Disclaimer—See Chapter One
A/N: I'm working on chapter eight now, so am slowly figuring this story out! At this point, I have no idea how many chapters there will be yet! Thank you so much to Mxfan214, blackpanther2288, Mayra, CatJerica, Marie Crosby, Rain, Susie. I love reading your thoughts and your guesses! You keep me on my toes as well! Redhead2, I'm so glad you've gotten a chance to read the first two chapters. Thank you! I hope you're able to read more as time allows. FireFeral, I'm so glad to see you're reading too! Thank you! ShalCat-Kitty, you're the first to notice or at least comment on the connection to the episode! It will become more obvious in this chapter and the next as I create my own version of events. But there are definite clues there! Thank you for all your comments, I love reading them. This chapter continues on where the previous one left off. I hope you enjoy! Thank you!
Traveling On—Chapter Five
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong even as he stumbled to his feet, tripping over shoes he didn't remember leaving out, digging for clothes in his drawer that he had just washed, but now found missing. His fingers shook, and he frowned at the visible sign of weakness, clearing his throat, the sound somehow bringing a sense of comfort. He opened another drawer, then another, finally finding a clean pair of jeans and t-shirt, shrugging them on.
"Adam."
He spoke quickly, tersely into his ring.
No response.
There had been a strange woman in his doorway.
"Adam?" His heart began to pound in the ensuring silence, slow pulsing throbs that hurt. "Shalimar?" He tried again.
There was a long, heavy pause, fear sickening his stomach.
"Yeah."
Her voice was low when she finally answered, but the relief bent him double, hands resting on his knees for a moment.
"What do you want?"
The slight irritation in her voice when he didn't answer brought back a sense of reality, and he straightened, feeling suddenly foolish. Of course there was nothing wrong. Everything was fine. "Where are you?" He kicked a pair of torn, dirty jeans aside as he walked out of his room, pausing in the hallway for her answer. Had they gone drinking last night? He couldn't remember anything that would have ruined his jeans like that. They looked…stiff, like they had been laying there for a while. He scratched his stomach as he yawned, waiting for her to answer.
"Shal?"
She sighed heavily. "In my room."
He turned on his heel, making the short trip to her bedroom, knocking briefly as he opened the door. "That's the second morning in a row I've woken up alone—" The teasing tone in his voice trailed off as he felt the grief, like a palpable wall, when he stepped inside. His heart thumped again, the unknown fear returning as his eyes swept the room.
Something was wrong.
But nothing looked out of place, save the hints of messiness that were unusual for the normally neat feral.
She lay on her high bed, propped against her pillows, her leopard print quilt drawn up to her shoulders, a large book resting against her bent knees. As he drew closer, he recognized it as Emma's photo album.
"Hey," He stopped short of touching her, resting his elbows on the bed. A smile flitted across his face as he caught a glimpse of a picture of Jesse airborne over daises and another of himself stretched across the ground, shirt bunched under his head as he waited, bored for Adam to take a swing. He had almost forgotten Emma had her camera with them that day. "Are you ok?" She wasn't looking at him, eyes glued to the album.
She sniffed, the sound slow and deliberate, before lifting her face to his.
He was shocked at how pale she was, face white and pinched, two high spots of color on her cheeks.
She didn't look happy to see him.
"Are you ok?" He reached for her, but she turned her face away. His fingers brushed against the edge of her hair instead.
She shrugged in response, turning a page in the album.
He watched her quietly for a moment. "Talk to me, Shal."
She visibly flinched at his words, eyes cold, boring into his when she turned back toward him. "So now you want to talk? Now you want to be here?"
He hesitated, hand hovering above her shoulder, surprised by the intensity rolling off her. "What do you mean?"
His innocent confusion only seemed to anger her more. "We buried them two weeks ago, Brennan, and when I needed you most, you weren't here."
His brows shot up, frustration rising. "What are you talking about? I'm right here."
"Being almost here isn't good enough, Brennan!" Her voice rose sharply, breaking off abruptly as she choked back anguished emotion. She took a breath, and it was harsh, painful.
The sense of deep grief struck him again. We buried them. Her words burned in his ears, and he stared at her, noticing for the first time the empty spot in the album, the tear-stained pictures of Adam and Emma clutched in her hands. No, oh no. Shocked, he scrambled back, stumbling over a pair of shoes. Distantly, his eyes locked on them, numbly recognizing them as a pair Shalimar had been admiring in a store window a few weeks ago. Just yesterday, she had been lamenting about not having time to go back and get them. Shalimar had sat up, the quilt falling from her shoulders, and he was shocked to see how thin she was, her white shirt hanging loosely off her normally curvy figure, the same one that had clung so deliciously to her the night before…
"What the hell is going on here?" His words were equally harsh when he finally found his voice, stumbling again, catching himself on the edge of her desk.
"That's not funny, Brennan." She spat the words back at him, slamming the album shut. The pictures slipped from her shaking fingers, fluttering through the air for a frozen half second before hitting the floor.
They stared at the fallen faces for a moment.
Adam.
Emma.
Smiling inanely back at them.
He groaned, struggling to understand. "There—there was a woman, earlier…in my room…"
Shalimar flinched at his words.
"Shal…I don't know who she was."
Her face was a cold mask of grief and fury as she stared back at him in disbelief. He hunched his shoulders in confusion, tongue darting out, licking his dry lips. "Shal—" His voice cracked and broke, unsure. She took a ragged breath, ignoring him, reaching over, turning on the lamp next to her bed. He blinked at the harsh light suddenly filling the room, eyes burning. Instinctively, his hand flew up, trying to protect his eyes, but the light shone through, drilling into his pupils in painful, unforgiving probes.
"Shalimar—" His voice was a murmur, and he struggled to speak, struggled to move, body sluggish, not responding…
He shot straight up in bed, heart pounded madly in his chest.
Early morning light filtered under his door, shedding a soft glow around the room. His room. He froze, almost afraid to look, but when his hand reached out, searching, it landed on a soft hip, warm and full under his sweaty palm. His breath left him in a huff, shoulders rounding with relief; fear slow to leave him even as he lay back down on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Beside him, Shalimar shifted in her sleep, turning toward him, and he clutched her to his side, mind whirling with confusion as she rested her cheek against his chest. He stared down at her, drawing her more firmly into his arms. Everything was fine. It was just a dream. Everything was fine. It was a mantra in his mind until Shalimar whimpered lowly, and he blinked, realizing with shocked horror that he was leaving red marks where his fingers wrapped around her, digging into her skin. He gasped, quickly releasing her, and she sighed, pressing more deeply into his side, still sound asleep. Normally she was a light sleeper. Tears pricked his eyes at the gesture, recognizing that the feral was trusting him, even at her most vulnerable moment, able to sleep in the secure confidence that he had her back, that she was safe with him. To his shame, the tears did fall, but he didn't try to stop them or even understand them, deep trembles wracking his body as he turned toward her, tenderly tucking her back against his chest with utmost gentleness, spooning his body around hers, carefully nudging a knee between hers, fingers splaying across the warmth of her stomach, every possible inch of skin touching hers.
But the emptiness wouldn't go away, and he shivered long after he lay still, feeling alone despite the fullness in his arms.
Shalimar had been feeling exceedingly closer to Brennan as time went on. Though she couldn't remember who began to open up first, they had begun to share little glimpses deeper into each other. Little glimpses, that's all she'd gotten so far.
Until now.
Now she was having his nightmare. Now she knew how he felt when he woke up, eyes haunted as he waited for his breathing to return to normal, needing someone to bring him out of the darkness. Brennan had a lot of nightmares, she knew that, she knew that they all did, lingering fears from their hidden pasts. But she wondered how often he dreamt of that moment, watching hopelessly, terrified, as his mother's breath grew more rattled, stretching his small lanky body next to hers, face pressed into her shoulder as the painful breaths grew further and further apart, more raspy, more shallow, holding his own breath at the end of each one, tears clogging his throat, begging silently to hear one more, always just one more.
At the tender age of nine years old, Brennan had lost his mother.
And though he hated himself for even thinking it, a tiny part of him blamed her for leaving him alone.
He was all alone at nine years old.
She swallowed thickly, staring at the ceiling as she rolled her eyes up, willing the tears away. He had never told her, but somehow she knew her dream was real, that she had lived his nightmare. She rolled, careful not to disturb his arm draped securely around her, wanting to see him in the morning light. It was getting late, she could tell by the full light flooding the room, but still he slept deeply, exhaustion lingering on his features, even after the whole of the night. A small frown played around her features, hand reaching up to soothe the lines across his brow. Her touch seemed to relax him, and he sighed, unconsciously leaning into her touch. Love waged with fear as she stared at the man she knew so well, her teammate, her friend, and now almost her lover. She flushed, unsure why the thought unsettled her, thoughts turning more serious as she remembered her dream. She knew the man who lay before her today; she hadn't known the boy still hiding within. She pulled his head down to her breast, pressing a long, silent kiss to his temple, for the moment pushing all the fears and worries aside for the love that throbbed anew as she wept silently for both the boy and the man in her arms.
Adam stared thoughtfully across the room, watching as his team readied for their next mission. He had gotten word that the seller wanted a second meet, failing to show for the first one. It had taken a lot of reassuring before pining down a firm appointment, in a rural patch of forest on the edge of town. On the edge of nowhere really, Adam frowned at the thought, trying to read the body language of the members of his team as they finished up a late breakfast together, packed duffel bags resting at their feet. They didn't know what this second attempt would bring, and from Shalimar's description of the psionic that attacked her the last time, they were trying to prepare for all possibilities. Jesse's leg jiggled up and down in nervous energy, Shalimar and Brennan strangely quiet as they pushed back their plates. From their tired faces, their jerky movements, he almost would have thought they fought, save the closeness between them as they rose as one, fingers brushing against each other as they picked up their plates, his hand on the small of her back as he followed her to the sink. He caught Emma watching him, and he strode forward, entering the room.
"Everyone prepared to go?"
Jesse shoulders tensed slightly, but his face was relaxed in a grin when he turned toward him. "Let's get it on."
Emma rolled her eyes and Shalimar's laughter broke the tension as Brennan waggled his brows in response. Adam hid a smile as he turned and strolled toward the helix with easy confidence.
His team was ready.
They weren't ready for this, Shalimar thought for the umpteenth time as she lay stretched out along the limb of a high tree. It had been an easy place for her to hide, keeping her fairly close to Jesse as he waited in open on the ground below. The fact that it was easy for her also made it an obvious place for her, and she was on edge. If he showed, all the bushy leaves in the world wouldn't be enough to keep her hidden from him. She hoped this time it would only be the seller making an appearance. Their location left them vulnerable, spread far out on the edge of a sparse patch of trees. An old road stretched across one side of them and the sparse trees backed up to a National Park, an old growth forest that quickly swallowed up the natural light of the sun and stretched for hundreds of miles behind them. But the fact that it was rural seemed to reassure the seller. Foolish man, she frowned, eyes again uneasily scanning the ground. He was obviously an amateur, or he would have known better. Brennan and Emma were also hiding behind some trees, but the fact that they had to go behind rather than up meant they were further away, the nearest trees large enough to hide them much deeper than the straggly brush she and Jesse waited in. Adam was hovering a mile away, cloaked in the helix.
"He's late again." Jesse commented softly, leaning against Shalimar's tree.
"At least it's not raining." She whispered back with a smile.
He bent his neck, grinning up at her.
"Hey guys, someone's coming." Emma cautioned them suddenly. She paused, and the smile could be heard in her voice. "He's really nervous."
"Here we go," Jesse pushed off from the tree, rubbing his hands together. "Finally we're getting somewhere."
"Not so fast," Shalimar suddenly hissed in warning. Her eyes were glued on two figures approaching down the road from the west. The road climbed uphill, and they were still hidden by the slope of the road. Just beyond them, she could see a waiting car. "Adam," She whispered, eyes swinging around to see another figure hesitantly climbing out of a car, glancing both ways before crawling down the ditch toward Jesse. "We've got more company."
"Where?"
She could hear the edge in Brennan's voice, could see Jesse shifting his feet, unable to react as the seller chose that moment to make eye contact.
"Keep going, Jesse," Adam decided for all of them. "It is imperative we get that list."
Jesse nodded, stepping forward, but the seller chose that moment to glance nervously around once more.
The same moment a car appeared over the rise of the hill.
The following moments were swallowed in a blur of confusion and sharp commands as the car squealed to a stop, an enormous mountain of a man stepping from inside. The seller began to run, Jesse taking off after him at Adam's hollered direction. Shalimar saw Brennan and Emma starting forward, just as she realized the other two figures had disappeared. She heard Brennan yell her name, a mix of anger and fear, and then the world stopped moving.
For a brief moment.
Shalimar bit back a cry of pain as a shimmering wave of air suddenly smashed into her shoulder and catapulted her from the tree. She crashed through the branches, the earth hurtling up to meet her in a too fast rush of brown and green. Frustrated rage and pain exploded as her head slammed off the ground, and she dazedly wondered if the liquid running into her eyes was sweat or blood. A rustle to her left turned her head, and she found herself staring deep into the eyes of the man who had knocked her out of the tree. His face was expressionless, and she wondered emotionlessly what he saw when he looked at her.
A tiny woman lying helplessly on her back in the dirt.
She deliberately turned her head away, looking back up at the hole her fall had torn through the leaves of the tree. Her own fault.
She had been caught her off-balance and unprepared.
Again.
Brown eyes went flat and a mirthless laugh forced itself painfully from her throat as rage spiraled into a familiar maelstrom. Her fingers tightened, clutching handfuls of dirt as a sneering face bent over her. She had the fleeting thought that his eyes weren't violet before her fingers reacted, throwing handfuls of dirt into the face, twisting gracefully to her feet as a voice howled in shocked pain. She landed in a ready squat, hearing Brennan yell her name again, knowing he and Emma were still too far away to help her, confident that she didn't need them anyway.
There were only two men.
She could handle them without any problem.
She refused to show fear when five more stepped off the road.
She hadn't seen them.
She hadn't sensed them.
She still couldn't sense them now, even as they came toward her, and she watched with frozen fascination as they surrounded her.
None of them had violet eyes.
Damn it! Brennan swore under his breath as he ran towards Shalimar. He couldn't get near her fast enough. The scene looked like a lynch mob on the hunt.
Only they already had their prey.
Shalimar was roughly pushed toward the front, her hands quickly bound, her face, hands, and knees bloodied. She stumbled from a rough shove, but was caught before she could hit the ground. Then she was pushed forward again.
Incensed, Brennan didn't think, he reacted. "Shalimar!" He screamed and ran to her, ignoring Adam's barked commands or Emma's panting words as she ran behind him.
Shalimar's head instantly snapped up to him when he yelled, her face a cool layer of control that broke when a large man opened his palm and sent a shock wave of air toward Brennan. He had stopped running, electricity swirling dangerously on his fingers when the wave him, instantly knocking him flat on his feet. Four lean men bent down and grabbed him before he could react, binding his wrists in the same way Shalimar's were. He fought them every step of the way.
Shalimar's head swiveled around behind him, but Emma had disappeared. Her head snapped back around, crying out in anger as one of the men kicked Brennan's legs out from under him, and he hit the ground hard.
"Adam—"
Her words were abruptly cut off when pain, unlike anything she'd ever felt before, radiated out from her nerve centers, shaking her like a rag doll before she fell to her knees in agony. Just as suddenly, the pain dissipated, and her arms were yanked up and above her head before she could breathe. Spots danced before her eyes, barely focusing as sharp teeth flashed in her face, foul breath nearly making her gag. She lifted her chin in defiance, refusing to flinch when she was slapped. Something tugged again on the binding around her fists, and she was pulled up on tiptoe. Her face twisted as her bindings were tightened, wrists burning from the pinching of the rope and the angle they were forced into above her head. Stupid, they were stupid, She shook her head at the thought, smiling. They were using rope she could easily break. She bared her teeth, muscles tensing, when another shimmering block of air punched her, following by searing shots of pain. Her whole body vibrated with shock, and she bit back the scream of pain, moaning instead.
The sound woke Brennan up, his head aching from where he had struck it. He vaguely remembered falling before he next remembered Shalimar, and shot back up, only to be brought up short.
"What the—"
It took him a moment to realize he was hog-tied, arms and legs bent behind his back, hands and feet strung together. He grunted, pulling, only to arch his back, a stone digging roughly into his stomach. He wildly careened his head over his shoulder, finally spotting Shalimar.
She was mostly hanging from her tied wrists, which were bound to a rope that was attached to a branch ten feet above her head. The tips of her shoes scraped into the dusty ground as she tried to gain better footing. Her pink t-shirt, stained red and dirt-covered, rode high up her stomach as the men surrounded her, like wolves to the prey.
They didn't even bother with him.
They must have figured he wasn't much of a challenge. He growled lowly, struggling ineffectively against the ties that bound him. Damn it. Where were the others? He couldn't activate his ring from his angle, trying instead to pull his hands and feet free.
Brennan, wait.
The impression formed in his mind like spoken words, an image of him patiently waiting, and he immediately knew it was Emma. He could feel her, stretching toward the edge of his mind, but he stubbornly shook his head, eyes darkening with impatience. He didn't have time to wait. Shalimar moaned again, and the sound infuriated him. He struggled anew, hearing Shalimar calling to him, but her actual words didn't register. Emma probed again, but he pushed her out, mind closing down around two thoughts as he stretched his hands and feet as far apart as he could, finger bending painfully backwards to aim a shot of electricity at the rope binding him together like an animal. He had to help Shalimar. He had to free her. The rope sizzled, electricity grazing his boot, and he felt a snap, the fried rope giving easily. His legs collapsed to the ground, arms falling over his head, and he gasped, pushing himself into a seating position. Another well-aimed blast loosened the rope around his ankles, and he staggered to his feet, hands still bound.
But he didn't care.
Two of the men, armed with large sticks, stepped in front of him, blocking his path. Brennan pushed them out of his way.
Whack!
The sensation of pain didn't register until after he heard the smack of the branch against his lower back. The shock hit him hard, and he toppled face first into the ground. Pin pricks of water stung his eyes. Again, he felt Emma attempting to reach him. In front of him, Shalimar twisted like a shirt on a clothes line. With newfound strength, Brennan managed to pull himself onto all fours, taking a crawling step, only to be slammed hard and low against his back, and went down a second time. He could hear Shalimar's screams of outrage echoing inside his whirling head. The sound of her voice spurred him on. He had to help her... Seconds later, he tried to move again, only to be struck a third time.
"No!" He could hear Shalimar begging now, twisting against her ties, teeth gritting as her body suddenly vibrated with pain.
Brennan, wait!
Emma's command came again, more forcefully, but Shalimar's whimpers colored him blind. He pushed against the intrusion in his mind, but Emma fought back this time, flooding him with stronger images. She was grabbing his face, forcing him to focus on the man poised just behind Shalimar, ready to strike if she pulled against her binds. Another man, watching Brennan with an evil grin, ready to pummel him if he so much as took a step toward her again. Don't do this Brennan, it's not helping her. It's what they want. She was right. He stopped struggling; face dropping into the dirt with a ragged gasp. It was only a sick game to them.
Playing with their prey.
Helpless rage filled him, even as he felt Emma hit him with soothing emotion. His body gave in, muscles unclenching and relaxing, but it was a false calm, darkness cracking the surface, anger gnashing its teeth in furious outrage against the abyss. His anger should have sparked an answering temper from her. He would have welcomed it. But the feelings that roiled in his stomach were a twisting mass of heavy gray and ice cold. Fear wrapped formless fingers around his heart and the emotion that next shifted within him was far too terrifying to even be called rage anymore. It hungered, it desired. It held every alarm, every night terror that woke him screaming in the darkness. All compressed into a hard, seething mass of dread and desperation.
The shift of emotion disappeared as fast as it came, but it left him trembling in terror.
For all his raging frustration and anger, it hadn't come from him.
It came from Emma.
Shalimar bit back a bitter cry of triumph when finally Brennan stopped moving. She vaguely heard the man behind her command her to call him, nudging her roughly, and her voice was tight as she heard herself force words past numb lips. They clawed their way past the rocks in her throat, as she twisted toward the man behind her.
"Go to hell."
She stared into the face of disbelief and could only wait for it to tear her loose from her bindings and carry her screaming into the abyss waiting behind her. She peeled back her lips in challenge, but her words were never heard.
With a cry of pain, seven men fell to their knees.
With a whimper of fear, seven men pitched face first into the dirt, unconscious.
And for a brief moment, the world stopped moving
Then Brennan staggered back to his feet, and Shalimar shook herself awake, easily breaking the rope that bound her with a decisive snap. The sound brought satisfaction, even as she stared at the man at her feet in horrific wonder. He didn't move even when she nudged him with her toe.
"Shalimar!"
Brennan's voice, hoarse with fear, brought out the outrage, and she gave a solid kick for good measure.
Brennan winced as he saw where her foot landed, drawing up alongside her, hands still bound together as he pressed them into his aching side. "Remind me again, never to let you get mad at me," He quipped, chest heaving as he sucked in ragged breaths.
"Idiot." Her hands shook as she ripped the rope from his wrists.
He gave a gasp of relief as the bonds gave way, hands clutching her shoulders as she pushed into his arms. "Are you ok?" He finally spoke, fingers stiff as he raked them through her tangled hair. She nodded against his shoulder, pulling away far too soon for his liking. He blinked, remembering, looking apprehensively around. "What happened?"
"Brennan! Shalimar!" Adam's voice interrupted them, running to them as fast as he could with a partially collapsed Emma propped against his shoulder.
"Emma!" Shalimar rushed to meet them, catching the psionic as her head rolled against Adam's side. "Adam, what happened?" Their mentor shook his head, at a loss for words, and Shalimar blinked in surprise. She had never seen him so rattled. "Adam?"
Brennan took Emma from him, easily swinging her up into his arms, staring at her, expression unreadable.
"She'll be fine," Adam brushed strands of red hair behind her ear. "She just needs to rest."
"She did this, didn't she." Brennan indicated the collapsed men with his chin, eyes dark, still feeling shivers from the hungering anger she had shown him.
Adam hesitated, nodding. "By the time I got here and landed the helix, Jesse had disappeared, following after our seller. I saw both of you immediately, but it took me a moment to find Emma." His hand cupped her head. "She was on her knees, face contorted with such intense concentration. It took me a moment to understand what she was doing, but by the time I got to her, it was too late. She had already done it." His hand dropped limply to his side, staring past her at the fallen men. "Are they dead?"
"No." Shalimar's words seemed to relieve him, and he nodded slowly.
"Adam, I didn't know Emma had that kind of power." Brennan back stared down at her face, her eyes had already begun to flutter, strength returning to her tired limbs.
"Neither did I." They almost missed his whispered response, exchanging silent glances, heavy with awareness.
Adam's sigh broke the silence. "We need to find Jesse."
Shalimar closed her eyes, lifting her face into the air, opening them a moment later, smiling. "I can find him."
"Good." Adam's voice continued, but his words were suddenly droned out, mouth moving, but no sound registering.
Shalimar froze, heart stopping then pounding in her chest in painful recognition, flinching when she heard his voice.
I'm disappointed in you, I expected better.
"What do you want?" She whirled around with an angry cry, but only saw Adam and Brennan, moving as if in slow-motion, Brennan's knees bending to set Emma back on her feet.
All along, all this time, you thought they wanted you.
"I said, what do you want?" She gritted her teeth, seeing Emma's feet finally touch the ground, each motion in half time as they slowly moved, unaware.
You were just the bait. But you should have known.
Violet eyes flashed merrily before her, circling around her in ever increasing circles until she fell dizzy to her knees.
The prey Shalimar, you forgot the prey.
Her heart thumped in horror, the sound around her rushing into her ears, overwhelming her as time returned, painfully loud. Too much. She clutched her head, groaning. Voices, footsteps, rustling leaves…whirling, confusing, hurting. She whimpered as it intensified all around her, a deluge of white noise, building, increasing, sucking into one sudden, final, powerful bang.
Her head shot up, her terrified whisper loud in the crushing silence.
"Jesse."