Part 29 - Second Chances

BEN

She was staring at the wall behind my head, a faraway look in her eyes.

"Max?"

She blinked rapidly, focusing on my face finally. "What?"

"I'm sorry about Alec. I never meant to hurt him. Or you," I said softly, taking her hand in mine and softly caressing her fingers with my thumb. "I was following orders, Maxie."

"I know. So much has happened in the past few weeks. My fight with Alec, finding Krit and Syl..." her voice broke then and her eyes welled with tears again.

"What happened, Maxie?" I urged gently.

"I went looking for them, for everyone. I found Krit and Syl but they didn't make it," came her broken whisper.

I pulled Max onto my bed and she laid her head on my chest and cried. We should have stayed, I thought again for the millionth time since the escape. Then maybe we'd still all be together.

"Shhhh, Maxie, we'll find them. We'll be a family again. We'll find Tinga, and Brin, and -" I stopped suddenly when a fresh wave of sobs broke from deep inside of Max, and I pressed my lips to her forehead. "What, Maxie? There's something else you haven't told me, isn't there?"

"I had no way of contacting the others. I didn't know where to find them. Only what Zack told me after he was caught by Manticore last year. But we got word out. Zane, Syl, Krit and Jondy stayed off the radar. Brin came down with Progeria; Manticore got her back and fixed it, but they brainwashed her. We're not sure if she made it out when Manticore blew to hell."

I shut my eyes trying to block out the mental image of Brin caught in a raging inferno. I hugged Max tighter as she continued.

"Tinga got caught and taken to Manticore for testing. Zack and I tried to save her..." the pain and guilt in her eyes cut me to the bone and I knew I'd lost another sister.

"And Zack? What about Zack, Max?" I almost didn't dare ask; I'd lost too many people at once. "Is he...?"

She shook her head. "He's alive. But that's a story for another day."

I didn't push it. Max and I never had secrets before. I knew I could tell her anything and I was sure she knew she could do the same. I bit my lip, blinking back tears and nodded softly.

"No secrets, Ben. We never kept them before - I'm not starting now," she confirmed, stroking my cheek with her small hand. "You're home now; we're gonna be okay. Let's take it one day at a time, alright?"

I looked at her skeptically. She still wasn't completely comfortable with me, and it was understandable After all, I had killed; killed innocent people. I had become a monster - like the Nomlies from the basement - much like Max told me I was all that time ago when she stopped me from killing Father Destry.

"I really have changed, Max. The man in the woods that day? He and I are different people. I'm not killing for the Blue Lady anymore, Maxie. Please don't give up on me; I need you," I whispered into her hair.

"I know, Ben. I won't. We won't. Alec will help you too."

We lay together for a while, Max's soft, even breathing was soothing and familiar. Just like when we were kids, I thought with a pang. I'd missed so much time.


MEL

I'd heard enough. I couldn't believe I'd thought that Ben and Max were...it was too crazy. I should have remembered all the talk from back at Manticore. Max and Ben's unit had been extremely close - a mistake Manticore never made again with any other unit. It shouldn't surprise me that they acted like siblings. And I envied them.

But the thing I was having trouble wrapping my head around was Ben's confession. The rumors had been true.

I remembered my conversation with Ben from earlier.

"We all did things we regret, Mel. It's not easy owning up to our mistakes and its even harder to believe we can move on and make up for them. All we can do is try.

I had leaned over him, my lips millimeters away from his cheek, so close I could smell the tantalizing, musky scent that was Ben.

"So you think anyone can start over? Make up for their mistakes?"

His words were so sincere, so pained and regretful. Now that I thought back, it was hard disbelieve.

"I do. With everything I've done I fight just to open my eyes each day. But family and friends make it worth trying."

His insinuation was hesitant and sweet. Everyone did deserve a second chance, and by god, I'd give him one.


BIGGS

Syl and Krit loaded their loot into their car and piled in after it. "Where to?" Krit asked Tanner, who was leaning against his motorcycle waiting for the rest of us.

"Oh, right. Terminal City. It's where we freaks play house. If you have any dreams of grandeur though, you shoulda thought about that before trashing Logan's place. TC is a dump. You'll be lucky to get running water and a bed."

Syl scowled. "The sooner we fence this stuff, the sooner we're out of shitsville. I hate Seattle."

Krit threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him, rubbing his face in her hair. "You hate everything, Syllie. C'mon, kitten, give it a chance. We haven't seen Maxie in a long time." She leaned into him and sighed.

Turning away from the sickeningly sweet scene, I glanced up at Logan's apartment. The fire had gone out but the smoke still poured from the living room window.

"Steve? You sure you got all the info we needed? 'Cuz there's no going back now."

Steve nodded. "Yup. Got all the files Alec and Dix want, and after hearing Syl say they were gonna burn everything else, I made sure to download any files on transgenics and Manticore. I also deleted the original files from his system and back-up. Don't sweat it, man, we're cool."

"Good," I replied quickly. Steve was always thorough; I shouldn't have doubted him. "I don't know why I even asked, man. I know you're on top of your game." Steve grinned at me and climbed on his bike. The faint sounds of approaching sirens reminded us that it was time to move.

"Jake, Tanner, take the East entrance just past the sector checkpoint. Ease in past Neville Road and Kirby Street," I called to them as they kick-started their bikes. Directing my next words at Krit, I continued. "Krit, you follow Tanner and Jake, Steve and I will pull up the rear. You're gonna have to ditch the wheels on Kirby. The hidden entrance to TC won't fit a car that size."

"Great," Syl muttered. "First I leave a classy apartment in a sunny city, then I can't even kill the bastard who hurts my family, I get to go live in a dump AND I have to lose the car." Shoving Krit away from her, she glared at him. "Tell me again why I agreed to come with you?"

"'Cuz you can't live without me, kitten," he said, pulling her back to him and rubbing his nose against hers playfully. "Besides, you'd get bored on your own," he added teasingly.

Watching the two of them, I felt more alone than I had in ages. I can't be jealous of someone I don't know! What the hell is wrong with me? "Alright guys, let's move!


After storing our bikes in an empty garage, we made our way to the Command Center. Steve ran ahead to give Dix the files he needed while Tanner and Jake left to hit Rounders, our TC in-house bar. I promised to meet up with them after taking Krit and Syl to the registration office.

Opening the door, I found the office empty. Duh, idiot. Why would Gem and Joshua be here at this hour of the night? Sighing, I turned back to the two '09ers and shrugged.

"Looks like we'll have to find you temporary quarters for tonight. Jake and I can bunk down with the others; you take our apartment. We'll sort you guys out in the morning."

Krit nodded his thanks. "We appreciate it."

"As far as I know, Max and Alec should still be in Terminal City. Let's go," I suggested.

Syl looked at me in confusion. "Isn't this where all the transgenics live? Why wouldn't they still be here?"

I chuckled. "Max and Alec both have apartments outside TC. They were in Seattle way ahead of most of us. Come on, let's go see if we can scrounge up our leaders."

I pulled out my cell and hit speed dial.

"Alec? Biggs. Are you with Max?"

"Yeah, why?" came the reply from over my shoulder. I whirled to see Alec standing with his arm around Max's waist. She was leaning against him, head on his shoulder. They both looked exhausted.

"Um, Max?" I started but shut up when Krit blurred past me. He'd spotted Max and bounded across the room, snatching her up and twirling her around.

"Maxie! God, I've missed you!" The excitement and joy in his voice was contageous. Max was staring at him in shock.

"Great going, Krit. Good way to ease her into the idea of your being alive," I muttered. Syl came to stand next to me.

Placing a hand on my arm she leaned in, lips close to my ear. "He never was known as the brains of the family," she said teasingly. "I don't think we'll need a place to crash tonight. Looks like the reunion takes precedence over sleep," she yawned suddenly and I laughed.

"We'll clear out just in case. Just ask one of the others to show you where our quarters are when you're ready."

Her smile was breathtaking. "Thanks, Biggs. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" she added, her words and eyes hopeful.

I regarded her silently for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. See you then." Syl joined in the reunion and I stared after her, confused at her attentions.


MAX

Alec's phone rang just as we entered Command. I stopped to look around. Dix was hunched over his computer, busily typing away. Biggs was across the room with what looked like two X5s, but I couldn't be sure.

"Um, Max?"

At the sound of Biggs' voice, I looked at him in curiosity. Before I could say anything, the male transgenic at his side blurred across the room and swept me up into his arms. I was shocked, to say the least. But not as shocked as I was when I looked down at him, seeing my brother's face grinning at me.

"Maxie! God, I've missed you!" he said excitedly, dancing around in circles, holding me tight.

"Krit?" I whispered in disbelief.

"It's me, Maxie, I'm here - and I'm not going anywhere," he murmured into my neck.

I clutched at him desperately. You're alive? Are you real? I must have spoken my thoughts aloud, because he set me down and held me at arms length.

"We're real, Maxie," he said quietly, staring deeply into my eyes. I could see he was close to tears.

"We?" I was still having trouble accepting what my eyes were seeing. Focusing on one thing at a time was hard enough. It was as if I were standing in heavy fog and all I could see was Krit.

"Hey, little sister," came a soft, feminine voice. "Remember me?"

I looked over Krit's shoulder to see Syl, brown eyes twinkling, blonde hair falling to one side as she cocked her head and smiled at me. I couldn't remember anyone more beautiful at that moment. I felt wetness on my cheeks. Soldiers don't cry, I thought for a split second but just a quickly rejected the theory. Tears of joy are not a weakness!

"Syl? I thought White killed you!" I cried, looking from one to the other as tears ran down my cheeks. I hugged Syl tightly.

"We staged the whole thing. We'll tell you all about it, Maxie."

Alec came over to us, comforting and relaxing me with the touch of his hand to my lower back. "Why don't you go sit somewhere more private. You can have a few drinks, talk," he suggested easily.

"You must be Alec," Krit said, flashing a dazzling smile. "Pleasure to meet you, bro. Why don't you join us?"

Alec raised an eyebrow at the familiarity implied in the nickname but smiled in response. "Krit, huh? Glad to meet you too." He glanced at me looking for a reaction to my brother's invitation.

"You're family now, Alec? We're tight," I said, finally smiling as broad as my siblings, knowing they were safe, that they were here and we were united again.

"You hooked up with our sister, you're stuck with us," Syl said, playfully jabbing Alec in the stomach. "Come on, you've gotta have alcohol somewhere, right? I could use a stiff drink to loosen me up a bit."

Alec laughed. "I think that can be arranged." He winked at me, slipping his arm around my waist. Life was good, almost too good. I wonder how long it will last. With my luck, the shit will hit the fan all too soon...

TBC