Title: Three Chimeras

Author: Nefertiry

E-mail: scorpy282003@yahoo.com

Rating: PG, maybe PG-13

Summary: Max lost one of her sisters 13 years ago. Now she's back in her life. She might have answers to many questions, but is she a friend or foe? Post 'Freak Nation'

Disclaimer: definitely not mine. The characters belong to James Cameron and FOX. But Jessica is ABSOLUTELY mine. I don't make any money using these characters.

Timeline: In the "Prologue", it's during and after "Designate This". In the next chapters – after "Freak Nation".

A/N: Warning: this story is COMPLETELY result of my imagination. Any similarity to other authors' plots, characters, or events is PURELY COINCIDENTIAL AND ABSOLUTELY UNINTENTIONAL.

Looking For answers

Part 3

"You heard me right. Ben was my lover."

That was a twist, but deep down in her heart Max knew that she would hear something like that.

"When did you meet?" asked Alec, thinking 'my freaky brother got lucky, having a girl like Jess'.

"As I said, when I was 17, I was sent to Chicago and met him there. We bumped into each other near my hotel and I knew it was Ben. I just felt it."

"What happened then?"

"We spent a month together. It was a really awesome month and I remember every moment of it." Jessica's voice softened as she recollected the time with Ben.

"What did you do?" It was Logan's turn to ask the question.

"We almost didn't get out of bed. I mean, the sex was fantastic. Long, hot, passionate nights…and days." Alec imagined Jess in bed. 'Damn, I think I'm gonna need a cold shower', he thought.

"Anyway, one day I got a call from Lydecker. He ordered to interrupt my mission and return to Manticore. I was supposed to get a new assignment. Ben overheard me talking to Deck, understood that I worked for the 'bad guys' and freaked out. He didn't even give me a chance to explain anything. We had a huge fight, he left our hotel room, and I never saw him again."

"You worked for Manticore. How come you didn't see the reports on Ben?" asked Alec.

"I lived in Paris for 2 years, remember? Besides, I didn't spend much time in Manticore. And when I got back to the States, it turned out that everyone had moved out from the facility in Gillette and someone, I wouldn't point fingers at, had burnt Manticore to the ground. Speaking of which, where was the new facility located?"

"It was located an hour southwest of Seattle", informed Max.

"By the way, Jess, that soldier's tag that you gave Max in the bar. Is it yours? I mean, with your barcodes you didn't need your designation number on a peace of metal. Right?" Logan tried to move the conversation away from the touchy subject of Ben's death and life.

"Once, during a mission, Zack, Max, Ben, and I caught a soldier in the woods near Manticore. Ben checked the man's neck, but there was no barcode. We didn't know that only Manticore 'residents' had barcodes. Zack found a tag on the soldier's neck. Name, designation number, blood type – just like information in our codes. I thought it was cool to have a thing like that. Three days later Ben brought 4 pieces of metal, God knows where he got those. We carved our designation numbers and the first letters of our names. Zack didn't want to be a part of 'that stupidity' and didn't make his 'tag'. "

"Max, where's yours?" asked Alec, looking at Max.

"I lost it during our "'09 great escape from Mantocore", as Jess has named it", answered Max and said: "Look, Jess, it's late and we're all stressed up and hungry. Let's eat your chocolate cake" "And strawberries!" added Alec.

"Ok, we really need a break. Let's go to the kitchen", agreed Jessica, stood up, took dirty glasses and cups, and went to the kitchen. Two transgenics and Logan followed her.

In the kitchen

"Huh, I think we need something more substantial than cake and strawberries", said Jessica, opened the fridge, closed it, and opened it again.

"You know, Jess, if you open, then close, and again open the fridge, nothing will appear in it", remarked Alec, seeing Jessica's manipulations with the door.

"Oops, we don't have anything besides the cake and strawberries." Jessica looked at Max and Alec and added. "Sorry, guys".

"We've noticed that when you caught us checking out the fridge", laughed Max.

"I didn't have time to buy groceries", explained Jess.

"Where did the cake and strawberries come from?" asked Alec, sitting at the counter.

"I was expecting a company."

"You knew I would come? What are you, a psychic?" Max was surprised.

"I would have done the same if I were you."

"Do you cook, Jess?" asked Logan, opening the cabinets and looking for something.

"Yeah, right, in your dreams. The only thing I'm capable of is to order a pizza, which I'm gonna do right now", said Jessica, taking the phone and dialing a number.

"Wait, Logan will cook. Right, Logan?" Max addressed him with I-don't-want-pizza look on her face.

"Sure, I think I can do something with what you have here. What food do you have here, Jess, anyway?" asked Logan the recently found Max's sister. She opened the fridge again. "I don't know. I saw vegetables somewhere... Wow, a chi… What the hell is that?! Where did that come from?" She took out a huge bird from the freezing chamber.

"It's more like a turkey", noted Max, looking at it. "Nah, it's a chicken, a very big chicken." Logan finally identified the bird.

"Do you want chicken, guys?" asked Jessica, putting the monster into the microwave and setting the 'melting' mode.

"Jess, we're half predators, we eat any meat." Max sat at the counter near Alec. Logan took out the bird from the microwave and began cooking.

"Max, you're lucky. Your boyfriend is cute AND he can cook!" Jessica looked at Max.

"Logan is not my boyfriend. Not anymore." Max sighed.

"How come? You both look so in love with each other. I noticed that the moment I saw you two in the bar last night."

"Last time when I was at Monticore, they implanted a retrovirus in me. That retrovirus is targeted to attack Logan's DNA if he touches me. I almost killed him a couple of times. It was too hard for me and we broke up. Besides, he thought I was with Alec, and I decided to leave things as they were", said Max silently, so that Logan couldn't hear her. Alec looked at the girls and said nothing.

"Manticore screwed up your love life too. That's sad." Jessica was thinking about something. 'Retrovirus….hmm.'

Max continued. "Last time when Logan touched me and was taken to the hospital, the doctor said that the virus was a mutated strain of a bio warfare agent called 'Zycinor'. There was no known cure, only the transfusion of another transgenic's blood could help Logan."

"Right, we're immune to all diseases and biological weapons", agreed Jessica. Suddenly someone's cell phone rang. All four grabbed their phones. "It's mine", said Jessica.

"Hello."

"It's me."

"Good timing. It's 2 a.m. In other words, middle of the night."

"You didn't call back."

"I forgot."

"You don't forget anything. Is she with you?"

"Yes, everything is under control."

"I need your report."

"Since when?"

"Since now."

"Look, I had a really stressing night, so my sense of humor has abandoned me and I don't want to say things I'll regret about later. If anything happens, I'll call you. Bye."

"Your boss?" asked Alec.

"Sort of."

"He calls you in the middle of the night?"

"He's in France. It's morning there", answered Jessica and asked Logan. "When are we gonna eat?"

"I can't change the laws of physics and make the chicken ready. In two or three hours, not earlier."

"I'll starve to death. Pizza?" Jessica took the phone. "Damn, it's late. No one will deliver pizza at 2 a.m."

"We could ask Joshua to bring us some food", said Max and Alec simultaneously.

"Who's Joshua?" asked Jessica, upset that she wouldn't eat pizza.

"No, Josh doesn't know where Jess lives and it's not safe for him to be outside Terminal City." Alec was also upset by the absence of food.

"We don't have much choice", sighed Jess. "We'll eat the cake and strawberries."

"Finally!" exclaimed Alec.

"What about the chicken?"

"We'll eat it in the morning." With these words, Jessica took the knife and cut the cake.

She woke up at sunrise. Alec slept in the armchair, Logan on the couch and Max… Max stood near the window, looking at the sky.

Jessica came up to her. "Max, are you Ok?"

"I don't sleep much. Actually, I don't need to. Jess, I've been thinking about last night…" Max turned to face her sister.

"Let's get some coffee", suggested Jessica and went to the kitchen. Max followed her.

"Look, you don't know the whole story with Ben…" Max watched Jessica make coffee. "I thought you said you only could order pizza."

"I had to learn how to make coffee, I couldn't drink that crap they called 'French coffee'." Jessica handed Max the cup of coffee and took hers.

"Max, it hurts me to touch this 'Ben subject'. Let's talk about other things. I had my reasons to come to Seattle. One of the reasons is you and the other… I need you to help me get one thing." 

   TBC

A/N You know the drill. Read and review. Please…