Hormones

By: lfbrox

Rating: R

Timeframe: A couple of month after Freak Nation. Logan can of course walk.

AN: Here you go guys. Another Thursday update. Again not beta-read cause Sammy is still busy. Any mistakes are totally my fault. So I hope you like it. It's almost the end. Enjoy.

Reposting

This time it is the beta-read version. Thanks to my wonderful beta Sammi, who came back from the dead to help me finish this story with style.

Chapter 20: Freaky Clones and thought out plans

"Sounds great." Mole said and bumped fists with Alec. But as soon as they realized that they were in the middle of a fight they turned away from one another, slightly embarrassed.

Syl rolled her eyes at this immature gesture. "Believe me guys. I need a drink myself after those past days with you." Syl said and started to sneak towards the warehouse.

Warehouse outside of Seattle

Once again Victor sat in his car, attaching the scrambling device on his cell phone and dialing Otto's number with slightly trembling fingers. He cursed himself for being so nervous, being a soldier, but he had never been a soldier betraying his command before.

"Gottlieb." Otto's replied quickly.

"It's me Victor. What do you got?" Victor asked trying to hide his nervousness.

"Hey. You got lucky. There was an emergency and as no higher agents were there I got the passwords and clearance to use the central computer. I only got to take a quick glance so they didn't get suspicious, but it seems like you had the right hunch there." Otto quickly explained.

"Go on." Victor urged him.

"Well, it looks like it's a separate arm of the NSA that is cooperating with Director Renfro's Manticore group. Something like a special force that is operating as a separate unit and neither Manticore nor the NSA have direct authority or clearance to what they do." Otto explained.

"So who's responsible? Who is the authority?" Victor asked.

"Guess?" Otto just replied.

"Renfro and White." Victor more stated than asked.

"10 points to you my friend. The project headquarters used to be located at the Manticore facility. After 452 escaped for the second time they decided to relocate their operations away from Manticore. When Manticore burned down, they all suspected that the project was gone as well. But I guess that's just an urban myth from what you tell me." Otto continued.

"Yeah. Seems like it. So I guess I'm at the new headquarters from the project. Who would have thought?" Victor joked albeit bitterly. "So any word on what the project is all about?"

"It's Manticore man. Of course it's about selective breeding. Looks like Director Renfro herself comes form a long history of selective breeding. But not to create the perfect soldier, but to create the perfect leader. Cold, ruthless, heartless." Otto explained.

"Cold, ruthless, heartless. Guess they did a grade-A job on Director Renfro." Victor commented.

"Guess so. They got a bunch of Renfro clones in the tube. The only thing they needed now to make the perfect soldier who is not only physical perfection but also strategic and cold, is the perfect, junk-free DNA of a perfect soldier."

"452." Victor surmised.

"Exactly. She has the perfect DNA with some flaws that are not anchored in her reproduction DNA. Her last visit to Manticore took care of that. So her first offspring, bred with equally great DNA from a later X-Series should provide 'Project Unicorn' with the perfect DNA they need to mix to the already produced clones." Otto concluded.

"So Renfro clones' genetic code would overwrite the emotions in 452's DNA. And 452's DNA overwrites the physical weakness of the Renfro clones." Victor summed it up.

"Correct. Then you've got your soldier without a conscience. But also a very strategic, intelligent soldier with incredible strength. Unbeatable if you ask me." Otto continued.

"How many clones do they already have?" Victor asked.

"Don't know exactly. But it must be thousands, if not hundreds of thousands test tubes. Can't imagine what they could do once given the wrong order." Otto mused.

"Yeah. That's what's bothering me. But maybe it won't go that far." Victor said.

"What do you mean?" Otto asked irritated at Victors amused tone.

"Let's just say that Renfro is a little concerned about who our perfect transgenic breeds with." Victor said even more amused. Now he understood what Renfro's excitement about 452's little bathroom romp was all about. "Looks like that first offspring might not be as junk-free and perfect as she intended."

"So what are you gonna do next?" Otto asked.

"I'm not so sure. I need to contact 452 somehow. Let her know what's going on. If only I knew where she was." Victor thought out loud.

"Hey, you're in Seattle. I'm sure someone in Terminal City knows how to contact her and can tell her to hit the road as fast and as far as she can for a while." Otto suggested.

"I can't just walk in there. But I'll think of something. I'll let you know once I've found out something more. Thanks a lot Otto. Maybe you should lay low yourself for a while. I appreciate the risk you took. I owe you." Victor said and hung up after Otto said his good byes.

What do you know? The master of all freaks is looking for little freaks to create an even bigger freak. I didn't see that coming. Victor thought with a self-satisfied smile and strolled over to the 'secret project unicorn headquarters'.

SeattleHarbor

They made it through the boxes and around to the backside of the warehouse without any trouble. Mole stole a blanket from a homeless guy and wrapped it around his head, as it was bright daylight by now. They made their way carefully but unhurriedly to the payphone on the back of the warehouse.

"You got a quarter?" Alec asked and looked expectantly at the others.

"Here." Clemente handed him a quarter. Alec inserted the quarter and dialed the number.

"Dix here." Came the reply from the Terminal City headquarters.

"Dix my man. How's it going without us around?" Alec cheered in the phone.

"Alec. Man. Where are you? Are you okay? Who's with you? What happened?" Dix fired at Alec.

"Whoa, whoa. Hold it there. Not so fast. We just came back from our little Vancouver-Seattle cruise and are disappointed that no welcoming committee is here waiting for us to take us back home." Alec replied without answering all of Dix questions.

"Believe it or not. There it a committee waiting. Just not right there. Where are you exactly? Jesse is waiting somewhere near the docks." Dix explained.

"Where're near dock 14. Behind a warehouse on a payphone. Can he come and fetch us?" Alec asked, not in the mood to sneak around this place any longer. It stank like fish.

"Consider it done. He's gonna be there in about 5 minutes. Just lay low. See you in a little bit." Dix answered, already dialing Jesse's number on the other line.

"You bet. Put the beer in the fridge." Alec said and hung up. "Jesse is gonna be here in 5, people." He said to the others and they all sunk down on the floor, exhausted, happy, hungry, and waiting for Jesse.

Safe house, New Westminster

The sun was already standing high announcing that not the morning but almost the afternoon was there. Max blinked her eyes open but was blinded by the rays of sunlight that were shining in her face. She closed them again quickly and turned around, keeping Logan's strong arms wrapped around her. With a smile she noticed one hand lay on her stomach. Once turned around she opened her eyes again to see Logan stare down at her lovingly.

"Hey sleepyhead." Logan greeted her with this sexy morning voice.

"Hey. Why are you awake before me?" Max said and snuggled in his chest.

"Seems like the pregnancy makes you sleepier." Logan said and hugged her close.

"Hey, I'm sleeping for two now." Max defended herself with a little squeeze.

"Hey, I don't mind. Usually you get up in the middle of the night and sneak back in the morning. Now I can hold you all night. That's just fine with me." Logan said and dropped a kiss in her hair.

"Shut it Logan and get up to make breakfast." Max teased back. She didn't like that her usual behaviour was changing so soon in her pregnancy.

"Wait a second. If you are sleeping for two, does that mean you are eating for two aswell? Because I don't think I can afford cooking 10 portions of food twice a day." Logan said, feigning shock.

"Cut it out. We're not eating that much. Plus, it is food three times a day if you must know." Max corrected him.

"Okay, okay. Are you gonna help me at least?" Logan asked.

"Me? Cooking? No. I think I'll just wait here until it's ready." Max excused herself.

"I didn't mean helping me with the cooking. I meant helping me maneuver around. Me and my walker still don't seem to agree with one another." Logan explained.

Max was a little surprised that he actually asked for help, but figured it to be a good sign. They had other things to worry about now than his fragile ego. So she disentangled herself from Logan and threw the covers down leaven him lying naked, staring up at an equally naked Max.

"Let's get you dressed first." Max said and started to put his boxers on while he put on his t-shirt.

Figuring that that was enough to make breakfast in she helped him up and lifted his legs off the bed, helping him in a sitting position so he could reach the walker.

"You can manage from there, can't you?" Max asked as Logan slowly stood up and adjusted the walker.

"I guess I could. But watching you sounds equally delicious." Logan said and let his eyes roam over Max who was still sitting naked on the bed.

"Get your sexy ass outta here and make breakfast. The secure line should be done and we can check in with Terminal City after breakfast. After that we will see how we spend the afternoon." Max said with a wink and motioned Logan out of the bedroom.

"Great. Now I'm taking orders from a naked, wanton sex kitten. What have I been reduced to?" Logan muttered good-naturedly while wobbling into the kitchen.

"I heard that Cale." Max yelled from the bedroom and went to the bathroom while Logan started breakfast.

TerminalCity Headquarters:

"Welcome home everybody." Dix, Luke and a number of other Terminal City inhabitants greeted the group as they drove through the gates.

"Heya. Y'all missed us?" Alec said and hopped out of the van raising his hands like a boxer who just won the world champions.

There was a lot of very masculine shoulder-clapping and cheering. Syl just rolled her eyes and excused herself to take a long, hot shower.

Alec was telling a bunch of guys from his 'club' about their adventures. Mole listened to the stories and huffed and puffed a little here and there, while telling some of them who weren't listening to Alec about Alec's adventure – or shall we call it non-adventure – with the hooker. Clemente stayed in the van after Jesse told him that his family was safe and that someone would take him to them.

It was all cheers and lots of yapping, when suddenly Luke, who had stayed behind at the command center signaled a code red. Everybody immediately stopped talking and ran after Dix into the headquarters building.

"Yo, what's up?" Dix yelled while sprinting up the stairs to the monitors.

"It's Max and Logan on a secure line. Calling from Canada." Luke replied and turned on the speakerphone.

"Yo. Max. Logan. We made it home and you're still stuck there? How ya doing?" Alec yelled while still running up the stairs.

"Alec? That you? You made it? How bout Syl, Mole and Clemente?" Max asked, not expecting that they were already back at TC.

"Oh, don't worry Maxie. We're all here and we're all fine. Clemente is at a safe house with his family. Syl is having a shower and I'm looking forward to a drink. So where did you end up guys? How's your leg Logan?" Alec replied.

"My leg is fine. Thanks for asking." Logan answered. "And we're in one of Eyes Only's safe houses in New Westminster. Any idea how to get us home? I suppose they have all the airports, harbors and borders under surveillance by now."

"Are you safe up there?" Luke asked.

"Yeah. I guess we have everything we need for a while. I think we could stay her for another week or so. That gives Logan some time to get back on his feet. You think you could come up with something to get us home?" Max wanted to know.

"Just lay low for a while. There's no way we can get you out right now. We need to wait till things have chilled a little. Can you call in twice a day so we can give you an update? We'll look into things. All you can do is wait and recover right about now." Dix said.

"No problem. We're right here. Not going anywhere. We'll check in tomorrow. Maybe you can find out what Manticore is up to." Logan replied.

"About that." Luke interrupted. "I'm a damn good hacker, but I can't get into your system. Do you have the passwords at hand?"

"Sure. Grab a pen and paper." Logan answered and switched into Eyes Only mode.

Warehouse outside of Seattle

Victor came back from his little chat with Otto and good-naturedly entered the command center. He took off his jacket and turned to one of the soldiers.

"What do we know about X5-452? Her past. Her friends. Anything." He barked out.

"Director Renfro keeps her file in her office, Sir." A young commander answered obediently.

"Get me that file. I have a feeling that we might find 452 much quicker that way." Victor ordered.

"Sir?" That same soldier answered.

"Get me the damn file." Victor yelled back.

"Sir. It's in Director Renfro's quarters. Sir." The intimidated soldier replied.

"Fine. I'll get it myself." Victor said and pressed the intercom to reach Renfro in her office. Suddenly he didn't feel nervous anymore. He felt confident. He felt victorious.

"WHAT?" Director Renfro yelled into the intercom.

"Victor here. Ma'am. I'd like to request X5-452's file. I'm sure she contacted someone and I'm sure that someone might be in her file somewhere. Friends, colleagues, places she hangs out. I would just like to take a look at it if that is okay ma'am." Victor finished his request.

"Alright. Come and pick it up." Was all that Renfro said before she opened the sliding doors leading to her chambers.

Victor took a deep breath and entered. He had never been in there and he never thought he'd be privileged enough to enter. But now he needed to in order to get the information he needed.

The room was dark. No windows, no lights. The only light came from a patient monitor that showed the strong beating of her heart. But the sound had been turned off, so the room was deadly silent. Renfro sat there facing the wall staring at nothing. Her desk was bare except for a single folder lying on it. Renfro was just sitting there and Victor didn't know whether to say anything or just grab the folder and go. So he just stood there. Motionless. Waiting for Renfro to make the first move.

After long moments of silence she finally turned around and looked him straight in the eyes. "Here's the information you requested. I'm glad you are finally taking this thing seriously. I will give you an hour to study the file. Then you come back and tell me your plan. Dismissed." With that Renfro turned back to her usual spot facing the wall. Victor picked up the folder and left the room without a word.

TerminalCity

Alec walked towards the makeshift bar they had established in Terminal City. He was glad to be back but still not satisfied that he hasn't made peace with Mole yet. Mole could get him into a lot of trouble. They all looked up to Alec. But after what happened on the plane he wasn't sure how long this would last.

He hesitated for a brief moment then entered the bar. He saw Mole sitting on a table gulping down a beer and smoking a cigar. Most of the guy's who had joined the ominous 'go to Logan's penthouse and get some' club were gathered around him and waited for Mole to tell them what happened in detail.

Alec went to the bar, grabbed a beer and a shot of Whiskey that was still left from the last supply delivery, and again with a moment of hesitation joined the others on the table.

"Gentlemen." Was all Alec said and gave an arrogant nod to no one in particular before sitting down with them. All he got in return were some equally arrogant nods and some huffing and puffing.

Great. Obviously Mole had enough time to tell the story about me and the hooker. Why doesn't that surprise me? Alec thought took a large swig of beer to buy him some time. He decided that if no one was asking he wasn't telling anything. But what were the odds of them not asking?

Warehouse outside of Seattle

Victor sat there for almost an hour, studying the file. There was everything Manticore had ever found out about 452. Where she worked, where she lived, where she hung out after work, her friends, her enemies, her skills, her allies. Everything. Victor was pretty sure that everybody knew who their dear friend 'Max' was in real life by now. He just needed to find one person who would trust him enough to listen to him. Someone who knew 452 well. Someone who had Max's complete trust.

He closed the file and looked up only to see Renfro staring at him. He almost yelped in shock. How long has she been there? It took him a second or two to regain his composure and he stood up. When he realized, that Renfro was so close that she had to look up in order to see him, he sat back down quickly.

"What's your plan?" Renfro rasped without any further ado.

"I've read, that they used her work place 'Jam Pony' as sort of an underground rail for transgenics who wanted to get into Terminal City. I suppose I could start there, pretending to be one of those freaks, trying to get into Terminal City. Plus she has a few ex-roommates. I could see if they still live there. Something like that. From what I read in the file, she is – against her training and upbringing – very attached to her so-called friends. So maybe that's a place to start." Victor finished. He had no intentions of going to Jam Pony and pretend to be a Transgenic. He had his own plan.

"They already know that we're looking for her. So it won't give away our plan to capture her if you fail. All we will lose is you – and I can certainly live with that. Go and do it. Report back by midnight." With that she backed up her chair and return to her quarters.

Safe House, New Westminster

After their phone call, Max offered to clean the kitchen while Logan started a fire to warm up the cold house. He grabbed some blankets and pillows from the bed and arranged them on the couch just as Max re-entered the living room.

"Uhhh. That looks cozy." She sing songed and jumped over the couch to land on the blankets and pillows in front of the fire.

"Yeah. Plus it's warm. Hey. Maybe later we could make some S'mores." Logan suggested and carefully sat down next to her. He placed an ice bag on his healing knee, covered it with a blanket and opened his arms for Max to snuggle into.

"Mmmm. That's even more cozy. And if you ever tell any of my siblings that I said that, I'll deny it." Max said, threatening playfully.

"Well, in a few months they'll all be able to see, that you like it cozy sometimes." Logan teased back. "So when are you gonna tell them?" Logan asked more serious this time.

"I guess I have to tell them sooner or later. I just don't know how well they're gonna take it at Terminal City." Max answered.

"Come on Max. You're not the only X-5 that has had a baby. A baby with an ordinary even. Tinga, Jace. Don't worry what Zack or Alec or the ordinary hater Mole say. Deep down they might even envy you because after all the time you guys have lived in the real world, you are the only one who managed to have a somewhat normal life, with normal values and beliefs. Yeah. I mean your life is going to change. OUR life is going to change. But wasn't it about damn time we change our way of living? We walked around like two invincible superheroes with a death wish. That has to change and it will change." Logan said while staring her in the eyes.

"Tinga and Jace. Yeah. And where are they now? Tinga is dead and Jace could be anywhere by now. Still on the run. And Zack. The blue lady knows where he is. As for Alec and Mole and the rest of Terminal City, I couldn't care less if they say that this is a mistake. Because I know it isn't. It's just that things are going to change. And change fast. And I have almost no control over what happens or doesn't happen. And that sucks big time. It scares me. I just feel like running and leaving everything behind. Thing is: This I can't leave behind." Max said and gently placed a hand over her still flat stomach.

A few seconds later Logan's right hand joined her while his left hugged her closer. He placed a kiss on her temple and whispered: "You don't have to be scared Max. You're not alone. We're in this together."

Max smiled, snuggled even closer to him and closed her eyes. She listened to the fire in front of them, to Logan's steady breathing and how his hand felt on her stomach. Perfect.

TerminalCity, Bar:

"Well, well, well. If that isn't our lady killer." Mole said around his cigar.

"Cut it out Mole." Alec grunted and downed his whiskey in one gulp.

"Why Alec. Because the lady killer stuff is bullshit or because you're embarrassed? Are you gonna cry now?" One of the more normal looking X8s said.

"I said cut it out. All of you. So what? I didn't fuck that dirty, dumb hooker that night. It just didn't feel right. I never had to pay for sex. And I intend to get my kicks for free from now on. You can go and pay some good dollars for a girl who pretends she wants you, pretends she likes you, and who had probably 10 other guys inside of her that very same day who thought the same bullshit. But that is not what I want. And if you have a problem with that, then frankly I don't give a fuck. If that's your only chance to get some, please, by all means, go pay that hooker. I'd rather invest my money in a good whiskey and rely on my good looks and my irresistible charm." With that he finished his beer, saluted to the group and left the bar, satisfied with how it went. No one ever had to know what he really did that night. No one would ever find out about the real reason why he didn't hook up with the hooker.

The others just stared after him. When he was out of earshot they all looked down in their almost empty beer bottles and wondered how much beer they could buy if they didn't go to that hooker, no one daring to speak first. Then they contemplated if what Alec had said made a lot of sense or if he was just embarrassed and felt trapped. Whatever it was, it kept them thinking. Even Mole, who thought that when Alec said 'if that's your only chance to get some' he meant him especially, had to think about it. After all. The hooker was an ordinary. And god how he hated ordinaries.

AN: There you go. An eventful chapter that answered a lot of questions I hope. Drop a review if you like and let me know what you think. Till next Thurstay.

Lfbrox