A/N- Why didn't someone tell me that it has been over two months since i updated this one? Honestly do i have to do everything? sheepish> Oh and Fanfic. net keep taking away m formatting! Grrrr.
Okay excuses... my computer broke... i'm lazy... uh, that's about it. So in a grand gesture of please don't kill me and , more importantly, abandon the story- I've made it twice as long as originally intended.
There, can't say i don't apologise well.
Chapter 9- Unforeseen Opportunities
The first thought that ran through Pix's head was that Anna was right. Terminal City was, indeed, Terminal dump heap. The gates were rickety home-made steel monstrosities tied together with duct tape and string.
The buildings had a general disused and grimy feel and Pix could feel himself longing for a bath.
"Home," Chance breathed and Pix glanced down at her.
"Sure if you have rat D.N.A."
"No, I mean I can feel other transgenics, can't you?"
"Not that I'd admit to on tape," Pix said absently as he stared at the fence, his expert eyes picking out all of the cameras and faults in their security system.
"Let's go in," Chance said excitedly as she clutched his hand.
Pix took a deep breath and pulled her along, "Okay then, Chance, let's get this done."
He pulled her up to the gates and then thought better about it, dragging her around to the side where he had seen a gap in their defences. With a grin reminiscent of the younger, more mischievous Pix, he hoisted her up over the gate and then jumped over himself.
They crept, keeping low as they made their way to what seemed to be the hub of activity.
Sneaking in the back way he could see a familiar redhead spouting figures by the side of a tall… lizard? Smoking a cigar.
Pix nodded, knowing that he had, at last, gone crazy.
Chance was almost jumping in excitement and detangled herself from Pix's hand. She crept up behind the red head and hissed, "Boo!" in her ear.
Feen spun around and upon seeing Chance let out the biggest, most high pitched squeal possible.
"Chance!" she threw her arms around the brunette and they hugged, long and tight.
The six foot lizard watched the two girls with something approaching amusement.
Pix walked over and held out a hand, "Hi there."
The lizard took the cigar out of his mouth and let his eyes drift up and down Pix's form, down to the hand that he offered. "Who the hell are you?"
It wasn't often in Pix's life that he had had to make the kind of decisions that everyone else made. To him, many things had come naturally and he hadn't had to give them much attention. Max had always said he had the strongest moral compass that she had ever seen. Unlike his unit he seemed to know instinctively whether something was right or wrong and acted accordingly. His induction into Special Ops had happened because he was good, knew it and didn't bother to hide it. Most times he was just too lazy to put into practice what he learned and didn't care much either. It was his way of rebellion- passive resistance, Max had called it.
The point was that, although he didn't show it, he was every bit as serious as Max when it came to protection of his unit and other transgenics and it seemed that now had come the time that he had to show that. These people were good but they weren't the best and they hadn't been trained as he had.
It was time to take over.
"I'm X5- 418, also known as Pix. But you can call me sir. I am Special operations and operatives number 6. I am your superior so wipe that smirk off your face, get the cigar stubbed out and collect whatever passes for your head team here in two hours."
The lizard, Feen and Chance all gaped at this new side to Pix. He ignored them.
"You have holes in defence a mile wide, your offence is a joke and you obviously aren't equipped to handle the large scale evac headed your way. This changes now, gentlemen." He realised that he had the attention of everyone in command. "We aren't a refugee camp; we are soldiers and its damn well time that we acted like it. Now move!"
His words had the effect of a small explosion as everyone suddenly had somewhere else to be. Even the lizard was suddenly scarce.
Chance looked up at Pix with new respect, "Wow."
Pix looked down at an open mouthed Feen and leaned forward, giving her a kiss on the forehead, "Good to see you, Feen."
"You too!" she said impressed. "Damn what did you have for breakfast?"
A smile curved his lips, "Road grit. It was tasty. Where's Techie?"
"Over in the brown hut," she said. "Probably covered in electronics."
Pix nodded, "Back in a few." And he walked out of central command, his head held high and the two friends staring after him.
>>>
Techie was very interested in electronics. It had always been a point with him that he liked machines better than people as they didn't expect you to talk, or have interesting things to say. They didn't care if you had all the social grace of a hyena and a leper combined. All they asked was that you treated them with respect and didn't douse them with soda, which, when you thought about it, wasn't that hard a request.
At least electronics didn't make you sit, red with embarrassment, as they reiterated the many charms of your fellow unit and their bodies. He still shuddered over the ritual torture known as "Girls night". He hadn't wanted to know that Dek had a cuter ass than B.J. nor that Mets' Italian accent made Anna's knees shake. It was… creepy.
He was currently twiddling with an archaic computer console, trying to salvage some components to use for the security system.
One hand held down some circuits while the other fumbled for a screwdriver.
"Here." He was handed the screwdriver.
"Thanks," he said absently and twiddled further. "Can you pass me the 3a wrench?"
"Here ya go."
Techie smiled as he was handed the correct instrument and he carried on messing with his gadget, glad that whoever it was beside him didn't care much for conversation.
Pix watched, amused, as Techie carried on with his mechanics, ignoring Pix's presence as if he wasn't even there. He had enough experience of Techie in what he called "mechanics thrall" to know that it was pointless to try to distract him at this point.
He sat and waited a full hour, just watching his friend and handing him the instruments as he needed them, not speaking but enjoying the presence of one of his friends. Techie wasn't Dek, Aiden or B.J. but he was a good friend all the same and it was comforting to know that he was there and he was all right.
After an hour he got up off his chair, "Techie, the heads of departments will be having a meeting in an hour. Make sure that you are there. That's an order, okay?"
Techie didn't even look up, "Okay, Pix."
Pix just grinned and left Techie to himself.
Twenty minutes later Techie froze in his ministrations. "Pix?"
>>>>>>>
Logan watched as Tara finished typing up the pages he required and tucked her long blonde hair behind her ear in annoyance. He smiled at the familiar gesture and wheeled himself over.
"Hey, Tara."
"Logan." Her voce was polite and cordial but there was the undercurrent of utter disinterest that would have presented a challenge for anyone else. But Logan knew that the disinterest masked a brutal, calculated killer despite the pretty package and she wouldn't hesitate to break his neck if he stepped out of line.
She'd made that quite clear on her first day on the job.
"Logan," she'd said as she bit her lip enticingly.
"Yeah?" he'd been captivated by that pale pink lip caught between ivory teeth and gazed dreamily up at her.
"Not to be mean or anything but I think there are a few things that I have to say that need to be said."
"Such as?"
"However grateful I may be for the apartment and the job I … don't particularly like you very much."
His jaw dropped, "What?"
"You are arrogant, egotistical, annoying and obvious. It's plain that you are trying to drive a wedge between me and Carrot and I am telling you now that you will never succeed. I love him. You've been trying to flirt with me and it's making Carrot jealous, which is a stupid thing to do to a transgenic. Stop it. Stop it now or I will be forced to prove to you that I am not jesting."
His jaw had almost hit the floor at that and he had watched as she had turned and walked away, cautioning him to be thinking hard about her words as she went.
Now he just watched her from afar knowing that he was treading on thin ice as far as Carrot was concerned. Carrot was still mad at him about the whole China-town thing and seemed more and more annoyed every time Logan called him.
He was about to ask her how Carrot was when he walked into the office and Tara's face lit up in a welcoming smile.
"Carrot!"
He came over to her, ignoring Logan as if he wasn't even there. "Hey, babe, you okay?"
"Yeah, what are you doing here?"
"Can't I take my girl to lunch?"
Tara leaned into his and placed her arms around his waist, pulling him in for a hug. "Of course you can."
"Great." He picked up her bag and gestured or her to follow him.
"Wait!" Logan suddenly spoke up and both transgenics glared down at him, "What?"
He swallowed hard as the combined stares of the two did something to his insides that wasn't totally comforting.
"Uh…" he hedged. "I just wanted the Forster contract for that bed time ad we were running."
"It's in your inbox," Tara said calmly. "Like it has been for the past two days."
Unthinkingly he said, "What would I do without you?"
Carrot's face fell and he glared hard at him, "Well if you gave her any time off, we could find out."
Logan blanched, "What?"
"Since she had started working here we have barely any time together, its work, work, work and when she gets time off, I get posted out on your dumb missions. Question for you, Mr. Cale. Do you have a hidden agenda?"
"I… of course I … would you… there isn't a … what?"
"Once again, without the stutter," Carrot said blandly whilst Tara hid a smile. "Anytime in the next century of course, Mr. Cale."
"Carrot," she interspersed before Logan could have a heart attack. "We need to go home and check on Cece, she's having a rough time." she frowned, worried about Cece, knowing that she was still so sick and she had no idea what was wrong. It was a failing that grated as she prided herself on being the best medical doctor around. She started to run through Cece's symptoms; she was sick, she had lost her appetite, or eating odd foods. She was always tired and grouchy and was complaining of being bloated and sad.
Carrot watched her for a second, understanding that she was going into a trance and just nodded, knowing that she was letting Logan off the hook as much as being concerned for Cece, "Yeah, poor baby."
Tara froze. "What?"
Carrot shrugged, "Poor, Cece."
Tara's jaw dropped and then a gleam came to her eye and she grabbed Carrots, hand, "You are a genius!" she planted a firm kiss on his cheek and dragged him out of the office.
"Great… what did I do?"
>>>>>>
Techie walked into the headquarters of Terminal City with a bemused grin on his face which only expanded as he saw Pix.
"Pix!"
Pix turned to see his friend and smiled, "Hey, did ya get that thing working?"
Techie paused and thought for a second, trying to recall what it was that he had been doing. "Probably," he shrugged.
Pix laughed and motioned for him to join them on the platform as the rest of the transgenics assembled.
Pix stared down at the grimy faces and noted one or two that he recognised but many more that he didn't. He noted that the majority of the faces weren't entirely human and guessed that the anomalies made up at least forty percent of those in Terminal City. As they all filed into the command centre Pix took a deep breath and took his place on the balcony of the upper floor and stared down.
"Quiet please. My designation is X5- 418 but you can call me Pix. You are probably wondering who the hell I am to be standing in front of you all now."
"I know you," came a voice from the middle of the crowd. "You're the guy that put laughing gas in the Trainers toilet vent."
Pix scratched his head sheepishly, "Yeah."
There was a titter of laughter.
"And you painted Renfro's car pink."
The titter turned to guffaws and Pix felt himself blush.
"Okay, okay, settle down. You may have heard of some of my less than soldierly exploits," he grinned. "But rest assured that I don't do that anymore… much. The point is that I am the only Special Ops member here and as such am assuming command until someone more qualified arrives… like the janitor."
There was another round of laughter and Pix allowed himself a small grin. "Okay, so I'd like to set up some sort of proper chain of command so that all problems can be addressed. First up we need heads of security, supply, defence, tactics, personnel, catering, surveillance, electronics and my own 2IC which makes a nice round ten in the chain. Call me democratic that way." His eyes quickly wandered over the people in front of him. "My choice for 2IC is uh… lizard man?"
"Mole," he corrected and Chance's lips twitched.
A lizard named Mole? Huh. Pix smiled, "You fancy the job, Mole?"
The six foot lizard took his cigar out of his mouth and looked Pix up and down before nodding slowly, "All right, pretty boy. I'm in."
"Great," Pix nodded. "Who was the guy at the console with the eye thing?"
"Dix?" Mole pointed to where the man stood.
"Right, Dix, you down with the surveillance job?"
The monocle-d anomaly blinked at him. "Do I get free HBO?"
Pix grinned. "No, but our health plan is excellent."
More laughter and Pix relaxed slightly. "My only other appointee is Techie as electronics head," Techie's head whipped up and his mouth dropped. "I don't know the rest of you well enough to make more appointments. You know if you have the qualification or the inclination so if you want any of the department jobs then tell Mole here. We are a small army against the world and we have to stick together people so no more X vs freak prejudice, coz the world out there has plenty to go around. I'll talk more later, for now anyone who is old enough will be assigned to a team for something, whether it be guard duty or scut work. So names left with… Feen here."
The redhead gave him a startled look and then nodded determinedly. "Yes, sir."
"That's all folks." Pix turned back to his friends. "My first address."
Chance eyed him. "Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?"
"Buried him," he said as he pulled her to him and wrapped hands around her waist. "For now. Why, do ya miss him?"
Chance bit her lip impishly, "I dunno, I kinda like the domineering Pix."
"Ew, TMI, thanks," Feen shuddered.
"Uh, Pix?" Techie said. "This whole 'me as department head' thing?"
"Inspired!" Feen said and planted a kiss on his lips. "There is something so sexy about a man in authority."
Techie sagged. "People in authority get used as figureheads and advice gurus. Some spark-happy kid with a James Bond complex is going to want me to mentor him and talk about how to chat up girls. I should go live under a bridge; I bet no one would bother me there."
Feen grabbed his face between her hands and looked him in the eye, "If you think you're getting away, I'll prove you wrong. Wherever you go, wherever you hide, I'll follow you. You promised that you were mine and you are not getting off that easy."
The depth of emotion in her eyes made him melt all over again and Techie found himself agreeing to the position.
"Okay," he whispered against her lips, "But the second anyone wants to talk about personal things, I quit."
"Done," Pix agreed. "Thanks, pal."
"You owe me," Techie said over Feen's red head as he pulled her in closer for a hug.
Pix just smiled and looked around his new command centre. There was a lot of work to do to get this place in order and even more to get them into a safe atmosphere. He just hoped that he was up to the mammoth job ahead of him.
"Hey, pretty boy?"
He turned to Mole, "Pix, or Sir, or even 418… not pretty boy."
"Sure thing," Mole said chewing on his cigar. "I think we've assembled our team heads already. Got a few with high qualification but two of our new guys are arguing already."
Pix felt his shoulders sag, "All right, I'll be there in a second."
"Whatever you say, Pixie," Mole smirked and walked away.
Pix stared after him," Oh, I'm going to hate him, aren't I?"
"Anna did say to mind the Mole," Chance reminded him and Feen's head perked up.
"You've seen Anna?" she said excitedly. "We were wondering where she had gone. One day she up and walked out, we figured she had just gone for her usual day and half mope, but she didn't come back."
Pix sighed, "Tell Feen about Agent White and the Manticore side-project, but keep it to yourselves until we have had chance to check it out, okay?"
"Sure," Chance nodded and took Feen aside.
Pix turned to Techie and smiled wanly as he heard raised voices coming from the other side of the compound.
"Once more unto the breach, dear friends?" Techie quipped.
"Yeah," Pix winced as glass smashed. "Whoever burned down Manticore has a lot to answer for."
>>>>>>
Her long blonde hair cascaded down her back and her eyes glittered in amusement and delight as she smiled broadly. She crossed her legs and touched her dangly diamond earring self consciously.
"Oh, Mr. Frederickson you are such a tease."
The dapper grey haired man leaned into her, his cologne overpowering in its intensity. "My dear, you haven't seen a thing."
"Beg to differ," she said as she bit her lip coquettishly. "For example, I saw the ace up your sleeve and the way you pocketed that $500 chip when the concierge's back was turned."
His smile fell as Sunny straightened and lost the air-head persona she had carefully cultivated around him.
"Wha-?" he began and she smirked.
"Gig's up, you've been rumbled. Biggs?"
On her command a burly man with cropped dark hair came up behind them, "S'up, girl?" he asked.
"Mr. Frederickson has worn out his welcome here at the casino, take him away."
Biggs grinned and hauled the protesting man away and Sunny looked down at her carefully manicured hands which held the $500 dollar chip she had lifted from his pocket. "Easy money," she said and leaned back in her chair to smile at the security cameras.
It was only moments later that Biggs was back and he slumped into the chair next to her.
"Damn, that's the fifth one today, what is with the world? Are there no honest people left?"
"Sure there are, honey," she purred, "but not in Vegas. Besides it's not that they are bad people, just bad cheaters."
Biggs chuckled, "I'll be glad when this shift is over, I'm shattered." He rubbed the back of his neck in emphasis.
"Hmm," Sunny said. "A nice long hot bath and a warm dinner in front of the fire before we settle down for the night."
"Sounds divine," Biggs murmured vaguely as he stared at the cameras.
"Biggs?" Sunny was slightly piqued. Here she was doing her best flirtatious voice and he was elsewhere.
"Uh, huh, I'd like that," he said absently and her eyebrows shot up.
"Hello, Biggs?"
"Hm?" Biggs' head turned to her and he suddenly looked chagrined. "Sorry, babe."
"Explain preoccupation please," she ordered and he bit his lip.
"It's been more than a month and no word, no transgenics, nothing. I know… I know we can't be the only ones that made it out."
Sunny nodded, she too had had those thoughts and was more than a little alarmed at the lack of information of their brethren.
She gestured for him to follow her knowing that the casino floor wasn't a safe place to talk about those kinds of things.
They ended up in their hotel suite which had been upgraded by management when they had agreed to work for the security department.
Sunny sat on the bed and watched Biggs as he started to pace.
"It's like there was no such thing as Manticore," he started. "One second we were in hell and now we live here in the lap of luxury and we haven't heard a word from any of them. We haven't even seen another transgenic at all!"
"Or maybe we have," Sunny said quietly.
"What?"
"Our main training was to make us stay hidden," she explained, "for us to be unnoticed and pass without comment. We could have a transgenic living next to us and unless he chose to reveal himself we would never know. That was the point, Biggs. For us to be… forgettable."
"Yeah, well I haven't forgotten," he said harshly. "I can't."
"I miss them too," she said, not put off by his terse tone. "Max and Alec, Coco and B.J, and Zan and all the rest. I miss them too, I understand how you feel."
"No, you don't," he argued and she recoiled as if slapped. "You can't."
"Then explain it to me," her voice was much cooler.
Biggs laughed harshly and raked his hands through his shorter hair, "You…. I can't…" he took a deep breath. "I miss Alec, he was my best friend, my confidant, yeah. I miss B.J. and Steve. God, I miss Steve like crazy, he always made me laugh. Those I miss, I want to see everyday but none of them even compare to what I… how I miss Chance. My sister."
"Oh god!" Sunny's hand flew to her mouth. "I didn't even think… Biggs."
Biggs gave a strangled laugh and sank to the bed flinching away from Sunny when she tried to touch him.
"I try to be happy and carefree but how can I when I failed so much."
"You didn't fail."
"I'm her big brother and I am supposed to keep her safe and free from harm and it seems like every time I turn around I've blown it. I never managed to keep her from the brig or solitary confinement, I never took care of her like I should, instead I used to let Alec go and comfort her in the dark. What the hell kind of big brother lets his sister cry alone in the dark?" his breathing became ragged and Sunny looked on in horror, she never knew that he carried this kind of guilt around with him. She had no idea what to say to even try to comfort him on this one.
In truth she had forgotten that happy-go-lucky Biggs even had a sister, let alone that it was ever quiet sweet Chance. They were such polar opposites and they had never seemed close at all. Instead it was much easier to believe that he was just like the rest of them, free of obligation and responsibilities.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"I tried to tell myself that she was okay, that she was with Pix and he would be taking care of her. He would take care of her. Like Alec did. Like I never bothered to do."
"That's not true," Sunny offered. "I remember you taking the time to screen Pix to make sure he was good enough. If I recall rightly you always looked behind you in basic training to make sure that she was keeping up with you. It's not the big things, Biggs, it's the little things and I am sure that she is fine."
"And waiting for me to come get her? Yeah, like she'd believe that I would take the time out of my busy schedule to take care of her. I never have before," he replied bitterly.
"Chance loves you and whether you accept it or not, she is a woman and I doubt that even at sixteen she would have been grateful for your constant concern. She needed room to grow but at the same time have someone in her life that she knew would be there. She always knew that she could come to you," Sunny said, hoping that she was right. "Chance probably was glad for the way you never crowded her."
"You think?" his eyes were almost begging and Sunny smiled.
"I know I would."
He sighed and sat back and they were quiet for a moment. "You know the first time I saw her was when I was six. I had been moved over from the pre-unit for three years and had almost done with basic procedures. The two guards came into my room and shoved this tiny brown fluff ball into my view. She stood there with her shaven head and big brown eyes and stared at me. The guards said um… this unit-member was harvested from the same genetic contributor. With minor exceptions of animal DNA she was my genetic counterpart. Then they left and she stood there in the middle of the room looking so damn frightened. The she took two steps… and fell over her own feet straight into my arms."
They both laughed at that, although Biggs' laugh was far damper than Sunny's. "She glanced up with those big brown eyes and they were shining with tears, like she expected to get punished and that was when I knew."
"Knew what?"
"That she was my sister. She was family and that I would move heaven and earth to protect her. I would kill for her. I made her sleep in my bed with me until Alec forced me to let her go a bit. He always knew what she needed. He was her big brother too."
"He was great that way," Sunny added. "He made me feel welcome; he made us all feel welcome."
"Not Max!" Biggs choked, his former melancholy leaving as he recalled the way Alec had 'welcomed' the '09er.
"Oh, boy, can you imagine the two of them stuck together?" she laughed. "One misunderstanding and they wouldn't talk for a month."
"Max would get mad and defensive, Alec would retreat and it would take some final confrontation usually Max kicking Alec in the soldiers to make her point."
"At which point he would grovel for her forgiveness."
"Which she would grudgingly give."
"Eventually."
"Kisses abound."
"Until he screws up."
"Again."
"Again."
One look was all it took and they both burst into laughter again. It was a good twenty minutes before they had calmed down enough to speak again and it was Sunny's turn to talk.
"You know, we can start keeping closer eye on the public, maybe stick out feelers for our guys?"
Biggs sat up, "We do seem to run into some unsavoury types."
"So we exchange information for leniency in their sentences?"
Biggs smiled, "Sounds like a plan." He leaned closer. "I do love smart women."
Sunny lay back on the bed, her hair in a fan around her head like a blonde halo, "Show me."
>>>>>>
Cece had made friends with the interesting stains on the bathroom ceiling in the past few weeks. The bathroom floor too, come to think of it, and of course, those suspicious ones behind the toilet bowl that she so earnestly hugged. The one on the ceiling kinda looked like a map of Europe and the one by the door reminded her of her Life Skills trainer, all lumpy and… and…
Cece bent over the bowl as she lost the breakfast that she didn't even remember eating.
Once she was done, she rested her head against the cool porcelain and wished to hell and back that she knew what was wrong with her. She was sick and tired, literally, of being sick and tired. Her head hurt, her brain felt like mush and all she wanted was to go back to Manticore and beg Renfro to put her out of her misery.
She was about to curl up on the cold tile floor and try to sleep when she heard the front door bang open.
"CECE?" Tara called and she scrambled to her feet, pushing her unease aside as she raced for the front room.
"What?" she asked, "What is it?"
Tara skidded to halt in front of her and plastered a huge smile on her face. "I have an idea as to what is causing your illness."
Cece's eyes widened, "Spill it, now!"
Tara smiled, "I'll have to use special, highly expensive, sensitive equipment."
"Do it already."
Tara dropped to her knees and pressed her ear against Cece's midsection.
Cece looked down, "Uh, what are you doing?"
"Shh," Tara said. "I'm busy."
"Uh huh," Cece looked worried. "Carrot?" she called in mid-panic.
His curly red head peered around the door and he almost had hysterics at the sight of his girlfriend on her knees in front of their flatmate.
"You've both cracked up," Cece decided. "Great."
Tara clambered to her feet, "You two put me off, I was using highly specialised equipment there."
"How about using this instead?" Carrot held up a small box with the words 'pregnancy tester' emblazoned on the side.
"Spoil my fun," Tara pouted.
Cece's jaw dropped, "Hello? What the hell are you talking about?"
"I think you are pregnant," Tara said succinctly. "It fits in with all of your symptoms and explains more than it doesn't."
"No," Cece stated, waving her hands in dismay and disbelief. "No way at all. I can't be pregnant."
"Didn't you and Harley…?" Carrot trailed off, leaning against the door as he regarded his friend.
"Yes, but… but… only the once and… and with very poor lighting."
Tara bit her lip. "Darkness isn't usually recognised as an effective contraceptive."
Cece sagged. "No, nononono, this isn't fair."
"Fair or not, we have to test you first." Carrot held up the test in a box and Cece pushed herself over to fetch it from his hands.
"Pink for yes, blue for no," Tara chirped.
"I'm a transgenic," Cece replied before she slammed the door. "It'll probably be green."
>>>>>>
B.J. smiled at Jace as she tapped her fingers on the desk in annoyance.
"What's eating you?"
She spared him a glare and went back to the rhythm of fingers against the desk top. Tap taptap tap tap taptap tap.
B.J. watched those lean hands for moment and reached under his desk for his water bottle. He grinned as he started to tear strips of paper up and roll them into balls.
Jace was furious. She couldn't believe that she had had a transgenic working in the same office as her for the past few weeks and she hadn't noticed. She. Hadn't. Noticed.
He had animal DNA for hell's sake, how the hell could she have missed it?
Okay, so he didn't growl in the office or cock his leg against the furniture but there should have been some sign… shouldn't there?
She tapped her fingers against and sighed loudly. Suddenly she felt something wet and sticky on her neck and she yelped and spun.
B.J. loaded up the straw he had found with another wet paper ball and blew it at her. It landed squarely on her cheek and she swiped it away with a death-glare at him.
"What the hell do you think that you are doing?"
He broadly grinned at her. "Well, you looked like you were having some disturbing thoughts and I decided that it was time to cheer you up."
Jace picked up the wet paper ball and flicked it back at him, "No wonder I never realised that you were a transgenic if all you do is act like a juvenile."
He put the straw down with an odd look, "Is that was what was bothering you?"
Jace shrugged, "I have been on the run from Manticore for all of my life, always watching over my shoulder for anyone who might be spying on me, or after me, in one form or another. Now that Manticore is destroyed I know that I have to double my guard not let it down. And here you are, a transgenic. Never mind that your intentions have been harmless, I should have known what you are, for my own piece of mind."
B.J. bit his lip, "So you aren't mad at me, per se, just the fact that you should have realised that I was the enemy, even when I wasn't."
"Exactly, I feel the biggest idiot out," she said, pleased that he seemed to understand.
B.J.'s lips twitched at the bizarre logic. "Okay, well, look, Princess, the problem isn't that you didn't know. After all you may have been looking over your shoulder for the past ten years but you haven't been in training. I, on the other hand, have not only been in training, but the Special Ops program and yet I didn't know that you were transgenic either. That makes me ten times the fool that you seem to think you are."
She blinked. "You are Special Ops?"
"Uh huh," he confessed.
Her lips twitched, "I guess I came in second then."
B.J. poked his tongue out at her, "Gee, I feel special now."
She pulled back a giggle and sat up straighter. "No offence, but you don't look the serious Manticore type."
B.J. let the good humour leech from his face and be replaced with what they affectionately called the "Manticore mask". It was blank expression where no muscle moved and made the gaze automatically drift up to the dead eyes; the dead eyes that said categorically that you were just meat and they wouldn't hesitate to kill you if ordered. It was an expression designed to drive fear into the hearts of enemies or, at least, to convince them what they were dealing with was something that they had nightmares about as a child. It was a very effective look and shot chills throughout Jace's spine.
"Ok," she said as she fought to keep from wrapping her arms around herself.
She hadn't been in Manticore long enough to be that jaded or that scary and even though the place had left its mark on her, she had never had the opportunity or inclination to learn it. To retreat somewhere inside your head that only you could go and let that… that beast out to have free reign, to devour and to kill without compunction or conscience was something that she found abhorrent. And yet they all had the capacity inside them to become these cold, conscienceless killers. It was what they had been made for; what their purpose was and only a random escape had prevented her from becoming another robot to be used and abused as Manticore saw fit.
B.J. smiled and the light lit up his eyes again, his personality returning as if the moment had never happened.
And that, thought Jace, was the scariest part of all.
>>>>>>
Cece came out of the bathroom and leaned against the door frame. Tara and Carrot, who had been in deep conversation, looked up at her.
"Well?" Tara said excitedly.
"Green," Cece said acidly.
Carrot's jaw dropped. "Really?"
"No." Cece rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Pink for yes, blue for no?"
"Uh huh."
Cece sagged into the closest chair and threw her head back. "God, I hate being a girl." she threw the test over to an uncharacteristically exuberant Tara.
Tara checked the colours and smiled, "Congratulations."
"Commiserations," Carrot corrected as he leaned over to double check.
"Thanks," Cece said dryly. "I think… damn, I don't know what to think."
"Babies are good… aren't they?" Tara asked doubtfully.
"Not in my world," Cece said. Her hands were fluttering madly, as they usually did when she was frustrated. "What the hell am I supposed to do with it?"
Carrot looked at her. "Well, you can't eat it."
Cece sobered enough to glare at him and Tara jumped in.
"It would be far too dangerous to go to human doctors for any kind of abortive measures and… is that what you want?"
"How the hell should I know?" Cece spat. "For Manticore's sake, I have no idea how to deal with this. Terrorist bomb, ok. Rescue mission, I'm your girl. Baby? No."
"It can't be that hard." Carrot cringed at the look both women shot him.
"In Life skills lesson back at Manticore, do you remember that "how to deliver a baby class"?"
They all winced at the memory.
>
"I'm Trainer Bartley and I will be assuming Trainer Betty Reads's position this week since her unfortunate… accident in your life skills class last week."
Skye had smirked and hid a grin behind her hand as Steve chuckled.
"Is she badly burnt?" Cece asked carefully knowing that she was the one who had tripped the flirting blond with her 'clumsiness'.
Trainer Bartley gave her a look. "Ms. Reads twisted her ankle in her fall and was burned by the contents of one of your… concoctions," Dek winced, "she will be fine once the swelling has gone down."
Drew elbowed Max as she coughed into her hand masking her giggles.
"I don't cook, so this class will be on emergency procedures that may come in useful in the field. Situation: you are in a hostage situation or escorting civilians through enemy terrain. You come across some blockade, maybe a terrorist guerrilla pack blocking the road. Maybe you're in a building and there is no visible means of escape. In your group of civilians are women and children. One woman is pregnant. Whilst the terrorists are dicking around, she goes into labour. What do you do?"
Pix held up his hand, "What's dicking around mean?"
The Trainer shot him a look, "What you do everyday, 418. Piss people off by goofing around."
Pix grinned and sat back satisfied that his reputation preceded him.
"She's going into labour?" Aiden said pondering. "Can I swap sides?"
B.J. lost control of his laughter and erupted into giggles, "Oh, I can just see that now. Excuse me, Mr. Terrorist, this itty bitty little señorita is having a baby, can I play with you instead?"
"No, 344, you can't join the terrorists."
Pix thought harder, "Can we stuff a cork—"
He was stopped by Alec kicking the back of his chair and all the females in his unit shooting him death glares.
"Behave," Coco hissed, "or be in pain."
"What would you do first, 219?"
Zan shrugged, "Try to get to a hospital?"
"Pray?" Pix whispered.
"There are no medical doctors around and if you do not deliver the baby then these hostages or civilians will lose confidence in you… is that enough impetus for you, 418?"
"Sir, yes, sir!" Pix said, chastened.
"494, any ideas?"
Alec looked panicked, "Isn't there something to do with breaking water and contractions, to gauge how close the baby is to being born?"
"Well done, 494. First determine if she is a first-time mother, most women who have been through it before know what to expect. New mothers will need calming."
"They won't be the only ones," Techie said with a shiver. "I'd want the drugs first."
"There are false alarms when a woman is in the last trimester but when contractions are about three to five minutes apart and last 40- 90 seconds- and increase in strength and frequency- for at least an hour the labour is most likely real and not false."
"Which is comforting," Mets added. "The last thing you need is to get all geared up and the brat doesn't arrive as scheduled."
"The good news people, is that babies basically deliver themselves."
"Handy," Skye said to her brother who nodded.
"But they will not come out of the womb until they are ready. Have clean, dry towels, a clean shirt or something similar on hand."
"My shirt?" Biggs said. "So I have to take off my bullet proof vest to strip for some sweating mama?"
Max leaned back, thankful that the Trainer couldn't hear half of these comments. If he had transgenic hearing then this little sarcasm fest would issue many hours in solitary.
She grinned as Sunny slapped the back of Biggs's head and Chance giggled at her brother being chastised.
Alec leaned over to her and whispered, "I think Skye is getting broody."
Skye was looking disgusted at the subject and her facial expression had set B.J. and Aiden off in hysterics.
Max nodded and focussed on what the Trainer was saying.
"Ok, so, what we need is some hands on experience."
Silence.
"Did he just say what I thought he said?" Mets said horrified.
Steve shook his head. "Nah, he didn't."
"So, we are going to go into the practical room."
Steve nodded. "Looks like he did."
They all stood up and filed into the large room next to the Life Skills class. On several long tables there were several mannequins.
Pregnant mannequins.
"I think I need to go to Med Bay," Carrot said. "Can I get a pass?"
"No," said Trainer Bartley. "Triple up and head to a table."
"Where's Tara when you need her?" Max said dryly.
"In the Congo," Carrot said. "Assisting on a med-evac."
"Selfish," Alec shook his head, "when we need her here."
He moved to intercept Max but was pre-empted by Drew and Dek, who stuck his tongue out at Alec as they pushed Max off to one table with a red-faced Hispanic model on it.
Alec glared at Dek menacingly but was blown a kiss by the arrogant blond.
Chance and Feen yanked Alec's hand. "Come on, boss-man, we need a male in this arrangement."
Alec nodded even as he pouted at the unfair pairings.
"Alec is gonna kick your ass, you do know that, right?" Drew said archly as she leaned against the table with her arms folded.
"Of course," Dek said cheekily as he wrapped his arm around Max's shoulders.
She wasn't paying attention and looked bemusedly over to one side. "Who else thinks that that trio is a recipe for disaster?"
Dek followed her glance to see Pix, Aiden and B.J. grin at each other over the model of a sweaty brunette.
"Disaster doesn't cover it," he said with a laugh.
"Uh sir, I think ours is having twins," Anna called over the African behemoth they had been assigned.
Pix had procured a piece of paper form somewhere and looked over it mock- seriously, "Insert flap a into tab b…" he looked at the woman in front of him. "I don't think ours has a tab b."
Max hid her face as she erupted in laughter and heard several of the others follow.
"Haha, take this seriously, it might save your sanity later on." The Trainer was serious. "Imagine if you fail. The woman dies, the baby dies. Her father wants you dead and the people will not respect you. The civilians don't trust your judgement, they make mistakes and they die. The battle is lost, the war is lost."
"For the want of a nail," Mets said sombrely, "the war was lost."
"Smart ass," mumbled Dek but the words had a calming effect on the transgenics and they stood in front of the models whilst the Trainer moved to the back of the room.
He flicked a switch and all of a sudden screams filled the air, agonised screams of a woman in labour.
"Oh, that's sick!" Sunny turned green.
"That is real, that is what you would hear. Now as the baby moves out of the womb its head, which is the biggest part of its body, will open the cervix so the rest of it can pass through. As the baby moves through the birth canal, and out of the mother's body, you need to guide it out by supporting the head and then the body."
He flicked another switch and the cervix of each model began to pulsate as the baby was pushed through. The recorded screams grew louder.
"I'm going to throw up," Techie announced and Steve patted his back.
"Me too, pal."
"Oh look, she's having… a fur ball?" Coco pointed to the dark fuzz that was emerging between the woman's legs.
"Some babies are born with lots of hair," the Trainer explained.
"I think mine is from Mars," Flex said as he pointed it out to Zan. "I don't think many earthlings have toes on their head."
"Maybe they inserted it the wrong way around?" Zan offered.
"Sorry, ma'am," Emma said to the dummy. "You're having an alien."
The Trainer rolled his eyes. "If the feet come first or as it is commonly known—a breech baby— the danger is that the cervix may not be dilated enough to get head out afterwards. Today most breech babies delivered through caesarean. Which you will learn about in medical training. However, if no medical equipment is available, and if you have no alternatives when the baby begins to emerge try to deliver baby feet first."
Dek held his hands and tried to ease the baby out of the mother whilst Drew looked on in polite interest.
"You know, one of the women should do this," he said suddenly. "I'm sure… Hermione here must be easier with a woman down here."
"Hermione?" Drew raised an eyebrow.
"Poor Hermione, lost her husband during the war just after they found out she was pregnant with their first baby," Dek shook his head as the child slid into his hands, covered in goo. "It was a crushing blow since he was the leader of the resistance and a great spy. He fell in love with her during his stint undercover and they planned to marry once the war was over. Now all she has left of him lies here in my hands."
The silence clued him in and he looked up to see the rest of the room regarding him in open-mouthed silence.
"Beautiful, man, just beautiful," Pix pretended to wipe a tear away before turning around to mock-bawl on Aiden's shoulder.
"Well done, 766, by successfully identifying with the woman and engaging her in conversation you regain the trust and thanks of her and her people which could serve you well later," the Trainer said as he walked by.
Drew just gave him a look. "You need all kinds of help."
Dek chuckled as he passed the child over to Max who took it gingerly.
"When the baby is out of the mother dry it off and keep it warm. Do not slap its behind to make it cry, the baby will breathe on its own. If necessary clear any fluids out of the baby's mouth with your fingers."
"Will it bite?" Feen said as she poked her finger into the open mouth of the baby.
Steve held the baby and tried to pass it over to Techie who backed away. "Allergies," he protested.
"Tie off the umbilical cord by taking a piece of string, a shoe lace works well, and tie off the cord several inches from the baby."
"Use your shoelace," Cece said to Mets who shook his head.
"I like my shoes; I have pride in my appearance."
"We're in the middle of a war!" Cece hissed.
"Then you use your shoelace," he said stubbornly. Anna sighed and stripped off her shoes and undid a lace.
"Here," she snapped. "God, it's like babysitting three of you."
"It is not necessary to cut the umbilical cord unless you are hours away from hospital. In that event, you can safely cut the cord by tying it in another place a few inches closer to the mother and cutting it between the knots. Leave the cord alone until you get to a hospital. The piece of the cord attached to the baby will fall off itself. The placenta will follow the baby in as few as 3 or as many as 30 minutes," The Trainer finished with a smirk as he watched the various transgenics fumble and fret.
Max, Drew and Dek seemed to be doing well now that Dek had "bonded" with the mother. Max cut the cord and Dek placed it tenderly on the woman's chest.
"Look, Hermione," he said. "A beautiful baby boy, which, I think, you should name Dek. That's—"
"D. I. C. K," Drew spelt.
"We have a girl!" Pix called loudly in jubilation. Aiden leaned over and flipped the baby up the right way. Pix looked again. "We have a boy!"
"Do I look like the maternal type?" Skye said with one hand on her hip. "I'll take over when it gets to college level."
Steve looked between her and Techie who was looking greener than before. He sighed, "Fine, I'll play daddy."
Cece looked at her two partners noting that neither of them seemed particularly inclined to cut the cord. She stepped forward and wrapped Anna's shoelace around the cord and used her sharp thumbnail to slice through the thick tissue. Her hands were covered in goo and when she shook her hand to get rid of it she didn't notice the dollop that fell to the floor. In her haste to rid herself of the infant she stepped on the goo and slid, arms pin wheeling as she fell backwards dropping the baby on the floor. She groaned as she leaned forward, her hands on her knees.
A loud squeal clued her in to what she had sat on and she winced.
Her friends helped her up whilst they looked down at the sad remnants of the doll.
"When I said babysitting, that isn't exactly what I meant," Anna had offered dryly.
>
"It was a fake baby," Cece wailed, "I killed it and it wasn't even a real child. How the hell am I supposed to take care of a real one? I have no maternal instinct whatsoever."
Tara bit her lip, "I saw the video of the training session." What she didn't say was that the Trainer had shown it widely around the fighting barracks to boost morale and they all had a good laugh at the way the hardened soldiers handled human matters.
"Great," Cece slumped further, "what do I do now?"
"Well," Carrot said, "You can have it and raise it; have it and give it away or don't have it."
Cece and Tara both eyed him.
"I never knew you were so pragmatic," Tara said impressed.
"I have hidden depths," Carrot leaned over and they shared a brief kiss.
"Yes, you do," she purred.
Cece rolled her eyes. "Uh, not to be self-centred, but can we go back to talking about me?"
"Okay," Carrot nodded. "The question all comes down to safety and what you know you can handle."
Cece looked up blankly.
"Can you handle waking up one day and realising that you have killed your baby? Or can you handle the pain and pressure of bring it up? How strong are you, Cece?"
Cece closed her eyes and leaned back. Good question. Damn good question.
>>>>>>
"No way!"
Ben held up his hands. "I swear to Lydecker!"
Drew giggled as she squirmed on the table and forked another mouthful of toffee ice cream into her mouth.
She and Ben were sat in the candle lit front room. He lay against the front of the sofa, nursing a bottle of cheap wine, whilst Drew sat on his coffee table, her legs crossed and Ice-cream tub in her lap.
The day had started off with Ben brining her breakfast in bed and then taking her around the city to find someplace for her to stay; but with her injury it was slow going and they had gotten along so well that he offered her to stay with him a while longer.
Drew agreed and was currently enjoying a "getting to know you" game that usually required alcohol but wasn't prudent given her injury… hence the ice cream.
"Okay," she said around the toffee pieces. "Favourite… lesson?"
Ben leaned his head back and grinned, "Seek and destroy."
Her eyebrows rose. "Really?"
He glared at her. "What, too bloodthirsty for ya?"
Drew shook her head. "No need to be so defensive, it's just that that was my favourite too."
He smiled at her. "No one else really gets it, but when you're out there in the field and there's nothing but you and the chase."
"You don't have to think of anything else, or… or justify yourself to anyone," Drew added with a flush.
"Nothing quite like the thrill of the race, knowing that your prey is just ahead of you but you are faster, smarter—"
"—and the way that the field narrows until it's just the two of you—"
"—and the elements, nature at her finest—"
"—you are primed and ready and no one can beta you. The raw energy and competition. Survival of the fittest and its just you—"
"—no judging or trying to live up to someone else's expectations. There is just the hunt, the chase."
"And the kill," Drew finished and sat back, looking down at Ben whose face was as alive as hers was.
There was silence for a moment before he spoke, "You know, no one has really got that… got me before."
"I get it, I get… my CO understood, didn't really approve but understood."
"Sounds like a great guy."
Drew laughed at the thought of Max being described as a great guy.
"Yeah, my CO was great… is great," she grabbed the bottle of wine off Ben and took a long drink. "God, I hope they all survived."
Ben shifted. "For the record, I am sorry for burning down your home."
Drew chuckled darkly. "Yeah, I'd kick your ass for it, but you made me breakfast."
"I'll drink to that!" he reached up to grab the wine but ended up pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear instead. "You're pretty."
"Manticore designed, I am gorgeous!" she stated firmly and Ben laughed.
"Yeah, but with you it's more than that, ahem. Truth… you have a very devoted guy waiting out there somewhere for you?"
"True."
"Damn," Ben looked away. "Your friends will probably kill me if they saw me. After all I am the '09er."
"Maybe a few years ago they would have tried to rearrange your face with a crowbar… but Maxie changed that."
"Oh god, Max would kill you for calling her that. She hated that nickname."
"Still does," Drew confessed. "We'd all use it to drive her crazy. It was fun when she was all wound up and then she'd slap Alec for it. It was usually his fault anyway."
"Alec?"
"494… your twin."
"Huh," Ben nodded. "I met him, ya know, briefly."
Drew went back to her ice cream. "She said."
"I miss her, ya know. Max was always my favourite."
"Sister?"
Ben shuddered, "No way! That whole family—sibling—gig was all Zack. Max was a lot of things to me but not my sister."
"Ah!" Drew looked knowingly at him. "So you like her like that?"
Ben raked his hand through his hair looking too much like Alec for Drew's peace of mind. "I guess I do at that."
"Well, Alec is her guy and he'd kick your ass. He's in Special Ops, ya know?"
"Yeah, I can't believe that I got… he got to Special Ops… or that Maxie did. It kinda blew my mind."
Drew smiled a smile that would have reminded any of her squad of Pix. "If that blew your mind then this will send you over the edge."
"Oh?" he looked politely intrigued.
"My CO, my great CO? Fair of mind, fair of face, kind, considerate, caring, non-judgemental, strong and calming?"
"Yeah?"
"X5-452."
Ben's jaw dropped and Drew laughed out loud.
"Max?"
"Uh huh."
"My Max?"
Drew nodded.
"No way."
"Uh huh!"
"My Maxie, little Maxie-Max. CO?"
"Commanding Officer of Special Operation and Operatives number 1."
Ben sagged back, "Well… damn. Way to go Maxie."
"Here's to Max," Drew raised her Ice cream tub. "Wherever she is right now, I hope that is having the time of her life."
"To Max!" Ben tapped the wine bottle to the tub. "May she be happy, healthy and…if possible horny."
"Eww!" Drew threw the nearest cushion at him and that was the signal for the first '09er vs. Special Ops cushion fight.
Drew won.
I just realised that I haven't updated since February! Naughty Fayth.
Sigma1- I like creepily psychotic Ben, it makes for good dialogue and of course the suspense of not knowing if she is going to have dentistry done.
Geminangel- Oh I think Pix works well as leader- fun but fair.
Angel of darkness 231- I did and you have my sincere apologies that it has taken so flipping long for me to do it again. I swear I need constant prodding.
Bluejean452- Yeah fanfic. Net screwed with the format and got rid of my chapter segments making it hard to read.
Erak- Glad someone doesn't hold a grudge cheers for that pet. As for pairings, I swear that these guys have a mind of their own and I am never sure who is going to end up with who. I have a few ideas- a surprise girlfie for Aiden for example- oh that will put the cat among the pigeons!
Crazy- Vampire slayer- More Pix and Chance here for you and they are now here to stay! Anna is infection free and she has a few tricks up her sleeve. She's growing on me too.
DiscordantDragon- Exactly, their family helped them to be better and far more alive than just soldiers.
Black Rose9- I'm not sure Nyxie would appreciate the hug, but thanks for the offer. What are the odds on Galen's first word? Yes Drew and Ben will be very dark- I feel guilty putting Drew through so much, but its all good. I hope this fulfilled expectations of Pix as leader. Made me laugh.
Ronda TIW- I swear its unconscious- all of these Buffy references, it permeates your life! Was there any in this one? As for Drew/Ben, we shall have to see.
Shyleigh3- It'll pick up pace now, things are heading towards the big breakthrough.
SGOU- Begging is nice and I am glad that you liked that. I love Dek/Drew too, but I think there is something there with her and Ben too. No idea how that will go, like I said before the characters have a mind of their own. I thought Pix killing the guy before asking was a nice touch, shows how much they trust each other—even f they don't like each other much. Zack/Emma scene in the next chapter- I didn't have room here! Yes Dek/Aiden have moved over to the other side- glad I could make you happy.
Manema- Thanks for the review pet, as to your question- Because Anna was a member of special ops whereas Techie and Feen were unit 8- not SO. The Special Ops teams had more training than all the other units, it's just that unit 8 was close to SO that made them all feel like one and the same.
SGOU- Pizza orgy? Messy if the cheese is hot.
Feenian- Thank you, sweets, its great that you think it gets better- hope this does too. More x's together soon, too.
Fangedangel- yeah, it was edited out by which is annoying.
Keekee- Max/Alec are strictly to SF, this is about the others but they all come together about chapter 15.
Stormvind- hey pet, everyone loves BJ/Anna and not many are up for BJ/Jace- pity that.
Moonlite star- Yes the larger reunions will start to appear in a few chapters time and we see more of Anna crusade against White- which is fun.
Shygirl1- cheers pet, sorry its taken so long.
Lotamoxie- LOL, well this one is half that, so you get half your wish. Pix's exploits will probably happen in flashbacks- it was necessary to move the story along otherwise it'd go on forever! I'm glad you like Ben, I was worried he was OOC. But I do try to get them to come to life so your praise means a lot. Thank you.
Jade-k- Zack and Jace were thrown by how unsoldierly Zan and BJ were, but imagine if they met Pix! Aiden and Dek- my fave married couple! A few home truths and bad news about Steve and Mets will have to be told soon, sadness
Lozz422- Cheers pet, I think I'm getting into it again now, rather than bits and pieces which I hope makes it better. Many thanks.
Ganko- Aww thank you, I'm glad it is still so well received. Well Pix is in it for good now and full on, so you'll enjoy that. The introductions were funny, you could so see them doing that!
Guest type person- scary is fun I always like freaking people out. Its nice and I'm sure its healthy.
Sweettweety06- please don't kill me, I swear that I will be better at updates! AS FOR Drew/Ben/Dek… sorry wonderful sandwich visions there.
Ladybug- Yup sex and Pizza, seems to work for me. Interesting point to check the other 09ers, I never thought of that. Might have to add that somewhere- thank you. Wouldn't you love to kiss Ben, even if you had Dek waiting—ooh the choices! As for Biggs worrying about his sister- hope this chapter helped.
Someone who cares- sorry I didn't mean to seem harsh. I appreciate the constructive criticism and your honesty. I hope I have rectified the problem in recent chapters- feel free to tell me if I haven't.
Kim- I had to get my butt in gear otherwise it would have gone on forever! We are on all systems go now, so things will go fast. Not messed with the formatting- there were breaks but it removed them- dumb thing!
Mrs- ooh I'm not telling but it's someone that is completely off the cuff, only the best for my Nyxie…. Although, what chocolate?
Moonlight19- All caught up yet? Wow that is a lot to read in one go!
I love Alec- Dek and Maxie together- so so sweet!
Moonlight 19- Okay I had to stop and say well done for catching up and I'm sorry for the wait. And you reviewed every chapter- kisses for that. I have had more time and opportunity to expand on characters so Flex, Skye and Anna- especially have really come into their own. It's wonderful to do and they all have their own personalities and quirks to deal with. I agree that something was missing in early chapters and it was the interaction and banter between them all, it couldn't be helped and I tried to make up for that with characterization. Drew misses Dek like mad but she has always been the stoic one, so she won't say anything. Big hugs for you, pet.
Lightstm00- thanks you, sweetheart, I am so glad that you do. Feel free to review more and tell me who is your fave.
Mae- A plant names Mae? If you want to be in the story, pet, all you have to do is ask. May is my middle name too.
L80bug- that they are, pet and the sooner the better, if you ask me!
Elfie- it's probably more psychosomatic, knowing that she will soon be with her family. Pix's one liners always are fun to write, he'll get better too now that eh is with Techie and Mole. Ben may be lightly OCC but we only saw him for one episode when he was tormented so hopefully he isn't too off. Sorry about Steve- really. I liked Ana meeting Pix and Chance- its wasn't too saccharine and yet it flowed well—I think anyway. The Rockwell was the same as the season 1 but Logan has other things to worry about- like a jealous Carrot. Glad Nyx and Flex weren't OTT, cheers pet.