Thanks for the reviews! They really keep me inspired. This story has a
mind of its own, so bear with me. I still don't own them.
"We can't wait for reinforcements. We have to move him now!" Jacob yelled. Jesse was at a complete loss to who this creature was and why Adam was letting him touch Brennan. "Adam, what the hell is going on?" Jesse exclaimed as he ran to the door and got ready to mass in order to block the doorway so that they could move Brennan.
"There's no time, Jesse," Adam yelled back, "Shalimar, help Jacob and I lift Brennan. Keep his leg stabilized. We'll handle his upper body. Jesse, you and Emma wait by the door. Emma, you are able to handle them with your power. Jesse, mass and block that door."
"Adam, as soon as we get him into the passage, the others must join us and I will seal the passage. We must get through it before they see us!" With that, they quickly got their arms under Brennan. He moaned and bit his lip to keep from screaming. Adam consoled him and promised it would not be much longer and that he had to be strong. Adam didn't want Emma to sedate him because he did not completely trust what they were walking into. Jesse and Emma ran to the passage after the other four made it through. Jacob turned a control on the wall of the passage and a rock door slid over the opening and completely hid them inside the tunnel.
They laid Brennan down on the chamber floor just as light began to illuminate the tunnel from deep within its depths. Adam heard voices coming up from below and Shalimar instinctively went back into feral mode.
"It's OK," Jacob told them, "they are friends." Six more creatures of varying size and breed came into site. They carried a stretcher and other supplies with them. Jacob began to bark orders to all of them and they expertly transferred Brennan to the stretcher. Before any of them knew what to think, they were all on their way down into the depths from which the creatures had emerged.
The passage was quite long and Adam had been trying to tell just how deeply they had penetrated the earth's surface. This was obviously an old cave of some sort. It was possible it led all the way down the mountain and to the river below. Most of the time they were on stone steps, however, at times, they crossed on rocks, alone. As Adam was thinking about their location, he heard Jacob exclaim to everyone in the group. "We have to stop! Adam, Brennan needs help, he can't breathe. All f you, set the stretcher down here." Adam had been following one pace behind the group carrying Brennan and had been listening to his breathing. It didn't seem changed until they set him down; then, Adam also heard it. "Jacob, how did you know?" Adam was astonished, "I didn't hear any changes until after you set him down." Both men were working with the tube, now, that extended from Brennan's injured chest. "Adam, my mutation involves the DNA from a fox. My hearing is better than yours," Jacob responded. They continued manipulating the tube until Jacob made a revelation. "I think it's blocked." Adam nodded in agreement. Jesse, Shal and Emma were all watching them with anticipation. When they heard that, they began to lose hope again. Jesse was first to comment to the others. "We have to find a way out of here. What if this Jacob isn't who he says he is? What if he is and is still leading us to Draper? We're heading right back down next to the compound. Hell, we could be in it!"
"Jesse, I am sensing nothing but genuineness from Jacob," Emma replied, "I think he is who he says he is, or at least believes he is. Also, I don't sense any deception."
"Yeah, well, I don't like this at all," said Shalimar, obviously frustrated with the recent turn of events. "I have never seen Adam allow someone else to tell him what was wrong with one of us. Now, he is following this Jacob like he was his mentor or something. But Brennan is in such bad shape. God, I don't want to trust this, but I don't see an alternative, Jesse. We can't leave. He told us about the force field, and the Helix."
"Jacob said that about the force field, Shalimar," mocked Jesse. "We don't know if it really exists. Think about it. Where is its power source? If Genomex really did abandon the project, like Jacob said, who's paying the light bill? A small generator could keep the lights and other systems we have seen operating with the aid of solar panels but there is no way it could generate the kind of power needed to run something like a 10 mile EMF dome! No way!"
Adam and Jacob had cut into Brennan once more to reinsert the tube. Jacob was half listening to what the other three Mutant X members were speaking about but chose to concentrate on Brennan first. He would set all of their thoughts at ease as soon as they reached his lab and Brennan was out of danger. He silently prayed that he could save the young mutant. He feared what the Team would think of him if he let Brennan die.
Just as Adam pushed the tube through the new incision on Brennan's chest, Brennan unfortunately, woke up. "Arghhhh," was all Brennan managed to moan. His breathing became very quick and ragged and he was choking. He struggled against Jacob. He was not completely coherent and didn't recognize anyone of the individuals now trying to help him. The tube pulled out of his chest as he pushed both Adam and Jacob away from him. He had strength that surprised even him. Emma and Jesse came running towards him. Jesse massed in front of Emma just in time to take the electrical charge Brennan shot at them. It was weak, though, and even had he not massed and it would have hit Emma, she likely would have felt nothing more than a carpet shock. Emma hit Brennan with a psionic blast that knocked him out. Adam and Jacob looked at Emma and thanked her. They quickly returned to their work on Brennan. Emma crumpled into deep sobs at the thought of hurting Brennan. Shalimar took her into her arms and cradled her. The other beasts walked up to them and also began to speak words of comfort. This surprised them. They did act human. Why were they so different than the beasts that worked fro Draper?
Jesse walked up to Jacob and Adam and asked if he could help. He crouched down and held Brennan's head in his hands and wiped his forehead. "Adam, he is still really hot," Jesse announced to the already worried Adam. "I know, Jesse. Jacob, do you have any antibiotics at your lab?" Adam inquired. Jacob had managed to get the tube inserted and more fluid once again poured from the tube out of Brennan's chest. His breathing became less labored, then, and both Adam and Jacob seemed to relax a bit. "Yes," Jacob responded, "I have a limited supply of vancomycin as well as cortisone. We should be able to treat most of his wounds there. It won't be pretty, and unfortunately, it will be painful. I don't have any painkillers. Dr. Draper didn't believe in them, so he didn't supply them."
They picked Brennan up and continued downward. Everyone seemed a little more trusting of each now. Emma and one of the other beasts had actually struck up a conversation. Jesse still was angered at the barbarism of the mutant projects and still wanted to kill Draper with his own hands for what he did to Brennan through the course of his life. Shalimar just kept looking at the beasts. She felt a strange bond with them from the beginning. They were all feral, after all. They were not cats, like her, but they were canine feral of various breeds. Natural instincts told her to be wary of them, but her animalistic side and being a victim of mutation, herself, led her to feel a sense of camaraderie with them. She couldn't help it.
Finally, the passage opened into a large room. There were other beasts here, now. There was also a high-tech lab. Adam smiled and quickened his pace to close the distance between it and himself. The others laid Brennan down onto a table and two beasts started an IV. They hooked up monitors and Jacob prepared a surgical tray. One assistant brought over a respirator. Like a finely tuned team, Adam, Jacob, and the others went to work on Brennan. Adam intebated him and began respirations while Jacob opened his chest. When Jacob got a first look at Brennan's flailed rib cage, he glanced up at Adam. They were both concerned and did not need to speak to one-another. They knew what they were up against. Jacob just shook his head and went to work on the jigsaw puzzle. There were several lacerations to Brennan's lung tissue. It was no wonder he couldn't breathe. Adam was surprised he was even alive. They took a quick check of the pericardium to make certain it was intact. It was. "Good boy." Adam whispered as they continued their work. Adam let Jacob close the chest and went to work on the gunshot wound. He opened the wound as far as he could in search of the bullet. He couldn't find it. He opened him a little further so he could check the organs in the area. There was a slight tear in the peritoneum that could have been causing the fever as well. Adam flushed the area with saline and closed the tear. "Jacob, I can't find the bullet," Adam told Jacob. "Do you have an X-ray?" Jacob responded that he had a scanner. They could scan Brennan to see the job they did on the ribs and would maybe be able to see the bullet's location. In the meantime, they needed to check the set on his leg and then close and let him recover.
About five hours after they began, Jacob and Adam walked away from the operating table. Brennan was hooked up to some very sophisticated monitors and was receiving antibiotic therapy. All they could do now was keep him out of shock and wait. They met up with the other three mutants and sat down to have a long talk about their situation. "How's Brennan?" Jesse and Shalimar asked in stereo. Emma already knew. She had read Adam as soon as he walked out. She was both relieved and worried. Jacob let Adam explain. "His injuries are worse than we expected. His rib cage was a mess. I don't know if he was beaten or if it happened during the fall, but nearly all of his ribs sustained damage. His chest was literally crushed." Jesse and Shalimar developed tears in their eyes. Jesse again, led them. "What does that mean for Brennan?"
Jacob continued in his growl voice. "It means we could not save them all. We had to remove some of the shattered pieces. We also had to do quite a bit of repair to his lungs. We were not able to find the bullet, but we did repair a tear in his stomach lining. His leg is set and we have casted it."
"What about the fever?" Jesse asked.
"We are treating him with antibiotics. He will continue on the respirator for a while to reduce the stress on his lungs. They need time to heal," Jacob finalized.
"Time?" Shalimar asked. "Adam, we don't have any time. Draper is going to be out looking for us. Jacob, this could jeopardize this entire operation. They know we didn't leave in the Helix, and if this dome-thing is really in place, he'll also know we are still here."
"What about that?" Jesse inquired. "How do you guys get all the power and food and other items you need just to survive without Genomex funding the project? And besides, someone grabbed Brennan off of the docks and let us in here. So at some time the dome was down. Where is it controlled?"
Jacob put his hand out to Jesse in a manner that told Jesse to calm down. "I will answer every question I can - one at a time - OK? I heard you talking to your friends when we were working on Brennan in the cave. I understand your skepticisms. But first, you cannot move Brennan for several days. He will not even be off of the respirator for at least 3 days. His lungs need time to begin healing. We also need to try and find the bullet. That may take another surgery."
The group looked at Adam. "We're trapped?" Shalimar exclaimed. "No," Adam responded. "We are not trapped. Jacob is right about Brennan. We can't move him right now. Frankly, I can't believe he is still alive after seeing where Draper was holding him and what he has done to him. I feel that we are safe here. Draper is crazy. He is likely to believe what ever his head tells him to believe. I do not think he will suspect anything other than we are good at the game and hiding well. He'll wait us out. Jacob, what do you think?"
"He'll wait us out. And don't worry. We have plenty of power to sustain us. We steal it from the generator. But, everyone needs a shower and some rest. I will have Samuel show you to your accommodations. They aren't the best, but they are better than being outside. According to the Internet, we are expecting storms again tonight. They cause electrical storms to go on in the dome and it can be very dangerous outside." Jacob motioned to one of the creatures to come over. He did so and smiled at the group. "This is Samuel. He was one of Draper's lab techs when he was altered," Jacob introduced.
"I'll sleep in the lab with Brennan," Adam announced. "I want to keep an eye on his fever and keep his tube clean."
"OK, Adam, but we'll come back and relieve you so you can get some rest and a shower as well. You are full of blood." Jesse commented. Adam looked down at himself and then backs over across the room at Brennan. He sighed a sigh of helplessness and agreed. As the group left for their rooms, Adam walked back over to Brennan. He looked down at his clothes and once again at Brennan. They were both caked in dried blood. The rhythmic sound of the respirator lulled the weary Adam. He sat on a stool next to Brennan and took his battered hand in his own. He looked at it and couldn't believe it. Even they were scarred with the events of the past two days. A tear trailed down Adam's cheek as he gazed at his fallen child. He whispered to no one but himself, "What have I done?" before he silently surrendered to the deep sorrow he had stifled since he saw his Brennan for the first time in the tunnels. He buried his head into Brennan's covers, gripped his hand tightly and sobbed.
"We can't wait for reinforcements. We have to move him now!" Jacob yelled. Jesse was at a complete loss to who this creature was and why Adam was letting him touch Brennan. "Adam, what the hell is going on?" Jesse exclaimed as he ran to the door and got ready to mass in order to block the doorway so that they could move Brennan.
"There's no time, Jesse," Adam yelled back, "Shalimar, help Jacob and I lift Brennan. Keep his leg stabilized. We'll handle his upper body. Jesse, you and Emma wait by the door. Emma, you are able to handle them with your power. Jesse, mass and block that door."
"Adam, as soon as we get him into the passage, the others must join us and I will seal the passage. We must get through it before they see us!" With that, they quickly got their arms under Brennan. He moaned and bit his lip to keep from screaming. Adam consoled him and promised it would not be much longer and that he had to be strong. Adam didn't want Emma to sedate him because he did not completely trust what they were walking into. Jesse and Emma ran to the passage after the other four made it through. Jacob turned a control on the wall of the passage and a rock door slid over the opening and completely hid them inside the tunnel.
They laid Brennan down on the chamber floor just as light began to illuminate the tunnel from deep within its depths. Adam heard voices coming up from below and Shalimar instinctively went back into feral mode.
"It's OK," Jacob told them, "they are friends." Six more creatures of varying size and breed came into site. They carried a stretcher and other supplies with them. Jacob began to bark orders to all of them and they expertly transferred Brennan to the stretcher. Before any of them knew what to think, they were all on their way down into the depths from which the creatures had emerged.
The passage was quite long and Adam had been trying to tell just how deeply they had penetrated the earth's surface. This was obviously an old cave of some sort. It was possible it led all the way down the mountain and to the river below. Most of the time they were on stone steps, however, at times, they crossed on rocks, alone. As Adam was thinking about their location, he heard Jacob exclaim to everyone in the group. "We have to stop! Adam, Brennan needs help, he can't breathe. All f you, set the stretcher down here." Adam had been following one pace behind the group carrying Brennan and had been listening to his breathing. It didn't seem changed until they set him down; then, Adam also heard it. "Jacob, how did you know?" Adam was astonished, "I didn't hear any changes until after you set him down." Both men were working with the tube, now, that extended from Brennan's injured chest. "Adam, my mutation involves the DNA from a fox. My hearing is better than yours," Jacob responded. They continued manipulating the tube until Jacob made a revelation. "I think it's blocked." Adam nodded in agreement. Jesse, Shal and Emma were all watching them with anticipation. When they heard that, they began to lose hope again. Jesse was first to comment to the others. "We have to find a way out of here. What if this Jacob isn't who he says he is? What if he is and is still leading us to Draper? We're heading right back down next to the compound. Hell, we could be in it!"
"Jesse, I am sensing nothing but genuineness from Jacob," Emma replied, "I think he is who he says he is, or at least believes he is. Also, I don't sense any deception."
"Yeah, well, I don't like this at all," said Shalimar, obviously frustrated with the recent turn of events. "I have never seen Adam allow someone else to tell him what was wrong with one of us. Now, he is following this Jacob like he was his mentor or something. But Brennan is in such bad shape. God, I don't want to trust this, but I don't see an alternative, Jesse. We can't leave. He told us about the force field, and the Helix."
"Jacob said that about the force field, Shalimar," mocked Jesse. "We don't know if it really exists. Think about it. Where is its power source? If Genomex really did abandon the project, like Jacob said, who's paying the light bill? A small generator could keep the lights and other systems we have seen operating with the aid of solar panels but there is no way it could generate the kind of power needed to run something like a 10 mile EMF dome! No way!"
Adam and Jacob had cut into Brennan once more to reinsert the tube. Jacob was half listening to what the other three Mutant X members were speaking about but chose to concentrate on Brennan first. He would set all of their thoughts at ease as soon as they reached his lab and Brennan was out of danger. He silently prayed that he could save the young mutant. He feared what the Team would think of him if he let Brennan die.
Just as Adam pushed the tube through the new incision on Brennan's chest, Brennan unfortunately, woke up. "Arghhhh," was all Brennan managed to moan. His breathing became very quick and ragged and he was choking. He struggled against Jacob. He was not completely coherent and didn't recognize anyone of the individuals now trying to help him. The tube pulled out of his chest as he pushed both Adam and Jacob away from him. He had strength that surprised even him. Emma and Jesse came running towards him. Jesse massed in front of Emma just in time to take the electrical charge Brennan shot at them. It was weak, though, and even had he not massed and it would have hit Emma, she likely would have felt nothing more than a carpet shock. Emma hit Brennan with a psionic blast that knocked him out. Adam and Jacob looked at Emma and thanked her. They quickly returned to their work on Brennan. Emma crumpled into deep sobs at the thought of hurting Brennan. Shalimar took her into her arms and cradled her. The other beasts walked up to them and also began to speak words of comfort. This surprised them. They did act human. Why were they so different than the beasts that worked fro Draper?
Jesse walked up to Jacob and Adam and asked if he could help. He crouched down and held Brennan's head in his hands and wiped his forehead. "Adam, he is still really hot," Jesse announced to the already worried Adam. "I know, Jesse. Jacob, do you have any antibiotics at your lab?" Adam inquired. Jacob had managed to get the tube inserted and more fluid once again poured from the tube out of Brennan's chest. His breathing became less labored, then, and both Adam and Jacob seemed to relax a bit. "Yes," Jacob responded, "I have a limited supply of vancomycin as well as cortisone. We should be able to treat most of his wounds there. It won't be pretty, and unfortunately, it will be painful. I don't have any painkillers. Dr. Draper didn't believe in them, so he didn't supply them."
They picked Brennan up and continued downward. Everyone seemed a little more trusting of each now. Emma and one of the other beasts had actually struck up a conversation. Jesse still was angered at the barbarism of the mutant projects and still wanted to kill Draper with his own hands for what he did to Brennan through the course of his life. Shalimar just kept looking at the beasts. She felt a strange bond with them from the beginning. They were all feral, after all. They were not cats, like her, but they were canine feral of various breeds. Natural instincts told her to be wary of them, but her animalistic side and being a victim of mutation, herself, led her to feel a sense of camaraderie with them. She couldn't help it.
Finally, the passage opened into a large room. There were other beasts here, now. There was also a high-tech lab. Adam smiled and quickened his pace to close the distance between it and himself. The others laid Brennan down onto a table and two beasts started an IV. They hooked up monitors and Jacob prepared a surgical tray. One assistant brought over a respirator. Like a finely tuned team, Adam, Jacob, and the others went to work on Brennan. Adam intebated him and began respirations while Jacob opened his chest. When Jacob got a first look at Brennan's flailed rib cage, he glanced up at Adam. They were both concerned and did not need to speak to one-another. They knew what they were up against. Jacob just shook his head and went to work on the jigsaw puzzle. There were several lacerations to Brennan's lung tissue. It was no wonder he couldn't breathe. Adam was surprised he was even alive. They took a quick check of the pericardium to make certain it was intact. It was. "Good boy." Adam whispered as they continued their work. Adam let Jacob close the chest and went to work on the gunshot wound. He opened the wound as far as he could in search of the bullet. He couldn't find it. He opened him a little further so he could check the organs in the area. There was a slight tear in the peritoneum that could have been causing the fever as well. Adam flushed the area with saline and closed the tear. "Jacob, I can't find the bullet," Adam told Jacob. "Do you have an X-ray?" Jacob responded that he had a scanner. They could scan Brennan to see the job they did on the ribs and would maybe be able to see the bullet's location. In the meantime, they needed to check the set on his leg and then close and let him recover.
About five hours after they began, Jacob and Adam walked away from the operating table. Brennan was hooked up to some very sophisticated monitors and was receiving antibiotic therapy. All they could do now was keep him out of shock and wait. They met up with the other three mutants and sat down to have a long talk about their situation. "How's Brennan?" Jesse and Shalimar asked in stereo. Emma already knew. She had read Adam as soon as he walked out. She was both relieved and worried. Jacob let Adam explain. "His injuries are worse than we expected. His rib cage was a mess. I don't know if he was beaten or if it happened during the fall, but nearly all of his ribs sustained damage. His chest was literally crushed." Jesse and Shalimar developed tears in their eyes. Jesse again, led them. "What does that mean for Brennan?"
Jacob continued in his growl voice. "It means we could not save them all. We had to remove some of the shattered pieces. We also had to do quite a bit of repair to his lungs. We were not able to find the bullet, but we did repair a tear in his stomach lining. His leg is set and we have casted it."
"What about the fever?" Jesse asked.
"We are treating him with antibiotics. He will continue on the respirator for a while to reduce the stress on his lungs. They need time to heal," Jacob finalized.
"Time?" Shalimar asked. "Adam, we don't have any time. Draper is going to be out looking for us. Jacob, this could jeopardize this entire operation. They know we didn't leave in the Helix, and if this dome-thing is really in place, he'll also know we are still here."
"What about that?" Jesse inquired. "How do you guys get all the power and food and other items you need just to survive without Genomex funding the project? And besides, someone grabbed Brennan off of the docks and let us in here. So at some time the dome was down. Where is it controlled?"
Jacob put his hand out to Jesse in a manner that told Jesse to calm down. "I will answer every question I can - one at a time - OK? I heard you talking to your friends when we were working on Brennan in the cave. I understand your skepticisms. But first, you cannot move Brennan for several days. He will not even be off of the respirator for at least 3 days. His lungs need time to begin healing. We also need to try and find the bullet. That may take another surgery."
The group looked at Adam. "We're trapped?" Shalimar exclaimed. "No," Adam responded. "We are not trapped. Jacob is right about Brennan. We can't move him right now. Frankly, I can't believe he is still alive after seeing where Draper was holding him and what he has done to him. I feel that we are safe here. Draper is crazy. He is likely to believe what ever his head tells him to believe. I do not think he will suspect anything other than we are good at the game and hiding well. He'll wait us out. Jacob, what do you think?"
"He'll wait us out. And don't worry. We have plenty of power to sustain us. We steal it from the generator. But, everyone needs a shower and some rest. I will have Samuel show you to your accommodations. They aren't the best, but they are better than being outside. According to the Internet, we are expecting storms again tonight. They cause electrical storms to go on in the dome and it can be very dangerous outside." Jacob motioned to one of the creatures to come over. He did so and smiled at the group. "This is Samuel. He was one of Draper's lab techs when he was altered," Jacob introduced.
"I'll sleep in the lab with Brennan," Adam announced. "I want to keep an eye on his fever and keep his tube clean."
"OK, Adam, but we'll come back and relieve you so you can get some rest and a shower as well. You are full of blood." Jesse commented. Adam looked down at himself and then backs over across the room at Brennan. He sighed a sigh of helplessness and agreed. As the group left for their rooms, Adam walked back over to Brennan. He looked down at his clothes and once again at Brennan. They were both caked in dried blood. The rhythmic sound of the respirator lulled the weary Adam. He sat on a stool next to Brennan and took his battered hand in his own. He looked at it and couldn't believe it. Even they were scarred with the events of the past two days. A tear trailed down Adam's cheek as he gazed at his fallen child. He whispered to no one but himself, "What have I done?" before he silently surrendered to the deep sorrow he had stifled since he saw his Brennan for the first time in the tunnels. He buried his head into Brennan's covers, gripped his hand tightly and sobbed.