Disclaimer: Sorry, we forgot this part before. Okay, Angel, Cordelia, and Spike may sound familair, but they are actually based on people we know. Serious! Angel is based on Alexz's cousin, and Cordelia is a very good friend of ours. William is the actually name of a friend of Alexz's grandpa's that he met while he worked on the railroad in Germany during World War II. His nickname was Spike, he was British, he had white blonde hair, green eyes, and he lets his little granddaughter paint his fingernails black because she watchs Buffy. Also, Connor is an accident. We came up with him before we had even seen the end of season two of Angel. That is all.
Pro slowly came too. She blinked a few times, and stared at the bare ceilings and walls, confused. Where were her posters and pictures? She rolled over, and sat up. She wasn't in her room at the warehouse. She was in a tiny cell, laying on a cot. Kesal was in the cell with her, sitting up on another cot across the room. He was sitting up, his arms wrapped around his legs and his chin on his knees. He had his eyes closed and looked like he was asleep. Pro was about to say something, when he spoke.
"Morning Pro." He said, his eyes closed. He opened them, and looked at her, the spark of laughter that usually lit up his blue eyes gone. His eyes were sad, and there was a sorrowful look was on his usually cheerful face.
"Kesal, where are we? What is this place?"
"Pro, we're in Manticore."
In Seattle, at the V's warehouse, the group was healing their wounds, both physical and mental. Syl wouldn't leave Kesal's room, and she hadn't stopped crying since they got home. Spike and Alexz wouldn't stop sparring. When they finally started landing hits, unable to dodge them anymore, they stopped. Zack and Krit were asleep. Spike sat on one of the beat up couches. Alexz lay down with her head in his lap. Spike pressed an ice pack to a bruise on Alexz's jaw, and she closed her eyes.
The door burst open with someone yelling 'Knock knock!'
Zack and Krit both jumped to their feet. Alexz and Spike jumped up, vamp faces in place, and dived at the intruder. Alexz grabbed him by the throat and pressed him up against the wall.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you." She snarled.
"Because I'm your big 'brother'."
Pro fell back on her cot. "No. No, this isn't possible." Kesal walked over and grabbed her shoulders. He hauled her to a sitting position.
"Pro, it'll be okay. We're together, and they don't know what we can do. We're faster, stronger, and smarter than anything that's come out of here. We will get out. I promise."
Pro smiled at him. "Thanks Kesal." She said. She threw her arms around his shoulders and squeezed. Kesal winced, and Pro pulled back. For the first time she realized a bloody piece of black cloth was tied around Kesal's muscular upper bicep.
"Kesal, what happened? And where's your jacket?" Kesal shook his head and looked down at his outfit. He was wearing his black army boots, loose black fatigue pants, and a tight black tee shirt that clung to his muscles. A strip of cloth was tied around the upper bicep of his left arm.
"I tore it up to make the bandage. I had to keep changing it because it would get soaked with blood."
"Because I'm your big 'brother'." The stranger gasped out. He was finding it difficult to speak because Alexz was busy crushing his windpipe. Alexz and Spike withdrew their vamp faces, but Alexz didn't release him.
"Angel! You idiot! You know better than to burst in on a sleeping V like that!" Alexz scolded. "What is wrong with you?!" She saw everyone looking at her, and cleared her throat.
"I didn't know you were sleeping." Angel rasped. "It's two in the afternoon." Alexz threw him to the floor, then turned her back on him. Angel lay on the floor and coughed for a few minutes, then stood up and recovered himself.
"Zack, Krit, this is our 'brother' V5-57-50, Angelus." Alexz said.
"It's Angel!" He snarled. He was about 5'10 and about 190. He had dark brown hair that was almost black, and pale skin that highlighted his intense green eyes that looked into your soul. He had blue streaks in his hair, a small grin and his big soulful eyes made him look like either a puppy, or a hopeful little boy.
"Why do I smell X5 blood?" He asked, glancing around. Alexz motioned at Zack and Krit, and Spike pointed upstairs.
"Because we have four X5's here genius. Why else would you smell them?"
"I thought maybe you or Spike got a little too hungry staying home alone all weekend." Angel tossed back at Alexz with a grin.
Alexz was at his side in an instant, and smacked him in the back of the head hard enough to knock him flat on his face.
"OWWWWWWWWW! What was that for?" Angel whined, rubbing the back of his head.
"For being a smart ass!" Alexz snarled at him.
"Gee, wake up on the wrong side of the catbox today Alexz? Pull back the claws a little." Angel smirked at he got up. He forgot that Alexz was as fast with her feet as she was with her fists, and found himself on his back, holding his bruised jaw.
"OWWWWWW! Quit that, would you?"
"Quit being a smart ass. I'm not in the mood right now."
"Okay, okay. Geez, didn't mean to disturb your day, you Royal Pain!" Alexz whirled on him. Sensing that now was really not a good time to mess with his baby 'sister', Angel held up his hands. "Peace! Peace! White flag and all that."
Alexz rolled her eyes, then went back to where Spike was sitting on the couch. She curled up next to him, her head in his lap. Angel just stared.
"Why are you just sitting around? I'm sure there are some job offers in the message box. There must be some missions to keep you busy."
Just then another girl walked into the warehouse. "Hey bro." She called. Angel grinned at her.
"Hey Cordy. Whats up?"
"I'm just looking for Pro. I found the killer outfit for her. Where is she?"
Angel looked around, confused. "Yeah, where is Pro? She usually down here playing pool or fighting with Kesal or something. Oh yeah, and she's usually the first one to meet me at the door. Where the hell is she?"
Alexz and Spike exchanged glances. Spike elbowed Alexz. "You tell him." He hissed, so low that even Alexz barely heard it.
"No way! I'm not getting killed just because Pro gets a martyr complex! You tell him!" Alexz hissed back, just as quietly.
"You tell him! He's your 'brother'!"
"He's yours too, you big baby!"
"Well, Pro's your baby 'sister'!"
"She's yours too! Your older than both of us! You tell him!"
"Just tell him! He'll be less likely to kill you!" Spike ended the argument by jabbing his elbow into Alexz's ribs, knocking the breath out of her, and then running off to the practice room and locking the door.
Alexz recovered and faced Angel and Cordelia, who were looking at her, confused. Alexz scratched the back of her neck.
"Umm, Angel, heh, we, umm, have some bad news...."
"OWWWW! PRO!" Kesal roared.
"SHUT UP!" Pro roared back. She was probing Kesals bicep with a pair of long metal tweezers, hunting for the bullet that had entered his muscle. They knew it was still in there, because the wound hadn't closed.
"Got it!" Pro announced triumphantly, pulling out the tweezers and bullet.
"OWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Kesal yelped.
"Oh, quit whining you big baby. You've been shot up worse then these, but you never made a peep when Alexz, or Cordy, or Nefertiti pulled out the bullets."
"That's because they can hurt me worse than you can." Kesal shot at Pro.
"Shut up! I gave you a concussion when we were little, and I can do it again!"
"It was not a concussion! Besides that, we were, like, two, not even that! You weren't strong enough to hurt me that bad! All you did was throw your rattle at me!"
"It knocked you out!"
"For, like, 30 seconds!"
Pro shrugged. "Knocked out is knocked out."
Just then, a voice announced from the shadows, "Don't you two ever stop ARGUING?!?!"
Angel collapsed on the couch and put his head in his hands, in complete shock. Even with his face buried in his hands, Alexz knew her big 'brother' well enough to read his feelings. She could see the rage welling up inside him. Rage...and fear.
"NO!" he roared. "Not Pro! NO!"
Alexz watched her 'brother'. "Angel?" She asked fearfully, terrified that she would cry. "Are you all right?"
Angel didn't answer. Raw terror pulsed through his mind. "God in heaven..." he groaned. "Not her!" His hand shook as he lifted them to the ceiling. "Not Pro...not Pro!"
Alexz hovered next to her 'brother'. "Do you want me to call Drew?" She faltered, then scuttled backward as Angel surged to his feet.
"No! I won't let them do this! If there is a God, this can't be Your will! I refuse to believe You could let this happen." He stood, his hands clenched into fists, his mind reeling, scrabbling to reestablish the formidable calm for which he was famous. "You will NOT allow this! Pro! My God...please!"
"Gee, it's pathetic. You two probably never stop arguing!"
Pro and Kesal whirled around. A tall boy stepped into the light.
"I'm V7-79-72."
He was about 6'2 and 195 pounds. His chin-length brown hair was hanging in his eyes, also brown. Pro could make out a large bone-white scar right above his right eyebrow. Something about the scar tugged at her memory. She frowned, but the memory disappeared as fast as it had appeared. The boy's smile was evil, and his eyes were cold.
Kesal pushed Pro back behind him and stood in front of her.
"What do you want Connor." It wasn't a question.
Pro peeked around Kesal, her blue and green eyes wide with confusion. "Connor?"
Angel stomped around his large room on the third floor of the V's warehouse. Alexz and Spike sat in Spike's room. Alexz groaned and turned Spike's stereo up even higher then it was, shaking the walls, and giving Spike a headache. It was no use. They could still hear Angel stomping around in his combat boots.
"I'm going to kill him." Alexz growled.
"Alexz, calm down. He's upset."
"If he's not careful, he'll knock the warehouse down! He's strong enough to do it if he gets mad enough."
"Alexz, have you ever known Angel to get so mad that he's out of control?"
Alexz thought about it for a moment. "No. Not really." She admitted.
"Then calm down. Sit." Spike pointed to the black directors chair next to his. Alexz threw herself into the chair.
"Connor?" Pro asked, her eyes wide with confusion. The name tugged at her memory, but nothing she could hold on to.
"Connor, why are you here? We all thought you were dead." Kesal said, a slight tremor in his voice.
"Unfortunately for you, no." Connor told his younger 'brother' with a smirk.
Kesal opened his mouth to reply, but his sharp eyes caught a tiny nod from Connor. There was a gasp from behind him, and he turned in time to catch Pro in his arms.
"Pro!" He yelled. "What's wrong?" His sharp eyes studied his 'sister', looking for any sign of entry or injury that she hadn't mentioned before. Then he saw the end of a blow dart sticking out from just below her left shoulder blade.
With a growl, he gripped the end of the dart and pulled it from his 'sister's' body.
"What kind of 'brother' are you?" He snarled at Connor. "Your supposed to protect her, not let soldiers knock her out!"
Connor's eyes flashed with anger, the first emotion Kesal had seen him display since he walked into the cell.
"Your not my 'brother'!" He spat out. "You stopped being my 'brother' the day you all escaped and left me here!"
"We thought you were dead! What were we supposed to do, wait around until one of us was next? Wait around until one day, Pro wasn't brought back from the lab? Wait around until one day, Alexz wasn't there after training classes to treat wounds or help me in computers class? Wait around until the day when Spike, or Angel, or Cordelia or Drew just disappeared? I don't think so Connor! Losing you was the final straw! Nobody could take it anymore! Yes, we left. But we didn't have a choice!"
"Of course you had a choice!" Connor snapped back. "You could have chosen to leave my sister here! But no, you left me here, all alone! You took my only family away from me." He stepped foreword. "And if maybe if you had, I wouldn't have to do this!" He brought his fist down on the side of Kesal's neck. Kesal groaned, his eyes rolled up in his head and he fell limply to the ground.
Connor caught the limp body of Pro, then viciously kicked Kesal in the ribs as he and the soldier who had knocked Pro out left the cell. Kesal regained consciousness just as the door slammed shut.
"NO! PRO!" He yelled, throwing himself at the bars of the cell and gripping the bars. "PRO! Connor you bastard! PRO! PRO!" He sunk to the floor, cursing Connor and crying for his 'sister'.
Spike and Alexz had abandoned Spike's room and retreated to Alexz's room on the fourth floor. They could still hear Angel stomping back and forth in his room, but now they could at least drown him out with some music. They were tossing a baseball back and forth across the room when a throw of Spike's went off course and hit Alexz's desk, knocking her com off of it. It hit the rug and bounced onto the hard floor.
"Spike!" Alexz yelled, diving towards the fallen comlink.
"Sorry." Spike said, coming up behind her. "Is it broken?"
"Yeah." Alexz said studying it. "It will transmit, but it won't receive."
"Can you fix it? What if someone needs to contact us?"
"I designed a backup for that. It will record anything received. But I can fix it." Alexz said, moving towards her desk. She sat down and pulled out a long leather pouch. She unrolled it on her desk, revealing lots of long, delicate tools.
Alexz selected a few tools and started poking at the shattered mess. Spike shook his head and left the room. When Alexz had something to work on, she was completely oblivious to the rest of the world. Spike decided to head downstairs and get something to eat. He didn't really need to, but he wanted to. He almost ran into Angel coming up the stairs while he was going down the stairs.
"Whoa 'bro'! Where you goin' in such a bloody hurry?" He asked. Angel growled at him, letting his vamp face slip out a bit.
"Where the hell does it look like I'm going, William?"
"Don't call me William!" Spike instantly retorted. "Wait a minute. Why are you heading towards Alexz and Pro's rooms? I should warn you, Alexz is working on something and if you start stomping around up there the way you were down in your room, she'll rip your guts out and feed them to you."
"Noted. I'm not going to stomp around, I promise. I'm just going to Pro's room."
"What for?" Spike asked, waving his hands.
"I don't know."
"No brooding!" Spike ordered his 'brother'. "I don't allow brooding from you. This floor is a 'No Brooding' zone."
Angel cocked his eyebrow at Spike.
"I'm serious!" Spike insisted. "There's even a sign in Pro's room."
When Pro came to, she was strapped to a table. When she tried to struggle, a sharp pain shot through her arm, and her other one went numb.
"Well, this is just peachy." She muttered. Pro lay back and studied her surroundings. She turned her head when she heard someone moaning and saw Kesal strapped to a nearby table.
"Kesal!" She hissed. "Kesal! Wake the hell up! Kesal!" The sound of a low, evil sounding chuckle made her whip her head around so fast she made herself dizzy.
"Whoa, whiplash." She muttered under her breath before focusing on the source of the laugh. Connor had stepped out of the shadows.
"Well, well, baby Project M.A.X. is awake." Kesal moaned louder and blinked slowly a few times before realizing where he was and who was standing next to his little 'sister'.
"CONNOR! You asshole! Get away from her!" Kesal struggled against his bonds, but they held. "CONNOR!"
"Shut up Kesal." Connor said, not even looking at him. Kesal continued to struggle, exerting more and more strength against the bonds, but they continued to hold.
Angel threw open the door to Pro's room, only to find Max and Logan sitting up against the side of Pro's bed.
"Who the hell are you?" He asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes. "Wait, don't tell me. You must be one of the X-5's and 'Robo-boy', Alexz's name, not mine."
"The names Max." Max informed him, not lifting her head from Logan's shoulder. "And you would be. . .?"
"This would be my big 'brother'." Alexz chimed in, popping out from behind Angel. "Meet the great V5-57-50, a.k.a. Angelus."
"Alexz, get it right. The name is Angel, and you know it."
"Or yeah, I forgot, Angelus is just your evil twin." Alexz said sarcastically, laughing as she dodged a punch thrown by the annoyed Angel.
"Alexz, what are you doing annoying Angel?" Cordelia's voice calmed the two younger V's down. "I thought Spike said you were working on something."
"When did you see Spike?"
"He's downstairs stuffing his face and annoying those two X-5's. Last I saw, the blonde one was chasing him with a pool stick."
"WHAT!?!" Max yelled, jumping to her feet. Alexz opened her mouth to tell Max to chill, but she was interrupted by the sounds of feet pounding on the stairs. Spike zoomed past her and dived over Pro's bed and rolled under it. Zack appeared a second later, banishing a pool stick and looking extremely red faced and pissed.
"Where. . . is. . . he?" Zack gasped, bending over trying to catch his breath.
"Ahhh, poor little Zachy-wacky is out of breath." Alexz said. Max and Logan started to laugh, and there was a distinct explosion of laughter from under the bed.
Zack's eyes narrowed his eyes and dived under the bed. But Spike had already rolled out the other side and was almost out the door before Alexz grabbed his leather duster.
"Whoa! Hold it!" She yelled. Spike dragged her a few feet before she actually stopped him. Zack, meanwhile, had pulled himself out from under the bed and would have been on Spikes throat, except Angel had gripped his shoulders and literally lifted him off the ground.
"Stop right there! No one beats my 'brother' over the head with a pool stick except me." Angel told him firmly. Spike stuck his tongue out at Angel. Angel grabbed the pool stick from Zack and rapped Spike on the head.
"Hey!" Spike yelled, rubbing his head. "What the hell was that for?"
"That was for Pro." Angel informed him. Then he hit him again.
"OWW! What the hell was THAT for?"
"For when you do something and I don't see it." Angel said, before tossing the pool stick to Cordelia. He briefly decided tossing it to Spike, but decided that wouldn't be a good idea. Spike was a firm believer in revenge.
Cordelia caught it in one hand, then spun it expertly and slid it into a sheath on her back. Alexz's eyes went wide, and she grinned.
"That wasn't a pool stick! That was your fighting stick!"
"Prove it." Cordelia said with a grin.
"Oh, by the way, I fixed my earpeice. And the recording is very interesting. Very interesting." Alexz said to Spike.
"Is it about Pro?" Angel asked, dropping Zack in a heap at his feet.
"Maybe. Maybe not. I'm just saying, it's very interesting. . . ackk!" Angel lifted Alexz off the ground by her shirt.
"Alexz." He said, his voice dangerously low. "Tell me what the recording says."
"Angel. . . world going. . . black. Can't. . . breath." Alexz managed to get out.
"You don't need to breath." Angel reminded his 'sister', tightening his grip on her shirt.
"Umm, Angel, Alexz can't really talk if your closing off her windpipe." Spike reminded his angry older 'brother'. Angel released Alexz while she was still a few feet off the ground and she landed in Spikes arms. She cleared her throat and smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"We've got to stop meeting like this." She teased quietly.
"No promises." He said huskily. Angel cleared his throat loudly. They both blushed and Spike set Alexz on her feet.
"Alexz. The recording." Angel urged impatiently.
"Oh right. It's in my room. Come on. We'll listen to it in there." Alexz turned and everyone followed her into her room.
Alexz sat down in her desk chair, while Spike perched on the edge of her desk, Angel paced impatiently, Logan sat in Alexz's directors chair with Max on his lap, and Zack leaned against the wall glaring at Logan, Spike and Angel at the same time, quite a feat. Alexz fiddled with the recorder for a few minutes before sitting back.
"All right, listen."
Everyone heard Kesal's voice clearly through the tiny speaker.
"What do you want Connor."
"CONNOR!?!" Everyone yelled, their mouths dropping.
"Connor, I'm not kidding. Back away from her right now before I hurt you." Kesal threatened. Connor laughed.
"Oh, baby 'brother', I don't think your in any position to be making demands." So fast he was almost a blur, Connor was at Kesal's side. He lifted the large knife he held and slashed Kesal across the chest. The cut was brutally deep, and Kesal screamed in agony as the blood began to pour from his chest.
Connor smiled viciously and didn't remove the knife from the wound. He twisted it deeper, and Kesal screamed again before passing out.
"KESAL!" Pro screamed, the tears streaming down the face as she frantically searched the pale, unmoving face of her 'brother' for any signs of life.
"Kesal!" Connor mocked. Pro spat in his direction before turning her attention back to Kesal.
"Kesal, wake up! Kesal, if you die on me, I'm going to kick your ass!"
"Oh, shut up!" Connor snarled. He walked over to Pro's side and slashed her leg open to the bone.
"Kesal!" Pro screamed before she passed out.
"Oh, shut up!" The voice over the speaker was cold, not the warm, laughing voice of the older 'brother' they remembered. They all winced as they heard the distance sound of a knife cutting through skin.
"Kesal!" Pro's pain filled voice drifted over the speaker and then there was silence. Angel leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, his head on his knees and his shoulders shook with sobs. Cordelia knelt down next to him and put an arm around his shoulders, tears streaking her own face.
"Angel." Alexz whispered. He lifted his head slightly and saw Alexz crying. Wordlessly he sat up straight and opened his arms. Alexz rushed into them and cried into his shoulder. Angel hugged his little 'sister' tightly while he sobbed. Spike quietly walked over and placed a hand on Alexz's shoulder. Alexz stood up and wrapped her arms around Spike. Spike buried his face in Alexz's neck to hide his tears. Slowly Angel and Cordelia stood up and wrapped their arms around the younger V's. Max, Logan and Zack looked at each other, before Max closed her eyes and rested her head on Logan's shoulder.
The floor outside Alexz's room creaked and everyone's head shot up. A boy with long dark brown hair with red streaks and brown eyes stood in the doorway. He was about 5'9, 190 pounds. The girl next to him was about 5'5 and 120 pounds, with golden brown skin, long black hair with silver streaks and black eyes. They were V2-24-27 and V9-91-94, Andrew and Nefertiti.
"What happened?" The boy asked, concerned. "Where's Pro?"
"Yeah, who died? And where's Project M.A.X. and Kesal?" The girl added. Everyone exchanged looks and Alexz broke away from the group hug to rewind the recording and play the last part, with the sound of Pro being cut and her yelling Kesal's name.
The boy's face went white, and the girl swayed like she was going to pass out.
"Drew." Alexz whispered. "I'm sorry." Drew crossed the space between them in a few strides and enfolded her in his long arms.
"Hey, hey. It's okay." He whispered. Alexz clung to him like she was drowning and he was her life preserver.
Kesal came to slowly. He looked around widely, but Pro was no where to be seen. He went to pull on his restraints, but he sat up instead. Kesal shook his head and tried to stand up. His body protested and he sat down again.
"Pro!" He yelled frantically. "Pro! Where are you?" He listened intently but there was no answer. "Ahh man, Angel and Drew are going to KILL me if I lost Pro." He muttered, putting his head in his hands.
Suddenly, his enhanced ears picked up soft moaning. His head shot up. "Pro? Pro is that you?"
"Kesal?" His 'sisters' voice was weak, but there.
"Pro! Where are you?"
"I think I'm in the cell next to you."
"Are you okay?"
"No."
Kesal thought he was going to faint. "Pro! What's wrong?"
"Kesal, we're being held prisoner and tortured by our own brother! How the HELL do you EXPECT me to feel!"
"If your well enough to insult me, your fine."
"Oh shut up." Pro said, but he could hear the lighter tone in her voice.
"How's your arm?"
"I think that thing that Connor injected me with has worn off a little. I've stopped bleeding, but my arm hasn't healed all the way yet."
"At least it's stopped bleeding." Kesal tried to comfort her.
"Don't be condescending."
Kesal laughed, and reached up to run a hand through his hair. His hand brushed something near his ear and it dropped into his lap. Curious, he reached down and picked it up. Then he grinned widely and barely stifled a whoop of joy.
"Pro!" He said.
"WHAT!"
"What's your problem?"
"I'm trying to sleep! Your not helping!"
"Pro, shut up and listen to me! I found my earpeice." There was silence from Pro, and he was afraid something had happened. "Pro?"
"Does it work?"
"I don't know."
Kesal blew into it, and tapped. Feedback squealed loudly and he winced. He heard a thud from the other side of the wall.
"KESAL! You are a dead man!"
"What happened?"
"You just about burst my eardrum, that's what happened!"
"Sorry."
"Anyway, mine's broken. It will receive but it won't transmit."
"Hmm."
Alexz was sitting on Spikes lap, and Spike was sitting on the bed. Their eyes were on Drew, who was pacing back and forth.
"I can't believe this! Pro and Kesal are back at Manticore, being held hostage and tortured by our dead brother Connor, who isn't dead but alive and is now alive and very angry at us because we left when we thought he was dead and left him all alone and even took Pro with us. Is that what your telling me?" Drew fumed.
"Well, that's the cliffnotes version, but yeah." Alexz said. Drew sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"God, I feel like I'm having a mid-life crisis when I'm eighteen years old. What the hell were you guys thinking?"
"Umm, this would be a good way to give you gray hairs?" Spike offered. Alexz elbowed him in the ribs trying to get him to shut up. Lydecker choose this moment to approach the oldest V.
"Actually, they were helping me out." He said from the doorway. Drew spun around, and his eyes widened when he saw who was standing there. In a few long strides, he had closed the distance between them and decked Lydecker right in the face. Lydecker flew across the hallway and hit the far wall.
"How dare you show up here." Drew said. "Your lucky there's no windows up here, or you'd find yourself heading out of one right now." Lydecker sat up, his eye already starting to swell.
"Umm, Drew, before you completely drench the hallway in blood, there's something you should know." Alexz said, ignoring Spike's efforts to shush her.
"What?" Drew asked, turning his back on Lydecker in disgust.
"Pro was kinda, sorta, not really, but actually really deep in. . ."
"Alexz just spit it out."
"She was in heat."
"WHAT!?!?!?!?" Drew and Angel exploded.
"Pro, hows your, you know, situation?"
"I'm trying not to think about it, and sitting on my hands every time they march those X5's by our cells."
Just then, the cell door was opened by a guy with dark blonde hair and dark eyes.
"Hey, X5 dude, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Kesal said from where he lay on his bunk.
"The designation is X5-949. And just who are you to tell me what I should and should not do. . . ahh!" The boy had just been tackled by Pro. "Umm. . . hello?"
"Hi." Pro purred back. 949 grabbed her by the waist and rolled so that he now sitting on top of her.
"Okay, question. What's your name, and what the hell is wrong with you?"
"Project M.A.X." Pro reversed his hold on her and rolled so that they were back in their original position. "And, theres nothing wrong with me."
"Other than a few mental problems you mean." 949 rolled them over and pinned her.
"Pro!" Kesal yelled from his cell. "Stop messing around and get me out of here!"
"She's busy." Connor's voice suddenly informed him coldly. "Get up!" He yelled at the X5. "I told you to bring her to me, not jump each other's bones!"
"Dude, she's totally hot, and she's in heat." 949 said with a cocky grin. Connor gripped the collar of the X5's tee shirt and hauled him to his feet, holding him until they were nose to nose.
"That's my little sister." He said, dropping 949 on the floor. "Get your clothes back on and get back to your unit X5-949."
"Yes sir!" 949 said sharply, clicking his heels and saluting before grabbing the gray sweater he had been wearing when he went into the cell before Pro had relieved him of it. Kesal laughed to himself as the X5 left. He had never seen anyone move as fast as 949 had getting away from Connor. He could probably go faster though.
Angel rushed his 'brother' and 'sister', who had jumped off Alexz's bed and were now busy putting as much distance between themselves and their furious 'brother' as possible.
"I'm going to kill you two!" He roared, rushing them again as they backed into a wall. They stood their ground, until the last moment. Just as Angel was about to grab them, they separated and Angel ran head first into the wall.
As he sank to the ground stunned, Alexz pinned him. As the fog cleared from his eyes, Alexz began talking before Angel could summon his strength and throw her across the room.
"Listen to me! You can either sit here and try to catch me and Spike, which you know you can't do, or you can put your anger aside and work with us to go get her back."
Angel considered this for a moment, before surging to his feet and throwing Alexz half-way across the room. She crashed into Spike and they both fell backwards onto her bed.
"Owwww!" They both whined. But Angel seemed to have gotten his anger out of his system, and was ready to plan the rescue of his 'siblings.'
Pro slowly came too. She blinked a few times, and stared at the bare ceilings and walls, confused. Where were her posters and pictures? She rolled over, and sat up. She wasn't in her room at the warehouse. She was in a tiny cell, laying on a cot. Kesal was in the cell with her, sitting up on another cot across the room. He was sitting up, his arms wrapped around his legs and his chin on his knees. He had his eyes closed and looked like he was asleep. Pro was about to say something, when he spoke.
"Morning Pro." He said, his eyes closed. He opened them, and looked at her, the spark of laughter that usually lit up his blue eyes gone. His eyes were sad, and there was a sorrowful look was on his usually cheerful face.
"Kesal, where are we? What is this place?"
"Pro, we're in Manticore."
In Seattle, at the V's warehouse, the group was healing their wounds, both physical and mental. Syl wouldn't leave Kesal's room, and she hadn't stopped crying since they got home. Spike and Alexz wouldn't stop sparring. When they finally started landing hits, unable to dodge them anymore, they stopped. Zack and Krit were asleep. Spike sat on one of the beat up couches. Alexz lay down with her head in his lap. Spike pressed an ice pack to a bruise on Alexz's jaw, and she closed her eyes.
The door burst open with someone yelling 'Knock knock!'
Zack and Krit both jumped to their feet. Alexz and Spike jumped up, vamp faces in place, and dived at the intruder. Alexz grabbed him by the throat and pressed him up against the wall.
"Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you." She snarled.
"Because I'm your big 'brother'."
Pro fell back on her cot. "No. No, this isn't possible." Kesal walked over and grabbed her shoulders. He hauled her to a sitting position.
"Pro, it'll be okay. We're together, and they don't know what we can do. We're faster, stronger, and smarter than anything that's come out of here. We will get out. I promise."
Pro smiled at him. "Thanks Kesal." She said. She threw her arms around his shoulders and squeezed. Kesal winced, and Pro pulled back. For the first time she realized a bloody piece of black cloth was tied around Kesal's muscular upper bicep.
"Kesal, what happened? And where's your jacket?" Kesal shook his head and looked down at his outfit. He was wearing his black army boots, loose black fatigue pants, and a tight black tee shirt that clung to his muscles. A strip of cloth was tied around the upper bicep of his left arm.
"I tore it up to make the bandage. I had to keep changing it because it would get soaked with blood."
"Because I'm your big 'brother'." The stranger gasped out. He was finding it difficult to speak because Alexz was busy crushing his windpipe. Alexz and Spike withdrew their vamp faces, but Alexz didn't release him.
"Angel! You idiot! You know better than to burst in on a sleeping V like that!" Alexz scolded. "What is wrong with you?!" She saw everyone looking at her, and cleared her throat.
"I didn't know you were sleeping." Angel rasped. "It's two in the afternoon." Alexz threw him to the floor, then turned her back on him. Angel lay on the floor and coughed for a few minutes, then stood up and recovered himself.
"Zack, Krit, this is our 'brother' V5-57-50, Angelus." Alexz said.
"It's Angel!" He snarled. He was about 5'10 and about 190. He had dark brown hair that was almost black, and pale skin that highlighted his intense green eyes that looked into your soul. He had blue streaks in his hair, a small grin and his big soulful eyes made him look like either a puppy, or a hopeful little boy.
"Why do I smell X5 blood?" He asked, glancing around. Alexz motioned at Zack and Krit, and Spike pointed upstairs.
"Because we have four X5's here genius. Why else would you smell them?"
"I thought maybe you or Spike got a little too hungry staying home alone all weekend." Angel tossed back at Alexz with a grin.
Alexz was at his side in an instant, and smacked him in the back of the head hard enough to knock him flat on his face.
"OWWWWWWWWW! What was that for?" Angel whined, rubbing the back of his head.
"For being a smart ass!" Alexz snarled at him.
"Gee, wake up on the wrong side of the catbox today Alexz? Pull back the claws a little." Angel smirked at he got up. He forgot that Alexz was as fast with her feet as she was with her fists, and found himself on his back, holding his bruised jaw.
"OWWWWWW! Quit that, would you?"
"Quit being a smart ass. I'm not in the mood right now."
"Okay, okay. Geez, didn't mean to disturb your day, you Royal Pain!" Alexz whirled on him. Sensing that now was really not a good time to mess with his baby 'sister', Angel held up his hands. "Peace! Peace! White flag and all that."
Alexz rolled her eyes, then went back to where Spike was sitting on the couch. She curled up next to him, her head in his lap. Angel just stared.
"Why are you just sitting around? I'm sure there are some job offers in the message box. There must be some missions to keep you busy."
Just then another girl walked into the warehouse. "Hey bro." She called. Angel grinned at her.
"Hey Cordy. Whats up?"
"I'm just looking for Pro. I found the killer outfit for her. Where is she?"
Angel looked around, confused. "Yeah, where is Pro? She usually down here playing pool or fighting with Kesal or something. Oh yeah, and she's usually the first one to meet me at the door. Where the hell is she?"
Alexz and Spike exchanged glances. Spike elbowed Alexz. "You tell him." He hissed, so low that even Alexz barely heard it.
"No way! I'm not getting killed just because Pro gets a martyr complex! You tell him!" Alexz hissed back, just as quietly.
"You tell him! He's your 'brother'!"
"He's yours too, you big baby!"
"Well, Pro's your baby 'sister'!"
"She's yours too! Your older than both of us! You tell him!"
"Just tell him! He'll be less likely to kill you!" Spike ended the argument by jabbing his elbow into Alexz's ribs, knocking the breath out of her, and then running off to the practice room and locking the door.
Alexz recovered and faced Angel and Cordelia, who were looking at her, confused. Alexz scratched the back of her neck.
"Umm, Angel, heh, we, umm, have some bad news...."
"OWWWW! PRO!" Kesal roared.
"SHUT UP!" Pro roared back. She was probing Kesals bicep with a pair of long metal tweezers, hunting for the bullet that had entered his muscle. They knew it was still in there, because the wound hadn't closed.
"Got it!" Pro announced triumphantly, pulling out the tweezers and bullet.
"OWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Kesal yelped.
"Oh, quit whining you big baby. You've been shot up worse then these, but you never made a peep when Alexz, or Cordy, or Nefertiti pulled out the bullets."
"That's because they can hurt me worse than you can." Kesal shot at Pro.
"Shut up! I gave you a concussion when we were little, and I can do it again!"
"It was not a concussion! Besides that, we were, like, two, not even that! You weren't strong enough to hurt me that bad! All you did was throw your rattle at me!"
"It knocked you out!"
"For, like, 30 seconds!"
Pro shrugged. "Knocked out is knocked out."
Just then, a voice announced from the shadows, "Don't you two ever stop ARGUING?!?!"
Angel collapsed on the couch and put his head in his hands, in complete shock. Even with his face buried in his hands, Alexz knew her big 'brother' well enough to read his feelings. She could see the rage welling up inside him. Rage...and fear.
"NO!" he roared. "Not Pro! NO!"
Alexz watched her 'brother'. "Angel?" She asked fearfully, terrified that she would cry. "Are you all right?"
Angel didn't answer. Raw terror pulsed through his mind. "God in heaven..." he groaned. "Not her!" His hand shook as he lifted them to the ceiling. "Not Pro...not Pro!"
Alexz hovered next to her 'brother'. "Do you want me to call Drew?" She faltered, then scuttled backward as Angel surged to his feet.
"No! I won't let them do this! If there is a God, this can't be Your will! I refuse to believe You could let this happen." He stood, his hands clenched into fists, his mind reeling, scrabbling to reestablish the formidable calm for which he was famous. "You will NOT allow this! Pro! My God...please!"
"Gee, it's pathetic. You two probably never stop arguing!"
Pro and Kesal whirled around. A tall boy stepped into the light.
"I'm V7-79-72."
He was about 6'2 and 195 pounds. His chin-length brown hair was hanging in his eyes, also brown. Pro could make out a large bone-white scar right above his right eyebrow. Something about the scar tugged at her memory. She frowned, but the memory disappeared as fast as it had appeared. The boy's smile was evil, and his eyes were cold.
Kesal pushed Pro back behind him and stood in front of her.
"What do you want Connor." It wasn't a question.
Pro peeked around Kesal, her blue and green eyes wide with confusion. "Connor?"
Angel stomped around his large room on the third floor of the V's warehouse. Alexz and Spike sat in Spike's room. Alexz groaned and turned Spike's stereo up even higher then it was, shaking the walls, and giving Spike a headache. It was no use. They could still hear Angel stomping around in his combat boots.
"I'm going to kill him." Alexz growled.
"Alexz, calm down. He's upset."
"If he's not careful, he'll knock the warehouse down! He's strong enough to do it if he gets mad enough."
"Alexz, have you ever known Angel to get so mad that he's out of control?"
Alexz thought about it for a moment. "No. Not really." She admitted.
"Then calm down. Sit." Spike pointed to the black directors chair next to his. Alexz threw herself into the chair.
"Connor?" Pro asked, her eyes wide with confusion. The name tugged at her memory, but nothing she could hold on to.
"Connor, why are you here? We all thought you were dead." Kesal said, a slight tremor in his voice.
"Unfortunately for you, no." Connor told his younger 'brother' with a smirk.
Kesal opened his mouth to reply, but his sharp eyes caught a tiny nod from Connor. There was a gasp from behind him, and he turned in time to catch Pro in his arms.
"Pro!" He yelled. "What's wrong?" His sharp eyes studied his 'sister', looking for any sign of entry or injury that she hadn't mentioned before. Then he saw the end of a blow dart sticking out from just below her left shoulder blade.
With a growl, he gripped the end of the dart and pulled it from his 'sister's' body.
"What kind of 'brother' are you?" He snarled at Connor. "Your supposed to protect her, not let soldiers knock her out!"
Connor's eyes flashed with anger, the first emotion Kesal had seen him display since he walked into the cell.
"Your not my 'brother'!" He spat out. "You stopped being my 'brother' the day you all escaped and left me here!"
"We thought you were dead! What were we supposed to do, wait around until one of us was next? Wait around until one day, Pro wasn't brought back from the lab? Wait around until one day, Alexz wasn't there after training classes to treat wounds or help me in computers class? Wait around until the day when Spike, or Angel, or Cordelia or Drew just disappeared? I don't think so Connor! Losing you was the final straw! Nobody could take it anymore! Yes, we left. But we didn't have a choice!"
"Of course you had a choice!" Connor snapped back. "You could have chosen to leave my sister here! But no, you left me here, all alone! You took my only family away from me." He stepped foreword. "And if maybe if you had, I wouldn't have to do this!" He brought his fist down on the side of Kesal's neck. Kesal groaned, his eyes rolled up in his head and he fell limply to the ground.
Connor caught the limp body of Pro, then viciously kicked Kesal in the ribs as he and the soldier who had knocked Pro out left the cell. Kesal regained consciousness just as the door slammed shut.
"NO! PRO!" He yelled, throwing himself at the bars of the cell and gripping the bars. "PRO! Connor you bastard! PRO! PRO!" He sunk to the floor, cursing Connor and crying for his 'sister'.
Spike and Alexz had abandoned Spike's room and retreated to Alexz's room on the fourth floor. They could still hear Angel stomping back and forth in his room, but now they could at least drown him out with some music. They were tossing a baseball back and forth across the room when a throw of Spike's went off course and hit Alexz's desk, knocking her com off of it. It hit the rug and bounced onto the hard floor.
"Spike!" Alexz yelled, diving towards the fallen comlink.
"Sorry." Spike said, coming up behind her. "Is it broken?"
"Yeah." Alexz said studying it. "It will transmit, but it won't receive."
"Can you fix it? What if someone needs to contact us?"
"I designed a backup for that. It will record anything received. But I can fix it." Alexz said, moving towards her desk. She sat down and pulled out a long leather pouch. She unrolled it on her desk, revealing lots of long, delicate tools.
Alexz selected a few tools and started poking at the shattered mess. Spike shook his head and left the room. When Alexz had something to work on, she was completely oblivious to the rest of the world. Spike decided to head downstairs and get something to eat. He didn't really need to, but he wanted to. He almost ran into Angel coming up the stairs while he was going down the stairs.
"Whoa 'bro'! Where you goin' in such a bloody hurry?" He asked. Angel growled at him, letting his vamp face slip out a bit.
"Where the hell does it look like I'm going, William?"
"Don't call me William!" Spike instantly retorted. "Wait a minute. Why are you heading towards Alexz and Pro's rooms? I should warn you, Alexz is working on something and if you start stomping around up there the way you were down in your room, she'll rip your guts out and feed them to you."
"Noted. I'm not going to stomp around, I promise. I'm just going to Pro's room."
"What for?" Spike asked, waving his hands.
"I don't know."
"No brooding!" Spike ordered his 'brother'. "I don't allow brooding from you. This floor is a 'No Brooding' zone."
Angel cocked his eyebrow at Spike.
"I'm serious!" Spike insisted. "There's even a sign in Pro's room."
When Pro came to, she was strapped to a table. When she tried to struggle, a sharp pain shot through her arm, and her other one went numb.
"Well, this is just peachy." She muttered. Pro lay back and studied her surroundings. She turned her head when she heard someone moaning and saw Kesal strapped to a nearby table.
"Kesal!" She hissed. "Kesal! Wake the hell up! Kesal!" The sound of a low, evil sounding chuckle made her whip her head around so fast she made herself dizzy.
"Whoa, whiplash." She muttered under her breath before focusing on the source of the laugh. Connor had stepped out of the shadows.
"Well, well, baby Project M.A.X. is awake." Kesal moaned louder and blinked slowly a few times before realizing where he was and who was standing next to his little 'sister'.
"CONNOR! You asshole! Get away from her!" Kesal struggled against his bonds, but they held. "CONNOR!"
"Shut up Kesal." Connor said, not even looking at him. Kesal continued to struggle, exerting more and more strength against the bonds, but they continued to hold.
Angel threw open the door to Pro's room, only to find Max and Logan sitting up against the side of Pro's bed.
"Who the hell are you?" He asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes. "Wait, don't tell me. You must be one of the X-5's and 'Robo-boy', Alexz's name, not mine."
"The names Max." Max informed him, not lifting her head from Logan's shoulder. "And you would be. . .?"
"This would be my big 'brother'." Alexz chimed in, popping out from behind Angel. "Meet the great V5-57-50, a.k.a. Angelus."
"Alexz, get it right. The name is Angel, and you know it."
"Or yeah, I forgot, Angelus is just your evil twin." Alexz said sarcastically, laughing as she dodged a punch thrown by the annoyed Angel.
"Alexz, what are you doing annoying Angel?" Cordelia's voice calmed the two younger V's down. "I thought Spike said you were working on something."
"When did you see Spike?"
"He's downstairs stuffing his face and annoying those two X-5's. Last I saw, the blonde one was chasing him with a pool stick."
"WHAT!?!" Max yelled, jumping to her feet. Alexz opened her mouth to tell Max to chill, but she was interrupted by the sounds of feet pounding on the stairs. Spike zoomed past her and dived over Pro's bed and rolled under it. Zack appeared a second later, banishing a pool stick and looking extremely red faced and pissed.
"Where. . . is. . . he?" Zack gasped, bending over trying to catch his breath.
"Ahhh, poor little Zachy-wacky is out of breath." Alexz said. Max and Logan started to laugh, and there was a distinct explosion of laughter from under the bed.
Zack's eyes narrowed his eyes and dived under the bed. But Spike had already rolled out the other side and was almost out the door before Alexz grabbed his leather duster.
"Whoa! Hold it!" She yelled. Spike dragged her a few feet before she actually stopped him. Zack, meanwhile, had pulled himself out from under the bed and would have been on Spikes throat, except Angel had gripped his shoulders and literally lifted him off the ground.
"Stop right there! No one beats my 'brother' over the head with a pool stick except me." Angel told him firmly. Spike stuck his tongue out at Angel. Angel grabbed the pool stick from Zack and rapped Spike on the head.
"Hey!" Spike yelled, rubbing his head. "What the hell was that for?"
"That was for Pro." Angel informed him. Then he hit him again.
"OWW! What the hell was THAT for?"
"For when you do something and I don't see it." Angel said, before tossing the pool stick to Cordelia. He briefly decided tossing it to Spike, but decided that wouldn't be a good idea. Spike was a firm believer in revenge.
Cordelia caught it in one hand, then spun it expertly and slid it into a sheath on her back. Alexz's eyes went wide, and she grinned.
"That wasn't a pool stick! That was your fighting stick!"
"Prove it." Cordelia said with a grin.
"Oh, by the way, I fixed my earpeice. And the recording is very interesting. Very interesting." Alexz said to Spike.
"Is it about Pro?" Angel asked, dropping Zack in a heap at his feet.
"Maybe. Maybe not. I'm just saying, it's very interesting. . . ackk!" Angel lifted Alexz off the ground by her shirt.
"Alexz." He said, his voice dangerously low. "Tell me what the recording says."
"Angel. . . world going. . . black. Can't. . . breath." Alexz managed to get out.
"You don't need to breath." Angel reminded his 'sister', tightening his grip on her shirt.
"Umm, Angel, Alexz can't really talk if your closing off her windpipe." Spike reminded his angry older 'brother'. Angel released Alexz while she was still a few feet off the ground and she landed in Spikes arms. She cleared her throat and smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"We've got to stop meeting like this." She teased quietly.
"No promises." He said huskily. Angel cleared his throat loudly. They both blushed and Spike set Alexz on her feet.
"Alexz. The recording." Angel urged impatiently.
"Oh right. It's in my room. Come on. We'll listen to it in there." Alexz turned and everyone followed her into her room.
Alexz sat down in her desk chair, while Spike perched on the edge of her desk, Angel paced impatiently, Logan sat in Alexz's directors chair with Max on his lap, and Zack leaned against the wall glaring at Logan, Spike and Angel at the same time, quite a feat. Alexz fiddled with the recorder for a few minutes before sitting back.
"All right, listen."
Everyone heard Kesal's voice clearly through the tiny speaker.
"What do you want Connor."
"CONNOR!?!" Everyone yelled, their mouths dropping.
"Connor, I'm not kidding. Back away from her right now before I hurt you." Kesal threatened. Connor laughed.
"Oh, baby 'brother', I don't think your in any position to be making demands." So fast he was almost a blur, Connor was at Kesal's side. He lifted the large knife he held and slashed Kesal across the chest. The cut was brutally deep, and Kesal screamed in agony as the blood began to pour from his chest.
Connor smiled viciously and didn't remove the knife from the wound. He twisted it deeper, and Kesal screamed again before passing out.
"KESAL!" Pro screamed, the tears streaming down the face as she frantically searched the pale, unmoving face of her 'brother' for any signs of life.
"Kesal!" Connor mocked. Pro spat in his direction before turning her attention back to Kesal.
"Kesal, wake up! Kesal, if you die on me, I'm going to kick your ass!"
"Oh, shut up!" Connor snarled. He walked over to Pro's side and slashed her leg open to the bone.
"Kesal!" Pro screamed before she passed out.
"Oh, shut up!" The voice over the speaker was cold, not the warm, laughing voice of the older 'brother' they remembered. They all winced as they heard the distance sound of a knife cutting through skin.
"Kesal!" Pro's pain filled voice drifted over the speaker and then there was silence. Angel leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, his head on his knees and his shoulders shook with sobs. Cordelia knelt down next to him and put an arm around his shoulders, tears streaking her own face.
"Angel." Alexz whispered. He lifted his head slightly and saw Alexz crying. Wordlessly he sat up straight and opened his arms. Alexz rushed into them and cried into his shoulder. Angel hugged his little 'sister' tightly while he sobbed. Spike quietly walked over and placed a hand on Alexz's shoulder. Alexz stood up and wrapped her arms around Spike. Spike buried his face in Alexz's neck to hide his tears. Slowly Angel and Cordelia stood up and wrapped their arms around the younger V's. Max, Logan and Zack looked at each other, before Max closed her eyes and rested her head on Logan's shoulder.
The floor outside Alexz's room creaked and everyone's head shot up. A boy with long dark brown hair with red streaks and brown eyes stood in the doorway. He was about 5'9, 190 pounds. The girl next to him was about 5'5 and 120 pounds, with golden brown skin, long black hair with silver streaks and black eyes. They were V2-24-27 and V9-91-94, Andrew and Nefertiti.
"What happened?" The boy asked, concerned. "Where's Pro?"
"Yeah, who died? And where's Project M.A.X. and Kesal?" The girl added. Everyone exchanged looks and Alexz broke away from the group hug to rewind the recording and play the last part, with the sound of Pro being cut and her yelling Kesal's name.
The boy's face went white, and the girl swayed like she was going to pass out.
"Drew." Alexz whispered. "I'm sorry." Drew crossed the space between them in a few strides and enfolded her in his long arms.
"Hey, hey. It's okay." He whispered. Alexz clung to him like she was drowning and he was her life preserver.
Kesal came to slowly. He looked around widely, but Pro was no where to be seen. He went to pull on his restraints, but he sat up instead. Kesal shook his head and tried to stand up. His body protested and he sat down again.
"Pro!" He yelled frantically. "Pro! Where are you?" He listened intently but there was no answer. "Ahh man, Angel and Drew are going to KILL me if I lost Pro." He muttered, putting his head in his hands.
Suddenly, his enhanced ears picked up soft moaning. His head shot up. "Pro? Pro is that you?"
"Kesal?" His 'sisters' voice was weak, but there.
"Pro! Where are you?"
"I think I'm in the cell next to you."
"Are you okay?"
"No."
Kesal thought he was going to faint. "Pro! What's wrong?"
"Kesal, we're being held prisoner and tortured by our own brother! How the HELL do you EXPECT me to feel!"
"If your well enough to insult me, your fine."
"Oh shut up." Pro said, but he could hear the lighter tone in her voice.
"How's your arm?"
"I think that thing that Connor injected me with has worn off a little. I've stopped bleeding, but my arm hasn't healed all the way yet."
"At least it's stopped bleeding." Kesal tried to comfort her.
"Don't be condescending."
Kesal laughed, and reached up to run a hand through his hair. His hand brushed something near his ear and it dropped into his lap. Curious, he reached down and picked it up. Then he grinned widely and barely stifled a whoop of joy.
"Pro!" He said.
"WHAT!"
"What's your problem?"
"I'm trying to sleep! Your not helping!"
"Pro, shut up and listen to me! I found my earpeice." There was silence from Pro, and he was afraid something had happened. "Pro?"
"Does it work?"
"I don't know."
Kesal blew into it, and tapped. Feedback squealed loudly and he winced. He heard a thud from the other side of the wall.
"KESAL! You are a dead man!"
"What happened?"
"You just about burst my eardrum, that's what happened!"
"Sorry."
"Anyway, mine's broken. It will receive but it won't transmit."
"Hmm."
Alexz was sitting on Spikes lap, and Spike was sitting on the bed. Their eyes were on Drew, who was pacing back and forth.
"I can't believe this! Pro and Kesal are back at Manticore, being held hostage and tortured by our dead brother Connor, who isn't dead but alive and is now alive and very angry at us because we left when we thought he was dead and left him all alone and even took Pro with us. Is that what your telling me?" Drew fumed.
"Well, that's the cliffnotes version, but yeah." Alexz said. Drew sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"God, I feel like I'm having a mid-life crisis when I'm eighteen years old. What the hell were you guys thinking?"
"Umm, this would be a good way to give you gray hairs?" Spike offered. Alexz elbowed him in the ribs trying to get him to shut up. Lydecker choose this moment to approach the oldest V.
"Actually, they were helping me out." He said from the doorway. Drew spun around, and his eyes widened when he saw who was standing there. In a few long strides, he had closed the distance between them and decked Lydecker right in the face. Lydecker flew across the hallway and hit the far wall.
"How dare you show up here." Drew said. "Your lucky there's no windows up here, or you'd find yourself heading out of one right now." Lydecker sat up, his eye already starting to swell.
"Umm, Drew, before you completely drench the hallway in blood, there's something you should know." Alexz said, ignoring Spike's efforts to shush her.
"What?" Drew asked, turning his back on Lydecker in disgust.
"Pro was kinda, sorta, not really, but actually really deep in. . ."
"Alexz just spit it out."
"She was in heat."
"WHAT!?!?!?!?" Drew and Angel exploded.
"Pro, hows your, you know, situation?"
"I'm trying not to think about it, and sitting on my hands every time they march those X5's by our cells."
Just then, the cell door was opened by a guy with dark blonde hair and dark eyes.
"Hey, X5 dude, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Kesal said from where he lay on his bunk.
"The designation is X5-949. And just who are you to tell me what I should and should not do. . . ahh!" The boy had just been tackled by Pro. "Umm. . . hello?"
"Hi." Pro purred back. 949 grabbed her by the waist and rolled so that he now sitting on top of her.
"Okay, question. What's your name, and what the hell is wrong with you?"
"Project M.A.X." Pro reversed his hold on her and rolled so that they were back in their original position. "And, theres nothing wrong with me."
"Other than a few mental problems you mean." 949 rolled them over and pinned her.
"Pro!" Kesal yelled from his cell. "Stop messing around and get me out of here!"
"She's busy." Connor's voice suddenly informed him coldly. "Get up!" He yelled at the X5. "I told you to bring her to me, not jump each other's bones!"
"Dude, she's totally hot, and she's in heat." 949 said with a cocky grin. Connor gripped the collar of the X5's tee shirt and hauled him to his feet, holding him until they were nose to nose.
"That's my little sister." He said, dropping 949 on the floor. "Get your clothes back on and get back to your unit X5-949."
"Yes sir!" 949 said sharply, clicking his heels and saluting before grabbing the gray sweater he had been wearing when he went into the cell before Pro had relieved him of it. Kesal laughed to himself as the X5 left. He had never seen anyone move as fast as 949 had getting away from Connor. He could probably go faster though.
Angel rushed his 'brother' and 'sister', who had jumped off Alexz's bed and were now busy putting as much distance between themselves and their furious 'brother' as possible.
"I'm going to kill you two!" He roared, rushing them again as they backed into a wall. They stood their ground, until the last moment. Just as Angel was about to grab them, they separated and Angel ran head first into the wall.
As he sank to the ground stunned, Alexz pinned him. As the fog cleared from his eyes, Alexz began talking before Angel could summon his strength and throw her across the room.
"Listen to me! You can either sit here and try to catch me and Spike, which you know you can't do, or you can put your anger aside and work with us to go get her back."
Angel considered this for a moment, before surging to his feet and throwing Alexz half-way across the room. She crashed into Spike and they both fell backwards onto her bed.
"Owwww!" They both whined. But Angel seemed to have gotten his anger out of his system, and was ready to plan the rescue of his 'siblings.'