Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or the X Men.

We're All Family

Chapter 26

In the house an anxious man paced. "Why aren't we going to do this now?" asked an impatient old man. Now that Hennessy had Kane trapped, the idea made his mouth water for the revenge he'd been planning.

"We're waiting because I know Mutant X." Thorne sat in a comfortable chair and turned a remote in his hands. "They'd never let Kane come alone. They're out there and if I know Shalimar, she's straining against instinct to rush in. We're going to wait and let them play their hand. I have a few surprises planned for them."

John, sat on the bench with Jack and Sissy, leaning against the wall as Adam checked Brennan then came to sit with them. "How's mom?"

Adam smiled at his nephew. "The operation was a complete success. It took her a little longer than expected to wake from the anesthesia and Evie helped her along. She's staying in the mansion with orders to take it easy until we get back. Evie will make sure she's ok."

"How did she take…this?" John lifted a hand to indicate their predicament.

"I was concerned but she surprised me. She took the news with a quiet calm. I'm proud of how strong she is. I worried about what living with…well…" Adam stopped and looked away.

"Mom's a tough lady. She never let her situation take away her life. Even when times were unusually hard, she dealt with it and always smiled for me. She tried to protect me from most of it but I still knew. Most of all I knew that no matter what, she'd be there for me."

"And she'll be there when we get home," Adam sighed, more than content with that knowledge.

"She sounds like a wonderful mom," Sissy whispered at John's side.

"She is. Tell me about your mom. She must be great to have raised you." John's brow rose in shock as he heard a dry chuckle leave Sissy's throat.

"Until I moved into the mansion I was pretty much on my own."

"I'm sorry," John felt he needed to say something but that was all he had.

"Don't be. I'm passed it." Sissy waved her hand as if swatting a fly before her.

"Sissy," Jack warned. "Don't go there. You know what the professor said.

"What?" she turned to him and sat up straighter. "I'm over it. I can't hold on to that dream forever. It'll never happen so I decided to forget about it."

John looked at Jack, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to open a wound."

"You didn't," Sissy turned to him with a hard stare. "My parents didn't think too highly of my developing talents. They wanted me to, 'just stop being a freak.' They couldn't accept me the way I was so…I left. The professor found me and took me in. They were only too happy to sign my custody over to him. I've never heard from them since."

"Unfortunately, that's the attitude many have. But we try to live a different life. When confronted with the prejudice, we deal and move on. Those with gifts can't let it affect their lives or hold them down. That's why people like Charles and myself do what we do. We want to ensure those who come after us can live a happy life. We know it won't be easy, but family makes it happy. Family doesn't always have to be blood. We prove that everyday."

As Adam spoke Sissy reached out to both sides and slipped her hands into John's on her right and Jack's on her left. That was her dream; to have her family back. It was hard to realize that they didn't want her but now… She was progressing despite the professor's warnings about covering the pain. The family in the mansion was becoming more and more real to her as she began to accept and love them.

Brennan's groan broke the moment and caused everyone a start. Adam moved back to his side as the others followed. "Bren, can you hear me?"

"A…dam…" he panted, his voice barely a whisper. "Tell…tell Sh…al…I…lo…"

Tears were in Sissy's eyes as she heard him. Turning with her hands over her mouth she buried her face into Jack's shoulder as he pulled her to him. Accentuating the thoughts and feelings of a moment ago, was the pain of watching a family member suffering.

"No! Don't give in. Shal's here." Adam was fighting the desperation that was trying to claw at him.

"Shal?" he gasped. Brennan's mind was a whirl of weakness and confusion. He couldn't think clearly. Everything was dull and clouded, but through the haze he saw her face. He saw the blonde curls falling over her shoulders, the smile in her eyes as she looked at him.

"Yes, Bren, she's here. She's outside." He checked his pulse and shook his head. "It's too low," he murmured. "He's getting weaker." Adam looked around for anything he could use. "There's nothing here!" Taking a breath to calm and think, Adam looked up. "Jack, John, I may need you both. We need to help him keep breathing. If he lets go…"

"No," Sissy whispered as she sat beside him and wiped his face with her sleeve pulled down over her hand.

"What can we do?" Jack asked as he stood beside Sissy.

"We have to watch him. If he stops breathing we have to force air into his lungs. If his heart stops we'll need to…"

Before Adam could finish Brennan's body began to shake. His breathing became raspy as he struggled for breath. The suddenness made everyone jump in shock. Sissy reached for his head and put her hand behind his neck to keep it raised as his breathing quieted to little more than a wisp. Jack and John both fell to the floor at his sides as Adam tried to listen to his lungs. "No, Brennan. Don't do this," he pleaded as he tried to roll him to his side. With Jack and John's help Adam put his ear to Brennan's back. "His heart's failing." They rolled him back. "Jack, rip this shirt. Sissy, good girl, keep his neck supported, chin up. John, breathe for him. Jack, can you get through his chest?"

"Yeah, get back." Jack looked into Sissy's frightened eyes for only a moment then put his hands on Brennan's now exposed chest. Pushing to feel for the spot and amount of tension needed he raised both hands, laced his fingers and made a solid fist. John stopped the mouth to mouth.

At impact, Sissy cried out as Brennan's body jerked before her.

Jack began a rhythm of CPR that John fell into as he continued with intervals of trying to coax Brennan's lungs to regain their own functioning.

Adam watch as the younger men worked and kept a check for Brennan's pulse as well as the time. "No," Adam sighed. "The soaking weakened him so much it's stopped all electrical impulses. He's got nothing left to draw on." He looked around their barren prison once more. "And I have nothing to work with," he gritted as his frustration and anguish peaked.

"Uncle Adam," John sat up. "If all he needs is impulse, I can do it." He saw his uncle's questioning look. "I can trigger his governor to emit bursts of impulses into his system. Would that be enough for his mutation to draw on?"

"John, you can't." Sissy's fearful eyes met his as he looked at her. "Your governor would go off the second you started."

John reached out and gently touched her cheek with a smile. "You dealt with the constant pain for a long time. I can handle a few jolts." He looked at Jack, who was continuing the effort, then turned back to his uncle. "Would it work?"

Adam didn't have to think to know it would but he wasn't sure John knew what he was volunteering. "John, do you realize…?"

Frustration had eaten away at John for hours as he was unable to do anything; as he was force to just watch as Brennan got worse. Finally, he'd found hope. "I may not be trained as a member of your team but I know what I can handle!" The irritation of the situation was clear in his voice as he gritted through his teeth. "What I don't know is if it will work for Brennan!"

"It should," Adam looked into his nephew's eyes. "A minute or so of power from the governor should cause his natural impulses to react. His mutation will kick in and restart his heart." A hand to John's shoulder was all he could do to convey his concern for what the young man was about to do. When he saw John nod he moved away. "Jack and Sissy, move back. When Brennan's powers kick in there might be a momentary emission of electric current. He saw them move then nodded to John.

John took a few deep breaths to prepare himself for the pain he knew would hit but this wasn't something he could avoid. Beside the fact that this man was a part of the family who had just happily opened their home to him; John was a doctor and no matter the cost, if there was a way to save his life, he would do it. He reached out his hand and placed it under Brennan's neck so that the governor was cradled fully in his palm. Closing his eyes he allowed his powers to start. The circuitry of the governor was simple enough to manipulate. The immediate pain generated in response by his own governor was less than what he'd expected. When Thorne activated the remote the pain was immediately intense. This began as extreme discomfort but was quickly intensifying. He held on for as long as he could. It felt like an eternity. A drop of blood fell as he bit down hard on his lip to not scream out at the now blinding pain. With a groaned breath he pulled his hand away and slumped forward.

Adam reached toward him immediately and helped to support him as Sissy knelt by him, silently offering her aid. With John out of danger, Adam checked Brennan.

"Did…it…?" John gasped for air and couldn't finish.

Adam shook his head and whispered. "Not yet."

John moved away from Sissy as he heard her whisper his name. He reached for Brennan again.

Sissy gasped and held her breath as she tried to contain the tears that streamed down her cheeks as John began with a barely restrained shout.

The pain didn't start out as moderate as before. This time it seemed to pick up right where it was when John pulled away. He struggled to keep his hand under Brennan's neck as he blew hard to push the pain aside. Through it, he seemed to notice when Adam moved to check on Brennan. Almost impossible to bear any more, John squeezed his eyes shut tight and grunted louder with each pain-filled breath.

"Adam," Jack called out over John as he saw tendrils of electricity begin to swirl around Brennan's hands.

Adam reached for John and pulled him away to break their connection.

John collapsed fully on the floor, struggling to regain his composure as his pain-racked body refused to obey any command.

Adam and Jack watched as the wisps of electricity moved to cover Brennan's whole body then disappeared as fast as they appeared. As one they seemed to move to check him for pulse and other indications of revival.

Sissy ran to the water's edge and picked up the piece of tee shirt that John had used to clean the wound on Jack's head. She rinsed it as fully as she could and returned to John's side. Gently, she wiped the cool material over his face and neck; her tears dropping to mix with the moisture of the cloth.

"You did it," Jack declared with a smile as he felt the pulse in Brennan's neck get stronger.

"Yes, you're right," Adam confirmed. "He's back." He turned and saw John's face; Sissy continued to gently wipe it. "John, are you alright?"

Sissy stopped as John slowly opened his eyes. "I'll…be o…k. I just…need…to rest." He let his eyes close again. The pain in his mind and body were subsiding. So cool…so soft…so sweet and pretty…so… His thoughts, still a blur, were muddling the sensations his searing nerves now sent to his brain.

Adam moved to check John's pulse when he heard Jack call to him just above a whisper. "Adam, do you think I…?"

When he turned to look at the teen he noticed he was looking at Brennan's shallow-rising chest. "Broke his rib cage?" Adam finished for him.

Jack looked back up at Adam with the lump that stopped his question still lodged solidly in his throat.

The shadow Adam saw behind Jack's eyes was all too familiar to him. The look of first realization when one must hurt in order to help. He knew Jack could kill with his hands if necessary. He was a black belt, after all. Hurting someone in a fight of self defense or defense of others is much more easily reconciled, psychologically. But for the doctor in him, hurting a patient in the process of helping is a situation that's harder to realize in both heart and mind. "The muscle in Brennan's chest is harder to penetrate than in most people. That's why I had you do it. I knew you could get through with more precision than I could. He probably has a few broken bones in there but I suspect they're clean breaks. I would have done it, if necessary, but they wouldn't be as clean because I would've had to hit repeatedly to get through. He'll heal much faster thanks to you."

"But John," Sissy whispered keeping her eyes on her patient.

"He seems ok," Adam smiled as he took in the tender scene. "He'll be fine. Everyone needs to rest now. We don't know when they might come back."

TBC