DARK ANGEL 2022: Manticore Aftermath: (HDCC 2)
By Shannon Hearn
The characters of Dark Angel are owned by Twentieth Century Fox Television and Cameron Eglee productions. All other characters are of my creation.
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Parental advisory: This chapter is rated "R" due to it containing mild sexual content and nudity.
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Be warned there is going to be a lot of Sexual References in this Chapter so it having an "R" Rating is warranted. I have toned it down to fit FF.net standards so any flames or complaints about this chapter can be sent to
Shannon_hearn2003@yahoo.com
List the subject as being "DA2022" so that my junk mail filter doesn't trash it.
Now on with the story
Chapter 3: Politics in the world, Sanity in an Insane world, and Bad Halloween parties.
***
It had been days since that mysterious sprit had shown herself to Charles Sandeman Junior. The strength and power she sowed in freeing him made him think of the stories his father told him about the "WarBride." WarBride was an ancient warrior queen that many of the Familiars had seen as a bringer of death and of rebirth during the times of the ancient plagues. She had co from a village that had been a target of a raid by a rebel faction of the Familiars that had seen her people as being abominations. But her people had fought them and won. It was as if they had powers that made the Familiars greatest warriors look week in comparison. She had slaughtered many of their kind but she had taken pity on those whom she had come into contact with. Mainly the families of these who had turned their backs on the traditions and let their children live. Many of WarBride's people had mated with the Familiars and had told them that a time would come that they would once again rise. That was when the Pages had hit but they had a natural immunity and it was feared that their decedents would destroy those of the Conclave as the sought power to dominate mankind. The WarBride had taught tolerance and cohabitation. Ideas that his father had believed in had wanted to teach to Ames and him, but sadly CJ's bother Ames believed in that the Conclave would be the victor this time around, but seeing the marking on the Transgenic Max. Was this the time that the WarBride would return and finally destroy the Conclave once and for all. All CJ knew was that he had to get to Seattle.
Through he drugged haze he had been fighting through there were moments of clarity for CJ in which he had been able to change out of his medial garment and into second and third hand clothes that he had gotten his hands on. CJ during one of those moments he had taken a permanent marker and replaced the Barcode tattoo that he had attempted to duplicate on the back of his neck to blend in with the Transgenics of Terminal City to hide from the Conclave and the other Familiar that wanted him dead all for knowing that they existed. But now the marking posed a new meaning for him, it was the symbols of WarBride's people return to earth and he would fight his way into Terminal city to get the answers he wanted and to serve at her side. Now all he had to do was to get there in one piece. Little did he know that as he moved across the nighttime highway that a car with a broken head light would hit him head on and the person driving would get him to his destination faster than he could believe.
***
For Carry-Anne Fitch driving with her boyfriend was one of those things that you never for get. They were on their way up to the local Lover's Lane to get so much needed Cuddly Pooh Bear Lovin. But all that changed when her boyfriend Matthew Chohn hit something in the middle of the road. Even with one functional headlight that had burned out from water getting into the connection socket in his car the impact and the raw shock of seeing a body of a person wind up on your hood was scary enough to give on a coronary heart attack way before they could hear the moan of the person. Quickly getting out of the car after hitting the breaks like mad. Carrie and her boyfriend knew that they had hit somebody as well as knowing that the guy was still alive. As the two of them moved slowly towards the front of the car to the disjointed figure on the hood they could still se that the guy was still breathing. As Matthew reached over to touch the guy's neck the person leached on up and rolled of the hood of the car under his won power before he collapsed to the ground.
"Must get to Terminal City. Must get to Max The One..." With that the man collapsed right into Matthew's arms. It wasn't until Carrie got a look at the back of his neck that she realized they hadn't just hit a man... They had hit a Transgenic... Barcode tattoo and all. Within minutes Carrie had gotten on the phone to her father who was the town doctor to inform him that there had been an accident and that there was a person in need of special treatment. Carrie would also learn that night that her father was a member of the Eyes Only Informant Net and encountering this one Transgenic would have an effect on the world more than she would ever know about.
***
The day at Jam Pony was going like Mad. Between Max having to deal with Normal's occasional prodding to get packages shipped from one place to another and Melfina being out of the preferable Transgenic Closet. All Max wanted to hear was that she would be able to touched Logan once again but that was weeks away. Right now seeing her clone Danni walk into Jam Pony was not a good sign for her.
"Hey Danni what's up?" Melfina said to her fellow X6 came into the main receiving and shipping area. The look on X6-453's face was of worry and concern that Melfina had only seen on the face on someone about to go out on a mission. That was until Mel and Max saw that Danni was wearing a long Dark wig that mirrored Max's hairdo prior to the entire mess at Jam Pony went down.
Then Max moved over to her younger counterpart and started to walk around her as Normal and several other people at Jam Pony started to look both at Max and Danni.
"Danni, X6-453 reporting Ma'am." Danni said as she looked like she was going to salute Max but the nervousness in Danni's stance let Max know that if she didn't say At Ease soon the Girl was about to freak.
"Danni, be at Ease okay. This isn't Manticore." Max said putting her hand on the young Transgenic's shoulder and she settled down. "So Why are you here." Max said wanting to get an answer out of her.
"Max... Several members of the Council asked for me to be your decoy since you will not stay inside of Terminal City." Danni said as she started to shift around on her feet. Max digested this information before her.
"Danni, I would rather experience the same dangers that you all go through being out in the world." Max said as she stated why she made the decision she did for going back to Jam Pony. "So let me guess, they wouldn't let me stay here unless I had a decoy and they selected you to be my double. Am I getting the sum of it?" Max said as she leaned forward to Danni.
"Yes Ma'am." Danni said as she started to be unsure what would happen next. Max decided to move over to where Normal was standing and started to speak with him.
"Normal, It Looks like I have to fight my own people when it comes to this, but if it makes the other Transgenics feel better then so be it. But Normal I want you to see if you can Hire her on as a messenger okay. This way I can keep an eye on her and you get another Employee out of the deal." Max said as Normal chewed over his decision on hiring the young X6.
"Okay Max, I will consider it, but I want one thing from her. I want you to help her with a resume. I want all her training and skills she has acquired at Manticore that will fit her into this job. Understood." Normal said as Max understood what he meant.
"Okay Danni, there is one question I have to ask. How did you do in Urban Social infiltration?" Max said to Danni as everyone in the room wondered what she meant by Urban Social Infiltration?
"Well I was about half way through it when the Fire started. Ma'am." Danni said worried that she had failed in blending into her new role of Max's body double. Max just looked at Danni and chuckled for a moment and sighed for a moment.
"Well the good news is Danni is that when I left Manticore I had none, all of my street smarts I learned on the run." Max said as Danni digested the information she had just received.
"Oh..." Danni said as she stepped forward cautiously towards Max. "So... Do I get the job?" With that Max's cell phone rang on her wrist holster and Max reached over to answer it and heard Logan's voice on the other end.
"Max, I just got a lead from Eyes Only about where CJ is at." Logan said with increased worry in his voice. "It looks like some member of the Informant Net's Kid hit CJ with their car and he got up afterwards before collapsing on the ground."
"So where is he?" Max said, as she knew that this was not a secured line.
"I'm still getting the full details but I need you to grab Aspen while I grab Joshua from Terminal City so that we will be able to keep an eye on him." Logan said as he started to blaze out the door to Joshua's old place.
"Where do you need me to meet you at?" Max said as she moved away from Normal and walked towards Aspen who had been overhearing the entire conversation with her Transgenic enhanced hearing.
"Well I'll see if I can score some fuel from Dix down at TC but considering what CJ knows this just became a priority and I just got a Medical Okay from Shadow so I should be able to go on this mission without having another anti-viral recharge in a few days." Logan said as Max remembered something from the short time she had spent with CJ, he had one of the Conclave's sacrifice snakes that they used during their rituals. George is what CJ had called it. George. They would need George the Snake on this mission. "Listen Logan I need you to ask Joshua to grab something from Terminal City while you are down there. Tell him to grab George the Snake. He'll know that means." With that Max hung up the phone and turned to Normal and looking at Danni who was waiting to know if she had gotten the job or not.
"Normal, I need to take care of some Transgenic Business and I need to take Aspen with me." Max said as she moved over to Aspen and nodded in understanding.
"Max I heard everything." Aspen said as she moved over closer to Max as they started to Silent Whisper to where even a nearby Transgenic couldn't even hear it.
"So basically you need me to get into CJ's head?" Aspen said as her Gias Psionic powers started to grow as she started to lightly glow, which really creped out Danni who audibly gulped sensing that her new coworkers were thinking about something.
"Yep." Max said as she looked around as Danni was wondering what was going to happen next as Max started to speak up in normal tones again. "Listen Normal I'll make up the hours later this week, but I need to go out of town. Since a friend of Logan's got a lead on another Transgenic who got hit by a car, Now I am the only person who this guy will trust since White tossed us in the same freaking cell together, this guy has some serious issues to deal with." Max said as she turned back to Normal. "Listen Normal you will have to hire Danni on her own merit, but from given how she is acting, I think that you can hire her but I would suggest that OC and Melfina supervise her during her training process." With that Max headed out the door with Aspen as Normal looked on wondering how close to the Transgenic that she and Aspen were going to be dealing with, then Normal turned his attention towards Max's "Younger Sister" and saw that Melfina had come over and started to help her to fill out the employment paperwork. Normal wondered what the application would read like. How do you list ex-Military Super-Soldier on a resume? At that moment he had wished that Max had stayed to cue him in on how to write up service weapons training.
***
Sitting in the back of the aging Pontiac Aztec Max looked over towards Joshua who was pondering the finer aspects of his life. A small yet simple picture of Gem and Elfie at the dinner table at his apartment told her all she needed to know. He was happy now and that he was going to help a long lost brother reclaim his life as well was his purpose in life now. Helping make this world become a better place. But there was something in the back of Joshua's mind that had bothered her since she had told Joshua that Gem was in love with her. But it was the difficulty that Joshua was having in understanding that becoming a dad and not all things in life were gong to be easy for him and his family. That was when Joshua turned towards Max and stated speaking.
"Little Fella," Joshua said as Max looked over in his direction seeing the pressure in his features and especially in his human eyes. "Joshua knows that Gem is close to me but it the small things in her eyes that worries me. Joshua know that we have been close to one another since the event at Jam Pony but I am not sure that I will do right as a father? I am afraid that I will fail." Joshua said as Logan overheard the conversation from the driver's seat.
"Joshua," Logan said from hearing Joshua's doubt in his voice. "You having doubt about your parenting skills but you helped raise several of your kin in the Basement of Manticore so if you have any doubts look at those you have helped." Logan said knowing that not all of Joshua's charges did so well on the outside.
"Joshua, you cannot control what happens in life, you just have to deal with what gets tossed your way and handle the best you can. That is what I did after I lost the use of my legs and started to use the Exo." Logan said as Joshua started to understand what he was saying.
"Joshua understands Logan." Joshua said as Aspen started to sense that Joshua wanted something more from Logan in his questions.
"Joshua, you are trying to figure out what type of Father you want to be but from what I know, there is no single mold that a father fits into." The female PsyOp said as she looked over Joshua's way. "Joshua, asking someone who is already is a parent might help you put your fears at ease. Hey, many of the Transgenics in Terminal City have been asking several of the Sector Cops and the S1W members about parenting advice. Joshua, it is taking time to learn about things that you will feel better about being a parent. Not all the skills are learned off the bat, but some are just learned by just being there for those around you Joshua. Remember that." Aspen said as Joshua stared to understand that all he had to fear was that he wouldn't be there for Gem and Elfie, as they got older.
"Joshua knows that I will do what I can to help Elfie grow up into the woman she wants to be." Joshua said as he looked out the window to the flowing forest outside the window. "It seems so peaceful out here. Sometime in the furniture I think that I might bring Gem and Elfie out here. I think that they might like it for a day or two." With that Max turned to look out the window and she had another vision again.
It was several years in the future and she was with the little girl she had seen months earlier after she was out on the beach party that they had celebrated after they had helped Mathews of Seattle Internal Affairs become liberated from Peirpont Limpkin's control of corruption and threats. The vision of the little girl in her dreams had come back. It had sunk in since she had seen that young PsyOp Fiona but given the girl's age it would be years till she had to baby-sit for Max. Bits and pieces of that vision were coming true and it scared her once again. Now another set of images were unfolding.
Max was sitting around a Campfire with Gem and Joshua. The little dark haired girl that looked like an Elfie of maybe seven to eight years of age. There was talk around the campfire as the same young girl from her visions as being her daughter came into clarity.
"Mommy, I know that I am Transgenic but tell me a little about the adventures of when you meet Daddy." The small Chimera Cherub said as her eyes glowed the standard gentle yellow green of her mother's heritage.
"Tinga. I know that you are young, but remember that statue of I have of that Egyptian Nomalie sitting in Mommy and Daddy's room." Max said to the little girl as she nodded in understanding.
"Well Mommy was going to steal that statue from your Daddy and after I broke in to take it he caught me." Max said as she told her daughter the story of how she met her father. As Max told the tale she noticed that her clone Sam was there with her teenaged son as she hung around his kid sister as Max's instincts kicked in fully. As Sam looked over towards Joshua as she told of the night Freak Nation was born and Joshua became one of the voices that allied the X-Series and the Nomalies into one body. The children sitting around the campfire leaned forward to listen to the story as Max told her story. That was when she saw a golden fox figure come into view of the group.
"Max, The Act-I are coming here to speak with you." The talking fox said as she came over towards Max and sat by the fire. "Matrix found the man that ordered your sister Tinga's death." Those words scared Max's little girl as she clung closer to her mother.
"You found Black Cell's Leader Reika? When will Matrix have him?" Max said as the Fox woman looked around to the others at the campfire.
"Max, I believe that Eyes Only should blow the case open here." The fox said as Max was flung back to her memories of finding Tinga's dead body in that chamber Renfro had her put in for analysis. Then she saw the fire of Manticore's fall, she had found that these visions were becoming more prevalent in the last few months and that scared her. First with Aspen's little reunion with Jondy at Crash that ended in a disaster and two roommates and a boyfriend that wet their pants right in front of Joshua. Who the hell was Black Cell, and who were these Act-I that this talking Fox was part of. That was when she was flung into another Vision. Max was in a hospital room as she screaming in pain.
"Logan... I know that we wanted to start a family but you could of told me that this kid would be a soccer star willing to drop kick my tummy to get out." Max screamed at the top of her lungs as Shadow was standing by her helping Max through her contractions as Logan soaked a cloth and placed it on her forehead.
"Max I need to give you some sedative." Shadow said as his blue medical scrubs reflected in the Florescence Lights. Then Max grabbed Shadow by the throat as she made her point by squeezing his windpipe.
"I don't want any drugs in my system. My mother was sedated as she was put into forced labor as I was ripped from her womb." Max said as her eyes started to become bloodshot fury red. "So, if you get a needle near me, I WILL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND." Max said as she pulled Shadow towards her face with her free arm to the point where they were eye to eye and Shadow got the point.
"Okay People. Mrs. Cale has requested not to have the sedative given to ease her pain. So lets try our best to help her get through this Labor with as much ease as possible." Shadow said he turned towards the staff around him, as he understood why Max didn't want the drugs as the contractions continued. Several minutes later, Max pushed with her abdominal muscles to push out with such force that her grip on the metal sides of the bed twisted as her baby girl came into the world as her strains of her legs and entire body went through the natural cycle every female human had done since it had come out of the Cradle of Life in Africa. The flush on Max's face showed that she was glowing in love and emotions as she took in the smells and images of her baby girl.
"Congratulations, Max It's a girl." Logan said as the looked at the curled up little bundle before them. "Do you have a name for this little bundle of Joy?" As Cindy said as she leaned over wearing some sort of weird dress.
"Yes I do, OC... I want to name her Penny Tinga Guevara-Cale." Max said as she crossed her arms around her naked daughter as a warm Blanket was placed over the two of them to keep the young child and new mother warm. Then Max was pushed back towards reality as she had her hands wrapped around her body as she glowed in a sensual loving way. Logan who was seeing this image unfold thought that she was having one hell of sensual daydream.
"Um, Max. I hate to interrupt your images of what you are doing, but were are about to enter the town." Logan said as Max was snapped back to reality and realized that she looked like she had been caught in a compromising position.
"Logan..." Max said looking up towards Logan with her gloved hand clung around her body as she thought about the next words she would say. "When we are able to touch one another once again, have you thought that we might want to start a family?" Logan almost swung the SUV off of the road when he heard that.
"Max, you mean that you want to be my wife?" Logan stammered as he digested what Max said with the impact of a Nuclear device going off.
"Logan, I Love You with ever fiber of my being." Max said as she started to cry with an emotion that she had never thought she would be able to let other see. Max felt literally Naked as she started to hiccup worried that Logan would say "No."
"Max, You mean that you want this relationship to go deeper, as in a serious date?" Logan said as Aspen started to sense that Max was going deeper than she had been able to let on. Max was in Love and she was expressing herself fully before the man she loved with all her heart.
"Yes Logan... I do love you." Max said as she reached out her hand and stopped just short of touching him. "When you are cured, I will show you all I am. I just want you to hold me so that I can hear your heart. I don't want carnal love, I want to just spend the night in your arms hearing your breath." Max said as she drew her legs up in front of her in the back seat.
"Max, I understand. You just want to have a normal relationship and I'll do what you say." Logan said as he moved the Aztek to the side of the road and stopped the car. "One night of just being a normal Human girl. I think I can handle that." Logan said as he grinned back towards her as Max blushed so brightly that Joshua was changing her skin color by her own will.
"Little Fella, I'm so proud for you." Joshua said as he gave her a huge bear hug. The scene if you unfamiliar with Max and her friends you would think that having a Wookie hug the stuffing out of a girl who just said to her boyfriend, will you marry me. But within a few hours they would be at their destination and Max and Joshua would have a long journey before them as they helped CJ unlock the secrets in his mind.
***
Aspen looked around the small medical office clinic that Logan's contact had set up to treat CJ's injuries in isolation. CJ was sleeping underneath a table curled up as he tried to forget all the pain that he had experienced for most of his life. He was more Transgenic than human. Hell he was more a Nomalie by his nature than he was a Familiar. With that she motioned over to Joshua to open up the bad and take out the snake CJ had stolen from the Conclave during his escape and hand it over to Max. Max took the Albino Snake and brought over to CJ and let him slither from her hands and move towards CJ's warm frame. It took moments for the snake to work its way towards the warmness of his chest is when CJ awoke as the snake tickled him as it sought warmth and safety the same as CJ was trying to do as he rested. Aspen gently moved into his mind with her powers and nudged his memories and experiences into focus as the familiarities of CJ's life moved from disconcuberated images to a mosaic of crystal clarity.
"Hey there George." The Ostracized Familiar said as he stroked the snake's head letting the warmth and sweat from his hand sooth the serpent. It took a moment for him to realize that he had left George in Terminal City. Terminal City, he had to get to Terminal City but the glaze of the many drugs he had been put on started to lift as he remembered his escape by the Ghost couple and his weeks on the run. The last thing he remembered from the last few days was him being hit by a car with one headlight. That was when he looked up to see Max.
"War Bride..." CJ said as he realized that he was either dead or very alive.
"CJ. It's okay. Your with friends." Max said as he slowly got out from under the table with George the snake in his hands as he started looking around the room.
"Max..." CJ said as he moved towards Max very slowly and noticed that Joshua was cautiously holding his ground as CJ approached. "... Am I dead?" The question hit Max as an understatement.
"CJ you are not dead. You are definitely alive." Max said as CJ moved over once again he started to notice that several things around him started to feel weird to him. That was When Aspen decided to speak up.
"CJ the drugs that White's buddies dumped into your system have had a culminative effect on you so what you are feeling right now is your body trying to flush the drugs out of your system." Aspen said as she moved over to CJ with a clipboard full of information that CJ didn't understand. "CJ you are going to have a tough road ahead of you and Well be there to help you." Aspen said as she touched his shoulder and CJ could feel the senses from him being touched and the sensations of his shirt on her fingertips. That was when CJ spoke up again.
"WarBride." CJ said as he tapped Max on her shoulder. "I will be at your side." Max just gave him a look of what was going on here.
"WarBride... CJ who's WarBride?" Max said as this statement she had said took CJ back, and she didn't know what to say to this new information he had stated to her.
"Max you are WarBride." With those words Max knew that thing were going to get strange for everyone in Terminal City.
"Okay CJ here is the deal, you tell me about WarBride and What the hell these runes on my skin mean and I'll make sure that you are made a member of the Transgenic community." With those words Max moved over and reached into a bag of stuff that the Doctor had for caring for some of the local pets and pulled out a tattoo pen and started to tattoo a barcode on the back of his neck. The number and touchtone sequence of the members of her Unit who was lost all those years ago.
"CJ... It is going to be a long road for you and you have much to learn about being a Transgenic." Max said as CJ felt the subtle sting of the ink head in the back of his neck.
"I understand Max. I understand." With that CJ held George the Snake under his shirt knowing that he would be part of a community and Aspen knew that the Secrets in CJ's head just made her gifts all that much more important to them all.
***
Inside of Terminal City Dix was looking around at the gear that he had gotten from Logan's Tech supplier Sebastian. But looking into several of the crates he wasn't expecting to find in all the pressure foam and Styrofoam peanuts of one create. A leg.
"What the..." The Rat Nomalie said as he popped the lid to see that the bare leg under all the packing material. Then the leg started Moving as if it was alive. Brittany an X5 who had been helping unload the shipment of goods from Luna's rental truck to Dix's shop jumped back as she grabbed a ten pound monkey wrench off of a nearby work bench.
"Um... Dix I think we wound up with a body." The Blond X5 said as her messy hair and second hand green combat pants and gold tank top highlighted her svelte curvy form. Brittany had spent the last few months recovering from two major losses in her life. Between losing Biggs, her Breeding partner to a lynch mob and also losing her baby daughter two months before. She had almost committed Suicide on several occasions including an suicide ala White's retrieval squad. But it wasn't until a PsyOp took her in after both instances; had started to the slow recovery process that she was able to cope with. But now she was scared as this limb started to twitch on its own. That was when Dix reached into the foam peanuts and pulled a head wrapped in Styrofoam and plastic wrap that seemed to be mumbling to be set free.
"Easy there..." Dix said as he reached down and moved his arms around the frame of the figure and pulled it out. "You will be out of this mess." He said as Melfina, Lauren and Cerberus came into the room as Dix started to tear at the mess of wrapping around the figure's head as Brittany moved over carefully fearing that someone had captured a Transgenic and decided to send them back as freight. It took Dix taking out a packing knife and cutting through the foam and tape that the head and face of the figure was revealed.
"Blessed be the Blue Lady and the Father Creator." Brittany said as the almost meter and a half long stringing angelic blond hair fell out of the foam helmet the girl's head was in. But it wasn't the fact that there was a girl in the box, it was her ears that had instantly gotten everyone's attention. The girl had metal ears that looked like they were a cross between that of a cat and of a mouse.
"Easy there, you are among friends." Brittany said as she put her wrench down and moved over to touch the girl's face as the girl just looked at her with a type of disconnection that was nonhuman. Cerberus who was watching the scene moved over to the girl and put his hand on one of the ears and started to make a shushing sound as the girl's gaze moved to his eyes. With slow movements the girl moved her arm from underneath the foam wrappings she was wrapped in and started to move it with determination that the wrapping started to strain then break as she reached over touch Cerberus's face as well as she moved off of the work table Dix had laid her on and stood on the floor. The foam wrapping around her body started to fall some off her body but enough to reveal that she was completely nude underneath as it desperately tried to cling to her shoulder and waist leaving her long hair to cover the rest from the imagination ala Lady Godiva and a Greek sculpture.
"Cerberus..." Melfina said as she moved to where the tactical Android was standing. "What are you doing? The girl is acting like she knows you?" Then the girl started to do the same Shushing sound back to Cerberus. Mel moved over to touch the girl and she was thrust into Cyberspace.
The Mouse eared girl was floating in the data ocean as Cerberus took on a human form with his lightning energy pattern textured all over it. Her BioCyber friend Lauren suddenly joined Mel as they flew through the Data cape.
"Cerberus..." Melfina said as she floated over to her Android friend. "Is she a machine?" Mel said worried that whatever this girl was she was not human.
"Melfina, Lauren..." Cerberus said as he turned to the two BioCyber Girls. "This is SR-4." Cerberus said as SR-4 moved behind him fearful yet curious about the two being before her. "She is a Synthoid and I am filling her in on what I am, what you are and I had just finished uploading a modestly protocol into her. Plus I am giving her a crash course in social customs so that she will not act so much like a child and more like a teenager." Cerberus said as Mel floated over to the Synthoid's avatar. Between Mel finding herself in her black Tube top and skintight Lycra shorts from landing in the data scape, The Synthoid girl was moving slowly over to her wondering what to make of her.
"You're Organic???" SR-4 said as she floated around Mel's data self checking out checking out the small details of Mel's form and data code. Then she looked towards Lauren who was wearing the same cyber garb but it was blue in color and had a bikini bottom with strings that replaced the shorts Melfina was wearing.
"Yes..." Mel said as the Synthoid girl's hair formed a type of halo around her. "Me and Lauren are Organic." SR-4 pulled back some and hid behind Cerberus. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you." Mel said as Lauren reached over and took the girl's hand and the tension was taken out of the situation as SR-4 hugged the Transgenic accepting that she wasn't alone in this existence. In that moment they were transported back to the real world.
"Cerberus?" Dix said as he reached over and touched the Android girl as she quickly covered herself with her free hands. "What is up with you and that girl?" The Rat Nomalie said as the girl looked over at the others in the room.
"Dix... This is Sarah, she is a fellow droid and I think that we better find out how she wound up here and why a young Artificial Intelligence like her got sent here. But Dix, I think that she has a sort of crush on you giving that she is blushing." Cerberus said as the Synthoid started to blush some as Melfina moved over and covered the girl up with her jacket she had been wearing since going to work that morning and Lauren put on her the green extended winter cap she had on to conceal her gills when in public but right now the cap covered the girl's ears so she looked human or at least like a Transgenic.
"There you look somewhat decent until we can get you some clothes for your lack of what you are in right now." Lauren said as she reached over and took her red scarf she had wrapped around her waist as a belt and wrapped it so that Sarah or SR-4 looked like she had some clothes on.
"Well how are we going to explain this to Max?" Brittany said as she wondered about the event they were in the middle of.
"Well we might as well tell her because she just showed up at the front gate with that Transgenic she went to retrieve." Cerberus said as he accessed the video surveillance of Terminal City through the frequency hacking equipment built into his body.
"Well we might as well bite the bullet." Dix said as he turned to Mel and Lauren. "Melfina, Lauren see if you can get some clothes for Sarah here so she looks somewhat human and not like a girl from 'Wild Beach Girls Five.'" Dix said this as Sara pulled Mel's Jacket closer around her body to not to isolate the cold but it was as if she had gone from being innocent child to being turned into some perverted Japanese Ecchi sexual play thing that just realized that she was nearly nude for the first time in her life and didn't like it. Sara went from being a poorly dressed android to being a young teenager that was standing in front of people wearing barrowed clothing to conceal the fact she had shown up in the nude before them.
"Will do." Melfina and Lauren said at the same time as they escorted Sarah to Lauren's quarters in Terminal City to get the girl some clothes and make her look almost Human or at least Transgenic in some way and the first thing that would be changed would be having her hair cut from the ankle length she had shown up in, to it being shoulder length and being dressed in the garb of a Transgenic X6. Over the next few days Sarah wouldn't be the only one adapting to life in Terminal City. Charles Sandeman Junior would have his own challenges ahead as well.
***
Hottie Blood was happy to be alive as she danced to the tribal rhythms of the music of the nightclub she and her boyfriend Killer were at. Her dark Scarlet red dress went well with her dark scarlet highlighted hair. The flashing lights went from fast to slow as the dance music changed to a romantic love theme as several couples on the floor got off and several more got on finding the beat to their taste.
"Killer..." the Vampiric Transgenic said as she moved closer to her Ordinary boyfriend. "I really love tonight." She said as Killer kissed the blue vein scar on her forehead.
"Yeah I know." Killer said as he put his arms around her body as the slow dance guided them along. How were things interconnected in life? Max Guevara, Logan Cale, Bruno Anselmo, Manticore, S1W, the NSA, Eyes Only, Asha, Alec, the Sector Police, Ames White, Marrow, Rain, Seattle, Freak Nation, Conclave, Familiar, Life, Death, and Love. It was all connected together someway. If you had asked these two a year ago what these words and people would mean to them, They would have said: Who, What, Where, How and Why? But those were events, things and people they would know for the rest of their lives.
"Hottie..." Killer said as the romance of the moment pulled them in and they kissed. The moment they had felt for each other was when Killer had seen Hottie inside the old nightclub that the Informant Net, S1W and Freak Nation had set up. They could tell that they were concerned about the events happening to them. Hottie was scared due to her being created out of Manticore and Killer was concerned about his friends in S1W. But there was that small event as they were setting up the satellite dishes for Eyes Only's Super Cable Hack, they started to talk and realized that they had been both through some rough times. Hottie being preyed upon by a fellow Transgenic who had gotten her addicted to the hyped up endorphins in his blood that would have made that latest designer street drug look tame. Hottie still had the shakes from getting off of the "Blood Drug" but she had been able to restore her blood and brain chemistry back to somewhat normal. Though she had to take up a special diet that consisted of foods full of sarotonin and proteins, but the cheese and egg pasta sandwich she had brought with her had finally broken the ice between them when she broke the sandwich in half and gave Killer a portion of it.
Killer on the other side had thought that the Transgenics were just wannabe superheroes who wanted to have their voice heard or that they were freaks seeking a free handout after their masters had tossed them out on the streets. Heck after you have your ass saved by someone who can run on foot at seventy miles per hour and take out the security detail taking your ass to prison. Well that kinda changes things. But Killer had seen that the Transgenics were not monsters but just people who were trying to find their place in this insane flipped upside-down world. But it was when they had crashed on that couch together that Killer realized something about Hottie; they were mirror opposites yet identical, Yen and Yang. That was when Hottie started to suck on his neck during the dance leaving a hicky in the process. That was when Killer noticed her sucking get harder that he pinched her but with his hands to let her know that if she was going to get kinky he was going to get kinky as well.
"Hottie. You know if you give me a hicky, I'll have to give you one as well." Killer said as Hottie pulled her head away from his neck with a blush growing on her face.
"Sorry Killer, I'm kinda marking you off limits to the other girls in this bar." Hottie said somewhat embarrassed by the action she took but Killer understood that she was part animal, just a bit more proactive with her instincts than a normal person would. Killer understood.
"Hottie, you know you can come back to my place so that we can have some warm fun." Killer said as jumped upwards and hugged the stuffing out of him as she squealed in joy.
"Killer I love you." Hottie said as her weight on Killer's body started to make him stagger into another couple. Which looked at them with understanding for they were young lovers once upon a time before they had their family and had to sit in their parked car to have some quiet time together.
"Sorry about that." Hottie said as she slid off of Killer blushing like mad.
"We understand." The older couple said with a chuckle remembering their youth and the wild fun they had before they had kids. Then Hottie leaned over to touch Killer's lips with her finger as a sign of love and sensuality as they left the dance floor to get their stuff and head back to Killer's apartment to wrestle under the sheets.
"You know Killer..." Hottie said as she started to purr on his arm. "I'm part reptile and you are so warm, mind that we snuggle for awhile before doing the deed." Killer just looked at her for a moment with worry before she broke out laughing. It took a moment for him to catch on that she was joking with him as he started to laugh.
"Ohh, you got me." Killer said as Hottie slipped on her black leather jacket before they headed to the door. "Asha did say that you guys had a sense of humor that took awhile to get used to, " He said as he opened the door for Hottie. "But I thought Asha was making that part up." Killer said as they moved through the door.
"Yeah, trust me after learning that you're clone is dating a cop, life takes on a whole new meaning." Hottie said as they moved past a line of patrons trying to get in and some being turned away for just being jerks or not fitting the establishment's code of "C.O.O.L.". One of the people trying to get in was a white male who several months earlier had beat a Transgenic male to death and hung him from a street light. In the next few minutes he would set off an event that would shift the push for Pro-Transgenic rights through Congress.
***
Mark Petterson was standing in line with his soon to be fiancée Kendra Maibaum. For being a Sector Cop whose main duty was ushering people through security checkpoints and making sure that offences and messes between areas didn't erupt like it did in the months after the Pulse took place. Kendra had become a beacon of light in this world. But it wasn't just the fact that he had worked one shift on the day that the Jam Pony Crisis and he had been posted as part of the security detail around that twenty-block mess called Terminal City. But it was those moments he thought about being close to Kendra. Now standing with her in this life to get into this nightspot so that he could have some of the mood needed to have a good time and soften her up so that he could propose to her. Hell he had the ring in his pocket to give her. Right now Kendra was talking about the current gossip of the city of Seattle.
"Mark you know since Eyes Only has been on the air, I have noticed that his mood has changed from fighting the system such as going after corrupt sector cops and corrupt government officials, to businessmen that have preyed upon people, but now Eyes Only looked like he is interested in Transgenic rights. I mean is he dating one of them or what." Kendra said to Mark as he reached over to stroke a lock of her long blond hair that hung on her shoulder clinging on one of her well formed and right curved breasts that she had. Kendra had the right amount of curves that she wasn't large nor was she a skinny stick. She was well portioned, a real woman. A one hundred percent home grown human female whom he loved with all his heart and would love till the day he died. Mark had seen some of the X-series females and they looked thin and athletic, something that would put a supermodel to shame. But for him he liked a woman with curves and Kendra had plenty of those. A woman with a Handful of the appropriate parts in the right places that an average Joe like him could enjoy caressing and fondling on her when they made love. But he listened to her voice as she spoke and realized the true reason he fell in love with her, that spark of humanity that would make a bad day into a good one that seemed to infect others and make this broken world a better place for all.
"Mark I mean if I ever ran into on of these Transgenics I wouldn't know what to do?" Kendra said as something had caught Mark's attention. Then there was a scream that caught everyone's attention.
"Mark... What is it?" Kendra said as Mark moved out of line to see what it was.
"Kendra, I want you to stay here, I have to check this out." Mark said to Kendra as he had to leave, but he look on Kendra's face spoke volumes of fear that this was going to be the last time she would see him.
"Be careful. I want to tell you something when you get back." Kendra said as she clutched hold of a piece of paper in her purse that she was going to show mark which would pertain to their future and with that Mark was off.
As Mark moved quickly to check out what had happened and encounter an assault in process. Mark turned to see that the bouncer from the club had come to help him out.
"So what's your name?" Mark said to the bouncer in a rushed tone.
"Boom Boom." The Bouncer said as they rounded the corner and saw three guys beating the crap out of a man pretty badly and one of them was going for a girl who had a broken arm and a twisted ankle. Quickly Mark reached down and pulled out his secondary firearm that he had on him at all times and coked back the hammer of the thirty-two caliber revolver and aimed it at the men.
"Okay you guys you better put the sticks down and move away from those two. " Mark said as he moved slowly towards the girl who was shaking her twisted body by a dumpster. Suddenly one of the several jerks decided to be stupid at the wrong time and rushed towards Mark with a homemade Billy club. Mark pulled his revolver and put it to the guy's head as he reached into his other pocket and pulled out his badge and brought it up to the thugs' face.
"I'm a Cop and I deputized that big behemoth by your friends." Mark said as the thug turned his head to see his buddies being held up in the air by the straps of their underwear and the guy looked at Mark and realized that he was out matched and was going to jail. That was when a hover drone came by and recorded the incident as in the distance he saw Kendra taking out a cell phone and making a call to his fellow officers Quickly he pulled put some plastic restraints he had on him to put on the gang and he read them their rights.
In those moments with Boom Boom the bouncer keeping an eye on the thugs he checked out the two victims. The guy looked like he would need some serious medical attention as the ambulance arrived. Thought as he moved towards the girl that Kendra had moved towards to keep her calm, he noticed something through the girl's disheveled hair. A Barcode Tattoo. Then he knew that had had just run into the front line of a Speciealy motivated hate crime and Kendra was comforting a Scared out of her mind Transgenic who just wanted to have some time with her boyfriend.
***
Clemente walked around the crime scene of a mugging slash attempted Lynching and knew that he was going to have his hands full with this mess. That was when he moved over to where Mark Petterson was giving his report to a Detective Matt Sung whom he had met on several occasions, but seeing him once again. Clemente knew that the mess he had walked through and saw that the EMT personnel were loading up the guy who had been attacked by the suspects in custody. The guy looked like a mess and he was lucky to be alive. If it weren't for Petterson checking out the noise, the guy and his girlfriend would be dead. Clemente turned his attention to one of the squad cars and the young woman sitting on the hood with a blanket around her. The Girlfriend of the victim; a female X-Series Transgenic who looked no more than being out of her teens who was clearly shaken from the events. Clemente moved over to see an EMT with the nametag of Rapier putting some antiseptic ointment on the cuts she had received from the attack and wrapping her ankle from where she had twisted it during the struggle.
It wasn't till he saw the lightening bolt scar on her forehead he realized that she wasn't an X-Series, she was a T-Blood and he knew that he had to approach questioning her very carefully. He walked over and started to ask her a few questions about the events of the night, and he learned that she and her boyfriend had decided to have a night of fun before going back to his place for some wrestling in bed. Though she was scared at times, she felt that just him talking with her and holding her hand calmed her down. Though she was concerned about where Killer, her boyfriend, was going to be treated at, she felt that she had been violated and not matter if you were human or not this invasion of your personal space and it would scare anyone to their core. With that he decided to ask specific questions of the events and learned that they were talking about some of the Ordinary/Transgenic politics and relationships that was going on in and outside of Terminal City. He learned that she had let some of this info leak out while they were on the way out and with that phrase they had become a target of these Hate-Mongers who wanted to send a message to the Pro-Transgenic supporters and their constituents suddenly made sense of the attack. With that she started to break down as Kendra, Petterson's Girlfriend just hugged her as Hottie Blood broke down before him. It was going to be a long phone call to Max as the News crews started to gather down the street. Like it or not Clemente knew he was going to be assigned to the case and he would see things that would harkened back to a darker time in the history of the world.
***
Inside of Terminal City, Melfina was sitting in the Command Center monitoring the various data feeds coming in from the Eyes Only Informant Net, the Police Scanner, the Local News Services, Cerberus's Intellent scan program inside of White's Old base, and the data feeds from the Police Hover Drones that were flying all through the City. Mel knew it was her turn in the Command Center tonight to watch the gear for any activity pertaining to the Threat Matrix protocols they had started to follow to the various threats to the Transgenic community and the rest of the world which started to spring up in the local area. That was when she heard over the Scanner that there had been an attack on a Transgenic. Her thoughts stopped from the young X6 she was thinking about seeing in the severing line in the mess hall and started to think about who had been attacked and who was behind it. That was when the call came in on the command phone and Mel picked it up and heard Clemente's voice on the other end. That was when she learned that Hottie and Killer were the victims of the assault that they had survived through. Max dialed the other line to get Max as she was working with Aspen to pick CJ's mind about the Conclave and the Familiars. For Melfina she was going to be learning more about humanity than she ever wanted to know as Shadow got buzzed for immediate deployment.
***
Inside of Westbrook Medical Center, Several Sector Police and Transgenics had gathered in the waiting area to learn the status of Killer and Hottie. Once of them was Rain, leader of the T-Bloods. The last time she was in a place like this, she had learned about the extent of her mutation and that she wouldn't be human ever again, but it was the memories of Linda Stine. What if she and the other had left her there in the medical center? Would Linda still be alive? Would she have met Max aka 452? It was those questions that ate at her as she pulled back a braid of her dyed red hair. That was when on of the Sector Cops came over and sat down by her.
"So, you are a member of your friend's unit?" The cop said as Rain looked up in tears lost between memories of the past and dark visions of the future.
"Yes. I am." Rain said as she looked to see that the Asian cop was moving over and sat down across from her in the seat in front of her. "What is it? Are Hottie and Killer going to be okay?"
"Well Hottie is more worried about her boyfriend, but she is going to be okay other than a few bandages. On the other hand your friend Shadow is looking at Killer and says that it will be a few weeks till his is going to be doing some dancing. But the doctors say he is going to be okay." Sung said as Rain leaped out the chair and hugged the stuffing out of him.
"Thank you." Rain said as she started crying. That was when Melfina entered the room and saw the scene unfolding and blushed a little.
"Rain I know that you are desperate to get a guy, but Matt's a married man." Melfina said as Rain just looked at her and blushed.
"Mel... Hottie and Killer are going to be okay." Rain said as she got up off the floor and moved towards Melfina.
"That's good." Melfina said as she looked through the room at the various sector police and saw Matthews of Internal Affairs who they had helped months earlier to help bring down Peirpont Limpkin's corrupt officers on the force. But it was seeing Clemente that made things seem a little better.
"So I better head over to where Matt and Clemente are at and learn what led to this mugging." Melfina said as she marched over to see what information they had on the attack before he gave a press conference revealing the truth of the incident and the outrage that the muggers had taken their anger out on a guy who was spending time with his girlfriend. A guy that was one hundred percent human whose girlfriend was a Transgenic, brought shock to the audience; a Transgenic guy humping a human girl they would not have stood for, but a human guy humping the hell out of a Transgenic they seemed to tolerate, though having Max speak her mind with Clemente and to the public did calm both sides down. Everyone knew that the Battle of the Freaks had changed more about the world of Humans and the Transgenics; they now saw each other as equals and given the fragile peace on both sides, this was one event that had been defused. But in another part of the hospital Hottie was going to make a friend and learn that even humans have cold feet when it came to revealing things about their pasts.
***
Hottie was laying her head on Killer's bed and she was scared more than she had ever been in her life. She could hear the constant beeping of the heart rate monitor counting Killer's individual heartbeats as she held his hand letting its warmth comfort her. That was when there was a knock on the door and she turned to see a well-figured blond woman standing in the doorway. It was the girl with the Sector Cop that helped save her and Killer's life. She looked uncertain about what to do next, that was when Hottie turned her head and started to speak to the blond.
"Hi there." Hottie said as the blond shifted several times before speaking to her.
"Um, I just swung by to see how you were doing." The blond said as she moved into the room to see the dark haired girl.
"I'm doing okay considering that my ankle has been wrapped up and I'll be on a pair of crutches for about a week or two, but I'm mainly concerned about Killer here." Hottie said as she looked over to caress Killer's face.
"So, I just want to know?" The blond said unsure how to state the next few words. "Which one of you guys is the Transgenic?" Hottie just looked with "Uh..." formed on her face. "Sorry, I heard that one of you guys was a Transgenic, I just thought... you know your boyfriend was..." It was those words that scared Hottie to her core. That was when the deer in the headlights look in her eyes came through to its fullest extent as she started to shake in fear that was when the girl started to back off realizing that she had not only scared the crap out of Hottie as she shielded Killer with her body and in the process the hair on the back of her neck moved away to show her barcode tattoo waiting for an assault that never came. "Sorry... I... I... I didn't know." The blond said as Hottie slowly turned her head to see the blond kneeling next to her and brushing the hair out of Hottie's eyes to see the hot tears going down the girl's face and the running dark eye lighter that clung to Hottie's cheeks as the events of the last few hours finally caught up to her.
"Easy there, I didn't know that you were the one that..." The blond said realizing that she had hit a nerve but given how scared she had left Hottie that she moved over and just hugged the girl. That was when Hottie started to fully break down and started to cry.
"I didn't want to be born this way. Why would those men want to came after me and Killer?" Hottie said as the blond just shushed softly in the girl's ear.
"It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay." Hottie just listened as the smell of loose hairspray and simple lipstick and perfume clung to her body as just being held by this woman took the fear away from her and replaced it with safety. This was the way Hottie was for several minutes as how dark humanity could be and how powerful hope could from the darkest moment from a simple act of kindness to from a stranger.
"Um, what's your name?" Hottie said to the Blond as she noticed that the female Ordinary smelled like her Mom an image she had not thought about in years as they hugged.
"Kendra," the blond said as Hottie moved to se her face.
"Kendra, that's a nice name mine is Hoku but my friends call me Hottie." Hottie said revealing her real name to Kendra as she looked at the Ordinary woman and wondered a lot about her life and at the possible paths of being different and being alike at the same time.
"So how did the two of you hook up? Kendra said noticing that Hottie was blushing a little from her question.
"Um we met during an Eyes Only mission." Hottie said remembering the first time they had met when Max and Asha were forced on a Sensitivity Training. "It started out with Max and Asha having to spend some time together to work out the bugs between the two of them. But it turned into an adventure when Peirpont Limpkin learned that some Transgenic saved some kid he was going to eighty-six and we got stuck with her as Limpkin went after a member of my people in retaliation." Kendra just looked at her in astonishment about this story of how Hottie and her boyfriend had met. Kendra felt that these two had been through a lot and started to become more than friends, they had started to fall in love and Kendra understood that it took some people to warm up to the idea of saying "I Love you" to each other. That was when Killer shifted some in the hospital bed that Hottie leaned over to see if he was responsive.
"Hottie, Hottie where are you?" It took Killer a moment or so glancing around his unfamiliar surroundings to see that Hottie was there at his bedside.
"Killer I'm here." Hottie said as Kendra started to move away to leave the two be, but she stopped for a moment as Killer turned his gaze to her.
"Hi, um thanks for being with Hottie here." Killer said as he digested what had happened and noticed that she wanted to let the two of them be as Hottie kissed the heck out of the guy's forehead.
"It was nothing she looked like she needed a shoulder to lean on." Kendra said, as she was about to leave the room. "Listen I can get a doctor so that they can check you out." Kendra said as Killer spoke up.
"Listen you can swing by and talk with us any time okay, I think Hottie has taken a liking to you just listening to her." Killer said as Kendra realized that she had made a friend among the Transgenics, and was unsure how to proceed.
"Okay, Listen I'll leave my number of where you can reach me." Kendra said as she moved over to reach into her purse and pulled out a scratch notepad and scribbled her name and number down on a sheet and handed it to the young Transgenic who took the page as if it was as precious as gold.
"Thank you." Hottie said as she got up and hugged Kendra. In the days following their meeting Hottie would help Kendra break the news to her fiancé that she was about to make him a father. As Kendra was heading out of the door she saw Hottie take a pair of really skimpy underwear that she was holding on in her hand and tied it to the sidebar of Killer's bed.
"Killer I want you to get well so that you can touch what was in those, okay." Hottie said as she leaned over to snuggle the crease in Killer's neck before leaving as the doctors came in to check his condition. The Doctors would wonder and later ask why was there a pair of panties tied to Killer's bed and all he would say was that he had a reason to get better due to him being interrupted on his date with the girl he loved and a special surprise she wanted to give him.
***
Inside of Terminal City the word of the assault had worked its way through the Chimera Water cooler over the last few days had left many of the Transgenics inside shaken by what had happened. For CJ all he wanted was to recover from the treatments the Familiars had given him for most of his adult life, CJ was getting adjusted to his old layer in the Advanced Recomb Building which he had taken up shop in after his first escape from the Familiar holding facility he was held at. CJ still felt the shakes kick in from what he had been dosed with but he knew it was going to be a long road ahead. The next three days would determine if he could make it as he went cold turkey and got his neural physiology straight. As he was making his bed under the old table, he heard a sound as a female Transgenic came in and she looked like she was flustered as she shoved a old file cabinet against the door to barricade herself inside as if something was after her. When she turned to see CJ she just froze where she stood and fell down to her knees.
"NO..." She said as she just let her head fall into her hands. CJ didn't know what to do. But whatever she was afraid of he would have to find out.
"Are you okay?" CJ said wondering if that was to obvious, but she just rocked back and forth fearing that there was something more wrong and it wasn't something she wanted to talk about. CJ creped up over slowly and sat down beside her. It took a moment for the girl to calm down some as she started to collapse onto his side and he put his arm around her to see if that would calm her down and it did, but she acted as if she wanted to be caressed and not at the same time.
"Want to talk about it?" CJ said as she looked up with tears in her eyes.
"I'm in Heat." The girl said sobbing, as she was scared of this event. CJ who didn't know all that much about Transgenic physiology just played along as he realized that her being warm was concerning her.
"Okay," CJ said as he started to fan her with his free hand. The girl looked up at him doing this and started to giggle some. "Is this cooling you down enough." With that he noticed that she was grinning but she was still scared.
"Stop it, okay you." The girl said getting up away from him and curling up into a ball once again.
"Listen this is kinda my place and I'm came here to see if I can get the drugs the Familiars dumped into out." CJ said as the girl looked up at him and realized they were in the same boat.
"I came in here to be away from males so I wouldn't have to hump one due to my hormones surging." The girl said as she got up and kicked the knocked over file cabinet a few times with her foot. "Now I'm stuck in a room with now way out with a male. The Fates must be laughing at me." She said as CJ suddenly started to spasm from his body reacting to him going cold turkey from the drugs he had bee on most of his life. Quickly the girl blurred over to catch him and brought him over and sat him down on the file cabinet.
"You okay?" She asked as CJ curled up into a fetal position in a loose attempt to prevent his limbs from flaying around.
"Nooooo..." CJ said in a slurred tone as he attempted to fight through with most of his might to prevent from biting his tough. "I need to get through this, I have to show them that I am still alive." CJ said as Brittany looked over to see a brown blanket on the floor and reached to pick it up. It wasn't till she saw something fall out of it that she freaked. There was a albino snake in there.
"Akch." She squealed as CJ tried his best to get up and move over to where she was at and looked at where she was staring.
"Hey there George." CJ said as he slithered over to where George the snake was and he reached out a arm to let the snake slither up his arm "Come on and lay by me so you can stay warm." CJ said as the girl just kneeled down beside him and watched this scene unfold.
"That snake is your's?" She said as CJ noticed that there was some curiosity about why would a guy like him has a pet snake.
"Yes," CJ said as he tried his best to get up but his legs gave out from under him due to his body not wanting to go with what his mind was saying. Quickly the girl covered him with the blanket and sat down on the floor next to him.
"Old George here helped me get through some of the more difficult times that I was going through my system getting clean." CJ said as he remembered the first time that he as laying under the table of the old lab as he tried to get clean. That was before his misguided betrayal to his brother. Before he found the WarBride. Now he was back at the lab with WarBride... No Max's people. That girl who had freed him was one of Max's people and he was given assurances that once he had gotten his system clean Max would allow him to mingle with the others of her people. But for now he was stuck in here with a girl that seemed to be scared yet curious about him at the same time. That was when CJ decided to learn the name of his fellow cellmate.
"What's your name?" CJ asked as the dark muddy blond svelte girl stroked back a lock of her long messy hair.
"Um, Brittany." The girl said as the tension between them started to fade between them as she repositioned her legs so that she sat Indian style on the floor. "What's your's?" She asked as the tail of her gray tank top t-shirt and brown DBU pants shifted against her green sneakers.
"CJ ... I'm a..." CJ debated weather or not to tell her he was a Familiar Born, but a reject or should he just start with the creation of a new past and leave his roots like dust in the wind. "...Prototype." The word came out with a cough in the process, which scared the girl, but given how he was shivering Brittany was more concerned about him dying on her.
"Listen I'll see if I can get you out of here and get you to the infirmary." Brittany said as she shifted around to get up, but CJ brought an arm out to stop her.
"Don't..." He said as he tried his best to pull himself up. "I want to get sober on my own terms. I want to show those Familiars that all the pain they put me through, all the torture, all the experiments after they had captured me those two times. They have created a person that will not rest until they pay for their crimes." He said making his own declaration to the world but Brittany realized that CJ had been through a lot.
"CJ, the Familiar's captured you?" Brittany said realizing that he was some deep cover operative or that they had caught him right after the Manticore fire.
"Yes they did, but what I learned from what they were up to says that the WarBride is the key?" CJ said to Brittany, as she looked at him some and realized something; he was the one that had saved her and the others that had been captured by White's crew when the Thermal scanners started to be used prior to the Siege.
"CJ that first time that you escaped?" Brittany said looking at him more closely. "Did you help Max in an escape from White's compound?"
"Yes I did, I beat the crap out of White to free WarBride, to free Max." CJ said as George the snake started to stick his head out from under the blanket for some more air.
"...And George your snake is he something that you picked up while you were on the run?" Brittany said as CJ stroked the snake's head.
"Yes, I kinda snagged him when I broke of out the Familiars loony bin before coming here." CJ said as Brittany leaned over and touched the snake. This was the snake the Familiars used to grow and cultivate their virus in. A living tissue host was needed to grow the disease in, a disease that if the Familiars were successful would decimate the human race. Now it was in the hands of the Transgenics and they wound find a way to use this snake against their enemies.
"So CJ..." Brittany said sitting back down on the floor next to CJ, "You said that you were caught another time, how did you escape that time." Brittany said looking at CJ as she started to become attracted to his scruffy appearance and strength of character.
"All I remember considering that I was drugged to the gills at the time was that this girl showed up in a dream or I think it was a dream and entered by body and transferred some of her skills to me and jumped around with her friend in front of me to guide me out of the place I was being held at. For the next few days things were kinda a blur as I worked my way back here." CJ said as he kinda tried to remember more. Brittany reached over and touched his cheek with her hand and felt the heat from his body as he started to sweat off and on sometimes slurring his words.
"That was when Max and Logan went and brought you back here." Brittany said getting closer to him as he nodded in agreement.
"So what's your story, you said that you were hot or something like that?" CJ said trying his best to turn his head so he could better see her.
"I said I was in Heat." Brittany said as she put her hands in her face. "My hormones are racing and I'm scared." Brittany said, as she was about to start wailing in pain. With that CJ pushed himself up off the floor and slid over to her and he hugged her.
"Easy there." CJ said as he held on to her as she reached up and hugged him back. He could feel the hot tears going down her face as if something bad had happened to her. "Why don't you tell me why you are scared?" CJ said as he could feel Brittany's hands feeling the back of his shirt.
"CJ the last time I was in heat near anyone, was when I was with my Breeding Partner... Biggs." Brittany started to sob on CJ's shoulder at this time. "I loved him." CJ just held her as her sobs came out like a tidal wave. It felt like years till Brittany was able to speak again, but CJ knew about loss and this girl like him would have a long journey together as they rediscovered their humanity and sense of self.
"Easy, I'm not going anywhere even if I wanted to. Tell me what happened to Biggs?" With those words Brittany started to speak about her and Biggs being close as they were growing up inside of Manticore. How the two of them had snuck behind the walls and learned about the others that were like them and different at the same time. How the two of them had fallen in love and swore to become pare to 424's revolt against the system and for their own freedom. She spoke about the sheer luck of becoming Biggs breeding partner right after the Genetics lab was blown up. Then she talked about the night of the fire and of the fear of being thrust into a world she was unprepared for.
Brittany told about her learning at a walk in clinic after several fainting spells that she was with child. She told of her hope and joy of having something of Biggs inside of her and finding Biggs alive here in Terminal City. Then Brittany broke into another wave of tears and pain as she told about the Grand Mal seizure she went through and how she had lose her little baby girl.
"I just lay there and asked to touch the baby's body. Knowing that she was in a better place and wouldn't be hunted like an animal." Brittany said as she squeezed her hands hard into CJ's back ripping his shirt in the process. Then she continued with her tale about loosing Biggs a few days later and how they were planning later that night to joining together and working on having another child considering that they would have more resources to ensure that the next one would live. But she had lost that chance when those humans butcher Biggs and strung him up like an animal killed on a hunt. With that she brought up her wrists and showed the faint marks on her wrists of where she tried to commit suicide and failed due to an X7 walking in and knocking her to her knees. That wouldn't be her only suicide attempt. That was when she told CJ that she was captured by White's men and was being prepared for shipment to the holding facility. Part of her wanted it all to end. All that changed when Max came to the rescue. This was when CJ spoke up to tell his side of the story of the events of that night.
"Brittany, I was with Max when she broke you guys out of there." CJ said as Brittany looked at him with fear and with hatred.
"You were with Max when you saved us?" Brittany said, as she felt repulsed and scared.
"Yes, I bought Max the time she needed to escape with you all in the transport van." CJ said as another seizure took hold and he grabbed onto Brittany like crazy. "I knew she would lead you all to freedom." He said gritting the words through his teeth. "Now I must survive and learn to live again." A spasm ripped through his body and Brittany held on to him to prevent him from falling. "Brittany I know that you have been though a lot but so have I, we are both going to get through this." CJ said as the two of them looked into each other's eyes and they understood in that moment that they would have to bond as people so that they could get their souls back. "You make me a deal that if one falls the other will help them get up. Okay. Now will you help me get clean and I'll help you through the tough times." Those words CJ said sunk into Brittany's head as she helped him up and moved him over to where his bed roll was under the lab table and she curled up next to him and fell asleep through out the next two days Brittany and CJ got to know each other as friends and Brittany for the first time in her life would fall in love with a man not due to him being a man but as a person who would make sure that if she fell that he would bring her back up into the light as he helped her keep her pants on during the two days of her Heat Cycle. Somewhere out there Biggs and her baby girl had sent her an angel for her salvation and for CJ it was be the same for him to get his life back.
***
It was the last day of the last week of October and despair what had happened over the last few weeks several members of the Transgenic and Human communities needed to unwind and there was going to be a Halloween party thrown at the UFO Bar and Grill. The place had been established back in the nineties as a sort of theme restaurant for UFO and conspiracy buffs. There were on the wall tons of pictures of UFOs including a rolling video of various UFO sightings including one of the UFO sighted in the day following the fire. That kept repeating, "go to retrieval point and await future orders." Then the same image showed a different sequence of flashed that said "Escape and Evade and go to ground, disregard any future transmission, Command compromised." There was the occasional chuckle from the crowd but for a few of the Transgenics it brought back painful memories of that night and the friends they had lost. For Melfina moving through the crowd in her Lady Chimera Costume made from a one piece red uni-tard body suit, a White corset with red spirals on the breasts, and a pair of white flowing sleeves from a trashed nightgown she had found. Dressing as her alter ego made her feel free. Though after she had seen Max wearing an Egyptian style of dress and a cheesy black cat mask that made her look like some ancient goddess. Max had said she was going as the Egyptian goddess Bast and the costume expressed a ton of ethnic power and sexuality as she walked into the room. Though when Asha walked out in her skimpy Blue fairy costume with all the eye glitter, high heels and blue eyeliner on her eyes. The short cut nightgown she wore made you wonder is she was wearing any underwear under that. Between Asha and Max you wondered who was going to get kinky that night with their boyfriend.
Mel thought the get well soon card for Hottie and Killer had taken the tension away for many and let them unwind from the last few days of high stress. For some of the Transgenic at the party they were running at high alert fearing another attack or assault to occur. That was when Melfina saw the guy, a very cutie X-Series Male who looked like he was an younger X5 or probably an older X6 and boy did he have the right parts in the right place and he had a nice elegant Barcode on his neck under that green fatigue jacket and blue jeans. That was when every hormone in her body kicked in and she decided to check him out.
"Hi there..." Melfina said as she slid into the seat next to him at the bar. The guy turned in her direction and said Hi back and Melfina was blushing.
"Um, my name is Melfina." Mel said as she started to take in a whiff of this guy's scent.
"Armond..." the guy said as she started to soak him in with her eyes. That was when the guy brought his hand up to her mouth and bushed something moist away. "Um you're drooling." Mel snapped out of her trance just long enough to touch her face and feel the drool from her mouth.
"Oh, shit...." Melfina said as she quickly went for a paper napkin blotted at her face to soak up the drool coming from her face. "Listen I'm a bit more in control of myself." Melfina said as she looked up in embarrassment. And Armond got another napkin for her and started to dab on her cheek some.
"Listen, I know that I'm hot but I'm not "That" Hot." Armond said as he touched her hand.
"Sorry, I just never met another so hot looking Transgenic before." Melfina said as she started to feel the roughness of his hand.
"Yeah, I mean after I heard about that guy and his Transgenic girlfriend getting hurt, I started to think about how many mixed couples are walking around." Armond said as Mel started to take in this information.
"Yeah, Killer and Hottie are real nice people, but I feel that they understand the risks they are taking in taking their relationship to the next level. I mean I would be scared shitless having people wonder if I was dating a guy due to looks or the fact his was genetically compatible." Melfina said as she tried to shift her thoughts away from her hormones and to the logical center of her brain.
"Yeah, relationships tend to scare some people; I mean you are dealing with the entire commitment type of thing. Before you get to the point of what species you are." Armond said as he reached over to take a swig of his soda before him.
"Yeah, I mean I get scared around other members of different species. I mean I'm still creped out by guys when they touch me. I feel like I have no free will of my own and I'm running on some sort of automatic pilot." Melfina said as she looked at her hand that Armond had touched earlier.
"Listen, Melfina I know that this is a little strange for you but how about we get to know each other better. I mean..." Armond said as he shuffled into Mel's hormone glazed eyes.
"Yes... " Melfina said to this guy as every higher logic function fell to the wayside as her hormones decided to take over her body.
"So you want to go back to my place?" Armond said as Mel just moved over and started to nuzzle on his neck.
"Mind that I take a shower at your place?" Melfina said as she stared to lean on him and take in his scent.
"Okay, so lets get out of here." Armond said as he and Melfina went for the door of the Bar and Grill. As the hours passed Melfina and Armond got to his place and decided to move into the bathroom to take a shower, but as they stripped off their clothing and got into the shower to explore each other's bodies an event happened that slammed Melfina back into reality. Armond's fingers went for the line of skin right behind Melfina's ears.
"Hey What's this? Part of your costume?" Armond said as he reached over and pinched down hard the on the tissue that made up her gills and tried to pull it off. Melfina reacted with a scream as she pulled away from Armond as she was massaging the back of his neck where his barcode was with her hand.
"Ouch!!! That hurt!" Melfina said moving one her hands to rub her Gill on her head as Armond looked at her wondering what he had touched that had hurt her so much.
"Hey I thought that was part of your costume." Armond said moving closer to her again to look at the damage he had inadvertently done to her.
"Yeah, well when they make you a X-Series Custom you have to keep an eye out on the few additions they made to you." Melfina said as she looked up into Armond's eyes as he slowly caressed the folds of Skin that held her water gills.
"Whoa, I knew that Manticore cooked up some weird stuff, but they created Transgenics with gill?" Armond said as he caressed her gills with the tip of his finger, as Melfina got weak in the knees as she started to lean forward on him and she started to rub the back of his neck more and more feeling the small hairs on the back of his wet neck feel like rough fibers of grass. That was until something greasy started to stick to her fingers. It felt like oil, but it took a moment for Mel to sense something wrong as most of Armond's body order started to sink in. With that Mel removed her hand to see a black substance on her hand and she moved around to see the back of his neck. What she saw shook her to her core. The barcode on the back of his neck was washing off.
With the look of a deer stuck in the middle of an on coming truck's headlights in the middle of the night, Melfina started to back out of the shower in fear as she started to shiver in fear through the shower curtain.
"You're an Ordinary????" Melfina said as her water dripped body stated to grow goose bumps by the pound. Armond realized that whatever she was scared of him. Then Melfina got so scared she let out a shock of electricity from her electrostatic muscle bundles in her body and Armond went flying as he got out of the shower and he got flung across the bathroom from the discharge. The force of the charge was enough to knock the wind out of him. Mel moved over and checked his neck to check to see if there was a pulse and found one. Then Mel backed out of the room and started grabbing her clothes and headed out of the door with the bundle held tight to her chest as the sound of rain started falling outside. Armond opened his eyes long enough to see a very scared Melfina running naked out of the door the look of fear on her face showed that she was not just terrified of him; She was white as a sheet.
Armond would days later find out the truth that Melfina wasn't scared of where the situation was going, she was scared of Ordinaries lying and hurting her in the process.
***
Melfina ran through the streets of Seattle occasionally stopping for a moment to get some clothes on in the poring rain. It took her an hour on foot to get to Max and Cindy's apartment and by then her clothes were soaking wet from the rain. The rectangular plywood door that had the simple patter of numbers that were pieced together from plastic, wood, brass and glowing florescent magic marker. Melfina was scared out of her wits as she shook as her body tried its best to keep her warm. Mel started to pound on the door with the type of Thud, Thud, Thud, which sounded like an eight hundred pound gorilla instead of a small four-foot eight teenage girl. It took forty forevers till Cindy came to open the door wearing nothing but a bathrobe.
When Cindy got a look at who was standing soaked to the bone shaking and scared out of her wits before her.
"Melfina, dear come on in, you look like you are about to freeze to death out here." Cindy said as Melfina moved into the doorway and just hugged Cindy like she had become a vital lifeline to reality.
"I'm scared..." Melfina said as Cindy walked her in as she was still clenched to her chest and closed the door behind her.
"Melfina, it's going to be okay, I'm not going to leave." Cindy said as they moved over the couch and sat down as Mel pulled back far enough to show she was crying.
"I was with a guy and he... he..." Mel wasn't able to finish the sentence as she broke down and curled up in Cindy's lap pulling a good chunk of the robe into her hands leaving a lot of Cindy's upper body exposed. All Cindy could do was to comfort the young Transgenic by stroking her hair and let a good chunk of the emotional baggage come out. Cindy just waited as Melfina's body heaved in sadness and pain. Whatever happened to his girl was scary enough that she had become frightened, and for a Transgenic it took a lot to shake one up as badly as Melfina had been at the door.
"It's going to be okay." Cindy said as she stroked through Mel's hair and Melfina started to calm down enough that she pulled her head up to look at Cindy.
"Cindy, I think I hurt someone tonight." Melfina said as Cindy looked at her as Mel started to tell the tale of the events of the how she wound up at Cindy and Max's place. The cute guy at the party, the heading to his place to have some fun together. The shower scene. Then Mel laid out the last part of where during the shower she learned that the guy was human and the guy learned she was a Transgenic. The entire thing about her getting spooked and hitting him by accident through the wet floor with her powers and her fleeing afterwards made Cindy ask Melfina about where the guy lived at. The details came out about the location, sector and building structure and Cindy moved over to where the wireless phone that she and Max used and she dialed up Logan and told them to use his resourced to find out if a guy who had been hit by a girl with an electrical shock at the location Mel told her about and Logan said that he would check into it. Then Cindy looked over at Melfina who was curled up into the fetal ball she went into whenever something bad had happened to her to protect herself.
"Melfina, Logan and Max are going to check to see if the guy that scared you is okay." Cindy said as she moved over and with one of her hands and started to stroke the side of Melfina's face. "Mel, you can crash here for awhile." The sadness in Mel's eyes stated to open up as Cindy understood some of the trauma she had endured sexually. Mel had gone into heat at work and nearly went Nympho on Normal and now with the guy and the shower scene. Cindy never had this much trouble with exploring her sexuality. The worse thing that Cindy had to deal with was that she had to tell her parents that she was homosexual and preferred member of her own sex instead of boys. Heck Cindy learned about how to deal with her fist kiss, her first sexual experience and the first time she and her first love Diamond lay in bed naked learned how to please each other's nude body.
"Listen Melfina... I'll see if I can get you some of Max's stuff to get into and you can crash in her bed for the night." Cindy said getting up from the couch and straightening and pulling up tight her bathrobe and with her hand, she moved over and helped Melfina up and led her to Max's room and pulled some of Max's sweats out of her draw and a very baggy t-shirt out of Laundry and handed it to Melfina.
"Here Mel, I hope that some of this stuff will be comfortable for you?" Cindy said as Mel accepted the clothing and started to strip out of the damp costume she was in. Cindy was surprised at how perfectly muscled Melfina's body as given her size as Mel peeled off the body contouring top she had on. For a X-series she looked like an athlete in comparison to some of the forms she had seen in the Terminal City bathhouse. But when Mel sat down on the bed to pull the pants of the costume off; Cindy noticed that Mel had several cuts and burns on her feet bare.
"Melfina." Cindy said as she knelt down on the floor to examine Mel's feet. "I'll go and get you some antiseptic and bandages out of the bathroom to deal with those cuts on your feet." Melfina crossed one of her legs onto her knee and looked at the various assfalt rock cuts on her foot and the reddish burns on the sides and along her toes which she carefully poked at with her finger to see how much nerve damage she had situated from the run from Armond's place to Cindy's.
"Um, Okay..." Melfina said as she sat there on the bed. The rain was pattering against the window and Melfina was drawn back to her memories of Manticore and listening to the rain pat against the windows of the barracks. The way that she and the other members of her unit would sneak into each others beds and under the covers tell stories about the pictures in the stars. That was when she sensed someone standing in the doorway. It was a big boned, dark haired Rubensuqe woman who looked either Russian or from Eastern Europe wearing nothing but a wrapped blanket around her nude body.
"Um... Hi." The woman said as Mel lost in her thoughts didn't notice her. It wasn't until Cindy came back with an armful of Bandages and Antiseptic that Mel snapped back to reality and looked at Cindy with sadness.
"Hey, Cindy..." Melfina said as Cindy dampened a paper towel and dabbed at her wounds. "I miss the light soft rain from growing up upstate. The rain had the smell of life." Melfina said as occasionally wincing in pain.
"Sugar, I grew up in the city and the closets thing we have to rain filled with life is when it came from the sewage plant." Cindy said as she started to wrap Mel's feet in the gauze so that no blood infections would get into her feet.
"Yeah. I love the rain." Melfina said as she started to drift off to sleep and fall onto her side. Cindy moved over and pulled back the sheet of Max's bed an laid it over Melfina's small body and tucker the young Transgenic's feet under the covers which the Transgenic girl started to burrow into and sleep soundly in as the events of the night disappeared with the ticks of the clock.
"Sleep tight Shocky. I hope that your next experience with the other sex turns out better than this one." Cindy said as she moved over to her girlfriend and closed the drapes to the room so that Mel could sleep in peace.
"Cindy, who is that girl?" The Rubeneque girl said as she moved with Cindy back to their room.
"Nanushka, the girl in Max's room is one of my coworkers and friends." Cindy said as they went through the doorway and moving back to the bed.
"What happened to her? How did she get those burns on her feet?" Nanushka said as she fluffed out the large comforter she had covered her body with and laid down next to Cindy as she untied her bathrobe and snuggled under the sheet with her female lover spooning her in the process.
"She had a bad experience with a guy she went home with and he spooked her even before they got to third base due to a bad experience with her past." Cindy said as she locked hands with Nanushka and rested in the soft crease of the neck of her love. "I'll tell you more about it in the morning." Cindy said going to asleep and Nan wondered as she drifted off to sleep. Was Melfina human or Transgenic. The answer would come with the dawning of a new day.
***
TBC
Please Read and Review for me okay, I like the responses that you have all been sending me.
Note: The UFO Bar And Grill is an actual Restaurant in the Seattle area. I heard it on a Seattle radio station that I was checking out on the web. That was a few years and I don't know if it is still open but the name just stuck in my mind. So I apologize for anyone that has been there and to the owners for using the name.
***
