For disclaimers, see chapter 1, please.
"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, a look of horror on her face. "You can't kill Jesse!"
"Emma! Keep your voice down!" Adam scolded her, looking around to see if anyone could have overheard. "You know better than to believe surface thoughts," he said. "How many times have you thought about killing Shal in your head?"
Emma deflated a little, realizing the truth of it. "So you don't really want to kill Jess?"
Adam brought his hand up to his face, rubbing his thumb and forefinger across his eyes, eventually squeezing at the bridge of his nose. "Emma, I know better than to lie to you; your empathic powers will know the truth of what I'm saying. I just can't talk about this right now. You'll have to trust me that some things are better for you not to know, at least right now."
He stared at her intently. "Will you give me your word that this will stay between us and you won't look into my mind to find out more?"
Emma swallowed nervously. "I promise to keep it between us, and I won't deliberately look in your mind for more information." As Adam's expression registered displeasure, she quickly added. "Look, at long as you keep it out of your surface mind while I'm around, I won't hear anything. You know that if someone is thinking something very loudly in their head, I often just pick it up. I wasn't trying at all a moment ago, but I picked up your thought anyway."
Adam's frown evened out somewhat and he put his hand on her shoulder. "Emma, I need you to shut down when you are around me then. Can you do that?"
Emma sighed. "This is as natural to me as breathing now, Adam, but I'll try."
Adam took her measure for a moment. "Okay, Emma. I'll confide in you when the time is right, okay?"
Emma wandered away from the lab, and ended up sitting in the Sanctuary garden, wishing her thoughts could be as calm as the warm serenely flowing past her. However, questions worried at her mind, demanding answers.
Brennan sat in his room, absently flicking sparks of electricity between his fingers. The charge beneath his skin simmered, slowly amplifying throughout the day until he would find himself once again battling a holographic Jesse that night, as he had for the past two weeks.
His mind continually asked questions to which he had no answers. He replayed the match at the prison over and over in his head, no longer looking for how Jesse had managed to withstand his attack, but instead looking for how Jesse had changed him. When did it happen? What had Jesse done?
What could Jesse do?
His memory of the fight was cloudy, hazed over by the steroids and resulting aggressive behavior. Much of the fight seemed like a dream now. He could remember hitting Jesse with bolt after bolt, tesla coil after tesla coil, and still the young man hung on and fought back. He remembered Jesse screaming with pain as the current passed through him, enough voltage to have fried an ordinary man.
Wait. An ordinary man.
Jesse hardly classified as an ordinary man, but his mutant powers wouldn't have made him invulnerable to that much electricity. Not even close. As Brennan examined his memories, he realized that he hadn't even seen Jesse use his powers.
Just how had he fought off his attacks? Without the red tint of his pride coloring the whole event, Brennan realized he had a legitimate reason for wanting to know just what secrets Adam kept from them, even kept from Jesse.
Brennan took a deep breath and let his damaged pride escape from the death grip he had on it. It might take time, but he knew he'd bounce back from this. It just took something else to occupy his mind for a while.
He stood up and went off to get some answers.
Jesse rose from the recumbent chair in front of the computer screens, stretching his torso as he stood. His muscles ached and he knew that he needed a good workout to loosen himself up, as well as reduce some stress. He'd hit the gym a lot lately – it had become a sanctuary within Sanctuary for him. Shal and Emma worked out early in the morning and Brennan usually tried to work out a little bit later, while the girls relaxed in the garden after their workout, with a clear view of Brennan lifting and straining in the gym.
Arrogant prick, Jesse thought to himself, more out of jealousy than anything else - jealousy that Brennan wanted to show off for the girls, and not for him.
He headed to the gym, stopping by his quarters to change into his workout clothes. As he exited his room, he saw Shal approaching him and he blushed as she wolf-whistled at him.
"Damn, Jess! You are lookin' good!"
What do you know, after about six months of intensive workouts, someone finally notices. I guess I'm only nearly invisible, not completely invisible, he thought. Aloud he said, "Thanks, I've been hitting the gym a little more lately." He tried to edge past her, but she grabbed him.
"It's really showing, Jess. You look great." Playful as ever, Shalimar reached out and grabbed the bottom of his tight t-shirt, raising it a little. "And look at those abs."
"Careful, Shal. Someone might think you were interested in me." Jesse smiled to take any sting out of his words.
Shalimar giggled. "Nah, everyone knows you're the little brother I never had. I'd have to get passed my big sister urge of wanting to dress you up in cute little outfits first."
Jesse looked at her in disbelief. "Don't even think about it."
"Come on, with this hot little body of yours, you'd really fill out a ballerina outfit," she grinned.
Jesse backed away quickly, choosing to take the long route to the gym. "You're evil!" he tossed over his shoulder, as he turned to make his slow retreat a flat out run.
Shalimar just laughed.
Jesse arrived at the gym and slung a towel over the bench. He put a bar into position for the bench press, wanting to work out his chest first, and started adding plates to each side of the bar. After he had placed three 45 pound plates on each side, he reclined back onto the bench to begin his warm up set.
A few sets later, he had a sheen of sweat lightly covering his whole body. He felt warm and loose, ready to try for his new maximum lift. He replaced the two 25 pound plates he had added a few minutes ago with two 45 pound plates. This put the total bench at 450 pounds.
He knew that he should have a spotter when attempting a max lift, but there were only two people who could possibly assist him. Shalimar could probably help him; she had more strength than appeared within her tiny frame, thanks to her feral side. Even with that, Shal didn't bench anything close to 450 and Jess had no interested in her pushing "cute little outfits" on him at the moment.
Jesse knew that Brennan didn't bench 450 either, at least he didn't that last time Jesse stopped for a drink with the girls while they rested in the garden, conveniently checking out Brennan. Brennan currently lifted 320 pounds on his heavy set, which meant he'd probably max at around 360 to 380.
Jesse chuckled. Times sure had changed. 360 pounds was now his light set. "So, I guess I've finally learned the key to a great body - an inferiority complex compounded by a domineering team leader, mixed with extreme sexual frustration. At least something good has come from this."
Jesse shook his head and lay back down on the bench. He surprised himself by easily lifting the 450 pounds, pushing out half a set quickly. He stopped when he heard footsteps approaching, and quickly set the weight back down on the supports and sat up.
Brennan walked in, quickly noting the excessive amount of weight on the bar and Jesse's heaving chest.
Holy shit. When did he get this strong? That's… that's 450. And look at the chest! Even through his shirt, I can tell he's ripped as hell.
And then Brennan's wounded pride woke up and started yelling, and it all went down hill from there.
"Jess, it doesn't count as a workout if you phase the weights into nothingness before you lift them."
Jesse stared at him, shock plainly evident on his face. "What are you talking about?"
"Jess, we both know you couldn't lift that without a little help from your powers. I'm just saying that it's cheating to do that. That's all I'm saying." Brennan gave him a smug little smile.
Jesse stared at him a moment longer and then got up from the bench and grabbed his towel. "Then listen to what I'm saying, Brennan Mulwray."
Brennan frowned at the use of his full name.
"Don't call me Jess anymore. My friends call me Jess, and I'm tired of trying to be your friend. We're through. From now on, call me Mr. Kilmartin." Jesse moved towards the exit, but Brennan blocked him.
"Well don't get all up in a huff, Mr. Kilmartin." Brennan rolled his eyes as he said it. "Obviously, you're a little sensitive. Finish your fantasy workout. What do I care?"
With that, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door to the gym behind him. He strode down the hallway, desperate to escape the situation he had just caused.
Fuck! What the hell just happened? he wondered. I wanted to talk to him, to smooth things over. And then my fucking mouth has to go off. Why did I do it?
Jesse sat down on the bench heavily. Tears filled his eyes and splashed down his cheeks.
What did I do? Why would he treat me that way? His face fell into his hands, and he began sobbing. What's wrong with me?
After a few minutes, he rose from the bench, deciding his workout didn't have any appeal anymore. He turned to the bar and grabbed one of the plates. As he slid it from the bar and lifted it into the air, it slipped from his fingers, fingers wet from his tears.
The plate plummeted towards his foot, and he watched it fall. His brain kept telling him to phase, to avoid the broken foot looming in his future, but he couldn't exhale to start the process; his lungs gasped in air instead.
The plate continued to fall and Jesse's eyes remained rivted to it. When it happened, he saw every moment of it.
The plate, the plate he had no physical contact with, phased in front of him, sliding through his foot and disappearing through the floor. He looked at the floor confused, and then heard the dull clatter of the plate landing in the basement level beneath him.
He looked at his hands, the hands that had not touched the plate while it fell.
"Huh. That was different."