Disclaimer—See Chapter One
A/N: It took me twenty hours, but I'm finished! Yippy! This chapter ended up being way too long, so I'm posting it in two parts. Here is part one, and I'll post part two as soon as I proof it. I'm also working on a small epilogue for the final chapter, so there will be 16 chapters total with the epilogue. I've had to simplify my plot lines in order to finish everything up, but hopefully I haven't lost too much in the process. Huge thanks to all of you for your amazing feedback and support. Thank you so much Tunder28, Anamalia-Fear, Mayra, Aussie-Fan, Susie, Rain, CatJerica, Redhead2, Fiery Feral. You have been so kind and wonderful and patient. Thank you! Skimmboardergurl, thank you so much for the message! Tantumfan, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story, thank you! These final chapters haven't been beta'd, I hope I haven't missed anything. I'm rushing more than I would have liked, but I hope you'll still like the outcome anyway. Part two will come very soon. Thank you!
Traveling On—Chapter Fourteen
She was gone.
Brennan suddenly felt the disconnection three steps after rounding the corner. Like a physical blow, the fear exploded in his gut, doubling him over with the knowledge. Emma realized it at almost the same time, whirling around in time to see Brennan's face contort with anguish as he called out for her though he already knew she wouldn't answer.
She was gone.
They both could feel it.
They ran back around the corner anyway, searching helplessly, frantically, knowing the futility of it as even her comlink remained silent.
For Nicholas, it was the final straw, the breaking point after a day from hell. His hands were on the lapels of Brennan's jacket and slamming him up against the wall before anyone could react. Startled cries were nothing more than background static as he glared into brown eyes that flared initially with shocked outrage, then shifted into a flat gaze that held nothing more than watchful understanding. Nicholas growled at the unsatisfactory reaction and knocked the younger man against the wall once more.
"Just tell me why." Frustration snapped and snarled and it was all he could do to spit the words into Brennan's face instead of smacking him into the wall again. His grip tightened as the elemental's eyes slid to something behind him, and then Brennan shook his head slightly. Nicholas did not even bother to look for whoever Brennan had warned off. He wanted answers, and he was going to get them. "This is all your fault! Just tell me. Tell me why she stays with you."
Empty eyes stared back at him with nothing. Like every other answer he had gotten from them. Nicholas snarled and leaned in with every ounce of intimidation he had ever learned during thirty years of boardroom deliberations. He let Brennan see the truth. That he was willing to take him apart right here. Right now. They wanted him to understand, to believe. They could start with this.
Primitive impulses he had never realized he possessed roared through his body. Never had he wanted to cause the damage to another person that he wanted to do right now. A part of his mind knew he was letting his rage create something he might not be able to control. He could feel it. And part of his mind was gibbering in horror. But it was drowning in the screams of terror that were Shalimar's face. The base of his spine was tingling and he was barely keeping his fingers from tightening around Brennan's throat.
And the younger man just stood there and let him.
Nicholas leaned in carefully, ignoring the instinct that was calling for caution as something flashed in Brennan's eyes. "She would have died to protect you, but you let her get snatched right behind your back."
Gone was the previous respect, begrudging though it had been. The demon howling through his blood gnashed its teeth when the elemental simply froze and stared at him with blank eyes. Disappointed with the lack of reaction, the creature prodded once more at what it had thought would be a telling wound. "You can't even keep one of your own safe, let alone some little boy. That's not love. So you tell me…you tell me what keeps her with you. What keeps dragging her under. And what it is that threatens my family!" The last words were hissed, hatred and red fury burning with every word.
It was only when the younger man reached up to tear his hands from his stranglehold that Nicholas realized Brennan's hands had fallen to his sides. Barely controlled lightening rumbled in his eyes as he finally opened his mouth to say something, and despite his anger and his need to know, something in Nicholas cringed in sudden fear. Brennan blinked, something rising briefly, then sliding silently beneath a dark brown surface that reflected nothing.
Then the elemental turned away.
Nicholas did not even recognize the howl that was torn from his throat as he reached for the object of all his most recent frustrations. His daughter was gone, and the man dared to turn his back on him. His mind raged at the perversion of what these people had done to his daughter, and he acted without thinking. One minute his hands were closing on Brennan's shoulder and the next, he was flying. He had the dim thought that the landing was going to hurt when he smacked into the floor. Gasping for air, he had a vague impression of motion and was trying to raise his hands to protect his face when his vision cleared enough for him to see Brennan staring down at him. Despite the fact that he knew the other man's eyes were shades of brown, in that moment, they looked black. Nicholas struggled to meet them, his rage wailing in despair when it recognized the fact that he could not force an answer. He closed his eyes and swallowed. Then he swallowed again. His voice, when he found it, was a whisper. "Please. For Shalimar. Just tell me." He stared up hopelessly. "I can't protect her if I don't understand."
Brennan flinched at the sound of that broken plea. But his voice held none of the sympathy his face momentarily displayed. "You already have the answers. You just refuse to believe them."
"Monsters." The word was bitter mockery.
Brennan bared his teeth in a tight smile. "See. Told you."
Another long look, then Brennan turned to go. Nicholas rolled painfully to his knees and called after him.
"She won't stay with you. You're just in her way! She'll wake up and realize it one day. This isn't her life!"
He didn't have time for this. Brennan ignored him and kept walking.
Jesse looked at the older man with something akin to pity. "You are in their way, Nicholas." After a brief moment, Jesse and Emma turned their backs as well, following after him until the three team members were easily swallowed by the chaos. Nicholas just stared after them, unexpectedly fighting the shocking urge to sit down on the floor and cry. He did not understand this. He did not understand, and he did not belong. And more people were going to die. The noise level in his ears seemed to double, then double again. He could command a multi-billion dollar company, thousands of people and crushing demands, but he understood that world. He know those patterns down to his bones. But this one held something he could not read. In that fraction of a second, Nicholas Fox truly understood the meaning of alienation. He stood on the edge of his world and looked through soundproof glass at a twisted alternate reality where his baby girl stood next to the bad guys…and belonged. When had it all happened? A fresh wave of resentment tainted by guilt swept over the father as he fell to his knees in despair. He hadn't been around to see it.
Shalimar's heart pounded wildly in her throat as the man she had called her brother for all those years slowly released his hold on her. She didn't know where they were; he had dragged her into yet another maze of ductwork, and the others could no longer be heard. He took a slow step back, watching her warily, and her mind flashed on a vivid memory almost three months old. She had been tracking deer through the semi-dense forest of Stormking Mountain, thrilling in the practice of the hunt. She did not know how long she had been standing there, waiting for the deer to move, but suddenly she had known that she was under observation. Unerringly her head had turned, and she had found herself staring into suspicious yellow eyes.
The wolf had been cautious. Curious. Nervous about her potential danger to his family. It had been the oddest feeling staring into those eyes. The animal was completely prepared to attack, and yet, she had known it would not. Not if she did not challenge him. Not today. Her eyes had dropped submissively, and when she raised them again, the wolf was gone.
She felt that same feeling of being watched now creeping down her spine as Alex crept warily around her. But nothing about this sensation felt harmless. This time, today, she wouldn't be the submissive one. Her chin lifted, eyes flashing.
"Alex."
The ghost of a smile that flitted across his wide mouth unnerved her, as did his voice when he finally spoke her name.
"Shalimar."
It sounded like a caress, warm and soothing, and she felt the last bit of her heart shattering at his next words.
"I am him."
Twenty feet below them in another tunnel, Brennan stopped so abruptly, Jesse ran smack into his broad back, sending them both staggering a few feet into the darkness.
"Now what?" Nicholas' voice was leery, almost petulant, as he huffed to a stop next to them. He had been forced into a slow run to eventually catch up with them and was having trouble catching his breath.
"Alex is here." Brennan's answer was low, his gaze directed at Jesse and Emma as he spoke. "I can feel him."
"Where?" Jesse's eyes darted around and Nicholas' breathing was heavy in the silence.
"I don't know." Brennan's face was tight with frustration when he finally answered. "Emma?"
"I'm trying." Pain laced her voice, and for the first time, the men noticed her expression was almost contorted.
"Emma?" Startled, Jesse grabbed her shoulders, breaking her concentration. Her knees bowed, and Jesse caught her when she would have sunk to the ground.
"He's been fighting me since we got here." Her eyes were blank when she finally looked back up at him.
"Who? Alex?" Jesse exchanged agonized glances with Brennan.
"I don't know." Emma's whisper was painful on the night air, moist and stale, deep inside the tunnel. "That blankness, it's here, buried beneath layers of memory and pain." She shook her head, eyes closing. "I'm trying to sort it all out."
"You should have told us." Jesse's reprimand was softened by the guilt of not knowing sooner. The psionic mutely asked for understanding, and Jesse finally nodded in return. His fingers brushed the small of her back as he turned his face back toward Brennan.
"Emma," Brennan gently knelt down in front of the redhead, mouth silently working as he struggled to find the next words. "Can you—can you try to feel Shalimar?" His head dropped, knee fidgeting as he felt Jesse's glare boring into his skull.
"Brennan—"
"It's ok." Emma reached out, grasping Brennan's hand, eyes rolling back with intense concentration.
It was so faint, so brief, he almost missed it, the sensation of fresh air and laughter that hovered on the edge of his unconscious and disappeared before he could identify it. He grappled for it selfishly, eagerly, mind rearing back in sudden, confused terror at the wave of blackness that lashed out at him instead.
"Emma?" Her name was ripped from his lips, teeth gritted in agony.
She gave a great heave, crying aloud as she forcefully ripped apart the connection, gasping for breath as she landed on her hands and knees.
Jesse and Nicholas could only stare helplessly as Brennan's body curled in upon itself, the powerful frame reduced to a mere fetal position.
"What was that!" Nicholas' voice shook with shock and outrage.
Emma crawled to Brennan's side, rolling him, hands shaking as she laid cool fingers against his brow until his body relaxed its taut hold.
"Emma," His whisper was stark when he finally was able to respond, the grim awe and horror wrapped up in her name. It was all he could find to say, the horrified realization of what she had been experiencing, of what he had asked her to purposefully find, overwhelmed him.
"That is what we're fighting against." Jesse's jaw flexed grimly as he helped them to stand.
For once, Nicholas stayed silent, at a loss for words, dimly surprised he could find anything more to be shocked about when the redhead spoke her next words.
"There are two of them."
In the ductwork above them, Shalimar was unaware, locked in a tableau of her own.
"Shalimar." Alex repeated her name, and she growled, a warning low in the back of her throat. "I am him," He didn't even blink at her stance, repeating his earlier words. "Does that mean anything to you?"
"What?" She stared at him, nostrils flaring as she subtly inhaled his scent. He was tired, she realized. And afraid, but not of her. It was for her, she abruptly recognized. "Alex, what is going on?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing," The dark-haired man grinned suddenly, taking her by surprise. He reached for her, stroking her cheek, eyes soft. "It's good to see you again."
"Alex, what—"
Her voice broke off as his expression grew tight again, eyes looking somewhere past her shoulder. She followed his gaze, seeing nothing.
"There's another psionic here, Shal." He spoke quickly, tersely. "I don't know who he is, but he keeps saying those words, like a mantra, over and over again."
The realization sank in slowly, the relief making her almost light-headed as she grabbed at his words. "It's not you." She grasped his hand as he cupped her cheek, interrupting him. "We knew it couldn't be you."
He gave her a quizzical glance, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Shalimar, I've been tracking Eckhart since I left Sanctuary. I finally found him here, at this place, but the last thing I expected was to run into you again." He dropped his hand, eyes drifting to a point behind her for a moment before darting back into her face. "What are you guys doing here?"
Her mind was still reeling, struggling to catch up with everything he had just said. It took her a moment to realize he had stopped talking, brows raised. "Sorry," She shook her head. "We've been through a lot in the past few days since you left. It's a long story, but we found out that Dr. Shaw's research being destroyed back in the caves wasn't the end of things as we thought it was."
"Ok." He nodded his head as she briefly filled him in, eyes narrowing as he began to understand. "Stay here." She wasn't surprised when he abruptly took a step forward, catching his arm to stop him.
"Alex, wait." She waited until he looked back down at her, eyes dark. "Why did you grab me? Why hide yourself from the others, from Brennan?"
Alex smiled, again cupping her cheek. "He really loves you, Shalimar." He paused, head tilting, eyes again drifting slightly, and she finally recognized the gesture. "He's worried about you; he knows I'm here."
"We have to find them."
He nodded, biting his lip. "Shal, this other psionic, I don't know who he is, but he's very strong and very angry. I've been trying to block him from sensing you all are here, but I don't know how much longer I can deceive him." He paused, shaking his head. "Emma's fighting me as well. She doesn't know it, but she's leading him right to her. I'm trying to prevent that, but she's more powerful than I knew. I can't—" His features tightened for a moment, and she suddenly realized the effort he was exerting.
"Alex!" She caught him when he staggered forward.
"I'm sorry, Shalimar." He righted himself, face easing back into neutral lines. "I didn't mean to scare you by grabbing you that way, but I couldn't face all of you and keep up this illusion at the same time. It's too much emotion all at once. There's so much anger, hurt, mistrust. I needed to know what was going on, who this psionic was, and I trust you, Shalimar. And Emma—" He paused again, mouth rueful. "She's kicking my ass."
"Let me tell them." Shalimar brought her comlink to her mouth.
"Shalimar wait," Alex caught her hand. "I—am—him. You have no idea what that means?"
"No, why?" She sensed his distress. "What is it?"
"Because," Alex swallowed, eyes showing fear for the first time. "That psionic out there is—is …me."
Emma knew the moment their presence was recognized, hands grabbing her head as the pain and anger hit her in an overwhelming wave. She had thought it had been strong before, but this was so much more intense. She gasped, struggling for control.
"Emma!" Jesse clasped her elbows. "What's wrong?" His head whipped around, searching the dim tunnel, but it was empty. They had separated from Brennan and Nicholas, searching for Shalimar in pairs.
"I'm ok, I'm ok," She panted breathlessly, straightening back up after a moment. "He knows we're here."
"He didn't before?" Jesse's brow was furrowed, eyes again darting around the tunnel.
"Brennan was right, Alex is here." She closed her eyes. "He's been trying to protect us…I—I didn't know."
"Emma?"
Emma. Emma. Emma. Looking so sweet. They don't know, do they? The darkness inside.
She turned her face from Jesse, hardened her expression at the taunting voice in her head. I told you before, you can't have them.
We shall see. We shall see.
The voice was merry, eerily so.
What do you want? She dared to open herself a little further, stretching searching…
No, now is not the time for questions. Now, now we dance…then we hunt.
"Emma?" Jesse caught her arm, concerned.
Jesse.
She suddenly remembered Shalimar's words from a few days ago as the psionic cackled in her ear.
Prey.
A bullet suddenly rang out.
Beside her, Jesse had already had a realization or two of his own. He recognized the look on her face, shoving her behind him and massing just as burning pain seared his shoulder. Crap. He barely had time to form the thought. Not again.
It took him a moment to realize that Emma was pulling on him. He unmassed, letting her pull him around the corner just as the sound of several feet came pounding toward them. Instinctively, Jesse tugged on Emma's hand, pulling her to the floor just as another round of bullets pinged against the rock walls. The sound ricocheted, and Jesse covered her body with his own, massing again.
"Are you ok!" He shouted in her ear as more heavy footsteps sounded on the other end of the hallway. They were surrounded by madmen with guns. He groaned, massing again, already feeling the burning need for air.
"Jesse! Unmass!"
It took him a second to figure out what she meant, exhaling in one beat and phasing in the next. He prayed the floor would lead to someplace other than a chunk of solid rock or cold ocean water as he felt them slip through the cold stone, leaving behind cursing agents.
They weren't so lucky.
"Jesse!"
He heard Emma scream as the floor rushed up to them. His hand slammed against metal, and he grabbed for it, nails scraping in the horrific silence, fingers grabbing and catching. Sudden dead weight tugged on his other hand, and he clung to Emma, blinking, startled to see a good twenty feet between them and the floor. The rushing groan of metal snapped his neck back, and he saw the metal ductwork he was clinging to swing slightly from their combined weight.
"Emma!"
He heard her suck in a shaky breath, fingers trembling as building sweat made them slippery.
"Hang on Jesse!"
He felt her arm wrap around him, her legs tangling around his, grunting as she began a slow climb up his body. He began to sweat for an entirely different reason at the unexpected feel of her body pressed against his.
"Sorry," She panted, chuckling despite the exertion as he hissed and clenched his teeth.
His fingers slid another fraction of an inch. "Hurry!" His voice was strained, relieved when her hands clutched the metal next to his. Another breathless moment, and she was safe, straddling the metal duct above him. A few more grunts, and he found himself beside her.
Her hands immediately reached for his shoulder, face creased with worry as her fingers examined his wound.
"It's ok," He was quick to reassure her, "It's only a graze this time, the bullet missed."
She nodded jerkily, bottom lip scissored between her teeth. "That was too close."
"Now what?" Jesse groaned as the metal suddenly screeched, swaying slightly. "I don't know how long this thing will hold us!"
"How high up do you think we are?" Emma sneezed loudly, the sound echoing in the cavernous space.
Silence.
"Jesse?"
"Eighteen, twenty feet."
His voice was quiet. For a long moment, neither of them moved. Then Emma's voice came back quietly.
"I'll need your clothes for a rope."
Jesse groaned again, glad for the relative darkness as he slipped out of his pants and then his jacket and shirt, handing them over to Emma.
She quickly tied them together, eyeing her makeshift rope, adding her own jacket to the mix, holding it up for their mutual inspection.
"Well, it'll get us within five feet of the floor, not bad." Jesse gave her a quick kiss at her brilliance. He looped it around one of the fused metal arms, hoping it would hold long enough to let them down. He dropped the rope, and they both stared down uncertainly at it for a moment.
"Guess I'll go first." Jesse grabbed onto the rope, shimmying down it, heart slamming in his throat as he swung helplessly in the air like a pendulum until his weight settled the clothes rope. He felt the make-shift knots pull and tighten, shivering as the dampness coldness of the air struck him, painfully aware he was clad twenty feet in the air in only in his socks and boxers as he cautiously made his way down. The last few feet looked miles away, but when he let go, he hit the ground with relative ease. "Too easy," He crowed back up at Emma with relief as her white face peered anxiously down from above. "Your turn—"
The sound of more pounding feet suddenly interrupted him.
"Jesse," Emma hissed, face turning toward the sound. "There's got to be five more of them coming this way!" She leaned over, grappling for the swaying rope even as the good humor could be heard in the molecular's voice.
"Uh, Emma? This is going to be undignified. You want to throw back my pants at least?"
"Shut up, Jesse." Emma grunted nervously as she let go of the rope only halfway down, landing in a painful heap next to him.
"Emma!" He scrambled toward her, surprised when she staggered back to her feet, wrist wrapping around the makeshift rope above her head and giving a powerful yank.
"Help me," She gritted out, head turning as the standing water on the floor began to vibrate from the approaching boots. He reached above her to help her pull.
Six figures turned the corner a moment later, staring in stunned disbelief to find the corridor empty, save for a swaying rope of jackets dangling just above their reach.
"Well, damn."
One of them spoke up in frustration.
Yeah, thought Jesse, chest heaving for air as he leaned against the relative safety of the thin wall he had phased them through, pants clutched in his hands. What he said.
"Jesse."
The sudden horror in Emma's voice made him afraid to turn around. He slowly turned his head, bile rising in his throat at the sight before them.
His first instinct had been right, he shouldn't have looked.
A sudden pin prick in his neck, and he raised his hand in confusion to find a tiny dart sticking out of his skin. "What the—" He swallowed, adam's apple bobbing in fear as he yanked it out, ground rushing up to meet him before he could form his next thought.
The last time Brennan had heard someone puking so painfully was when he had been trying to relocate a mutant couple through the underground. They had arrived desperately ill with the flu, and he had ended up catching it himself a few days later. It was one of his more miserable memories. The sound confused him now as he tried to remember where he was. He sucked in a deep breath before he thought better and nearly joined whoever was puking his guts out and moaning on the other side of the room. What the hell was that? Panting through his mouth he tried to swallow past the nauseating taste shoving itself down his throat. "What the hell is that smell?"
His voice was raspy, and he wasn't sure he wanted an answer. He hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. He was about to lift his head when a voice came out of the darkness.
"Turn your head toward me before you open your eyes."
Brennan froze. He tried to place the voice, tried to remember what had happened to him. A little sliver of panic began to worry his way into his gut, and he started to pant. He swallowed again.
"Why?"
"Just trust me."
It was Nicholas' voice. Trust me. He had never really considered the cost of those words before. How could he trust this man who didn't believe in his own daughter? Sudden fear clutched at his heart, and he felt tears prickling his closed eyelids at the rancid smell of death around them. Oh God, please let it not be Shalimar. Not Shalimar. Please.
"Shalimar?"
"No, not her. Keep your voice down and turn your head toward me. There's enough light..." The older man's voice trailed off suddenly, then coughed and returned a little more raspy. "You'll be able to see."
But would he want to? Finally, turning his head toward the voice, he opened his eyes. Weak light from a single dusty light bulb revealed what appeared to be an old stone cellar. He had barely started to focus on his surroundings when someone moved in his field of vision. He blinked and the features of Emma emerged as his eyes adjusted to the low light. "What the hell…?"
He heard the older man make a low-voiced protest, but it was too late. He had already turned to look.
There were bodies. Lots and lots of bodies.
Nicholas had stopped heaving and was panting shallowly. Brennan really could not blame him. The older man was lying right next to one of the more decomposed bodies. He had probably woken up staring at the thing. Brennan felt his gorge rise and swallowed carefully. If he threw up now, he would be dry heaving until he coughed up blood. He realized he was shaking when his teeth started chattering. About the same time, his mind faintly registered that the ground he was lying on was damp and cold and seeping through the thin cotton of his jacket. He groaned, eyes darting back to Emma. He noticed for the first time that Jesse was beside her. They were lying back to back and their hands appeared to be handcuffed behind them. The molecular was unconscious, Emma's eyes fluttering as she struggled to awaken. His own wrists were handcuffed together although his arms were raised above his head and the cuffs appeared to be hooked through a metal ring set into the stone wall. He turned his head again to find Nicholas similarly tied, arms stretched above him. He was conscious and seemed to be studying the layout of the ceiling.
Or listening for footsteps.
"I woke up to find us all this way." The older man noticed his gaze. "Knock out drugs."
Brennan blinked, then squinted over at him. "What?"
"The reason we're all in here." The man grimaced. "I'm guessing they don't want us calling for help just yet."
Adam.
Brennan stared at him in dawning horror. Since the ransom trade with Danny didn't work, they were now to be used as a lure for Adam. He thought for a moment. "Shalimar?"
"I don't know."
He rubbed his fingers, swearing softly. His ring had been removed.
Emma coughed, and Nicholas sighed, falling silent.
"What happened?" Emma finally spoke, voice scratchy as she stirred awake.
"It's ok, Emma." Brennan couldn't reach her, so tried to reassure her with his voice. "We've been captured somehow and are locked in one of the tunnels. Nicholas and Jesse are here as well." He searched his memory, trying to remember what happened as she coughed violently. He vaguely remembered being hit from behind and thrown down the stairs. He had no idea where Shalimar was, and he was certain Alex was somewhere in the building as well.
As if sudden thought conjured reality, the door above suddenly rattled and light flooded the room for a brief moment. Brennan froze, the bright light a flashback to his nightmares. Another rustling sounded across the room, and he realized they weren't alone. He turned his head, seeing owlishly large eyes staring at him through a slitted grate in the shadows.
Danny.
Rage surged through Brennan at the knowledge that the little boy had been subjected to this horror for so long.
A bulky figure stepped through the door, blocking the light, cutting off Brennan's view of Danny. He growled in frustration, freezing again when Nicholas gave a sudden gasp as the figure stepped into the room and under the single bulb dangling from the ceiling.
Numbly, Brennan stared at the man.
It was Alex.
Shocked, he opened his mouth, muscles trembling in outrage as a slow smile spread over the man's face. An unearthly light seemed to emanate from his eyes, glowing brighter and stronger as dark brown swirled and turned violet.