Hey guys!  Stories rapidly coming to an end, four maybe five chapters left and we still get to find out what's wrong with Max (although most of you have already guessed), if Bradley is a goodie or a baddie, whether poor dear Elizabeth gets rescued, what in the hell they're up to on that island, and most importantly what all of my ominous little italicized beginning paragraphs are leading up to.  For the two people that asked, Naia actually also appears in chapter 9, for the glory of god go I.  I'm really desperately trying not to cross into the land of a Mary Sue fic, but I also enjoy introducing the characters that pop into my head.  Hope you, enjoy!

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"Oh shit." I smack my forhead against the cockpit dash making Loco Erick jump a little.


"Y'all know son, it ain't ever a good idea to scare the man flying the plane." Scared is definitely too strong a word as Erick is still slouching back in his chair with his feet propped up on the console. I bite my tongue to keep from remarking on concerns for my own safety when flying with a guy that isn't even looking out the window.

"Sorry about that. I just remembered that in all this excitement I forgot to call in to headquarters to give them a progress report." He clucks sagely.

"Now that ain't no way for a soldier to be acting. Man my CO would have given me hell." I laugh sharply.

"Tell me about it, I bet your CO wasn't your girlfriend either."

"Damn boy, your just flirting with all kinds of pain on that one. Go into the cargo space if you want to, tah talk to her." My hands are sweating slighty as I flip open the cell phone cover. Much as I love Maxie, I'm really hoping that someone else picks up the phone. It rings, echoing in the tightly enclosed space.

"TC secure line please give your pass code and wait to be transferred." I lick my dry lips.

"Echo 4, Bravo 8, Cove Ops TX494. Patch me through to command please."

"I'm sorry sir but that code expired yesterday."

"Damnit Lane patch me through to command." The X-6 on the other end of the line giggles increasing my nerves.

"Geeze us Alex don't get your underwear in a twist. Oh wait, you don't wear..." God takes pity on me and the phones clicks as it transfers me over to the command center.

"This is Dix, speak to me oh truant one." I breathe out the stale air that I've been holding, it isn't Mole or more importantly it isn't Max.

"Okay right now I'm in a plane on my way to an island in the south pacific called Cano Pelour. I've got the gang tracked out there, and my pilot is gonna help me do some recon while I wait for you to send out some volunteer reinforcements." Laughter travels in echoes across the phone line.

"Hey man, I think I hear Max coming up the stairs so you might want to make like highwayman and hang up."

"Give my best to my girl." I flip the cover shut and press the phone to the forehead. It's better that I talk to Maxie once she's cooled down anyway, like when I'm dead.
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Dix slams the phone down in its cradle and turns to look at me with a suspicious expression of innocence. "Let me guess, that was my missing boyfriend calling and he hung up so he didn't have to get a dose of tough love?" Dix smiles like the cheshire cat, although I'm pretty sure that he doesn't have cat DNA, and shakes his head.

"No honestly Max, it was just some concerned citizens wondering where they could send their donations to the save the transgenics fund. Although now that you mention it, Alec called in hours ago to give a report, and he said he loves you very much and kisses the ground that you walk upon." Relief floods me and overcomes my annoyance, if he's calling in then he has to have enough body parts and functions left to dial a phone.

"Where is the little dear? I swear to god if he's drinking mai tais in San Pedro with some little blond number." Mole walks in behind me and clicks his tongue.

"Shame on you Dix, you know our boy Alec prefers the brunettes. So where is lover boy anyway, I've got a couple of presents for him and Max." Dix clears his throat.

"He was calling from an airplane, he and some old military salt are following the bad guys to an island out in the south pacific called Cano Pelour." A young X-6 comes running up to Dix and just barely stops in time to avoid smacking into the computer console. He eyes me nervously before giving me a half salute and then turning to whisper something in Dix's ear. Dix's face falls a bit and he sends the kid scurrying back for the other computer bank.

"It seems that we've hit a small snag in the plan. These small islands don't have any sort of uniform naming system because they've changed hands so many times after the pulse. I'm not finding an island under the name Alec gave us so it either appears on the map as a number or a different name."

"Excuse me sir, ma'am, but I may have a solution." The woman is my age, an X-5 and looks to frail and blond to be a soldier. Judging from the equipment in her hands she's been drafted into repairing the faulty wiring here in command.

"So speak up Adain, what's your miracle plan?" I glare reprovingly at Mole. "Please tell us what you know." She rolls her eyes up at Mole before turning back to me. "You see ma'am I was part of a mission to get back some information stolen from Manticore, the cult your looking for had some kind of inside man in the program. Well I mean us soldiers didn't know what they took, but anyway they sent us out to smash up their computers and look for any evidence of the Manticore files. Everything went wrong though, somehow they knew we were coming and they ambushed us. They were really strong too, as strong as us soldiers. Our unit had seperated into two teams, my team made it out okay, but everyone but the CO on the other team was slaughtered. See after the mission they told us we couldn't return for a second attempt because the cultists had packed up and moved off the island; but if they stayed on that island, then our topographer should still remember how to get to the island and how the place is layed out. You should ask her, ask Naia."

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I wonder is she's thinking about me right now. We've been apart for too long and I miss everything about her, her smile, her rare laughter, and they way that she pouts when she get angry, an occurence much more frequent than her laughter. For the first time in a long time I'm feeling a little scared for myself. It's one thing when you're rushing into danger head on, but when you have a six hour plane ride to think about it, it starts to wear on you. The last time I left this island, fled with half the number of unit members I started with. We sat in a cargo hold just like this one, just sat there staring at each other. They understood best, Biggs, and Adain, and Naia, they saw the bodies as I carried them out of the jungle. They can't understand it all though, finding two people who have been like family, draped on the ground next to you. I don't understand why they let me live. Maybe it wasn't as fun to kill me because I'd been knocked unconcious before it all began. Maybe this time when I'm awake they'll have a reason to kill me. I don't want to die. Then, as a child, as a soldier it didn't matter very much to me. I have to come back this time though. I have to see her one more time, always have to see her one more time.