"Adam," Jesse yelled. Jesse had seated himself in the main computer
control terminal of the Helix to see if the computers could provide any
type of damage report indicating systems that needed repair. "It looks
like the computer is booting up. It is on auxiliary power but appears
intact."
"Good, good," Adam replied. He was in the back room of the Helix with Emma trying to see what he could do to forage some type of medical support system for transporting Brennan. "Keep up the good work. Let me know if you need my help. Is Shalimar up there with you?"
"Yeah, Adam, I am here," Shalimar yelled back. She had seated herself at the pilot position to aid Jesse in getting the Helix back on line. "What do you need?"
"Nothing, Shal, I just wanted to make sure you were still on-board," Adam replied while walking back out into the main room. "I don't want any of you venturing out into that storm. We almost got hit a few times getting here."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about me, Adam, I am NOT going out there again until this thing is over. I can't believe we actually got here alive!" Shal exclaimed.
"Yeah," Jesse continued. "I know what you mean. Don't worry, I am not going anywhere until I know that the Helix is repaired and we can get Brennan and ourselves out of this crazy place."
"I wonder how he is?" Shalimar asked under her breath and fearful of the answer.
Adam cocked his head and pursed his lips with a little sympathetic grin and said in a low tone, "I don't know, Shalimar. But Emma and I are actually having some success. It doesn't appear they hit the back room of the Helix. You know, these creatures should have been smarter than this. It surprises me really. They were scientists and technicians for Genomex. They were not at all marginal people; they were all very intelligent."
"Maybe the mutation is slowly degrading their ability to use complete thought processes," Jesse replied while punching away at the keyboard. Another crack of lightening immediately followed by an earth-shattering rumble caused all of them to startle. "I sure am glad the Helix is grounded."
"Just keep working. I want us out of here and back with Brennan as soon as possible. We are sitting ducks out here when this storm quits," Adam mentioned as he rejoined Emma in the back room.
Emma had been silently preparing things for Brennan. She checked on him every now with her mind. So far, he had been peaceful, but now, as Adam came back into the room, Emma got a terrible hit off of him . no .. not him . someone else .SAMUEL! Brennan was in trouble! She screamed and dropped her bag..
XXX
Jacob had left Brennan and gone back to his control room. He looked at the communication device he maintained at Draper's order. He thought about using it to reveal the location of the prey as he had done so many times before as Draper continued to test his army. When he broke the needle off in Brennan's arm and induced the sense of panic in him - the sense an animal got once he realized he was about to be eaten, it nearly sent Jacob over the edge. He actually went so far as to tie him down. "Can't let him get away!" Jacob had seethed as he did it. He didn't even know who he was when he got into that state. He convinced himself that he left Brennan alone so he could rest. That wasn't true. He realized that he was losing control. He had to leave him. He just couldn't deny his animal instincts any longer. He hated himself for what he had become. He kept repeating it out loud to Brennan and to himself as he backed out of the lab, he repeated it once more now, before he broke down and cried, "What have I become?"
XXX
Brennan was having another dream. There was a familiar song playing in the background mimicking his life, mocking him. It was the song "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails. Over and over it kept going through his head:
"The needle tears a hole, that old familiar sting, try to kill it all away, but I remember everything. And you could have it all, my empire of dirt, I will let you down, I will make you hurt. I wear this crown of shit upon my liar's chair, full of broken thoughts, I cannot repair. Beneath the stain of time, the feeling disappears, you are somewhere else, I am still right here. What have I become, my sweetest friend, every one I know goes away in the end."
It was one of his favorite songs to listen to when he was depressed. It reminded him of the empty promises of Genomex, his lost family, the days spent having medical procedures, the time spent drinking trying to forget, and being left by everyone he ever cared about in his life. He was at his limit. He wanted to keep fighting, but it was getting so hard. He didn't believe that Jacob was a friend, and he knew deep into his soul that he had not seen Draper for the last time either. Now, he was alone again. If Draper found him this time, he knew he could not survive. He now allowed Emma into his dream. He saw her in his mind. She was so beautiful. But, as he tried to get to her, she kept getting farther away. Typical of this type of dream, he began to run. Suddenly, Draper was behind her, then, he was in front of him - blocking his view of Emma. He heard Emma scream to him to run and hide just as Draper claimed his entire field of vision. He was frozen in place, unable to move, unable to breath, unable to help himself or anyone else.then ..
Brennan's eyes fluttered open. He was alone in the lab. He looked down at his hands and realized that someone had tied them down. Why? He thought. He felt stronger now than he had earlier and formed a charge in his left hand starting the cotton restraint on fire. It seared his skin as it burned. What was a little more pain in his world of hurt? Once one was free, he undid the other. The fire burned itself out. He slowly attempted to rise to a prone position. He was really struggling. It hurt so badly that he thought he would surely pass out. He kept trying while stifling his cries. It was no use. He just couldn't do it. He thought about rolling off the gurney to the floor and crawling to somewhere. But he also knew that an action like that had extreme risks. He was lucky he hadn't begun bleeding last time he fell off. This time, he would try to be gentle. He knew that Emma's appearance in his dream was not simply a figment of his imagination. She was real, and she was trying to warn him. He learned a long time ago to listen to his dreams when they involved Emma warning him. She told him to hide. He had to hide.
XXX
The beasts worked their way through the forest. They didn't know exactly where they were going. All they knew was that they were on the hunt again. Lightening was bursting from the dome and shooting in all directions. Using poor judgment, they kept taking shelter near the trees. That was not a good idea, because the lightening was hitting numerous trees. They began with 10 beasts and now they were down to 8. The lightening had claimed 1 and another had run off. The leader of the group tried to get him to come back. Draper was sure to kill him when he tried to wander back to the complex. The leader of this rag tag group was named Don. He used to be the chief chemist at the facility. He was also one of the first turned by Draper. He was a lion feral and incredibly violent.
XXX
"Emma! What's wrong?" Adam asked running up to her. The other two team mates looked up from their stations. "Emma?" Adam asked again searching her eyes. She looked absolutely panicked.
"We have to get back to the cave! Adam, he's going to hurt Brennan!" Emma pushed past Adam and started for the door. Adam grabbed her arm and Jesse began to get up. "Let go of me! We have to go now!" Emma was out of control.
Shalimar got up from her seat and approached Emma. "Emma, honey, what's wrong? Did you see something? Who is going to hurt Brennan?" She was trying to be as soothing as possible.
Emma looked at Adam, fearful he would not believe her, then back at Shal. "Samuel!" Emma exclaimed. "The beast that was working with Jacob. For some reason I kept connecting with him back in the cave. I didn't feel comfortable when it would happen and I couldn't figure out why. I wasn't even certain it was him!"
"Emma," Adam interrupted, "why would Samuel hurt Brennan? He is Jacob's friend."
"God Adam!" Emma fought back. "It is always Jacob and friend and he would never hurt us, well, I don't lie and neither do my powers and I am telling you that Samuel is bringing Draper there right now and he is going to hurt him!" Emma was going the mile here. She always did when it came to Brennan. Ever since the first day that they met, she knew that they had bonded. He would do the same for her. Adam just looked at her and back at Jesse and Shalimar. They both quickly returned to their seats to finish the task and get back to the cave to see what was going on that could have scared Emma that way.
Jesse was getting lucky, "Adam," he called out.
"Yeah Jess," Adam replied still looking at Emma.
"I think I have it. It appears that the damage is mostly to the immediate interior comfort systems. We have wiring for lighting that has been ruined as well as some gauge controls. But, I don't think the stealth system has been damaged and the radar looks in tact. I'm starting her up," Jesse told Adam.
Shalimar was looking back at them from the pilot seat. She was eager to get back to Brennan. She was getting a really bad feeling about them sitting here so long. It had to have been at least 30 minutes and the storm hadn't produced any visible lightening for at least 10 of them. And She believed Emma. She didn't like Samuel either and none of them trusted Jacob.
"OK," Adam replied, "Let's see what she's got."
Jesse attempted a full systems start-up. It failed on first attempt but came up on second. The lighting inside flashed across the screens and radar was running. There were a few electrical short-outs of interior systems but the Helix could run and hide and that was what was important right now. They all cheered. "Yes!" Adam said in his quick, quip voice.
"Well," Jesse exclaimed, "we know she works. Should we keep one of us here with her in stealth and the other three go and get Brennan? I'll go, Adam. I can't manage him by myself. I have the best chance of getting there."
"I don't know," Adam replied, "The storm appears to be dying down. We may not be able to go anywhere through the forest. I suggest we put her in stealth and set her down right next to the cave entrance. That clearing in front of the cave appeared to be large enough to hold her. I would feel much more comfortable keeping the Helix with us."
"I agree," Jesse said. "Let's go!"
Emma tried to connect with Brennan. She sent him a message again to hide. She told him to hurry and get out of site that they were coming for him. She urged him to hang on.
XXX
Feeling Emma urge him to hide again, Brennan rolled his legs off to the side of the gurney. He touched them to the floor before allowing himself a controlled slide. He hit the floor with an 'umph!' He lay there for just a second and let the pain subside in his leg and chest and then slowly began pulling himself across the cave floor. There was a stone in a darkened corner to the side of the room. He decided to kill the lights with an arc. He managed to hide himself pretty well behind the rock and there he decided to stay. He was very weak and struggling to breath again. He would need to rest. As he drifted into darkness, again, he hoped that he was hidden well. He comforted himself with a silent prayer and slipped into unconsciousness.
XXX
Draper and Samuel made their way down the tunnel. It was quite a distance from the main entrance. Draper was elated to be getting Brennan back but disturbed by the recent turn of events with Jacob. Samuel took up the lead. "Follow me, sir, follow me. He is right up here. Not far - no - not far at all!" Samuel was extremely excited. Draper nodded in approval and followed Samuel. He was quite eager himself to get this trouble over with - once and for all.
"Good, good," Adam replied. He was in the back room of the Helix with Emma trying to see what he could do to forage some type of medical support system for transporting Brennan. "Keep up the good work. Let me know if you need my help. Is Shalimar up there with you?"
"Yeah, Adam, I am here," Shalimar yelled back. She had seated herself at the pilot position to aid Jesse in getting the Helix back on line. "What do you need?"
"Nothing, Shal, I just wanted to make sure you were still on-board," Adam replied while walking back out into the main room. "I don't want any of you venturing out into that storm. We almost got hit a few times getting here."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about me, Adam, I am NOT going out there again until this thing is over. I can't believe we actually got here alive!" Shal exclaimed.
"Yeah," Jesse continued. "I know what you mean. Don't worry, I am not going anywhere until I know that the Helix is repaired and we can get Brennan and ourselves out of this crazy place."
"I wonder how he is?" Shalimar asked under her breath and fearful of the answer.
Adam cocked his head and pursed his lips with a little sympathetic grin and said in a low tone, "I don't know, Shalimar. But Emma and I are actually having some success. It doesn't appear they hit the back room of the Helix. You know, these creatures should have been smarter than this. It surprises me really. They were scientists and technicians for Genomex. They were not at all marginal people; they were all very intelligent."
"Maybe the mutation is slowly degrading their ability to use complete thought processes," Jesse replied while punching away at the keyboard. Another crack of lightening immediately followed by an earth-shattering rumble caused all of them to startle. "I sure am glad the Helix is grounded."
"Just keep working. I want us out of here and back with Brennan as soon as possible. We are sitting ducks out here when this storm quits," Adam mentioned as he rejoined Emma in the back room.
Emma had been silently preparing things for Brennan. She checked on him every now with her mind. So far, he had been peaceful, but now, as Adam came back into the room, Emma got a terrible hit off of him . no .. not him . someone else .SAMUEL! Brennan was in trouble! She screamed and dropped her bag..
XXX
Jacob had left Brennan and gone back to his control room. He looked at the communication device he maintained at Draper's order. He thought about using it to reveal the location of the prey as he had done so many times before as Draper continued to test his army. When he broke the needle off in Brennan's arm and induced the sense of panic in him - the sense an animal got once he realized he was about to be eaten, it nearly sent Jacob over the edge. He actually went so far as to tie him down. "Can't let him get away!" Jacob had seethed as he did it. He didn't even know who he was when he got into that state. He convinced himself that he left Brennan alone so he could rest. That wasn't true. He realized that he was losing control. He had to leave him. He just couldn't deny his animal instincts any longer. He hated himself for what he had become. He kept repeating it out loud to Brennan and to himself as he backed out of the lab, he repeated it once more now, before he broke down and cried, "What have I become?"
XXX
Brennan was having another dream. There was a familiar song playing in the background mimicking his life, mocking him. It was the song "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails. Over and over it kept going through his head:
"The needle tears a hole, that old familiar sting, try to kill it all away, but I remember everything. And you could have it all, my empire of dirt, I will let you down, I will make you hurt. I wear this crown of shit upon my liar's chair, full of broken thoughts, I cannot repair. Beneath the stain of time, the feeling disappears, you are somewhere else, I am still right here. What have I become, my sweetest friend, every one I know goes away in the end."
It was one of his favorite songs to listen to when he was depressed. It reminded him of the empty promises of Genomex, his lost family, the days spent having medical procedures, the time spent drinking trying to forget, and being left by everyone he ever cared about in his life. He was at his limit. He wanted to keep fighting, but it was getting so hard. He didn't believe that Jacob was a friend, and he knew deep into his soul that he had not seen Draper for the last time either. Now, he was alone again. If Draper found him this time, he knew he could not survive. He now allowed Emma into his dream. He saw her in his mind. She was so beautiful. But, as he tried to get to her, she kept getting farther away. Typical of this type of dream, he began to run. Suddenly, Draper was behind her, then, he was in front of him - blocking his view of Emma. He heard Emma scream to him to run and hide just as Draper claimed his entire field of vision. He was frozen in place, unable to move, unable to breath, unable to help himself or anyone else.then ..
Brennan's eyes fluttered open. He was alone in the lab. He looked down at his hands and realized that someone had tied them down. Why? He thought. He felt stronger now than he had earlier and formed a charge in his left hand starting the cotton restraint on fire. It seared his skin as it burned. What was a little more pain in his world of hurt? Once one was free, he undid the other. The fire burned itself out. He slowly attempted to rise to a prone position. He was really struggling. It hurt so badly that he thought he would surely pass out. He kept trying while stifling his cries. It was no use. He just couldn't do it. He thought about rolling off the gurney to the floor and crawling to somewhere. But he also knew that an action like that had extreme risks. He was lucky he hadn't begun bleeding last time he fell off. This time, he would try to be gentle. He knew that Emma's appearance in his dream was not simply a figment of his imagination. She was real, and she was trying to warn him. He learned a long time ago to listen to his dreams when they involved Emma warning him. She told him to hide. He had to hide.
XXX
The beasts worked their way through the forest. They didn't know exactly where they were going. All they knew was that they were on the hunt again. Lightening was bursting from the dome and shooting in all directions. Using poor judgment, they kept taking shelter near the trees. That was not a good idea, because the lightening was hitting numerous trees. They began with 10 beasts and now they were down to 8. The lightening had claimed 1 and another had run off. The leader of the group tried to get him to come back. Draper was sure to kill him when he tried to wander back to the complex. The leader of this rag tag group was named Don. He used to be the chief chemist at the facility. He was also one of the first turned by Draper. He was a lion feral and incredibly violent.
XXX
"Emma! What's wrong?" Adam asked running up to her. The other two team mates looked up from their stations. "Emma?" Adam asked again searching her eyes. She looked absolutely panicked.
"We have to get back to the cave! Adam, he's going to hurt Brennan!" Emma pushed past Adam and started for the door. Adam grabbed her arm and Jesse began to get up. "Let go of me! We have to go now!" Emma was out of control.
Shalimar got up from her seat and approached Emma. "Emma, honey, what's wrong? Did you see something? Who is going to hurt Brennan?" She was trying to be as soothing as possible.
Emma looked at Adam, fearful he would not believe her, then back at Shal. "Samuel!" Emma exclaimed. "The beast that was working with Jacob. For some reason I kept connecting with him back in the cave. I didn't feel comfortable when it would happen and I couldn't figure out why. I wasn't even certain it was him!"
"Emma," Adam interrupted, "why would Samuel hurt Brennan? He is Jacob's friend."
"God Adam!" Emma fought back. "It is always Jacob and friend and he would never hurt us, well, I don't lie and neither do my powers and I am telling you that Samuel is bringing Draper there right now and he is going to hurt him!" Emma was going the mile here. She always did when it came to Brennan. Ever since the first day that they met, she knew that they had bonded. He would do the same for her. Adam just looked at her and back at Jesse and Shalimar. They both quickly returned to their seats to finish the task and get back to the cave to see what was going on that could have scared Emma that way.
Jesse was getting lucky, "Adam," he called out.
"Yeah Jess," Adam replied still looking at Emma.
"I think I have it. It appears that the damage is mostly to the immediate interior comfort systems. We have wiring for lighting that has been ruined as well as some gauge controls. But, I don't think the stealth system has been damaged and the radar looks in tact. I'm starting her up," Jesse told Adam.
Shalimar was looking back at them from the pilot seat. She was eager to get back to Brennan. She was getting a really bad feeling about them sitting here so long. It had to have been at least 30 minutes and the storm hadn't produced any visible lightening for at least 10 of them. And She believed Emma. She didn't like Samuel either and none of them trusted Jacob.
"OK," Adam replied, "Let's see what she's got."
Jesse attempted a full systems start-up. It failed on first attempt but came up on second. The lighting inside flashed across the screens and radar was running. There were a few electrical short-outs of interior systems but the Helix could run and hide and that was what was important right now. They all cheered. "Yes!" Adam said in his quick, quip voice.
"Well," Jesse exclaimed, "we know she works. Should we keep one of us here with her in stealth and the other three go and get Brennan? I'll go, Adam. I can't manage him by myself. I have the best chance of getting there."
"I don't know," Adam replied, "The storm appears to be dying down. We may not be able to go anywhere through the forest. I suggest we put her in stealth and set her down right next to the cave entrance. That clearing in front of the cave appeared to be large enough to hold her. I would feel much more comfortable keeping the Helix with us."
"I agree," Jesse said. "Let's go!"
Emma tried to connect with Brennan. She sent him a message again to hide. She told him to hurry and get out of site that they were coming for him. She urged him to hang on.
XXX
Feeling Emma urge him to hide again, Brennan rolled his legs off to the side of the gurney. He touched them to the floor before allowing himself a controlled slide. He hit the floor with an 'umph!' He lay there for just a second and let the pain subside in his leg and chest and then slowly began pulling himself across the cave floor. There was a stone in a darkened corner to the side of the room. He decided to kill the lights with an arc. He managed to hide himself pretty well behind the rock and there he decided to stay. He was very weak and struggling to breath again. He would need to rest. As he drifted into darkness, again, he hoped that he was hidden well. He comforted himself with a silent prayer and slipped into unconsciousness.
XXX
Draper and Samuel made their way down the tunnel. It was quite a distance from the main entrance. Draper was elated to be getting Brennan back but disturbed by the recent turn of events with Jacob. Samuel took up the lead. "Follow me, sir, follow me. He is right up here. Not far - no - not far at all!" Samuel was extremely excited. Draper nodded in approval and followed Samuel. He was quite eager himself to get this trouble over with - once and for all.