Well, all finals down and now a nice break. I still work, but no school!
Now where did we leave the Team? Oh yeah..
"Brennan!" Adam yelled. Jesse laid his head down on the floor and Adam checked for respirations. "Nothing! Damn it Brennan! Don't give up on me!" Adam yelled. He blew two breaths into Brennan's mouth and checked for a pulse. "I still have a pulse. It's weak, but it's there. He must have a pneumo."
"What's that?" Jesse asked in a panic.
"Brennan's lungs are filling with fluid. It likely has gotten into the pleural cavity that surrounds the lungs. It can't get out and just causes pressure, which keeps his lungs from expanding. It will likely stop his heart soon if I don't do something. I'm afraid he may also have pneumonia." Adam said as he blew into Brennan's mouth again. "Jesse, keep up mouth to mouth and I am going to relieve the pressure on his lungs. Emma, get the coat I covered Brennan with. I hope the med kit I packed in it is still there."
"Adam, how could he have pneumonia already? He has only been missing for a day," Emma asked as she and Shalimar searched the shredded coat.
"It's in the left zipped pocket. He could have developed it this fast. He has severe injuries and inhaled a lot of water while he was in the chamber. His immune system is compromised already.believe me, for Brennan, it wouldn't take much to get him really sick. The gunshot wound didn't help him much, either." Adam continued. Jesse was routinely counting in between breaths and whispering to Brennan in between.
"Got it!" Shalimar yelled to Adam as she and Emma hurriedly brought the kit over. "Adam, how are you going to do this?" Emma asked.
As Adam opened the kit and pulled out his scalpel and small tube, he began to explain. "Jesse, check his pulse . I need to make an incision into his right side and pierce the pleural cavity. I have to insert this tube to help divert some of the fluid away from his lungs. I hope at that time, I can re-inflate them and get him breathing on his own."
"Still there, Adam," Jesse yelled to Adam regarding Brennan's pulse as he continued breathing for his best friend. "Shalimar, keep a look out for company, OK? Emma, I need you in case he wakes up during the procedure. He thinks he is in pain now, if he wakes up while I am slicing through his intercostals and moving those broken ribs around . I don't even want to think about it. Jesse, keep breathing for him," Adam commanded, as he wasted no time cleaning the area for his incision and taking the scalpel and beginning his cut. Everyone was silent during the procedure. It didn't take Adam long to cut all the way in. When he pushed the tube in, fluid immediately began gushing through it and spilling onto the cave floor. Adam had Jesse stop the breaths and checked to see if it stimulated Brennan's own breathing. It didn't. "Damn it Brennan!" Adam cursed. He gave Brennan his own air at that time and carefully turned him onto the draining, flailed side. He decided that the right lung may be too badly damaged to re-inflate but by taking the pressure off of the left, one lung is better than none. He gave Brennan a slight slap on the back, which produced a rasped cough and ragged drag of air. Brennan was breathing again. Frothy foam escaped through Brennan's mouth. That combined with the fever convinced Adam that not only was there lung damage; Brennan was also suffering from pneumonia. He knew he would not survive much longer. They had to get out of there.
During all of the excitement, no one noticed that Shalimar had slipped out of the proximity of the cave they were in and was peering at something that was lurking in a far corner of the cave. Her eyes were feral yellow and deep down she trapped a growl that threatened to leave her lips and reveal her location to the animal she now was stalking.
Brennan was again regaining consciousness just as Adam was suturing his wound as well as he could. He kept the tube in place, securing it with thread and bandage. He wrapped Brennan's ribs as tightly as he could to keep his ribs in place and reduce the possibility of further lung damage. "Adam," Brennan gurgled followed by some very painful coughs. "Take it easy Brennan, take it easy. Try not to talk, OK? You are going to be just fine . just fine, son," Adam was trying to reassure Brennan to keep his breathing slow. "Just slow breaths now, Brennan, slow and shallow. If you take deep ones right now, you will cough. I don't want you coughing too hard right now. Brennan, do you hear me?" Adam whispered to Brennan in a soft and calm voice while wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"What . what happen? Where are we?" Brennan breathed the words more than said them. He winced when a wave of pain hit him from his side. He instantly knew there was a new wound.
Adam looked up at Jesse and then back down at Brennan. "Brennan, we are outside the complex, out of the tunnels. We are in a cave." Brennan began to grab for the tube and Jesse had to hold him down. "Brennan! Brennan," Adam continued, "leave the tube alone. You stopped breathing on us, I had to make a small cut in your side to relieve some fluid pressure that was in the chest. The tube is helping you. I'm sorry if it hurts. But it has to stay there."
Brennan calmed down after Adam explained. Jesse rubbed Brennan's arms where he had held them. The last thing he wanted to do was cause him any more discomfort. Brennan glanced at Jesse and exchanged a nod that told him he understood. "I gotta get up," Brennan announced as he struggled to sit upright. Jesse was going to hold him down but Adam motioned to Jesse that they had to try and get out of the cave. "Let's see if we can get you to sit up, Brennan. Jesse, head out of the cave and get me some sturdy branches, about 2 feet in length and at least an inch in diameter but no more than 2 inches. I will need about five of them. We can't move him any further without splinting his leg." Jesse nodded to Adam and told him he would be back in a flash. He rubbed Brennan's forehead gently and made eye contact with him one more time as he promised him he would be right back and that he had to hang in there. Then, Jesse dashed out of the cave, right past Shalimar. He didn't even notice her.
Shalimar made her way back towards Adam. Adam was so consumed with Brennan that he didn't even notice her approach and startled when she touched his shoulder.
"Adam," Shalimar whispered. Adam jerked around to look at her and closed his eyes in a sigh, "Shalimar, you scared me." Instantly noticing the panic in her eyes, Adam asked, "Shalimar, what's wrong?"
"In the corner of the cave Shalimar pointed discretely for Adam and Emma over there, there is another small tunnel. Adam, someone or some - thing, was watching us. I know it. I saw him - it."
"Is it still there?" Adam asked, now worried and beginning to rise from his crouching position by Brennan.
"No, I don't think so, but Adam, it's gonna be back - maybe with reinforcements. We have to get out of here!" Shalimar continued to whisper to Adam as they made their way to where Shalimar had pointed. Emma remained with Brennan.
"Jesse just went outside to get material to splint Brennan's leg with," Adam whispered to Shalimar. "I don't know where we should go. We need to get back to the Helix but they know where it is. We will be trapped. I wonder how far back to the road it is?"
Just then, two creatures emerged from the tunnel that Shalimar had described. Instantly Shalimar went into feral mode and Emma rose in front of Brennan while Brennan, who was barely conscious, attempted to hold a charge in his hand. Adam noticed that they were clothed differently than the ones they had seen in the compound. They had their hands placed out in front of them and did not appear menacing. They also were not approaching them; they were not attacking. Adam wondered why. Shalimar didn't care. She was preparing to pounce on them when Adam raised his hand. There was something familiar about one of the creatures. Adam was the first to speak. "Who are you? What do you want? We do not want to hurt you."
The creature in front cautiously approached Shal and Adam. He growled words that were not easy to understand but both Shal and Adam listened in total disbelief. "grr.. I am Jacob Burns, Adam. This is Sam pointing to the creature standing behind him. Do you remember me Adam?"
Adam was amazed. He stood with his mouth agape and took one step forward with his hand out in a somewhat point towards the creature that had just spoken. "Jacob? No way, you .. you can't be Jacob. Jacob died in the lab explosion at Genomex - when Mason was injured - Jacob, no."
Jacob moved towards Adam and Shalimar came up behind Adam in a protective gesture. She was not going to let this monster, born of Draper's madness, hurt her beloved Adam. "Yes, Adam, I am Jacob - grr..- Draper experimented on me. I was not killed in the explosion, Adam; I was severely injured. Mason had me moved up here to be treated by Draper. His techniques were supposed to be able to strengthen me and help me to live. When I woke up from his 'help', you can imagine my horror. He turned me and several others of his aids into . into .. this." Jacob spat disgustedly throwing his arms about his body in an effort to display it. With his increasing anger, his voice became more and more difficult to understand and his eyes glowed and even deeper yellow.
"Do you work for Draper now? Jacob, my man is severely injured and needs help. I have to get him to a hospital. Can you help us? We used to be friends, Jacob, do you remember? Please, do not turn us in. Draper will kill us. I don't know why he has brought us here but we need to escape. Please, Jacob!" Adam pleaded with his former friend.
Jacob stood there in silence and looked past Adam at Emma and Brennan. He finally spoke. "No, Adam, we do not work for Draper. About three years ago, we escaped. There are several of us that Draper sent out on a training mission of sorts within the facility and there was an accident with the pod. There was a terrible electrical storm generated by the pod and many of us were electrocuted and burned beyond recognition. Those of us who survived removed our com- links and managed to find an area of the facility to live where Draper has no knowledge of us. This tunnel leads to it. Adam, Draper brought you here to experiment on you. He is testing his army and needed an elite team to fight in order to prove his success."
Adam was even further in disbelief and confused. Brennan, Emma, and Shalimar all stood down and Adam closed the gap between Jacob and himself while looking Jacob up and down. "What are you talking about? An army? There is no way that facility is still funded by Genomex. It is a mess in there. Why have you stayed? Why don't you go beyond the facility? How many of you are living out here and what are talking about when you say 'pod'?" Adam was at a loss. He was really scared now. He thought Draper was mad but now he was beginning to realize the extent of the colossal failure of the Mutant Projects.
Jacob shook his head and filled in the rest of the gaps. "I don't think that Genomex funds the project anymore. Mason revoked Draper's privileges after the explosion and sealed the facility. That is why there are no entrances anymore. The pod, well, I thought you knew about it. It is an electromagnetic force field that surrounds the facility like a pod. No one comes in and . well," Jacob stalled looking at the injured Brennan, "no one gets out either. It was one of the projects that Draper just continued. He hid after the explosion in the remote tunnels of the water project until Genomex cleared out. Then, he went back to work and has been doing it for the past three years. There are many of us that have escaped - at least 25. We haven't been able to leave because of the pod and the cameras Draper has set up everywhere. And, besides, Adam, where were we going to go?"
Just then, Brennan let out a howl of pain and developed further difficulty in breathing. Jacob pushed past Adam and ran up to Brennan. Shalimar nearly attacked him but Adam held her back and told both she and Emma that Jacob was one of the most renowned surgeons that Genomex had and may be able to help Brennan. Jacob crouched down by Brennan and checked his condition. Without delay, he told his helper to get a stretcher and reinforcements. He looked up at Adam and said, "Of course I will help you Adam, my friend; but first, let's help this young one, shall we? We have stolen medical supplies that were left behind by Genomex and have quite a lab set up underground. Let me take you there, all of you."
Then, without warning, pounding began on the other side of the door to the facility and Jesse ran back into the cave with the supplies Adam had asked him for. He massed as soon as he saw the creature by Brennan and Adam yelled to him to stop. Just as a very confused Jesse relaxed, the door behind Brennan began to fail at its welded hinges. It looked as though Adam was going to have to trust this creature, who claimed to be his old friend. He simply had no choice.
"Brennan!" Adam yelled. Jesse laid his head down on the floor and Adam checked for respirations. "Nothing! Damn it Brennan! Don't give up on me!" Adam yelled. He blew two breaths into Brennan's mouth and checked for a pulse. "I still have a pulse. It's weak, but it's there. He must have a pneumo."
"What's that?" Jesse asked in a panic.
"Brennan's lungs are filling with fluid. It likely has gotten into the pleural cavity that surrounds the lungs. It can't get out and just causes pressure, which keeps his lungs from expanding. It will likely stop his heart soon if I don't do something. I'm afraid he may also have pneumonia." Adam said as he blew into Brennan's mouth again. "Jesse, keep up mouth to mouth and I am going to relieve the pressure on his lungs. Emma, get the coat I covered Brennan with. I hope the med kit I packed in it is still there."
"Adam, how could he have pneumonia already? He has only been missing for a day," Emma asked as she and Shalimar searched the shredded coat.
"It's in the left zipped pocket. He could have developed it this fast. He has severe injuries and inhaled a lot of water while he was in the chamber. His immune system is compromised already.believe me, for Brennan, it wouldn't take much to get him really sick. The gunshot wound didn't help him much, either." Adam continued. Jesse was routinely counting in between breaths and whispering to Brennan in between.
"Got it!" Shalimar yelled to Adam as she and Emma hurriedly brought the kit over. "Adam, how are you going to do this?" Emma asked.
As Adam opened the kit and pulled out his scalpel and small tube, he began to explain. "Jesse, check his pulse . I need to make an incision into his right side and pierce the pleural cavity. I have to insert this tube to help divert some of the fluid away from his lungs. I hope at that time, I can re-inflate them and get him breathing on his own."
"Still there, Adam," Jesse yelled to Adam regarding Brennan's pulse as he continued breathing for his best friend. "Shalimar, keep a look out for company, OK? Emma, I need you in case he wakes up during the procedure. He thinks he is in pain now, if he wakes up while I am slicing through his intercostals and moving those broken ribs around . I don't even want to think about it. Jesse, keep breathing for him," Adam commanded, as he wasted no time cleaning the area for his incision and taking the scalpel and beginning his cut. Everyone was silent during the procedure. It didn't take Adam long to cut all the way in. When he pushed the tube in, fluid immediately began gushing through it and spilling onto the cave floor. Adam had Jesse stop the breaths and checked to see if it stimulated Brennan's own breathing. It didn't. "Damn it Brennan!" Adam cursed. He gave Brennan his own air at that time and carefully turned him onto the draining, flailed side. He decided that the right lung may be too badly damaged to re-inflate but by taking the pressure off of the left, one lung is better than none. He gave Brennan a slight slap on the back, which produced a rasped cough and ragged drag of air. Brennan was breathing again. Frothy foam escaped through Brennan's mouth. That combined with the fever convinced Adam that not only was there lung damage; Brennan was also suffering from pneumonia. He knew he would not survive much longer. They had to get out of there.
During all of the excitement, no one noticed that Shalimar had slipped out of the proximity of the cave they were in and was peering at something that was lurking in a far corner of the cave. Her eyes were feral yellow and deep down she trapped a growl that threatened to leave her lips and reveal her location to the animal she now was stalking.
Brennan was again regaining consciousness just as Adam was suturing his wound as well as he could. He kept the tube in place, securing it with thread and bandage. He wrapped Brennan's ribs as tightly as he could to keep his ribs in place and reduce the possibility of further lung damage. "Adam," Brennan gurgled followed by some very painful coughs. "Take it easy Brennan, take it easy. Try not to talk, OK? You are going to be just fine . just fine, son," Adam was trying to reassure Brennan to keep his breathing slow. "Just slow breaths now, Brennan, slow and shallow. If you take deep ones right now, you will cough. I don't want you coughing too hard right now. Brennan, do you hear me?" Adam whispered to Brennan in a soft and calm voice while wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"What . what happen? Where are we?" Brennan breathed the words more than said them. He winced when a wave of pain hit him from his side. He instantly knew there was a new wound.
Adam looked up at Jesse and then back down at Brennan. "Brennan, we are outside the complex, out of the tunnels. We are in a cave." Brennan began to grab for the tube and Jesse had to hold him down. "Brennan! Brennan," Adam continued, "leave the tube alone. You stopped breathing on us, I had to make a small cut in your side to relieve some fluid pressure that was in the chest. The tube is helping you. I'm sorry if it hurts. But it has to stay there."
Brennan calmed down after Adam explained. Jesse rubbed Brennan's arms where he had held them. The last thing he wanted to do was cause him any more discomfort. Brennan glanced at Jesse and exchanged a nod that told him he understood. "I gotta get up," Brennan announced as he struggled to sit upright. Jesse was going to hold him down but Adam motioned to Jesse that they had to try and get out of the cave. "Let's see if we can get you to sit up, Brennan. Jesse, head out of the cave and get me some sturdy branches, about 2 feet in length and at least an inch in diameter but no more than 2 inches. I will need about five of them. We can't move him any further without splinting his leg." Jesse nodded to Adam and told him he would be back in a flash. He rubbed Brennan's forehead gently and made eye contact with him one more time as he promised him he would be right back and that he had to hang in there. Then, Jesse dashed out of the cave, right past Shalimar. He didn't even notice her.
Shalimar made her way back towards Adam. Adam was so consumed with Brennan that he didn't even notice her approach and startled when she touched his shoulder.
"Adam," Shalimar whispered. Adam jerked around to look at her and closed his eyes in a sigh, "Shalimar, you scared me." Instantly noticing the panic in her eyes, Adam asked, "Shalimar, what's wrong?"
"In the corner of the cave Shalimar pointed discretely for Adam and Emma over there, there is another small tunnel. Adam, someone or some - thing, was watching us. I know it. I saw him - it."
"Is it still there?" Adam asked, now worried and beginning to rise from his crouching position by Brennan.
"No, I don't think so, but Adam, it's gonna be back - maybe with reinforcements. We have to get out of here!" Shalimar continued to whisper to Adam as they made their way to where Shalimar had pointed. Emma remained with Brennan.
"Jesse just went outside to get material to splint Brennan's leg with," Adam whispered to Shalimar. "I don't know where we should go. We need to get back to the Helix but they know where it is. We will be trapped. I wonder how far back to the road it is?"
Just then, two creatures emerged from the tunnel that Shalimar had described. Instantly Shalimar went into feral mode and Emma rose in front of Brennan while Brennan, who was barely conscious, attempted to hold a charge in his hand. Adam noticed that they were clothed differently than the ones they had seen in the compound. They had their hands placed out in front of them and did not appear menacing. They also were not approaching them; they were not attacking. Adam wondered why. Shalimar didn't care. She was preparing to pounce on them when Adam raised his hand. There was something familiar about one of the creatures. Adam was the first to speak. "Who are you? What do you want? We do not want to hurt you."
The creature in front cautiously approached Shal and Adam. He growled words that were not easy to understand but both Shal and Adam listened in total disbelief. "grr.. I am Jacob Burns, Adam. This is Sam pointing to the creature standing behind him. Do you remember me Adam?"
Adam was amazed. He stood with his mouth agape and took one step forward with his hand out in a somewhat point towards the creature that had just spoken. "Jacob? No way, you .. you can't be Jacob. Jacob died in the lab explosion at Genomex - when Mason was injured - Jacob, no."
Jacob moved towards Adam and Shalimar came up behind Adam in a protective gesture. She was not going to let this monster, born of Draper's madness, hurt her beloved Adam. "Yes, Adam, I am Jacob - grr..- Draper experimented on me. I was not killed in the explosion, Adam; I was severely injured. Mason had me moved up here to be treated by Draper. His techniques were supposed to be able to strengthen me and help me to live. When I woke up from his 'help', you can imagine my horror. He turned me and several others of his aids into . into .. this." Jacob spat disgustedly throwing his arms about his body in an effort to display it. With his increasing anger, his voice became more and more difficult to understand and his eyes glowed and even deeper yellow.
"Do you work for Draper now? Jacob, my man is severely injured and needs help. I have to get him to a hospital. Can you help us? We used to be friends, Jacob, do you remember? Please, do not turn us in. Draper will kill us. I don't know why he has brought us here but we need to escape. Please, Jacob!" Adam pleaded with his former friend.
Jacob stood there in silence and looked past Adam at Emma and Brennan. He finally spoke. "No, Adam, we do not work for Draper. About three years ago, we escaped. There are several of us that Draper sent out on a training mission of sorts within the facility and there was an accident with the pod. There was a terrible electrical storm generated by the pod and many of us were electrocuted and burned beyond recognition. Those of us who survived removed our com- links and managed to find an area of the facility to live where Draper has no knowledge of us. This tunnel leads to it. Adam, Draper brought you here to experiment on you. He is testing his army and needed an elite team to fight in order to prove his success."
Adam was even further in disbelief and confused. Brennan, Emma, and Shalimar all stood down and Adam closed the gap between Jacob and himself while looking Jacob up and down. "What are you talking about? An army? There is no way that facility is still funded by Genomex. It is a mess in there. Why have you stayed? Why don't you go beyond the facility? How many of you are living out here and what are talking about when you say 'pod'?" Adam was at a loss. He was really scared now. He thought Draper was mad but now he was beginning to realize the extent of the colossal failure of the Mutant Projects.
Jacob shook his head and filled in the rest of the gaps. "I don't think that Genomex funds the project anymore. Mason revoked Draper's privileges after the explosion and sealed the facility. That is why there are no entrances anymore. The pod, well, I thought you knew about it. It is an electromagnetic force field that surrounds the facility like a pod. No one comes in and . well," Jacob stalled looking at the injured Brennan, "no one gets out either. It was one of the projects that Draper just continued. He hid after the explosion in the remote tunnels of the water project until Genomex cleared out. Then, he went back to work and has been doing it for the past three years. There are many of us that have escaped - at least 25. We haven't been able to leave because of the pod and the cameras Draper has set up everywhere. And, besides, Adam, where were we going to go?"
Just then, Brennan let out a howl of pain and developed further difficulty in breathing. Jacob pushed past Adam and ran up to Brennan. Shalimar nearly attacked him but Adam held her back and told both she and Emma that Jacob was one of the most renowned surgeons that Genomex had and may be able to help Brennan. Jacob crouched down by Brennan and checked his condition. Without delay, he told his helper to get a stretcher and reinforcements. He looked up at Adam and said, "Of course I will help you Adam, my friend; but first, let's help this young one, shall we? We have stolen medical supplies that were left behind by Genomex and have quite a lab set up underground. Let me take you there, all of you."
Then, without warning, pounding began on the other side of the door to the facility and Jesse ran back into the cave with the supplies Adam had asked him for. He massed as soon as he saw the creature by Brennan and Adam yelled to him to stop. Just as a very confused Jesse relaxed, the door behind Brennan began to fail at its welded hinges. It looked as though Adam was going to have to trust this creature, who claimed to be his old friend. He simply had no choice.