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WARNING: Swearing!

3 – Rival

Two sat in a bar, his head hanging low over the third double scotch and whiskey that night. The barman was sure he'd fall of his chair soon and throw up all over the floor, so he was watching the young man closely. Also, he felt slightly suspicious about those markings on his cheek.

"Not normal," he'd muttered to another customer. "Probably one 'o those mutant freak," he added. However, he dared not threaten Two because he paid up front and he looked slightly angry.

Two was angry. He'd been separated from Hawk and the others two days ago and now he wasn't able to find them again. A transgenic hunt had scattered them apart and the others had left in different directions. Tia and Skate had left together and Hawk and Hunter had gone separate ways. Two had fought some of the humans as a distraction, but after a blow that almost knocked him unconscious, he'd fled.

Now he was in the middle of nowhere in a pub wishing he could drink his troubles away. There was nothing. His genetically mutated blood stream got rid of the chemicals in the alcohol immediately and thus, he drank with no consequences. He'd mugged some guy for the money and was glad that the barman appreciated filth with money over plain filth.

Two looked a state. His clothes were a mess and his hair was covered in dust, grime and mud. He hadn't washed in days and had almost lost a shoe. He enjoyed shoes though and made sure that he'd get it back.

Now all that was left, was to get his pack back.

Two's spine straightened when he felt two transgenics enter the room. He tried to become less tense, but the place was just not relaxing enough. He began using his wolf skills to find out what he could about them.

Male and female, that was most obvious, both cats. The male was a leader, calm, quite and collected. Two suspected he had been the commanding officer in his unit back at Manticore. The female was strange. Her blood and DNA were mixed with something apart from the cat genes and Two assumed she was an experiment. She felt weak but dangerous at the same time.

They didn't seem to pose a threat, so Two grabbed his glass and his head still hung he walked over to them.

"Hello?" Styl said when the young man sat down next to Zack. The two of them looked at him and noticed he had two blue stripes down his left cheek, crossed with a scar. His hair was tinted blue and immediately they knew.

"X5-982," he said before they could say anything. "Wolf. Name's Two."

"What do you want?" Zack asked. "We want nothing to do with Manticore." He sounded angry and he was serious. If this guy was going to have Styl captured and possibly killed, there was a good chance Zack would break his neck.

"Hostility never solves anything," Two muttered. "Last time I tried, I broke a whole lotta bones. Both last times actually." He could sense that this guy didn't like him. His power was also overwhelming and although Two had once thrown his baby sister across the room, he was sure this guy was stronger than she was.

"What do you want?" Styl asked in her calm and careful manner. Two felt himself soften under her voice. She sounded like Tia.

"Just wanted to see a friendly face," Two said and looked at her. She was smiling and blushing slightly. Zack moved closer to her, protectively. "But I guess, I'll have to try else where."

"Are you sure that's all?" Styl asked and Zack gave her a short glare.

"I'm looking for some people," Two said. Her whole behaviour made him feel comfortable and his usual aggression was swamped by her. He blinked. Had her hair just been silver?

"Our kind?" she asked. Styl was one the few transgenics that Zack knew who separated herself from humans. Like the humans she called transgenics another race and knew that they would never be humans. But she believed that just like black people, Jews and Native Americans had achieved to become normal members of society, so would Transgenics.

"My brothers and sisters."

"I'm sure you'll find them," she said and Two looked back at his glass. So they weren't going to help them. "It's late," she said. "You could stay with us?" She had turned to Zack to ask him the question. He glared at Two.

"Fine."

"My name's Styl Karah," she said and Two grinned widely. "What?"

"You've got steel in you then?"

"Metal," she corrected him. "I'm X6-009 and this is Zack Thompson. He's X5-599." Two's head whipped up with a sharp glare at Zack and he rose, knocking his chair over.

"You," he growled, the violence in him rising. "Bastard," he hissed and stormed out of the pub. Zack had risen at 'you' and along with everyone watched Two leave.

Outside Two stumbled and cursed. He barely ever cursed but he was blinded by anger and possibly even hatred. Zack was the one who'd made Blaze what she was now – prey.

His constant training still forced him to see her as that and on the surface he still wanted to kill her. He was standing in the middle of a dusty possible-parking lot looking around. Where to go next?

"Two," he heard Styl's voice behind him. He glared but didn't turn. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he growled a little to viciously. He tensed up as her hand touched his shoulder.

"Zack's not a bad guy," she said slowly. Two huffed. "Who are you looking for?"

"My pack," he answered briskly.

"Pack?"

"Wolf."

"Oh. I never had a unit," Styl said. "I was an experiment. I might have had a unit when I was younger, but they took me out quite soon. I know there are others with metal in their blood and DNA, but I'm the only X-series."

"That's great," Two said with a huff. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and began walking.

"You need a place to stay?"

"No." He kept walking and waited for her to leave, but she stayed and waited till he was far away.

"I hope we meet again," he heard her whisper. Again he huffed.

"Luxie," Blaze said and turned to her companion. Luxie looked at her. "Look at the road."

"Oh." The younger girl turned her head. "What?"

"Where are we going?"

"To find Zack. I wanna see what this wonder boy looks like," Luxie answered a smile crossing her whole face. "I mean you went weird 'causa him and Maxie's also kinda off, so I spect he must be some kinda human god."

"Human god?"

"You know what I mean." Luxie shrugged. She was beginning to get that dangerous look on her face, Blaze noticed and hoped she'd be able to distract her by talking. When Luxie looked dangerous, other people got into a lot of trouble – or went on a road trip. "Anyway, how are you going to find him?"

"Hadn't thought of that," Luxie said and turned a corner. "But I expect we just have a look on every farm we can find and hope he's on the first one."

"Luxie!" Blaze moaned. Stupid little girl. "There's a lot of farms in America. We'd never find him."

"We'll use your super-nose."

"I don't know what he smells like." Luxie shrugged and took a left. "This isn't a main road."

"Yeah, I know."

"Why are you stopping?" Blaze asked and Luxie pulled up the handbrake. She unclipped and got out. "You better not be getting me in trouble."

"No trouble this time," Luxie said with a grin and slammed the door shut. Quickly Blaze unclipped and got out. She looked around a found they were parked in front of a mall. It was close to closing time and Blaze really hoped there wasn't going to be another robbery amongst the two of them.

"Honest?"

"I swear," Luxie said with 'liar' written all over her. "Come on."

"Max," Alec said once he'd caught her. She was busy putting her plate away after having had a meal in the canteen. Alec had been watching her all night and she had purposely avoided him. She wasn't sure their conversation the night before had been all to good on his tiny male brain. "We need to talk."

"You're not breaking up with me, are you?" she asked in mock sarcasm. He glared. "I'm sorry I ate your last Twinkie?"

"Haha," Alec said and rolled his eyes. He lend Max outside by her arm. Once there she pulled it away from him. "I have a feeling Heresy's out to kill Blaze."

"And?"

"What? Aren't you all for transgenics surviving and all that?" Alec asked shocked by her lack of interest. Max shrugged and then when he continued looking shocked she stared at him in confusion.

"You're serious?" she asked with a small laugh. "Remember when Two was here? Remember when she broke half the bones in his body? She can take care of herself."

"Remember how we rescued Heresy from White?"

"Good point. They'll have a little catfight over you and one of them will come back mortally wounded but it'll be fine and you can sleep with the winner. Like that? You're a prize."

"It's somewhat degrading, but yeah, wouldn't mind. No, wait, I don't want them to have a cat and dog fight over me," Alec said fiercely. "I know what damage both of them can do and I don't want either of them to undergo that."

"Good for you. Be a hero, Alec."

"Well it is my turn, you know," he said with a glare at her. "Unless you wanna come and take all the credit." Max sighed and rolled her eyes. Jealousy did not look good on him – especially because he was rather bad at it.

"Go ahead, I'll stay here and rest on my laurels," she said. Alec glared at her, then turned and stalked off. "You're bike's the other way."

"I want to go the long way round!" he yelled back at her, angry that he'd done that. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Haha! Dumb Alec… I'm such a bitch… I'm an Alec-fangirl, but hey, he can be kinda stupid sometimes. It's what makes him sexy, don it?

Whatever Luxie is getting up to was inspired by All American Girl (read it!) and a quote I read once.

Next chapter, Heresy meets a very charming young man and Luxie and Blaze play dress-up