Thanks for the reviews, again. Here we go with some more. Get your
compasses out; this story is about to take some turns. Don't get lost.
Adam awoke to a horrific noise. It sounded like something exploded above him and the entire cave rocked. Brennan's monitors went off. They were all flat line. "Brennan!" Adam yelled. "Jacob!" Adam ripped Brennan's covers down and checked his pulse. He watched for any signs of life. He got one. Brennan had a pulse, but he wasn't breathing. No, wait, Adam thought. It wasn't that he wasn't breathing; he couldn't breathe! The rumble must have been a power surge and it knocked out the respirator. It shouldn't have happened. They have backup power supplies! Adam scrambled. He attempted to restart the respirator. No luck. "Jacob!" Adam yelled again. He prepared to remove the breathing tube from Brennan. He disconnected it and attached a bag to his airway. He began to squeeze. Several mutants showed up in the lab. They were bustling around trying to restart equipment. The sound of the flat line was still humming in Adam's ears as he tried to assess Brennan's condition. Finally Jacob burst into the room with Jesse, Shal and Emma on his heels. "Adam," Jacob yelled, "It's the storm. We never had to use this equipment before during one of them. I'm sorry. I should have thought of it."
Adam was comfortable that Brennan had not sustained any further damage from the event. Jacob and his minions managed to get the power grid back up for the lab and the machines began to work again. Adam shut Brennan's monitor off to stop the noise. He looked at his teammates, who were standing, shaking, looking at him. "He's OK. It was just the storm. His heart never stopped." Shalimar and Emma hugged each other and wiped the tears away from under each other's eyes. Jesse approached Adam and Jacob. "We need to talk," was all he said.
Jacob, Adam, Jesse, Shal, Emma, and Samuel all went to the far side of the lab and sat down in some chairs that were strewn by the computers. Adam looked at Jesse, "What is it son?"
"Adam, there is one hell of an electrical storm going on outside. Jacob, I wasn't in the cave when you came into the picture. What I know I have learned from Shal and Emma. I need to understand from you more about this dome. Is it true that it is creating this storm?" Jesse asked.
"Yes," Jacob replied. "The storm is created by the electrical potential on the inside of the dome. There is such high polarity that it attracts any natural electricity outside the dome and redistributes it within. It has been happening during natural electrical storms ever since Draper had us power it up."
"But, if this was supposed to protect military bases by keeping them cloaked, I don't think the electrical storm thing is going to make it too successful," Jesse mocked.
"I know," Jacob replied. "That is one of the problems that Draper just chose to ignore. His men do not even come out of the compound on days and nights like this. We stay under as well. It is just too dangerous." With that, Jesse got an idea. "Did you say that no one goes out of the compound?"
"Yes, that is what I said. But there is more that you should know. You asked earlier about how the dome and facility managed to power. You should know the truth about that. You see, the reason Draper was able to overcome your young friend over there so easily is because he knew every one of his weaknesses. Draper is also an elemental of sorts."
"Yes, we know that about him," Adam interjected. "They know that too."
"Well, that's just it. Draper has developed a way to harness the electricity from the storms inside the dome and store it into very large battery cells for future use. The dome has a capacitor - several in fact - where it stores the energy. Draper hooks himself up on nights like this and literally alters the current of the lightening to one, which is capable of being stored. He will fuel his cells to last him for weeks to come."
'So, what you are saying is that, no one is outside right now and Draper isn't watching TV?" Jesse inquired.
"Correct."
"Then we go now," Jesse said to Adam, his determination quite obvious.
"Go where?" Adam asked.
"The Helix," Jesse replied.
"No Way!" the girls replied in unison. "Jesse, are you nuts?" Shalimar asked. "That is lightening out there coming from everywhere. We would never make it. Besides, the Helix is trashed, you saw it!"
"No, Shalimar, I think he might have an idea," Adam said now rising to his feet. "If we could get to the Helix, we would be safe from the storm. The Helix is naturally grounded in the material used to forge it. It can't be hit."
"Adam, we could never get Brennan there. You said yourself we can't move him. Besides, where would we go then? The Helix is ruined," Shalimar pleaded.
Adam looked at Shal and replied, "We aren't taking Brennan. We are merely going to assess the Helix' condition. If we can get a list together of what is wrong with it and maybe even get some repairs done, we might have a better chance at getting out real soon. It is the only time we will be able to safely get to it. We can't go when they are all outside, Shalimar. And we know that Draper has us on screens."
Shalimar pulled Adam and Jesse away from the group, closer to Brennan. She still was not aware that Jacob could hear nearly everything. Emma was aware, though, and stayed back to distract him. "Adam, have you lost your mind?" Shalimar cried. "If we leave Brennan with these . these friends of yours, we are right back where we started. Brennan away from us and injured and helpless, deep in a tunnel in the custody of some very dangerous creatures!"
"Shalimar, listen. I know Jacob. He was my friend. He will protect Brennan until we get back."
"If we get back," Jesse interjected. "No offense, Adam, but um, your Genomex friends haven't turned out too trustworthy in the past. In fact, Eckhart, Draper . I would say that they are a bit off."
"Yeah, and right now, I'm not so sure about you, Adam," Shalimar spat.
"Kids, listen to me," Adam said while taking his famous pose under stress. He placed his thumb and forefinger on either side of the bridge of his nose and bent his head down. "There is plenty you do not know about me. And that has gotten us into some bad spots before and I am sorry about it. But right now you have to trust me. This is Jacob. And he is my friend. He will watch over Brennan, I promise."
While her teammates were discussing their latest dilemma, Emma kept Jacob busy. She continued to read him as she spoke to him to try and get any hit at all that he was not on the up and up. Samuel was keeping an eye on everyone and continued to look over at the sleeping Brennan. He gazed upon Brennan's injuries, the blood, and licked his lips. He smiled to himself as he thought about him. He quickly jerked his head back and looked at Emma, hoping no one noticed his momentary lapse. Emma had gotten a strong hit of danger from somewhere in the room but couldn't pin down its source. Just then another horrible clap of thunder and the room went dark again. The silence was deafening except for the gargled gasps coming from Brennan. Samuel ran right over to see if he could assist him. You see, Samuel was a jackal and could see in the dark.
Adam awoke to a horrific noise. It sounded like something exploded above him and the entire cave rocked. Brennan's monitors went off. They were all flat line. "Brennan!" Adam yelled. "Jacob!" Adam ripped Brennan's covers down and checked his pulse. He watched for any signs of life. He got one. Brennan had a pulse, but he wasn't breathing. No, wait, Adam thought. It wasn't that he wasn't breathing; he couldn't breathe! The rumble must have been a power surge and it knocked out the respirator. It shouldn't have happened. They have backup power supplies! Adam scrambled. He attempted to restart the respirator. No luck. "Jacob!" Adam yelled again. He prepared to remove the breathing tube from Brennan. He disconnected it and attached a bag to his airway. He began to squeeze. Several mutants showed up in the lab. They were bustling around trying to restart equipment. The sound of the flat line was still humming in Adam's ears as he tried to assess Brennan's condition. Finally Jacob burst into the room with Jesse, Shal and Emma on his heels. "Adam," Jacob yelled, "It's the storm. We never had to use this equipment before during one of them. I'm sorry. I should have thought of it."
Adam was comfortable that Brennan had not sustained any further damage from the event. Jacob and his minions managed to get the power grid back up for the lab and the machines began to work again. Adam shut Brennan's monitor off to stop the noise. He looked at his teammates, who were standing, shaking, looking at him. "He's OK. It was just the storm. His heart never stopped." Shalimar and Emma hugged each other and wiped the tears away from under each other's eyes. Jesse approached Adam and Jacob. "We need to talk," was all he said.
Jacob, Adam, Jesse, Shal, Emma, and Samuel all went to the far side of the lab and sat down in some chairs that were strewn by the computers. Adam looked at Jesse, "What is it son?"
"Adam, there is one hell of an electrical storm going on outside. Jacob, I wasn't in the cave when you came into the picture. What I know I have learned from Shal and Emma. I need to understand from you more about this dome. Is it true that it is creating this storm?" Jesse asked.
"Yes," Jacob replied. "The storm is created by the electrical potential on the inside of the dome. There is such high polarity that it attracts any natural electricity outside the dome and redistributes it within. It has been happening during natural electrical storms ever since Draper had us power it up."
"But, if this was supposed to protect military bases by keeping them cloaked, I don't think the electrical storm thing is going to make it too successful," Jesse mocked.
"I know," Jacob replied. "That is one of the problems that Draper just chose to ignore. His men do not even come out of the compound on days and nights like this. We stay under as well. It is just too dangerous." With that, Jesse got an idea. "Did you say that no one goes out of the compound?"
"Yes, that is what I said. But there is more that you should know. You asked earlier about how the dome and facility managed to power. You should know the truth about that. You see, the reason Draper was able to overcome your young friend over there so easily is because he knew every one of his weaknesses. Draper is also an elemental of sorts."
"Yes, we know that about him," Adam interjected. "They know that too."
"Well, that's just it. Draper has developed a way to harness the electricity from the storms inside the dome and store it into very large battery cells for future use. The dome has a capacitor - several in fact - where it stores the energy. Draper hooks himself up on nights like this and literally alters the current of the lightening to one, which is capable of being stored. He will fuel his cells to last him for weeks to come."
'So, what you are saying is that, no one is outside right now and Draper isn't watching TV?" Jesse inquired.
"Correct."
"Then we go now," Jesse said to Adam, his determination quite obvious.
"Go where?" Adam asked.
"The Helix," Jesse replied.
"No Way!" the girls replied in unison. "Jesse, are you nuts?" Shalimar asked. "That is lightening out there coming from everywhere. We would never make it. Besides, the Helix is trashed, you saw it!"
"No, Shalimar, I think he might have an idea," Adam said now rising to his feet. "If we could get to the Helix, we would be safe from the storm. The Helix is naturally grounded in the material used to forge it. It can't be hit."
"Adam, we could never get Brennan there. You said yourself we can't move him. Besides, where would we go then? The Helix is ruined," Shalimar pleaded.
Adam looked at Shal and replied, "We aren't taking Brennan. We are merely going to assess the Helix' condition. If we can get a list together of what is wrong with it and maybe even get some repairs done, we might have a better chance at getting out real soon. It is the only time we will be able to safely get to it. We can't go when they are all outside, Shalimar. And we know that Draper has us on screens."
Shalimar pulled Adam and Jesse away from the group, closer to Brennan. She still was not aware that Jacob could hear nearly everything. Emma was aware, though, and stayed back to distract him. "Adam, have you lost your mind?" Shalimar cried. "If we leave Brennan with these . these friends of yours, we are right back where we started. Brennan away from us and injured and helpless, deep in a tunnel in the custody of some very dangerous creatures!"
"Shalimar, listen. I know Jacob. He was my friend. He will protect Brennan until we get back."
"If we get back," Jesse interjected. "No offense, Adam, but um, your Genomex friends haven't turned out too trustworthy in the past. In fact, Eckhart, Draper . I would say that they are a bit off."
"Yeah, and right now, I'm not so sure about you, Adam," Shalimar spat.
"Kids, listen to me," Adam said while taking his famous pose under stress. He placed his thumb and forefinger on either side of the bridge of his nose and bent his head down. "There is plenty you do not know about me. And that has gotten us into some bad spots before and I am sorry about it. But right now you have to trust me. This is Jacob. And he is my friend. He will watch over Brennan, I promise."
While her teammates were discussing their latest dilemma, Emma kept Jacob busy. She continued to read him as she spoke to him to try and get any hit at all that he was not on the up and up. Samuel was keeping an eye on everyone and continued to look over at the sleeping Brennan. He gazed upon Brennan's injuries, the blood, and licked his lips. He smiled to himself as he thought about him. He quickly jerked his head back and looked at Emma, hoping no one noticed his momentary lapse. Emma had gotten a strong hit of danger from somewhere in the room but couldn't pin down its source. Just then another horrible clap of thunder and the room went dark again. The silence was deafening except for the gargled gasps coming from Brennan. Samuel ran right over to see if he could assist him. You see, Samuel was a jackal and could see in the dark.