Author: Synthera

Disclaimer: I don't own most of them.. Wouldn't mind owning Alec though.

Rating: PG this chapter R later on.
!!!

"J, you have a visitor!" Hector, the skinny Hispanic man she worked with called out to her. With a sigh Jaia put down the pen she had been using and stood up. She had been trying to complete her homework during her break and now she had yet another interruption. It wasn't bad enough that her supervisor kept picking her for the menial tasks?

She walked around the corner to the door, tucking her hair behind her right ear while doing so. It was still in the painful growing out stage and was currently taking shape as a short bob, framing her pixie face. The current color of choice this month was brown, a smooth caramel color like her eyes. When she looked up at the door, she felt the blood drain out of her face. A knot formed in her stomach and her feet felt cold in her military issue boondockers.

She forced herself to walk calmly to the door. One foot in front of the other slowly. She got as close as she dared to the man standing there. "Well, it's been a long time hasn't it? Six, seven years?" Then quick as lightning her fist lashed out striking the man in the face. "What now Ben? You come to finish the job this time?"

Her face, a mask combined of rage and fear for a moment then blank like any Manticore soldier, tilted to follow the man's step back. A hand came to his face momentarily.

"Ben again huh? This act gets tiring." He said partly to himself. "Look, I'm not Ben. My name's Alec." He said.

"Sure thing. And today I've decided I want to be called Princess Lola." She said dryly. She kept a fighter's stance.

Alec grinned with the irony. "Really? We then I have a story to tell you. But that will have to wait until another da-" Jaia's foot in his face cut his sentence off.
"Oof" was the sound issued from his mouth as her elbow caught him in the stomach. Anger flashed in Alec's hazel eyes. Moving quicker than even Jaia's eyes could follow he stepped behind her and pushed her against the wall. Using her arm as leveraged he pinned her to the wall her face tilted to the side. With a sigh of impatience he pulled at his collar and tilted until his neck was in her view. "Look, the barcode doesn't lie lady."

Jaia's body relaxed slightly and he took that as a sign to release her. A hand went to his neck as of it's own volition. "You look just like him."

Alec grinned. "Funny thing how twins do that sometimes." The two looked around to see all of Jaia's co-workers staring at them.

"Um, now would be a good time to get out of here." Alec offered.

"I can't, I still have half a work day." Jaia said slowly.

"No, honey, I mean for good. There are some men coming that trust me, you don't want to catch you." Alec replied looking at the door anxiously. "Max will explain it all to -"

"Max? MY SISTER MAX?" Jaia demanded.

"Yeah. We have to go." Alec said as his hearing picked out the footfalls of dress shoes.

"Okay but I have to make a stop first." Jaia said leading him out of another door. They continued down a narrow hallway before coming to an office. She keyed in the combo to reveal three men, all blond, sitting in the room watching t.v.

"We need to get out of here." Alec prodded.

"Just a second." The thin girl said as she vaulted to the top of a file cabinet. She removed a roof tile and pulled two suitcases from the ceiling within. She opened one and pulled out a set of guns. She offered one to Alec who declined.

"No thanks, I brought my own toys." He said smirking as she put on the harness and slid the guns home.

The door to the office flew open, slamming into the wall behind it, sticking there. And in the hallway was a man in a suit.

"Hello Ames." Alec said sighing.

"Zack! Zack!" Max called as she ran into his apartment and found him lying on his couch, half poised to rise. "Guess what!" Her dark eyes twinkled with excitement and her hair swung in its high ponytail.

"Yeah?" Zack asked groaning.

Max, having realized she woke him apologized. "I'm sorry to wake you, I tried to find you last night but I didn't realize you had went on the raid and I can't wait any longer." She paused dramatically. "We found Jaia yesterday, that tip you got paid off. Alec sat outside that facility all night and saw her go in, He went to go get her and-"

"Wait a minute did you say you sent Alec after her?" Zack said holding up an impatient hand.

"Yeah so?" Max asked confused. "I couldn't go."

Zack's face darkened. "Max, when Ben first started killing people, he tried to start with her."

Max sat down, shocked. "He what?"

"When I found them after we split up, they had been living together for two years and refused to be split up. I would check on them every six months. I started to notice that Ben had been acting weird but Jaia, she covered for him. Saying he was just tired and stuff, and I believed her. When they were about eighteen I came to check on them and found him stabbing her with a piece of glass. He nearly killed her. When he saw me, he took off. After I got Jaia taken care of, Jondy stayed with her while I chased Ben. I never caught up to him." Zack had a far away look in his eyes.

"And I sent the man who looks just like him, after her." Max finished dully.

"You didn't know." Zack said.

"It doesn't matter. I have to get a hold of Alec. You lay down. You still need to rest." Max said distractedly as she left for the HQ.

Zach had shown up at Terminal City, the city of Freaks by way of Zane. He had regained most of his memory by then and had wanted to help in the cause. He had found Zane in an Auto shop in Okalahoma and convinced him to come with him after they saw Max on the news. Max had been thrilled to have two of her brothers with her but Zack was still having trouble fitting in with the other. He had a hard time trusting the Nomalies and his abrupt manner had set more than one X5 off. Alec had many times had to diffuse the situation.

Zack lay back and tried not to worry, to let Max take control.

Alec sighs again. "Should have known it wouldn't have been that easy, nothing Max asks me to do ever is."

"Shut up you filth." Ames pulls a gun from his coat pocket; the silver matte of the barrel is cold on ominous looking. Two more men in suits fall in behind him.

"Jaia, meet our new bad guy." Alec says gesturing in Ames' direction with what appears to be all the ease in the world.

"Let's do this the easy way 494, you and your little friend come with me willingly and I won't have to shoot your kneecaps so that you can't escape." Ames' eyes flash with hatred.

"Gee Ames, I don't really go home with someone on the first date, oh wait I do, well you haven't even bought me dinner yet." Alec says pulling a gun from his pocket. The other occupants of the room have now back themselves into the corner closest to the door. Fear is evident on their faces as their eyes flick from one gun to the other.

The two henchmen move into the room, slightly ahead of Ames. One is tall and balding, his arms so big his suit jacket looks to be stretching at the seams. The second has a slight lost look on his face, he's the same height as his compatriot but that was were the similarities ended. A flattop that was so even it looked like a brand new eraser graced his head and his nose was so big it reminded Jaia of a clown.

Jaia dropped her suitcase as Baldy sprung at her suddenly. She reached for her guns in her holsters but the man hit her before she could draw them, and their momentum had them rolling until they hit the wall with a thud. Her teeth clacked together at the impact and it felt as if fire raced along her arm. Damn, dislocated again. Third time this month. Think I would get used to by now. Jaia thought as she struggled to rise. She kicked out at Baldy sending him skidding a few feet from her. Grateful of this reprieve she stood, pulling her gun with the remaining good arm.

She leveled her arm and pulled the trigger without hesitation as Baldy was heading for her again. The shower of blood made her wince slightly but she turned just in time to see Flattop charging at her and Alec struggling with Ames halfway out of the room. She tried to pull the trigger but her opponent grabbed her wrist and jerked her arm, a pop sounded and nausea rose from Jaia's stomach as her good arm dislocated.

Her hand squeezed reflexively and the bullet hit the clock on the wall. Her ears were now ringing with the latest report and her light meal of salad and chicken was threatening to make a second appearance. She could dimly hear Alec shouting her name as she sank to the ground in a ball of pain. Flattop was kicking and hitting her.

Suddenly the blows stopped and Jaia looked up. Alec was standing over her, the man's neck in his hand. Bent to the side at an odd angle, broken, memories flooded her mind but she shook her head. The memories and her vision cleared.

"Ames?" She asked weakly.

"Not dead, unconscious." Alec replied dropping the man. He knelt next to Jaia and felt her shoulders. "Both are dislocated, this is going to hurt."

No shit. "Just do it fast." Jaia replied holding her breath. Alec yanked upward than inward on her right arm and black dots swam before her eyes. My, what pretty stars. When he took a hold of her left arm she stopped him. "I just need one." Her fear of passing out grabbed her. She would be no good to him out cold.

His eyes bored into hers, then he nodded quickly. He pulled her to her feet and gathered her suitcase. When he started for the door Jaia called out.

"Shouldn't we kill him? It's not wise to leave him alive." Jaia said gesturing with her chin to where Ames lay on the floor in the hall.

"Nah, what you did was self-defense, that would be cold blood. We don't need them" He gestured in the direction of the three men huddled in the corner. "To think any worse of us. Come on." Shaking her head Jaia followed.

On the way out her eyes met those of one of the men pressed into the corner. Guess we won't be going on that date after all. She thought regretfully.

Reluctantly she followed Alec to a brown pickup parked in the lot outside.

Max dashed into HQ yelling for Mole and for Dix. "Dix I need an outside line to Alec's cell pronto. Mole, I need to speak with you in my office. Dix, let me know when you've got that line."

Slightly taken aback by Max's tone Dix nodded and went to work immediately. Mole on the other hand moved more slowly. Clenched between his teeth, his favored brand of stogie, he ambled to Max's office where she was waiting. In his way showing a bit of rebellion. Mole was one who didn't particularly like Max in charge and was loyal to Alec. In fact many times Max had had to go to Alec to get compliance out of Mole.

"What do you want?" The lizard-like Nomalie growled.

"I want you to get in here and close the door." Max growled back.

Mole slammed the door. Max grit her teeth in aggravation

"Look, Alec is about to have a few problems coming his way and I wanted your help." Max said slowly.

At the mention of Alec, Mole stood a little straighter. "Is it enemy trouble? I can be deployed in under fifteen." He said fast.

"Not that kind of trouble. Thanks though." Max said, her tone kinder and eyes softening at the display of loyalty. "I asked him to go on a mission of sorts for me, to get my sister down south and well, it looks like I should have sent someone else." At the look of anger on Mole's face she held up a hand. "Not that Alec can't do the job, it's just that this particular sister had a run in with his twin, they were close, and he tried to kill her." Her face grew serious. "None of this leaves this room. I mean it Mole. I have a feeling I won't be able to reach Alec in time to stop him and that would mean that he'd know too. Alec may seem like a tough guy but I think he is going to need some help, Help he won't take from me."

Mole's eyes widened then narrowed. "So you want me to help Pretty Boy?"

"Not really, just be there for him. I also need you to do some digging and find out what else Ben, X5-493 has done. I would ask Zack, but he doesn't remember everything and it's too painful to ask right now. Can you do that for me?" Max looked at him intently.

A light knock sounded at the door and Dix's voice softly said, "Got it Max."

Mole nodded. "You'll have your info tonight."

Max sighed with relief. "Thanks I won't forget it."

"I could use some cigars."

"Do good and I'll get ya Cubans." Max promised.

Max left the small room and reached for the headset Dix held out to her.

Alec cursed as his phone rang. They were barely off of the base and he was worried about being followed. To make things worse Max's sister was huddled against the door as far as she could get from him her eyes watching his every move.

"Alec here." He answered curtly dodging in and out of traffic.

"Alec, It's Max. I need to warn you about something, it has to do with Jaia." Max began

"Let me guess, She thinks I wanna kill her and knows Ben?" Alec said wryly watching Jaia's face as he said this.

"Oh god, you've seen her?" Max asked.

"You could say that. She's sitting next to me. We ran into White though. He had come to get her. Guess he didn't count on little ol' me."

Max was quiet a moment. "Is he dead?"

"Nah, but he will have a headache when he wakes up. You should see your sister fight. She's kind of scrappy, even though I had to save her." He said smirking in her direction. His tactic worked and she came to life.

"Whatever, I was just setting him up!" Jaia declared.

"Is that her?" Max asked.

"Nope, another transgenic babe I picked up. Who else would it be?" Alec asked rolling his eyes and handing the phone to Jaia without another word.

"Max?" Came the small voice from the other side of the line.

"Jaia? It's me." Max replied exhaling a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Are you okay?"

"Mostly."

"I'm sorry about Alec-"

"It's okay. I'm kind of glad he was there." Jaia interrupted.

"If I would have known.." The phone went dead and static buzzed in her ear. She turned around and Dix looked apologetic.

"Sorry Max, they caught the freq."

"It's okay." Disappointment colored her voice. "I'm going to go to my place for a while if anyone needs me." Max trudged slowly out of HQ. Being up for four days straight was taking her toll. She would be happy when Alec got back. Maybe then she could get some rest.

Jaia looked at the phone in confusion. "It's dead."

Alec took it from her and slipped it into his pocket. "Happens. The ordinaries are jamming all communications. Sometimes Dix gets lucky."

"So where are we going?"

"Seattle. Terminal City to be exact. Should take us two and a half days tops." The road hit a bump jarring Jaia's shoulder and she cursed.

Alec looked over and saw how green she was and cursed also. "I forgot about your shoulder." He pulled to the side of the road at the next diner. He got out and went to her side of the truck. "You don't look so good." He said as he opened her door.

"You should see yourself. That shiner is nice." She retorted.

She looked into his eyes as he took a hold of her wrist. Fear showed anew for a brief moment before being replaced by determination. He again yanked and the pain was horrible.

Oh look, those stars again. Was the last thing Jaia thought before oblivion took over.

Alec gently leaned Jaia back against the truck and closed the door. He removed his jacket as he walked around the backside of the truck. Rolling his head from side to side as he got in to loosen his muscles he looked at Max's sister in contemplation. She had that same fragile look that Max had when she slept but Jaia seemed more..scarred. Her delicate features were slack but he could all too remember the fire in her eyes and ironic set to her mouth.

He reached across her and put his balled up jacket against the door and propped her head against it. He fastened her seatbelt and then started the car. His hand went to his temple when his eye was rapidly swelling from a hit Ames had given his with his gun. His back ached in protest to the ridged position the truck's bench enforced on him and he could the bruised forming along his body.

SO I know it's kind of short but I will promise a longer chapter next time!