Author's Note: Trigeria is the other name for the plague. =)
I really enjoyed this chapter, I hope you do too.
The Gift of Daylight
Chapter 13: Queen of Hearts
Coming down the world turned over.
Angels fall without you here.
Location: Terminal City, Washington. Warehouse 7.
Time: 7:30 PM PST
"Are you okay?"
"I've been better."
"Hey, I've been wondering, ever since I first saw you two ... are you and him ... ?"
"... Together? Don't think you think that's none of your business?"
"Let me guess, you two 'aren't like that', right?"
"Right," Syl snorted, unaware that she was echoing Max's words. She snipped the rope of bandage as she finished wrapping his forehead. The last end was pressed down and afterwards, Syl examined her work.
"I've heard that one before," he replied with a roll of his eyes.
She twitched unnoticeably. "Don't let anyone take any cracks at it for a while, it might not hold up, even if you are known to be hardheaded," she smiled faintly, putting everything neatly back into the white tin box and closing it shut.
"Noted," Alec replied, fighting off the worst headache in X5 history. Since their escape and his injury, Alec had spent the most time with Syl. Strangely enough, despite all attempts not to ... he found himself growing attracted to her. It wasn't anything serious, just a small inkling of a crush. "Is anything inside damaged?" he gently pressed his fingers against his sore scalp. White had beaten Alec's arms moreso than his head, but the guy sneaked in a good knock at Alec's head. Alec's arms had large ice packs taped to them, which earned him the temporary nickname of "abominable snowman" in Terminal City— a nickname that greatly annoyed him.
"Depends, do you have anything in there?" she retorted, closing the first-aid kid and stalking off towards Krit before he could come up with a good response. The two X5's started out of the warehouse, Krit shooting Alec a grin behind his shoulder before exiting.
"So ... what do you think, are they or aren't they?" Alec spoke aloud to the person who he knew had appeared behind him. She wasn't trying to sneak around, but she was naturally soundless and was undetectable to ordinaries. But Alec wasn't ordinary.
"I don't think it's my place to say anything," Brin replied coolly, reaching over Alec's shoulder to snatch the first-aid kit. "Why, are you interested?"
Alec was lounging in a chair, his feet neatly propped up on the table in front of him. With no more chairs around, Brin opted to sit on the table as she began taping her ankles. It was a tedious task, but a necessary one.
"Well," Alec started, giving the question some thought. Something about Syl reminded him of someone else he liked, the memory slipped his mind presently, probably due to the headache. "She does have a nice—"
"—I'll take that as a yes," Brin cut in, removing some medical tape out of the kit.
He snickered, quickly shaking those thoughts out of his head. "Has she said anything since she returned?" Alec spoke up.
"No," Brin replied, furrowing her brows in thought at the subject of Max. "She's been working non-stop with the CIA in warehouse two, she hasn't come out yet. They're undoubtedly planning something."
"Then who's taking care of Brother Zack?" Alec used that title sparingly, only when he felt like being witty— which was ... all the time. He snatched the unused first-aid kit and dug around to see if he could find any aspirin. There wasn't any.
"Dalton is. Him and Zack were sent to escort Zeke to the train station," she replied, tugging the tape tightly before cutting it off at the end and pressing it down.
"He's gone already?" Alec shuffled his feet on the table, feeling a slight tinge of regret that he didn't get to say good-bye. "Wait, why would he need an escort?" that question dropped into his mind immediately after.
"After what he pulled, isn't it obvious?" she dug into the first-aid kit to pull out a brand new bottle of aspirin Alec must've looked over. He reached out to take it from her, but she held it away from him. "The Conclave has him permanently on their hit list, he's wearing a death mark everywhere he goes." She uncapped the bottle and shook out exactly four pills into his waiting palm. "I'm sure he could've gotten there on his own just fine, but I got the feeling Dalton wanted to see it through to the end."
"No surprise there. Him and Zeke were tight before this whole thing." Alec swallowed the four pills all at once without problem.
"This bottled water was pre-Coming, so it's good," she assured, tossing him a clear plastic bottle of water. Brin was aware that most of the water around the world had been contaminated. Even though transgenics wouldn't die if they drank the stuff— they would still get sick nonetheless, and that was a prospect she wanted to avoid at all costs.
Alec had to take twice the dosage to get the same effect, but afterwards, he felt considerably better. The subject of the death mark seemed to shake him a bit. "Oh well, he probably deserves it for being a mole," he said, his words lacking the confidence to support what he was saying.
"He's on our side now," Brin said reprovingly.
Alec shrugged, conceding defeat easier than usual. He wasn't convinced of what he was saying anyway, thus lacking the motivation to argue. "So Brin, what's your stake in all of this?" he asked, changing the subject. The last time Alec saw her was as a true blue soldier, and his commanding officer. In the aftermath of Manticore's destruction, she seemed to fall completely off the radar— it was not at all unexpected since it was incorporated into her training. But the events leading her back to Lydecker, and now Terminal City— now that eluded him.
"Unfinished business," she replied vaguely.
"Go on," he encouraged, opening one of the desk's drawers to extract his secret stash of cheeze-its. He offered her some, but she held out a hand and shook her head.
"It's a long story," she said unenthusiastically, trying her hardest to avoid explaining.
"We have time," he was persistent as usual, flashing her a cheesy grin when she attempted to glare at him. "Let me start you off," he offered, sitting up straighter.
"Max takes Manticore down, lets all our furry friends free, and suddenly your organized G.I. Joe world comes crashing down. But suddenly here you are, right beside her, fighting the good fight ..." his voice trailed off, leaving her to fill in the blank spots.
"You skipped a few parts," she said wearily, aware that if she didn't explain things now, he would keep bothering her until she did. The story wasn't that personal, but it had its moments. "After Manticore's takedown, it was almost impossible to find Colonel Lydecker. He was a hard man to track down, not surprisingly, considering the traitorous things he did," her voice definitely had an edge of bitterness to it.
"But you looked for him anyway," Alec tossed in.
"But I looked for him anyway," Brin confirmed. "He was, in a way, our father. And in tough times, he was dependable. I eventually got in touch with him. He gave me Syl and Krit's address; they had relocated to Montreal, Canada where Zane was. I went up there with vengeance on my mind— for what they had done to Manticore. But I couldn't do it, and I think Colonel Lydecker knew that too, that's why he gave me their address," she conceded, without a hint of embarrassment. It was in the past and being an ice queen, Brin could effortlessly bury her feelings. "I could never hurt my siblings— not intentionally," she confessed with a shrug. "They helped me get back on my feet, I found work, and life was normal for the time being— normal, but really boring," she confessed. "I never knew what happened to Zack until Colonel Lydecker called us one day and debriefed us on the situation. Syl, Krit, and Zane didn't trust him— they had no reason to— but I never lost faith in him. I guess deep down, I always knew he cared and had good intentions— even if he has a odd way of showing it."
She seemed to zone out for a second, recalling the memories of the events she was describing. It took a few more moments before she chased them out of her head and snapped back to attention. "And what about you?"
Alec grabbed one last handful of cheeze-its before closing the box and putting it away. "Eh, you know, the same 'ol stuff. Nothing half as interesting as your story," he said, popping a cheeze-it into his mouth.
Having already been told his story by Max, Brin didn't see the need for him to repeat what she already knew. "Your striking resemblance to Ben brings back bad memories for all of us. Identical in every way," she stated honestly, with no intention to offend him. She seemed to examine his facial features in detail. "Except your hair's longer, of course."
"I know, Max and I had this talk before," he snapped indignantly. She had surely hit a nerve with him.
"Don't worry, none of us hold it against you," she said forgivingly to salvage the situation.
"Hold what against me?" Alec purposely sounded more curious than worried. He rarely ever showed weakness.
"The constant reminder of survivor's guilt," she stated blankly, as if it should've been obvious. "We all have it."
"Keep going," he invited, not quite certain what she was getting to, but he had a good idea.
"Your creation, of course," Brin stated abstractedly. "You symbolize a bad memory that won't go away, and looking at you reminds us of someone we lost." She was oblivious to his true feelings on the matter, and continued to be blunt as possible. After all, he showed no indication that she should stop talking about this. "That's probably why you and Syl aren't a possibility. You remind her of her little brother—the one who wasn't strong enough, the one who didn't make it," she added quietly, this topic was rather personal to her also. But she was a master of her emotions, and idle chatter wasn't something to get moody over.
Alec fell silent, he paused chewing and peered at her from the corner of his eye. It was now as uncomfortable as it could ever get, the thick awkwardness lingering in the air between them. He realized now that no matter how close he got to any of them, he supposed there was a sacred bond between the X5 escapees that he could never penetrate. And in the end, it was all right with him. "I guess I'll have to wear a paper bag over my face now," he muttered.
Brin smirked. "Maybe."
Almost on cue, Gem entered the warehouse from the opposite side, waving her hand to get their attention. "She's ready for us at warehouse two, let's go." And promptly exited again.
Alec got to his feet quickly, coming up from Brin's side and falling in step with her as they walked quickly towards warehouse two. "You still haven't answered my question," he pointed out. He was more curious than hopeful of any chance.
She figured out what he was referring to quickly, not faltering in step. "Are we still on that? Fine ... yeah, they are," Brin replied. "She and Krit have been together for a while now, but I don't want you making a big deal out of it," she shot back warningly. "Relationships, love and all that junk can wait, we've got people to save and—"
"Okay okay, point made," he replied, sounding mock disappointed and doing a poor job of it. "Okay, theoretical question," he said, inserting a pause.
"My favorite kind," Brin said dully.
"If I had known her longer than him, do you think that her and I could—"
"—No," Brin cut in, before he finished the question.
"O ... kay," he replied, not sounding at all discouraged. Persistent as ever, he tried again. "Let's say that after this whole thing is resolved, her and I—"
"—No," Brin interrupted again.
Alec refrained from throwing his hands up in surrender. "Can't you say anything else but 'no'?" he raised an eyebrow at her as they rounded a corner and hastily approached the correct warehouse.
Before they reached the door, Brin paused in step and glanced at him, sending him a very appraising look. She raised a brow.
"No."
------------------------------------
Location: Terminal City, Washington. Warehouse 2.
Time: 7:40 PM PST
"Is this the entire city's population, 452?" the General questioned, shooting a glance around the packed warehouse. He was dressed in a United States army uniform decorated with various medals. What struck Krit the most was that he completely lacked a bio-suit. Apparently, after many tests, the FDC confirmed what the transgenics already knew and had been telling them all along— they weren't the cause of the plague. Coupled with the data they had retrieved, the military, as a whole, was more friendly towards the transgenics.
In a way, the military viewed these strange creations as their own kind— soldiers.
"Yes, sir," Max replied sharply, in proper fashion. She wasn't keen to playing soldier, but she understood that doing this would soften relations between them and the transgenics.
"Right then, can I have your attention please?" he declared, standing at the makeshift podium. The idle chatter immediately ceased. "I draw your attention to the display. Carson, hit the lights," the General commanded.
A helmeted soldier nodded and flipped the light switch off. Another aide pushed a tall and bare whiteboard behind the General. The whiteboard served as a temporary screen, and when the projector was flipped on, the presentation was enlarged and visible to everyone in the warehose. The General reached for his laser pointer, keeping it ready just in case it was needed.
Krit was seated beside Syl, who was beaming warmly at him. Beside him on the left was Mole, Joshua, Brin, Alec, and a few of the other big names in Terminal City. They were invited to sit in the front by Max's invitation, so Krit figured they were all trusted friends. From the corner of his eye, sitting in the center of an alert group of X7s was a pale, white, Familiar boy— Seth.
Krit blinked. "What is he doing here?" he whispered into Syl's ear, with clear distaste present in his voice.
Syl kept her eyes locked on the speaking General, already aware of who Krit was referring to. "Max thought that maybe this presentation might bring him over to our side," she whispered back.
"He's listening to all our plans, you know," Krit pointed out, keeping his voice low.
"She thought that with Zeke gone, it'd be helpful to have a Familiar on our side. Besides, he's in our custody. He's not leaving anytime soon," she patted his hand soothingly, putting him to ease.
"Yeah ... okay," he replied, sounding relieved enough to listen to the General.
A map of the United States was now on the board, with multiple red dots scattered on the display. "Heaviest losses are here," he tapped New York City, "here," he tapped Los Angeles, "and here," he tapped Miami. "Trigeria has spread quickly in those cities because of their closely packed populations and the fact that all those cities are close to the ocean. From the discs retrieved," the slide changed, "it says that the Conclave distributes the plague through water. The main distribution center of North America, according to the information, is based in a dam on Catalina Island, in California."
"A dam? How could the government miss all this?" Mole interrupted the General, sounding cranky. "Aren't all dams kept on record?"
The General turned his attention to Mole, craning his head to the side in observance. He was at first startled by Mole's appearance, but quickly pushed that out of the way. He swallowed hard. "Well, since the Pulse happened, most construction records were lost. We're guessing the cult members in the United States government did a thorough job of wiping the dam's existence out of the database."
"And what are you going to do about the Familiars who are secretly in the government? That's wide-spread corruption," Mole retorted, "not that the U.S. government isn't already corrupt," he added bitterly.
Max shot him a blistering glare. Mole shrugged.
"They'll be brought to trial and dealt with," the General replied firmly, loosening his collar a bit. He couldn't blame any of the transgenics for how they felt towards the country that had created them and then turned its back. He felt the hateful eyes on him, but continued talking nonetheless. "Disc two and three contain a valuable roster of North American Conclave members. I assure you, this list has been distributed to the right people and the aforementioned Familiars are being arrested as we speak. We're keeping it as quiet as possible because we don't want to alert them and consequently drive them out of the country."
Unlike the other corrupt officials in the government, General Randall S. Walker remembered a time when he served an honorable and respectable country. He was a man of his word, and that was partially the reason he was ordered to handle this assignment. The other reason was that the other Generals feared the transgenics. Initially, Walker had his reservations. But now seeing and working with them up close— he discovered they truly weren't much different at all.
"Can I continue or do you have anything else to say?" the question was posed respectfully.
"No, that's all," Mole replied, sounding a bit deflated. The unexplained resentment he had against the General faded quickly after he saw that the man wasn't like the other military jackasses.
"Fortunately enough, the dam isn't heavily guarded. I suppose they didn't want to draw attention since Catalina is known to be a tourist attraction. Since the plague broke out, many deaths have been reported in that area and tourism has officially ceased. We might have had a clear path, but since 452's infiltration of the Conclave's headquarters, we're fairly sure they've been alerted and security has been beefed up."
"Why don't you just ... nuke it?" Alec spoke up. "You know, drop a few missiles? Problem solved."
The General didn't seem fazed by the interruptions, in fact, he welcomed them. He didn't know much on this subject and any input was a good thing. "I'm getting to that," he signaled to his aide who changed the slide. Now came up a huge picture of a large and malicious looking anaconda, wrapped around what looked like a metal pole.
Many in the audience jerked back. But Max kept her eyes locked forward. She already knew where this was leading, she was just waiting for the others to catch up.
"We've been informed by 452 that this anaconda is called Attila XXIII— the source of the poison. It's within our power to bomb the facility, but that wouldn't fix the problem at all," he said wearily. "The water would still be poisoned and the infected would be still be dying. 452 says that there's a way to reverse the process but the distribution facility needs to kept intact. 452?"
Max cracked her neck and stood up. All eyes were on her now. "If a small team can infiltrate the area, we can take the facility intact. Once we have the facility, we can figure out what to do from there," she announced to everyone.
"Of course the facility's poisonous to our soldiers and bio-suits hinder movement ..." The General added in an apologetic tone, he was leading up to something.
Alec sighed. "And guess who their only hope is ..." he muttered under his breath. Brin, Joshua, and Mole nodded in agreement.
"—Which means," the General continued, "that a transgenic squad must be sent in," he confirmed Alec's suspicions. Upon that statement, the warehouse broke out in scattered conversation. "Wait, there's more."
The transgenics ceased talking and looked up momentarily.
"In exchange for your services, the United States government will extend American citizenship with all the privileges of a ... regular citizen to transgenics. I have this in writing," he tossed in, signaling his aide to switch the slide. Up came an official document, with the United States seal on it, and confirming what the General just announced.
He fell silent at the makeshift podium, observing them all. He would let them discuss this amongst themselves for now, but in the end, he would only accept one response.
"Psh, yeah right," Mole muttered bitterly. "As if we'd die for the people who want to cut us in half. If you think about it, this Coming thing isn't so bad. Once it knocks all the ordinaries out, it leaves the earth to us and the Familiars. We can handle a couple of breeding cult loons."
Alec and Joshua shifted in their seats, both thinking back to Biggs' death. The X5 had been bludgeoned to death, then hung from a bridge. All for being what he was. And whose fault was that ... ?
Mole seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Think about it, Josh," Mole encouraged, seeing the gears working in his friend's eyes. His loud voice caught the attention of everyone in the warehouse too. "With the ordinaries gone, we can walk anywhere on the surface without fear. No more hiding, no more dark and damp sewers and lurking. You can feel sunlight on your face and—"
Max hadn't said anything up to now because what Mole was saying made some sense. Then a certain someone came into mind and she was forced to cut in, "Are you insane?" she snapped. "You're talking about mass murder here— innocent women and children. And what about Logan?" she openly challenged Mole. It seemed that everytime there was a leadership decision to make, her and Mole always bumped heads.
"What about Logan?" Mole shot back, coming to a stand to emphasize the size difference between her and him. "Think about your people and what's best for them, don't be selfish. Logan's one person, and I know he's the only thing standing in your way from making the right decision. Do you really think the public will accept us Max? Citizenship or not?"
The transgenic crowd had gathered around Max and Mole, each of them with different opinions on the matter.
"If I was selfish then I wouldn't volunteer to fight for these billions of people. The right decision, Mole? Since when was mass genocide ever the right decision?" she shot back venomously. She was fuming now, but wouldn't back down. Max never did.
"Since our offspring became involved, Max. Haven't you been paying attention? Some of us don't look human, and our kids won't either. White's Breeding Cult friends have given us this window of opportunity to permanently solve all of our problems."
Many transgenics murmured in agreement, the majority of them siding with Mole.
"You'd be just as bad as them," she spat disgustedly.
"Last I checked, they let loose this plague, not us. We're just lucky enough to be immune," he rationalized. "It's not our problem, and I'm not lifting a finger to help. Remember that day we decided to take a stand here? After we escaped Jam Pony? You said that you were tired of running and hiding. Now we don't have to."
She scoffed, her eyes avoiding Joshua at all costs. She knew Joshua agreed with Mole, even if Logan was a good friend to him. Max wouldn't pull him into this. "Fine, if you don't want to help, then stay here. But don't get in the way," she warned, shooting a fierce look at his supporters. Part of her felt bad for the transgenics, she couldn't blame them for thinking of their families. But the other part of her knew what was right.
Mole shook his head. "No, we won't get in the way. But we're not helping you," the way he phrased that sentence made it so that he spoke for everyone who didn't want to argue with Max. "I won't be part of this," he stated, Max swore she heard a hint of an apology in his tone. "It's a suicide mission. And for what? For the people who turned their backs on us? The people who are hunting us?"
The General shifted uncomfortably in place, feeling despair collect inside of him as he listened to the raging debate. If the transgenics didn't agree to help, then the army would have to use brute force to make them. He didn't want to resort to that, but by look of things, it was a possibility.
Max's eyes darted around for support, but the Nomalies had completely sided with Mole. Most of the X series were undecided and kept out of the discussion. "Then I guess I'm going in alone," she said defiantly. "One of the discs detail how to destroy the plague," Max swallowed, she didn't want to go into detail with how, "and I'm going to it. Or die trying," she promised. She turned her back to Mole and walked towards the General.
"The military will provide air and ground support around the perimeter, but we can't approach the facility. We only need ten people, no more, and no less," the General announced. "Just ten people," he controlled his voice to not sound desperate, but deep down, he was as panicked as possible. The numbers coming in from headquarters were astronomical. Five million dead and thirty million more infected? Even crooked politicians and dirty criminal bosses straightened up their act in search of a solution. Money was no longer a factor because if they couldn't find a cure, there would be no one on earth alive to spend it.
Alec looked from Joshua to Mole, then to Syl, Krit, Brin, and other X5s. Everyone was fighting his or her own internal struggle on the matter. But Alec, along with a few others came to a quick decision. "I'm in," he declared loudly, catching Max and the General's attention. Alec walked past the others and headed over to stand beside Max.
"Us too of course," Krit spoke up for him, Syl, and Brin. "Was there any doubt?" he grinned towards Max.
"That's five," the General announced. "We'll need at least ten to stand a ghost of a chance. Anyone else?" he was perhaps pushing his luck, but he had to try.
"Yeah, here's two more," Gem stepped forward, flashing a smile at Max as she joined the others.
Behind her, surprisingly, Joshua advanced. Max blinked, as did the others around her. "You don't have to come with us, big fella," she said sincerely, and she meant it.
Joshua fervently shook his head. "—Virus bitch going down ... Max and Logan getting busy. That's the plan," he said with a smirk, the warmness in his voice apparent.
Max seemed particularly touched by that, and reached out to hug him tightly. "Thanks," she muttered. Gem, however, was another matter. "Gem ... I appreciate it, but ... I can't let you go. You have to look after Hope," Max pointed out. She just couldn't take a mother on a deadly mission and away from her newborn child. When they went into the Conclave's HQ, there was a high success rate. But this ... this was very different.
Gem shook her head, "I've thought about that too. But if we don't succeed, and this plague kills the ordinaries, what kind of life is Hope going to have? Being hunted by Familiars? She doesn't have a barcode, she'll be a citizen of the United States and free to do what she wants. But only if the mission's accomplished."
"What kind of life is she going to have without a mother?" Max shot back softly. She was flattered by the woman's persistence, and honestly, Max wanted to let her join the team. But it was the wrong move— she knew it, Gem knew it, and everyone else probably did. "Stay here. If anything happens to us, you'll need to help Mole manage this bunch, okay? Promise me."
Gem seemed saddened by this statement and had to put some thought into it. Moments later, she sighed in resignation. "I promise. But you be careful," she wrapped her arms around Max and pulled the other into a tight hug, then stepped down and away from the group.
"That's seven— I mean— six," the General seemed to perk up, examining the assembling team. They needed four more people.
"Make it eight," some announced from the back.
Everyone's eyes darted to Dalton and Zack, who had just returned. They were soaking wet because it was raining furiously outside, but still both smiling. "We're with you, Max," Dalton announced as he crossed the room and rounded around the group.
Max nodded, smiling warmly. Her gaze fell solidly on Zack, who was staring intently at her. He was dressed the same since she last saw him, but he was different than the perplexed amnesiac she met hours ago. Now, he was radiating with an aura of confidence and strength— he was her big brother again. Syl, Krit, and Brin noticed this immediately also, but said nothing, only smiled.
"It's my job to look after you, Maxie— of all of you," he remarked, tossing his siblings a smile. "It'll be ... just like old times," he added, indicating that he had regained the majority of his memories.
Dalton beamed, obviously proud of his work. "I take all the credit for helping him get his memory back," he declared.
Max ruffled his hair. "Thanks, kid."
"That's eight," the General said loudly, examining the transgenics.
"Nine," a coarse voice cut through the silence. The X7s snapped to attention, their guns firmly trained on Seth.
The transgenics and the military men both turned their attention to Seth. Max raised a brow, disturbed and surprised both that he was ... talking. Then again, she was aware that he could, but it was still a rare feat.
"For Rianne," he muttered, looking down at his shoes and coming to a slow stand. The X7's stopped his ascent with their guns.
"—Oh yeah right. Come on, Max, you can't trust him," Krit cut in hastily. "He rips people's heads off and—"
Syl raised a finger to his lips to silence him. Krit stopped talking mid-sentence.
Max's attention was still firmly locked on Seth, she was fascinated by him and contemplated his motives. The boy hadn't spoken a word since he was taken hostage, and now he was volunteering to help? And what was it about Rianne? Max furrowed her brows in thought, then it clicked in her mind. "You loved her didn't you?" she asked gently.
Seth nodded, his pale face looking paler if it was possible. He felt the eyes on him but refused to look up.
"You can't trust him," Krit cut in again. "You're not seriously going to buy that are you?"
"I am, and I will," she replied. "We appreciate your help, Seth. And we accept it. Let him through," she commanded the X7's.
Without hesitation, they pulled their rifles back and let him through.
"Well that's nine," the General announced enthusiastically. "One more?" he sent a sweeping glance over the transgenic crowd.
Mole stood defiantly at the front, as if he represented everyone standing behind him. He was unmoved by the pledge of support from Dalton and the X5s, but when Joshua joined in, he was admittedly offended. No one else said a word for a few minutes, and the entire warehouse fell into an eery silence, punctuated only by the sound of falling rain outside.
General Walker gave it more time, looking anxiously from transgenic to transgenic. Finally, with a sigh, he shrugged. "Then I guess we'll just have to work with nine—" he said, sounding crestfallen. Someone had interrupted him though, and he looked to see who had.
"—All right," a voice interrupted, swiveling abruptly around to face the front. "All right. I'll go."
Max blinked. Once again, something had taken her completely by surprise. She stood on her toes and craned her neck to look at the source of the voice. It was ...
"Zeke?" Dalton spoke for them all, in complete shock. "What are you doing back here? We dropped you off at the train station, I thought—"
"I took a bus back," he dismissed, putting the case to rest. "But anyway ... yeah, I'll go. You've got your ten," he said hurriedly. He was also dripping wet from the heavy rain outside. His bangs were plastered to his face and his clothes were thoroughly soaked. "Man ... I hate water," he echoed, shooting a grin at Alec.
The surprise drained from Alec's system, and after he got the reference, he grinned back.
"You don't mean that," Max said, thinking back to their time in the hummer. She already had Seth, and while it was stupid of her to reject Zeke's help, she felt guilty asking for anything more from him. His words in the hummer had gotten to her significantly, and she understood how and why he blamed her for his family's death. "This is infinitely more dangerous than the other mission."
"Doesn't matter," Zeke said. His voice was trembling, but his jaw was set firmly. He knew that she wouldn't agree to this until he explained his reasoning. So, he took a deep breath and started.
"In the car ride on the way to the train station ... Zack told me all about what happened to his life. It was terrible— the people he lost, the confusion, and all the pain too. I hated the people who'd done it— I really hated them. And I hated everyone who's ever caused pain to other people."
He looked over at Zack, who was staring attentively back at him. "But ... he told me hatred was wrong, that it was one of those things that hurt the hater more than people he hated. He told me there can be justice without hatred, and punishment without revenge. He said we were all responsible for what we do and what we don't do, and no one should have to pay for someone else's crimes."
He locked eyes with Max. "I'm a Familiar, Max. But I'm a good Familiar, and I'm responsible for what I do and what I don't do, just like you and Zack. If I can help and I don't, then I'm just as guilty as everyone else. It would've been like I killed Rianne, Elena, and Davis myself." He waved a hand helplessly. "I'm not too good at stuff like this. You understand what I'm trying to say?"
Max smiled affectionately at him. Some time during the events of the past few days, Zeke had radically changed from the cocky and selfish boy she once knew. He had matured since then, putting others before himself. Now, finally, he was a man. She looked at him proudly. "I understand perfectly," Max assured, feeling confidence and a newfound sense of hope spreading inside the warehouse.
Mole and his party stayed quiet. "For what it's worth ..." Mole started with a sigh, now looking and sounding guilty, "... I hope you come back alive, Max," and he genuinely meant that. "I hope you all come back," he said to all of them.
Max nodded firmly, feeling the support of her friends, her people, and now her country feeding her the strength she needed to get through this. It seemed to replenish her energy and dissolve the fears and doubts she had about this mission.
"Your team, General Walker," Max stated proudly, motioning to her squad who had since lined up neatly.
The General was smiling broadly.
"Let's show these Familiars who they're messing with."
A/N: I've still got a few twists to throw at all of you. Be sure to tell me what you think of this chapter.