Ok, I dunno what is up - Did that last chapter suck, or are you readers all on vacation? I don't wanna sound cocky, but I usually get more reviews than that. I don't care what type - Flames or praise, just REVIEW! Or I'll stop. Anyway - here you go - I'll try to cater to all requests but keep in mind that usually novels and movies and TV shows aren't interactive - So consider yourself lucky.

ANYWAY, I LOVE YOU ALL!

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Chapter Eight

Zack's POV

My body involuntarily tensed at the words. Twelve years of Manticore training flashed in my subconscious. I could hear Lydecker's voice telling me how to handle the situation to the best of my advantage. I shook it all away and stared down at Eve. She continues with an air of authority and control.

"I heard a few soft sounds. Whoever it is, they are doing a very good job of keeping still." She does not end it with a 'sir,' and does not stand at attention. I nod down at her, then follow her into the living room casually as I can hold myself. She is doing a much better job of staying in control than I am. I have always prided myself on being the top of the rogues. I had always been the best, the big brother. Everyone depended on me, and now it's so hard to adjust to being in the presence of a physically superior being. At least she still takes my orders. (To an extent.) I sometimes think I know what the Manticore commanders felt like around us kids. We could take them down at any moment and they knew it. But I always remind myself that it's different, because I trust and love Eve. And she trusts and loves me, I know it. Besides my siblings, she is the closest to a family I have. Maybe she is closer than they are. I don't know why she would be. She never knew Manticore thankfully, and she didn't endure half the things I did, but I feel so close to her.

We entered the room where Max and Logan were laughing over a birthday picture of Eve's, oblivious to the danger. I rack my brains trying to come up with who would be on the roof. I come up with the most logical answer. It had to be a Manticore soldier of some sort. Spies had been sent out across the country to track down Max and possibly a few others. Once again I recalled my experiences back from childhood. Were the spies enhanced or not? No, they weren't. They were hired from all over the globe, either FBI or freelance; it didn't matter where they came from. But that was over twenty-seven years ago. Who knows what Lydecker has been up to since we left?

Eve was looking blankly at the wall, her face expressionless and eyes emotionless. I turn away at the sight. I had taught her how to behave like that, like a soldier. I hate seeing her fire hidden behind her genes. Oddly enough, behind the remorse I feel a twinge of pride. She will survive, and she will survive free. She has the genes, and the training. I watch her as she concentrates on her surroundings, without evidence of doing so.

She leaned back in her chair and stretched. She was trying to determine if the suspect was in sight. She did it so casually that even I would have believed her. By doing this she will have the element of surprise. But no matter what she does she has the ultimate surprise up her sleeve. No one in Manticore is aware of her genetic abilities. I probably should take care of this, the spy is most likely human, or it might just be an unfortunate crook. Either way, I don't want Eve having to do this two times in one night. I started to walk towards the door, mumbling something about getting some milk, when Eve caught sight of me and started shaking her head.

"Zack, you don't need to get milk, we've got enough milk here." She stood and gave me a meaningful look. I let myself process the sentence, and realize she's saying not to engage, that she is enough to take it down. I open my mouth to protest, but before I can even start to form words she crouches and leaps up to the roof through the skylight for the second time in one night. Logan and Max jump up and glance around in surprise. They both stare at me.

"What the hell was that?" Max exclaims. I rush over to the floor under the skylight, looking up in worry.

"Eve heard a person on the roof."

"Again?" Logan asks, slightly aggravated, but it's obvious that he and Max are extremely worried. I turn to Max, and I know that it will only make things worse, but I'm worried and near panic.

"Max, did you ever sense someone following you?" I ask flatly. I watch as emotions play across her face. A large amount of shame settles in her eyes, and she slowly shakes her head while mouthing 'no'. I feel slightly guilty at pretty much accusing her of this. Logan hangs his head and rakes his hand in his hair, waiting helplessly for Eve to emerge unhurt and cocky as hell, or not so cocky and, well, no so unhurt. Soon I hear heavy thuds and grunts. The open skylight gives us an audio of the fight that is taking place between our Eve and an unknown enemy. I wait a few agonizing moments.

"This is taking too long. I have to do something. She should have gotten the person already." I back away from the sounds, towards the door. She can take down an X5 in this amount of time. Something is certainly not right. I refuse to sit here and just hand over my niece to Hell and it's demons. No way Manticore will get a hold of Eve, I won't let them. I jump over the sofa, and walk backward to the door, keeping my eyes on the skylight, waiting for new developments to arise. Max and Logan are holding each other, actually Logan was holding Max strongly, making sure she doesn't do something stupid.

Suddenly the glass above them shatters and the two leap back with cries of surprise. Among the tiny bits of sharp glass, Eve falls to the floor onto her back with a moan of pain. She tries to rise, shifting small shards off glass around her. I leap over the sofa towards the fallen teenager, but stop as a second figure jumps into the room, and lands on it's hands and feet directly over her in a dangerously threatening stance.

I feel a split second flash of deja -vu sweep my mind from Eve and Max earlier this night. I stand dumbfounded, watching the figure clothed in black over Eve. I can't believe that something just defeated and possibly injured my little niece who can kick my ass in forty-nine seconds flat. Immediately Eve brings up a fist and gets the intruder right in the jaw. The person reaches for her arms, but she is quick and pushes them off of her violently throwing the enemy onto their back six feet away. Both jump up and into a fighting stance, taking the opportunity to study each other in light. I quickly flash glances at both, gathering information on the two's conditions. The figure was a male, and looked to be seventeen or eighteen, all dressed in black and with a small cut above his left eyebrow. Eve's condition didn't seem to be superior. Her lip was cut and her breathing was fast and irregular. I saw her back as tiny bits of blood was starting to seep through her gray tee shirt. Her jeans had protected her legs on the most part, but had a new tear and a cut on her leg underneath.

The boy suddenly leapt at Eve, who also leapt forward. They collided in a mass of punches and kicks and grunts. Eve sent a punch to his chest that left him stumbling back a few steps, before charging her and jabbing her stomach. She turned and elbowed him under the jaw, then grabbed his arm and gave him three good hits in the kidneys. The boy jerked to the side and she tried a kick to his left side, but he caught her leg and held it against him and swung his forearm down to her thigh with a loud thud. Eve yelped in pain and fell back onto the floor, her feet towards me. He jumped on top of her, oblivious to my actions. He raised a bruised fist to hit her again, but I caught it and roughly grabbed his neck and squeezed, cutting off blood to his brain. I knew that pressure point very well, and his head lolled then the kid collapsed next to Eve, who was still breathing heavily, with a look of pain and shock on her face.

"Eve! Are you all right? Where are you hurt?" I asked frantically.

"I... I have a few cuts on my back and arms, from the fall..." She stammered out the words, trying to catch her breath and analyze the situation. "I'm gonna have a nasty bruise on my thigh, and my knuckles are throbbing." She managed to give me a small smile, silently telling me she'll be ok. I returned the gesture whole heartedly, then put on my CO persona to face Max and Logan, who both stood there dazed. I stood and gathered my sanity before hammering out some orders.

"Max. I want you to carry Eve into the kitchen and tend to her wounds. There are bandages in the kitchen. Logan, I want you to go get some rope or restraints of some sort for when our little friend wakes up. Do you have any?" I eye him, daring him to say something in objection.

He nods and watches Max help Eve into the kitchen. "I have some from the safe house, they are in my office drawer." With that he walks off. I look down at the opponent, the boy who has hurt my girl. Bastard. He's definitely Manticore. His technique, his clothes, his... I lift his head and brush away his hair. I see the telltale black bars of a chimera. His barcode. The twelve digits are there, and I decipher them in my head. X83670085405. Well, well, X8-405, how nice to meet you.

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AAAA! Don't kill me! I know this isn't the longest, but I couldn't resist stopping there with that lil sarcastic remark of Zack's. I hope you liked it - and soon to come - info on the X8 series, this certain fellow, and Eve talks to her newfound mom about the past sixteen years. (Put that in just for you, Lady Callie) Anyway, READ AND REVIEW, or I stop!!!!! WA HA HA HA ! LOVE YA!