So Not the Plan

Things were not looking up and he was having one hell of a time getting past the Sector police without notice. This was Sector9, home to the Asian population of Seattle, where hundreds of ordinaries congregated on a daily basis. The perfect place for a super-genetically-engineered-soldier to get lost in.

He was making his way carefully among the crowds until he could get what he needed. A Sector pass. It wouldn't be difficult for him to lift it from some unknowing idiot walking by, he just had to find said idiot.

-X-

"Hey!" the shouts followed him as he ran through milling people. They made it difficult for him to run well, blur but then that would draw more attention to him and not the kind he would want especially since he was on his own. He had a mental picture of his friend, Biggs, hanging upside down; the first victim of the war.

'Alley.' He noted with a grin as he made a dash for the empty space. Once in the alley he could blur and leave them all behind. No one could follow him. None of them could stop him.

"Look out!"

'Huh?' He turned still running when he saw the bike. Suddenly there was a tangle of limbs and not a pleasant feeling in his body.

"Ou-uch!" Alec yelled in pain. The handles had jabbed themselves in his midsection and then the messenger had landed half on half off of him.

"What the hell is your problem?" There was a scuffle as Nÿx got to her feet pulling her clothes back in order. She was pissed off and a little embarrassed at her ungraceful fall. She had feline DNA; cats landed on their feet not their ass!

"My problem?" Alec returned groaning as he got up. "Lady you ran into me!"

"You got in the way!" Nÿx yelled back, bending to get her bike while completely ignoring him. She hoped the bike wasn't damaged because then Normal would have a fit and then she'd be stuck doing God only knew how many extra deliveries to pay for it. Then again she could steal something but that would entail too many questions about how she got the cash in the first place and while she was good at the lies she preferred to keep them on a need to lie basis.

"What happened to the brakes? You forget what they're for?" Alec griped moving in closer until he saw some of the mob pass by.

"Brakes? You're busting on me-." Nÿx yelled seeing the back of him as he began to move away.

"Gotta jet, baby!" Alec called over his shoulder as more of the people chasing him went past the alley. He didn't want to stick around arguing with some messenger while the mob caught up with him

"You're not getting out of this without an apology!" Nÿx ground out as she pulled him around. She felt the sharp pain pierce through her right temple and flinched.

'Come on not now!'

The pain sharpened hunching her slightly as she gripped the handle of the bike tighter. She raised a gloved hand to her head and tried to massage the pain away even though she knew it was pointless.

"Oh, come on!" Alec threw his hands up seeing her feign pain. "It wasn't that bad!" he exclaimed to her bent head but she didn't say anything. He wondered what kind of game the girl was playing and became more annoyed.

Nÿx couldn't get the picture in her brain to focus so all she made out was a hazy black figure. The sound of the guy's voice was interfering with her concentration making her that much more upset.

"Shut up." She ground out but he got louder at her words. Finally unable to take the pain or his voice she raised her face and yelled; "Shut up!"

Her arm pulled back of its own accord while he continued to complain. His face was a blur through the fog in her eyes but her fist knew exactly where to land.

"I-." Alec never finished what he was going to say because her fist was the only thing he could remember clearly from his position on the ground. He'd been so busy arguing his point to notice her fist or the empty bottle he just happened to step on…

"Next time you knock someone over apologize!" Nÿx ordered before getting on her bike. She still felt the tendrils of pain but they were lessening. A sign that the vision was definitely done with.

Alec shook his head in surprise then slowly got to his feet but she was gone.

'What the hell was that?' he wondered before remembering he had somewhere to be. That and there were people following him.

-X-

Nÿx made it to the meeting place, a run down looking shack with a faded sign hazardly hanging over the only window. 'Chico's Tacos' it read and sitting at one of the wooden tables waited Aric. Nÿx wove her way towards him. He saw her and waved with a smile. Why he was happy was beyond her but then again he hadn't been knocked off his bike by some idiot who didn't pay attention to where he was going.

She thought about her first night in Seattle. That had been almost two months ago and Nÿx still hadn't made the foray to Terminal City. There were a lot of things she hadn't done yet like fix her bike or get her own apartment because living with Aric... well, things were just getting uncomfortable. She would find him watching her at times, his eyes would follow her when she entered a room and he would quiet down whenever she was around.

He knew what she was, or thought he did. Nÿx wore her hair in a ponytail enough that he could see she had no barcode but it didn't make any difference. He was beginning to make her feel uncomfortable in her own skin, as if she didn't belong, as if she weren't normal.

'I'm not normal. I was genetically engineered to be a super soldier. I'm not even human in their eyes, just another freak the government can't control.'

She couldn't help the scowl on her face as she sat down.

"What's he doing here?" Nÿx asked grouchily. The huge muscled blond turned hurt green eyes towards her and feigned a pout. She would have laughed at his antics but wasn't in the mood. Not with the thoughts going on in her head and knowing that she needed to check in with Krit and Syl. That more than anything was weighing on her like that drawing of the man holding the world on his back.

'Atlas.'

"Come on Nÿx, don't ya love me?" Gryph asked with a mischievous grin. After two months of daily contact with the little brunette he had come to the conclusion that she was not interested. It hurt, but his male ego could take it. There were plenty of hot mommas pawing him at the end of one of his fights. No skin off his back if one little brunette didn't follow the pack...

"Like a hole in my head." She retorted half heartedly ignoring him. "So what is it?"

"That's the problem right there, Nÿx." Aric began with a heavy sigh. "You have to conversate before g-."

"You're wasting my time, now get to the point or I'm outta here."

The silence was broken by the noisy people around them but seeing the look on Nÿx's face both Aric and Gryph got to the point.

-X-

They were bent! There was no doubt in her mind that Aric and Gryph had finally lost their minds. Her laughter floated over them, a light innocent sound that attracted the notice of several customers in the market.

"Why's it funny?" Gryph asked looking confused. The plan was perfect.

"You want me to steal something from a party." Nÿx repeated with laughter in her voice. "That I'm supposed to be attending." She shook her head and moved to stand. It had been a waste of her time. "How exactly am I supposed to get invited?" she asked curiously then laughed again.

Both men glanced at each other and their silence cut her laughter short. She knew there was something they weren't telling her, something they knew she wasn't going to like.

"Well..." Aric avoided her eyes and that was all she needed to know.

"No." Nÿx said with finality. In two months she had found out everything she needed to know about Aric. He was brilliant with computers and their programming but he had a weakness. He loved to gamble and Gryph was no better. The only difference in both men was that one gambled with his brains while the other used muscle. She had no need for either kind of fool and the heist they thought to pull off, or rather for her to pull off, was made for disaster.

"No. Find someone stupid for the job. I'm done."

Both men looked up at her in a panic as she stood to leave.

"But he likes you!" Gryph blurted. Nÿx froze letting his words settle then slowly turned to face both men again.

"Who?" though her voice was normal in pitch and tone Aric felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. She could easily reach out and snap him in half!

"Uh, well..." Gryph glanced at Aric who sat very still and quiet for once. "He'll pay-."

"He what?" Nÿx demanded harshly. Her face was an inch away from his. Gryph looked into her big hazel eyes seeing the tiny flecks of green and tried not to flinch.

"It's not like that." Aric insisted but Nÿx wasn't about to let him talk her around.

"Well, not entirely." Gryph sounded apologetic which made Nÿx think they had somehow implicated her already. She sat down heavily, curious as to what exactly they had done.

"I am not a-!"

"No!" both men said at once.

"We know that, Nÿx. We're not saying that." Aric reassured but then again he was practically implying that she was to some stranger.

"It's just- well, he likes you and... you know, we figured..." Gryph trailed off seeing her icy glare and Aric picked up the argument.

"Come on, Nÿx. It's the only chance we're gonna get."

-X-