A Family Affair
Chapter 4: Uninvited Guests
Steel toed military boots clunked against the broken pavement. Tangled weeds grew up between the cracks, rooted vines grew over the burnt out walls. The darkness clung to her surroundings like a disease. Thick and contagious.
It was hard to believe that this mutilated heap of blackened ruin was once the mighty genetic fortress of Manticore. Its walls were once spotless, its fences high, soldiers doing drills. She could still hear their voices yelling instructions to the X's.
As Brin walked further into the destroyed building she remembered...
FLASHBACK
"Someday you'll thank me for this.
"You have no idea what you're doing. That's us back there."
"No, that's us out there!" said Max pointing to the outside, "come with me."
"Never."
END FLASHBACK
"Oh yeah, I'm going to thank you Max, I'm going to thank you real good..." whispered Brin looking at the rusted handcuffs
that still remained on the bar...
^^^
"Right so then White thought he was being so smart by coming up behind me, he didn't even see Alec until it was too late..."
"White is still dangerous you two, you should really stop doing this," cautioned Logan.
"Aw, Logan come on! It's a happy day today besides he wouldn't really miss his pants now would he?" asked Alec casually, a smile trying not to form.
"Please don't elaborate."
"Come on Logan one day couldn't hurt" said Alec, "but even if it did White might have a nervous breakdown or something. Again happy, happy day!"
Logan groaned, if Max and Alec kept this up, White would come at them with a vengeance. The loses he went through when Rachel and Jesse were here probably put him through the ringer with his superiors. What with the warehouse escape, and then the hospital.
Logan worried about how much the Familiars knew, especially of Cerberus and the TransFamiliar War. It hadn't happened yet, it was supposed to but it didn't. In Logan's earlier conversation with Asha he voiced some of his concerns about how much this worried him especially with the low Familiar activity.
Lost in his thought, Logan didn't notice the dark figures walking into Crash until he was snapped out of it as gunshots rang through the air. Screaming and panicked, people headed to the back door, seeing the front blocked.
"What the hell?!"
Max, Alec, Asha, and Logan, ducked down and tried to find cover as quickly as possible. More shots. Running low across the floor the four of them managed to get over the bar. When the firing stopped Max looked over the top...
It was Brin.
"Brin..."
"This isn't good is it?" asked Alec.
"Manticore's dead and they still have her under their control," hissed Max angrily.
"And check out the other Manticore loyalists she brought with her," said Alec.
"You're kidding me," said Max.
"I'm seeing it too," said Logan looking over at her.
"I know you're here Max, traitor! And I've apparently found some people who feel the same way that I do when it comes to you!" yelled Brin, "We were safe at Manticore and now we're being hunted down in the streets thanks to you!"
"This can't be good," said Alec, "what do we do?"
"We fight," said Max, "there's no other way to get out. But you two (indicating Logan and Asha),try not to get yourselves killed."
"Do what you have to do," said Asha, "we'll be fine."
Max stood up from behind the bar.
"Why are you doing this?" shouted Max, "we're family."
"Some family you are."
"They brainwashed you, you're still being controlled."
Max walked out from behind the bar as Brin walked down the stairs until they were standing about three feet apart. Brin's men fanned out along side her, as Logan, Asha, and Alec did the same behind Max.
"Are we really going to do this?"
"Damn right we are," said Brin throwing the first punch. Max ducked and then all hell broke loose.
Brin's lackey's took it as the start signal and started singling out Max's three. Most of them ganged up on Alec, as he was the "only" other transgenic there. Asha was holding her own against a couple of X7's and Logan was doing okay (but without his trusty exoskeleton he'd be useless. Laugh at him.)
Brin sent a high kick at Max's head, followed by a roundhouse and a series of punches. Max ducked and blocked taking the defensive.
"Brin you don't know what you're doing," said Max ducking another punch. She ended up getting a knee in her stomach and her hair pulled as her one time sister tossed her onto a bar table and grabbed her by the throat.
"I know exactly what I'm doing," she said.
Meanwhile, Asha quickly backhanded the transgenic coming up behind her and kicked another out of her way. Looking over in Max's direction she remembered a conversation she had with Logan a year before...
"When are you going to tell Max who you really are?" asked Logan.
"When the right time comes," said Asha
"And when's that?"
"When she needs me, I'll be there."
Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding, the blonde X5 ran over to where Brin was strangling Max.
Enough hiding.
Using all the force she could create, Asha slammed into Brin sending her flying to the ground with her. The blonde rolled over and was back on her feet. Brin quickly stood and lunged at Asha. The two went flying back into a table. The blonde kicked the Asian over top of her and flipped back up to stand. Max coughed and slid off the table just in time to see Asha start fighting like a soldier.
The two women were locked in a stalemate meeting each others punches and kicks blow for blow, until Asha managed to land a punch. She used Brin's momentary shock to her advantage by grabbing her arm and flipping her onto her back. Brin hit the floor hard. She rolled onto her stomach and grabbed Asha's foot, tripping her onto the ground with her.
"Who the fuck are you!?" growled Brin.
Kicking ou Asha's leg, Brin grabbed Asha by the hair she forced her head down, barcode fully exposed. Time slowed for Max as she watched the exchange in slow motion. Asha threw Brin's hands off of her and pushed her back. Both getting to their feet, Asha caught Brin's fist when she threw it at her.
"Another Traitor!" said Brin.
A jeaned knee slammed itself into Brin's stomach and then into her face. Brin recovered and swung at Asha catching her in the face and then fiercely kicking her through the front window. The glass shattered all around and crunched under Brin's boots as she jumped through after her sister.
"You and Zane have got to be the hardest ones to find," said Brin kicking Asha hard in the stomach.
"Brin," coughed Asha looking up, "you always did let your guard down."
"What?" she asked before she felt a sharp pain the side of her head and slipped into unconsciousness.
Asha stood up as Max dropped the rebar and slowly walked up to her.
"Max," said Asha, they started to circle one another before the brunette swung at the blonde...
~*~*~*~
A/N: Dunn, dunn, dunn...Sorry about the cliffhanger but I couldn't help myself! I had this fight scene written before chapter 1. I had the idea, location, and moves and it wouldn't let me go till I wrote it. I added the beginning of this chapter just now. Hope you liked it! Review Dammit! ^_^