Ch2

In the afternoon she woke up entangled with Michael. They'd made love all morning. She turned over in his arms and kissed him awake.

He smiled and tightened his grip around her waist. "that was amazing." he sighed with content and looked into her eyes. "thank you."

She smiled and laid her head on his chest. "you're welcome."

He kissed her lips, her jaw, down her neck and into the curve of her shoulder. He made his way down to her belly button and kissed across her stomach just above her hips.

She took his head in her hands and brought it up to her lips as she sat up.

He pulled back, out of breath. "we should probably get dressed."

She nodded and Picked up her bikini that was strung out on the sand. She went to wash off in the pump as Michael got dressed in some dry cargo shorts and another open shirt.

"here. Put these on and we'll head out." he handed her a pair of white jean shorts.

She got dressed in a dry red bikini and the shorts, and came out as he was loading the boat. She grabbed another of his shirts and slipped her arms through the sleeves. Inhaling his spicy sent.

"so where are we going?" she asked as she grabbed the other end of the chest. "what is in this thing that is so important?" she asked as they put it down on the sand to shift positions.

"well—" he was cut off by a jet flying over head and disappearing below the tree line again. "shit! How did they find me?" he dropped the chest, grabbed Lilith's hand and started running. "come on!" he dragged her down the beach, only to be blocked at the trees by a bunch of men with guns. He turned and started running the other way to find boats pulling up to the sand and a bunch more of them piling out.

"can you carry me?" he asked desperately.

"are you kidding? You weight three times as much as me." she said accusingly and looked around, panicked.

They closed in, taking careful aim. There was about three hundred of them. Two grabbed Lilith and held her back.

Michael move to grab her back, but he heard the loud click of every gun shifting at the same time. He stepped back and held up his hands.

"well, well, well." said a man with a Scottish accent. He split the gunman like Moses and the red sea, taking off his sunglasses. He was maybe in his late twenties, sturdy built, taller than Michael. His crisp white suit sort of blended in to his fair skin and red hair.

"if it isn't my old pal Grigori. Fancy meeting you here." he smiled sarcastically.

Michael glared at the man. "still making a big entrance, I see, Blakeford."

Lilith squirmed in the grip of the two men. They each had ahold of her arms, on hand at the wrist, the other just above the elbow. "Michael?" she forced herself to put on an innocent, vulnerable look like she was scared. It took every once of self control not to go all ninja-bird-kid on theses guys and do an up-and-away.

The man, obviously Blakeford, turned his never faltering smile toward Lilith. "oh. And who's this pretty little lassie?" he sauntered over to Lilith and raised a hand to her cheek. She flinched away and watch his hand, still struggling in the guys' grip.

"don't touch her!" Michael demanded, but stopped moving when they closed in on him.

Blakeford smirked and turned back to Lilith. "so what be you're name, love?"

She swallowed and squirmed again. "Lilith." she hesitated and tried to pull away from his hand. He ran the backs of his fingers down first one cheek then the other.

Two more of the gunman grabbed Michael as he tried to lunge at Blakeford.

"Lilith. Lovely." he chuckled and went back Over to where Michael was being held. "you always did have good taste, old friend."

Michael twisted as they held his arms behind his back, hands on his shoulders. "what do you want, Eric?"

"you owe me some money, boy-o." he said casually.

"that was my father's debt," Michael objected, "not mine, so you can just—"

Eric punched him in the stomach, making him double over coughing. "you've forgotten the rules, haven't you, ol' boy? Your father's debt falls onto your shoulders after he dies. He still owes me a couple million." he said. "it's been three months since he died. You haven't paid it off yet and the interest just keeps building."

"he—told me he—paid it off." Michael coughed.

"oh. Not by a long shot, lad." he grabbed michael's hair and forced him to look him in the eye. "you're new to the game, boy-o, so I'll cut you some slack. But if you don't have me money in a week, I will collect," he eyed Lilith, "one way or another. Get me? An I know you have the means to get it, so don't feed me bullshit about you not having enough time."

He dropped michael's head and turned to leave. "one week, Grigori. And I will collect." then, as fast as they'd appeared, they were all gone.

Lilith dropped to her knees, truly shaken. She didn't know why, but something extremely familiar about Blakeford chilled her to the bone.

Michael dropped beside her and pulled her to him.

She looked up at him and saw sorrow in his eyes, like he was about to do something he didn't want to.

He sighed and kissed her head. "come on. I'll show you what's in the chest." he took her hand and they went over to where they'd dropped it earlier.

She followed him, despite the feeling in her gut.

He pulled something small out of his jacket and turned quickly to pull her close, hoping she didn't see it.

She did. But she let him hold her, kiss her neck, her lips, rub between her wings. She felt a zing of electricity as he touched her. Her eye lids flutter closed as his lips found her own.

"you'll have to forgive me." he whispered against her lips and injected her with the small syringe. She fell limp and he helped ease her onto her side. "but this is the only way I can keep you safe too."

She didn't say a word as she got tunnel vision and everything went black.

She woke up in a huge box. The chest, most likely. She tried to move, but found she couldn't.

The lid to the chest opened and Michael smiled down at her.

She tried to speak but it only came out as a groan.

He knelt next to the chest and gently moved her hair out I her face. "you're so beautiful when you sleep."

She tried to glare at him, but it probably didn't look that threatening. He injected her with something again and kissed her as she faded away.

Michael shut the lid an turned back to the steering wheel. Pain squeezed his heart. He hated lying to her. But the bright side was she had forgotten completely. She didn't even recognize him when they made love.

He turned the boat and sighed. Life would have been so much easier if she wasn't so perfect.

He stole another peak at Lilith and cupped her cheek as she slept. she really was beautiful. His father designed her well.

A while later Michael docked the boat and dragged a chest out onto the walk.

"hands up!" two armed guards met him at the dock. Michael put his hands up and smiled.

"Michael Grigori, here to see the Director?" he said.

"let me see your ID." the first guard said, never lowering his gun.

Michael slowly lifted his shirt and pulled his ID out of his pocket. The second guard snatched it and nodded.

"could I get a little help?" he gestured to the chest. The second guard grabbed the other end and the first led the way up to the three story white building.

Michael flashed his ID again at the counter and headed to the elevator. The guards hung back so he had it to himself. He opened it again to steal another look at his beauty and smiled to himself.

He shut and locked the lid as the doors slid open to a conference room. Around the table sat Dr Hans Gunther-Hagen, Jeb Batchelder, the Director of the School, and multiple other leaders of the many different branches of Itex.

He dragged the chest up to the table and the Director stood an shook his hand.

"Michael, I was happy to receive your call." she said. "this it?" she moved toward the chest but Michael stepped in her way and smiled.

"first we settle on a price." Michael said calmly and addressed the table. "I want ten million dollars for her."

"Michael." Jeb addressed him. "you know you are asking too much."

"and you know that I know what she means to the entire company." Michael glared at him. "you know as well as I do that when Max died everything went down hill. This company almost fell apart when the rest of them were killed by their expiration dates. And I also know that without Lilith, you and most the others in this room will be either killed or severely punished." he turned to the director. "even you answer to a higher power. So let's quit the bullshit and trade. To tell the truth I'm being generous here. My mother, your sister," jeb's face flushed, "died to make sure she came out perfect. Creating the perfect life form from scratch. Nothing. No donated eggs or anything. I should charge you extra just for their lives."

The director cleared her throat after the long silence. "and what if we just shoot you and take her?"

Jeb stood. "Director."

"quiet, Jeb." she scolded an turned back to Michael.

Michael pulled out a joy stick looking things. He held down the button. "you shoot me, I let go and the chest starts vacuuming out air and seals permanently. In ten minutes Lilith is gone and I burnt my father's research." he tapped his head. "plus you loose any possibility of recreating her."

"you wouldn't do that. You wouldn't destroy your parent's life work." the director said.

Michael laughed. "try me. My dad hated me. I meant nothing to him. All He care about was her and this damn company."

The director's face turned red. "fine. You'll get your ten million. Now hand over the combination."

Michael held out his hand. "my money." he said.

One of the security men handed the Director a silver brief case. She handed it to Michael. "the chest."

Michael turned off the stick and set it down. He knelt down and there was a soft tapping on the inside. He heard her squeak out a cry for help as the drug wore off. "she's awake."

"wait." Jeb said. "director, can we conduct this in a more private room. Just the three of us?"

The Director nodded and Michael carried the chest into a joining room. "continue."

He opened the box and held Lilith to him as he picked her up out of the box. He sat on his knees and held the top half of her body on his lap.

She started fighting harder and managed to squirm under the smaller table. She held the chairs in as the security tried to reach her.

Michael sighed an stood. "can we have a moment alone? Please?"

The Director nodded at two of the security to stay in there before her and Jeb left.

Michael got down and smiled at Lilith. "hey."

Lilith was breathing hard from sudden movement after the drug. Her face genuinely scared. "fuck you." she said and glared. "I trusted you! I should have left when I had the chance!"

Michael sighed. "please come out Lilith. Trust me this one last time." he flashed a key that the guards couldn't see.

Lilith hesitated and slowly let the chairs out. Michael held open his arms and she quietly crawled into them like a child.

As much as she was mad at him, she still got a rush from his touch.

Michael held her and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry Lilith. I need the money." he slipped the key into her hand as he talked. "I enjoyed our two days together. I hope you'll remember it, I surely will." he kissed her nose, down to her lips, across her jaw, along the curve of her neck, and back up to her lips.

He kissed her deeply, hoping she would know he'd come back for her.

"wait for me. And don't get yourself killed." he barely whispered against her lips. She gave an almost imperceptible nod.

They stood and he put a thick wire around her neck. "I'm sorry." he whispered and kissed her forehead again as they came in. He took her arm an held her as Jeb came over.

He smiled and turned her head to the side. "your father did an amazing job, Michael."

Anger sizzled through Lilith as she was reminded. She was created. And he just set her loose. No information, no "hey. I'm your creator and here's what you're Made for" or anything. He dumped her in the middle of New York Freaking City! Left to fend for herself for the last four years.

Michael felt her tense and squeezed her arm in warning.

She took a deep breath and calmed down as the director frowned.

"it looks different than the pictures." she said.

Lilith tensed again at the word "it". "she." she said through clenched teeth.

"what?" Jeb asked.

"I am a she! Not an it!"

"Lilith." Michael warned.

Jeb scowled.

"yeah. I have a brain buddy." she put her hands on her hips. "not a robot."

"I remember her as less talkative." Jeb cocked his head.

Lilith opened her mouth with a snappy come back only to find she couldn't remember anything of the three months she spent before she was dumped.

She looked down and creased her forehead.

"you don't remember me do you?" Jeb smiled. "you don't remember Michael other than the past few days, either?"

Lilith shook her head. "why? Should I?" she asked, concerned.

Jeb's smile widened and he took something out of his pocket. "open."

Lilith glanced at Michael as he nodded. "it's okay." he said. She tentatively opened her mouth and he slid something flat onto her teeth, a little pointer thing stuck out.

"bite." Jeb instructed.

As soon as she did the thing expanded, filling her mouth. It wrapped around her head and widened, covering her chin to just below her nose.

She panicked and tugged on the metal gag, twisting an thrashing as the collar shocked her.

She ended up on the floor, Jeb and Michael kneeling over her.

"its okay, look at me and breath through your nose. It's only temporary." Jeb said. "we aren't going to hurt you."

Lilith's eyes flitted around the room, her breathing slowed and she stopped panicking.

"there you go. It's ok." Jeb helped her up and led her toward the director. "are we ready now?"

The director glared at Lilith but nodded and led the way into the other room, michael fallowing close behind.

Lilith allowed Jeb to lead her to the front of the room. Michael stayed to the side and gave her an apologetic smile. She glared at him with her eyes.

Jeb nodded at her. "go ahead."

Lilith turned self consciously and took off the one of michael's shirts she was wearing. Her black wings unfolded themselves from their neat little dent in her back. She slowly spread them, feeling her feathers realign. Her muscles ached from keeping them in so tight for so long.

"marvelous. Just perfect." Jeb said.

"I must say, Dr Grigori did a job well done. She is perfect." one of the other executives commented. There were murmurs of agreement and they nodded.

"why is she gagged?" one of them asked.

"did you not read her file? She can influence you by so called 'sweet talk'." Jeb chuckled. "and I hear it worked quite well on Michael."

Lilith's cheeks flushed as Michael looked down guiltily. Lilith always had known she could get what she wanted but she never knew she was actually influencing them.

She silently wondered what else she didn't know about herself.

Jeb took out a pair of handcuffs and moves toward Lilith. She unconsciously moved back to Michael.

She felt his hand on the small of her back pushing her forward.

"it's ok." he breathed just loud enough for her to hear.

Every ounce of her wanted to go all kung fu on these guys and jump out the window. But she needed a way inside, she needed answers about her childhood, so she force herself to let Jeb snap on the special looking handcuffs.

"that will conclude today. We will pick up with some demonstrations tomorrow afternoon." the director said and nodded as she slipped out the door. Her, Jeb, Michael, and Lilith stepped into the elevator.

"Michael." Jeb said. "would you consider joining our little band of misfits? We would be lucky to have a man with your brains on our side."

Michael smiled. "thanks for the offer but I have some buisiness to take care of first then I'll be back to talk about it." Jeb nodded and watched him go out the lobby.

Lilith's heart sank as he strode out the door with his stupid little briefcase.

Jeb pushed another button and they sank four floors deeper into the ground. Lilith started to feel the musty damp air from the under ground lab.

Smells of damp earth, rotting experiments, and disinfectant assaulted her nose as the doors opened. Jeb led her down the hall and gestured to a metal table.

"michael promised me you would be cooperative with us, yes?" he asked as she laid down. "I'm sorry we had to meet in this way but I was a good friend of Dr. Grigori." Jeb said as he inserted an IV in her wrist. She flinched.

Three more whitecoats strapped her arms and legs down to the table, then her mid section.

She tugged on the restraint and judged how much strength it would take to break it.

She raised her eyebrows questioningly as he picked up wires attached to suction cups.

"we're just going to check to make sure your systems are working properly." he said and started to attached the electrodes to her forehead, chest and stomach. She was put on An IV drip and a whitecoat started scanning her legs.

"muscles are very dense. Bones look strong." he moved up to her hips and stomach. "everything seems to be in the right place. Muscles again look good." he scanne the screen over her arms. "good. Good." he moves it up her chest. "heart looks and sounds good." he said glancing at the heart rate monitor. "now I need you to keep your head very still." he said and moved the screen over her face. "nice bone structure. We'll have to take a brain scan later. And after I'll let Smith check her teeth." he shut the screen off and nodded at Jeb. "let's do this." he picked up a needle and injected something into her IV.

Immediately her arm stung like hell and it spread to her chest then through out her body. She screamed through her nose and arched her back.

Jeb just typed away on a screen. The whitecoat that had the screen looked over jeb's shoulder. "her blood is working well. The heart is seficiant. See how is moves here. We need to copy this. Joel will want a map of her arteries an veins. I'll start the system's check."

He picked up a pill looking thing with long tweezers and moved toward Lilith. "now you stay quiet now." he pressed a bottom on the side of the metal gag and punched in a number code. The thing shrunk and rectracted back to it's small pin sticking out of her mouth. "open."

Lilith slowly opened her aching jaws. She swallowed quenched another scream as the pain still coursed through her blood stream. "what did you do to me?" she winced.

"the pain will subside soon. It was a chemical that allowed us to track your blood system. Open." he instructed.

Lilith just eyed the pill with disgust and turned her head to the side.

"now you said you'd be cooperative." he said as if talking to a five year old.

"I didn't say shit." she spat and started pulling hard on the Velcro. The straps started to break and she yanked out the IV. Yanking off electrodes as the whitecoats scurried around, she say up and reached toward her legs.

Two whitecoats grabbed her arms and tried to push her back down. She punched one of them as another tried to grab her.

"put her down. Put her down!" a whitecoat struggled to keep her arms out of punching range.

Jeb plunged the needle into her arm and she fell limo again. They got her strapped back down and inserted a metal ring behind her teeth.

The first whitecoat shoved the pill down her throat do far she was forced to swallow.

She was injected with something else and she was allowed to sit up. Jeb took out the metal ring and put the gag back on. Lilith glared at him but didn't fight.

He led her to another room with a treadmill next to a bunch of computers and machines.

Jeb turned to her. "now if you are quiet and do this one last thing we will feed you and let you rest. But if you don't then you will be put in your cage hungry and exhausted. Get it?" he said.

She just glared and tugged at the gag. Jeb took it off and put it on the table. He clipped a heart monitor into her index finger, suctioned a wire to her chest and forehead, and turned on the machine.

"run." he said and zapped her leg. She immediately hopped on and started running.

Michael pulled his boat up to the dock and stepped off with the briefcase. The factory had stopped working years go and Eric had set up shop inside.

He made his way to the door. And flashed his ID at the armed guards and they let him pass. He made his way through the maze of machines and meth makers, and headed up the stairs to Eric's office.

He knocked. "Michael Grigori to see Eric Blakeford." he said through the door.

A hefty looking bouncer opened the door. Michael flashed his ID again and followed him down the hall.

Eric tuned when we came in. "Michael, ol' boy. Glad to see you so early. And I see you have my money."

Michael slammed the case down on the table. "my father owed you three million, correct? With interest over three years..." he calculated in his head. " that comes to three mill and nine hundred, six thousand, forty seven." Michael dished out groups of money and counted out bills. "there's you money. Now leave me alone. I have my own problems." he shut the case and turned to leave.

Eric spoke with an all to friendly tone. "this won't be the last you be hearing of me, boy-o. You and I will be seeing a lot of each other. Seeing as your joining Them."

Michael didn't even flinch. "maybe." and headed out.

"seven hours!" a young whitecoat shouted. "amazing! And at almost 50 mph!"

Lilith had collapsed on the floor, a dozen burns on her leg from the stupid stick. Jeb had shocked her every time she'd slowed down.

She now laid on the floor, panting. Jeb put the cuffs back on her as he carried her down the hall to a small room. He set her in the chair behind the small table and got her a drink.

She sucked it dry and held it up for more. Jeb happily complied. She drank six cups before he pulled out the four hamburgers. She inhaled those too and sat back, satisfied.

"so tell me about myself." she smiled and kicked her feet up onto the table.

Jeb smiled and laced his fingers together. "what do you want to know?"

"who created me? I want to meet him." she glared.

Jeb's smiled faltered but he quickly regain that all-too-creepy too-friendly smile. "we'v had some issues with him. He's... Not available at the moment."

"fine. But I will meet him. One way or another." she sighed and looked at her toes. "why was I created?"

"to..." he cocked his head, thinking of the right words. "help us."

"with what?" she snapped.

"research. The world. Science."

"that's not good enough. I want to see Dr. Grigori!" she stood and slammed her hands on the table, making a dent.

Jeb pursed his lips. "he's not available." he said evenly.

"is that another way of saying he's dead? Huh? Or as you people say 'retired'." she air-quoted.

"he's not dead!" Jeb shouted. "he's just in an unstable condition."

"this is bullshit. I'll find him myself." she headed toward the door, only to drop to the floor from the shock collar.

Jeb knelt down and pushed the hair out of her face. "you cant. I'll see what I can do."

He picked her up again and carried her back to get cage. "there you go." he laid her in and locked the door. "tomorrow we'll show you the gym."

"absolutely not!"

"Director, if she sees him then she might be more compliant! We cannot force her to do anything. She is not a robot and she is not Max." Jeb reasoned.

"exactly. Age is not Max. We cannot let them talk to each other. It will completely ruin his therapy." she said and paced her office.

"but it might make him cooperative too. If she talks to him. If they feel that connection again. She doesn't remember, but she still feels that she's supposed to do something with him. And he knows, but he refuses to believe it."

The director's face turned red. "fine! But if it doesn't work then it's your head, not mine they'll be after." she said and headed out with him.

Lilith sat up on her cage the next morning—or so she assumed since they turned the light back on—as Jeb unlocked her cage.

He took her elbow to help her out and lead her down the hallway into a gym area. There were a couple experiments already running.

A girl with leopard spots along either side of her spine was doing pull-ups—in a sports bra.

[jeeze. These people really don't like to clothe their experiments.] Lilith thought, since she was still in her red bikini and white shorts. She suddenly felt self conscious.

A boy with pitch black skin jumped from obstacle to spinning obstacle on all fours like a panther. His bare chest was oddly shaped and his hands had claws.

Another, younger boy, was rolling, slithering, and squeezing through another obstacle course. He was extremely skinny and when he turned toward her his tongue flicked out like a snake's, his eyes a yellow with black slits. His arms and chest were covered in scales like the underbelly of a cobra.

Jeb walked Lilith past all of them. As they walked she noticed another experiment was behind a glass plate in a huge cut-out in the wall. He was yanking on a chain that was attached to his neck as if he was trying to pull it out of the wall. She figured the glass was sound proof since she couldn't hear him yelling.

Lilith watched him for a while. His dark head jerking back and forth in frustration. Every so often he would unfold his pure black wings—much like hers—and try to use them as leverage. Every time he would fall back to the floor and kick the wall.

"you'll meet him later." Jeb whispered and led her through a door. "here." he handed her what looked like a sports bra cut apart in the back. "just put it on and hold it together. The Smart Fibers will find each other and close. We've been working on this for a while. Just make sure it's under your wings and you don't get any feathers in it. I imagine that would hurt." Jeb said and stopped at the door. "there's a shower to your left. You can keep the shorts. Top draw is anything else you need and I'll be waiting when your done." he closed the door behind him and she heard the soft click of it locking.

She sighed, seeing she had no choice and started undressing. She got in the shower and found her mind wandering to the dark haired boy behind the glass. He looked about the same age as her. His arms and back were sculpted and defined as he pulled on the chain. She could see him clearly in her mind and something jumped. She felt like she should know him and he had something to do with dr Grigori, but she couldn't figure out what.

She put the thought out of her mind, washed and brushed her hair then got dressed. As Jeb said the material came together in the back and her wings were free. She found underwear in the top draw and slipped on her shorts.

She put her hair in a ponytail and knocked on the door. Jeb opened it and immediately bent to put an ankle monitor on her.

She groaned. No doubt this one emitted shocks as well. She joined the other experiments on the course and easily started through them.

While Lilith started on the course, Jeb stepped behind the glass.

"Hello Fang." he said. "glad to see you're still alive."

Fang ignored Jeb and continued pulling on the chain, kicking the part that went into the wall, trying to get it loose, all the while his neck was being rubbed raw by the metal.

"Fang." Jeb touched the boy's shoulder only to get a roundhouse kick to the chest. Jeb slid and hit the wall.

"don't ever touch me, again." fang warned and grabbed the chain again. "what do you want?" he snapped.

"I came in to check how you were doing, seeing as this is the first time you've been out in a couple years." Jeb stood, rubbing his chest.

He dropped the chain and grabbed Jeb by the collar of his coat. "see how I was doing?" he shoved him against the wall. "you took everything from me!" he shouted. "Max! My flock! My freedom! My life! Everything!" he slammed him against the wall with every word. Fang dropped him and paced the room. "I should kill you. I've waited four years to kill you. But I'm not going to. Because when I get out I'm taking you with me and I'm going to make you pay. You will suffer like I did! This time YOU'LL be the one locked in the room." Fang clenched and unclenched his fists, his head and arms started twitching and he started grumbling to himself.

The four years in the isolated room had taken a toll on his sanity. Every so often he would loose it and start punching the wall until they had to put him down. Or he would pace and grumble, start climbing the walls until his fingernails bled.

Being locked in that room, Fang had had a lot of time to think. For the first few months he'd spent days at a time thinking of Max. He had drawn her on the walls so he wasn't so alone. He had sometimes talk to her like she was still alive.

Other times he had screamed at the top of his lungs why she left him, demanding an answer until he dissolved into tears.

"Fang?" Jeb asked cautiously.

Fang snapped his head up and for a moment Jeb saw that vulnerable little boy he'd rescued from the lab. But his face all too soon turned back into the angry scowl he always had these days.

Lilith paused at the top of the climbing wall long enough to see the dark haired boy talking with Jeb. Or screaming at him more like it.

As she was finishing up, every so often she'd look over and the first few times she saw Jeb sitting on the opposite side from the boy, talking, she'd see Jeb's lips form her name but never hear it. The last few times she saw the boy either leaning against the wall or sitting with one knee up, watching her.

When her anklet told her to stop she jumped down from the ropes and walked over to Jeb.

"do I get to meet him now?" she asked and eyed the boy again.

Jeb's face was solemn but he nodded and lead her through a door. "Fang." Jeb said and nudged Lilith forward. "this is Lilith. Don't kill her. Good luck." he said and quickly shut the door.

Lilith sat against the wall, staring back at the boy. She noticed his knuckles where broken open and bloody, and his hands were scraped. He had a lot of scars on his chest and arms.

"Hi." she said. He raised his head and glared intensely at her. She just cocked her head and stood to move closer. "I'm Lilith."

He swallowed and looked her up and down. "so?"

"you're Fang?" she asked.

"seems likely." he wiped his cheek, leaving a streak of blood from his knuckles.

"how old are you?"

"eighteen. Give or take." he said.

"me to. I turned eighteen today actually." she said. All the while inching closer. She leaned against the wall next to where his chain attached. "what were you trying I do earlier?"

He stood and protectively stepped between her and the chain. "who are you?" he accused.

She held up her hands and slowly extended her wings. "Lilith. I'm new here." she smiled. "you?"

Fang squinted at the wings and flopped back down against the wall. "I'm a frequent flyer through here."

She sat next to him, careful not to touch him. "what is this place? Is this Them?" she asked.

He nodded. "so you're jeb's new pet." he said. "don't get too comfortable. He's not the type to stick around or have your back." he said bitterly.

She barely leaned in. "don't worry. I'm not. I'll be out of here soon. Michael is coming back to get me. He'll take me away." she said, but it seemed like she was trying to convince herself more than Fang.

Fang stood again and started kicking the chain in the wall. Lilith stood and watched. "what exactly are you trying to do?"

"what the hell does it look like?" he said and pulled on the chain. It gave way and came out about a centimeter. By the looks of it he'd been working at it like that for a while because she could see white paint from the wall on about an inch of the chain.

"well you're doing it wrong." she pushed him out of the way, wrapped the chain around her arm and pulled with both hands. The chain gave way slowly at first, and then shot out of the wall. Lilith landed on her butt, dust and rock from the wall landed around her.

She stood and dusted off. Fang was glaring at her with fury. "sry. It just looked like you were getting hurt from trying to get it out." she eyed his bloody hands and heel. "can I look?" she reached toward him, but he only shrank back and flopped down in the corner.

"sorry." she muttered and sat in the opposite corner. "I'as just trying I help." she looked around the room. It wasn't very big, maybe 10X20. For the first time, she noticed the glass wall was actually a one-way mirror. She could see through it barely because of her raptor vision, she saw the other experiments line up and go in for breakfast.

Lilith held her stomach as it growled and frowned.

"you better get used to not being satisfied here." Fang said from the corner. He was curled up, his wing over himself like a blanket.

She frowned again and rubbed her arms. There was a sudden chill as the AC came on over head. She wrapped her own wings around herself and pulled her knees up to her chest.

If she had to stay in this box with him for a while she was going to go insane herself. She hated I when people were distant. It made her feel alone. She could sense he was upset, but his emotions were all jumbled: pain, heartbreak, fury, revenge, abandonment, but mostly betrayal.

Lilith couldn't really read minds, but she noticed about age fifteen, that she could tell when someone was upset. Not just by the way they acted but she could feel it, herself, inside. She'd thought it was her own feelings at first, sometimes she'd even break down in tears for no reason. But she started trying to channel it and mastered it, learned how to shut them out.

But for some reason she couldn't push these feelings from her own chest.

Her eye lids suddenly felt heavy. It was only 7:00 am and she was already exhausted.

After he saw Lilith's head go limp as she fell asleep he sat up and pulled out his necklace and opened the heart-shaped locket. Max's smiling face looked back at him, her wings stretched out behind her, filling the background. The picture had been taken two weeks before her expiration date appeared. She was clean, they'd had a home, and she was happy.

He kissed the locket and held it to his chest as his heart constricted again. He never knew why he was the only one without an expiration date.

He leaned his head back and looked up at the ceiling. Why did his life have to be so complicated? One of the unlucky eggs, he guessed.

Lilith jerked awake when something thunked against her wing. She shot into a crouch, wings extended ready to take off, when she realized Fang was up and walking.

"terrifying. Food's here." he said through a mouth full of apple. He passed her and dropped a paper bag in front of her. "beef jerky, an apple, one bottle of water, and a snowball for desert." he said and sat down next to her.

She folded her wings and opened the bag. "how long was I out?" she asked sitting down.

"three. Four hours." he said. "just enough to miss breakfast. He rubbed his stomach. "thanks. Figured you wouldn't mind. Since I'm the one that's been starved for the last three years." he said and threw a red ball at the glass. It bounced back right into his palm.

She tore off a piece of jerky and took the apple. "take the rest. I'm not hungry." she pulled her knees up and put her chin on her arms, watching him play catch with the ball.

After she finished the apple she reached over and caught the ball. "it this all you do?" she threw the ball and it bounced back at Fang. He caught it easily and threw it again. They played catch for a while until Lilith started to laugh.

"what's so funny?" he asked.

She shook her head. "the glass. Watch it. Ripples go through it when the ball hits it." she threw the ball and they watched.

"I don't understand how you find that funny."

"come here." she pulled him up and led him over to the glass. "put your hand here." she gently took his wrist and put his hand on the glass. "stay."

She backed up and threw the ball. When the rippled reaches his hand he acted like they went through his body and wiggled as he did that pop and lock thing.

Lilith laughed again and they sat

back down. Fang sat next to her and threw the ball again.

She watched his hands as he threw. After a while she reached out and took his wrist. He tensed but didn't pull away.

She took the ball out of his hand and set it down. He watched as she turned his hand over and ran her fingers over his knuckled. "what did they do to you to make you do this?" she flattened out his fingers and looked at his palm. "why do you hurt yourself?"

He tried to swallow. "when I was fifteen my flock... Died. Max died." he touched the locket around his neck. He opened it and showed it to her. "I thought we all had expiration dates. I guess not." he sighed.

Lilith smiled. "she's beautiful. Did you love her?"

Fang nodded and closed the locket. "after they'd caught me again, i was defiant and wouldn't cooperate. After i'd killed six whitecoats they put me down and locked me in a room. I've been there ever since. This is the first time I'd been out."

"I'm sorry." Lilith said and picked up his hands again. "it's terrible. Do you by any chance know who dr Grigori is? Have you met him?"

Fang shook his head.

Lilith sighed. "I need to find him." she gently lifted his hand toward her mouth. "just hold still." she gently blew on his knuckles. They scabbed over and started to heal right before their eyes.

Fang turned his hands over, looking for the scars and scrapes from the chain, nothing. His hands were new and healed. "how did you do that?"

Lilith shrugged. "comes in handy when you're on your own." she smiled then frowned. She had a strange sense of de ja vu. A scene flashed itself across her mins like a projector.

It was Fang holding her from behind like he'd just caught her. They were laughing and having a good time. The memory Fang turned her around and caught his lips on hers. It felt as if it were in slow motion, but it barely took half a second.

"are you okay?" Fang asked and touched her arm.

She mentally shook her head. "yeah. Peachy." she blinked and pushed the images out of her head.

How could she have memories of him. She'd just met him.

The door clanged open and Jeb walked in with the director.

"I see you two are getting alone well." Jeb smiled. Fang frowned.

"what do you want Jeb?" Lilith snapped.

"youth my dear it's what you want. Dr Grigori is waiting." he said.

Lilith shot to her feet. "i swear if you're lying I'll—"

"not much time now. Come come." he said.

Lilith eyed Fang and looked back a Jeb.

"don't worry. He's coming too." Jeb pulled the cuffs out of his pocket and moved toward Fang.

Fang shot into a fighting stance, the end of his chain in hand. "you come near me and you will never have kids."

Jeb stopped and looked at the director, eyebrows raised.

Lilith pursed her lips and Turned to whisper in Fang'a ear. "please Fang. Just this once. I need to see dr. Grigori. Please." she pleaded and touched his hand.

Fang blinked and frowned. "fine. But one thing happens and I'm going all ninja." he whispered.

"I'll be right there with you if that happens." she nodded and stepped aside.

Fang wiped the emotion from his face and held up the chain, eyebrow cocked.

Jeb silently pulled out a key and undid the collar around fang's neck, then put the cuffs on him. "come on, no time to waist."

Jeb smiled cockily at the director on their way out. She glared at him.

Lilith followed silently, trying to regulate her breathing. She was finally meeting dr Grigori. Be would tell her why he made her. She would have a purpose.

Jeb led them through winding hallways, up and down stairs, trough doors, an finally into a carpeted hallway. He opened a door at the end and led us into a huge bedroom.

The carpet was a crimson red color to match the old fashioned curtains around the bed. The furniture was a dark mahogany and the drapes on the window were drawn.

She let her eyes adjust and finally saw the old man in the bed. He was maybe fifty or so, but deathly pail. His hands here skinny and his face sunken. There were dark circles around his eyes and his lips were chapped.

Lilith felt horrified, but she forced it down and took a deep breath.

Jeb went over to the man and shook him gently. "dr Grigori? We have someone who wants to meet you."

The man woke and two men helped sit him up. Dr. Grigori immediately started coughing into a tissue. Jeb handed him a drink of water and some meds.

"what?" the man snapped. His voice was grovily and cracked from the sickness.

"sir, two people would like to see you." Jeb motioned them over and stepped aside. "dr Grigori, this is Lilith. Your creation."

Lilith swallowed and stood awkwardly at the bedside. She tried to smile. "hi."

Dr Grigori's eyes were unfocused as he reached a shaky hand out toward her. "is— is that really you? Is that my lilith?"

She Swallowed her dry mouth and spoke. "yes, dr Grigori, it's me."

"come here child, let me touch you." he beckoned her forward.

She looked into his unfocused eyes and realized he was blind. She tentively sat on the edge of the bed and leant into his hand.

He stroked her cheeks, gently felt her eyes, her lips, her chin, he ran his fingers through her hair. All the while he was shedding years of joy and his chin was quivering. "stretch your wings for me, Lilith."

Lilith swallowed and got closer so he could fell her wings.

His soft hand ran the length, stroked the feathers and carressed her wing.

"I'd know that wing anywhere. That is the wing I designed. It's true. You've found your way back." he pulled her to him and held her in a close embrace.

Lilith felt her own hot tears running down her face. She let the man hold her for a long time as they both cried. She didn't know why she was crying. She'd been mad at him just a minute ago for dumping her on her own out in the city. But she was shedding tears none the less and it felt good to be back in his arms. Back where she belonged.

When his crying slowed Lilith pulled away and wiped off her cheeks.

Dr Grigori blew his nose and wiped his eyes. His hand paused mid wipe and he looked up. "who else is with you? He doesn't smell like a whitecoat. What else did you bring?"

"uh, sir this is Fang. He is another of our experiments." Jeb explained.

Dr Grigori cleared his throat and sat up straighter. "come here, boy."

Fang's face momentarily flashed panicked but he gained control and stiffly walked over to the man.

Dr Grigori again felt Fang's face. "hansome young fella ain't he? Some scars. What color are your eyes and hair boy?"

"black. For both." Fang replied.

"wait a second." dr Grigori grabbed Lilith's hand and Fang's wrist. "Fang? Lilith! Thank god. You found him. I didn't think you would. I was afraid I'd let you out to roam forever. But you found him."

"what?" Lilith asked stupidly.

"Fang, she is your perfect match. Max's failed so terribly I created one for the one who should have been running things from the start. I knew you were the stronger on. You even managed to skip your expiration date."

"what are you talking about?" lilith asked.

"I had an expiration date?" Fang asked. "I thought I was the only one of the flock who didn't."

Dr Grigori shook his head and coughed again. "you were to be the first to die. Angel's prediction was correct."

Fang looked down, thinking.

Dr Grigori took Lilith's hands in his. "but this is good. You can be together now. That is why I created you. So he wouldn't be alone. You're a perfect match."

Fang and Lilith looked at each other. Lilith's cheeks flushed.

"no." Fang said finally. "max was my match. I'm tired of you people trying to control us. To force us on one another. We have our own minds and can think an feel for ourselves." he stood and turned to Jeb. "you can take me back to my cell now. I've seen enough."

Dr Grigori reached out and took Fang's wrists in an iron grip. He pulled him so Fang' face was inches from the doctor's. "now you listen to me, son. I have no intention of letting you walk out of here before I'm done talking. So you just sit your skinny ass down before I order you killed." he jerked on Fang's wrists so he sat on the bed.

Fang blinked in shock. This sickly man had just brought Fang to a halt and rendered him perfectly speechless.

Dr Grigori let go of Fang's wrists and resumed his calm face. "now. As I was saying. Angel had told me that the flock was going to die. So I started working on a replacement. You, Lilith. You were origionally a perfect match for Fang's replacement but when Fang didn't die we discontinued the process of his replacement. You two are one in the same. I made you, taught you, and then left you in the middle of new York, hoping you would find your way to him. But when we caught him we couldn't find you again until now. My son had taken over my company and itex had let me retire under survalence. When I heard my son had turned you over I almost had a heart attack. But now you can be together."

Dr Grigori turned to Fang. "give her a chance. She might be able to releive your pain, and you, hers."

Fang swallowed and nodded.

"good. From now on you two will be together at all times. Don't disappoint me." he kissed Lilith's hand. "now if you don't mind I'd like to die in peace." he settled back down in his blankets.

Two guards grabbed Lilith and Fang.

"wait!" Lilith squirmed. "no! That can't be it! Let me go! I have to talk to him! What about Michael!" she shouted as they dragged her out.