SCIENTISTS AND TRANSGENICS

Chapter Nine

Alec ran through the Seattle facility, not caring who he ran into. He just wanted to reach Lydecker to find out what the hell happened to Liz. He had never been so scared as he was when he got the phone call.

Flashback

Alec was sitting at the dinning table with Robert and Rachel as they ate lunch. The three didn't do this often, but Robert was home to eat lunch with Rachel and they often invited him to join them. The lunches had never been too horrible. Robert and Rachel would bring him into the conversations about one thing or another. It was usually very comfortable. Alec had even come to enjoy them. That is until Robert began to bring up Liz. Before that Rachel had always been really happy and would look at him and her father with big smiles and lots of laughter.

However, lately, Alec had noticed that Rachel was looking at him with either sad eyes or the other eyes. Those worried him the most—it was the times that she looked at him with calculating motives. He really didn't want to know what her seventeen year old mind was coming up with as days passed by. From what he knew about the teenage female transgenics, they could be pretty…colorful…when they were thinking of ways to get their competition out of the way. He wasn't exactly to sure how much of that trait ordinary females had.

He sat quietly as Robert and Rachel caught up on the past week's events when his cell phone began to chirp. He quickly wiped his mouth, apologized, and excused himself from the table in order to answer the phone call.

"Lehane," he said as he answered the phone.

"Alec…"

Alec tensed at the tone in Lydecker's voice. Not to mention that Lydecker was risking the mission by calling his cell phone.

"Alec…Its Liz. There's been a breach in her mission."

Alec felt his heart drop to his stomach, "What do you mean?"

They sigh Lydecker let out didn't set well with him, "She was able to locate Ben…but we think Ben had to have known because he got to her before we could get to him. –Alec, we don't know where he's taken her. But please, believe me when I say getting her back is my first and main priority."

Alec closed his eyes to ward off every emotion that roared through his body, "I want to be there. I-I need to be there."

He knew he was getting choked up in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he didn't care…his 'brother' had his wife

"You know I won't say no. I want you to go with the story that Liz was in a really bad accident…does he know Liz by name?" Lydecker asked curiously.

Alec gave a slight wince, "Yeah."

It was like Lydecker could hear or see him wince, "Don't worry about it, Alec. Believe it or not it just adds more credibility to your story. –Now, I have one of your guys coming for you in a cab, He could be there in about 10 minutes."

Alec nodded, "Alright and thanks."

"No problem. See you soon."

And with that the two disconnected and Alec tried to get his emotions under control as best he could…but it just wasn't working. He took a deep breath and wiped the tears from his eyes and made his way back toward the dining room.

Robert Berrisford was the first to notice him. The older man looked at him in concern, "Simon, is everything okay?"

Alec swallowed thickly and shook his head, "No, actually it's not. – … Liz was in a really bad accident. That was her dad on the phone."

The whole dad part was not really a lie, Lydecker and Sandaman had been looking at Liz as their daughter for a while now.

"Sir, I really am sorry, I know the contract says…," Alec started but Robert shook his head and held up his hands.

"Nonsense, Simon. Take as much time as you need. Believe me when I say that I have some idea of what you are going through right now."

Alec realized that the older man mostly likely did know exactly how he was feeling…okay not exactly, after all his genetic murderous twin brother didn't have his wife held captive.

Alec just nodded and than scrubbed a hand over his face, "Thank you, Sir."

Robert shook his head, "Think nothing of it, Simon. The only thing I want you to worry about right now is Liz. All I ask is that you keep me posted on her condition."

Alec nodded, "Of course, Sir. And again, thank you."

Robert smiled sadly and nodded, "Of course. Now go to your girl, son."

Alec gave a weak smile and nodded. He quickly looked over at Rachel to say goodbye, but she was looking down at her plate and stabbing her food with her fork rather violently. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the thoughts that were running through her head right now.

End Flashback

As Alec made his way through the facility he stopped when he heard Lydecker, "494!"

He looked over at the man that looked far colder than he had looked in the past seven months. He immediately followed in the direction that Lydecker took off in.

"What the hell happened?" Alec demanded when he caught up with Lydecker.

Lydecker sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "We're not sure, Alec. She was working in the DNA lab with your sister and then out of nowhere Ben pops up and takes her captive and then blurred out. Claudia tried to stop him but he threw her across the room. He probably didn't get a chance to smell the familial scent that the three of you share."

Alec's frown deepened as his anger boiled, "It probably wouldn't have stopped him. —how did he get in?"

Lydecker sighed, "The council is currently questioning all the guards and the CO's are questioning their units. But all we've gotten so far is that they thought he was you."

"Damn it! That means he's been doing his homework. He knows we're twins and he knows about me and Liz," Alec groaned.

Lydecker nodded, "However, we're thinking he found out about Liz first and then found out about you through his research about her."

"Which means he's been monitoring her," Alec sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Alec immediately heard one voice, in particular, the second he walked through a set of doors that lead to…well, the headquarters of this mission he guessed.

"Alec!"

He lifted his head in time to catch the blonde bundle of tears that flew into his arms. He held her tight as she cried.

"Shh. Shh. It's okay, Lia. We'll get her back, there isn't any other option."

He knew what he said was true. There was no way in hell he wasn't getting his wife back.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Claudia's sobs got stronger, "You have to get her back, Alec. You just have to!"

Alec frowned and pulled back to look his sister in the eye, "Claudia, what aren't you telling me?"

As tears streamed steadily down her face she shook her head, "I can't tell you."

He growled and closed his eyes for a minute to calm down a bit. After a moment he opened his eyes again and looked her in the eye with a sternness he didn't usually pull on his sister: his rank as a transgenic. His rank as CO.

"Claudia McKenzie McDowell! You are going to tell me what is going on right now!"

Claudia let out another sob and closed her eyes before nodding. After another moment she looked back up and him, "She wanted to wait to tell you during the holidays. She wanted to give you a reason to enjoy Christmas. She only had a couple of weeks left to wait, Alec."

Alec urgently searched his sister's eyes.

"What? What was she going to tell me, Claudia?" he asked in a whisper.

Claudia looked him right in the eye and whispered, "She's pregnant, Alec. She's pregnant."

Alec just looked at his sister in disbelief, as did the rest of the room who were now dead silent.

Liz groaned as she came to. Her head ached in a way she had never felt before.

"I was wondering when you were going to come around," said a voice that sounded like Alec's but at the same time didn't.

Liz sighed and rolled her head back, despite the pain, to get a look at her husband's twin brother, "I see we finally get to meet, Ben."

He growled and pushed his face close to hers, a dangerous look in his eyes. Liz flinched back in sudden fear, pushing her head back into the hard surface behind her, which unfortunately felt like solid cement, "You don't get to call me that!"

Liz clenched her jaw in response to the pain that shot through her head. When she flinched she had pushed her head back into what ever the hell was behind her. She nodded slightly despite the pain as she turned her head back to look at him, "Alright, then what can I call you? Somehow, I don't think you'd take kindly to being called 493, either."

Ben narrowed his eyes and ignored her question, "Who is the X5 that looks like me?"

Liz looked him right in the eye. She was about to take a long shot but from what she knew about Ben, it was probably her best bet, "He's your biological twin brother. His designation is 494.—His name is Alec."

Ben looked at her with a surprised look on his face.

"He has a name?" he asked in disbelief.

Liz nodded, "So does your biological baby sister. Her designation is 841. Her name is Claudia. In fact, she was the blonde you threw across the room back in the lab."

Ben was silent for a minute, but she saw the vast number of emotions pass through his eyes. He was like Alec in that aspect, that was for sure.

But then he shook his head and angrily pointed a gun at her, "Stop messing with my head! Why were you looking for me?"

"Because you and Alec are twins! Identical in every way possible, including genetics which means that I was searching to make sure that what ever is causing you to kill isn't a neurological trait that is carried in Alec or Claudia as well. Your actions got your brother thrown in psyops. –… But mostly, because, I want to make sure my mate, my husband, and the father of my unborn child will be there to see his child…your niece or nephew…grow up," she finished quietly.

She couldn't stop the tears that came to her eyes, "I want the love of my life to be able to experience a true family something that he was deprived of as a child. I want Claudia to know that just because she isn't what the ordinaries consider normal, that it doesn't make her a bad sister or that she can't be a good aunt or that she isn't worthy of A man or woman's love just because she is a transgenic."

"I want you to know that you don't have to be alone and if you let me help you, I will help you find your unit, your pack, your family. I will help you with any problems you have. I want you to be apart one word of the family I have with Alec. I won't let Manticore touch you. I will play mediator between you and Alec," she said quietly.

After a moment she looked at him earnestly, "I swear to you…Manticore is changing. Be apart of that change. Show the assholes that run Manticore what is wrong with it! Be an uncle to your nephew and a brother to your twin brother and your baby sister!"

She knew she was playing dirty as she touched upon his weak points…but it was working…she could see it in his eyes.

He shook his head dejectedly, "I can't. I have to get gifts for the Blue Lady so that she will protect me and my siblings."

She looked at him in confusion, "Blue Lady?"

Ben nodded, "The Blue Lady. When we were kids I found a picture of her. She's beautiful. And we give her gifts so that she will save us and protect us."

Her mind was racing a mile a minute and looked at him hopefully.

"Will you show me the Blue Lady?" she asked quietly.

He was silent for a minute but then nodded, albeit reluctantly. He walked over to her and pulled her up by her upper arm, her hands were still confined behind her back. But when she stood up she got dizzy.

"Oh God," she groaned.

He looked at her in concern yet still cautious, "Are you okay?"

She gently nodded but then quickly leaned over and away from him and emptied her stomach. She felt him hold onto her and steady her as she got sick.

Once she was done he reached for the cleanest cloth he could find and wiped her mouth for her.

She looked at him and gave him a slight smile, "Thank you."

He was still looking at her in concern, "Are you okay? Why'd you get sick?"

"I'm still in the first trimester of my pregnancy, so I still have morning sickness; so if I get dizzy I get sick, too. Plus, I think I have a concussion," she said softly.

He nodded but was still looking at her in concern, "Alright, take it easy and we need to get you something to eat."

With that he began to lead her out of…wherever they were. All she knew was that it was an abandoned building.

"I swear I won't try anything. But the restraints will draw unwanted attention. Plus, I have money in my back pocket. We could go to a diner or something," she suggested. She really wanted to be somewhere that was relatively public for the time being.

He reluctantly nodded and removed her restraints, allowing her to pull her hands to her chest and soothingly rub her sore wrists. Then she felt him wrap his arm around her waist and his gun being pressed into her side, "Stay close. This part of town isn't the best."

She just nodded, knowing that what he said easily translated into 'don't even think about trying anything'. She wrapped her arm around his waist so that she could steady herself if another bought of dizziness came on…plus it would draw less attention to them. It also allowed her to grab on to him quickly if a problem should arise. She knew she had to stay focused. If she didn't she might not be able to use the current situation to her advantage. This gave her the opportunity to figure out as much as she could about Ben; but it also gave her a chance at allowing Alec and the others enough time to find her.