Backstep

Legal Disclaimer-I don't own, but if I could borrow them…

Author's Note-Yep. A real quick update. Couldn't sleep last night and I have today off. So, it's all good for you. Enjoy. Reviewing makes me very happy and I update faster…get the hint? Thanks.

Chapter 14

Lexa brought her hands back as Emma fell at Jesse's feet. Jesse's scream brought down his massed form and Brennan found himself struggling not to hit Lexa with a lethal blow. His long fingers went deep into a tesla coil. He was ready to when he heard the click of multiple guns behind him.

Shalimar, who had been protecting Brennan from Lexa's moving around turned to see a squad of guards behind them. Most of them carried weapons, all of which were pointed at Brennan's back, several were aimed at her as well. Jesse looked back at the guards, looked up at Lexa, and ran his fingers across Emma's face.

"I would recommend putting your hands up Sparky," Lexa said, a smile growing on her face, "And as for you Jesse…"

Lexa pointed a finger and a bolt hit Jesse in the center of his forehead. He dropped as limply as Emma had.

Brennan Mulwray hated the odds. He also hated himself for what he didn't do. Handcuffed in a hotel bathroom up to his shins in water wasn't beneficial to his powers. Matter of fact, it shorted them out. The frustration ate at him that he didn't take the seconds needed to immobilize Lexa, but he had to admit, he had a heart and wouldn't kill her. He was going to hurt her when he got his hands on her though.

Shalimar wasn't in too good of shape either, they had locked her in a dark closet, handcuffed to the closet rail. Brennan didn't see them do it, but they had left them in the same hotel room. Brennan at least could yell at her from across the room, trying to calm her down as she screamed. It was the only thing he could do.

On the other end of the hotel floor, Jesse woke to the harsh reality that light hurt his eyes. Light hurt his eyes, the brightness only enhancing his last memory of Lexa and the bolt she used to drop him. His next thought was Emma. He tried to lift his head, hoping that his head wouldn't explode as he sat up. Quickly discovering that he couldn't, he looked around the room. His head hurt and his wrists were behind his back, handcuffed to the chair.

"Wakey Wakey," Lexa's voice was childlike, "You sleep pretty well, Jess."

"You knocked me out, Lexa," Jesse said, looking toward her, "Kinda makes it hard not to sleep. Where's Emma?"

"She's alive," Lexa replied, "I know she's your first concern, honey. But you must remember that I am in control here."

"I think we all know that Lexa," Jesse replied, "Just let me know that everyone is okay. Brennan and Shalimar?"

"Locked up in the other side of the hotel," Lexa replied, coming up alongside Jesse and kneeling next to him, "They've been immobilized. I thought I told you guys, there's no hope for me, you shouldn't have come."

"We did what we thought was right," Jesse said softly, voice even, "You would have done the same thing, Lexa, if the situation was reversed."

"I don't think I would have, Jesse," she replied, turning his head so that she could look into his eyes, "I can't do anything to help you guys here. The Director is far too powerful. I was lucky that his security detail is scared enough of me to listen. They were drugging me until I got up last week. One dead guard and they were wondering how to control me."

"So, drugs aren't working?" Jesse thought aloud.

"Nope, they're not," Lexa laughed, a laugh that sounded more insane than sane, "Light and dark seem to be the best way now. Its hours until sunrise."

"What time is it?" Jesse asked.

"Time for me to let the Director know that you guys are here," Lexa said, "He'll be thrilled. But then again, I could wait."

"He'll probably wind up killing us or doing to us what he did to you," Jesse said quickly, "You sure you want that?"

"Why do I care?" Lexa replied, her fingers raking his face," You guys made the choice to come here, I told you not to and that's where my guilt stops."

"What about Pierce, Lex?" Jesse asked, hoping the name would spark something within her, "You think that he would like growing up without either one of us?"

"He was doing okay without us," Lexa laughed, "We've screwed him up more than the Creator ever did, Jesse. He probably did better living in a pod."

Jesse closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Getting furious at her wasn't going to help matters at all, she wasn't sane, he knew that she would use any and everything to hurt him.

"I don't think so, and I know you don't think that either," Jesse turned to look into her eyes, "Let us go, Lexa."

"Don't think I can do that, babe," Lexa smiled, "Not you, not Brennan, not Shal and especially Emma. You guys can be part of my team."

"Don't think that's gonna happen," Jesse spat, taking a deep breath and trying to phase the cuffs off of his wrist.

The headache that started instantly was a sick reminder of something he hoped never to experience again. He grimaced. It hurt. It hurt badly. It was the headache that was uniquely connected to having a subdermal governor attached to your spine. Try and use your powers and you hurt, you hurt worse than you ever imagined. Your powers, on the other hand, were rendered useless.

"You guys join me and I remove the subdermal from you," Lexa turned his face to meet his eyes, "Only had one and you were the perfect candidate."

"Great," Jesse muttered under his breath, "Where did you put everyone else? Where is Emma, Lexa. Tell me where my wife is."

"She's next door," Lexa replied, "She's out cold still. Turns out she got a little more of me than she expected, oops."

Jesse started to calculate. Knowing how Lexa's powers worked, that was unlikely, but not entirely impossible. If his telepathy had worked, minus the subdermal governor, he could reach her, but it was impossible. Thanks to that little hunk of machinery, he couldn't function as a team member. He had to think back to the training he had in the Secret Service. Rule one, never ever negotiate with an insane person. Try to stay calm.

"She's a fighter, Lexa, much like you," Jesse said, "I would like to see her though."

"In time, Jesse," Lexa said, "I need to know if you'll join me."

"Let me see Emma so we can talk about it," Jesse said, "You know how good she is at persuading the others, you want her as an ally in this."

Lexa stopped and stared at the hallway of the suite. Only seconds earlier it had been guarded. The guards had vanished at the mention of Emma, which bothered Lexa. She got up and headed for the door, trying to find out what was going on as Jesse's eyes followed her.

He screamed at her to let him see Emma. She ignored him. He begged her as she left him in the suite, alone.

Brennan shook with the horror of his own electrocution. Part of his mind imagined that he hadn't tried to shoot out the lights in the bathroom, but he had struggled against the spout of the shower and he had tried not to cover himself in the resulting waterfall. The other part smelled the burnt flesh and seizures that he had seen his victims suffer. He opened his mouth to scream and felt fingers go to his lips in an attempt to quiet him.

He opened his eyes. He was still in the shower, nothing had changed, but Emma was standing in front of him.

"Brennan," she whispered loudly, "It's me. You're okay."

Brennan stared at her. He was okay, the electrocution being the worst thing he had imagined since the guards had put him in the bathroom at Lexa's direction. He took a moment to breathe in and out, trying to regain some sense of calm, some focus.

"Emma, how?" he asked quietly.

"I'll explain later," she said, "Let me get Shal so we can get you out of here, k?"

Brennan nodded. Emma walked out of the bathroom and to the closet she knew the feral had been chained in. One thought and the lock opened to the door, revealing the occupant not only cuffed to the wall but unconscious. Emma knelt next to her and gently touched her face.

"Shalimar," she said calmly, "Wake up sweetie."

Shal's eyes opened and she sat up. Emma touched the handcuffs and opened them.

"Emma, how?" she asked echoing Brennan.

"Not now," Emma replied, "We have to get Brennan down then get Jesse."

Shalimar nodded and followed her into the bathroom. Brennan had waited there quietly. Shalimar yanked the shower nozzle off of the wall, enabling Emma to open the lock with a touch. The women helped him out of the tub and grabbing towels, helped him quickly dry off.

"You mind telling me what you did?" Brennan asked as he grabbed the shoes that the guards left.

"Broadcast worst fears out to the whole floor," Emma replied, "I knew that I could when Jesse mentioned broadband. When Lexa hit me it hurt, and it put me out. When I came to I played possum long enough to figure out what was going on. They thought I was in no shape to come to, so they left me with one guard."

"And locking us up made plenty of time for her to work over Jesse," Shalimar added, "You get anything off of him?"

"Yeah, and I don't like it," Emma replied quickly, "She's coming, guys, head for the other side of the floor, he's in the penthouse. I'll deter her."

"No, you and Brennan go get Jesse," Shalimar interrupted, "I'll deter her and meet you guys upstairs."

Brennan grinned.

They ran down the hallway to what seemed to be the penthouse door. The guards that had diligently guarded it were no where to be seen and Jesse could be heard screaming inside. Luckily the door was still open. Emma flew through it, much to the surprise of Jesse.

"God, I am so glad to see you," he said, tears forming in his eyes, "I don't think that I could have made it through that again…"

Emma knelt over him to psionically undo the cuffs,

"Sorry to do that to you Honey, you okay?" she asked as he sat forward and rubbed his wrists.

"No," Jesse said, "Where do we stand?"

"Shalimar's diverting her," Emma replied, as Jesse put a hand on the back of his neck, "Subdermal, huh?"

"Yeah," Jesse stood up slowly, "Let's get out of here."

"We're heading for the roof," Emma said, taking his hand, "Brennan's guarding the hall."

Jesse nodded and ran behind her. It still hurt like hell to move, but anything was better than witnessing Lexa this insane. They made it to the stairs that lead to the roof, Shalimar steps behind them.

"What about Lexa?" Jesse asked softly, "Any idea where she went?"

"I didn't see or smell her," Shalimar answered, "I think she went downstairs to find the guards."

"She'll have to go further then downstairs," Emma added, her voice cold, "Those guards are on their way home."

"But why didn't it effect her?" Shalimar thought aloud, "I mean she does get afraid of things."

"My guess is the mechanics in her head," Jesse said as they headed down the stairs of the building across from the hotel, "They're preventing any real part of her from coming through. She's gone insane."

"And I don't know if we can get her back," Shalimar replied.