The Second Key

By Be Boring

Chapter 7: A Brother's Revenge

The next couple days were longer and slower than ever for Max. After hearing what Kay had done, she'd thrown herself into her leadership position at Terminal City. She had sent others on missions to get more food and supplies, had organized X series soldiers to go out and get jobs for money, and had broken up fights between various transgenics. There seemed to be more fights breaking out that were caused by other transgenics attacking psy-ops soldiers. Max had learned quickly that nobody, freak and X series alike, liked the psy-ops division. As one rather arrogant X6 had said, psy-ops people were more of freaks than the rest of them. No one felt comfortable around them, they were always afraid of their minds being played with.

That disgusted Max, she had nothing against psy-ops. They were just more of her people as far as she was concerned. Their problem was that they couldn't really fit in anywhere. They weren't capable of completely blending into society because people could always get a weird feeling around them even if they didn't know who they were. Then there were the transgenics. They knew what psy-ops were and what they were capable of, so they didn't feel comfortable around them. Several of the transgenics in charge of distributing food to the others had complained about psy-ops soldiers using their abilities to trick them into giving up more food.

Right now Max was trying not to scream at a very lizard-like woman who had actually sent a little psy-ops boy flying across the room because he had looked at her funny. She claimed she was afraid he was using his mind-altering abilities against her. Max knew that was ridiculous, the boy was too young to have perfected his talents, Manticore didn't have time to really get into training him before she destroyed it. He had already scampered off to Elm Street, which was where the other psy-ops people tended to be. Most other people avoided that street.

Max finally went back to her room and collapsed onto her bed. So many problems and she didn't know how much time she had left to fix them. The nation wasn't going to let them just live here forever, they were going to demand some action. From what she'd seen of the news, they already were.

They would need to focus on peace very soon. Logan had finally called yesterday to tell her he was okay and was almost ready to start making Eyes Only broadcasts again. That would be a key factor in getting the public to accept them. It had been nice to hear from him again, she didn't think she could have made it these past couple days without at least hearing his voice.

The only downside was she hadn't been able to bring herself to tell him Kay was alive. She knew he would be happy to hear it, but then she would be forced to tell him what Kay had been doing while she was away. It would upset him almost as much as it upset her. It was an absolutely disgusting thought. She couldn't believe her own sister had let that man touch her.

Brin's head popped out of the bathroom. She'd been living with Max ever since finding out Kay was alive. She had no urge to go back to that house. "You feeling okay?"

Max sighed. "Yeah, I've just been dealing with more and more idiots lately. I think it's kind of stupid that we want people to be more open-minded about us, but we can't be open-minded about our own people. How can we ever expect other people to do something for us that we can't do for ourselves?"

Brin walked out in a robe and sat down next to her. "Things will get better. I think it's just affecting you a little more right now because everything's been hitting hard lately. It'll calm down eventually."

"God, I hope you're right. I can't take much more of this. I turned myself into a normal person during my years out of Manticore, I can't suddenly throw myself into the role of a leader like they trained us to do."

"You need to ask others for help that everyone will trust. Everyone in the city knows Joshua and Alec, you could always ask them to help you lead people. That way you won't be doing things yourself."

Max laughed. "Give Alec a leadership position? Do you want our people to die?"

Brin couldn't help but grin. "Maybe that wasn't the best idea, but it's on the right track. What about Gem? Lots of people like her."

Max shook her head. "She has a baby, I couldn't ask her to suddenly start babysitting hundreds of rowdy transgenics."

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Gem's a sweet person, but I really couldn't see her as a leader."

"Manticore trained us all to be leaders, and she was there longer than we were. It wouldn't be a problem for her. I've heard her say how she wishes she had something to do other than watch Freedom Pass. You've got to admit, she has a point."

"How? She has a kid to take care of and I don't."

"True, but you're also a rogue X5 and she was in Manticore for her entire life except for the past year. She's better trained to lead these people than you are."

"Has she actually said that?"

"No, and I don't think she's looking to be head honcho. That'll always be you. Still, I think she wants a more respectful position than watchdog in Terminal City."

"Maybe I'll talk to her about it later. Wait, then I'll have to find somebody I trust and who will do it to be the new Freedom Pass guard."

"What about Mole? At least you'd know your people would be safe. He'd blow any intruder to pieces."

"I'd have to tell him to be more careful about that, but that's a good idea. He's been looking for something to do, this'll give him a chance to be helpful."

Alec was sitting in the Rec Center, playing cards with a few other transgenics. There was one normal-looking person across from him, but the others didn't have all human features. Not that it bothered Alec, the freaks tended to be more fun because this was the only time in their lives they had ever gotten the chance. A woman who was obviously in the same division as Luke kept rubbing her head strangely.

"Does anyone else feel weird?"

Alec and the others shook their heads. They kept playing for a few more minutes, then she shut her eyes and started rubbing her temples with both hands after setting her cards down for a moment. Alec was too preoccupied with looking at his hand and trying to come up with some sort of strategy. The normal-looking man across from him was winning by a landslide and Alec wasn't about to lose a game. He was too used to winning.

"Sorry hon, you're screwed."

Alec turned to look over his shoulder, then returned his gaze to his cards. "Thanks for the input. How about telling me something I don't know?"

Jondy grinned ruefully and pulled up a chair so she could sit next to him. They had been getting along pretty well during the past couple days. Max had even asked her if she was getting sick. It just so happened that the two of them had started to enjoy each other's company, but most of what they did when they were together was insult one another. They were pretty comical to listen to.

"I can't tell you anything you don't already know, because you know everything. Or so you think."

"I'll discount that last part and take what you just said as a compliment."

"Ah, selective hearing. Well, whatever makes you happy."

"You leaving would make me happier."

"Anything for you, darling," she drawled sarcastically.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"Your welcome, cupcake."

With the other transgenics trying not to laugh, Jondy stood up and walked around the table to sit next to the man on the other side. Alec rolled his eyes as the others burst out laughing. She just smiled sweetly at him. That was when the female Luke look-alike cried out and grabbed her head. Jondy looked at her with concern.

"What's wrong?"

"Something is hurting my head! At first it just feels funny, then it gets worse to the point where it's almost a migraine. Then it just goes back to feeling funny."

"How many times has this happened?"

"It wasn't happening earlier when I was playing cards. I'd say it started not too long after he got here." She pointed to the man Jondy was sitting by.

"How many times has it gotten really painful?"

"Quite a few. It happens every few minutes."

Alec didn't really know what to say, he just wanted to finish the game and see if he could win."Whose turn is it?"

The man across from him raised a finger slightly as he looked at his cards. "Mine. I'm just deciding what to do." As he studied his cards, the wolf-like man to the other side of Alec started rubbing his head.

"My head's been feeling funny too. It's worse right now."

Alec could feel a strange sensation in his head, but he wasn't about to tell anyone. Why sound paranoid? The woman finally stood up and set her cards down as she walked away. That was when she paused and looked back at the group. Her eyes ran over the back of the man next to Jondy, then she grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Your barcode, it doesn't belong to an X series. What division are you?"

Alec could already sense what was coming up. By the look on her face, Jondy did too.

The man looked up at the transgenic woman. "Psy-ops."

The wolf-man jumped to his feet and glared down at him. "You've been cheating! That's why our heads felt so funny, you were trying to figure out what cards we had so you could win!"

Both Alec and Jondy had to run over to the little trio as the two freaks started beating on the psy-ops man. Jondy grabbed the wolf-man and Alec slammed his elbow into the head of the other woman. She went to her knees easily, her head still hurting from before. Jondy twisted the arm of the wolf-man behind his back until he stepped away from the psy-ops soldier, who was now on the floor.

"Why don't you two leave? We'll talk to him and sort this out," Alec said calmly. The other two looked at him harshly, but obediently walked away. Jondy kneeled down next to the man on the floor.

"What's your name?"

"Zeke."

"Okay Zeke, were you cheating at that game?"

"Yes, but that's only because my girlfriend and I really need the money. 452 won't let any psy-ops go out to make the money, and that means we don't get much extra. My girlfriend is pregnant, we need some cash."

Alec rubbed his head, the strange feeling was fading. He could see why Zeke had done it, but that didn't mean he agreed with it. After all, he had needed some money too. Personally, now that everything was over he just didn't care. Zeke could do what he liked, but even Alec could see that he had made himself one more psy-ops soldier that wouldn't be trusted by others in the Rec Center. There seemed to be a lot of them lately.

Kay was still laying on the couch, which was where Zack had told her to keep herself. He didn't trust her to go anywhere, even though he hadn't let her know about White being in the basement. He hadn't wanted to take the chance that she might help him out.

Sandeman had basically been Kay's babysitter. He'd cooked her meals and sat by her at night when she was bored out of her mind. He had told her some pretty interesting things about herself and the others.

Kay had found it very interesting when he said that she was more than just a key to the Coming, she also had other strange things in her blood that he had not put there. For one thing, the entire family of the key was like a miracle cure for other Familiars. Their blood could be used to heal a sick Familiar if they had already been initiated, otherwise the key's blood would be deadly. It also went the same for Kay with the transgenics because Sandeman had made them immune. Max was protected the most against the snake pathogen, but the rest also had some protection. The virus wouldn't kill them at least.

Other things were that he had made her mostly immune to drugs that would effect both Familiars and transgenics. That was why the drug that Zack released in the hotel hadn't knocked her out right away. It wouldn't have made her pass out like the others even if she had gotten a full dose of it. It would have just made her a little weaker temporarily.

The last thing he said had worried her. "You're also very capable of curing yourself of any permanent damage. That's why you grew out of your serotonin deficiency and that's why Renfro kept you in the breeding program."

Kay's eyes had nearly popped out of her head. "Do you mean I can still get pregnant?"

Sandeman had shrugged, not knowing why she was so worried. "We never tested you, but the possibility that you had cured yourself was very high. Even if you aren't 100% again, you may still have some production going on and you may still have a slight chance of being able to get pregnant."

That news had almost terrified Kay. She could be pregnant right now, either from Ben or from Ames. If she was pregnant, it was much more likely that Ben was the father, but she still didn't like the other possibility. When she was in Manticore she had just assumed that Renfro didn't know she was infertile. That was why she had refused to sleep with X5-547, she didn't see the point if she wasn't going to get pregnant. She wasn't that interested in the breeding thing anyways. The idea sickened her.

Now she was watching TV, flipping over channels and trying to find something that didn't have to do with the debate over transgenics. It seemed like people didn't have anything else to think of lately. She had just about reached her wit's end with this when something caught her eye. On the screen there was a shot of someone being carried into an ambulance in a body bag. Let me guess, this'll be blamed on transgenics too.

"The victim was found just ten minutes ago in the alley behind her house. People at the scene said it looked like an animal attack, but the attack itself was not seen. The only person near the scene at the time of the attack has agreed to have a word with us and give us his description of what he heard."

An older man stepped up next to the reporter and started talking. "I was on my way home from the market this morning when I heard a scream. All I heard next was a loud crash and some scuffling noises, like a fight. By the time I got there, the person who did it jumped over the fence into the next alley."

The reporter looked surprised by what she had just heard. "Person?"

"Yeah, at least it looked like a person. I could only see their back as they jumped over, but they didn't seem to have much hair either. It looked like a bald man."

Kay turned the TV off and set the remote down as Sandeman came into the room with her lunch. Even though he didn't say anything, she could see by his eyes that he had heard what was being said.

"Are you okay?"

He looked up at her and forced a smile as he set her plate of food on her lap. He wasn't exactly Logan when it came to cooking, but he wasn't bad either.

"I'm fine."

"You don't happen to know anything about that attack, do you?"

She had touched on something with that comment, she could tell by the cornered look in his eyes. Still, he shook his head and sat down in his recliner. "No, it just sounds like we have some strange people out there these days."

Kay set her plate on the floor, this conversation was more important. "Tell me what you know, and don't tell me you don't know anything because I know you do."

Sandeman bit his lip, then started talking almost too quietly to be heard. "We didn't mean to damage the X series so badly in the beginning, but it was almost out of our control. The X2s were the first that we tried to use feline DNA with, but they came out a little too cat-like. Their other problem was that some of them had more violent tendencies. They would tear people apart like an animal would. We only kept four of them alive, but that was for testing. It wasn't necessarily because they were more sane than the rest, because they weren't, but more because they hadn't hurt themselves too badly when they went on their killing sprees."

The thought had never occurred to Kay that the X2s had gotten out when everyone else did. She had more or less forgotten about them, but the thought of them being loose in the world sent shivers down her spine. She couldn't believe everyone else had forgotten about them.

"Have you known they were killing again?"

He nodded wearily. "Yes, I've been tracking them ever since Manticore was blown up. I think they've been traveling together, because the attacks seem to go in a line. At first they were heading away from Seattle, but lately they've been making their way back. Apparently they've arrived."

Kay didn't like the thought of those creatures being so close to her. She remembered the terror she had felt as a child when she'd accidentally been put in the same cell as one of them. It had later been overshadowed by the treatment she received from the other X5s, but she could still remember how she had gone rigid at the sight of the thing laying on the bed. Knowing what it could do to her was terrifying, and she could never defend herself against one of them when she was only five years old.

"How screwed up were they mentally?"

"They were insane if that's what you meant."

"No, I already knew that. I mean how intelligent were they? Just because they were insane doesn't necessarily mean they were stupid."

Sandeman lowered his eyes to the floor. "Well, you're right, they weren't stupid. In fact, it was quite the opposite. It's part of what made them so dangerous. I know they refused to talk to the psychologists and they had never spoken to anyone before, but I know they could talk. They did it amongst themselves all the time, I heard them. They just didn't want anyone else to know they could talk. It made others assume exactly what you asked me about, they would assume the X2s were stupid and they would be careless. That was when the attacks would happen. No one ever realized how smart they truly are. They are probably every bit as intelligent as you and me."

"Do you think they came back because of what's going on in Terminal City?"

"Yes, but they don't want to help us. They want to make things harder. If you thought my people hate you, it's nothing compared to these creatures. The surviving X2s became jealous of the other transgenics in Manticore because we used them for missions. The X2s felt cheated, they were every bit as good as the rest of you. I know about your encounter with an X2 as a child, if he had been awake he would have torn you to pieces. They have so much hate in them that there probably wouldn't have been anything left of you when he was done."

"There's a comforting thought," Kay grumbled. Even if she was at odds with the others, she didn't want them to have to deal with these things. This was one time when she was glad that Ben wasn't here. He had been terrified of the X2s, seeing them without a steel door between them would have driven him completely over the edge. Not that it was going to be any easier for the others. Even though none of them believed in the stories anymore, the X2s were still a sign of terror for them.

Both Kay and Sandeman looked up when Zack came into the house. His eyes barely registered that he saw them, he simply turned and went downstairs where he'd been going a lot lately. Kay had never felt more uncomfortable around him, she had the feeling he was going to pull something she wouldn't like. That was just his style, he never let someone betray his trust and get away with it. She couldn't imagine what it would be, but she was sure she wouldn't like it. He had gotten to know her well enough in the past several months that he would know what would hurt her the most.

Zack looked at the calendar again as he headed downstairs. It was going to be soon, he knew it. It always happened right on schedule, you could set your clock by it. It would either be later today or sometime during the night, tomorrow morning at the latest. He smiled to himself as he reached the cold floor of the basement, it would settle things oh-so-nicely.

Ignoring the man laying on the floor on the other side of the room, Zack went back to work on what he'd been doing lately. He had been setting up a door that a transgenic would not be able to get through and that could only be opened or closed from the outside. He had found the right kind of door easily enough, it was finding enough stuff to keep it on the wall so that it couldn't be broken down or torn away that was the hard part. He was almost done attaching it to the wall, but he wanted a few more things so that he could be sure it wouldn't be coming off no matter what was done to it.

Ames watched all this with interest. He had seen Zack working on this for the past couple days or so, but he still couldn't figure out what the point was. He was already tied up, so it wasn't like Zack would need a door to hold him in. Even though he was at full strength again, Ames still couldn't break out from the chains that Zack was now using to restrain him. He had broken out of a few more pairs of handcuffs before Zack did this, but he'd eventually been forced to when he realized that pretty soon Ames was going to be strong enough to outmatch him.

From what he could tell of the last conversation he'd overheard between Brin and Zack, Ames knew they hadn't told his father or Kay that he was here. He had been tempted several times to make some sort of noise that would convince them to come down so they could see him, it wasn't like Zack was here all the time to stop that from happening. Still, he couldn't work up the courage to do it, he couldn't face his father yet. The old man was a point of embarrassment with him and Ames was personally sure that Sandeman had made C.J. as crazy as he was. That made him more angry than anything, he didn't even have any family in the cult that he could depend on. It was why it hurt him so much that his son had died while trying to be part of them.

Ames looked up at Zack again when he heard a satisfied sigh. It looked like he had finished the door. Well, that was good news for Ames if it meant it would get Zack to stop coming down here. He didn't like being near the male X5, he could sense how he felt about him from all the way across the room. It wasn't a nice feeling.

Jondy was feeling rather uncomfortable right now. She was sitting with Alec and Mole in the Rec Center while Mole and Alec built more guns, and she wasn't sure if she had a good feeling about it. She felt odd around Mole, she could sense something off about him. Max had told her that he had been reluctant to even join in the stand-up against the rest of the nation, he had wanted more than a stand-up. He had wanted action, and from the looks of the guns in front of her, he still did.

Mole was whistling quietly while he worked. Jondy couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Why are you so cheerful?"

His face turned more serious and he kept his eyes on the guns at all times. "Nothing, I'm just glad my work here is almost done."

"How is it almost done? Max was going to ask you to guard Freedom Pass."

Now Mole's eyebrow went up. "Really? Well, that changes everything."

Jondy felt a little relieved when he smiled, but that only worried Alec more. He knew how the other transgenic's mind worked, and something was going on in there that he wasn't sure he would like. Mole was rarely such an agreeable person.

Logan sat in front of the TV, completely glued to it. He'd been watching everything on the X2s since the news had first come out. He didn't know yet that they were the X2s, but he was sure they were transgenic. Despite the fact that the cameras were always focused on the various reporters, you could still see some of the crime scene behind them. There was blood all over the place, it must have been a gruesome attack.

Logan was more interested in the people he could see milling around in the background. Matt Sung was at the crime scene, as was Clemente. He knew this wasn't their area of expertise, but pretty much everyone had been asked to try and figure out the case. His eyes wandered over some of the police. Most of the police uniforms were recognizable, but there were a couple people who were wearing unfamiliar ones.

It wasn't until he saw a flash of red that a surprising realization hit him. The Phalanxes were at the crime scene. Thula was walking around with one of the others, while the rest stood guard around the edge. Logan couldn't help but be curious. Why were they standing guard? Surely Thula was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. He could tell she was annoyed by it, her eyes spoke volumes.

Something struck him strangely. Thula reminded him of Kay, especially since red had been Kay's most recent hair color. Kay was not as thick as the lead Phalanx, nor as square-jawed, but the resemblance was there. Now that he had noticed it, it was almost creepy how much they looked alike. If he had met Thula under different circumstances, he was sure he would have noticed it sooner. Max and Alec would have seen it too. Kay was a smaller, prettier version of Thula, but they were nearly identical. Those blue eyes stood right out in Thula's head, just as they did with Kay. They both seemed to have a feeling that became associated with their presence, something like sheer power. You became aware almost the moment you were near them that they were different.

Logan wished he could see Kay again, if only to stand her up next to Thula and make sure he wasn't just seeing things. He felt a pain inside at the thought of seeing her, and he pushed his thoughts of her away. He couldn't believe Max was coping as well as she was. She had nearly closed down after snapping Ben's neck, he would have thought this would destroy her. Come to think of it, he was sure something had been up with her yesterday when he called. It looked like she was dying to say something, but she backed out of it at the last moment. Whatever it was, it was upsetting her deeply. He would have to talk to her when he got the chance.

Even though it was chilly in the house, Kay was starting to feel warm. She had nearly inhaled the plate of food Sandeman had brought her after they finished their conversation, even though it had been starting to get cold. Her stomach was still growling, but that wasn't where her focus was. The warmth was spreading everywhere, and her mind started wandering.

She heard Zack's footsteps coming back up the stairs, so she sat up quickly to face him. She wanted to know what was going on with him. She was sick of not knowing what was going on directly below her feet. The thing that bugged her the most was the fact that a couple of times since Zack had started his project, she had heard noises downstairs that sounded like he was fighting with someone. Sandeman had been curious too, but Zack had nearly taken the old man's head off when he tried to go downstairs to see what was going on.

When Zack stepped into her sight, any thought of asking him what was going on went straight out the door. She was on her feet and moving towards him before she knew what she was doing.

When he had smelled it coming up the stairs, Zack had known it was time. He nodded with satisfaction and nearly smiled, he loved it when things went according to schedule. Kay truly was perfectly punctual. When he had seen her approaching him once he was upstairs, he turned away so that the scent of her heat cycle wouldn't overwhelm him. He needed to keep his head right now.

Kay was more than surprised as she reached him when he grabbed her and spun her around so he couldn't look into her eyes. She writhed in frustration at being so close to him and not being able to do anything. Her body was going insane, she just needed him. She could tell he needed her too, but why was he resisting?

Zack was still struggling with his own body's reaction to her when he kicked the basement door down. He felt her body tense as he started to pull her down the stairs. Damn, she's getting suspicious. I'll have to get her mind on the right track.

Kay was confused now in spite of her heat. What was going on? She was focusing on that one idea when Zack slid a hand down her side and stroked his fingers over her hip and thigh. Her body reacted immediately, pushing against him until not even a piece of paper would have been able to fit between them. That was when she whipped herself around and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself flat against his body and kissing him.

Zack was stunned, he hadn't anticipated how much power he would lose over her when he took one hand off. It took every last bit of willpower he had to push her away. It would have been so easy to just take her back up the stairs and throw her on the couch and have her, but that wasn't the plan. He spun her back around and pressed her back into his chest, making sure she couldn't make eye contact with him. That would pretty much finish it off for him.

Kay never really got the chance to get suspicious again, every time she did he would start kissing her neck, making sure to keep his hands securely locked around her. He needed her to be completely in the mood when they reached the basement, otherwise she might not do what he wanted her to. His entire plan depended on her giving in to her desires.

As soon as their feet touched the basement floor, Zack pushed her straight across the room before she even knew what he did and he quickly jumped back and slammed his newly built door shut behind her. Kay's feet slid over the stone until they ran into something, then it took all of her concentration not to fall over. She took a step back once she had regained her balance, then looked down. That was when she lost all control.

Ames had felt something hit his ribs, but then a strange smell assaulted him and took over. He barely recognized it, but he wouldn't realize until much later that he had smelled it the last time Kay had been in an actual heat around him. He didn't really get a chance to ponder it, Kay was on him too quickly. Her hands were clawing at his sweatpants as she leaned down and kissed him deeply.

Kay knew in the back of her mind that this wasn't good, but her body begged to differ. Also, the chains around his arms intrigued her. This could be fun.

Zack shut the top basement door behind him, already hearing the noises from downstairs that hinted his plan was working. He would find out Kay's reaction to what she had done after she came out of heat, that would pretty much determine for him whether or not she was on their side or White's. He knew Max would kill him for this, but he figured it was fair. After all, hadn't Kay thrown Brin onto him when she was in heat? This was just payback.