Silent Barriers: Part 7

"Adam," greeted Jeff Stanton in his soft accent, face alighting on the screen. "How are you? Did everything turn out alright with your young recruit?"

"He's fine." Adam smiled, leaning back in his chair. "Just a misunderstanding it seems."

Stanton's eyes softened. "Good," he said, with a nod that set his wisp of white hair floating. All he needed was a mustache, Adam used to tell him, and he'd look like Einstein.

"I'm sorry for my abruptness earlier," Adam continued. "I was worried, and naturally…"

"No need to explain, Adam. I understand. We live in an ever changing world and these are times…" Stanton paused, looking down, a hand flitting briefly up to his head. He cleared his throat. "These are times for caution," he finished.

"Jeff? Are you all right?"

"Just a slight headache," came the answer, joined by a hand waving in dismissal. "I'm afraid your earlier worry got to me. I feared the project had been compromised, and stress is not good for an old man."

"Again, I apologize. As you say, these are times for caution. I overreacted. But just the same, perhaps we should wait before we make the next exchange."

"I'm not certain we can stall this," said Stanton. "We are close to completion."

"I know." Adam templed his hands in front of him. "I'm sorry. You're right. I'm just feeling uneasy, I suppose."

"Adam," said Stanton, eyes lifted up to the screen. "Do you remember what we used to say to each other in the early days of Genomex, when we were certain the Russians were sending all sorts of spies to try to get our research?"

Adam smiled. "Of course," he laughed. "Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they're not out to get you," he quoted.

Stanton put his hand to his head again. His eyes were intense. "It's funny," he said, "…how old sayings build truth with time."

Adam tipped his chin slightly to the side. "Yes," he returned hesitantly. "Yes, it certainly seems that way." Stanton got this way sometimes. Nostalgic. But… "Jeff. Is everything alright?"

Stanton nodded, doubling forward slightly. "I'm afraid this headache is getting worse," he answered. "I'll talk to you later, Adam. We'll arrange the next drop."

"Jeff…"

"Later, Adam. It's been a long day."

"Of course."

"Be well, my friend." The screen went dark.

Adam stared at it, feeling odd. Feeling… paranoid.

He just didn't have a solid reason why.

Sanctuary was loud in its silence. Brennan had never noticed that before. The silence, compared to his past history of constant city noise, had always felt calming before. Peaceful. It reinforced the feeling of safety he felt within its walls.

Now, the silence screamed at him. It beat against his skull and wouldn't let him sleep.

Betrayer, it whispered.

He stared at his ceiling with wide-awake eyes, listening to the silence and thinking.

The ring finger on his right hand felt too light, like it was about to detach and float away from his body. He wished he hadn't given Adam his ring again. It felt wrong not to have it, but he would have to get used to its absence.

He kept flexing his hands into fists, crushing his own fingertips against the abrasions on his palms.

The pain felt good.

Tomorrow, Brennan knew, life at Sanctuary would carry on. They'd investigate New Mutant sightings. Adam would work on his project and arrange another drop. And in the background, Trey Steger would be waiting, stalking him like a lion and counting on his cooperation.

Maybe Brennan would have his com-ring back by then, maybe he wouldn't. Either way, he wouldn't be saying much to his teammates. Communicating with them was a thing of the past. He'd watch and wait and scream as silently as sanctuary.

Jesse sat forward in his desk chair, refusing to recline. The mark on his back didn't hurt anymore but he was wary of aggravating it.

He should tell Adam, of course. Now, more than ever. He wasn't entirely sure why he wasn't. The benefits of telling had to outweigh the risks at this point. Didn't they? He wasn't prone to secret keeping, but he felt confused, like he was missing a piece of a puzzle. A piece he needed before he went spilling his guts to people. Operating in the dark made him feel out of control. He just needed more information.

And Brennan…

Flexing his fingers, Jesse cleared the search on his computer screen and typed in another phrase. His eyes were turning gritty and dry from all the staring, and it wasn't getting him anywhere. The databases on the subject were all academic.

Light-based tattoos, like the one on his back, were temporary, harmless unless you were allergic to the ink, and meant to fade from both cloth and skin within a week. They were a continued phenomenon at clubs, and had been for the last ten years. Slap one on a shirt and it faded through to the skin and left a pattern that glowed in the dark, changing color with different strobes.

But this one was different. And if what that guy at Arecas had said was true, then…

Jesse shook his head. He just needed to think.

Emma folded her legs underneath her, tucking her toes into the space beneath her knees, and tried to clear her mind. She closed her eyes and started taking deep breaths.

The gentle feeling of springtime settled into her head. Clear skies. Warm grass. Trees with new growth.

She held the image for a full minute before the scream crashed into it. Her eyes flew open as she sucked in air, staring around self-consciously.

It was the same scream that kept disrupting her sleep. And maybe she shouldn't have called it a scream, because it wasn't verbal. It was visual. A bolt of white followed by a flood of gray, both colors invading sharply, flashing over her world and then receding. It felt like a scream, but came with no other image to help her identify the source.

She wished sometimes that she were just a telepath. Telepaths, she thought, had it easy. Straightforward thoughts and phrases instead of assaulting images and emotions. There was a line between thoughts and emotions, natural shields between the two, and everyone's mind processed them together just a little differently. Emma picked up emotions in the way each individual experienced them, with their own interpretive pictures projected into her brain, which meant pictures she saw weren't always intuitive to her. They were someone else's manifestations. And she couldn't always tell what started with her and what started from someone else. But this... soundless scream. It was dominating. It frightened her.

Usually, the closest emotions around her were the strongest.

As she reached out she could sense the edges of her teammates' emotions.

Adam was focused.

Shalimar was restless.

Jesse was… confused, or worried… maybe just anxious.

And Brennan was… muted. Distant. Pulling himself back? She shook her head. She wasn't sure and it was frustrating her.

She couldn't tell which one the scream came from, if any of them, but she was pretty sure she wasn't going to get a lot of sleep. She could disconnect, sometimes, if it was one or the other of her teammates having a bad night, but when it was all of them at once. Forget it.

She thought about going to Adam about it. But everyone was here, safe. What was she supposed to say?

Brennan eased out of his room early the next morning. With his back to his door, he stood motionless, listening to the silence of sanctuary. He loved sanctuary, but not a lot about it was designed for privacy. Hearing nothing, he moved, rubber soled shoes light and careful on the floor.

The lab was empty. He sent a look of gratitude toward the ceiling and stepped gingerly toward the equipment shelf, slowly squeaking a drawer open to retrieve the regenerator stick.

He held his breath as he turned on the diagnostics screen, wincing as the small beep shoved out into the hollow room. Brennan waited for a moment, looking over his shoulder, then took the end off the regenerator stick and plugged it into the system.

That was the easy part. Calibrating it to his DNA would be harder.

He tugged tentatively on his shirt, wincing and breathing fast as he got it over his head, closing it in his fist as he eased back in the center chair, trying to hold still.

When the scan was complete he replaced his shirt as quickly as possible, pulled the calibrated stick from the rest of the equipment and erased the results on the mainframe. Lifting the hem of his t-shirt, he aimed the stick and tried to get the right angle against his ribs to begin to mitigate the damage they'd taken from Steger.

They were killing him.

"Hey, Bren, whatcha doing?"

Brennan dropped his shirt hem and jerked his head up, flicking his gaze over his shoulder. Shalimar stood in a lean, locked casually against the doorframe. There was a smile on her face, but a concerned frown in her eyes. Cat-like and stealthy as ever. He wished she'd make some noise when she moved.

Closing his eyes for a second, he switched gears, pulling on the persona he'd need for this exchange. By the time he faced her, his face was all sheepishness. "Hey, Shal," he said. "What are you doing up?"

She stepped forward, rocking her head casually to the side. "I asked you first."

He pulled his lips together and said nothing.

Shalimar stopped. "Brennan?" she asked, voice more concerned.

"I, uh," he grimaced and held his hands out with an embarrassed expression. "When I was looking for my ring last night, this guy bumped into me on the sidewalk. I was so focused on the street that I tripped." He showed her the scrapes on his palms, then waved the little regenerator stick in the air. "They aren't that bad but, I'm a wimp. I keep brushing my hands against stuff accidentally. I wanted to get a jump on the healing."

Shalimar clutched his fingers and pulled them forward, staring. She didn't look as amused about his story as he'd wanted her to.

"I cleaned them out already," he said, filling the silence. He pulled one hand back and held up the regenerator stick again. "Just need to…"

Shalimar took it from his hands. "Why don't you let me do that—you'll never get the right angle on your own."

He nodded, wiggling the fingers on the hand she still held. She gripped it a little tighter before letting go and angling the regenerator. "You really scared everyone yesterday, you know?"

"Yeah," he answered, dismissively, feeling the bruising ease under the pads of his fingers as she worked. The bite of the abused ribs under his shirt growled at him, but he'd have to wait and take care of them later.

Adam trotted up the stairs with a print-out in his hand. Brennan was sitting on the top-step, back to the system wall, book in hand, a focused expression on his face. Very normal, as far as the status quo was concerned. Adam stopped just below him. "Headache gone?" he asked.

Brennan looked up. "Adam," he acknowledged, drawing his legs back for Adam to pass.

Adam waited.

Brennan looked up again, then rolled his eyes. "Yes," he said tiredly. "The headache is gone."

"Hm," said Adam. There was a tenseness to Brennan's movements and caution lined in his face. Nevertheless, Adam didn't push. "Well, if you're up to giving some input, I've got some things I'd like to go over."

"I'm up to it." Brennan set the book aside and eased his feet down to the step Adam was on, and stood. He followed Adam around the corner, over to the table where the girls were sitting silently, eating something Brennan didn't recognize, and looking droopy.

Brennan leaned against the wall behind the table, propping an elbow on the ridge.

"Hey, wake up," Adam said to the group. "What happened? I thought you all went to bed early last night?"

"Shalimar just needs a cat nap," jibbed Brennan.

"Says the man with the rings under his eyes," pointed out Shalimar.

Adam shook his head with a sigh, but smiled. The teasing was normal and familiar. If it weren't for the weariness on their faces, Adam could almost forget the malaise from the day before had ever been felt.

Emma brushed her hair back and stood, trying to wake up more as Brennan turned back to Adam. "So, what's up," he asked. "Need me to make another delivery?"

"Not just yet." Adam shook his head. "We have new-mutant activity."

Brennan looked at the floor, rubbing a finger across his eyebrow.

Emma reached over for Adam's print-out then leaned against the wall on Brennan's left.

"The report came from a downtown pay phone near the Angeles de Amor Homeless Shelter," explained Adam.

"They've been known to take in new mutants in the past," said Shalimar. "This isn't the first time we've taken someone into the underground from that area."

"That's right," said Adam. "And the GSA knows it. They've been patrolling the area the last several months and I highly suspect they have agents watching the center 24/7."

"What are we supposed to do?" asked Emma. "With GSA agents everywhere, how are we supposed to check this out?"

"I have a better question," said Shalimar. "Where is Jesse? Why isn't he here?"

Adam frowned. "He told me he left a book at the club the other night and wanted to go see if it was there."

"A book?" Brennan and Shalimar said together. "At a club?"

"What," said Emma, bumping her hip into Brennan's side and getting a grunt in response. "Are you the only one who can do that?"

Shalimar laughed. "If Jesse picks up any more of your bad habits we may just have to find another elemental for the team. He's already started dodging scans."

The light smile disappeared from Brennan's face.

Emma straightened, palms suddenly dry. She looked at Brennan, then Shalimar, and finally at Adam. Adam gave her a small nod, letting her know he'd noticed the change.

"Brennan," said Shalimar. "I was just kidding."

A smile and light huff came to Brennan's lips. "Of course," he said. "I'll work at not corrupting Jesse any more." It was supposed to be a joke but it fell flat, landing too heavily in the space.

"Brennan," said Emma.

"So," he deflected. "Adam? How are we playing this?"

"Very cautiously," Adam answered, watching him. "Brennan, maybe you should stay here until I have your ring fixed. I'm afraid I started but didn't finish."

Brennan straightened, dropping his elbow off the wall. "I can do my job."

"I'm not doubting that. I just think it would be safer if…" Adam trailed off at the look on his face. "Fine. Stay with another member of the team," he finally ordered. "Don't split up."

"Yes sir," Brennan saluted jauntily, but it was forced, and everyone could tell.

"Emma," said Adam as they began to exit down the stairs. "Can I have a word?"

Brennan lingered, looking back over his shoulder. Shalimar tapped him on the arm. "Come on. Let's go warm up the Helix."

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, okay."

tbc