Thanks for all of the reviews. They keep me going. Sorry this is so short
but it came to me while I was on the train and wrote it down quickly.
Nearly two hours had passed since Emma and Adam had been placed into the chamber with Brennan. Adam had finished another lung treatment on Brennan and taken a flashlight to explore the rest of the chamber. He needed to find a way out - soon.
Emma remained with Brennan. She sat next to his prone form. The chamber was dark, cold, wet, and condemning. She looked around into the thick blackness. All she saw was a little flash of light every now and then as Adam's flashlight glanced in her direction. The chamber was so strangely silent. The air was heavy with doom and the silence it created was so loud, it was deafening. She could hear drops of water, Adam's footsteps, her own heartbeat, she thought, and Brennan's wheezing. Every now and then he would cough or gurgle or moan. As she stared down at his lifeless form she contemplated what was happening and what was all too likely to still happen. She held his left hand in her right and brushed his face with her other. She whispered soothing sounds to him when he stirred. She looked down at his hands and gently stroked her thumb over his fingers. A curse from Adam off in the distance startled her from her reverie. It broke the silence. Emma actually welcomed Adam's curses down here; they helped her know she was not alone. She looked back down at Brennan's hands. They were such beautiful hands - so big and strong. She remembered they were one of the first things she noticed on Brennan when she met him - after his eyes, of course and his beautiful soul. His hands, though, they were perfect, she remembered. Now, as she considered their condition, she noticed how battered they were. They were dirty, cut and caked with blood - no longer big and strong. They actually seemed weak, now - childlike and vulnerable. They trembled slightly and jerked every now and then. Adam had told her that it was in response to liver damage, probably, and the infection his body was fighting. She didn't care. At least the trembling was movement - and movement meant life. She would take what ever she could get at this moment. She thought about the first time Brennan had held her hand. It was when he was helping her run away from the GSA in the mall. He took her hand to make sure she would not fall behind. This perfect stranger, who was not a stranger at all, helped her of his own free will. Everyone had wondered if she had influenced Brennan to help her that first day they met. She and Brennan knew the truth - she didn't have to. Brennan was drawn to Emma from the moment he laid eyes on her. She did not have to lay hers on him for him to feel that way; he just did and it had been like that ever since. At first it was a brother/sister relationship. He took care of Emma and Emma took care of him. She recalled when the Pushka nearly killed him last year. She realized that day how much she really cared for him - that it was different - more than a sisterly affection. She loved him more deeply than that. But now, now he lay here on the floor of this horrible place, barely clinging to life. How did they get to this place, she wondered. Adam had walked up behind her without her knowledge and placed his hand on her shoulder. She jumped.
"Oh, Adam, you scared me!" Emma declared.
"I'm sorry, Emma, how is he?" Adam whispered as he bent down and checked Brennan's pulse.
"Still sleeping," Emma replied not taking her eyes off of Brennan's face.
"We are going to have to wake him up again in 20 minutes and get him to cough for us. His next morphine dose is due in about 10 minutes," Adam said as he got up and started to walk away again. Emma shook her head to acknowledge him and dove back into her memories. They had been forcing Brennan to cough to try and keep the fluid from settling in his lungs. The coughing was harsh and Adam worried that he would damage his lungs further by doing so, but he had to do it to stop the pneumonia from worsening. They held Adam's jacket tightly against his ribs and told him to cough. Brennan complied each time. He knew that, even though it hurt, he had to do it. Adam told him to. He always listened to Adam. Even though they fought like cats and dogs, Brennan trusted Adam. He trusted him so much. They were more father and son than any relationship she had ever witnessed. Brennan winced again and lightly cried out. His angst was short-lived, however, thanks to the morphine. He had received 4 doses of it since this began. It was keeping him sedated; that was important.
She heard Adam in the distance again. He was diligently looking for a way out. She felt anguish for him as well. He blamed himself for what had happened to Brennan - to all of them. Emma was angry. She watched Adam's flashlight dash from one side to the other in frustration. She looked back down at Brennan. Nothing had happened to Brennan. Someone did this to Brennan. It didn't just happen, and it wasn't Adam's fault. That monster - that horror of a human being, Draper, was to blame for this. Adam didn't hold Brennan prisoner and torture him when he was a child. He didn't make these beasts. He didn't kidnap Brennan and nearly torture him to death. Draper did. Draper did all of these things - and he was going to pay for them. All of them.
Emma looked back down at Brennan and probed his mind. She plowed through it like an army tank plowed through a jungle. Brennan was notably discomforted by the invasion but Emma didn't notice. She was looking for something - hunting. Her eyes turned black when she found it. The mental impression of Draper in Brennan's mind was that of a horrific monolith. She inspected it, learned it; she carved it into her own memories and thoughts. After she devoured the impression of Draper, she abandoned Brennan's mind as quickly as she had invaded. She cast her eyes forward in search of someone - something. That thing was going to pay for the pain it had caused her family. An evil smile cast across Emma's face as she happened upon her prey.
Nearly two hours had passed since Emma and Adam had been placed into the chamber with Brennan. Adam had finished another lung treatment on Brennan and taken a flashlight to explore the rest of the chamber. He needed to find a way out - soon.
Emma remained with Brennan. She sat next to his prone form. The chamber was dark, cold, wet, and condemning. She looked around into the thick blackness. All she saw was a little flash of light every now and then as Adam's flashlight glanced in her direction. The chamber was so strangely silent. The air was heavy with doom and the silence it created was so loud, it was deafening. She could hear drops of water, Adam's footsteps, her own heartbeat, she thought, and Brennan's wheezing. Every now and then he would cough or gurgle or moan. As she stared down at his lifeless form she contemplated what was happening and what was all too likely to still happen. She held his left hand in her right and brushed his face with her other. She whispered soothing sounds to him when he stirred. She looked down at his hands and gently stroked her thumb over his fingers. A curse from Adam off in the distance startled her from her reverie. It broke the silence. Emma actually welcomed Adam's curses down here; they helped her know she was not alone. She looked back down at Brennan's hands. They were such beautiful hands - so big and strong. She remembered they were one of the first things she noticed on Brennan when she met him - after his eyes, of course and his beautiful soul. His hands, though, they were perfect, she remembered. Now, as she considered their condition, she noticed how battered they were. They were dirty, cut and caked with blood - no longer big and strong. They actually seemed weak, now - childlike and vulnerable. They trembled slightly and jerked every now and then. Adam had told her that it was in response to liver damage, probably, and the infection his body was fighting. She didn't care. At least the trembling was movement - and movement meant life. She would take what ever she could get at this moment. She thought about the first time Brennan had held her hand. It was when he was helping her run away from the GSA in the mall. He took her hand to make sure she would not fall behind. This perfect stranger, who was not a stranger at all, helped her of his own free will. Everyone had wondered if she had influenced Brennan to help her that first day they met. She and Brennan knew the truth - she didn't have to. Brennan was drawn to Emma from the moment he laid eyes on her. She did not have to lay hers on him for him to feel that way; he just did and it had been like that ever since. At first it was a brother/sister relationship. He took care of Emma and Emma took care of him. She recalled when the Pushka nearly killed him last year. She realized that day how much she really cared for him - that it was different - more than a sisterly affection. She loved him more deeply than that. But now, now he lay here on the floor of this horrible place, barely clinging to life. How did they get to this place, she wondered. Adam had walked up behind her without her knowledge and placed his hand on her shoulder. She jumped.
"Oh, Adam, you scared me!" Emma declared.
"I'm sorry, Emma, how is he?" Adam whispered as he bent down and checked Brennan's pulse.
"Still sleeping," Emma replied not taking her eyes off of Brennan's face.
"We are going to have to wake him up again in 20 minutes and get him to cough for us. His next morphine dose is due in about 10 minutes," Adam said as he got up and started to walk away again. Emma shook her head to acknowledge him and dove back into her memories. They had been forcing Brennan to cough to try and keep the fluid from settling in his lungs. The coughing was harsh and Adam worried that he would damage his lungs further by doing so, but he had to do it to stop the pneumonia from worsening. They held Adam's jacket tightly against his ribs and told him to cough. Brennan complied each time. He knew that, even though it hurt, he had to do it. Adam told him to. He always listened to Adam. Even though they fought like cats and dogs, Brennan trusted Adam. He trusted him so much. They were more father and son than any relationship she had ever witnessed. Brennan winced again and lightly cried out. His angst was short-lived, however, thanks to the morphine. He had received 4 doses of it since this began. It was keeping him sedated; that was important.
She heard Adam in the distance again. He was diligently looking for a way out. She felt anguish for him as well. He blamed himself for what had happened to Brennan - to all of them. Emma was angry. She watched Adam's flashlight dash from one side to the other in frustration. She looked back down at Brennan. Nothing had happened to Brennan. Someone did this to Brennan. It didn't just happen, and it wasn't Adam's fault. That monster - that horror of a human being, Draper, was to blame for this. Adam didn't hold Brennan prisoner and torture him when he was a child. He didn't make these beasts. He didn't kidnap Brennan and nearly torture him to death. Draper did. Draper did all of these things - and he was going to pay for them. All of them.
Emma looked back down at Brennan and probed his mind. She plowed through it like an army tank plowed through a jungle. Brennan was notably discomforted by the invasion but Emma didn't notice. She was looking for something - hunting. Her eyes turned black when she found it. The mental impression of Draper in Brennan's mind was that of a horrific monolith. She inspected it, learned it; she carved it into her own memories and thoughts. After she devoured the impression of Draper, she abandoned Brennan's mind as quickly as she had invaded. She cast her eyes forward in search of someone - something. That thing was going to pay for the pain it had caused her family. An evil smile cast across Emma's face as she happened upon her prey.