Sometimes, she wished they could go back to the way things were.

It had taken a year or so, but the United States had figured that having the Terminal City transgenics under their control would be better then eliminating them out right, and had declared Terminal City a 'protectorate' under their laws.

The transgenics had been given no vote, no choice.

Maybe it wasn't hell, but it certainly wasn't an ideal situation for them. And Max worried every time an 'incident' cropped up—which seemed to be happening more and more as of late.

Which was why, when her pager blared, she was already hovering on the edge of her couch, just waiting for a reason to run into command. The code—i4 AWOL, PNX/i—scared her; she knew that Phoenix Unit was trouble, from their high priority on the Government's watch list to their unpredictable behavior, they were constantly putting TC at risk.

Max really, really, ireally/i didn't want to know what would happen this time, but it was looking like she was about to find out.

"Get me Alec! They're from his unit, he can wrangle them!" She called to Mole, desperate for some one to do isomething/i.

Mole fixed her with his usual, unreadable, stare. "Problem there, boss," He said, biting the end of his cigar and looking every bit like he was preparing himself. "Alec's with them. He's one of the four."

With the pitch her voice hit, she was surprised there was any glass left in command, and, oddly, Mole's bracing made sense. "You're going to repeat that, very slowly, and carefully." She growled, grabbing Mole by the front of his flak jacket and pulling him down to her height.

For possibly the first time in his life, Mole felt a little afraid. "Uh, I sent Alec to meet with his former second in command, you know, the guy who currently runs Phoenix Unit. And then…well, next thing we know, Alec's ordering us to stand down, and the four of them are heading out into Seattle proper."

"Who iexactly/i went?" She breathed, seething.

Mole swallowed hard. "496, 105 and 511."

Max wanted to punch something, and Mole, seemingly sensing his messenger status was putting him in some serious risk, ducked from her grasp and made sure he was well out of swinging distance. "Someone, iplease/i, get them back here. iNow/i."

A hand brushed her shoulder, and Max spun, ready to tear whoever touched her a new one. Thankfully, it was a pair of soft green eyes that stared back, though they were watching her raised fist rather wearily. "I was told that my…" Ben paused, sucking his teeth as he searched for the word, "iclones/i have gone AWOL?" He looked like he was trying rather hard not to look pleased.

It wasn't helping Max's mood that he wasn't succeeding. "Ben, shut the hell up." She glared, turning around, looking for something, anything, to distract her. However, the rest of the command wasn't deaf, and the usually bustling hub was nearly empty.

And, of course, there was someone who looked iidentical/i to the very person she was so ivery/i angry with.

Ben took the blow gracefully, barely turning his head when she punched him squarely in the jaw.

Predictably, she held out for all of a minute before she grabbed at her hand, hissing, "Fuck! Ow!"

"That's why we don't fight angry, little sister." Ben said, rubbing at the red spot forming on his jaw, "And for the record, that hurt."

Max ignored him, all of her attention on the throbbing of her right knuckles and the general feeling that her hand was about to shatter. "Is there something you ineed/i, Ben? Because right now, one designation off is close enough in my book."

She would never tell him, but the slightly disgusted and miffed expression, tinged with pride and maybe a touch of arrogance, was definitely inherited from his time with his twin. "What set this off?"

With a sigh, Max felt the very most seething of her anger evaporate, her body just too damn tired to deal with all of it. "Alec."

"Yeah, I got that. What did he do?"

"It's what he ididn't/i do." She said, sinking into the nearest chair. Still rubbing his jaw, Ben joined her. She winced apologetically, but he just held up his hand, gesturing for her to continue. "You know Alec and his unit were the elite—so elite, they were stationed all around the world, embedded in foreign programs…Well, when they came here, they still kept with some of their contacts. It came down the line that governments were willing to pay top dollar for a transgenic assassin, specifically from Alec's old unit. Felix—why Alec lets him stay in charge, I have no idea—was gung-ho for the idea, and ready to go. I said no. Felix went anyway, and Alec iknew/i…" Her voice broke on her, as an unspoken fear rose to the surface, "And I think Alec iordered/i it."

Ben listened to her, and took a moment to take it all in. "You honestly think he'd order it behind your back? I mean, he is attempting that whole…icourting/i thing." He was quite proud that his disgust didn't show.

Max sighed, looking away. "That's what I don't get. It's like there's two Alecs…no, not like that." She said, catching Ben's alarmed movement. "Not like you're whole psycho dealio. It's like he can just put our relationship in a box, and all the politics in another, and never the twain shall meet." She put her chin in her hands, frowning. "I can't do that. It's all right there."

"You may have to work on that, Maxie." Ben said, frowning. "Terminal City voted for two leaders, and Alec nearly won the popular vote." Personally, he remembered rumors circulating that Alec had also put out the idea for two leaders, and thus, ensured that Max would be in office. Ben hadn't understood the move then, and still couldn't now, especially when his clone sidestepped the media, allowing the human world to focus on Max. "As long as you're in office, if you want to have a relationship, you have to take a page out of his book."

"When did you get so smart, brother?" Max asked, jostling him with her shoulder comfortably.

Ben smiled at her, a soft, almost unsure smile, "When you managed to rescue me from Manticore. They may have cured my insanity, but you got me back out."

Max's mind flashed back to that dreadful day, first the realization that her brother was a serial killer, and then knowing he wouldn't stop. She had no idea what she had planned to do with him, but after taking out his knee, with him begging for her to end it, she had been ready too. But their discussion had taken too long, and Max had only realized they were surrounded when she had been tazered. In the miracle that followed, she had managed to throw off most of the shock, prompted by Ben's scream of 'run!' and had done just that. She was sure they killed him, and had carried that around with her until he had shown up at TC, a beaten Biggs in his arms, looking weary of approaching Alec who seemed to be ivery/i familiar with Ben. "You still haven't told me what they did to you."

Ben's face closed off, and he looked away. "And I won't. Some things you shouldn't hear." As always, whenever she attempted to pry more out of him, he suddenly became deaf.

"I'll get it out of you one day," She teased. "Now, I need to get eyes on Alec, and figure out why the hell he's suddenly lost his mind."

"Or you could just, I dunno, iask/i."

Max spun, not expecting the eerily similar voice to sound from behind her.

Alec stood there, the three other AWOL soldiers just behind him, and he did not look happy.

However, neither was Max, and she tore in on him: "What the hell did you think you were doing? You were supposed to italk/i to them!"

His expression didn't change. "I did."

She felt Ben take a step away from her, and increased her glare on Alec. "iInside/i Terminal City!"

"Ah. Well, there we might have a little problem." He stood comfortably, confidently, and Max felt a slight twinge of fear. "Because we're not staying in TC."

It took her several minutes to process that statement, and another couple to realize that Alec had said 'we'. "Wait, what?"

Behind Alec, the lone female in the group let out a scathing chuckle, but aside from that, they were silent, at ease. "We—as in Phoenix Unit, the X5Rs—are leaving TC." There was something in his eyes, something that was almost like pain.

But Max really could only register one thing, "You're leaving me?"

"It figures she prioritizes the mate above the fact that she's losing an entire squadron of transgenics." 496, Felix MacGyver, announced, with a quick glance to the two others standing beside him.

"Dismissed." Alec muttered, glancing over his shoulder. To Max's surprise, the three of them snapped to attention, saluting, before heading back out the way they came. "As Felix said, it's slightly more complicated like that and I swear to god, if you keep glaring at me like, 493, I'll take it as a challenge and we all remember what happened last time." Alec finished, the last bit directed at his twin.

Max turned to see Ben reluctantly schooling his face into something less hostile. "You're leaving my sister."

"Again, there's more to it. Much more." He snarled, and Max honestly knew they were about to come to blows.

With a hasty nod to Mole (who was doing a very good job at pretending he wasn't listening), she deliberately placed herself between the twins. "Guys."

"Princess!" It was reluctantly that Alec tore his gaze from Ben's, the intense green now focused on Mole. "So, if your squad is leaving, then you'll need to be armed, eh?"

"Yes…" Alec admitted, glancing back over his shoulder to Max and Ben, "But now is not the time." He turned back, attention only on Max. "Look, Max, I have to stick by my people as much as you do yours…even though it sucks…" He added, almost as an after thought. "But it comes down to this; you're letting them istifle/i us. We can't exist without remembering 'they want us to be more human'. Now, not everyone feels that way." He conceded, looking much more like the laid back Alec she remembered. "But, and please, don't freak at this, a lot of iyour/i supporters are…zealots."

"This is because I vetoed Phoenix Unit from taking missions." She said, her mouth dry.

Alec looked around, as if trying to find a better word. "Yes and no. I mean, partly, yes, you're denying the Phoenixes pretty much everything they iknow/i, but there's also a percent of the population who expected for us to embrace the animal we are, and have our government based on pack…" He shook his head. "And I tried, Max. How many other ihuman/i governments have an alpha male iand/i female? But, it's not working."

"You can't, it's not safe! And the government will nuke us!" Her greatest fear, the reason why she had been fighting so hard, it was out in the open, and it was terrifying to admit it.

And Alec showed no reaction, of course he knew, he held the same position she did, "My crew have been running missions since they arrived; did you or anyone else notice?" His look of smug superiority was enough to make Max see red, her terror fueling her rage.

"You're leaving over my dead body." She growled, starting to circle him, "You can't just abandon your people!"

He seemed completely at ease—even bored—despite the fact she was ready to tear out his throat. "I'm not; iI'm/i saving them, by letting them be who they want to be. We're giving them ioptions/i, Max. And, really, please, do you want to make a fool of yourself?" He questioned, as she lined herself up directly behind him.

It was almost comical the way he sidestepped her tackle, letting her crash into Ben with a vaguely amused expression. "Maxie, please, don't do this. Seriously. I don't want to…" He trailed off, pleading in his eyes.

But Max was beyond livid. "Oh, no, Mr. 'Alpha', this is how you all claim your rank? Well, defend it from me."

She swung at him, and he caught her wrist easily, bringing it down and then straight-arming it back up, locking her elbow extended and jamming the humerus into the scapula, effectively deadlocking her arm. "Max," He whispered, using her numb arm to pull her close, looking pained, "Please. I don't want to hurt you. And you're about to make a flat out challenge."

"I wasn't already?!" She snarled, yanking her arm away, only to be caught by Ben.

He yanked down, dislocating but freeing her shoulder, before whispering, "Max, seriously, you should back down." She shook her head, but he held her injured shoulder firm, keeping her back. "You wanted to know what Manticore did to cowl me into submission? They left me alone with ihim/i." And only then, did Ben step back, watching Alec wearily.

With those rather severe words of warning, Max gave slight pause…but Alec was lounging against one desk, deliberately letting himself be vulnerable.

"I'm not going to let you split our people up!" She declared, ignoring the gathering crowd of transgenics.

"Who said you had a choice?" The tone in his voice was foreign, and sent fear spiking through her body. When Alec looked back up at her, she thought maybe, just maybe, she had pushed this too far. "Ok, Ms. President Elect, this is your last chance to stand down."

Max strode up to him, invading his personal space, jamming a finger into his chest. At this range, she could smell the testosterone he was putting out, and see that the hair on the back of his neck was standing damn near straight up. "No, it's iyour/i, last chance."

Alec smirked, gently pressing a hand to her chest. She was just about to say something when his muscles tensed, and with barely an inch of space between them, sent her flying back across the room. "I've got ten years of training on you, 452." He jeered, standing up and starting to circle the remains of the desk she had landed on. The other transgenics cleared a path for him, no one stepping in, no one daring to. "And on top of that," He started, catching her leg as she attempted to sweep him out, "I'm what amounts to Manticore's Black Ops. Do you have any idea what ihuman/i black ops get as extra training?" He released her leg, crossing his arms. "Take the warning, 452, and back the fuck down."

His eyes were reminiscent of a Ben's when she had first tracked him down; wild and feral.

But, Max couldn't let this go. "Not if it involves splitting up." She stood, wincing at the pain in her back and shoulder. "Alec, I'm going to remove you from office if you don't stop this talk and stand down."

He stared at her, mouth slightly open as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. And then he ilaughed/i.

The laughter was much more alarming, especially since she could see several of the transgenics watching the spectacle smiling, as if they were in on this joke.

"Oh, iMax/i," He said, fixing her with a hard stare, "Did you seriously think I got voted in by idemocracy/i? That my status is something you can strip from me?" He glanced off, lost in his own head, apparently coming to some sort of decision. "Apparently, this isn't something you understand. And I'm sorry, Max, I'm so sorry, but now you're going to have to learn." Alec eyes snapped to Mole and Ben, focusing his attention on them. "Take care of her, and make sure no one else jostles for this position when she's down, eh?"

Max only had time to wonder at his words when she realized he was blurring towards her. She sidestepped, but only just barely, the wind being knocked from her as one of his fists clipped her midriff. She didn't even have time to catch her breath, because Alec was already behind her, one arm across her neck, the other behind her head, trapping her in a sleeper hold. "Stop struggling! I'm trying to put you down easy!" He hissed to her ear.

She slammed her head back, just managing to catch his nose, and his grip loosened just barely. She ducked out, rubbing at her throat as she launched a kick to his stomach that he didn't block.

He let out a grunt with the impact, not letting the blow phase him. Wiping the blood from his nose, he glared down at her, a snarl affixed to his features.

Max felt a paralyzing fear, like she was a deer caught in headlights.

Behind her, someone gave her a little push, and it knocked her out of her daze in just enough time to register Alec was rushing her again. This time, she couldn't get out of the way, and took the full force of his right fist into her solar plexus, ripping the air from her lungs and leaving her doubled over his fist. Slowly, he withdrew his arm, before he grabbed the back of her hair, forcing her head up, her neck shown.

She knew she had lost, he could snap her neck easily if he wanted to. But, instead, he seemed to be waiting for everyone to take in the fact he had her completely at his mercy, before he let go, and turned his back on her, as if she was no more of a threat.

Insulted, she struggled to get back up, but her shoulder wouldn't support her, and her arm collapsed. Air was still struggling to return to her lungs, and she could only managed to flop herself onto her back, her breathing ragged.

Slowly, after what felt like an eternity, she felt arms wrapping around her, helping her into a sitting position. It was Mole, and he was shaking his head sadly. "That wasn't smart, boss." He said, quietly, letting her use his body as leverage so she could pull herself to her feet. "None of the X5s are going to listen to you now."

"Not true." Came Ben's voice from her other side. "I mean, yeah, it's kinda hard to look at her, but don't those pheromones dissipate?"

"What pheromones?" Max demanded, even angrier when she realized that Ben was indeed having a hard time looking at her.

He gave a helpless little shrug. "How do you think we lost rank? If you challenge someone, and you lose, something happens chemically in response. It's why Alec's alpha scent is so strong; he has yet to lose. And you…just ireally/i lost."

"So my scent changed?"

"Your irank/i changed. Your status in the pack changed." Mole explained, leading her to the more secluded area of her private office. She couldn't help but notice that command had practically emptied in Alec's wake.

"Ok," She said, wincing as he helped her into a chair, "So where am I?"

Mole and Ben shared a look, and Mole took a stab first, pulling out a fresh cigar. "No clue, boss. I don't get you Xs and your pack scents."

Her eyes narrowed. "Bullshit. You respected Alec the very first time he showed up here, but me you had an issue with."

Looking helpless, Mole shared a look with Ben, who sighed heavily. "You're probably a step above us, Maxie." Ben admitted, rather grimly. "The 'Niners' as they call us. We're the low wolves, Max, the barely tolerated members of the pack, practically scavengers. And Alec knocked you from alpha female down to an omega."

"Mind you, that may strike a cord with some of your friends," Mole said, looked slightly amused. "That whole 'Alpha/Omega' thing."

Ben looked up at him, alarmed. "That's biblical."

"And of course you would know it." Mole shot back, fixing him with a hard stare. "I find it hard to believe that you have no idea what they're calling her in the streets."

Max looked up, her head still swimming from the news that she had managed to lose every bit of pack respect she had earned…from ione/i fight. "What are they calling me?"

"Messiah." Ben said, still glaring at Mole. "Because of the runes."

Realization struck Max, and it felt like a blow to her heart. "Alec was afraid of this turning into a theocracy."

"More then that, Max," Mole said, glancing out the window to the streets below them, "He was afraid of you making us Human. I mean, isn't that crazy religious crap a warning? That our people have taken a little too much from the Norms? Look what happened to Ben!"

"Hey!" Ben squawked. "I had a genuine brain issue."

"My point exactly."

"Guys, stop." Max said, shaking her head. "I need to know what to do from here, not have you two arguing." She breathed out, taking a few deep calming breaths, and wiping the tears from her eyes. "He knew I was going to lose. He knew the outcome. And he told you to take care of me…"

"I'll give him this," Ben said, sounding begrudging, "He cares about you. A lot. If he had been any other male, you would have been exiled, because none of us would have gone near you." He shuddered a bit, "Its bad enough that I ihave/i to listen to that bastard."

"Why?" Max questioned, feeling lower then low. "Why do you have to listen to him?"

Ben made a face. "He's my pack leader. Yeah, Zack was once upon a time, but when Manticore recaptured me…" He shuddered again. "Alec had been just released from Psy-Ops, since they caught me, they didn't need to torture him, now that they had proven it wasn't genetic. But it wasn't enough. The second they had cut out the bad parts of my brain—yeah, Max, I was brain damaged, shut up—they left me in a room with him, and the warning that if I didn't fight, they'd send in my iother/i clone too. And I fought, Maxie, I did. But he didn't even try. And the rage…" He curled in on himself. "Max, I think we made permanent enemies with the Phoenixes. I know everything they did to them, because 494 made sure I knew."

"He does that, our princess." Mole said, looking rather amused for a story where someone was practically beaten to death. "Just like he made sure you knew what you were losing. You can't say he didn't warn you."

"I know." Max said, rubbing at her sore shoulder again. "I just don't know how we're gonna get through this."

Ben and Mole said nothing, but each took a side, knowing she needed to feel them there, and that she would plain need them.

Terminal City was changing, and it was bringing a storm with it.