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"What is it?" Eckhart kept his back to Brennan as he spoke, a sign of his overconfidence. He stared through the window of his office that was almost identical to the one at Genomex.
Brennan waited for him to turn around. "I haven't fought you. I've withheld my side of our deal, and I'll continue to do so. But I want your word on something. When this is over, you'll let Emma go."
Sitting, Eckhart looked across his desk at him. "Why should I do that?"
"Because I'm offering you my full cooperation, and my life." He knew the experiments were going to be concluded by his permanent death. There was no escaping that. The only thing he didn't know was how long it would take. But he'd stopped sleeping, so it would happen. The only problem was that he was slowly losing his mind the further this was prolonged, and he didn't want Emma forced to witness that. "The next time I die, you set her free."
"I'll give it careful consideration."
That wasn't good enough. "I need your answer now."
Eckhart remained sitting and kept his tone calm. "You're not in a position to make demands."
Matching his air of composure, Brennan replied, "Then we have no deal, and I will fight you."
Eckhart slowly stood. "I can have the girl killed."
"You'll do as you will." Brennan made certain that he showed no emotion. For Emma's sake, she couldn't be seen as his weakness. "You've made it clear I have no power. I won't let her be used against me any longer."
With a slight incline of his head, Eckhart pressed a button on his desk which opened his office door. "Very well."
Brennan's handler took a step forward and Brennan walked to take his place at the man's side. His movements held a sure confidence despite the fact that his hands were bound. He looked once more to Eckhart. "You will regret this." Not a threat, a promise.
"As will you, Mr. Mulwray."
-----
"How old are you?" Brennan asked as his health was checked, curious if Jordan was as young as he looked.
"Nineteen," was the reply. "But I shouldn't be talking to you like this."
Damn. He couldn't start acting detached now. "All I did was ask your age," Brennan said, trying not to panic. "Where's the harm in that?"
Jordan sighed. "It's under other circumstances that we could be friends. Not under these."
"Why?" Brennan asked, keeping him talking. The rest of Mutant X had yet to mount a rescue, and Eckhart had made it perfectly clear that he would never let Emma go. Their only hope rested with Jordan. "Because you're not allowed to fraternize with the freaks? What are you afraid of?"
Jordan glared at him. "We're on opposite sides, Mulwray. In case you'd forgotten, you're a member of Mutant X."
He hadn't forgotten. "I'm not sure I even trust Adam any longer," Brennan said quietly, staring at his hands and noting the absence of his ring. "He should have gotten me out of here by now."
Looking back to Jordan, Brennan felt as though he'd just sworn off his loyalty to Mutant X. "You need to question things as well," he told Jordan. "You've got your whole life ahead of you. You need to decide where you stand."
Jordan didn't reply, and Brennan closed his eyes, feeling ashamed. Eckhart wasn't the only one crossing lines. He was playing a dangerous game himself.
-----
After he was given another injection, Brennan was left alone with Jordan once more. He knew the young doctor was recording his reaction to the drug. Brennan didn't much mind it anymore. The rush made him feel good.
He had to be getting close to the end of these injections. He already wondered if he'd crossed the point of no return. He looked to Jordan. "You can stop this."
"I don't have that kind of authority," was the simple reply.
Brennan fidgeted against his restraints. The next test would be soon. "Jordan, please..."
He gave Brennan an empathetic look. "I can give you something to help you relax, but that's all."
"I don't want to relax. I want to stop being treated like I'm not a person!" He stared deeply at Jordan, desperately needing him to understand. "I'm the same as you."
Jordan retrieved a syringe and Brennan tried to pull his arm away but was held in place by the restraints. "It's a light sedative," Jordan explained. "It will help."
Brennan yanked his arm again and kept Jordan from being able to find a vein. Sedatives were the last thing he wanted. "Don't drug me."
Jordan gave up and tossed the syringe in the trash. "You are too god-damn stubborn, Mulwray!"
"Fuck you!" Brennan tossed back before being able to think better of his reaction. All Jordan was willing to do was keep combating his pain with chemicals. But Brennan wanted it to stop!
Jordan gave him a spiteful glare before eventually saying, "They want you to struggle, but it will be better for you if you don't fight." He snapped off his gloves and slung them in the general direction of the trash.
As his handler entered, Brennan turned back to Jordan, still regarding him angrily. "What's going to happen to me?" he asked concerning the warning.
Jordan just turned away as Brennan was released from the chair and forced to stand so his hands could be cuffed again behind his back. The metal slipped around one wrist, but before the second one could be locked, he spun, instantly changing position so he could grab his handler's wrist.
If you could control the wrist, you gained control over the arm. Pushing hard against the man's palm and bending it painfully back, Brennan then slid his other hand to the elbow. The arm was his. He shifted his weight in order to toss his handler to the floor.
At that moment, another guard entered through the door. When Brennan moved, his ankle was grabbed by his handler. Placing all his weight on the captured limb, he used his other leg to kick over the trash. Bending, he fist slammed the metal of his handcuffs into his handler's face, then he picked up the syringe Jordan had discarded and tossed it at the man who'd just entered. It caught him directly in the throat.
Breaking free of his handler, he rolled over the table then lunged for the other man. He'd pulled the syringe out of his neck and made a move to punch Brennan. The strike was swiftly blocked. Noticing that the guard had left his side exposed, Brennan kicked forward, placing his foot on the man's stomach then continuing to step down hard.
When he cried out, the ball of Brennan's palm smashed into his face, breaking his nose with a martial arts move that could have potentially killed him. Adam had once told him to never enter a fight he couldn't end in thirty seconds. Right now, he was using moves that would assure just that. His only objective was to win.
The room was now clear except for Jordan, and it was simple for Brennan to get his arm pinned behind his back before he even saw the advance coming. "Who's side are you on?"
Jordan didn't answer.
Brennan took a deep breath. Right. Jordan was one of the bad guys. Since he controlled the young man's arm, Brennan had control over Jordan's entire balance. He shoved him toward the door, yet stopped before opening it.
Brennan leaned in close to Jordan's ear. "Look after Emma for me," was all he said before finally moving them into the hall and into the midst of a dozen guards. Brennan had expected as much. Eckhart would have been prepared after their little talk.
Moving his arm around Jordan's neck, he squeezed, blocking his airway. "Go to sleep," he instructed softly before letting Jordan drop limply. Then he raised his hands and placed them behind his head in surrender.
Several punches landed upon him regardless, and he was thankful he hadn't tried to use Jordan as a shield. He would have merely been taken out in order for them to get to Brennan.
His handler had come around from the blow at this point and finished securing Brennan's hands. He turned to spot the hall camera. Eckhart would be watching. He mouthed "round one" before being shoved in the back and forced to walk.
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