A/N: This chapter is going to be a little different, by Reivyn's special request; this will deal with the others of Unit 2. The usual disclaimer applies, I don't own Dark Angel or any of their characters, only the original characters and situations:-b The poem, You Are Me , is mine copyrighted to Kristin Hamilton (c) 2006, I created it, if you like, ask me to use it. Another list of things I also don't own are the Laurell K. Hamilton books and hopefully, I won't get in trouble for using quotes from her book, but just in case…I'M GIVING HER ALL THE CREDIT, WHATEVER CREDIT SHE DEEMS NECESSARY! LKH, Anita Blake, is all hers and I don't own them or her ideas in the book! Oh, I also don't own Google either, in case that point comes into question.

WE ARE FAMILY

Manhattan, New York

"Hit the rack! School is tomorrow and so is your first report to the local Director! Get moving!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" several pre-adolescent voices chorused together, about facing, and marching out after the dismissal.

"What a jerk," one of the male children muttered, his ebony colored eyes flashing with distaste.

His hair had grown out, and he had kept the very top a little long while the sides were buzzed short, in imitation of the Ordinary soldiers. The extended hair was as dark as his eyes, so much so, you could almost see dark blue and faintly violet highlights, the way of someone with truly black hair.

"Taz," one of the elder females hissed, glaring at him.

She was one of the oldest among the child transgenics and was involved in all the mini-platoon's lives, taking on the role of 'mommy'. She was also the only one who wasn't in awe or terrified of the raven-haired boy's ire.

"Aww, Tinga," Taz pouted adorably, to the other females sighs. Tinga merely arched one dark eyebrow, a contrast to her deep olive complexion, waiting silently.

"Okay, okay. I shouldn't have said that…mommy," he cast her an unapologetic grin.

"You're as bad as the Quad Squad," she informed him, already dismissing him and his antics as she split off to join the other females in their dormitory. She prepared herself for bed, aware that the silence of the room and the stares of the other girls were because of her.

She stifled a sigh. Hours on a bus and plane ride to get here, a week of preparation, numerous conversations –albeit usually one-sided as the others were almost afraid of her- and one complete day of school together and they still treated her as if she'd take their heads off at the least provocation.

She'd tried to be friendly, but her efforts were met with a wall of suspicion, fear, and a good dose of disdain for the most part. If it weren't for the fact that Taz was there by some whim of assignment, she'd have felt far more alone and discouraged than she was. Even had she been alone, she wouldn't have given up, she'd never been a quitter. But, still...it was dispiriting to say the least. She couldn't imagine how any of the others –Zack being the exception as always- would handle being completely alone. Taz was annoying as all hell, moping about being separated from Vada and positively green with envy, knowing she was probably eating up all the male attention, but he was still family. He had her back, no matter what.

All this suspicion stemmed from the fact that the majority of her counterparts were from the Wyoming facility, and they had spread the rumor of them from Unit 2 very quickly, so even those transgenics from other facilities were wary of her and Taz.

"Despite what you think, I'm not going to kill you," she commented to the room at large, holding back her amused smile as the gathered females gasped.

Oh, she speaks! She mocked them in her mind, fighting a Max-like reaction to roll her eyes and snort.

It was better than a Jondy-Jace-and-Seth reaction to argue and confront the girls. Maybe later, if they continued this charade and pissed her off enough, she'd do that. But not right now. She didn't want to do anything to bring disapproval down on the Colonel, and beating the snot out of the other girls because they wouldn't talk to her –however good it would make her feel- just wouldn't do.

Soldiers don't have friends; they have partners and associates who aid in the completion of the mission.

"Good night, ladies," she grinned as she slipped into her covers. "Don't forget to turn of the lights when you're finished."

Taz was in a similar rut. While the guys weren't exactly giving him the silent treatment, neither were they opening up in a solidarity show of male bonding. They cast curious looks his way but were careful to keep their distance.

He'd tried joking; trying to appear harmless (but not too harmless), non-threatening, and approachable… none of it seemed to matter. He'd noticed that the girls were giving Tinga the same conduct and that made him angry on so many levels.

Tinga was a wonderful girl, if she did have a tendency to mother everybody, and he could tell it hurt the friendly transgenic that so many distrusted and hated her based on circumstantial evidence and paranoid speculative rumors without giving her a chance to prove herself otherwise. And that was what made him angry, that his sister was hurting, even just a little, because she couldn't make friends.

Giving the watchful boys a sideways glance, catching one of the guys quickly avert his eyes as they made contact and rush away, he fought a growl that wanted to be released.

Well, so much for making friends. Who needs friends anyway? You can't count on them…family is better. Family is there for you, no matter what.

Taz stripped out of his shirt and tossed it into the laundry bin, padding over to his bunk and little overhead clothing cubicle to grab a clean one. They'd already had showers, but it was only habit to snag a new shirt to sleep in. Much better than those stupid gowns they had to wear back home. Seth had a theory that it was so if the doctors wanted to grab you to run tests on you in the middle of the night-as they frequently did- they didn't have to waste time getting you undressed and gowned. Taz tended to agree with this theory.

"You're 698 aren't you?" one of the boys suddenly spoke up. Taz looked over his shoulders to see one of the smaller boys – 159, he recognized- look at him.

"That's what my barcode reads," Taz shrugged into the new shirt.

It was a creamy khaki color that reminded him of his desert fatigues that had a picture of a huge hulking pissed off looking green man, dressed like a punk/rapper/gangster in cutoffs, sleeveless tee, baseball cap tilted to the side, large necklace and medallion around his neck, and tattoos that said 'Hulk' and 'Marvel' on each arm.

The kid, X5-159, came closer, uninvited, to sit on Taz's bunk and stare at him, his examination making Taz feel oddly like when Zack caught him doing something wrong.

"Bold move, 159, considering. Don't you listen to the rumors from my lovely facility mates? I'm big, bad 698 from Unit 2 who'll wipe the deck with your dead carcass for deigning to speak to me in anything resembling a normal conversational-not confrontational- tone."

Taz gave a roll of his eyes and a snort of loathing at the end of his spiel; he didn't bother to hide the bitter sarcasm or his disgust at their attitude toward him and his sister.

"Thank you, and no, I don't care for rumors don't have much basis for fact. I can see that maybe part of it's true, your unit must be something to earn the rap and fear, but I've spent the last week watching you and your unit mate, and I don't find you scary at all."

"That's cause you haven't seen me with my hair all messed up in the morning," Taz grunted, leaning against the wall to face the room, not liking having his back to unknown elements. His eyes scanned the dorm and saw that all eyes were on him and 159.

159 gave a loud laugh, and that seemed a signal for the others, who came closer to surround the pair.

"Lights out!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" greeted the surly handler, and all jumped into bed, waiting a few minutes, before Taz found himself once again surrounded. While he didn't think they meant him harm, he was wary. He let himself out of his covers so he wouldn't be hindered in case he had to take action, not that he expected any.

"You don't seem so bad," 159 commented, his accent slightly nasal, and he spoke quickly in an inflection Taz had come to recognize as New English, something that all Northerners seemed to acquire.

"Where you from, Curious George?" Taz asked, grinning once he realized the other transgenics' confusion. "Curious George was a little monkey who was so inquisitive, he got into all sorts of trouble and situations."

"Oh. So why call me that?" 159, who Taz dubbed 'George', asked.

"Because that describes you," one of his unit mates sniggered.

"It's called giving you a name, something all our own, based on your personality. I dunno," Taz shrugged. "Naming is more my sister's area of expertise, but it just makes you seem like more, not just a number."

"Sister?" one of the other boys echoed, face furrowing.

"Yup," Taz answered. Before he could elaborate, George interrupted him.

"I have a name," George insisted.

"You do?" Taz was somewhat, surprised, though he supposed he shouldn't have been. He didn't think that any other units had been so…individualized, like his own unit.

"My alias. Isn't that the same?"

It was Taz's turn to laugh, though he made sure to keep it down. Their handler was a mean s.o.b. and Taz had no intention of drawing his ire any more than necessary.

"That's not a name, at least, not a permanent one. My permanent name is Taz, even though on this mission my alias is 'Timothy'." Taz made a face to show how much he liked that one.

"Is that why you called 656 'Tinga'?" the 'sister' boy asked.

"Yup," Taz nodded. "All my family, my Unit, Unit 2," he added with a sly grin and a wink, "have names."

"And 599 let you?" another boy, Taz recognized him as a Gillette alumni, sneered. "I don't think highly of him as a commanding officer if he did."

"That's alright, 100, he doesn't think highly of you as a commanding officer either."

The boys all snorted and guffawed, as 100 grew red in the face, Taz could smell the rising blood and heat to his face. He kept his pose casual but he was alert if 100 made a move.

"Why…you… little," 100 hissed but George thumped him on the chest.

"Ease up, there. You insulted his C.O. first. If you insulted my C.O. you'd have had a fight on your hands."

The idea of the little, scrawny looking transgenic going after someone who was more than twice his size and weight and skill class was enough to break the tension, and even 100 had to smile, albeit grudgingly.

"So, how about some names…Taz?" George grinned, and Taz couldn't stop the smile on his face. Maybe friends wouldn't be so bad after all.


Atlanta, Georgia

"You are a pig-headed, by-the-book-Barbie-doll-G.I. Joe-wanna-be who needs to get a good dose of reality!"

"And you are an immature, insubordinate, I'm ashamed to call a soldier who should have been named Peter instead!"

"Was that a compliment, G.I. Jace?"

"In your dreams Bird Boy!"

"Bird boy? Oh, yeah. Captain. Jack. Sparrow! My dreams your nightmares."

"Grow up!"

"Never!"

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine! Go to your rack and leave me alone. I don't want to be infected with whatever disease is in control of your mental functions."

"It's called having fun, something that might do you good if you tried it, but oh dear! That wasn't in the textbooks on socializing behavior!"

"Shut up, Jack! Or I'll make you a falsetto for real."

"Make me! I'm sooo scared!"

TWAPP!

"Hey! You hit me!"

"Duh, no shit, Sherlock!"

"Omigosh. Jace made a funny!"

SMACK!


Las Vegas, Nevada

"Huh?" Krit grunted incoherently as he was grabbed by the arms and legs and bodily hauled out of his nice, warm, comfortable bed.

"Not so tough without the rest of your Unit backing you up are you, 471?" one of his assailants sneered.

"Yeah, he's just a little punk, look at how tiny he is!" another sniggered derisively.

If there were two things Krit hated, it was being made fun of for his short stature and being awoken when he had just fallen asleep. The first wasn't his fault, and he hoped to the Blue Lady and whoever spliced his genes that he'd hit a growth and muscled spurt soon. Max and Syl had teased him, saying he must have some bear in him the way he loved to sleep. And he was as grouchy as one too when awakened without cause.

His lips peeled back to bare his teeth in a silent snarl, dark eyes changing to black, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He was facing the floor, still struggling, so his attackers missed the signs that they were headed for big trouble.

"Leave him alone, guys, you'll get us in trouble," a boy in his racked hissed urgently, looking at the door with trepidation of the handler coming in.

"Shut up, New York, you don't know what his Unit's done to us," another of the four attackers hissed back, glaring.

"Yeah, we beat the shit out of you for trying to rape one of our own," were his first words, cold as ice and holding quiet menace.

Krit suddenly went limp, and in the few seconds of confusion, he turned the tables. Twisting his right arm around, he freed that appendage from his attacker, twisting the attackers wrist in turn, using the momentum as the assailant instinctively tried to jerk his hand back to land a solid punch to the guys jawbone, knocking him headfirst into a bedpost and consequently, out of the fight.

Using the leverage of his newly freed arm, he arched his back and started twisting and bucking, catching a second boy square in the face, busting his nose and spewing forth dark viscous fluid.

Krit was just as suddenly airborne, an enraged but coolly methodical dervish, going after the remaining two muggers with a vengeance.

The next forty seconds went by in a flurry of movement, grunts of pain, blood splaying, and bones crunching.

"Wow," was all rack boy could say, his eyes wide and his jaw slack in amazement.

"Thank you. Not bad for a tiny punk, eh?" Krit grinned, and then just as suddenly yawned, covering his face with a blood smeared hand. "Damn, I'm beat. Good-night."

Covering another yawn, Krit stepped over the prone forms of his would-be tormentors, fixed his covers, and was soon snoring away, visions of a golden haired little beauty clinging to his side filling his dreams.


Miami, Florida

"Good-night, Anika."

"Good-night, Zane."

"Good-night, Unit 2, wherever you are."

"Good-night, Colonel, you scare me so."

"Good-night, nurse!" TWAPP! "And the doctors too. Oh, you really clonked me there."

"Shut up! Good-night, Nomilies."

"Good-night, my beautiful Agent Milan, Anika-please-don't-hit-me-again."

"Oh, please you two, you've got to be kidding!"

"Good-night, X5-818!" the twins chorused together, sporting dual impish grins to match two pair of devilishly twinkling green eyes.

"Gah!"


St. Louis, Missouri

"You all right, Syl?" Eva asked, tucking her little sister in bed, ignoring the whispers and looks directed her way. She merely had to arch an eyebrow in their direction and they hurriedly found other ways to busy themselves. Her status as the top ranking twic and the highest ranked transgenic here automatically thrust her into a leadership role, and she handled the others as she would her own family, only slightly more formal.

"I miss Krit," Syl admitted, so softly, Eva's supersensitive hearing had to strain to catch what was being said.

"Aww, honey, I know. It's okay. You have me…. and Seth," Eva rolled her eyes, grinning, pleased to see the slight upward twitch of Syl's lips at the corner.

Syl had been having trouble coping the last week without the continuous presence of her beloved Krit to cling to. Seth and Eva had done their best, running interference between the handlers, the other transgenics, and now the kids at school. Eva wished she had more classes around those that Syl did, but it seemed that overall, Syl was doing okay. She had at least one other transgenic, a male, in her grade but Eva didn't hold out much hope for him as a suitable companion.

Eva smoothed the gold touched locks out of her baby sister's face, smiling as she felt the baby soft fineness of her hair. She always liked stroking Syl's hair, even when it was buzzed, because the texture was so smooth and delicate, like running your hands through living, individual strands of silk.

"Do you think he misses me?"

"Krit? Of course! He probably doesn't know which is his left and which his right without you by his side."

"You really think so?" Hope sprang forth from her eyes.

"Yeah. He's probably dreaming of you right now, and madder than a roused bear if someone wakes him up."

"Yeah, that sounds like him," the little girl giggled, her entire demeanor changed in an instant, and one could suddenly see the beautiful glow around her.

"Now go to sleep, and dream of dark haired, grumpy bears named Krit."

"All right. Good-night Eva."

"Good-night, Syl." Eva gave in to a sudden urge to kiss the top of Syl's forehead. She smiled and smoothed her hair and cheek one more time, then left to check on the others and seek her own bed.

"Good-night, Seth!" Syl whispered a little louder.

"Goodnight, Syl," his warm, quiet laughter sent unusual shivers down Eva's spine. Seth was usually dark and intense, only Zack could ever match and surpass the hard façade he exuded. But the past couple days, being separated from the rest of the pack and helping to take care of Syl, he'd really opened up some and Eva was fascinated by her older… sibling.

Her inspection complete, she flicked the lights, bathing the room in darkness, lit only by the faint artificial light filtering through the blind covered windows.

She hissed slightly as the cool sheets touched the exposed parts of skin, huddling down and bringing the covers up to her chin.

"Goodnight, Eva," Seth's breath tickled her cheek and Eva gasped, heart thumping wildly.

"G-good-night, Seth," she stammered, knowing he could hear the still fast beat of her heart. She drifted off to the sound of his chuckle in the darkness.


Chicago, Illinois

"I'm scared. I want Tinga, and Zack, and Max, and the others."

"I know, my sweet little Kavi, I know. I want the others too."

"It's so dark!"

"Kavi, baby brother, we can see in the dark."

There was a short pause, as the youngest member of Unit 2 thought this over.

"It's still dark."

Brin sighed, and turned in her bunk to face Kavi's right next to hers. A sudden flash of light illuminated the room for a split second before a crash resounded and shook the glass in the windows.

"Not for long," Brin quipped dryly. It was rare for her to be so open and forthcoming, but she would, she'd stay strong for as long as her baby brother needed her to be.

She'd already gotten into three fights with the others assigned to their team within the week, defending herself and her little brother from the antagonizing from the other Wyoming transgenics. A couple from the other facilities joined in, if only because they were mean, and Brin had showed them that while shy initially, when it came to her brother or Unit 2, you best not mess and proved why she was among the elite in the first place.

The handlers finally had to split her and Kavi from the rest of those from Wyoming, which was why they were in a room, mostly to themselves. Well, not entirely. The few transgenics who hadn't been involved in the fights were there with them, and while not even comparing to the rest of her family Brin had found some friends.

"Brin!" Kavi cried, jumping from his bunk to hers, moving with the inherent transgenic swiftness so that in a manner of seconds he was beneath the covers and huddling against her side.

"Make him shut up Brin," one of the others mumbled sleepily. This one had come from Seattle, and according to her, it rained and stormed so often there this was like home for her.

"Shut up," Brin muttered, trying to untangle herself from the mess Kavi had made of the sheets.

"Kavi, you're acting more like a baby than Max," she grumbled.

"But I am the baby! Max is older by two years, so you need to quit treating her like one."

Kavi's tone was petulant, but sincere. Brin paused, thinking over what had been said, and finding she agreeing.

"You're right. She is older."

"So you need to stop acting like she's the baby, because I am," Kavi grumbled, snuggling in the convenient crook of her arm.

"Yeah, I guess we do," Brin murmured quietly, snuggling into Kavi's warmth, appreciating that he had superheated the sheets quicker than had she been by herself.

"Night, big sissy," Kavi yawned, already half asleep.

"Night, baby brother," Brine answered, following him in slumber.


Two hours and a few cities away from Gillette, Wyoming

Ashton lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling, listening with half an ear at the traffic passing on the street a few hundred meters from his room window. The streetlights illuminated part of the room, not that he needed the light in the first place, but it cast the room into weird, contorted shapes.

His mind was racing a mile a minute, not allowing him to follow his team mates-he couldn't bring himself to say unit mates, for they weren't- into sweet slumber for tomorrow.

For one thing, the breathing pattern of the sleepers was wrong with what he was used to hearing and be lulled to sleep with. He knew every phase, every quick or slow draw of breath, every beat of his family's heart, and these…foreigners only served in their slumber to accentuate the fact that he wasn't with his own.

Another thing was the damn traffic. All day and all night long, there seemed to be an endless stream of motorized vehicles passing through, honking their horns, screeching their tires, yelling out the windows. It gave him a headache and was fast on it's way to driving him crazy!

He eyed the snow that was starting to fall in steady gusts outside the window, sensing the advent of winter. The thought brought him sadness, for it was the most fun and the most grueling for him and his unit. Fun, because every activity, every hunt every escape and evade, seek and destroy took on a greater intensity between one wrong shift of weight and you give yourself away with a mark on the snow, and the bitter cold that encouraged one to hurry up what they were doing before they froze themselves. There were also the snowball fights and ambush attacks to send on of his siblings sailing into a nearby snow bank or trap to help alleviate the tension and monotony.

Grueling for exactly the same reasons. Also, the trainers seemed to think the colder and more snow on the ground, the best time it was for extended night exercises for their charges while they themselves wait around in a heated base camp tent with mugs of steaming hot coffee or tea or chocolate.

And he missed Vada. That alluring, complicated, enigma that was his unit mate, whose dark beauty could compel any man or transgenic into doing anything she wished, and usually got it. He even missed Taz, in their never-ending rivalry for Vada's affection, and was satisfied in the knowledge he knew Taz felt the same way. The threesome had been an 'item' ever since he could remember, and the rivalry was more a game and longstanding joke between them.

Taz and he had become brothers of a sort, bonded through similar situations and the affection for a certain X5. They knew of each other's heartache when Vada smiled at a boy from another unit, or talked to one of their sisters in describing which trainer or staff member she thought was cute. The two had become best friends and deeper than brothers, willing to share her with the other, but unwilling for any outsider. It was a complicated matter, made more so by Vada's indecision on which one she truly preferred: Ashton or Taz.

"Good-night, Taz, buddy of mine…and good-night, sweet Vada. I hope you're thinking of me."

With those whispered words, Ash turned on his side, grabbed his pillow, and tried to drown out the noise outside long enough to fall asleep.


Omaha, Nebraska

Vada sat curled up by the windowpane, seated on the soft cushions of the window seat in front of the large, bay area window. She was hugging her knees to herself, arms wrapped securely about her, trying to fight off a chill that had nothing to do with the glass or outside temperature.

Yeah, she was a big flirt; she wasn't going to deny it. She enjoyed the attention it brought male or otherwise, it was just her thing. But even that had grown old the past week, lots of changes, both in her and in those surrounding her.

And…Vada just plain missed her family. At first, the prospect of meeting new transgenics, flirting with boys she'd never met, seeing more than just the woods and barbed wire of Manticore had filled her with an excitement that almost matched the sadness at being split up. Being separated hadn't hit her as hard as it had some of the others, she knew, but it was hitting her now.

Must be a delayed reaction, she laughed silently to herself as she absently wiped at the moisture streaming down her face.

Most people didn't think that Vada cared about anyone but Vada, and to a certain extent that was true. When her brother, her real brother Ferro, had been murdered by those thrice damned Fours, she had lost much of the motivation to care for others, so lost in her grief and not wanting to experience hurt again. But she did care, she did think, about others…they just happened to be her own little family that was all.

She was worried, even now, about little Syl being torn from Krit. She recalled with vivid clarity how pale and withdrawn the little elfin soldier had been when Krit's designation was called and he was the first to leave. Vada had thought that Syl would chase after Krit's bus, but she hadn't, whether by Zack or one of the others, she hadn't been able to see. All she knew was that she was praying to Ben's Blue Lady that she would remain still like a good soldier and not get sent to punishment by herself, where no one would be able to sneak and comfort her. But she was confident that being around Seth and Eva, the second and fifth oldest of them all, would help her through this painful period.

She wasn't too worried about Kavi, she knew that Brin was with him, and if there was anything that would make shy and quiet Brin turn into the effective and deadly soldier she was, it was Kavi's presence and the need to protect her own. Vada had seen some of the other soldiers assigned with them; many of the troublemakers had gone with them, and she didn't need to be Psy-Ops to know that there was going to be a clash.

Jack and Jace on the other hand…Vada laughed inwardly, a smile twisting her lips of their own accord. Manticore and Blue Lady above, she'd love to be a fly on the wall with those two! Vada could guess that right now, Jack was well on his way to acquiring a pretty and decidedly deadly accurate collection of bruises by now.

Zack was fine by himself; Vada gave a snort of disdain. Zack was always fine, whether by himself or with others, it didn't make any difference. Zack was Zack no matter what life, Manticore, or anything else threw at him. He might feel a twinge, a twinge, of sadness, but he'd be too busy trying to achieve his 'objective' and just plain having confidence in his unit that he wouldn't worry too much, or too often. Her big brother was a pushover if you looked really deep, deep, deep, on the microscopic level deep within, but it was there nonetheless.

Tinga could take care of herself. She was tough, she was the survivor, she was…the mommy of the group and was bound to make friends and new family among her group. Vada had no worries whatsoever for her eldest sister, who was just half a day older than she.

Zane and Anika were together, which was just perfect for the twins. They always worked better when they were around each other, it was like there was some link, some power connector between them that just amped them up to a higher performance level just being in the same room. It didn't matter that Zane was into everything mechanical and combustible and that Anika could patch a scratch or a broken bone with such skill and finesse you hardly even knew you were in pain when she finished.

Thinking about the natural siblings opened a wound in her heart that had never healed, and it cleaved and clung to her soul like Syl on Krit. Ferro, her beloved brother, had been her closest companion while he was still alive. They were stuck on each other to the point of seeming to share the twin link of Zane and Anika.

Vada's tears started to fall faster and in greater quantity, though her breathing never changed or sped up, and she never made a sound. Every night she relived the horror of watching him die, imagining she could feel her own spine break in time with his, and for a moment, back then at that first fateful exercise, she had felt as if she were in his place, and she knew the instant he died and where the fatal snap occurred.

"Ferro," she mouthed in silence, bowing her head in acknowledgement of his and Kane, Shasta and Davida, and Kyle's sacrifice and loss.

She could almost hear Ben start on one of his stories, and Vada smiled at the thought of her hazel-eyed dreamer brother. Ben was one of the best; he could be vicious and unforgiving in the hunt, but ever so gentle and wise with his family. Vada could practically sense the potential in him, greater than the others, and knew that one day he might be enough to oust Zack from his lofty perch.

'Doubtful,' she smiled, but not as if she were amused. Zack may be a lot of things and not some of others, but there was one thing none of them doubted: Zack would kill and be killed to protect them. And that was why she knew that Ben would never take Zack's place, even if he was offered or ordered to.

Thoughts of Ben naturally brought her mind to Max, that fiery little bundle, the baby of the sisters, though Kavi was the true baby of the family. Vada's smile turned softer, gentler, an almost alien expression of tenderness when thinking of her baby sister.

Max…such a combination of vulnerability and strength, sass and satire, leadership and follower, impatience and a predatory stillness that matched her with Ben perfectly. She was often coddled, specifically by Zack and the older ones, she didn't know why, or really when it had begun. She guessed it was one of those things that they took for granted, and she mused then, if that was a good thing or not.

Like Ben, Vada could see that Max had the potential to become great, she had such a mix of confidence and a budding sensuality-not as marked as her own, more subtle- and wit and a certain child-like vulnerability that hearts would melt for her. She would follow, if given the proper leadership and incentive, but Vada was beginning to catch glimpses of the leader within. She wasn't showy or seeking the spotlight, hers was not a sought after leading but rather offered, if there was such a thing.

Even now, she chafed at some of Zack's or the Colonel's orders, but she was too good a soldier, she had too much respect for both her commanding officers to take issue with them. But one day, one day she would not quietly follow, and Zack, Vada had a feeling, would have something coming to him. It seemed big brother relied on Max for support, not unexpected if she were his twic, but Eva was twic, not Max.

And like Ben leading to Max, so did Max lead to Jondy, the second to being the baby. She and Syl were roughly the same age, give or take a week. She was the elder, and both were only four months younger than Krit, but she possessed all the qualities Max had and more. The two's personalities were so often intertwined, one would be calm and collected one week, while the other was aggressive and reckless, then the next week would come and the roles would be reversed. It was as if they interchanged thoughts and reactions as easily as borrowing clothes.

Jondy was tough, more visibly tough than Max, whom Vada suspected was the real source of strength, and outspoken. Boy, was she ever! Jondy landed in Solitary more times for 'disrespecting a superior officer' or keeping her mouth running when she should have shut it.

Whereas Max didn't seek the limelight, Jondy jumped headfirst. She would often take the rap for Max, whenever Max let her, and the pair was nearly inseparable. They were the same size though Jondy was leaner and more frail looking, same personalities, same nearly everything. They were like light and dark versions of each other.

Vada laughed quietly to herself, thinking of those pair. Speaking of pairs…there were two more of her family whom she'd avoided until now to think about. The two who, despite her every which way to get rid of them, stuck to her, and made her love them more each day. The two whom she missed the most of all.

Vada heard somewhere that it was possible to be in love with two different men at the same time. Well…she agreed. She loved Ashton and she loved Taz with all her heart, she couldn't imagine one without the other, or them without her for that matter. Thinking of them, imagining all the girls cooing and awing over them sent a white-hot flare of jealousy so intense through her she never felt the cold, and didn't hear herself growl in warning at those little hussies going for her boys.

Why do they say jealousy is green when it's white hot and burning like the hottest flames?

Vada didn't know and she didn't care; she just knew she didn't like it, didn't like those thoughts, or thinking that maybe, just maybe, one of the boys might kiss another…not herself. Vada knew she had no right getting jealous, but that's how she felt. The reason she flirted with all the guys was to see if her boys took notice, and it gave her a special thrill when they did.

"Taz…Ashton…I miss you so," she cried softly, leaning against the window, weeping silently to herself until at last she fell asleep, thinking of her boys.


West Point, Virginia

Zack quietly lay in his bunk, hearing the even sounds of breathing from his teammates, listening as a couple who had that infamous Shark D.N.A. twitched and groaned restlessly, but at sub human level so as to not disturb their handlers. They were under strict orders of silence, and Zack was surprised to find himself sad at the fact that the two sharks- both female - didn't disregard protocol and whisper like his little Max and Jondy did.

Zack frowned as he analyzed this particular piece of information, coming at it from all angles until he had formulated an assumption based on the concurrent data that matched. It still didn't make him any happier to know.

He missed his family. He missed his unit, even those annoying and trying fearsome foursome of which his brother was one. He missed falling asleep to the excited giggles and whispered confidences of the two precious troublemakers, their banter a soothing predictability. And occasionally, he'd hear the others up as well, most staying up only until the end of first watch, usually when Ben told a group story and not one of his and Max's private ones, and then settling in, but no, not those two. Those two stayed up all night with their chatter.

It amazed him how much the two females, or any pair or group of females for that matter, could just sit up for hours and talk and talk. He figured they must run out of things to say eventually, but no, it seemed each night there was something new or exciting to speculate upon. Zack was ashamed to admit it, but on occasion he'd stay awake pretending to sleep and just listen in on what the two were talking about.

All in the name of observing and trying to better understand the soldiers under his command, he told himself, but deep down, he knew it was just a cover-up. He listened in because he was curious, not about what they were discussing though that was there, but he wanted to know more about them, what they really felt, their thoughts, their dreams if they were allowed such.

Zack wondered how his unit and his girls were doing, wondering if they would be able to sleep or have trouble with their teams. He bit back a growl at anyone giving his girls, anyone giving any of his unit, any trouble. Krit and Brin and Kavi's groups worried him, Krit's especially because some of the infamous Unit 15, those freaking wanna be rapists, were assigned. It wasn't that he didn't think Krit could handle himself; all his unit could and for that he was unsoldierly proud.

Krit could be…well, let's just say Krit wasn't the best choice to sneak a night attack on, especially if he'd been asleep prior to the attack. Krit was a grouch and ill tempered when he awoke, and he worried Krit might do too much damage to quad from Unit 15.

Zack stilled further as he heard the unmistakable thump of combat boots on the tile in the corridor outside, unconsciously closing his eyes and slowing his breathing down to imperceptible levels until the night watch moved further on.

Syl was foremost on his mind, of them all; her attachment to Krit could pose more of a hindrance than a boon, having never been truly separated from Krit in years. It relieve him somewhat his brother and his twic was there for her, but still…he'd feel better once they were together again.

There was another rustle as one of the sharks, he named them Shar and Kay, moved around in agitation. Listening, he pinpointed it was Kay moving about so restlessly, the noise was coming from her direction, and he had to hold in a sigh.

He wanted his unit back. This unit was fine, but it wasn't his, and they weren't his soldiers, and these weren't his pair of sharks. With another sigh, Zack turned over to his stomach, his favorite sleeping position, and sought his rest. For now, all he could do for his family was wait.


Boulder, Colorado

Jondy couldn't sleep. Not that that was different from any other night in her short-lived life, but this past week, tonight especially was different. She gave an annoyed snarl and stomped quietly out of bed so as to not disturb the other occupants of her shared room, stomping toward the frost covered window.

It was flurrying outside, ringing in the advent of winter, and the prospect for snow, even though it was pretty early in the year. According to local gossip and the intel provided, being so close to the mountains and their precipitous weather caused for some interesting weather conditions.

Something about tonight tugged at her, and she shivered slightly, wrapping arms around herself to conserve body heat. Of their own violation, her head and body turned in a north, north westerly direction, knowing that that was where the source of her irritation.

It took a moment for her to get the connection, but once it did, her heart both soared and plummeted.

Max!

"I'm here, we're here, we are together though the miles may seem great," she barely whispered, mouthing the words, eyes closing and concentrating on one word, one being: Max.

Duty-mission-honor-success-failure-I'm-not-a-failure-I-didn't-fail-family-love-siblings alone-oh-so-alone-alloooone

Jondy gasped as the wave of loneliness and hurt and frustration and need hit her like being close-lined by Seth. Hard.

Never alone, never a failure, you didn't fail, I'm here, I'm here, and I'm here!

"Max, Max, Max, listen, listen…listen, I'm here, we're here, it's all right, together, not alone," Jondy chanted a soft mantra, instilling all the calm and love and acceptance she could into that one specific heartbeat echoing in her mind.

Jondy found herself a pillow and a blanket in the rocking chair seated in one large corner of the room filled with chests and wardrobes surrounding it, and she settled herself in, concentrating on the sister who needed reassurance, eventually dozing off, still hearing the double beat of their hearts.


In Seattle, Max twitched in her sleep, her tight fetal position slowly uncurling, as the need to protect herself no longer existed. She still moved back to her position, but it was not as tight or desperate as before.


Mt. Washington, Kentucky

Ben paced back and forth in the room he was assigned. The housing facilities issued had too many transgenics and their handlers assigned for the former farmhouse to hold, and so Ben was bunked in what used to be one of three attics the house boasted. This one was the farthest away from the others, so there was no fear of him waking any of the adults or animals up at least, so Ben felt free to pace. His roommate didn't mind, he had shark D.N.A. and seemed more interested in his headphones, music collection, and surfing the Web than his irritated roomie.

Something wasn't quite…right. It had to be one of his unit, but before he could ponder which one, his roomie interrupted him.

"Did you know that the ancient Greeks believed in the beginning there was no male and female?" he just burst out.

"What?" Ben jerked himself out of his thoughts to listen to his up-till-now-silent roommate. Taking that as interest, the curly haired transgenic started to ramble on excitedly, not noticing his roomie's distracted look as he pulled himself together.

"Yeah, they believed that each soul is one part of a perfect whole, one male and one female. They also believed that when you found the person with the other half of your soul, you'd be complete."

"You'd find your soul-mate," Ben surmised, nodding. Curly Top wasn't exactly the best storyteller-it wasn't just bias on his part- but the information he provided, it kind of made sense in a weird sort of way, and it was interesting.

"Yeah, but I was reading Laurell K. Hamilton's eighth book in her Anita Blake Vampire Slayer series, Obsidian Butterfly, and this assassin guy, Edward, was talking about the exact same thing. He said something on the subject that I have to concur with, and it was really fascinating…"

"I'm sure it was…and it was?" Ben trailed off, hoping to get more information out of him.

"Oh, Edward, the assassin guy –he's really cool by the way- anyway, Edward says to Olaf, this other assassin dude, only this guys' a rapist and a murderer, but anyway…"

"Eight Zero Eight," Ben growled, hazel-eyes snapping, and Curly quickly heeded the warning.

"I'll give you the full quote, on page 158! 'The Greeks believed that once, there were no male and female, that all souls were one. Then the souls were torn apart, male and female. The Greeks thought that when you found the other half of your soul, your soul mate, that it would be your perfect lover. But I think if you find the other half, you would be too much alike to be lovers, but you would still be soul mates'."

Ben raised both brows, intrigued despite himself and the pressing need to find out what was wrong with one of his family.

"Really? That's…fascinating. Did he say anything else, this…assassin Edward in those adult books you're not supposed to be reading yet?" Ben smirked at him, but his smile was open and friendly, one old pal to another, talking books.

Curly sighed in disappointment.

"No, not in this book. But I'm Googling some more on it now, I'll let you know when I find more!" he brightened up considerably.

"Great, you do that," Ben gave him a friendly clap on the back and a smile he hoped Curly would take as warm and then left to resume his pacing, though the pace –no pun intended- was more thoughtful and less panicked.

Soul mates. Not exactly lovers but entwined just the same. Just like Max and I, Ben suddenly realized, grinning. Unbidden, words sprang forth from his mind with sudden inspiration.

I see myself through the looking glass

And staring back at me, I see

The missing part of me.

You're the piece of my soul

The echo of my heart

We have never truly been apart

Two distinctly different faces

I am you and you are me

Together the two become we.

I see myself through the looking glass

And staring back at me, I see

You are me.


Seattle, Washington State.

Deep in my self-imposed slumber, I lay there; twitching occasionally as I felt invisible hands and faces curl up beside me. Instinctively I shifted to fit into familiar phantoms, nose breathing deep and seeking a special curve of the neck to rest my face.

All the loneliness and weariness of the past twenty-four hours seemed to release, and for the first time in a week, I felt myself relax in the sweet scent of home.

Drifting, on the edge of dreams and nothingness, my lips opened and closed, forming words.

"…staring back at me, I see/ You are me."