AN: Ok, new chapter and for those of you who have been reading this fic... I should tell you that I've changed the story arc a little bit. Actually, I re-wrote some chapters to include the original notes I'd taken out because I thought no one would like them. But in the end, it's MY fic so I get to do what I like with the characters.

If you start feeling like you don't understand what the heck is going on... well, that's because there's info you're missing from the chapters I re-wrote.

Sorry about that but enjoy the read and leave me some feed back. Good or bad, I like to know where I miss the mark and how to make it better.

This Means WAR

Zane stayed with Krit while Syl kept close to Zack. It seemed to be the only way to keep him calm enough for Simon to work on him.

"Are they back yet?" Krit asked past gritted teeth as Doc prodded his bullet hole.

"No and we wont hear anything anyway." Zane added stalling his next question. "She fried our comms and most likely fried Alec's too."

"Time to dig in boys." Doc said shooing Zane away from the table and Krit. "You'll wake good as new, Krit."

"Count back from ten." Xade ordered as he placed the mask over his nose.

"See ya." Zane waved, already at the door. He looked to Doc but he was busy cutting away the shirt from his brother and swabbing the skin. He'd lost a lot of blood and that was the only thing that concerned them about his wounds. With a heavy sigh, Zane turned away and headed down the hall towards Syl and Zack who was worse off than any of them. He'd kept mumbling about Noèl, asking them if they'd seen her, if she was still alive…

He stood at the door knowing Syl was aware of his presence. She murmured softly to Zack who lay still on the bed while one of the medics set up another bag.

"How's he doing?" Zane questioned softly staring at their brother.

"He's calm. Simon said the nanites would take care of the damage done by White." Syl glanced over her shoulder at Zack. "I don't think he's going to make it out of this one ok." She whispered leaning into Zane who wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "He seems…broken…"

They remained silent, though Zane agreed with her.

-X-

Pictures flashed in his brain. His body twitched with each one and then stilled as the mantra played in his ears. The soft voice; sabotage, kill, destroy…

Zack shoved the covers aside and got up. His body protested but he forced it up and off the bed waiting only a moment to get his bearings before slowly waking out of his room barefoot.

He'd made it down the hall, the mantra playing in his head when the first obstacle got in his way. He heard the words, asking where he thought he was going and telling him to get back in his bed. Zack swept his arm, swatting at the obstacle and moved ahead while the tinkling of broken glass echoed behind him.

"Zack!"

He ignored the calls.

"599!"

He hesitated.

"X-5, 599! Halt and desist!"

Zack turned.

'Noèl.'

The golden curls and deep blue eyes blew away like smoke.

"Where are you going?" Syl demanded as she approached.

Zack reached out, grabbing her throat and lifting her off her feet. She tried to hit him, pounded on his arm but he flung her aside as easily as he'd swatted Zane out of his way and continued out of the hospital…

-X-

Max felt every painful bump in the road. Alec knew because her grip would tighten and he could head the hiss of breath at the pain. Terminal City was close and as fas as they could see, still in one piece.

Nÿx pulled ahead, briefly dissappearing around each corner. She reached the gates first and Alec found the gates still open for him as he sped past the posted guards. He hoped Zack was laid out because the alternative wasn't good for any of them. Most of TerminalCity was still powered by the main generators but in the past week, Nÿx had made sure some of the bldgs on their list got their own generators.

Alce had proposed the idea after Khaza had blacked them out. But Zack didn't know any of that and he'd go to the main generators. It was easier than trying to figure out where they kept their arms stash.

Alec pulled up to the hospital seeing Ash hapzardly parked by the front doors.

"Can you get off?" he asked glancing over his shoulder at Max. She raised her head off his back slowly and he could tell she was hurt badly.

"Barely." Max replied but clenched her teeth and started to stand when the doors burst open again.

Nÿx ran towards Ash, throwing her leg over even as the bike came to life.

"He's on the move!" Nÿx called over her shoulder.

"Get off." Alec ordered but Max wasn't about to listen.

"Go-."

"Max!"

"I'm not sitting this out!" she yelled and Alec didn't waste more time arguing with her. The longer he did, the further Nÿx got and he remembered exactly what Zack was capable of. With new programming… Alec hoped Nÿx didn't try taking him on alone but he knew better.

Max wouldn't be of any help either. She was hurt, in pain from the cracked ribs and who knew what else the Familiar had done.

-X-

Nÿx moved past the fallen Transgenic just inside the generator building. There would be others working- doing maintenance and just checking the generators.

'Don't over think this. Just stop him.'

But it wasn't as easy when she knew how much Zack meant to the others. Nÿx was also pissed off – Zane was unconscious, lucky not to have been hurt any worse considering he'd been thrown through the wall. And Syl… she had bruises on her throat from Zack's hand- he'd almost killed her too and she was cut up from all the glass…

Nÿx briefly paused at the next Transgenic she found but he was laid out in an awkward angle that it was easy to see Zack had already gotten his first kill. She stepped over, drawing the Beretta from her back and listening. Further ahead there was a scuffle before the sound of screeching machinery wove with a short scream.

"Zack!" Nÿx called moving into sight, gun aimed. "599!"

Zack turned, red eye blinking as he dropped the Transgenic hanging limp from his hand.

"You better start fighting that program, Zack." Nÿx warned as he started walking towards her. He didn't speak nor did he seem to care about the gun aimed at him.

"They risked their lives for you!" she yelled and still, he didn't seem to hear her. "You're supposed to be their leader!" Nÿx hesitated, because of the others but the closer Zack got the more her body wanted to react how she'd been trained.

"Sorry." She said in a clipped tone. Nÿx shifted aim and fired. Zack flinched from the impact of the bullet in his shoulder but kept going at her. She fired again, never taking the kill shot.

She didn't have the option of re-loading once the clip was done considering Zack took a swing at her. Nÿx avoided his grabs trying to think of some way of taking Zack down without actually damaging him.

And that was a mistake.

-X-

Max heard the shots and couldn't help being afraid of what was happening inside. Alec didn't waste a moment and he jumped off the bike without any concern for Max' injuries. He barely spared a glance for the body in the entrance, disappearing inside as Max slowly got off the bike and followed him.

Alec blurred past the generators in the front, heading to where he could hear the fight. The sudden silence was broken by a gurgle-

Zack had Nÿx pinned to the generator, hand on her throat. She kicked but Alec knew that would only hurt her but she kept trying. Zack pulled her towards him then rammed her into the generators again. Nothing could've stopped Alec as he lunged towards them. His first encounter with Zack was fresh in his mind; the hand at his throat squeezing tighter every second and knowing holding his breath wouldn't save him from a broken neck.

Nÿx fell in a limp heap as Zack engaged Alec. Her stillness only fueled Alec's fury but he wasn't a match for Zack's enhanced strength. He felt each blow and stubbornly kept trying to take him down though his body screamed in pain.

Zack got Alec's wrist twisting it so the X-5 went to his knees but that wasn't enough for him.

"Zack!"

He looked up, paused in his work and stared at the dark haired girl. Zack's body twitched again, pictures flashed in his brain quickly. For a moment he stood stiff, the pictures falling into a cohesive timeline.

Max shuffled forward slowly, briefly glancing at Alec's bloody face and the pain in his eyes.

"Zack, let go." Her voice was soft, brown eyes too bright but she wouldn't let the tears fall. "Fight it. You don't want to hurt anyone else, do you?"

Zack released Alec and the X-5 hunched over, cradling his wrist.

"Max." he knew her, remembered growing up and the escape. He knew her and she smiled, nodding.

'I love her. Max.'

He was certain of it.

He twitched as other pictures bombarded him, the golden curls and deep blue eyes of Noèl …

Zack reached up, his hand trailing along Max' jaw and the image in his head, the blue eyes lightened- replaced by the image of EyesOnly.

Nÿx stirred, listening to Max try and reason with the machine. Slowly raised up on her arms, dark-hazel eyes on the pair…

"Zack-."

"You chose him!"

Max choked as his hand clamped on her throat. She struggled in vain knowing there was nothing that would change the memory he had of her electrocuting him. Even now, through the anger Max saw his pain, for what she'd done after all his sacrifices-

Zack turned towards Nÿx, her hand clamped on his arm. He saw the green in her eyes spark and then his arm shorted.

Max felt herself fall as Nÿx shoved her. It did nothing to lessen the waves of electricity going through her body and she watched helplessly as Zack went to his knee as Nÿx held onto him with both hands.

"N-n-n-o."

Nÿx placed her palm over Zack's chest and released a full blast. She held him upright as the electricity burned through his system.

"S-st-op!" Max managed to get past clenched teeth but Nÿx didn't listen.

She could let him short out, give them a chance to re-write the program the Conclave had input… but if it didn't work they were all back to this. Nÿx didn't know which way to go, because the logical part- the soldier- knew it had to remove the threat. Kill Zack and get it over with.

But…

Would they understand?

-X-

Max lay on the medical bed being fussed over by Doc. Medics had arrived- Nÿx had given the order- and they'd treated the few Transgenics Zack had hurt.

There were two dead.

Zane…he had bruises and a cracked rib from being shoved through the wall. He was still groggy but at least he was awake and Max hadn't told him anything.

Krit was still asleep, unaware of what had happened in the last hour.

Syl was the only one who knew, who sat silently in the corner wrapped in bandages…

Max couldn't stop the silent tears from spilling and she thought of her siblings. Of Jack and Eva, the first casualties and Kavi, hunted down and killed. Seth- he'd given her a chance to get away and died for it. How many others would die? Tinga had lived a happy life, had a family… and she was dead. Her son would never know any of them; they'd never get to live without looking over their shoulders. She wondered if Jace and the baby were ok in Mexico but there was no way to know. There was no contact- couldn't be.

Who was left?

Who else would die because of her?

-X-

Nÿx rubbed her hands on her jeans again and Alec gently took hold of one. She had done as she'd been trained and he didn't fault her.

"I need to clean up." Nÿx pulled away and quickly headed to the bathroom as Alec closed the door to their apartment. He walked slowly, feeling the aches from the fight and just a little pissed about his sprained wrist but he was lucky it hadn't been broken.

"There isn't enough soap to wash it out of your mind, Nÿx." He said from the door but she didn't stop scrubbing her hands. "Nÿx." He sighed and moved to stand behind her. This was their life, what they had to deal with because of the training. The things he'd done- missions… Alec understood Nÿx, knew what she was feeling because he felt it too.

"I just killed their brother, Alec." She pulled her hands out of his reach and soaped them up again but he was right. Nothing was going to change what she'd done, because she'd pretty much rendered all their effort in the rescue pointless.

Zack was dead.

"You did what had to be done."

"No, I did what I was trained to do." Nÿx corrected. "I could've just shorted him out, I could've-."

"And then he does it again." Alec cut her off. "I told you what Logan said. That's why Zack was at the ranch, far away from Max and anything that would remind him of Manticore." He made her rinse her hands; put the soap out of her reach.

"They're going to hate me for this." Nÿx whispered leaning on the sink. After everything they did for her…

Alec frowned, he knew she wasn't talking about all of them – couldn't but…

"You mean Krit."

She couldn't hide the slight shift at mention of his name and Alec's jaw clenched.

"It's him you're more concerned with. Isn't it?" he demanded. "You care -."

"Yeah, I care about all of them." Nÿx cut in but she couldn't look him in the eye. She headed out of the restroom with Alec on her heels. "They've given me a home, took care of me…"

"You don't owe him, Nÿx." But he could see the stubborn tilt of her chin. "He feels more." He knew it, had seen it from the first day. Nÿx had always been comfortable with Krit, teased him and joked around. Hell, Alec had been jealous anytime Nÿx got too close to the X-5.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Nÿx turned away, tense.

Alec's eyes narrowed. He hadn't been sure at first but it became obvious that Nÿx avoided Krit. Anytime they'd been in the same room together she became nervous, tense and Krit was always pissed off. Whenever Alec touched her but he hadn't thought anything of it because Nÿx never pulled away- but she didn't initiate contact either, not in front of Krit.

"You know."

"No!" Nÿx quickly denied.

'Liar.'

"I - yes, I-." she could see he was pissed off and thoughts of Oregon made her nervous. "Why does it matter?"

She was flustered and Alec knew there was something more but he didn't want to let his mind run wild.

"Has he touched you?" Alec couldn't stop from asking, didn't mask the anger in his voice just thinking about it only Nÿx wasn't talking. He wanted her to end the drawn out silence that followed his question but her hesitation was answer enough.

"You don't understand!" Nÿx exclaimed as he turned to the door. "He couldn't help it!"

Alec stopped in the center of their bedroom. He didn't want to accept what he knew she meant but he couldn't ignore it either.

"You were in heat."

It wasn't a question and Nÿx felt as though someone had yanked out her insides. She knew he wanted an explanation but Nÿx didn't have the words to make him understand. No matter what she said, how much she tried to forget it and the conversation she'd had with Krit… it wasn't going to change what happened and she hated that.

"When I left." She finally answered though her voice was no louder than a whisper. "They caught up. Khaza had already called in my location. Zane got us out."

"Zane?" he faced her, not sure what to think but she shook her head.

"No. We got separated. Zane wasn't there…but- he knew I ..." Nÿx couldn't look him in the eye and she kept shifting her eyes around the room. "He kept away."

"And Krit?"

Nÿx closed her eyes. How could she tell him Krit hadn't tried to leave? That he'd done the opposite of Alec and let the animal take over without any hesitation what-so-ever?

"I ran off." She said just a little desperate. "I got out of there, Alec."

Silence.

"I didn't want him." Nÿx said feeling her mouth go dry as he just stared at her. "I never wanted him- I don't."

He still didn't say anything and the cold expression on his face was worse than having him yell. Nÿx felt caged, hated the fact it was all ruined and she started for the door. She had to get out because her eyes were burning and crying wasn't going to change anything either.

"Where are you going?" Alec demanded grabbing her arm roughly and pulling her to a stop.

"Not where you're thinking so stop it." Nÿx ordered pushing his hand off her arm, just a little surprised he'd grabbed her like that.

"What is it with you and leaving?" he demanded. Because she always ran when things got too heavy for her.

"I'm -."

"You walked out before. You left me and ended up with Krit!" Alec yelled.

"Yeah, because that was the plan." Nÿx retorted sarcastically. "Let me run off to Oregon, shoot my brother and leave him in a ditch!"

That was news because Nÿx hadn't told him but there were a lot of things she hadn't mentioned. All of a sudden she was hiding things from him?

"And of course I knew my heat cycle was starting. Of course I planned it that way!"

Only it wasn't like that, she didn't take the trancs because it made her slow, made her too easy to catch and she wasn't going back to them.

"Of course I'd roll around in the dirt like the animal I am!" She was angry too, disgusted with herself and knew he had to be as well. "Because that's what I do with friends, with someone who'd only ever watched out for me. Yes, Alec! I'm just that fucked up!"

Alec watched her swipe at her eyes and start for the door again. He'd only ever seen her cry twice, when she was dosed with the poison and when Aric died. Because she'd felt responsible…

He stood in her way and Nÿx shoved him hard.

"You didn't want me!" she sobbed hiding her face from him. "We broke up and -. You wanted this job more…" so she left. What was there to stay for if he didn't care enough to help with her rescue after the fiasco in Sector12?

Alec had tried to talk about it, tried to reason with her but Nÿx hadn't wanted to hear him out about the job. She walked out. She left, it wasn't the other way around. Shewas too damn stubborn… but, he wasn't going to ignore the fact this did bother her. That she wasn't ok with what happened- Nÿx didn't cry, not for anything and this made three in all the time he'd known her.

"You're mine." The words were out of his mouth before he thought of it but they weren't any less true. Alec took her face and made her look at him. Her eyes were luminescent, the green clearly evident in the brown depths. "You chose me." She had come back to him, had made it very clear she would stay by his side but Alec couldn't help feeling unsure with her. Nÿx had left him once already...

"I always wanted you, Nÿx." His grip was firm, so she knew he wasn't about to let go anymore. "Even when you were walking away from me."

The Col. had been right.

And Alec knew exactly what to do.

-X-

He walked into the City Council building alone. The last thing he needed was to have a 'misunderstanding' with his kids if one of them got taken. That wasn't going to help him get anywhere and right now Lydecker needed to get in to see about a meeting.

"Can I help you?"

Deck looked over the receptionist and offered a polite smile.

"I'm here to see…" he leaned over the short counter, still smiling at the woman and passed his eyes over the date book laid open on her left.

"Marguerite-."

Both Lydecker and the receptionist looked up towards a slightly balding man in a dark blue suit. She smiled in greeting while Lydecker hid his surprise.

"Deck?"

The Col. slightly inclined his head in greeting as he was recognized. The man hadn't changed much- aside from the lack of hair.

"Jonah," Lydecker straightened thinking it might be easier to get what he wanted.

"Well- uh," he glanced at the receptioninst again, both men noting her interest. "Send this on, please." He handed over the yellow envelope and turned to Lydecker. "We have some catching up."

"There's not much to say, Jonah. Nothing you haven't heard…" Lydecker said walking down the hall and past more security guards.

"Oh, no… I'm sure there's a lot I haven't heard, Deck." Jonah chuckled as he stopped by a door and waved him inside. "There's been a lot on the news regarding-."

"It isn't true, not all of it." Lydecker cut in.

"So they weren't…made, then?" Jonah questioned hesitantly as he rounded his desk. "They weren't part of a military project? The NationalGuard isn't on stand-by?" he shook his head, expression slightly condecending and Lydecker didn't like it. "Come on, I'm not stupid, Deck."

"No… never said you were, and I don't think it either." Lydecker said on an expelled breath and took a seat.

"Good." Jonah agreed sitting back in his leather chair with a smug expression. "So, you want to tell me why- after being fired and dishonarably discharged- you're here?"

They were silent, Lydecker studying his old 'friend' while Jonah patiently waited to hear what the Col. wanted.

"I want this… 'stalemate' to end." Lydecker said.

"Great." Jonah nodded sitting forward to rest his elbows on the desk. "Everyone is going to be pleased to hear of their surrender. I personally didn't like the idea of a war on home soil but…"

"You misunderstand." Lydecker said quietly. "There won't be any surrender. Ever." He stressed.

-X-

The knock on the door didn't surprise Logan so much as the who.

Nÿx had only been to Joshuas house once before, to oversee his interrogation and he didn't look forward to a second.

The door opened reluctantly, not that Nÿx cared. She brushed past him and slipped the strap over her head.

"Uh, can I help you?" Logan said still holding the door open. His tone wasn't at all frindly but it didn't faze Nÿx in the least. The feeling was mutual.

"No." she answered and tossed the satchel she was carrying at him.

Logan caught it agaisnt his chest and scowled.

"You owe them."

Three words and her tone… Logan didn't like her tone at all- hell there was a lot of things he didn't like about Nÿx. The way she talked down to him, like he wasn't good enough because he wasn't genetically engineered. How she pretended he didn't exist and ignored his presence- unless, of course there was something he could provide for them. If anything, they owed him. He was the one wearing an external skeleton so he could walk because Max couldn't be bothere to help-

"Right." He scoffed leaving the satchel in an old chair and closing the door.

"Seth."

The name made him tense up.

"He died getting your information." Nÿx watched him, noting he didn't face her anymore. "Because Eye's Only needed to oust some shady CEO or Government Official." She continued. Logan could feel the slight crackle of electricity in the room and that scared him.

"Because of you." Nÿx said softly, much closer to Logan than he'd expected. "All you had to do- all she asked of you, was to help find the rest of her family." She waited for him to turn around and the guilt was there. "Only you wanted more, figured Max would do what Seth couldn't do anymore. All you did was put her out there for Lydecker and Manticore. You exposed her for your gain… and now, here we are." Nÿx waved her hands at the ranshakle house and steppede away from him. "You owe them."

"And what am I supposed to do?" Logan demanded. He didn't like the accusations and he'd deny them only what could he say? Seth had been working for him, getting him information and doing the same thing Max had done.

"You have all you need." Nÿx pointed to the satchel resting on the chair. "Everything from the labs I torched, what I found at The Conclave's fake school- conversations." She smirked because for all they'd thought she'd run away, Nÿx hadn't been idle. "Make it good." She said striding towards the front door where she faced him again. "Make it so everyone sees Terminal City deserves a chance to live in peace." Her eyes skipped over to the darkened hall but she could easily make out Asha standing ust in the shadow. The ordinary had been listening to the conversation from the beginning and Nÿx hadn't missed her scent.

Logan was uncomfortable with the slight smile that grazed Nÿx' full lips. He glanced in the same direction as Asha stepped into the living room.

-X-

Azia watched him pace slowly from one end of the rooftop to the other. He'd barely said a word but then she didn't need him to it was evident. His grief washed off him in waves and yet he held himself together, wouldn't let any of it show…

Zane turned to the softly warbled song and couldn't help the slight breath that hitched in his throat at the sight of Terminal City's angel. Her gray-blue eyes regarded him, the soft expression she wore made him want to hide under her wings, feel their soft caress on his face again…

"Did you know?" he asked.

Azia warbled sadly. Yes, she had known but not to the extent of events as they had happenede. She hadn't known why or even how, just that it would…

Zane wasn't angry not when there wasn't anything that was going to change it. His family was dying all around him.

She sang to him, a soft melody that soothed and Zane slowly moved towards her bower. He bent, careful not to smack his head again and sat on the fluffy matress. The brush of her cool hand on his cheek was accompanied by the image of Nÿx.

Zane knew there couldn't have been any other choice. Zack had…he'd been unrecognizable. From the beginning, Zane hadn't been able to comprehend what his mind had already understood. The technicalities did nothing to change how he felt about his brother and what had been done. Zack was dead, his brother was dead and gone and he'd been dead a long time… it was just difficult to accept.

It was Zack or Terminal City and neither Max nor any of them had been able to follow through- no matter what their training.

Max couldn't do it, not again so Nÿx had to step up. She had to do what needed to be done for the rest of Terminal City to survive.

Zane felt Azia's cool hands gently trace his jaw and then images of his siblings. All of them- their faces so clear and young…

"Stop." Zane pulled away, not wanting to see them again, all the ones they'd lost since '09 but Azia took his face in both her hands. She tugged him around until he was looking at her. "I don't want to see them."

Azia nodded, her hands becoming gentler, threading into his hair. She tugged him closer and Zane went without hesitation, his arms slipping around her waist. Everything was quiet with her; up on the roof it was a different world- one that Zane wished he didn't have to leave. As if on cue, Azia sang a soft melody, her wings enfolding them, sealing the harsh world outside of her and him.

His eyes closed, resting in the crook of her shoulder and neck. He drew in a deep breath, needing the fresh-cool scent of her while her song wove in and out…

-X-

How? How could he not know this? Why didn't anyone tell him?

Because he was surrounded by fools! Incompetent, useless idiots!

"You!" a slim finger pointed, effectively hooking a young blond. Whatever he'd been doing was left, discarded as he hurried after the older man.

"Sir?" he marched just behind and to the right, eyes forward.

"I want to know what those Transgenics are doing. I want to know why they're meeting with the Senator."

"Yes sir."

Ames turned, dark eyes glittering coldly at the young familiar. "Now." He ordered quietly but the look on his face was sinister and threatening. The blond broke off immediately, heading down a different hallway as Ames watched. Anger settled inside him, coiling with hate in his belly like a writhing snake. All he could think of was getting rid of those filthy Transgenics. Eliminating all of them, every last one had to be wiped off the face of the planet. Except for 452, she had something he wanted, something he needed more than the desire to be rid of the Transgenic problem.

Ray.

The mess she'd left behind… White had been livid. To be so close to having 452 in his grasp and it slip away…

"Sir," Muir held out a file following him down the steps and into the drizzling Seattle day. Ames shoved the file under his arm heading to his car.

"Is it done?" he asked not bothering to look at his aide.

"Yes. Everything's in place."

"Good."

-X-

AN: Ok, getting close to the end of this fic but I have a third part already in the works. First chapter is up- has been for a while. Check out Resident Evil : Re-Birth.