Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or the X Men.
We're All Family
Chapter 23
Thursday
Breakfast in the mansion was tense. Even the first public appearance of little Jimmy LeBeau wasn't enough to boost everyone's spirits too much. Rotations in the war room continued throughout the night and into the morning so they would get any message as soon as it was transferred.
Dria moved into the library to rest. Adam helped her to get comfortable in one of the oversized chairs and then sat beside her. "Adam," she took his hand in hers and looked at them. "I just wanted to say…thank you. If you hadn't known what to do I would have…"
"Dri, don't," he whispered as he put his free hand on her shoulder. "You know how much I love you. All that time you were away from me…I won't let anything separate us again." He looked into her eyes and knew she could see into his soul just like when they were young. "You never need to thank me for anything." Freeing his hand from hers he embraced her and held her close for a few moments…until he heard…
"Adam," Jesse's disembodied voice broke their silence.
"Go ahead, Jess." He looked at Dria then headed for the door.
"I've got an incoming from Sanctuary. It's on one of the safehouse lines. You'd better get down here."
"On my way."
As Adam entered the war room he noticed Shalimar pacing behind Jesse. He saw an unfamiliar face on the screen before him.
"He asked for you by name," Shalimar growled having a difficult time controlling her temper. Last night was long and hard for her as she worried about her husband.
Adam nodded as Jesse opened the line. "I'm Adam Kane."
"Kane," the man spat. "I've waited a long time for this. But you don't know who I am. The name's Hennessy." He watched as Adam thought back.
"Larry Hennessy?" Adam asked knowing he must be wrong. This man was too old.
"Larry was…my son," the man choked back the emotion he thought he had under control.
"Was? I'm sor…"
"You're not sorry for anything." Anger quickly renewed his resolve. "He looked up to you. Said you were the best and he could only excel if he worked with you. He worked long and hard to get that job. Then you killed him."
"Mr. Hennessy, Larry was a good doctor. I left Genomex because of professional differences. I advised Larry to leave as well."
"You turned your back on everything you and he were working on. You betrayed him!" The red faced man stopped and took a deep breath. In only a slightly more composed tone he continued. "Then you organized a group to go in and raid the place, killing anyone who got in their path."
"That's not true!" Adam's voice was strong as he held his feelings down.
"You can't justify yourself to me, Kane! Don't waste your breath. You sent your freaks in and they electrocuted my son. He died in my arms." The man strained to keep his long held rage in check.
"We didn't kill anyone! If he…" Adam abruptly stopped as the image of the man before him faded and the screen went black.
"I have something to show you," was all that was heard when suddenly they were faced with a scene that made them all gasp.
In the basement, the lights came on suddenly. Brennan, still slumped in the chair, awoke as the blinding illumination pained his already weak eyes. The suddenness caused him to shift, the chain rattling loudly along with his groan. Jack and John experienced the same rude awakening as they sat up; less encumbered but no less blinded. Rising quickly to defend, they stumbled as they blinked, trying to see.
Shalimar agonizingly whispered Brennan's name as she stumbled back.
Jesse quickly took in the scene before him and heard Shal's voice. As she fell back toward him he reached out and pulled her into his arms. When the screen went black again, she turned her head and buried her face into his chest.
Then the man was back…much more composed, "Are you missing a few people? I have your son and I have the freak who killed my son. I originally just wanted you but…when Mr. Thorne, here, found out you had a son my plan to avenge mine on you grew sweeter."
"What have you done to them? Where are they!" Adam insisted.
"Mr. Thorne assures me that he and his men are taking very good care of them. That is until I give the word… Then they'll die."
"Don't do this. Let them go. If it's me you want, I'll be there." Desperation slightly tinged his forced calm demeanor.
"Very good…and I didn't even have to ask. I'll send you their location. Mr. Thorne?"
Thorne came into view. His face took on a sly grin as he met the eyes of the people before him. "Hello, Shalimar."
"Thorne, you…" Shal tried to lunge at the screen as Jesse held her tightly in his arms.
"A pleasure as always. Imagine my surprise to find out Mr. Mulwray was involved in the demise of this poor man's son. How could I not agree to help him?" His eyes turned hard as they turned to Adam. "I'm sure you realize the need for a few demands. Come alone. No com or tracking devices. You'll be scanned. I was fortunate enough to be in just the right place at just the right time when Genomex collapsed. With everything that went on they didn't miss the few miscellaneous items I took along with the agents I convinced to follow me. Your people got over on me before. I won't let it happen again."
"Mr. Hennessy," Adam began again.
"Save it Kane. It won't help." Thorne was stern as he leaned forward and disconnected the communication. Softening with the smile of a fox he turned to the old man who had been panting heavily at his side. "I think that went well. We'll give them a little while to digest the situation and then send them the coordinates."
John and Jack rubbed their eyes as they tried to get the spots to disappear. When they heard no door open they knew they were still alone and could stand down long enough to wake up. "What was that for?" John groaned aloud.
"I think they were showing us off. They must have called Adam." Jack guessed. The weak groan in the distance confirmed his assumption.
"You're…right." Brennan could manage nothing more than a strained whisper. He tried to open his eyes when he heard the water slosh around him. He saw a blurry image of John approaching. "No…don't…wet…"
"Relax, the water won't kill me. You have me concerned."
"Is he ok?" Jack asked from the water's edge.
"For now…he's so weak, I think Nadene could probably seriously hurt him with a hug." John put his ear to Brennan's back to try and hear his lungs.
"Thanks,…don't…tell her…the…next time…we…swim."
That's what John wanted. Hearing him try to speak allowed him to know his lungs were clear. He stood up and pat his shoulder gently. "When we get out of this, I'm going to have to do so some serious study on everyone's physiologies."
"Confi…dence…Good."
John smiled but it faded quickly when he heard a weak groan from the other side of the room. Rushing out of the water he knelt next to Jack who was already at Sissy's side.
"Uhh, what happened?" Sissy tried to sit up but felt Jack's hands on her shoulders.
"Don't move, Sis. Does it hurt? Are you still in pain?" Jack couldn't keep the concern out of his voice. Seeing everything she'd gone through made him ache in sympathy. She was his best friend and when she was in pain there was nothing he could do.
She reached out a hand and squeezed when he took it. Hearing him so shaken was touching. She couldn't bring herself to tease him as she normally would have. "I'm ok, now." She turned when John put a soft hand to her forehead. She couldn't help smiling at his touch. When he moved his hand to her neck, his other moved her hair; she complied with his silent request for her to turn her head. Looking back at Jack she saw that he was looking down with a frown at her and felt him pull at the coat that wasn't quite covering her. Feeling it slide against her, she shivered at the coolness of the air she'd just begun to feel. Shifting, thoughts hit her, too fast to think through. John's warm hands against her shoulder and neck…the lining of the coat…the zipper, cold on her side…Jack pulling the material to cover…her legs...feet cold…NAKED! Her mind screamed as she released his hand and pulled her arms against her, squeezing her eyes shut.
Her sudden whimpers startled both men. As they saw her curl tighter under the coats, John met Jack's eyes, nodded and moved away.
Jack touched her hair and whispered to her. "It's ok, Sissy. You're ok, now."
She peeked out from her under her hair with fear in her eyes. "Jack, why…what…I'm…" Embarrassment stripped her of any ability she had left of coherent thinking.
"I know, Sis. It was necessary. Don't worry." From his side he saw John move closer again and hold out Sissy's not completely dry clothes. Jack took them and watched as John moved back toward the water's edge and seat himself with his back to the teens.
"Here're your clothes. They're damp but you can safely put them back on. Get dressed and I'll try to explain." He laid them beside her and moved off to sit with John.
She watched them for only a moment, then reached for her clothes. Looking around, she dressed quickly. She felt dirty and sticky and the dampness of the clothes made it feel worse but she was grateful for the covering and hoped that as she stood from the coats her cheeks weren't as red as she'd imagined. In a low voice she called their names.
Both turned at her call. As she approached and sat between them, they noticed she didn't look at them. "What happened?" was all she could get out.
"These goons put a governor on you. Do you remember much?" Jack asked.
"Just the pain, mostly."
"You passed out from it, once. John carried you to a bench in the water and Brennan short circuited it. You went into shock from the electricity and the cold. We had to get you out of your wet clothes. I guess we should have stripped you first, then, at least, your clothes would have stayed dry." He attempted to make it humorous but she still dropped her face in her hands. He put his arm around her and breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't pull away. "It's ok, listen," he whispered into her hair. "We didn't want them to see what we were doing. There's a camera hidden in the wall. So we kept the lights out. It was pitch black in here. I undressed you and I carried you to the coats that John made into a bed for you. Neither one of us…saw anything." He smiled when she nudged him with her shoulder and chuckled.
"How's Brennan?" She turned to John but still didn't look directly into his eyes.
"He's very weak. He can't take the prolonged soaking. Helping you made him pass out but didn't really hurt him. He was still able to handle the charge. If he had to do it now, though, I'm not sure the result would be the same."
"What do they want?" Sissy stood and moved to the door, trying to open it in vain.
"Some guy has a vendetta against Adam. He blames him for the death of his son." Jack stood and moved to the benches to sit.
"And," John continued for him, "he thinks I'm Adam's son."
"Si…Sis…sy," Brennan tried. He was weaker still.
"Oh, Brennan," her heart broke to hear him like that.
"Don't…don't…let…No…no pow…ers. Un…der…st…?" he panted heavily from the exertion.
"You're weak, I know. You can't use your powers to…" Sissy stopped when she saw his head lolling from side to side.
"No…no…you…"
"I think he means don't use your powers." Jack turned and saw Brennan nod once. "If they see your powers in use they'll know the governor is off and they'll think all of ours are off. They might panic; do something drastic." Jack looked back at the slumped figure of his martial arts master. A small proud smile graced his lips as he saw what he knew was pride in the half lidded eyes of the man in the water.
Adam, Shalimar and Jesse walked up to the library and found Evie and Charles sitting with Dria. "We just got a call from the kidnappers." He moved in and sat beside his cousin as Jesse stood with his arm around Shalimar. "This has all been a plan to get to me." He took her hand as he heard the gasp that escaped before she could catch it. He turned to face Charles as he continued. "The father of a doctor I worked with in Genomex hired a group of ex-agents to track me down and capture me. He blames me for the death of his son. Their plan changed when they found out that I had a son."
"John…" Dria whispered and held his hands tighter.
"Doctor Larry Hennessy was an assistant of mine until I decided to leave. I warned him to get out. He must not have listened. The father said that Larry was shot with a charge of electricity during one of our raids and that he died in his father's arms shortly after. He's accused Brennan of being the shooter."
"Brennan doesn't shoot to kill!" Shalimar's outburst made Dria sit up straight in unexpected surprise.
"Of course not," Evie stood and moved closer to Shalimar.
"He must have had other issues. Regardless of his actual cause of death, his father blames Brennan but mostly he blames me. When he found out about John he decided he was going to take him as well. I think Jack and Sissy just got caught in the middle."
"Doctor Hennessy…" The look in Dria's eyes made her seem even frailer then she looked from the surgery.
"Dri?" Adam urged.
"I'm sorry," she said as she pulled herself out of her momentary lapse into the past. "Dr. Hennessy was the man who operated on me in Genomex."
The silence in the room thickened. Adam closed his eyes trying to hide the sudden rage that fought to escape. Evie met Charles eyes and knew he could feel it as well. She stepped behind her husband and touched his shoulders as she sent calm through their bond. When she felt the rage recede she spoke softly. "That's in the past and whatever he did or didn't do is of no consequence. Dria is healthy and the doctor is evidently dead." After only a moment longer she saw Adam look up at her with more than just thanks in his gaze.
"They said they were going to send us coordinates. They haven't done it yet." Jesse informed them.
"Coordinates?" Dria looked confused from Jesse to Adam.
"They want me to come…alone."
"No!" A moment of fear gripped her. "You can't!"
"Dria, it's ok. I'll get them to release the teens and John. I won't let them be hurt."
"But you and Brennan?" Dria turned and saw the strong resolve in Shalimar's face. She somehow knew she was keeping herself strong until the mission was over. She felt admiration mixed with sorrow. Taking a deep breath, her resolve was renewed.
"I'll find a way to get us out."
"Adam," Jesse countered. "Brennan didn't look like he could stand much less escape. You're gonna need help."
"Why haven't they sent the information yet!" Shalimar pulled away from Jesse and began to circle the room.
"You saw them?" Charles asked calmly in stark contrast to Shalimar's sudden outburst.
"Yeah. They gave us a quick look into the room where they're being held." Jesse answered him.
"Let's return to the war room and come up with a plan." He turned and summoned the X Men as he left the library with Shalimar right behind him.
Adam turned to his wife. Evie?
Go. I'll stay with her. She'll be fine.
The look in their eyes told Dria that it was more than a loving glance. Adam turned and kissed her cheek with a reassuring smile. He stood and kissed his wife then joined Jesse at the door and left.
Evie sat beside Dria and put a caring arm around her. "They'll be alright. Adam will bring John home."
"I know that. Somehow, I'm very sure that it'll be ok. What I'm not sure about is what you just did. Do you and Adam…speak in your minds?"
Evie let out a small laugh as she nodded her head. "We actually do. It's part of our bond. My telepathy allows for the possibility with anyone. The bond we've developed in our hearts makes it easier for us." She saw the questions still in Dria's eyes and continued. "Jesse can call to me and I would hear and answer him. He's concentrating and I'm doing the work. With Adam it seems to be a constant connection that keeps us aware of each other. The longer we're together the less I have to do anything. We anticipate each other's thoughts. When we dance it's almost like we're in the same pair of shoes."
Dria looked into Evie's eyes and reached out to touch her cheek. "You love him so much. I can see it in your eyes and hear it in every word. I'm so glad he finally found you. While I was in Scotland I would often think about him, alone in a lab or office. I prayed he would find the one person on Earth who could love him completely." She smiled as Evie looked down at her hands. "He loves you the same way…completely."
Evie's head snapped up. "I know he does. Last week I was just…"
"No, Dear, don't get defensive. That's not what I mean. You know he loves you but I see more than that. I know Adam. I know that he more than loves you. I also hope that he's tried to convey what I'm saying…has he?"
Evie smiled a true, sincere, soul-touching smile and met Dria's eyes. "Many times…in many ways."
"Good." Dria sat straighter and pat Evie's hand, turning the air between them lighter with her smile. "I'm glad to know he actually read my letters way back then. Now you listen to me like he did." Suddenly her eyes were staring into Evie's again. "They'll be back. Adam will manage and somehow they'll all be home."
TBC
