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Brennan giggled.
Emma raised her eyebrows at him. "What?" They'd been in the middle of an incredibly intimate moment and he'd started laughing?
"Nothing."
Was he blushing? "What?" she demanded, her brow furrowed now.
"I can see your underwear," he answered sheepishly, trying desperately not to stare at her chest.
She gave him a scolding look, not seeing the humor. "I'm glad that amuses you."
"I just never pictured you as the lacy bra type," he explained. "Sheesh, is that a flower."
She instantly slapped his hand away. "BRENNAN!" She glared at him before softening a bit. "So you've pictured me in my underwear?"
"No," he said a bit too quickly, shaking his head and feeling somewhat dizzy.
Pretending to pout, she did her best to look disappointed. "Why not?"
He was a bit taken aback by that. "Hey, no fair teasing the guy suffering from massive blood loss. You know I'm screwed no matter what I say."
"True," she smirked at him. And she had to admit the situation was sort of funny once she accepted that he was okay. "Who'd have ever thought we'd end up locked in a room together half naked due to Eckhart?"
"Remind me to send him a thank you card once we're home." Grinning, he reached out and playfully snapped her bra strap. "It's pink." He couldn't hold back his laugh.
"Don't snap my bra straps," she warned him.
"I'm a guy, Em," he told her. "We see a cute girl in her underwear, and we're required to snap her bra straps. It's in the rule book."
She arched an eyebrow at him once more. "Is that so?"
"Yeah. I'd tell you to look it up, but the first rule of the rule book is no sharing the rule book with girls."
She shook her head and laughed. "You're making this up."
"Am not."
"Even with a governor, I'm still picking up the liar vibes."
"Alright, fine," he relented. "There's no rule book. But when I tell Jesse all about this, I can't have him thinking I didn't take full advantage of the situation," he teased.
"You're not telling Jesse about this," she threatened.
A mischievous smirk spread across his face. "What, are you kidding? That's the first thing I'm doing."
"And I mistook you for mature," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"A mistake you'll never make again," Brennan joked before ruthlessly starting to tickle her.
After getting way out of control and rolling around on the floor for awhile, Emma had him pinned beneath her. "I ended up on top again," she bragged, referring to back in the van.
"It wasn't a fair fight," Brennan only half complained. "I'm still woozy."
Emma smiled down at him before thinking of something. "You know Eckhart just got this on tape."
Now it was Brennan's turn to smile. "You wanna give him a real show?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively at her.
She patted his cheek and gave him a "nice try" look before getting up. "I'll let ya know."
Brennan kept smiling. There wasn't a chance in hell.
-----
"You've lost weight," Jordan remarked as Brennan stepped off the scale.
"Yeah, that tends to be a side-effect of the starvation," Brennan retorted.
"Are you hungry?"
Actually, he wasn't really. He knew his metabolism was adjusting to the absence of food, yet he still wondered how long he could go before eventually starving to death. "Do you care?"
"Yes," Jordan replied honestly. "Sit. I need to get another blood sample."
Somewhat thrown by Jordan's confession of caring, Brennan actually sat and allowed himself to be restrained once more. He'd been planning to bolt while it was just him and Jordan, but he'd be far more likely to succeed if the young man was on his side. Maybe continued cooperation would be worth his while.
As Jordan drew a vile of his blood, Brennan seemed to get his wits back. "Why do you need that? Didn't you mop enough up off the floor?"
Jordan didn't say anything for a while. He gave Brennan a sad look. "The next test is designed to measure your tolerance to pain, so I won't be able to give you any more meds."
Brennan shook his head in disgust. "Don't you have any morals? You're torturing me. You know that."
"In the end, the benefits will outweigh--"
"That's crap! In the end, you damn well know I'll be dead!" He should have run when he'd had the chance. Jordan was brainwashed by the GSA; he'd never be an ally.
As the young doctor turned to leave, Brennan couldn't hide the fact that he was afraid. "Stay with me," he suddenly requested, not taking his eyes off Jordan. He didn't want him around, but it would be to his advantage. He needed to see Jordan's reaction to his torture. He needed to know if there was even the slightest chance he'd be able to manipulate him.
-----
Electrodes were attached to his chest and several monitors were set up before the last strap was tightened across Brennan's shoulders. His pulse was already racing.
Jordan gently touched his arm. "This will only last a few minutes."
His words didn't comfort Brennan in the least. He was completely strapped down. What were they possibly going to do to him?
"I want you to try to relax," Jordan continued. His readings were spiking from fear and they hadn't even started yet. "Each level will last for ten seconds, then there will be a pause for three. On each pause you'll want to take a deep breath and hold it. Okay?"
Brennan closed his eyes tightly and didn't reply.
Jordan rubbed his arm once more. "If your readings go anywhere near critical, we'll stop immediately."
The anticipation of pain was worse than the actual infliction of it. Brennan repeated that over and over to himself as he waited.
It wasn't true.
He was completely unprepared as agony flared inside him. He'd been expecting it to come from an external source. Ever muscle in his body tensed and he arched.
The restraints held him, but he couldn't even jerk away from the source of the pain if he were free. It was originating deep inside of him. What started sharply behind his eyes spread instantly down into every fiber of his body. Every nerve was on fire.
Shit! He didn't know the governors were capable of this.
Ten seconds eventually slipped by, then it stopped. Brennan gasped. He could have withstood something twice as painful if he were allowed to flinch away. Being completely unable to move away from it was the worst part.
Recalling what Jordan had said, he quickly jerked another breath into his lungs and held it. But it was ripped from him much too quickly as he screamed.
He felt the internal pain mostly behind his eyes, and he began rolling his head from side to side. But it was also everywhere, coursing down his spine and branching all the way to his toes. He thrashed, wondering if it was even real or if the governor was just making him believe there was pain. It couldn't hurt this much and leave him alive if it were real.
When it stopped again, his body ached. That pain he knew was self- inflicted. It was caused from overly tensing his body. But how the hell was he supposed to relax? It was impossible.
Jordan rested a hand on his shoulder yet again, and Brennan was actually grateful. It gave him something to pull away from. He drew more air in several fast gasps, then recoiled from Jordan's touch as the pain erupted inside him once more.
This continued for a few more long minutes with Brennan continuing to shrink away from Jordan's fingers as if they were what burned him, focusing only on that touch until he could no longer even feel it. His breathing turned to hyperventilating, then Brennan thought it might have ceased entirely. And then he blacked out.
Awareness returned a few moments later. His body was sore, and he was drenched in sweat and trembling. Somebody touched his face, but he didn't have the strength to turn his head or even open his eyes.
Fingers carefully slipped two small pills into his mouth. Then a cup of water was held to his lips and the cool liquid was poured into his mouth. "Swallow," he was instructed before his throat was gently rubbed to encourage just that.
Brennan tried to obey but only choked. His throat was tight and he couldn't swallow. He stopped trying.
The strap across his chest was instantly removed and his left wrist was freed, then he was helped to role onto his side so that he could cough. He spit out the pills then continued to choke and gasp.
"Let me know if you're going to be sick," Jordan told him while rubbing his back.
Finally managing to open his eyes, Brennan stared at him. He shook his head. He didn't think he had enough energy left to vomit.
The wet hair was brushed back from his forehead in a kind gesture. "Lie back down," Jordan ordered gently.
Brennan fell back against the table and closed his eyes once more. His wrist was taken by the other doctor and moved to his side so the restraint could be refastened. Brennan remained completely limp and offered no signs of fighting.
Jordan retrieved more pain pills. "When you're ready, we can try this again," he told Brennan.
He was encouraged by Jordan's natural tendency to take care of him, but at the moment he didn't think even enough morphine to numb an elephant would be able to help, much less a couple little pills.
As he attempted to fall asleep, strange gloves were slipped onto his hands. He didn't really pay any attention until his governor was deactivated next. Opening his eyes, he stared questioningly at Jordan.
"Channel as much electrical current into your hands as you're able," the older doctor commanded.
Brennan hesitated. "I need my hands free." He felt like crap, but if he could get them to release his hands while his governor wasn't active, he'd risk making his move.
The other man wasn't amused. "I'm not that gullible, Mulwray."
Relenting, Brennan attempted to form a charge. But he hardly put any effort into it. He needed to save his strength for a chance to fight.
The doctor charted something on his clipboard, then glanced up at the observation window. "That was about enough power to light a Christmas tree bulb," he commented.
Brennan stared up at the glass. He wondered how long Eckhart had been watching. Why was it even important that he was an elemental? He'd assumed he had been captured simply because he was a member of Mutant X.
"Then I suggest we find a method that doesn't require his cooperation," Eckhart's voice said through the speaker.
-----
A bolt of electricity shot into his body and Brennan squirmed a bit from the tickle. He tingled all over, but he was absorbing it perfectly. Then he felt it grow stronger.
There wasn't any pain at first, just an almost familiar static charge which increased to an odd vibration. He was unable to channel the current out of his body, so the strange sensation mounted.
Brennan didn't think it hurt, although after the pain he'd been put through, his definition of what hurt had changed drastically. This he could tolerate. It wasn't his own energy, but it was something his body knew.
The warmth eventually became heat, the tingle turned into a loud hum in his ears, and he was completely wrapped in it. It was so intense, he felt like he'd explode from the fibrillations. Whenever he used his abilities, the electricity was always expelled almost instantly. He'd never been subjected to prolonged exposure before.
He knew when his body had physically reached its limited. He felt the spasms start. But he was completely zoned by the heat. The change in temperature was unexpected, and he decided it was related somehow to the Messiah Strand. The surge was incredible and still building to an even greater level. There was some amount of pain now, growing steadily worse, but it was insignificant in comparison to the raw power his body was being forced to endure.
He started to writhe as the electricity gathered in his very core. He tossed his head back, needing to breathe. He arched from the tension, feeling the power moving through him with no means of release.
He was completely ungrounded. But this was what his body was made to do. His new mutant ability was being tested to its fullest extent. Even with his gift, however, he knew his body would be forced to shut down soon.
Yet there would be no explosion, no climactic release. He'd merely crash. The power would only drain from him when the electricity was either stopped, or when it would stop his heart and his body would die.
Reaching this precipice had forever been one of his greatest fears. His power used against him until it was too much. The force deadly.
But he wouldn't be able to actually witness the moment the line was crossed. He passed out as the spasms became convulsions.
-----
"Is he able to continue?"
Jordan tore his gaze from Brennan to stare at Eckhart. "Continue? How far are you planning to take this?" He couldn't possibly want to up the current farther. Brennan had already fallen unconscious, his body still seizing.
Eckhart's gaze remained stoic, his eyes placid and emotionless. He was taking this all the way. Jordan decided to expect the worst. "I'll get a shot of epi ready and prepare for defib."
Eckhart looked to the other doctor. "No."
Jordan stared at his boss who nodded. The two of them couldn't be serious. "If you continue to raise the level, you're going to stop his heart."
"Mr. Eckhart is well aware of that," the doctor told him.
Jordan paled. So, that was why Mulwray had been selected from the list of elementals. They were testing to see if his own power could be triggered by the strand at the moment of death in order to restart his heart.
Eckhart turned to face him. "Is there a problem?" He waited a moment for an answer. "Perhaps you'd like to leave?"
Finding his voice, Jordan managed to decline. "No. I'm fine."
As the electricity was raised yet again, all of Brennan's readings suddenly plunged. Jordan rushed forward. "Kill the current!" he shouted. When it was done, he immediately checked for a pulse. "He's flatlining."
Withdrawing his hand, he stepped back. The other doctor was writing something down. Eckhart was just standing there, calm and composed as always. Jordan wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. He was part of a group who'd just intentionally killed someone.
Before he had a chance to dwell on that, the monitors snapped back to life and Brennan gasped. Jordan practically jumped. Shit! He hadn't been expecting him to just revive like that.
The other doctor and Eckhart both moved to his side, yet Jordan remained frozen. He watched as an oxygen mask was slipped onto Brennan's face to aid his recovery, the test over. Then he noticed something which completely stunned him. Brennan was awake.
His eyes were searching the room for something. They came to a rest when his gaze landed on Jordan. He couldn't read his expression before it contorted with pain as the governor was reactivated. Brennan's eyes closed for a minute before opening and finding him once more.
Jordan's breath caught in his throat and he quickly spun and left the room. He couldn't face him.
-----
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