A/N: *sighs* I had to split up a chapter 'cause it was too long. Five chapters left people, hope you're still reading :P

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Chapter forty-eight: To Be A Leader

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Max: Don't hold up the war on my account.

Logan: The world will still be broken in the morning.

Max and Logan (Out)

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'Hold on to me love

You know I can't stay long

All I wanted to say was I love you and I'm not afraid

Can you hear me?

Can you feel me in your arms?'

-Evanescence (My Last Breath)

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Huts were blazing and screams filled the smoky air. She walked with purpose, calmly and with a smile on her face as she cut through villagers and unworthy warriors alike. She was covered from head to toe in the blood she's spilt with her bare hands and whatever weapon she had decided to take from a warrior before killing him.

"She keeps losing consciousness" Alec wiped the sweat from Erin's brow as she continued to shake against the pillows.

Joshua cocked his head to one side as he watched Erin from his position at the foot of the mattress "Erin dreaming."

"Yeah, well, whatever it is, it's not good" Alec frowned as Erin jerked slightly, her hands gripping the mattress tightly.

The city was in chaos and she revelled in it. The stench of death mingled with smoke and blood, she inhaled it deeply as she reached out to grab a fleeing warrior and rip out his throat. Still, she barely paused in her stride. She was death walking.

"Alec" Zack walked in, took one look at the unconscious Erin and looked at the other X5 "I think we should do it."

"I told you earlier, she won't like it" Alec continued in vain to keep Erin cool.

"Alec" Zack knelt down beside him "I know she won't but she'll understand. If this helps her in some way, she'll understand."

He held out a syringe and Alec looked between it and Erin.

Finally, he nodded and Zack gently took Erin's hand from his grasp, held out her arm and began to take some of her blood.

The villagers- men, women, children alike, cowered in their homes, muttering prayers and spells of protection amongst the screams yelled at her.

"You got it?" Jondy stood up as Zack walked back out of the room.

He nodded and held out two syringes full of Erin's blood.

"Demon!" "Monster!" "The Destroyer walks!" Yells, cries, screams of pain, of agony.

She smiled at their pathetic attempts to stop her. She had defeated their army already- their blood covered her leather clad body and dripped from her fingertips. Her long dark hair swayed in the smoky breeze and her golden bracelets jangled as she walked.

Another man was unfortunate to block her path and she took him out with a twist of her hands and soon he joined his fellow villagers in the mass of bodies she had left in her wake. They couldn't stop her, she wasn't human.

"Did you honestly think that you could survive outside Manticore?" White asked in amusement, pulling up a chair and sitting down in it, his arms folded. "I mean, did you honestly think that you could go out into the world and be accepted as anything other than the freaks that you are?"

Max stared at the ceiling, a bored look on her face. "I did before. They made us, now they want to destroy us. It's not gonna happen."

"Oh, I think it will" White smiled "Correction, I know it will. It's just a matter of time before they realise what kind of a threat you monsters are."

Max snorted "To you , you mean. We're only a threat if you piss us off." Max rotated her head, hiding any sign that this hurt as she looked around her. There were no windows so she had no idea how much time had passed since she'd been brought here. She wondered if her friends were getting close to finding her. They could be close.

This thought, sparking some hope inside of her gave her new determination. "You do realise" she said as he eyes locked onto her captor's deceptively calm face "That if you'd have left us alone when Manticore burned, your freak cult would have had no opposition whatsoever? We didn't even know about it until you came onto the scene."

"You expect me to believe that?" White smirked but Max knew she had him.

She shrugged casually "It's the truth. We knew nothing about it until you- not any of your other freaky little friends, crawled out from whatever rock you lived under and started to kill us. All of this, because of you and then that stupid statement you made, resulted in Freak Nation. Thanks White" she smiled "You're the one who made us turn ourselves into an army."

"I don't believe you" White growled now and Max smirked.

"Believe what you want. The only reason why we got organised, really organised was because we wanted to protect our own and to live normal lives. The reason why we can't is you. You made that statement on TV. You started killing us after the fire. You told people about us so they started to form mobs. All you White. All you."

Max smiled as White picked up his chair and threw it against a wall.

Night had fallen and Erin was conscious again. It was only her and Alec on the 6th floor, as a code red had been declared and everyone was getting ready for war as the rest still searched in vain for Max.

"Alec" Erin coughed and winced as her body shook harder. "Alec" She began again, reaching out to hold his hand. "You have to go. You have to save Max"

"No, I won't leave you" Alec kissed her hand and held onto it harder "I can't leave you" he whispered.

Erin sighed. She'd been trying to convince Alec that the others needed her, despite the fact that she was terrified about the truth. She was dying.

"You have to be the leader now, Alec. They need you." Erin smiled "You need to do what you were created to do- lead and kick ass while having a witty repartee with then enemy as you kick his arse."

"I can't leave you when you're like this" Alec replied stubbornly.

"Alec, I'm telling you to go save Max. I'm not gonna go anywhere." Erin smiled up at him and traced the line of his jaw with a shaking finger. "Promise."

"No. I'm staying with you until we figure this out."

"Dude, there's nothing to figure out- I'm pretty much dying."

"Don't say that!" Alec's voice broke as he pulled her to him "Don't say that. You're gonna get through this, we're gonna get through this. You're not leaving me. You're not gonna die."

Erin wiped away a tear as it rolled down his cheek before he buried his head in her neck. Despite her own tears threatening to fall, Erin gritted her teeth as she stroked Alec's hair. She had to be strong about this. She had to be strong for him.

Jondy put the little tray of Erin's blood under a microscope and focused the lens. She would've asked Dix to help her with something like this but he was too busy coordinating the search for Max as well as helping tighten the perimeters. The other transgenic- Luke was rarely seen as he was off in some little office in TC trying to decode Max's runes. Even then, he didn't have any medical training. All of Jondy's assistants were helping in the search. Everyone was doing something right now, so Jondy was on her own.

Her eyes focused on the blood and she gasped at what she saw. Cells moving faster than the normal rate. Almost too fast for her eyes to see. Many collided together while some seemed to move of their own free will around other cells to collide with another. These cells were organising themselves into something. It appeared that Erin's DNA was changing on a cellular level. Changing into something pre-designed into her system or maybe adapting to something changing in her body? Jondy didn't know, but she had to find out soon in case whatever it was Erin was changing into, killed her. The only way to find out, was to do some tests. Problem was, that wasn't going to happen as Jondy heard a commotion out on the street. Unorganised commotion- not the sound of soldiers preparing for war, but the sound of people seeing something that outraged them. The sound of people seeing their friend and leader being dragged through the streets.

Jondy rushed outside, grabbing her gun from a table and leaving the infirmary empty.

Erin's blood sat on the counter and waited.

"Alec!" Jondy rushed in, startling them both. She looked at each of them, something close to panic on her face. "She's here and White's got her. They've been spotted headed this way- there's loads of those Phalanx guys with them and Max looks pretty beat up." Alec looked at both women, obviously torn between going to save Max and staying with Erin when she was possibly dying.

Erin's grip on his hand tightened, drawing his gaze. "Go" She said, grasping his hand in both of hers, her face determined, strong, even though the rest of her body was still shaking involuntary. "Go. Be a leader- they need you now. Max needs you now."

Alec opened his mouth to reply but a noise stopped him. They all looked over to where the wall stopped, acting as a barrier so they could look out onto the courtyard below. The shouting got louder and Erin tried to sit up.

Alec's gaze swung round to hers again and he tried to hold her down.

"No!" Erin struggled against him "No, this way, I can see you. I can see what's happening. Put me on the wall. Please."

Jondy and Alec looked at each other. Jondy shrugged and Alec sighed before reaching down and putting a hand under her legs.

"I really don't think this is a good idea" his face was close to hers.

Erin smiled "Neither was getting involved with me but you did that anyway."

Alec gave a shake of his head and lifted her up easily, Erin's arm going around his shoulders.

"Getting involved with you was one of the best things I've ever done" he kissed her cheek as he adjusted his grip on her.

She gritted her teeth as he carefully carried her over to the wall. They both looked over it for a second as Jondy headed back downstairs. Max stumbled into view with White shoving her along with a gun. From what they could tell, Max was in shackles and looked pretty beaten up.

Erin and Alec looked at each other, faces an inch apart.

"You have to go, Alec."

Alec nodded and kissed her fiercely like he'd swallow her whole, then gently set her down on the wall. "See you later, Erin."

"Be careful" Erin watched him smile slightly as he pulled out the gun he kept at the small of his back.

"Always." And then he strode out the door.

Erin stared after him, her limbs shaking, her head spinning and knew, the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach had nothing to do with the mysterious illness she was suffering from.

Next Chapter: The Weight Of The World…

"It's time for us to end it" White had Max dragged to her feet "It's time for me to watch you die…"

A/N: *wipes away a tear* so sad. *smirks* riight. The countdown has begun dudes.

Marty: They can NOT knock her out with a big stick!!! Yes, Rachel is the girl who plays the piano. Really dude! Am I gonna have to sit you down to watch The Berrisford Agenda again? Oh course she's been taking advice from Yoda *grins*

Messymissy: No, it Erin doesn't know what the dreams mean or are about. It isn't really Erin, as in, she isn't consciously helping Max out. It's like a different Erin, using her form, voice etc and acting as a messenger. Did that make any sense? Didn't think so. *sighs* it's confusing, I know. You'll understand how the dreams can help Max out later. She doesn't know where Max is or anything, so she just wants Alec to go because it's his job, his duty to his people. Thanks for reviewing dude J

gold stranger: Tragedy? *grins* you think this is tragedy? *rubs hands together* I'm just warming up dude, hehe

Riley: Lol, I can't have Logan killed off dude. At least, not yet. He has to get beat up later, sadly, not by Mole, but, well, it'll be funny anyway.

Jessie: *grins* Yep, I hate the ferret. Glad you like my fic.

MaxCat452: Lol, you're not the only one dude. Who wouldn't want an Alec like that? Zack too. *jumps up and down* 295 reviews!!! *grins stupidly* and this is only the first part of the story!!!