A Family Affair

Chapter 16: Eve

"I don't care what we have to do just find him!" said Prager into his cel phone, they had found Brooks' stolen car but no White. The Tracker-Familiars had been sent out. With any luck they would find him within the next twenty minutes. Prager was livid, he should have seen to White's death himself! A betrayed rogue Familiar with as much clearance as White's was not something you wanted running around. Especially a Familiar with as much anger and spite as Ames. This was a complete disaster. At least the Science Department had sent out Eve first, with any luck she'd find and kill both White and 494 before Prager's team got close. But you never knew with these prototypes, she might like toying with them in the shadows.

^^^Logan had set himself up beside Asha's bedside as he typed furiously on his laptop. There had to be something he could hack into that would give him something, a position, anything! He checked for movements on White and the more he came across the more confused he got. White had been all over the country, mainly in the south, for the past few months. A recent arrival date showed that he'd only been back in the United States for less than a week, none of his officers had been deployed and Otto Gottlieb's movements within the NSA showed nothing more than surveillance work for the government. Either something big was going down or…Logan didn't know. But he had to keep looking. He hoped that Alec was having a better time then he was.

^^^

Alec had been walking down the dark streets for a few hours now, too many people, too many scents. The X5 shook his head. He was a soldier dammit, Manticore trained him to find people. Usually for Search and Destroy missions, but this time it was a Search and Rescue. Alec hoped that Max had left something behind, something for him to find…that's when he caught it. To the left, down an alley. The closer Alec got, the stronger the smell of soap and bleach. Sector Cops, most likely rookie idiots had been given the crime scene to work with and what did they do? Cleaned it up that's what. Alec came to the section of alley that smelled the strongest. Police tape and pylons were deposited all around the area where Asha's still body had once must have laid. With the amount of bleach, Alec could only guess how much blood Asha had lost.

Something clinked to his right. Whipping his head around he saw a bottle roll out into the alley. Listening carefully Alec slowly went towards it. No sound was heard but his footsteps until he reached the next corner where the bottle had come from. From behind the wall he could hear slow deliberate steps going away from him. Alec carefully looked out from the corner to be met with nothing. He stepped further into the new alley and looked around…not one thing was out of place. A shiver of something ran through him, those footsteps, they were familiar somehow…like he'd heard them before…But before Alec could make a connection he picked up the scent he wanted.

Max.

It was faint but Alec knew she had been here, from the time Asha had been brought in and the sun had set, that had to put Max, what? Five hours ahead of him and Logan? What else was here? Familiars no doubt, but none recognizable to him. White probably had his lackey's do all the heavy lifting. Alec followed the weak scent until it disappeared along the street.

^^^

His life officially sucked as of now. When White first met 452, he knew she was going to be trouble. But how much trouble he never could have guessed. After killing the two would-be assassins White spent the last god-knows-how-long wandering through the back streets of Seattle after ditching the car. The Conclave wanted him dead. There was no doubt about it. They sent him out of the country to hire Prager as a replacement behind his back. 452 was captured without his knowledge. And then he found out about Ray's betrayal but if what Brooks had said was true then White shouldn't have been surprised. Wendy was dead so the boy had no maternal guidance, his future self had died leaving Ray with no father. He had no guidance but the Conclave. They had done to Ray what they had done to White Shaped him into a killer after the abandonment of his father and used his anger and resentment as fuel for his training. But Ray had never been abandoned nor would he ever be.

White found himself not wanting that life for Ray, he didn't want him to become a puppet to the Conclave, serving them with an unwavering faith, like a slave. Things had definitely changed, Ray was his son and White would do anything to prevent him from becoming what one possible future held. Now that White reflected on it, something had felt wrong. He just didn't notice because it was Ray, he was back! But that was not his son. His eyes were colder than White's ever could be. While he was pushed by his temper, Ray was…empty, like White had been before Wendy…

Things had gone so wrong, so quickly. If the Conclave hadn't sent him after 452 he would have been happy. He'd still have his son, but then everything had to get shot to hell during Ray's initiation. If Wendy had just left well enough alone, if 452 hadn't shown up when she did it would have all worked out. And now he was running. The Conclave was going to kill him and have some fun turning Ray into a sociopath. But it wasn't going to happen, not if he could help it. Even if he had to turn and bargain with the people he absolutely hated. If 494 wanted his mate and spawn back, he could hand over Ray. Not too difficult, unless 494 thought he had something to do with 452's kidnapping. Great, so the transgenic would kill him, The Conclave would kill 494 and experiment on 452 and 495. Not that he'd mind the last part but he wasn't in a position to decide their end. White's only chance at anything was to find 494. Whatever happened during their meeting, White was a dead man anyway. He was just about to turn another corner when the alley behind him was lit up. Spinning around he saw the headlights of a vehicle and other Familiars coming in on foot.

"Agent White?"

Shit.

White took off running turning down a new street and ducking into an alley, White was about to turn the corner when something slammed into him. The two were sent flying to the ground, turning on each other, they realized.

"YOU?!"

White and Alec rounded on each other.

"You fucking set this up?" yelled Alec.

"What the hell are you talking about 494?"

"I'm only going to ask you this once before I pound your face in and get away from your Familiar buddies: Where the hell is Max?"

"I had nothing to do with her kidnapping."

"Like hell you didn't," said Alec, "just like you had nothing to do with the brigade that's been on my tail."

"The what? On YOUR tail?"

"See way I figured it, you knew I'd be going back to where Max was taken and you decided to get yourself a hat trick."

"For the second time, I had nothing to do with 452's capture, The Conclave gave it to that bastard Prager!"

"I'm not buying it."

"Well you better!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"Piss off!"

"Fuck you!"

The tension snapped as White and Alec lunged at each other. Alec got White good across the cheek before getting hit under the chin. They both got in some good hits before Alec started gaining the advantage. His advantage lasted all of ten seconds before White flipped him on the ground.

"Now you're going to listen-"

White was cut off by the lights of a vehicle as it came around the corner and parked. soldiers climbed out and gunshots followed soon after. White was winged in the shoulder as he ducked into an alcove in front of him. Alec followed having no other place to go.

"Well this is just wonderful," said Alec. The Familiars that were chasing him had finally caught up and came around the other corner. White and Alec were trapped between the two units, with nothing but a small brick hollow protecting them from bullets.

"Ames, this is Prager and I swear to God you son of a bitch that if you don't get the hell out here now then we're coming over there, I'm not going to be hunting you down all night!"

Alec looked over to White, who was checking his shoulder wound. And then it all clicked together.

"They're not here for me," said Alec, "They're here for you."

"No really?" said White sarcastically, "What tipped you off?"

"So what'd you do to piss them off?"

"Shut the hell up, I came looking for you, they tracked me down and you found half of them. I'm here to make a deal with you."

"And what if I don't want this deal?"

"If you want 452 back, then I suggest we get out of here and you listen."

"Where the fuck is she?!" demanded Alec grabbing White by his jacket, "I knew you had something to do with it!"

"I had nothing to do with it! We walked passed each other on the way to MY execution!"

"You were going to kill her?"

"Have you not been listening? I said MY execution. The Conclave was going to kill me. After I met you Transgenics it's been nothing but fuck up after fuck up, that's my ass on the line there and now after four years, they're a little unimpressed with my losing streak, so now you've got Prager to deal with! I'm just as hunted as you are."

Alec stared at White, assessing his situation. There were God only knows how many Familiars waiting for them at the mouth of the alley, if this was a trick then he was dead. But if White was actually telling the truth...

"And you'd give me Max just like that?"

"I'll give you 452, your kid, the entire downfall of the Conclave, procedures, plans, coordinates. And all I want is my son back!"

Alec and White subconsciously moved their back's closer to the wall as more gunshots rang out in their direction. When they stopped, a dull clicking sound could be heard coming closer. They were the same deliberate footsteps that Alec had heard earlier. There was silence on the Familiar front, not one sound was heard. White carefully took a glance around the wall.

"Fuck," he whispered hitting his head on the brick wall, "Eve."

"Who?" asked Alec looking out like White had done. He immediately found who White was looking at. The colour drained from Alec's face as he recognized the woman. He could never forget. The same golden eyes, same physical features. There was no mistaking her, but it was impossible!

Koiohla.

Despite the shoulder length black hair, killer heels, and tight black leather body suit. The woman standing in front of the Familiar brigade was a dead ringer for the X38 that had caused so much trouble two years before.

"That's not-it can't be she's dead...Koiohla's dead," stammered Alec.

"That's not Koiohla," said White, "It's Eve"

"H-how, what?"

"Mezsmia's clone," said White, "And now you've got two options: we can stay here and die but then you'll never know how this was possible or where 452 is, the second option is that we can get out of here. Meaning we have to trust each other. After that I'm open to negotiation."

This was almost too much for Alec. He had been sure that White had kidnapped Max. But now with White claiming to be on the run, this Prager guy, and another X38...it didn't look like he had a choice. But considering the alternatives this could be the best and only way to find Max and their baby.

"Alright," said Alec, "How do we do this?"

Transgenic and Familiar had reached a truce.

~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: Remember Mezsima being mentioned at the beginning of the story? Well now you know half of why I added her! Yeah, yeah, it's short but in the next chapter White explains everything that the Familiars have been up to since "Out of the Future" and we learn more about Eve. And I know that Alec would have kicked White's ass just by thinking he was involved with the Max-napping, but just for simplicities sake it wouldn't do to have White killed. Otherwise that's the end of the story. White is essential. I'm sorry this has taken so long to get out, but I have been busy. I do go to school and stuff you know. And I'm also sorry about the crappy rushed A/W fight scene but I just had to get this chapter done, you guys have been waiting long enough for it. the next chapter will be a helluva lot better I PROMISE!!!

Cloudburst: I like surprises don't you? And as for another story after this, I was thinking about it but I don't know, it all just depends:)

Meela: Thanks for the congrats on "Family Getaway"