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Chapter 2

Happens after Open mouth…insert but before Sunny side up…. Just one to go before we are all caught up.

One of the problems with having spliced DNA was that you were never sure what animals had gone into your mix. 511 was sure that she had gotten some Shark DNA because she rarely needed to sleep and that led to her wandering the halls at night as her bunk and single cell got too constrictive when all she wanted to do was pace.

She had crept out of her room and was going to the gym to try to burn some excess energy off when she walked straight into a body.

"Oof!" the other person sprang backwards.

"Sorry!" she apologised immediately cursing to herself.

"No harm no foul." The other person said and stood up again.

It was a girl with shoulder length brown hair and big brown eyes.

"Hey." She said and her friendly smile got one back from 511.

"Sorry about that." she apologised "My head's elsewhere."

"Oh." 511 had the unique experience of someone else taking blame for her carelessness for the second night in a row.

It was slightly unnerving actually.

"I'm 452." The girl said "New here and looking for something to do."

"Uh are you going back to barracks?" she wondered if Special Ops were perpetually lost.

452 shook her head "No, can't sleep. I gotta have, like Shark DNA or something. I don't need sleep that often."

"Me neither." 511 said delightedly "I always thought I had Shark DNA." Her features flushed with delight.

"How's that!" 452 beamed "So what do you do with our genetically imposed insomnia?"

"Read some. There's a huge library or sometimes I go to the gym."

"I'm read out today, I swear I've read so much I have letters dancing in front of my eyes so Gym it is then." 452 nodded "Mind if I tag along?"

"Uh." 511 wasn't sure what she meant but didn't want to be rude "Okay?"

"Cool."

"No I'm warm thanks." 511 was confused at the girl's strange wording.

"No it's an ordinary colloquialism meaning great."

"Oh!" enlightened 511 brightened and continued to the gym with the new girl in tow.

She wanted to start a conversation with the new girl but she didn't quite know what to say to her. Thankfully 452 spoke first.

"You got designation to go with the Shark?"

"511."

"511, I heard about you."

511 tensed, obviously her reputation as a disaster area proceeded her. She found herself uncharacteristically irate at the supposition that they could all warn people against her.

"Let me guess, how I can't walk and talk at the same time?"

452 stopped, her eyebrows raising "No actually, my friend 418 said that you had the cutest smile he had ever seen."

"Oh." 511 was embarrassed at the way she had gone off and then she coloured as 452 word's penetrated "Oh."

"They give you a hard time huh?" 452 commiserated. She sounded like she knew what it was like for people to pick on you for something that you had no control over.

"It's okay. I am kind of accident prone." 511 waved back down the corridor to the scene of their collision

"Like then. I just don't watch where I'm going or my feet get tangled. My brother said I have two left feet."

"Brother?"

Too late 511 realised what she said, they weren't supposed to assign familial roles to their unit. They weren't supposed to get too close. "I mean 510, we were raised together and we shared a test tube and…"

452 held her hands up "Don't have to explain to me. I thought of my whole unit as family. Brothers and sisters. No one will ever get me to believe different."

511 felt herself give a big smile, someone finally understood. It seemed that she had a lot in common with this gurl and she felt herself relax slightly.

"510- I met him yesterday. He's a sweetheart, a flirt but a sweetheart."

511 giggled as they entered the gym "Yeah. He likes to think of himself as a ladies man."

"At 15?" 452 raised an eyebrow "Whatever."

"I won't tell him you said it like that. He's proud of it." she added with a roll of her eyes.

"I guess compared to some he's not so bad. I mean 810 is a flirt and  191 is a pest." Her tone told 511 that she didn't really mind at all.

"I don't know them." she confessed at the strange designations.

"New in Special Ops." 452 shrugged "I'm just getting to know them myself."

"So um how long have you known 418?" she couldn't think of a more casual way of asking and 452 grinned.

"He is adorable isn't he?"

511 cursed her pale skin which showed up her blushing too much.

"About seven years give or take but only got to know him in the past few weeks. We're both from Wyoming."

"Wyoming. What's it like there?"

"Cold as ice." 452 said firmly "And not just the weather."

511 frowned a little at that but said nothing as they both warmed up.

"I love climbing on these things." 452 confessed with a grin and jumped into the air to catch hold of the ropes.

511 wasn't a huge fan of gymnastics so she sat and watched as 452 swung and jumped. Thanks to their enhanced abilities they still managed to have a decent conversation while 452 was in the air. 511 learned all about the new members of Seattle and what 452 thought about Special Ops.

In turn she told 452 about Seattle and her family, only faltering when 452 growled about 494. Apparently she didn't like him.

That was enough to make 511 smile, as far as she knew everyone liked 494, he was a great C.O and a nice guy.

By the time the bugles sounded she had made herself another friend and was glad to have her. 452 reminded her a lot of 555 in that she was confident. But she was also less bubbly and more reserved which appealed to 511. She didn't feel like she had to be cheery all of the time and their silences were comfortable.

They showered and headed down to breakfast.

"Hey eat with us." 452 urged as they walked into the room.

She hesitated a moment and marvelled at being asked to dine with the elite.

"Sure." she grabbed her tray and followed 452 as she sashayed to her table.

"Morning Ma-452." A bright blonde girl chirped looking inquisitively but friendlily at 511.

"Hey." 452 nodded and sat down motioning for 511 to do the same.

"This is 511." She pointed round the table "521."

The blonde girl nodded "Hi."

"219." 511 smiled shyly at the gorgeous blonde haired male who smiled warmly at her.

"921." A red haired man waved as he yawned

"I hate mornings." He declared and reached over to grab some bread from the basket in the centre of the table.

511 blinked and 452 chuckled "He's not entirely human until after his first coffee."

"360 is like that." she gestured over her shoulder to her table where the bitchy transgenic was glaring at her breakfast.

"This is 344 and 148." She gestured to a red-haired girl and a dark male.

"Hey." The two of them were deep in conversation but turned to wave at her.

511 felt a bang at her back and saw 510 arrive.

"Hey darlin'" he grinned and she moved over.

"Morning 510." 452 greeted jovially and then scowled. 511 turned half surprised at the scowl on her face to see 494 behind her.

"Good morning Sunshine." He said to 452 in a pleasant tone. "Did we wake up on the right side of our coffin this morning?"

511's jaw dropped and she felt 510 tense.

"Ah more of the 494 wit." 452 retorted "Tell me 494 does being an asshole come naturally or do you have to work at it?"

"It's a natural as being a bitch is to you sweetheart." He grinned.

511 couldn't believe it- was this her staid reserved C.O? The one who was fair and sweet and serious. Boy 510 wasn't kidding when he said that he was different recently. She watched him with unabashed curiosity knowing that 510 was doing the same.

452 opened her mouth to snap back a rejoinder when she was interrupted.

"Oh no fair they started without me."

511 froze as she heard the familiar voice behind her.

"Started what?" 452 asked breaking off her insult to 494.

"The morning insult rally. There's nothing like witty repertoire over soggy porridge." He slipped into a seat near 511 and she felt herself colour.

From this close she could smell him; he had obviously just taken a shower and smelled of soap and fresh male. It was nice.

452 grinned at him "Well if I'd have known how much you like it I would have waited."

"Very considerate." He nodded in satisfaction.

"So what piece of mischief have you concocted this early to put you in such a good mood?" she asked, ignoring 494 who scowled at his dismissal.

"We should be finding out in," 418 looked at his watch "3…2…now."

There was a sharp gasp, a clatter of silverware and the scraping of metal against the floor as the whole of Unit 3 stood up and backed away from their table looking down in horror.

Everyone turned to look at them and craned to see what the fuss was about but couldn't see what was going on as Unit 3 presented a solid barrier.  A member of staff walked in and glanced around and all eyes went back to their food immediately, the all too brief excitement over.

418 reached into his pocket and pulled out a black book.

"You know that would have earned at least a scream back in Wyoming," he looked appraisingly at 510 and 494 "You Seattle lot are made of tougher stuff. Kudos. I must change tactics."

He stuck his nose back in the book and 511 hid a giggle as her brother and C.O looked perplexed as to whether he was serious or not.

The conversation drifted back to more ordinary topics, assassinations and infiltration.

344 and 148 were drawn into the conversation and they were all listening to 219 as he argued asphyxiation verses poisoning as effective means to end a subject's life.

"But most kinds of poisoning can be reversed if they find it quick enough." 921, the redhead, seemingly had woken up and leaned into the conversation making his point emphatically.

"Right and the last thing that you want is for your subject to wake up and identify you." 510 agreed. 511 wished that she had as much confidence as her brother to join in the conversation with the elite. But she was too shy to even attempt it.

"So use curare," 148 shrugged "Harmless when swallowed but fatal when injected and it works too fast to be treated."

452 raised an eyebrow "That's a little too textbook don't cha think? Every Doc knows that trick."

"Yeah remember war is art!"  510 added with a mocking grin and they all grimaced at the overused Manticorian saying.

511 chanced a look around to see 418 digging through his porridge with an intense look of concentration on his face.

"What are you doing?" 452 had followed her glance. He looked up.

"The breakfast lady assured me that there was nutrition in this bowl I'm just trying to find it."

511 couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up and spilled from her lips at that and she hid behind her hair as she giggled.

He gave her a wide grin and winked.

452 rolled her eyes "Dumbass."

Before he could answer the morning bugle sounded and everyone that was left in the breakfast hall stood to go to training.

"Here we go again." 510 groaned and got to his feet "C'mon 511. we have Tech skills."

511 smiled, she liked computers and did well in Tech skills. Her fingers were obviously the least clumsy thing about her. She stood and followed him waving to the small group as she left.

Max watched Pix as his eyes followed the sweet X5 out of the room.

She smirked "Hello Romeo?"

He spun back quickly and grinned at her "Who?"

"Romeo was a literary figure from the sixteenth or seventeenth century. A dreamer and love of fair Juliet."

He wrinkled his nose as he got up to follow her to the training rooms. "Juliet? Yeah that's a name that inspires lustful feelings. Sounds more like a hooker."

Max chuckled and quickly blanked her face as they formed ranks.

"So I want you to pair up today and practice those hold's that you were shown yesterday." Trainer Banns ordered.

Pix looked up to see 494 stare intently at Max and made to walk towards her, she pointedly ignored him and turned to Pix.

"C'mon Pix, show me what you got."

He winced "Don't hurt me."

She smacked him on the arm with a joking "Wimp!" and they took stances on a nearby mat.

"So if Juliet is a bust then what do you want to name sweet X-511?" she asked as she blocked a hit from him.

He frowned "Why do I get to choose?"

"I've already named a few I figured that since you liked her you should."

Pix thought about it as he attacked Max. "I haven't had the practise at naming that you had, how did you chose?"

Max kicked out at his chest and thought "Well some came naturally but some I had to stretch. Just think about her and what she brings to mind."

Pix swallowed and Max rolled her eyes.

"You can't call her That!"

He spread his hands in innocence "What?"

Max planted her hands on her hips "I don't have to be Psy Ops to know what was going through your head then Soldier!"

Pix grabbed at her foot as it aimed for his head and he pushed her back, letting her flip backwards.

As she righted herself he saw 494 staring again.

"Uh Max, I think 494 is watching you."

Her eyes narrowed "Yeah well he can just get lost."

"X5- great sense of direction?"

Max raised an eyebrow "And you met 511 how? Oh hang on weren't you lost?"

He bowed "Point taken. But what do you have against him, according to what I've hear he's a great C.O."

"Yeah if C.O stands for Cretinous oaf, the guy bugs me."

Pix looked at her "Common Verbal this afternoon- I can't wait. Then we get some idea of what you are talking about. But I can tell it isn't nice. Poor 494."

He shook his head with mock sadness and Max's lips twitched.

"His name is Alec…. As in smart aleck."

Pix began to laugh "Oh that suits him well."

She shrugged modestly "Well I try."

"Are you two fighting or flirting?" Trainer Banns yelled and they snapped to attention.

"We get a choice?" Pix asked and Max held her breath as the Trainer coloured and stood right in front of Pix's face.

"What was that soldier?" he bellowed and Pix stood straight.

"Nothing Sir!"

"They may have tolerated backchat in Wyoming but here I demand RESPECT. What do I demand soldier."

"RESPECT SIR!" Pix yelled.

"Drop and give me one hundred push ups." The man snarled and Pix dropped to his hands.

"452 change partners to 219."

Max saluted and went to join Zan.

Pix grimaced as his arms began to ache after the eightieth push up, he really had to learn to control his mouth.

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Sigma1- Hope it meets expectations

Freedom Angel- I will update moving ahead soon as I've caught up with this- shouldn't take long.

Lex- Thanks pet. I think Manticore had such possibilities!

Melinda- Hooked is good!! There was so much story to tell that it had to be done.

Dokushoka79- Too good to be true? Above and beyond…yeah but I love it too so no harm no foul. 511 is a sweetheart.

Angel21- If you have any suggestions for story or characterisation just let me know.

Anna Kristina- Hey there. I'm waiting on Moving Alongside to catch up with Moving ahead so the two can run side by side. Just another chapter to go until they catch up.

Darkangel562- I like the other characters and think they too have a great story to tell so I will update asap.

SGOU- Thanks darling, glad you love it.

Lyndsay- they make such a great couple don't they?

Messymissy- They think he is acting strange and I love that aspect of it. You can just imagine the incredulous looks that he gets! More soon

Moonlight- Glad you like. The pics will help you keep them all straight. I know they did me!