Title:
The sibs
Name:
Joy
Email: SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com
Rating:
PG-13
Max was now well into her sixth
month of pregnancy and looked it. Logan was the ever present papa buzzing
around as if Max was in need twenty-four seven. Bling & Cindy were keeping
Max sane by helping her with exercise and escaping from Logan when the need
arose. Fiona was trying to balance her brother's insanity over his impending
child and Max's sibs, who were always working on the gene therapy with Jessica.
At one point she went so far she lied to them saying they were headed to
another research facility when actually she took them to Crash to relax. At
least twice a week the whole family gathered together at the parents-to-be's
penthouse for dinner. So far things were running pretty smoothly.
"Hello, my favorite wheelchair
bound friend!" Fiona greeted Sebastian in the early evening a month into
the genetic sequencing processing.
"Well hello my favorite widow
friend!" Sebastian shot back.
Fiona laughed. "How they doing?"
she said pointing through the glass at Krit, Zack and Jondy.
"They're working quickly. They
have isolated the Manticore genes in each of their own sequences along with
Max's. Jondy says she now understands herself so much better."
"Jondy says, huh? Getting
to spend much time with the blonde beauty?" Fiona pried.
"Some conversations and some
innocent flirting. I think I'm getting to her at least a little,"
Sebastian's mechanized voice said.
"You like her a lot don't
you?"
"I finally found someone who is
a match for my intellect and can understand what it's like to be me… You may
love me, but you never would have considered me because of this chair…not that
I blame you. You were only a teenager when I had a crush on you," he
confessed.
"I never would have
guessed," Fiona said touching Sebastian's hand.
"You had fallen hard and fast
for Ryan by the time I felt like you were even old enough for me to consider
you…You just never treated me differently… Jondy's like that. She will best me
at every turn."
"Have you even gotten to have
much time alone with her?" Fiona asked.
"Not really."
"I'll take care of that."
"Why?"
"Because I've never seen you
this forward with anyone… Ya worried about getting involved?" she asked.
"With a Chimera?" he asked
not understanding the question.
"No… Just a woman. INVOLVED
generally implies a certain level of physical contact," Fiona said with
turned out a hip that she had picked up from her time with Max.
"I have access to things to
help with that… I just never had any inducements to use them before."
"You are a strange man
Sebastian…" Fiona said contemplating the situation.
"And you love me."
"Yes, I do."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How's it going all?"
Fiona asked sauntering into the lab.
"Frustration abounds!"
Krit said from behind his microscope.
"Well, I come bearing
music."
"What?" Zack asked.
"There's a song I've been
meaning to play for you but I think you'll all enjoy it. I think it should
become the X-5 anthem. I have fantasies about pumping it into Manticore and
seeing what happens," Fiona said with an evil grin leaning up against
Zack.
"Fantasies huh?" he looked
up at his pseudo big sister. She winked at him.
"What song is it?" Krit
asked as both he and Jondy emerged from behind their microscopes watching Fiona
hook up a CD player.
"Pre-Pulse… Pre-my parents.
It's Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall." She pressed play
causing the music to fill the room. The low base began its haunting melody as the
voice of Roger Waters began to sing.
"We
don't need no education
We
don't need no thought control
No
dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers
leave them kids alone
Hey!
Teachers! Leave them kids alone
All
and all you're just
Another
brick in the Wall
All
and all you're just
Another brick in the Wall"
The siblings were gripped as the children's voices
took over singing the lyrics. The idea seemed to wash over them. What would
have happened if this song had been played at Manticore? Would others have escaped?
Would there have been a revolt? The ideas danced in their heads.
"What do ya think?" Fiona asked.
"It's amazing!" Jondy said with a far off
look.
"Who wrote that?" asked Krit.
"A guy named Roger Water's in the nineteen
seventy's. That song was banned in a bunch of communist countries out of fear
the youth would rise up against the authorities. Can you imagine? Countries
being afraid of a song…of losing control," Fiona stated.
"I liked it…" Zack said in a small way
seeking approval.
"You guys need a break. You've been cooped up
in here to long. Zack, go call Rachel," she said playing with Zack's
blonde hair a bit.
"Who's Rachel?" Krit asked.
Zack didn't respond. "My roommate," Jondy
finally said.
"Why would he call and not you?" he asked.
Both women smiled at Zack. Fiona nudged him,
"Go on. Tell him."
Zack sat with his hands in his lap. He stared at
them for a minute playing with his fingers. He had been trying so hard to
remain the toughest X-5 in front of Krit. Now he would admit his weakness.
"'Cause we're dating… I guess," he said swallowing hard not looking
up.
"Dating… Mr. 'phony sentimentality' is dating…a
girl…a normal girl. Hell is freezing as we speak," was Krit's shocked
reaction.
"Enough! Thanks Fi!" Zack said angrily
crossing his arms.
"Hey… I meant it. Go call her. I'm sure she
misses your voice," Fiona said soothing his hurt ego.
"Alright," he said slightly dejected.
"I'll take Krit for a drive," Fiona said.
"What'll I do?" Jondy asked.
"I'm sure our host will come up with
something."
"Fiona, I'll stay here with Jondy," Krit
said suddenly.
"Nah…come on," Fiona insisted.
Jondy and Krit searched each other's eyes for a
moment before coming to some internal agreement. No one else noticed it…but it
was still there. Something was there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Nice bike," Krit
observed. "Where we going?"
"I don't know… Just give
Sebastian some time alone with Jondy," Fiona said with a smile.
Krit looked at her suspiciously,
"Why would you do that?"
"Sebastian is a wonderful man
that has taken an interest in your sister. Why shouldn't I encourage him?"
"I don't know… You think Jondy
returns his feelings?" Krit asked cautiously.
"I'm not sure. Sebastian hopes
so."
Krit looked a little forlorn as he
and Fiona drove off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zack picked up one of Sebastian's
phones in a private room. The phone rang twice before the sweet sound of the
female voice came on the line. "Hello."
"Hi Rachel," Zack said
with a smile.
"Hey there… What a nice
surprise. How's it going?"
"Good… Just wanted to hear your
voice," he said quietly closing his eyes picturing her standing in the
kitchen of her apartment. She was wear shorts and a tank top that showed off
the ivory shoulders that he loved. He pictured her golden hair in a ponytail.
He hoped she could feel him smile over the phone.
"Yeah…but I bet Jondy, Max, or
Fiona had to prompt you to call," she said into the receiver with a smirk.
"Hey… I'm still learning how to
do this. We didn't get classes in relationships at Manticore, let alone have
people to model after. Forgive me that its not first nature?" he said
sweetly.
"You know me…Military brat
myself. I understand to some degree. Thanks for calling. How's the research
going?" Rachel asked.
"Very good. We're almost
through with the compound that Krit will be injected with. We already know it
will either work or cause the complete opposite reaction than we want. Got to
hope we're right about the serotonin level or Krit could be in real
danger," Zack said mournfully. "I'd do it myself if I could."
"Now I wouldn't like that. I'm
not there to hold your hand or anything," she said softly. "Besides
you take on the weight of the world enough already."
"If I were going through this,
you'd want to be here? Holding my hand?" Zack said with playfulness to his
voice.
"Yes, I would."
"Another reason for me to be
going through this and not Krit. I'd get to hold my gir… ah… friend's
hand," Zack fumbled as he cursed himself for his stupidity.
"Your gir or friend? Which is
it?" Rachel said from the other end of the phone.
Zack wished Fiona was there to help
him through this one. "We just hadn't talked about it or said it out loud
so I wasn't sure if I was being…" Zack babbled.
"I'll make it simpler… do you
want me as your girlfriend or not?"
"That's not simpler
Rachel…years of training up against desire. It all boils down to a few words
that although they seem insignificant are very important and at the same time scary,"
Zack said with anxiety.
"Zack, I want to be with you…
do you want to be with me? Don't think about the words…think about the
feelings," Rachel insisted.
"I want to be with you."
"That's all I need… I'll take
you anyway I can get you."
"Really?" Zack said
slightly insecure.
"Yeah… I hate having these
conversations over the phone. I'd really like you here for me to hold and to
know this is real. I couldn't stand it if…"
"If what?"
"Just stupid insecurity. I
trust you…and Jondy. She wouldn't let you hurt me," Rachel whispered.
"What are you afraid of
Rachel?" Zack asked a little concerned.
A soft whimper came through the
phone. "You travel all over the place to check on your siblings…
Maybe…Maybe there's another roommate you look at the way you look at me."
There it was- the fear.
"Rachel… I guess… I guess it's
time to confess… There is only one other person I've ever even remotely felt
for and … that… that was Max," Zack clenched his teeth waiting for her to
recoil at the concept.
"Only Max?"
"Yeah."
"That must be awful for you… to
be there and watch her be married and happy," Rachel said sympathetically.
"It was…until I met you. You
didn't look at me the way other people did. You saw passed the wall around
me," Zack said quietly.
"Benefit of being a Military
Kid, you learn to look people in the eye and see their soul rather then their
façade."
"I miss you… I miss you a lot.
I want you to look into my eyes and see me," Zack said closing his eyes
again hoping she would believe the intensity in his voice.
"I want to see you too."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So Krit, is my bike a good
ride after all?" Fiona asked as they pulled up in front of Sebastian's.
"Very nice… Handles corners
like a dream."
"Hey Zack!" Fi said as
Zack blazed passed her. "Where's the fire?"
"Colorado!" He answered
and took off on his bike. "Be back in a few days."
"That was interesting,"
Krit responded.
"Amazing what you'll do for
love."
"How do you classify
love?"
"I don't think you do. You're
either in love or you aren't," Fiona responded.
"But how do you know?"
Krit asked.
"It will hit you over the head
one day and you'll look back and wonder why you didn't notice before."
"I see…" Krit said
thoughtfully.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Jondy? What's wrong?"
Sebastian's mechanized voice asked.
She sat at the dinner table hardly
having eaten anything. She had pushed the food around and was not up for
conversation. "Just tired I guess. I think I should head home."
Krit and Fiona walked into Jondy as
she was leaving. "Jondy? You ok?" Krit said with concern holding her
arms lightly as Fiona continued inside. Something told her things didn't go
according to plan for Sebastian.
"Fine… I… I think I need to go
home. Has Zack already headed out?" she asked.
"Actually he seems to have gone
to Colorado…" Krit explained. Jondy's eyes searched for something in
Krit's for a moment.
"It's been a long day… I'll go
see Max."
"Make sure little Liam isn't
giving her fits," he joked.
She half-heartedly smiled. She
crossed in front of him to her bike. Krit stood watching Jondy ride off with a
pain he couldn't identify.