Thanks for the reviews! Here we go.
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Draper was waiting for Emma to receive him again. He knew she had temporarily lost consciousness and he had to withdraw. He really enjoyed the terror he saw in Brennan's eyes and the fight Emma put up. He felt alive - raw. His head was pounding as his blood pressure soared. He waited for her. He would drown Adam next. Drool was pooling in the cleft of his bottom lip and it began to flow past the lip and drip onto the council he was sitting in front of. He was startled from his trance by an alarm going off on the panel. Mason was arriving.
XXX
Mason was astonished as the helicopter attempted to penetrate the dome. "What's the matter? Why can't you land?" Mason asked the pilot, his impatience obvious in the tone of his voice.
"Mr. Eckhart, sir," the pilot replied, " there is some sort of electromagnetic interference causing difficulty to the control systems." The pilot looked down at the dome of electricity below. He didn't understand what he was looking at but the lightening raging below his helicopter frightened him and he wasn't certain that he could land successfully. Just then, the helicopter made the decision for him as a charge of electricity hit it and knocked out all controls.
"Good God, what happened?" Mason screamed.
"We're hit by lightening, sir. We're going down!" Mason grabbed onto his seat belt and tightened it. Then he looked out the window with a very surprised and frightened look on his face. "Good Lord, Draper, what have you been up to?" He muttered to himself as he plummeted out of the sky.
XXX
Samuel was in his lair as he heard the alarms sound throughout the facility. Draper had a standing order for them to always go to their lairs when the storms erupted. But this time, the alarms were going off and Samuel couldn't contain his curiosity. He was excited and eager. He ventured from his room and headed for Draper.
Don and the others had arrived at the Helix again after Draper had ordered them to find the rest of Mutant X. They were afraid to leave it after the storm began and they were wildly pacing within the fuselage. They noticed a noise above them that did not sound like the regular storms. Don looked out and noticed something lit up coming out of the sky. It landed just beyond the trees. Don looked out at the storm again and the animal instinct got the best of him. He looked at the others and bounded out into the storm in search of the wreckage. Some of the other beasts chose to follow. Some of the others stayed. They were truly wild once again as the new storm raged outside.
XXX
Shalimar looked down at Emma and Adam. "Adam!" Shalimar yelled, "I'm throwing down a rope to you. Tie it around Emma and I will pull her up!" Shalimar grabbed one of her climbing ropes from her backpack and clipped it into her belt. She looked behind her for something to anchor to. She didn't find anything that she would trust. She decided to tie a figure eight from the clip and brace her feet, one on each side, on the hatch hole, itself. She would be the anchor. The water was receding quickly, Adam noticed. He also noticed that Jesse never resurfaced. He was so worried that he could barely function. He was having difficulty making even the simplest of decisions when he felt a sense of calm ease into his brain. He looked at Emma - she was awake again. She looked up at Shalimar and grabbed the rope. Adam looked below them and dove under the water.
XXX
Jesse grabbed Brennan and heaved him up until he managed to get his head above the water. Jesse was gagging and coughing, himself from the lungful of the filthy water he managed to aspirate. Brennan was completely limp in his arms. Jesse was devastated and in a state of panic. "Brennan!" he yelled as he shook Brennan to get him to respond. "Damn it, Brennan! Breathe! Breathe!" He shook him again. The water had risen slightly and Jesse had to pull him up another rung. Jesse was begging now and the angst was obvious in his pleas. "Brennan! Come on, Brennan, don't do this! Don't die, damn it!" Jesse laid Brennan to his side slightly and knew what he had to do. Brennan wasn't breathing because his lungs were full of water. Jesse looked at Brennan's already mangled chest and hesitated as he laid his hands above his slightly distended stomach. He knew he had to force the water out but he was so afraid of crushing his chest. It only took him a second, though to realize that if he didn't do it, Brennan would certainly die. Jesse looked at Brennan's emotionless face and pressed gently but steadily inward and upward. Brennan immediately vomited. Jesse noticed still, though, that Brennan didn't inhale. He decided that he needed to breathe for him. He closed his mouth over Brennan's, pinched off his nose, and blew. He let up and repositioned and blew once more. Brennan immediately began to gag and gasp. Jesse tipped him further to his side and tapped on his back gently. He was ever so careful not to hurt him and he cradled him as he coughed. He was rocking him gently in his arms as well as he could in the position they were in. Jesse began to notice the water slowing down and going lower in the chamber. He slowly lowered Brennan down towards the floor as the water level went down. Within a couple of minutes, the water emptied and there was only about three inches on the bottom. Jesse cautiously eased Brennan's battered body onto the floor of the tunnel.
As his body lay in a prone position, Brennan woke up. He coughed and Jesse was over him in a flash. Brennan opened his eyes wider and Jesse held the flashlight so Brennan could see that it was him. "Jess?" Brennan whispered disbelieving what he was seeing.
"Yeah, Bren, it's me. I got ya, you're safe. Just relax, OK? I'm gonna get us out of here." Jesse replied, thankful that Brennan was awake.
"Jess?"
"Yeah Bren?"
"Did you kiss me?"
Jesse smiled a broad smile and even laughed a bit. He shook his head at Brennan's demeanor and wiped the water from Brennan's forehead. "Yeah, Bren, and I'd do it again if I had to." Jesse wasn't sure if Brennan heard the comment. He drifted back to sleep. Jesse grabbed his backpack and removed the portable stokes. He began to lay it out to get Brennan on it. He was worried about the others but knew that they were capable of taking care of themselves right now. Brennan needed help and Jesse was the best to get him out of here. He was planning the entire time he was preparing Brennan for transport down the mountain. He was going to take him out the same way Shal and he had come in. Instead of taking him back up, though. He was afraid that he would have to lower him down the mountain. He would make that decision once he got them outside.
XXX
Eckhart woke up from the crash to a terrible smell. When he opened his eyes, his consciousness was met with the grotesque form of Don breathing into his face. Eckhart tried to scream but a rancid paw smothering him stifled it. The last thing Eckhart saw was a pair of fangs far too close to his face. The last thing he heard was the distant scream from who he thought might have been his pilot.
XXX
Draper was waiting for Emma to receive him again. He knew she had temporarily lost consciousness and he had to withdraw. He really enjoyed the terror he saw in Brennan's eyes and the fight Emma put up. He felt alive - raw. His head was pounding as his blood pressure soared. He waited for her. He would drown Adam next. Drool was pooling in the cleft of his bottom lip and it began to flow past the lip and drip onto the council he was sitting in front of. He was startled from his trance by an alarm going off on the panel. Mason was arriving.
XXX
Mason was astonished as the helicopter attempted to penetrate the dome. "What's the matter? Why can't you land?" Mason asked the pilot, his impatience obvious in the tone of his voice.
"Mr. Eckhart, sir," the pilot replied, " there is some sort of electromagnetic interference causing difficulty to the control systems." The pilot looked down at the dome of electricity below. He didn't understand what he was looking at but the lightening raging below his helicopter frightened him and he wasn't certain that he could land successfully. Just then, the helicopter made the decision for him as a charge of electricity hit it and knocked out all controls.
"Good God, what happened?" Mason screamed.
"We're hit by lightening, sir. We're going down!" Mason grabbed onto his seat belt and tightened it. Then he looked out the window with a very surprised and frightened look on his face. "Good Lord, Draper, what have you been up to?" He muttered to himself as he plummeted out of the sky.
XXX
Samuel was in his lair as he heard the alarms sound throughout the facility. Draper had a standing order for them to always go to their lairs when the storms erupted. But this time, the alarms were going off and Samuel couldn't contain his curiosity. He was excited and eager. He ventured from his room and headed for Draper.
Don and the others had arrived at the Helix again after Draper had ordered them to find the rest of Mutant X. They were afraid to leave it after the storm began and they were wildly pacing within the fuselage. They noticed a noise above them that did not sound like the regular storms. Don looked out and noticed something lit up coming out of the sky. It landed just beyond the trees. Don looked out at the storm again and the animal instinct got the best of him. He looked at the others and bounded out into the storm in search of the wreckage. Some of the other beasts chose to follow. Some of the others stayed. They were truly wild once again as the new storm raged outside.
XXX
Shalimar looked down at Emma and Adam. "Adam!" Shalimar yelled, "I'm throwing down a rope to you. Tie it around Emma and I will pull her up!" Shalimar grabbed one of her climbing ropes from her backpack and clipped it into her belt. She looked behind her for something to anchor to. She didn't find anything that she would trust. She decided to tie a figure eight from the clip and brace her feet, one on each side, on the hatch hole, itself. She would be the anchor. The water was receding quickly, Adam noticed. He also noticed that Jesse never resurfaced. He was so worried that he could barely function. He was having difficulty making even the simplest of decisions when he felt a sense of calm ease into his brain. He looked at Emma - she was awake again. She looked up at Shalimar and grabbed the rope. Adam looked below them and dove under the water.
XXX
Jesse grabbed Brennan and heaved him up until he managed to get his head above the water. Jesse was gagging and coughing, himself from the lungful of the filthy water he managed to aspirate. Brennan was completely limp in his arms. Jesse was devastated and in a state of panic. "Brennan!" he yelled as he shook Brennan to get him to respond. "Damn it, Brennan! Breathe! Breathe!" He shook him again. The water had risen slightly and Jesse had to pull him up another rung. Jesse was begging now and the angst was obvious in his pleas. "Brennan! Come on, Brennan, don't do this! Don't die, damn it!" Jesse laid Brennan to his side slightly and knew what he had to do. Brennan wasn't breathing because his lungs were full of water. Jesse looked at Brennan's already mangled chest and hesitated as he laid his hands above his slightly distended stomach. He knew he had to force the water out but he was so afraid of crushing his chest. It only took him a second, though to realize that if he didn't do it, Brennan would certainly die. Jesse looked at Brennan's emotionless face and pressed gently but steadily inward and upward. Brennan immediately vomited. Jesse noticed still, though, that Brennan didn't inhale. He decided that he needed to breathe for him. He closed his mouth over Brennan's, pinched off his nose, and blew. He let up and repositioned and blew once more. Brennan immediately began to gag and gasp. Jesse tipped him further to his side and tapped on his back gently. He was ever so careful not to hurt him and he cradled him as he coughed. He was rocking him gently in his arms as well as he could in the position they were in. Jesse began to notice the water slowing down and going lower in the chamber. He slowly lowered Brennan down towards the floor as the water level went down. Within a couple of minutes, the water emptied and there was only about three inches on the bottom. Jesse cautiously eased Brennan's battered body onto the floor of the tunnel.
As his body lay in a prone position, Brennan woke up. He coughed and Jesse was over him in a flash. Brennan opened his eyes wider and Jesse held the flashlight so Brennan could see that it was him. "Jess?" Brennan whispered disbelieving what he was seeing.
"Yeah, Bren, it's me. I got ya, you're safe. Just relax, OK? I'm gonna get us out of here." Jesse replied, thankful that Brennan was awake.
"Jess?"
"Yeah Bren?"
"Did you kiss me?"
Jesse smiled a broad smile and even laughed a bit. He shook his head at Brennan's demeanor and wiped the water from Brennan's forehead. "Yeah, Bren, and I'd do it again if I had to." Jesse wasn't sure if Brennan heard the comment. He drifted back to sleep. Jesse grabbed his backpack and removed the portable stokes. He began to lay it out to get Brennan on it. He was worried about the others but knew that they were capable of taking care of themselves right now. Brennan needed help and Jesse was the best to get him out of here. He was planning the entire time he was preparing Brennan for transport down the mountain. He was going to take him out the same way Shal and he had come in. Instead of taking him back up, though. He was afraid that he would have to lower him down the mountain. He would make that decision once he got them outside.
XXX
Eckhart woke up from the crash to a terrible smell. When he opened his eyes, his consciousness was met with the grotesque form of Don breathing into his face. Eckhart tried to scream but a rancid paw smothering him stifled it. The last thing Eckhart saw was a pair of fangs far too close to his face. The last thing he heard was the distant scream from who he thought might have been his pilot.