Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel.

The minute he spoke her regretted the words. Max's eyes flashed open. It was a natural reflex for anyone who had grown up the hell-hole that was Manticore. She sprang automatically into combat position her muscles stiffening in response to the threat. Maybe it was the sleep, or the grief or perhaps had been because she had been crying, she turned to look at the person who spoke prepared to strike.

One glance and her muscles untensed.

"Kritty?"

Krit winced at the childhood nickname. He never did pay Zane back for that one. Did he look anything resembling a kitten?

Max glanced her brother over. He hadn't changed much since the last time she saw him. Sure there were shadows under his eyes but what transgenic didn't have trouble sleeping?

"How goes it baby sis?" he asked attempting to sound causal.

"Not good. What are you doing here?"

Krit glanced around the apartment ignoring the question. Max sure did have a nice place. It might not be considered that way but he had lived in a lot worse. He vaguely remembered the two bedroom apartment he had left behind several days ago. All he had had for were some cardboard boxes for furniture and a safety deposit box for his valuables. Yes, the lock of Syl's hair was a valuable. Syl…the reason he was here in Max's apartment screwing up her attempts at a normal.

"Nice place you got."

Max stared at her brother. For years they had been separated and contacted had only been initiated in the direst of moments. The shadows and the lack of sleep in Krit's appearance explained enough to her. Something was wrong and whatever it was it wasn't going to be magically fixed by some clicks of Eyes Only's keyboard.

"Why are you in Seattle?"

"I heard a rumor you were alive and wanted to see if transgenics had nine lives."

Max glared. "Cut the bullshit and tell me what the hell is going on."

Krit glanced away from her and stared out the window.

"I don't know what happened. After the catastrophe at Manticore, Syl and I split up. Deck knew what we looked like and we didn't buy his whole 'My kids are the world to me' act. He knew our faces and nothing we could do could change that. We figured he'd be on our tails sooner or later if yours and Zack's capture hadn't been part of his initial plan."

"Manticore's gone. It blew up over a year ago. Deck may still be out there but he's a minimal threat."

"I knew that but rumor is that government isn't done with us. Lydecker is probably rebuilding Manticore as we speak with new support and better technology than before. The others—I haven't heard from them in months. I wondered if they had had a run in with that breeding cult—rumor is you know about this fam…fam—"

"Familiars. They're still running loose waiting for the world to end but I would've heard if they had killed or captured any transgenics recently."

Krit watched the cars go passing by. "I need to find her."

"You miss her, I understand but maybe—"

"I love her, Max. There's no if about it. Something's happened. She would've contacted me otherwise. There's no trace of her or the others. It's like they never existed."

"How long since you last had contact?"

"A month. "

"You haven't heard from anyone?" Max asked her eyes wide with horror.

"None of our siblings are answering my pages. I can't even reach Tinga's husband. I went to his last known location in Canada but I could find no sign of him or the little boy."

"What about Zane, Jondy, and the others? Did you try their locations?"

"Yes and there's no sign of them. There's not even a message telling me they relocated. Kat would've told me something if she was planning on moving. Sometimes she calls just to talk. But I haven't heard from her in two weeks and even that has a message that she had tried to transmit to me a month ago."

"It's like some type of nightmare."

"It gets worse," Krit said facing her. "The safe house locations—I don't even know them. Zack was so damn secretive that without him we have no way of knowing. I had his phone so I was able to make contact but I still don't know everything he did. I was never supposed to be CO. I'm not like Zack, Seth or Ben."

Max's heart constricted at the sound of Ben's name. She barely heard Krit mutter, "I'm just a simple soldier. I couldn't led a group into a mission no more than I can turn back time."

"I'll help you. Right now you should sleep," Max said.

Krit nodded. He had last slept four days ago and unlike his shark-DNA enhanced sister, Krit needed sleep. He had never been able to train himself to do without it.

"I've been running for months. Never stayed I n the same place for more than three weeks. I take it you haven't left Seattle."

Max shrugged. "It's not like I couldn't leave. There's nothing really here to hold me to the city anymore. It's been looking like I'd be moving into TC sooner or later and taking on the full responsibility of leadership—"

"That's what been bothering you? The responsibility?"

She glanced away from him. "Do you think we're ever forgiven?"

"What? You mean for things Manticore made his do?"

She shook her head. "For things we did to survive. For the sacrifices we made to protect ourselves."

"Max—"

"Everyone says hat a person has to move past the past but how can you forget—"

"This is about the past?"

"More or less."

Krit opened his mouth. The Max had seen before the mission had been with drawn as well. She had avoided to speaking them about anything other than the mission. She had been withdrawn then but not like this. Had something happened?"

"Who did you miss most after the escape?"

Krit snapped out of his wondering. The escape. He hadn't thought of that hellish night when the ice was thin in such a long time. Syl's hand had clasped his and all he could think was that he was grateful not to be alone.

"I was partnered with Syl, so that rules her out. I guessed I missed Kavi. He was like my shadow back at Manticore. He was the baby brother. He was the only other guy younger than me and I felt like it was my job to protect him. Who did you miss?"

"At first I missed Zack a lot. He was our CO, our big brother. I thought if he was around maybe I wouldn't be so lonely. He would be able to tell me what to do when I got myself into a jam. But then I thought about Ben. He was always there for me. He would talk to me. He always treated me more like an equal than like a subordinate. I really missed him. Now that he's dead I guess I miss him more."

Krit's breath caught. So Ben was dead. That's why his pages had been unanswered.

"When?" he asked.

"Two years ago before we blew up the DNA lab," she answered.

"How?" he asked quietly.

"Krit, he started killing ordinaries. Manticore was onto him. He—I don't want to talk about it."

"You can tell me, Maxie. I won't judge you or Ben."

Her eyes were full and he could see the faintness of tears. What the hell? Where was the strong stoic Max he had worked with before? She was staring at him but Krit got the eerie feeling that she wasn't seeing him.

Max could see the trees in front of her and surrounding her. She could hear the harsh breathing that she could now recognize as Ben's as he moved through the underbrush. He was fast. Fast enough to beat a small car and keep going for miles.

All she could think was that if she didn't do something an innocent man would be dead. The priest wasn't Manticore. He didn't deserve Ben's reenactment of the seek and destroy exercise. Why had she never guessed that that hellish day when Lydecker sent them out like dogs to hunt a human fox had affected him? Her nightmares were constructed of images of that day. The day when she learned to rip a man's flesh apart with her bare hands.

"MAX!"

Krit had been yelling for a full ten minutes and only now did he see recognition in her eyes.

"Sorry Krit, I just zoned out for a second," she answered sheepishly.

"Have you heard from Zack?" he asked steering the subject away from what had just happened.

Max's face paled and again her eyes grew cold.

"Is he dead too?" Krit asked.

"I was shot in the heart during the mission at the DNA lab. Zack shot himself in the head in order to become my organ donor. He's alive but he's different. Manticore brought him back. Right now he's at a farm somewhere in Canada. He doesn't remember who he was. It's a long story."

"Do you know where he is?" Krit asked his eyes widening.

"Logan hid the location from me. He said it was better that way. He won't tell me if I ask him."

"Are you still with Logan?"

Max felt like vomiting at the thought of remaining with Logan. Logan had betrayed her more than Lydecker or Manticore ever had. She had trusted him and in the end he had cost her one of the few precious people she had claimed in her life.

"He can rot in hell for all I care."

Krit said nothing. The more he learned the more he was confused.

Max's mind raced. They needed answers and they needed them fast.

"Krit," Max asked breaking the silence, "are you good with computers?"

To be continued…