As the last bit fell to the floor Jamie released Darien, who stumbled once and just sort of folded to the floor in a boneless heap. Jamie staggered back against the opposite wall, one hand on his head, the other holding him up, and Claire swore and crawled to Darien to take his vitals. "What did you do?" she demanded of Jamie, who simply stood where he was, head down, face still partially covered by his one hand, the other gripping a nearby pipe to keep him from falling on his face. He was breathing heavily, eyes closed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"
"I helped him- and us," Jamie said softly, opening his eyes. Claire gasped. Bloodshot blue eyes stared back at her. "You know, when I first sensed Darien's madness it frightened me," he said softly, taking slow steps, one at a time, closer and closer to Claire. When he got close enough to touch her, Claire went to move away- and found she was rooted to the spot. "But now- oh Claire, you should feel it. What I could do before is nothing compared to what I can do now." Jamie trailed a finger across her jaw, his mouth brushing her cheek. "I could kill you where you stand with just a thought," he whispered. Claire squeezed her eyes shut and bit back a terrified whimper as Jamie's teeth nipped her earlobe, then abruptly he froze and cocked his head as though listening. "Someone's coming," Jamie whispered with a manic grin, stepping between Claire and Darien and the hallway. Claire heard faint footsteps as Darien began to stir.
"Oh crap," he groaned, struggling to an elbow. "What the hell…" Claire stared at him, stunned, and Darien blinked. "What?"
Claire grabbed his wrist and turned it over to see the tattoo. The snake was completely green. Darien stared, met her eyes, blinked again.
"You gave me a shot- right?"
"No." She turned to stare at Jamie's back. The footsteps were getting closer, and Darien staggered to his feet, Claire rising behind him. She bent over Hobbes, found his gun, drew and cocked it. Jamie turned to stare at her.
"Put it down," he hissed. Claire's lips tightened.
"No."
"I said PUT IT DOWN!" Jamie roared. The gun wrenched out her hands and flew across the hallway to land perfectly in Jamie's hand. He turned back just as the first Chrysalis operative emerged around the corner. The operative paused, saw Jamie, Claire, and Darien, and drew his pistol at a full run.
Darien looked behind him at Claire, then at the pile of rubble behind them. There was nowhere to run, and suddenly a whole troop of operatives were filling the hallway, coming closer and closer and closer.
"Uh, don't you think we should do something?" Darien asked dryly. Jamie ignored him, concentration riveted on the approaching horde.
"'We' are," Jamie growled. His feet braced and his head lowered until he was looking out from under his eyebrows, teeth bared in a feral smile. The telepath wasn't moving, allowing the operatives to approach more and more closely. His left hand came up- and the first two operatives burst into flame. The flames were painfully bright and Darien winced, covering his eyes with his arm. The smell of burning flesh assailed his nose and he nearly gagged, blinking past the spots in his eyes to see Jamie, unscathed and immobile, still standing.
"Holy shit," Darien breathed. There were no screams; the two operatives simply flared into white-hot fireballs and disintegrated, leaving behind two tiny piles of ash. The remainder of the unit skidded to a halt as Jamie turned his attention to them.
Two more operatives were blasted into charcoal before the rest could move. The remaining agents leaped into action, skirting the smoldering remains of their comrades and coming at Jamie at a full run. Darien took a step forward as the first Chrysalis agent reached Jamie, intending to help- and the agent went flying backward at incredible velocity, striking the cement wall with a sickening bone-breaking crunch. He slid limply to the floor amid a shower of concrete dust and left a red smear on the site of impact.
The last agents- all five of them- reached Jamie at once. It was like watching a blitz at a football game, the quarterback crumpling under a tide of linebackers- only this quarterback threw them off without moving a muscle, sending men flying through the air in every direction with deadly intent. Four men hit the walls, ceiling, floor, and stayed where they landed, still and silent.
The last agent grappled with Jamie, the knowledge of his imminent death bright in his eyes, and Jamie simply let the agent throttle him, an eerily pleased smile on his face. Faster than thought Jamie's hands came up and grabbed the agent by the head, just as he'd done with Darien. The agent stiffened and tried to jerk away but Jamie held him fast, his bloodshot eyes burning holes into the other man's face.
"Welcome to the rabbit hole," Jamie rasped, the Chrysalis agent spasming under his palms. Jamie's eyes closed and Darien watched, fascinated and horrified, as the quicksilver started at his feet, just as it had with Darien. It traveled up and over and onto the Chrysalis operative- and then Jamie let go. The operative slumped, staggered, kept his feet, and straightened, QSM bloodshot eyes focusing on Jamie. With a snarl he launched himself at the telepath.
Jamie's hand came up, fingers tight around Bobby's gun, and unflinchingly he squeezed the trigger. Darien winced as the gun went off. The Chrysalis operative jerked once, took another step, and fell to the floor, a single bullet hole set neatly in the center of his forehead.
Darien exhaled, unaware he'd been holding his breath. He slowly became of Claire at his shoulder, her breath ragged and terrified, and he turned to her. Her hair hung in dusty strands around her face and in her eyes, and her face was horrified and stunned. Jamie stood still, head drooping, staring at the body of the operative he'd shot, and then turned to Darien and Claire. Claire grabbed Darien by the arm, her fear radiating in waves through his bicep, and they both took a step back as Jamie turned his eyes to them.
They were silver now, but not the silver Darien's had been once he'd reached stage 5. Jamie's whites were clear. It was his irises that looked like mirrors, depthless and deep all at once, with no pupils. He blinked and carefully settled Bobby's gun into the waistband of his pants. "Let's go," he ground out hoarsely. He stepped over the corpse of the last agent and moved past Darien and Claire staring numbly to pick up Hobbes' still form with the utmost of care. "I can help him if we get out of here now."
Darien and Claire stared as Jamie strode past them with Bobby in his arms. Jamie threaded his way through the bodies of the Chrysalis agents and paused just before he turned the corner, his weird silver eyes turning to them. "Coming?" he rasped. Wordlessly they made their way past the broken bodies, stepping carefully to avoid the puddles of blood spreading on the floor. Jamie waited until they'd reached him, and motioned for them to go for past. Hesitantly, they did, Darien keeping himself between Claire and Jamie, casting a concerned look at Hobbes' motionless body.
Jamie watched them for a moment, until he was sure they wouldn't see what he was about to do, then he turned back to the carnage-ridden corridor. With a sigh he sent a single thought and the entire hallway exploded into a white-hot inferno. Ahead of him, Darien and Claire froze and turned around, eyes squinting in the glare. Wordlessly Jamie walked past them, his thoughts now turned inward to Bobby and his struggling life, and led them out of the subterranean tunnels into the sunlight and past the emergency workers.
Darien stared openly as they strode purposefully past firemen and policemen, no one taking any notice of the dusty, battered quartet. "What the hell…" he murmured. Claire's fingers tightened on his arm.
"Don't ask, just keep walking," she hissed from between her teeth. The Agency's van was still parked where he and Hobbes had left it, and Jamie carefully placed Bobby's still form inside the cargo area and climbed inside. Claire climbed into the passenger seat and Darien wordlessly assumed driver duties. The silence in the van as they pulled away was deafening.