Two figures trudged wearily in the early morning through what was often waist-high snow. Seth and Alec were growing weary from their fifteen mile trek and looked forward to reaching their destination. Seth rubbed his nose and scanned the skyline in search for the familiar signs pointing to Jacen's cabin. It took him a few moments to get his bearings while Alec drank from a flask he had in his back pocket. He smiled and replaced the flask, "Anything to get warmed up."
Seth forced a grin, though the warmth never crept into his cold eyes, "Only another ten minutes, so don't get too warmed up."
After a few more steps Alec could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. The tension in the air was almost too much to bear and he soon found that neither he or Seth were walking anymore. Seth was standing completely still as his gray eyes flicked back and forth around him. Alec could feel a pair of eyes on him as he slowly shuffled in a circle looking for signs of their stalker, but all he found was endless snow. He was beginning to think it was nothing but that didn't explain why Seth was reacting in the same manner.
As the two stepped softly around in the snow, a pair of blue eyes eagerly watched them. The creature laying in the snow only a few feet away clenched his jaw shut tight in fear of letting his breath give him away. He set his long tongue up to the roof of his mouth to keep from salivating into the freezing cold. It was cold and unsettling to sit so still, but he waited eagerly, trying not to stir his hind legs.
Alec was about to ask Seth if they should continue on when a large creature covered in fur leapt from the white snow and with less than two bounds had tackled Seth. The two of them collapsed into the deep snow and Alec watched the two wrestle around, not completely sure of what to do. After a few moments it became clear that Seth had lost the battle as the large Siberian Husky crouched over Seth, licking his face.
For the first time ever, Alec heard Seth laugh for joy as he shoved the large creature off of him and pulled himself up. He wiped at his face in mock disgust while bearing the first real smile Alec had seen from him. Seth knelt down to the dog and helped him shake the snow out of his fur as he spoke to Alec, "His name's Feral. Can't believe how big he's gotten. Only a year old now. I remember when Jacen picked him up as a puppy."
Alec squinted his eyes in an attempt to moisten them, scanning the horizon for signs of where Jacen's place might be. "I take this as a sign that we're close?"
Seth glanced up at Alec and his smile faded, "Yeah. Only a few hundred yards." Standing up, Seth started walking but refused to look at Alec, who had just ruined his moment of happiness. "Come on Feral," Seth called, "you too Alec."
Alec looked as if he was about to comment but decided to save it for another time. They continued on for another ten minutes and Alec was about to question Seth again when he caught sight of a hill jutting out of the snow at an awkward angle. His eyes zoomed in and clarified the edges of the hill to confirm that it was the slanted roof of, what could only be, Jacen's house. Feral ran ahead of them and around the corner to the front of the house while Seth and Alec picked up the pace as the going got easier as they grew nearer to the house.
As the two rounded the corner they found a body lying face first in the snow a few feet from the door. Seth rushed ahead of Alec, who continued at his own pace, and was standing over the figure. When he looked down at the back of the limp forms neck, he could see it was Jacen's barcode.
A light shift in snow caught Seth's attention behind him and something struck just behind his left knee causing him to falter and fall to his knees in the snow. Jacen was immediately up and swinging his right foot towards Seth's head. Seth instinctively blocked with his left arm and dropped down onto his side. Rolling quickly away, Seth spun up into the air, landing in a ready fighting stance. Jacen lay on his back and with a slight rock backwards, leapt onto his feet.
The two stared at each other for a few moments before smiles broke on both of their faces. The two of them covered the distance between them almost instantly as they embraced each other in a brotherly hug. Jacen was laughing softly as he patted his brother on the back but his smile dimmed distinctly at the sight of Alec making his way to them. Seth backed up and threw a punch into Jacen's shoulder, "So the old man has to live out in the middle of nowhere huh? Place needs a damn ski lift."
Jacen's eyes brightened as they left Alec and focused on Seth, "Maybe if you came more than once a year then the walk wouldn't be so hard. Getting slow in our old age, are we?"
Seth laughed out loud and threw an arm around his brother, pulling him into his house. Jacen glanced over his shoulder as he walked in, "Come on Feral," he glanced over at Alec, "you too, X5-494."
Inside Jacen's house it was warm and had a cozy atmosphere. Dark earth tones dominated the decor of every room and the place was almost meticulously clean. Jacen sat in his recliner with a blanket over his legs as he sipped a cup of coffee and stared into it. Seth and Alec sat at opposite ends of the couch across from Jacen. They had told Jacen that there was a problem that Max had created but Jacen had stopped paying attention afterwards. After a few moments, Jacen commented, "She lets her judgment cloud her actions. I can't say it's never happened to me but the extent Max goes to....... she creates problems for us all."
Alec nodded and slapped both of his hands on his knees as if they had come to a decision, "So you'll come with us, right?"
Jacen looked up from his coffee at Alec, "Yes, X5-494. Unfortunately, things are happening at a rate too fast for us to sit back and do nothing."
"It's Alec," Alec quickly filled Jacen in.
Clearing his throat, Seth spoke up, "There's more to this than just that. I'm going to be blunt because I don't know of another way to put this. It's probably going to sting. Ready?" Jacen took a moment to mentally prepare himself before nodding. Seth continued, "Zack was killed when helping Max bring down the DNA lab at one of Manticore's main facilities. Terrence is still alive and currently working with Caine and Freedon around the forests of Manticore for an NSA agent, named White, bent on killing every transgenic. And, to top it all off, when Max escaped after staying in Manticore, Renfro burned the whole building down and officially destroyed all of Manticore. Unfortunately, all of the transgenics were released and while some have been hunt down by this White guy, many of them escaped, including all of the anomalies. Oh, and Renfro was killed in the escape."
Jacen blinked a few times but didn't say anything. Alec and Seth waited silently for Jacen's response. After nearly two minutes, he finally spoke, "We go to Seattle and meet with Wren and Jared. We'll find out what we can there and prevent any potential problems. I'm thinking there will be a lot of anomalies that aren't fit for this world. If they become a problem then they'll have to be...," Jacen paused while looking for a good way to put it, "solved."
Alec nodded with a smile on his face, "Excellent idea. Now, I'll leave all of this up to you guys. No offense, you guys have the right idea and I wish you all the luck, but I'm not getting into a problem that isn't mine. I've done enough as it is."
"That's your decision Alec," Jacen said in an almost fatherly tone. He liked being able to refer to him as Alec rather than X5-494 since he had long ago shed his own number.
"Good. Glad you didn't get all 'Save The World' on me."
Seth shrugged, "We know how you feel."
"I'm going to want to head back to Seattle with you guys. I've got a debt I need to repay," Alec added.
"Sounds fine," Jacen started, "I've got some things to gather up but then we can take my snowmobile down."
Seth groaned, "Easy for you to complain about the distance with a snowmobile."
Jacen smiled as he stood up and motioned for Seth to follow him. He called over his shoulder to Alec, "The snowmobile is in the shed. Might as well get her warmed up and filled up."
Alec stood up and stepped out the front door as Seth and Jacen moved to the spare room in the back. As Jacen opened the door, Seth was surprised to see that there were several duffel bags in a pull sled, ready to leave. Jacen sat down on a long bench that looked as if it had seen its fair share of use over the years as it creaked and swayed under his weight. Seth sat gingerly on it and was surprised when it supported his weight with ease.
"How are they?" Jacen asked quickly, looking anywhere but at Seth.
"They're great. Jared's involved in a series of under ground fight clubs but I think he'll be getting out. Alec followed his idea in Seattle and ended up with some problems with White. So I think I'll relate the story to Jared as a way to get him into something more honest."
Jacen smiled at the thought of Jared but his smile faded when he continued, "And Wren?"
Seth sighed and thought about his words carefully before speaking, "She really cared for you. Not just as a sister."
"I know."
"She's doing very well. Wren adapted much better than Jared did. She works at a restaurant some days, a bar on some nights. I wouldn't want to assume too much, but she seems content with what she's doing."
"And here we come to mess things up."
"We need her. There are no two ways about it. I don't know if we can do anything about White, but if the anomalies get in the news too much...."
Jacen finished for him, "We'll get caught in the crossfire."
"Alec says that not all of them are dangerous. I know not all of them are so strange. It's just the ones that defy those categories."
"Yeah," Jacen ran a hand through his short blonde hair, "but we'll have to deal with White."
Seth nodded, "Terrence."
Jacen leaned back on the bench against the wall behind him as he voiced his thoughts aloud, "And Zack."
"And Zack," Seth concurred.
"Not really sure I believe it. I still remember how I felt the night of the escape."
Seth nodded knowingly, "Me too."
Jacen pushed himself off the bench and grabbed one of the rope leads to the pull sled and Seth quickly stood up and grabbed the other. With their combined Manticore bred strength they quickly had the sled sliding across the floor and down the few steps separating the warmth of his house from the cold, harsh world of reality. Alec had pulled the snowmobile over and Jacen expertly tied the leads of the sled to the back of the vehicle.
Alec quickly sized up the sled and spoke up, "This thing won't be able to hold all that and the three of us."
Jacen nodded, "I know. I figured you or Seth could take it down and I would bring up the rear."
Seth smiled and nodded to Alec, "You can drive. I have to show the old man that I can still trudge along with the best of them."
After a little rummaging Jacen produced a pair of snowshoes and a large grin, "Good thing you're up to it because I've only got one pair."
Seth looked at the shoes and almost laughed, "Those are supposed to help you? I'll stick with my own feet, thanks."
As Alec pulled away at a slow speed, Jacen was quick to follow with Seth pushing himself hard to keep up. It took considerable strength to keep up with Jacen, but as they found a solid pace side by side, Seth had to ask, "Any real plan in mind?"
Jacen shrugged, "To Seattle."
Seth forced a grin, though the warmth never crept into his cold eyes, "Only another ten minutes, so don't get too warmed up."
After a few more steps Alec could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. The tension in the air was almost too much to bear and he soon found that neither he or Seth were walking anymore. Seth was standing completely still as his gray eyes flicked back and forth around him. Alec could feel a pair of eyes on him as he slowly shuffled in a circle looking for signs of their stalker, but all he found was endless snow. He was beginning to think it was nothing but that didn't explain why Seth was reacting in the same manner.
As the two stepped softly around in the snow, a pair of blue eyes eagerly watched them. The creature laying in the snow only a few feet away clenched his jaw shut tight in fear of letting his breath give him away. He set his long tongue up to the roof of his mouth to keep from salivating into the freezing cold. It was cold and unsettling to sit so still, but he waited eagerly, trying not to stir his hind legs.
Alec was about to ask Seth if they should continue on when a large creature covered in fur leapt from the white snow and with less than two bounds had tackled Seth. The two of them collapsed into the deep snow and Alec watched the two wrestle around, not completely sure of what to do. After a few moments it became clear that Seth had lost the battle as the large Siberian Husky crouched over Seth, licking his face.
For the first time ever, Alec heard Seth laugh for joy as he shoved the large creature off of him and pulled himself up. He wiped at his face in mock disgust while bearing the first real smile Alec had seen from him. Seth knelt down to the dog and helped him shake the snow out of his fur as he spoke to Alec, "His name's Feral. Can't believe how big he's gotten. Only a year old now. I remember when Jacen picked him up as a puppy."
Alec squinted his eyes in an attempt to moisten them, scanning the horizon for signs of where Jacen's place might be. "I take this as a sign that we're close?"
Seth glanced up at Alec and his smile faded, "Yeah. Only a few hundred yards." Standing up, Seth started walking but refused to look at Alec, who had just ruined his moment of happiness. "Come on Feral," Seth called, "you too Alec."
Alec looked as if he was about to comment but decided to save it for another time. They continued on for another ten minutes and Alec was about to question Seth again when he caught sight of a hill jutting out of the snow at an awkward angle. His eyes zoomed in and clarified the edges of the hill to confirm that it was the slanted roof of, what could only be, Jacen's house. Feral ran ahead of them and around the corner to the front of the house while Seth and Alec picked up the pace as the going got easier as they grew nearer to the house.
As the two rounded the corner they found a body lying face first in the snow a few feet from the door. Seth rushed ahead of Alec, who continued at his own pace, and was standing over the figure. When he looked down at the back of the limp forms neck, he could see it was Jacen's barcode.
A light shift in snow caught Seth's attention behind him and something struck just behind his left knee causing him to falter and fall to his knees in the snow. Jacen was immediately up and swinging his right foot towards Seth's head. Seth instinctively blocked with his left arm and dropped down onto his side. Rolling quickly away, Seth spun up into the air, landing in a ready fighting stance. Jacen lay on his back and with a slight rock backwards, leapt onto his feet.
The two stared at each other for a few moments before smiles broke on both of their faces. The two of them covered the distance between them almost instantly as they embraced each other in a brotherly hug. Jacen was laughing softly as he patted his brother on the back but his smile dimmed distinctly at the sight of Alec making his way to them. Seth backed up and threw a punch into Jacen's shoulder, "So the old man has to live out in the middle of nowhere huh? Place needs a damn ski lift."
Jacen's eyes brightened as they left Alec and focused on Seth, "Maybe if you came more than once a year then the walk wouldn't be so hard. Getting slow in our old age, are we?"
Seth laughed out loud and threw an arm around his brother, pulling him into his house. Jacen glanced over his shoulder as he walked in, "Come on Feral," he glanced over at Alec, "you too, X5-494."
Inside Jacen's house it was warm and had a cozy atmosphere. Dark earth tones dominated the decor of every room and the place was almost meticulously clean. Jacen sat in his recliner with a blanket over his legs as he sipped a cup of coffee and stared into it. Seth and Alec sat at opposite ends of the couch across from Jacen. They had told Jacen that there was a problem that Max had created but Jacen had stopped paying attention afterwards. After a few moments, Jacen commented, "She lets her judgment cloud her actions. I can't say it's never happened to me but the extent Max goes to....... she creates problems for us all."
Alec nodded and slapped both of his hands on his knees as if they had come to a decision, "So you'll come with us, right?"
Jacen looked up from his coffee at Alec, "Yes, X5-494. Unfortunately, things are happening at a rate too fast for us to sit back and do nothing."
"It's Alec," Alec quickly filled Jacen in.
Clearing his throat, Seth spoke up, "There's more to this than just that. I'm going to be blunt because I don't know of another way to put this. It's probably going to sting. Ready?" Jacen took a moment to mentally prepare himself before nodding. Seth continued, "Zack was killed when helping Max bring down the DNA lab at one of Manticore's main facilities. Terrence is still alive and currently working with Caine and Freedon around the forests of Manticore for an NSA agent, named White, bent on killing every transgenic. And, to top it all off, when Max escaped after staying in Manticore, Renfro burned the whole building down and officially destroyed all of Manticore. Unfortunately, all of the transgenics were released and while some have been hunt down by this White guy, many of them escaped, including all of the anomalies. Oh, and Renfro was killed in the escape."
Jacen blinked a few times but didn't say anything. Alec and Seth waited silently for Jacen's response. After nearly two minutes, he finally spoke, "We go to Seattle and meet with Wren and Jared. We'll find out what we can there and prevent any potential problems. I'm thinking there will be a lot of anomalies that aren't fit for this world. If they become a problem then they'll have to be...," Jacen paused while looking for a good way to put it, "solved."
Alec nodded with a smile on his face, "Excellent idea. Now, I'll leave all of this up to you guys. No offense, you guys have the right idea and I wish you all the luck, but I'm not getting into a problem that isn't mine. I've done enough as it is."
"That's your decision Alec," Jacen said in an almost fatherly tone. He liked being able to refer to him as Alec rather than X5-494 since he had long ago shed his own number.
"Good. Glad you didn't get all 'Save The World' on me."
Seth shrugged, "We know how you feel."
"I'm going to want to head back to Seattle with you guys. I've got a debt I need to repay," Alec added.
"Sounds fine," Jacen started, "I've got some things to gather up but then we can take my snowmobile down."
Seth groaned, "Easy for you to complain about the distance with a snowmobile."
Jacen smiled as he stood up and motioned for Seth to follow him. He called over his shoulder to Alec, "The snowmobile is in the shed. Might as well get her warmed up and filled up."
Alec stood up and stepped out the front door as Seth and Jacen moved to the spare room in the back. As Jacen opened the door, Seth was surprised to see that there were several duffel bags in a pull sled, ready to leave. Jacen sat down on a long bench that looked as if it had seen its fair share of use over the years as it creaked and swayed under his weight. Seth sat gingerly on it and was surprised when it supported his weight with ease.
"How are they?" Jacen asked quickly, looking anywhere but at Seth.
"They're great. Jared's involved in a series of under ground fight clubs but I think he'll be getting out. Alec followed his idea in Seattle and ended up with some problems with White. So I think I'll relate the story to Jared as a way to get him into something more honest."
Jacen smiled at the thought of Jared but his smile faded when he continued, "And Wren?"
Seth sighed and thought about his words carefully before speaking, "She really cared for you. Not just as a sister."
"I know."
"She's doing very well. Wren adapted much better than Jared did. She works at a restaurant some days, a bar on some nights. I wouldn't want to assume too much, but she seems content with what she's doing."
"And here we come to mess things up."
"We need her. There are no two ways about it. I don't know if we can do anything about White, but if the anomalies get in the news too much...."
Jacen finished for him, "We'll get caught in the crossfire."
"Alec says that not all of them are dangerous. I know not all of them are so strange. It's just the ones that defy those categories."
"Yeah," Jacen ran a hand through his short blonde hair, "but we'll have to deal with White."
Seth nodded, "Terrence."
Jacen leaned back on the bench against the wall behind him as he voiced his thoughts aloud, "And Zack."
"And Zack," Seth concurred.
"Not really sure I believe it. I still remember how I felt the night of the escape."
Seth nodded knowingly, "Me too."
Jacen pushed himself off the bench and grabbed one of the rope leads to the pull sled and Seth quickly stood up and grabbed the other. With their combined Manticore bred strength they quickly had the sled sliding across the floor and down the few steps separating the warmth of his house from the cold, harsh world of reality. Alec had pulled the snowmobile over and Jacen expertly tied the leads of the sled to the back of the vehicle.
Alec quickly sized up the sled and spoke up, "This thing won't be able to hold all that and the three of us."
Jacen nodded, "I know. I figured you or Seth could take it down and I would bring up the rear."
Seth smiled and nodded to Alec, "You can drive. I have to show the old man that I can still trudge along with the best of them."
After a little rummaging Jacen produced a pair of snowshoes and a large grin, "Good thing you're up to it because I've only got one pair."
Seth looked at the shoes and almost laughed, "Those are supposed to help you? I'll stick with my own feet, thanks."
As Alec pulled away at a slow speed, Jacen was quick to follow with Seth pushing himself hard to keep up. It took considerable strength to keep up with Jacen, but as they found a solid pace side by side, Seth had to ask, "Any real plan in mind?"
Jacen shrugged, "To Seattle."
