Disclaimer: I own the characters that you haven't heard of before.
The three transgenics stood in a triangle waiting for the fallout of the bomb that just dropped. "Biggs is alive?" Alec whispered.
"More or less," Nadia replied.
"What does that mean?" Alec asked. "How can someone be more or less alive?"
"Coma," Nadia replied.
"Why is he in a coma?"
"Maybe it has to do with the beating that he received," Aidan replied and started to walk down the street. His twin and Alec followed him. "He needs a blood transfusion. Nadia and me tried, and so did Row and Kwan. Didn't help at all. Guess the blood needs to be from another X-5."
"I'm an X-5. Why didn't you tell me about this?" Alec pressed.
"When?" Aidan asked, spinning around to face Alec, but continuing to walk backward down the street. "You and all the other X-5's in TC have been busy keeping everyone safe and in the city, making sure we eat, and all that good stuff," Aidan replied. "There was no time."
"Yeah," Nadia agreed. "It was a bitch getting out of the perimeter this week."
"You're not allowed to say bitch," Alec said, pointing to the female twin.
"You say it all the time," Nadia argued.
"I'm allowed to."
"Why? Because you're older?" Aidan asked.
"No," Alec replied. "Because I'm the second-in-command at base." He gave the twins a smile. "And because I'm older. And what do you guys mean this week? You guys are able to sneak off of base every week?"
"Yes," they replied.
"Take me to see him."
"Yes, sir," they replied.
The two of them led the way down Sector 5. "So, you guys could've gotten any other X-5 to do the transfusion." The twins nodded. "Why didn't you?"
"Because we thought that you would've wanted to be the one to save him," Aidan replied.
"Is it bad that we did that?" his sister asked.
"No," Alec whispered. "Thanks for telling me first."
The three of them stopped at the entrance of an alley that looked impossible to get into because of all the garbage that filled it. The twins grabbed a stack of crates and moved them out of the way revealing a small opening for them to get through.
The twins easily squeezed through the opening. Alec, on the other hand, had a harder time fitting through the little tunnel. When he finally made it into the alley, he saw the twins waiting at a door for him. "We're here," Nadia said.
Alec pounded on the entrance to the building. The twins winced at attention the knocking would bring this early in the morning. "Open up," Alec commanded.
The door creaked open revealing a suspicious pair of eyes. "Who the hell are you?" the person on the other side of the door replied.
"Row!" Nadia squealed.
The door flew open and Nadia jumped into the person's arms. "Nadia!" he replied happily. "Hey. Is he with you two?"
"He followed us," Aidan replied.
The man the twins called Row looked at least ten years older than Alec. "Followed you? You guys never get caught," Row said. "Unless you wanted to get caught this week."
"Yeah," Nadia replied. "We wanted him to join in on the fun."
"So, you told him about the patient," he said as a statement and not as a question.
"We had to," Nadia replied.
"Was he holding a gun to your head?" Row asked. He knew that the twins didn't usually do what they were told the first time unless they had no other choice.
"Worse," Aidan replied. "He was going to make us shadow Max."
"I see." Row stepped out of the way and let the three of them enter the abandoned apartment. He turned to the X-5. "So, you're here to see Biggs."
"He's really alive," Alec said quietly.
"Comatose, but alive," Row said locking every lock on the door.
"How is he still in a coma? The incident was months ago. He should be up and walking by now."
"He should be, but we don't know why he isn't awake. The only thing we can think of to help is a blood transfusion. I'm guessing that's where you come in."
"Yeah."
"X-5. A great series," Row said admiringly.
But Alec didn't hear the praise the other X-series solder gave him. "Can I… can I see him?" Alec asked.
"Sure thing."
The four of them walked down the darkened hallway then down some darkened stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, another man met them there. "Kwan!" Nadia screeched, leaping down the last few stairs.
He easily caught the little girl and hugged her. "Hey, Kwan," Aidan said, trotting down the last few steps.
"Hey, twins. You two are later than usual," Kwan replied. He looked younger than Row, but older than Alec. "I was ready go leave this place and go looking for you."
"We got held up," Aidan said, pointing to the newcomer standing behind them.
"Hm…" Kwan started and looked over Alec, " X-494. I was wondering when I was going to have the pleasure of meeting you. The twins never seem to shut up about you."
Alec held out his hand. "I go by Alec now," he replied.
"Kwan," he replied, taking Alec's hand and shaking it firmly.
"Kwan, we brought you a present," Nadia said.
"What is it, little one?" he replied, putting her on the ground.
"Alec, give it to him," she said.
Alec reached into his pocket and grabbed the vial he put in it. He shook it a little before he fumbled the vial in his hands. Everyone in the room screamed, except Alec. He caught it and laughed. "Just kidding," Alec laughed.
"Not funny," Aidan replied.
Alec handed the vial off to Kwan. "Is this really her blood?" Kwan asked.
"Yes, sir," the twins replied.
"Good job, you two," Row said.
"Can you really figure out a cure?"
Row and Kwan turned and entered a room at the end of the hallway. The door opened and Alec saw that it was a makeshift lab. "The virus was first used on my series," Kwan replied, turning on a light. "We had to learn everything about it. And I mean everything."
He put the vial in a compartment to store the blood. "So, that's a yes," Alec said hopefully. He felt that he owed Max for being a reason she didn't get the cure when she had to choose between it and saving his life.
"It's a most likely," Kwan replied.
"Why?"
"I don't know if you realize this, but we aren't in Manticore anymore. We don't exactly have to tools needed to do all of this."
"Tell me what you need and I'll get it for you."
"We know. The twins told us about you and your supply runs. But it's dangerous looking for the supplies we need. We'd rather not risk the life of the second-in-command at Terminal City," Row said.
"I'm volunteering to do this."
"Well, don't," Row replied.
"What?"
"You could die," Nadia replied.
"And even if you say it's worth the risk, it isn't," Aidan asked. "You don't want to leave Terminal City with just Max leading it. We'd be better off outside the fences."
"You aren't leaving the city," Alec said.
"Well, who's going to stop us if you're dead," Nadia challenged.
The twins backed the X-5 into a corner. The weird part about it was that Nadia had the final say about it. Usually it was the male twin who stamped the end of a conversation.
Alec turned to the older soldiers, unable to take the victorious grins of the twins. "So, what series are you two?"
"Me?" Row asked. "X-3. Kwan is also an X-3. He's the medicine man."
"Medicine man. Biggs," he said remembering the reason he was in the abandoned apartment. He was so distracted with coming up with a cure for Max that Biggs had temporarily slipped his mind. "Where is he?"
Kwan stepped in the direction of a door on the other side of the room. "He's in that room," Kwan said, pointing at the door. "You sure you ready for this?"
"Now or never," Alec sighed. Kwan opened to door and stepped in. Alec reluctantly followed. He stepped in and his nose was assaulted with the awful smell of disinfectant. His eyes moved to follow the sound of beeping and he saw a person lying on the bed. It was the face of a person who had been with him on missions for years. The face of the person he thought was dead for months. "Biggs."
Here is the next chapter to this story. Sorry for the long wait. This is part of my massive birthday post. Trying to update as many stories as I can before I go and celebrate. I know that not much went on, but I promise that all of this is just a set up. Thanks to all those who reviewed the previous chapter. I hope that this turned out all right. Thanks for reading. Please review. Lil-Rock
