Youth of a Nation

I stared out the window as the trees of what had been my home for as long as I remembered and found myself with an inexplicable urge to turn back and run for my bunk. I couldn't have been homesick could I? Do soldiers get homesick? If they did, then they were a different kind of soldier with different handlers, because being homesick for this soldier was out of the question and frowned upon.

I was sitting buckled in a sleek black passenger van that could carry up to fifteen people in the back, with a driver who had more wrinkles on her face than I'd ever seen anywhere much less on a person. I had to fight the urge to rub my head, where a professionally made wig sat on my head. It was just my size and the hair color matched my own (or so they say it would have if it'd been allowed to grow) though it would take more than the fifteen minutes I'd had it on to get used to the unusual weight and amazing length.

I had never had hair for any length aside from the standard issued buzz cut. It was practical in that it hid my barcode (when I hadn't had it lasered off). Seeing myself in the mirror for the first time with hair that actually came to my shoulders was just so shocking. Well, it could have been that or seeing myself in anything other than camouflage utilities.

Wearing some kind of trousers called denim jeans –the same kind of genes that we have? - and a black sleeveless, ribbed tank top with strange lettering on it (what is Abercrombie? And why is it in pink and green camo lettering?). A denim jacket the same material as the jeans completed the outfit.

The shoes were something called tennis shoes or sneakers or tennis runners and go fasters, depending on which trainer you were talking to, which branch of the regular Armed Forces they had been in before Manticore recruited them, and who had the most seniority. They had a little black swoosh on the side that clashed with the whiteness of the rest of the shoe.

I was not impressed, though looks from the staff said that I should be. I mean these shoes are so light it was like they weighed nothing at all. I kept staring at them because I was afraid I'd ripped them off and lost them without knowing it. They were very impractical, especially if one was going to be traipsing through the woods day and night, or sparring. The lack of weight meant that I'd have to compensate the power and velocity of a kick when a good, solid Jungle or IBC boot would be perfect.

Right now I was on my way to Manticore's private airstrip which would take me and fourteen other young transgenics on our way school. None of my Pack was even in the van; I was well and truly alone. The only other transgenic I knew was X5-918, Dante. He was sitting in the back of the van with me, staring out his own window, probably as alone as I was, perhaps more so. As far as I knew, even his own unit didn't care for him. I felt sorry for him that he had never had the opportunity to develop that deep bond that I had with my own. I couldn't imagine not having my pack there for me, and even though I was alone, I knew that there were people out there who loved me and would miss me if something happened. Dante didn't have that.

"This is exciting, isn't it?" I asked casually, glancing over at my seatmate. Dante gave a barely perceptible start, lavender eyes blinking as his mind comprehended that I was speaking to him. I raise my eyebrows questioningly, reminding the other transgenic that I had asked him something.

"Ah, yes," he replied, as if uncertain whether he should answer. I smiled at him; I couldn't seem to help it, something about him just seemed to make me smile, like Ben or Zane.

I watched in some amazement and some sympathy as his eyes just lit up. Had no one ever smiled at him, ever let him know that he was worth something, that he wasn't just a number or a soldier, but an actual person, and not a screw-up or troublemaking prankster. The fact that I was probably the first person to really see him as a person made my heart constrict and that solidified the decision I had made when I saw he was in my group. I would treat him like one of my 'brothers', one of the pack, a friend.

"Think they'll have Solitary at school?" I grinned, eyes twinkling at the one who often shared my punishments in times past. Dante gave a chuckle as he caught the joke, and his eyes took on a shine, a life that had only been in them when he was thinking of some new prank.

"I'm pretty certain there will be some sort of high discipline developed to curb those…troubling tendencies of developing Ordinaries, that we could bring to their knees quivering in fear."

I thought he should smile more often, he looked less the lonely reject and more carefree.

"You're in the Seattle group, correct?" I asked, purposely ignoring the stares of the other thirteen child soldiers. The briefing earlier never said we couldn't talk among ourselves, and wasn't this extended exercise supposed to teach us how to interact? Why not interact with my own kind, those who I was going to have to trust with my life and cover? Why shouldn't I be friendly?

"Yes, I am," he smirked with a cocky grin that just let you know he was going to cause trouble.

"Are you?" and suddenly that cockiness vanished to replaced by a hesitant hope and a look that begged her not to hurt him again.

"Yep," she grinned again, delighted. She had a friend, a true friend. "X5-452. We were never formally introduced."

"X5-918, and somehow, I felt we never needed to go through all the formalities. What with all our long, lingering glances and quick signs in between 'lectures' from the Colonel and Trainer Webster," he gave a cheeky grin, lavender eyes glinting purple fun.

"You can call me Max," I added, still grinning. My smile grew wider as I saw the confusion cross his face.

"Max?"

"Yeah, Max. A name, not a number. Ordinaries haves names on the Outside, and we'll have to choose names for ourselves…why not use something I like?" I said casually, as if everyone should have known that.

Dante nodded in agreement and I saw some of the other transgenics copy the action as well. I made a mental not of which ones were interested and sincere, not just the condescending disgust that I caught on a relatively few faces shot my way.

"I should give you a name, since we can't depend on Manticore giving us something that actually means something," I made a motion toward Dante, indicating that he was the one that I had been talking to and his eyes widened slightly. The thought hadn't entered his mind that he should have a name.

"The trainers sometimes call me a 'master of mayhem' and 'always trouble'," he stated wryly, with that glitter in his eye.

"I think you should be Dante," I declared with great aplomb, as if he couldn't possibly be anything else.

"In my Literature Class, Dante was the author of a book called The Inferno, about the seven circles of Hell and how one man goes through it. So I guess you could say he was the creator of Mayhem," I explained, and the way Dante's eyes lit up again I knew he liked it.

"Dante. I like it," he nodded and I could swear that I could hear the gears in his head turn as he contemplated more 'hell'.

"Of course you would, troublemaker," one of the others in the front sneered, and he was one of Dante's unit mates. At the matching glares Dante and I sent his way, he hushed fairly quick and Dante and I spent the next half hour recounting our shared punishments, gossiping about the trainers, which were our favorites, and I recounted stories about my Unit, the funny things, especially the pranks the Quad Squad did. Dante really appreciated those and I didn't know whether it was a good thing that I gave him some new ideas.

We had just entered city limits, and we were in awe at the sights around us. We saw little children laughing and holding their parents' hands, and they looked so happy. Little did we know that it was a Saturday and that children didn't have to go to school or training, that they actually had days off. Two whole days of doing nothing but what they or their parents wanted. Now, we knew what they days of the week were but the whole ordinary social week was something totally different.

We passed the city, a place not big enough to have it's own airport, and so we traveled further. One of the girls in the seat in front of Dante and me turned around and glanced shyly at us both.

"Max?" she asked me, hesitant. I was sort of surprised, it was the first time in a half hour that any of the others had looked at me and Dante since that jerk had made that comment on Dante's name.

"Yes?"

The girl, who's wig was a dark, coffee colored mass of curls, and huge transparent blue eyes reminded me of Jondy and Crystal, bit her lip as she gathered courage and words.

"Can you name me? I'm X5-678, I'm going to Seattle with you and Dante, and you seem nice, I heard you talking about your unit, you all don't seem like the monsters everyone makes you and yours out to be and…"

"Hey, slow it down!" I laughed, holding my palm up in the universal gesture.

"First off, yes, I'll give you a name; secondly, why wouldn't I be nice, and what does my unit have to do with being monsters?"

I had a feeling I knew some of what she meant by us being nice and I knew that a lot of the other Units didn't like us, but monsters? Not even the Nomilies in the basement were monsters, just misunderstood, abused, and malnourished. I didn't like my family being referred to as monsters, but I guess I understood where she was coming from. It was just confirmation from and outside source the opinion of the other Units, but by all Manticore holds dear, it hurt! My family was not monsters!

"Well," 678 drawled out in a faint twang, where she picked it up, I could only guess. She probably heard it from one of the guards. She bit her lip again in a way I'd come to realize was a musing and slightly nervous gesture.

"Yourself and Unit 2, have a certain reputation among the other units and among the trainers. Heck, after yesterday, Webster and Cam wont' even come near you, they requested to the Colonel not to have anything to do with your group. The trainers are calling it the Massacre," she trembled slightly, and I could only raise an eyebrow, encouraging the girl on.

"And you all never gave us any reason not to think of you that way. The trainers always say that we're being punished whenever we're scheduled to pit against you, and they've told us stories. About how you all kill and eat anyone not in your unit because your DNA is so base animal that there is nothing human left."

I gave a disbelieving snort at that one, and my mouth twitched upwards in grim amusement, but not like it was truly funny.

"They say you keep to yourselves at Mess because you're casing for your next marks," she continued. "And you all never train or eat with the rest of us, and you always win whenever we train together, a lot of us feel you think you're better than us. Always sitting together, never even looking as us whenever we do see you. Or if so, you always seem to be so smug. And then your unit mates pulling all those pranks on us…"

X5-678 trailed off, apparently running out of words and afraid of my reaction. I know I must have surprised her when I started to laugh out loud, I couldn't help it. So much of that was rubbish and absurd, but from their point of view I could see how they could come to that conclusion and believe it, especially with the trainers saying things about us.

"Did I say something humorous?" 678 cocked her head, truly puzzled at my reaction. I couldn't help the smile that graced my features, and I could tell that it unsettled the poor girl more than if I'd yelled or screamed at her.

"Well," I began, drawling the word out in imitation of 678, "First off, much of our reputation is deserved: we are the best. Don't believe me? Check out all the records and see for yourself just who holds them or broke them and continuously beats our own. Unit 2 that's who.

"Secondly, we don't train with you because it's policy not to unless absolutely necessary, and even less as we are on a different schedule all together for whatever reason known only to the Colonel. That we have no control over, and because of this FUBAR schedule, our mealtimes are messed up as well. Hence coming in at weird hours before or after the rest of you."

"Foo what?" Dante questioned, his head tilting in similar fashion of 678.

"FUBAR. It's an acronym meaning…" I paused, searching for a non-vulgar, non-forbidden word that would work. "F---ed up beyond all reason."

"Oh…" Dante, 678, and a couple others chorused. By now, I had the attention of at least three others who were actively listening in by turning in their seat to make eye contact.

"Thirdly," I continued, wanting to get things clear. "We sit together because a) Manticore doesn't exactly encourage inter-units interaction even among our won b) we don't appreciate the hostile stares directed our way after a freaking long day of pure torture so sitting with a friendly face or two or eighteen really has it's perks, and c) we've never had anyone but each other to trust."

"We never had permanent watchers like you other Units, we only had each other, and that we're told helped develop the bond we have now. We also faced off against the X4s and believe me, that was an eye-opener. Do you think that after watching another of our unit mates get shot in front of us during a supposedly routine exercise we're going to be in the mood to face a bunch of jealous, bitter hostile others who'd rather kill us on principle of the fact we beat them at something?"

I was really warming up, and I was finding myself get angry. All the years of built up hurt, despair, anger, and helplessness at not being able to do something for the Lost Ones just bubbled up and I needed to let them out in the open, especially in front of those who had damned us on the gossip of a few trainers and some misunderstandings. I hoped by the time we reached the airport and our assigned schools that I would have at least earned their trust or made them comfortable with my presence, being in Unit 2 aside.

"Fourthly, the 'massacre' as you so eloquently put it was just the eighteen of us pitted against eighty other transgenics who we've had numerous dealings with in the past, and not all of them good. Unit 10 made fun of us when we lost five of us to the X4's the first time around, despite the fact that they never even made the cut to face off against them, they've never seen their unit mates shot and their heads ripped off or impaled by the X4s. None of you all have faced them, none of you, except us, and we were much younger the first time we faced them than Unit 3 who just now faced them. Guess what? Unit 3 isn't laughing at us anymore; they lost almost half of their unit to the Fours.

"And let me tell you, it's not fun facing them. We think we're better? Yeah, right, all we have to do is remember when we lost and we know lose that attitude real fast. The Fours are older and stronger and more experienced than we are now, so they're going to be better, but you know what? We're doing our damned best to make sure we don't lose any more to them. Every exercise against you other units we go all out because when we have to face the Fours, they go all out against us and it's really life and death, so we'd rather not get out of practice."

"The other units have said and done some things to have earned our enmity. Yeah, some of my unit has pulled some awful pranks, but not all of the pranks around were our fault or so malicious, and we've never, ever specifically targeted any one unit over others. Unit 13 has continuously pulled stunts and tried to shift the blame on us, but they never try it on any of the other units…all because one time one of us pulled a prank on them. That was only once and a long time ago, and we haven't bothered them again, that doesn't mean that they should disrespect us."

"Unit 15 tried to rape one of our unit mates, several of them holding her down, and that is something that we will never forgive and I for one took great delight in making them pay for that. Ever since then, they have been doing whatever it takes to discredit us with the Colonel, the staff, and the other units."

"Unit 20 is the only unit to even come partially close to beating the least of our records and they are just plain competitive. They've taught us how to fight dirty as they have done whatever it takes to try and get ahead. They haven't beat us, but that hasn't stopped them from trying."

"I'm not going to apologize for giving them what they deserve with the full sanction of Manticore. And the fact was the trainers knew that these units more than any other had it in for us. They were angry and afraid of what they couldn't understand: us. My unit and I stick together because we know that the only ones we can truly count on is each other. If this is wrong we haven't seen any evidence to the contrary."

I finished this little speech grimly, and none of the surrounding transgenics could doubt my sincerity, they could taste the truth in my words. We were all silent for a little bit before I broke it.

"But all that behind, you wanted a name," I paused as I considered the dark wigged female before me. I looked into 678s eyes those beautiful clear blue eyes.

"Evanescence," I finally decided, making a motion with my hand to gesture at her eyes.

"Your eyes, they're so light and clear, it's like looking at a crystal. But for short, I'll call you Nessie."

"Evanescence…Nessie. They're beautiful, though I think I'll get teased for Nessie. You know, the Loch Ness monster?" she joked, and I choked on a laugh. I hadn't thought of that particular bit of lore associated with her name, and I giggled, a very natural sound for an eight year old.

The smile she gave included Dante, and I could see how much it did him good that he was being accepted, finally. I touched his hand gently, and he started, then smiled in appreciation and squeezed my hand back lightly.

"So we have a Nessie, a Dante, and a Max," one of the larger males sitting next to Nessie looked over his shoulder at me. "How about me?" His barcode said 757, a thought I found hilarious as we were driving by the fence surrounding the airport.

"What about you?" Dante teased, his lavender eyes glittering with mirth instead of the usual desperate mischief. 757 scowled at him, but something about the way he did it made you realize that he didn't mean it to be taken literally.

His was a shocking white blonde head that hadn't been covered by a wig. He was one of the few boys who opted to keep their buzzed cuts, as it was an acceptable fashion for boys on the Outside. The trainers called that kind of hair 'sun-bleached' or 'Surfer-Boy' that was offset by his ruddily tanned skin and these electrifying brownish-gold eyes. They seemed to have more gold than brown depending on the light and his mood. His mouth was a tad on the thin side but the rest of him was chiseled as if some sculptor had had a field day on the day that they spliced him.

He was one of the older ones, at least twelve or thirteen, possibly one of the firstborn, like Zack, Seth, and Tinga. He carried himself with the same easy grace that my older brothers did, and in some ways, he reminded me of Eva. Naming him would be a little more difficult.

Hmmm… I thought, cocking my head. I need to get away from the "e's", most especially the Evans. That way we avoid confusion later on.

"Well," 757 quipped as the driver, who had been ignoring us as if we weren't even there took a turn to go directly on the tarmac. We all kind of watched as we drove toward a series of planes of varying sizes.

"I am the oldest in the van, and since I am going to be the Commanding Officer and rock of the Wyoming bunch going to Seattle, it only stands reason that I be assigned a name as well," he smiled, golden brown eyes sparkling.

"I don't know what to call you," I confessed, and looked to Dante for help.

"What? The name game is yours, little sister."

"Thanks a lot," I grumbled good-naturedly as the van pulled up in front of one of the smaller jets. We erased any evidence that we had been talking from our faces as the van's door was opened by a sour-faced trainer.

"Let's move! Hut, hut, hut!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" we chorused as we ran and came into a single file line, training taking over as we waited for disbursement. I felt the distinctive chill in the air that foretold of winter to come, and suddenly, I was glad I was leaving the state. If the entire Wyoming was as bad in the winter as our little town of Gillette, then I was thanking my lucky barcode that I wouldn't have to face that chilling winter. I could only pray to the Blue Lady that my siblings wouldn't have to face it. Or if so, let them be the ones who didn't mind the cold so much, like Zack or Jace or Ashton.

"All right, listen up, you little freaks! When I read off your designations, get your gear and board the plane behind me: X5-757, X5-918, X5-678, and X5-452. Get your gear and let's go!"

I rushed to get my gear, as I was the last to be called, marching up the boarding ladder, feeling my stomach twist in a bundle of nerves and excitement. This would be only the fourth time I'd ever been on a plane and the first one without any of my siblings. I hastily stowed my gear in the proper place and took my seat, sharing a row with Dante once again. His eyes shown with quick mirth that I answered before we both put on our soldiers faces as the trainer came in.

He still looked as if he'd swallowed something sour like a lemon or a prune or grape. While he was distracted with the female flight attendant, I signaled "Pruney" to Dante and pointed at the trainer, indicating it was his new name. Dante smirked and we tried not to laugh as the trainer remembered he had charges and stopped flirting long enough to give us a sour-faced glare.

"All right you's freaks," he growled out, giving the impression of extreme pissed-offness. "I'm Sergeant Walters and I'm going to be your handler until we reach Seattle where you meet your permanent handlers for the duration of this exercise. X5-757 is CO and X5-452 is S.I.C. of this little pathetic excuse for a detail. There will be no talking and no problems on this plane ride, hear me?"

"Sir, yes, Sir!"

"It's going to be a long six hours, so no talking, no disturbances, and you'll get one meal halfway through. Do I make myself clear?"

"Sir, yes, Sir!"

"Good." With that, ole Pruney sat back down at the front seat, laughing and chatting up with the flight attendant. The four of us looked at each other, and Nessie rolled her eyes, and 757, who I'd finally decided to call Petra, shook his head. Dante was shaking beside me with suppressed laughter. He made the motion of Walter's new name, and Nessie choked trying not to laugh.

Walters looked back once but we were stoic faced as if nothing had happened. He gave a slight frown, but turned back to the flight attendant who was already passing him a drink, something called a double martini, that apparently he wasn't supposed to have until later in the afternoon or at all while he was 'on the job'.

"Ah, these little freaks don't know any better and besides, they won't tell. I'll order them not to, and that'll be that." Walters shrugged off the flight attendant's concern, and she wasn't too upset, she just kept bringing him drinks and showing off her ample cleavage. It was disgusting to watch him practically grope her whenever she came around, and her fake laugh was high pitched and grating on the ears.

I thrilled as the plane taxied toward the runway we were to take off from, and I tensed with expectation as the engine changed pitch to whining crescendo and we were barreling down the runway. The take off was always my favorite, though if we were parachuting than that was fun as well. I couldn't help but give a slight gasp of appreciation and Dante shared a companionable smile with me. He liked them too it seemed.

We spent the next few hours signing back and forth with each other when neither Pruney nor Tabitha, the flight attendant was looking, which was fairly often as they seemed to be more interested in touching each other than paying attention to their charges. Petra liked his new name, and he and Nessie were soon involved in a game of chess, made much the more challenging as they had to visualize the moves and positions of their pieces in their mind, and make sure they weren't spotted the times that Walters and his lady deigned to look back and yell at us, even if we weren't doing anything wrong.

Dante had shut his eyes and was fast asleep, though I knew that he'd be awake in a heartbeat, as even the heavy sleepers had learned to nap on the edge. So I was left to myself, and fortunately Dante had given up his window seat to me, so I stared at all the landscape passing underneath us, and I marveled. This world outside was so big, so vast, and it was still the same country, our country, the United States of America. And there were so many people; it was just amazing that we all could live together.

I looked down at all this beautiful country and I felt a sudden longing to share it with my family. My family, my pack, and the thought made my eyes started to glitter with a sudden onrush of tears that I refused to let fall. Petra, Nessie, and Dante were great, but they hadn't truly become my family yet, and I brushed a strand of the wig (real hair donated by a real girl somewhere) out of my face and tucked it behind my ear in an idle gesture that was fast becoming a habit.

I closed my eyes to the stunning vista before me, the pang of being alone nearly overpowering, and I took a deep breath to calm myself down…slowly letting it out on the ten count. I repeated the breathing cycle a few times, bringing myself to that place of calmness, and then I reached to that second heartbeat in that place I held my family in.

Flash

Krit looked up from his seat by the window of a bus, his eyes looking upwards as if he could truly see me there and he smiled, his mouth forming one word: Max.

Flash

I opened my eyes in surprise, blinking. It had felt so real, as if he had been right here with me. I glanced over and saw that Dante was still napping and Petra and Nessie were still enjoying their mind exercise, only a few seconds had passed. I settled back down, looked out the window again, re-did my breathing, and closed my eyes, concentrating on my family again.

Flash

Jondy was scowling at one of the boys sitting next to her who was giving her a dirty look. I could almost see the look she gave him; it was the one that said 'don't mess unless…' and I felt my lips curve into a smile as the boy's glare gave way to a more frightened one. A giggle threatened to break out and Jondy turned from her staring match – she had won, naturally- to look up at me. Her entire face lit up with delight and surprise.

'Max,' she called, this sister who was as much a part of me as Krit was. She wasn't really my twin, but we shared the same shark DNA that kept us up for most of the night every night and we had developed a special bond between the two of us. Like mind, like interests, but she took more reckless chances than I did, my more aggressive tendencies seeming to channel into her, and her calm and focus into me. Together, we were like one spirit.

'Jondy,' I answered, and I felt the presence and scent of my sister and I was soothed. It smelled like days running in the forests, of earth and leaves and that special scent that could only be described by the name of one person; Jondy. Her presence seemed to seek me out, and wrap its essence around my heart, and I felt warm in her love and devotion.

Flash

Zack held himself in his normal rigid posture, unconsciously mimicking and combining the stances of his two idols, Colonel Lydecker and Sergeant Major Vaughn. He was by himself as well, but unlike the rest of us, that never truly bothered Zack. Oh, he would watch and take care of us, but he always focused in on the mission, the objective.

The transgenics who surrounded him on his plane were in some awe, fear, and a great deal of respect. This was X5-599, the C.O. of Unit 2, and the prime example of what a real soldier was, someone all X-series should look up to and become. A few of the girls simpered at him, but he paid no mind. His thoughts were reeling with tactics and technical details, worrying about each of us, like a good commander should.

'Zack,' I called to my alpha and his eyes snapped forward to meet mine, his translucent gaze hard in its intensity, his nostrils scenting the air in front of him. His mouth suddenly twitched in his facsimile of a smile and his eyes said the unspoken words and emotions.

'Max,' he replied, his scent strong and overpowering, and I knew that I was safe.

Flash

'Max,' an unforgettable voice called to mine instead of the other way around with a strength I could nots, would not ignore. My eyes flew to the side and I met a familiar hazel-eyed gaze. I could still feel Jondy in my heart, and Krit on my mind, and Zack held my well being; but Ben, Ben held my soul and never let it go. He opened his arms out to me and I walked gladly into his embrace.

As he held me close, my ear pressed against his chest, I listened to it go thump-thump, thump-thump, and it steadily gained in volume. Ben pulled me closer, his arms around me, one hand stroking my back in the way he always did, and I put my nose in the crook of his neck, our favorite position, scenting him, marking him as my own and him doing the same as he rubbed his cheek over my hair and head.

Through Ben, I could scent not just him, but the rest of my pack. Tinga and Taz were together on a plane headed east; Brin and Kavi were together, a fact that relieved us all. None of us had wanted for Kavi to be left alone, he was the most fragile of us all. Vada was busy flirting and causing havoc among her male cohorts and a few jealous females; Ashton was on a bus that was going to one of the local schools a couple hours away from Gillette.

Seth was with Syl and Eva, they were in separate sections of the bus, but they were together nonetheless. Jace and Jack were together in a bus going further south, that was an interesting combination, I found myself smiling and Ben's smirk echoed my own devilish glee in that pairing. Those two were a volatile combination, but they'd be the first one to throw a punch if one of the other was in trouble.

Zane and Anika, our resident twins, were together, their cover as twins fittingly. They were also on a plane headed east, but it seemed it was going southeast, not northeast like Tinga and Taz.

"We're family and we will never be apart. We will find each other one day, and be together again, whether here or in the Good Place," Ben spoke, and I didn't doubt that the others heard.

"I love you," I whispered to my family, and they answered back. Their images gradually faded but I could still taste their individual scents on my tongue. I was left still wrapped in Ben's arms, our souls beating together in an unchained melody.

"We'll find each other when this is over," my freckle faced pack brother promised and I smiled at him from the depths of my core.

"I know." I hugged him again, and he nearly crushed me to him. "I love you, Benji."

"I know, Maxie," he teased, kissing my forehead softly.

Flash

"Max…Max, are you okay?" I started, and my eyes flew open, body tensing for fight or flight, this time choosing to fight. My eyes caught the concerned lilac gaze of Dante, and I realized that I had lost track of the time. He had been talking in the low tone that only other transgenics could pick up, and I could see that Petra and Nessie had finished their game and were looking at me as well with just as much concern.

"I, I'm fine. Thank you, why do you ask?" The affects of the mind meld still had me a bit fuzzy on the edges and I was feeling a bit slow on the uptake. Understandable, as that was the first time any of us had tapped into that level of awareness for each other.

"Your scent changed," Dante stated with a frown, his eyes still concerned and obviously not believing I was just 'fine'. I blinked at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Your scent changed," he spoke again, his voice urgent, but he kept his voice down in the sublevel, gaze flicking toward Pruney who was once again groping Tabitha and on his umpteenth martini. Tabitha looked as if she'd had a few herself, probably sipping off of Pruney's.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he gave me a 'look' and I had the grace to blush and turn my gaze away.

"How did you do that?"

"I was thinking of my family. My unit," I explained, looking over to the other two who were avidly listening in.

"We consider ourselves a family. I was thinking about them, and I had this weird dream that I could see and smell and hear and talk to them. It was so real. I can still smell them."

"So can we," Dante said grimly, nostrils flaring as he took in my scent. I didn't know that my own scent had changed. I sniffed myself and I was immediately assaulted by the smells of my family; the combined scents that was Pack.

It was home and warm naked bodies piled onto Zack's bed, listening to Ben's stories, extra training in the gym with Jondy at night when nobody else was awake, laughing and groaning as Jack, Zane, and Seth pulled some stunt on the trainers, Jace being so rigid to be such a perfect match for Zack but getting all excited and 'girly' when she learned a new slang, Eva humming one of Lark's little tunes, Tinga and Brin teaching Kavi one of Davida's dances, mother-henning the poor boy. It carried the scent of all of us, the Lost Ones included, and it was safety, health, comfort and love all mixed in one.

"We are Pack; family. And nothing, not even Manticore or distance is going to keep us apart," I smiled at my three new friends with such peace and contentment they stared at me in open wonder. "I carry them with me, here," I pointed to my heart.

"Lucky," was all Dante said and then a loud laugh caused us to look ahead as Tabitha came down the aisle, face flushed and blouse askew. She giggled as she caught our gazes and sauntered to the back, where we could hear her banging and clanging in the galley.

"Lunch is ready!" she giggled again, serving us pre-packaged airline food that was, if possible, worse than any field rations or mush that Manticore produced. We four transgenics gave each other dubious glances at what was supposed to be chicken breast, before digging in. Hey, Manticore created us to be virtually immune to biological and chemical warfare; we couldn't be poisoned, right? At least, we weren't supposed to, here's hoping they hadn't screwed that up along with our seizures, I thought as I took the brave first bite.

"These little thangs are supposed to be the youth and shining hope of our nation?" Tabitha laughed aloud as she brought sodas down, which we refused in favor of water. We tried not to look at her, but she was so disgusting, I could smell the reek of alcohol and arousal on her, it turned my stomach. She touched the side of Dante's face, stroking one hand up and down the smoothness of his cheek, and she smiled drunkenly.

"So soft…such pretty purple eyes," she chortled, humming to herself in pleasure. She didn't see that behind her back, Nessie and Petra were giving her the most chilling eyes that I'd ever seen, and that she was digging herself in. For my part, I had to make sure she couldn't see my distaste, and my thigh very surreptitiously brushed against Dante's stiffened body.

It seemed to calm him down some, but he was still stiff, and refused to eat another bite, finding it hard to swallow what was already in his mouth. He was reacting as if she were the predator, staying still so as not to draw anymore attention to him than necessary, and the assumption was correct to a certain degree. I felt a growl tickle the back of my throat that I tried to quell as my protective instincts raised to the fore. Good thing she wasn't transgenic, or else she'd have heard three distinctive growls rise in warning.

"Tabitha!" Pruney sang from the front, his shirt untucked in a manner most unbecoming of an enlisted armed force man, and sloppy looking. His eyes were starting to glaze over, but there was a look in them that said this was a man who still had some control left over, and he wouldn't cross that line just yet into total inhibition. That was the scariest thing of all.

"Yes, Walters, dear," she slurred, obviously not able to hold her liquor like her companion.

"I need some servicing ma'am," he leered at her in open lust, and the lady laughed as if it was the wittiest thing a man had ever told her.

"Servicing," she giggled in an air-headed manner. "I just bet you do. Hold on a sec whilst I put these away."

Thankfully she pulled away and stopped caressing Dante, but we all didn't sigh with relief until the two adults sashayed up towards the first-class section and Tabitha drew the drapes.

"Can't let y'all see anything, no matter how much he says you won't tell," she laughed. " I like to 'service' my men in some semblance of privacy," and then we were left alone.

"Great Manticore above," Nessie murmured as we all tried to ignore the sounds coming from the front. But with our enhanced senses, that was nearly impossible.

"Well, at least we're the youth of a nation, and not them, shaping the rest of the world," Petra mused.

"Too bad we get stuck with their mess," Dante mulled over and we couldn't agree more.