
Adam was at the top of the stairs before he heard them coming. There were several footfalls coming fast down the hall directly towards his location. He ducked into one of the doors to an adjacent laboratory just in time as the creatures ran by. There were at least 10 of them. Four others who had come up the stairs after them joined them shortly. Adam noticed a peculiar site at the end of the hall, however, where a couple of them had come from. There appeared to be mud on the floor of the hallway. He investigated further. Bending down by a doorway, he touched the floor - definitely mud - wet mud. Just then, an arm reached out from behind him and covered his mouth. He struggled but was pulled backwards into a room.
"Adam!" Shalimar shrieked while hugging him. "Shhh," Jesse whispered. "Adam, great to see you. God, man, what happened to you?"
"Jesse, Shalimar, Emma, am I glad to see you!" Adam whispered. "Draper had me kidnapped from the Helix. Hey, I found Brennan ." the other team members shrieked out in glee but Adam silenced them. "There are creatures here," Adam continued. "I think they are the same as Michael was. I think Draper was working on experiments with them and now they literally work for him. I hid Brennan downstairs." Adam looked at the rest of the team members who were listening to him diligently. He pursed his lips and looked at them sympathetically. "He is not in very good condition. Please, do not startle him when you see him. I am not certain we can get him back to the Helix. He's lost a lot of blood and is in severe shock."
"Adam," Jesse began, "we saw the creatures too. Adam, we have to tell you something." Jesse looked at both Shal and Emma who now had tears in their eyes. "The Helix ."
"What about it? Jesse, we have to get Brennan back to it. He needs urgent attention." Adam interrupted.
"Adam! The Helix is .. well .. Adam, it's destroyed. It appears that maybe these creatures trashed it after they took you. Adam, it's in ruin." Jesse finished.
"Damn it!" Adam said while striking his fist against the wall. He rubbed his face and hair with his hand and continued, "Look, we have to get Brennan out of here first. We will worry about the Helix when we get back to it. Brennan is a sitting duck where I left him. We will do out best to get him out and alive, OK?"
"OK, let's go. Adam, you lead. Emma, since this is our way out, you stay here by the door," Jesse commanded.
"She can't stay here alone!" Shalimar interjected.
"She's not," Adam said. "Shal, you are going to stay at the top of the stairs down the hall right there (Adam pointed) in complete view of Emma and the steps. You gotta watch our backs."
"Got it"
"Let's go, Jesse"
Just as Adam and Jesse began to move out, they heard a blood curdling scream from one of the floors below and then a garbled scream immediately after.
"Oh God, Brennan!" Adam yelled. All four team members ran towards the source of the noise - all of them forgetting the plan.
XXX
Draper was really pissed off that he had lost Adam and Brennan. He was even more angry that Adam had been the one to outwit him. He really wanted to torture Adam. He wanted to observe Adam as he saw his kids, his inventions, losing against Draper's army. But, as he turned back towards his monitors to watch what was happening in his sanctuary, he laughed again. "That's OK. They will still lose and I will just get to watch Adam from here as he witnesses his kids die one by one. Starting with . Brennan." He switched the camera to Brennan's location at the bottom of the stairwell. The creature wasn't moving on top of him but a new puddle of blood had formed around Brennan and he assumed the creature had torn his lungs out before Brennan was able to kill it. "I see movement, here they come." Draper laughed even harder as he saw the look on Adam's face when he turned the corner at the bottom of the steps and gazed upon his oldest.
XXX
"Brennan!" Adam nearly yelled. "Oh son, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Adam wailed as he ran to Brennan. Shalimar, Jesse, and Emma were coming behind him. They, too, gasped when they saw Adam trying to roll the creature off of Brennan. They managed to move the creature and examined Brennan's condition. Adam felt for his pulse and Emma wiped the blood off of his face. Jesse and Shalimar maintained vigilance for more interference from either Draper or his minions. "He has a pulse," Adam announced, "it's weak, but it's there."
"His breathing is really ragged, Adam. I think his lungs are damaged," Emma commented.
"I know, Emma. Let's just get him out of here. I can deal with his breathing when I get him back to the Helix ." Adam's voice trailed off as he thought about the Helix and how it likely would not be able to help Brennan or any of them that much given the state it was apparently in.
"Adam?" Jesse said as he approached them, "let's get moving. Shal hears them upstairs and we have noticed that there appear to be cameras in the hallways. Draper may know exactly where we are." Jesse leaned down to pick Brennan up.
"Careful, Jesse," Adam cautioned, "his ribs are broken. I don't want to do any further lung damage. Can you manage him? He's heavy, Jesse."
Jesse looked at Adam and commented to himself as he picked Brennan up into his arms, "He ain't heavy, he's my brother." Just as they turned to go back up, they noticed Shalimar lunge herself at something emerging from the stairway.
"Shal, you can't fight it!" Emma yelled. With that, Emma concentrated everything she had, all the emotion she had been feeling since Brennan disappeared and the site of him now, her hatred for Draper and what he had done to him - to all of them - and threw it at the animal. Shal backed off just in time for Emma's wave to hit and the creature went down screaming. "Shal looked at Emma in amazement. "Nice work Emma! I didn't know ." was all Shal got out. "Let's go," Emma said. With that, the four of them patrolled up the stairs carrying Brennan.
XXX
Draper looked on in disgust. "Get them!" he yelled into his com link. It connected with all of his men - his creatures - his army. "They are headed for the cave entrance," Draper continued as he switched his view on the monitors to watch their harried escape.
XXX
Shalimar was the first to reach the top of the stairs with Emma making a close second. Jesse was next, carrying Brennan, and Adam brought up the back. Brennan had begun to stir somewhat and was moaning with each step Jesse took. "I'm sorry, Bren. Hang in there, brother. I know it hurts, but you gotta hang in there, K?" Jesse whispered to Brennan in reassurance.
Once Shal and Emma reached the floor with the cave entrance, their progress was once again hindered. There were at least five of the creatures mulling about the entrance and more coming through the entrance from the cave into the facility. They were all huddled together and failed to notice them cross the hallway into one of the labs across from the stairway. "They're going to be on us at any moment, Adam. They're gonna smell us. I definitely can smell them," Shalimar warned under her breath.
"I know," Adam returned. Jesse laid Brennan down gently onto the floor of the lab. They had tucked deeply into a corner that was quite dark. Adam hoped that Draper's cameras would not reveal their location. They were in desperate need of a plan. Brennan was regaining consciousness again. His cry was stifled by Jesse's hand. Brennan choked up frothy blood when Jesse removed his hand. "God, Brennan, it's OK. Adam, they're gonna us. At that point, Emma looked at Adam and he knew immediately what she was about to do. "Emma, don't. I don't think you'll be able to link to them," Adam cautioned. "Adam, if I don't do this, we're dead anyway. Wish me luck." Shal, Jesse, and Adam looked after Emma as she walked briskly out into the hall. They heard her bark out an order to them. "What are you doing here?" Emma yelled to them. When they turned to face her, Emma realized that her scheme was working. "I said, what are you doing here? Why aren't you downstairs looking for the New Mutants?" What must have been the leader in the group walked up to Emma with his hand on his gun. "I am sorry, sir, Mr. Draper, sir, but we thought you told us to head for the cave entrance." The creature was quite subservient to its would-be master. Adam looked on from one of the windows in awe. Her powers had really advanced.
"I don't keep you here to think. I keep you here to fight! I do the thinking! Is that clear? I told you to come in through the cave entrance and continue down to find them! Now all of you, go! It is quite obvious they are not here on this floor!" Emma was perfect as Draper. The creatures passed by her and the door where the Team was hiding and down the stairway as directed.
Emma flashed back into the room and barked at them to move quickly. "That isn't going to last long, let's go!" The three who could smiled at Emma. Jesse picked Brennan back up and he let out a hiss, trying to suck in his scream. Emma ran up to Brennan and they paused for one moment while Emma gazed into his tormented eyes and transmitted sleep. Brennan was out and they were again on the move. Jesse made it to the door with Brennan and phased both of them through first. He laid Brennan onto the floor of the cave and phased the door. The rest of them came through immediately. Adam looked his team and told them that they needed Brennan to seal the door. It would buy them some time at least if he could seal this entrance. Emma approached Brennan and gently woke him up. Adam was happy to see that she could.
"Brennan, I need you to seal the door. Do you think you can do that?" Adam asked him quietly.
Brennan seemed confused by the question. He was still in shock and Adam wasn't even sure he knew where he was. His fever was still quite high and probably rising. Adam turned to Emma. "Emma, do you think you can get inside Brennan's head and make him seal the door?"
"I don't know, Adam. I can try," was Emma's response. Emma looked into Brennan's eyes again. She wished there wasn't so much pain in them. She would work on that after, but right now, she had to get him to try and seal that entrance. Suddenly, she was in his mind, controlling his very thoughts. She saw him struggling in the distance. Slowly, she approached him and took his hands in hers. She willed the energy to generate; and it did. Emma felt an unbelievable sensation as the energy built up pressure. It needed to release. She tingled. She imagined the door of the cave entrance and directed the thought of the energy welding it closed. Adam, Jesse, and Shalimar looked on in disbelief as the energy wielded from Brennan's fingertips and fused the door to its jam. Now, nothing was coming through it. Emma stopped when she felt that the job was done and gave Brennan a kiss on his forehead and squeezed his hands. She told him to hang on, that they all loved him and would get him out. She promised him. With that, she left his mind and awoke to a very proud Adam. While Emma had been taking care of the door, Shalimar had been smelling the air trying to pick up on any lingering creatures that could be near. Jesse was taking care of Draper's camera - his only connection to the cave - he hoped. Jesse pointed it towards the lock on the door so he could not see the damaged door or anywhere else in the cave. He took out the wire that allowed it to be remotely controlled and hoped that would be enough.
As soon as Emma left Brennan's mind, Brennan fully awoke to Adam hovering over him looking over his wounds. "How bad is it?" Brennan managed to get out before going into a coughing spell. Adam had never lied to Brennan and he did not intend to start now. "Petty bad, Brennan, it's pretty bad," Adam empathetically told him. "I know," Brennan replied with tears running down his face. Jesse and Emma were with his now as well and he looked at each of them spending a few seconds on each of their faces. Shalimar couldn't come up to him. She just couldn't. "I'm sorry guys," Brennan coughed out.
"For what, Brennan?" Jesse got out. He took his head into his hands and cradled it gently. "You don't have anything to be sorry about. Now just stay quiet, K?" Jesse consoled. Both Adam and Emma repeated various parts of what Jesse had said. Brennan continued. "No, I do. I have not been easy. I know. But if I had it to do over, I would have trusted you all more. I would have .." Brennan began coughing hard and a pink froth escaped his mouth. Jesse held onto him and wiped his mouth with his sleeve and rested his cheek on his forehead. "I would have told you more about me. I am so sorry I got you all involved in this. Draper used me to get to all of you." Brennan was crying now and Emma looked at Adam. She was about to ease Brennan's suffering when Adam put up his hand to her. "Brennan," Adam said sternly, "you are not to blame for this. I am. Do you understand? This is my fault, Brennan. I knew what Draper was. I knew what he was capable of. I knew what he did .. to you. I didn't do anything to stop him. I just wiped up his messes and tried to make you and the others as comfortable as I could. But I didn't stop him or Eckhart. I didn't want to lose the project. I really thought I was helping. I did. " Adam had tears rolling down his cheeks as he confessed. "I knew, Brennan. I didn't stop him. I wish I had. God, I have wished that every day of my life since the day you had the courage to do what I couldn't. I let a child do the work of an adult that day. Brennan, son, I am the one who is sorry. Me."
Brennan took one last look at everyone and then looked at Adam again. "No, Adam. I made my own decisions in my life. I just wish I would have had more time. I love y ." Brennan never got the rest of his affirmation out of his mouth. He passed out in Jesse's arms as his raspy breathing finally ceased.