Who Am I?

Everyone was so surprised, Max looked royally pissed off and the Transgenics weren't exactly looking at her with warmth. Everyone had questions for Nÿx but only Max, Logan and Alec were going to ask. The others moved back to their stations and tried to get some work done. The foursome knew there was no way to have a private conversation there, not with everyone's enhanced hearing.

Nÿx kept staring at Logan and it obviously made him uncomfortable. Logan couldn't contain himself though and began asking his questions. Where did she come from? How had she done- that! The electric shock.

Max was more direct, wanting to know about Krit and why he'd sent her if that were true. She didn't believe Nÿx was there to help not with the way she'd dropped in on them.

Nÿx for her part kept glancing at Alec who never took his eyes off her. At first Nÿx thought he expected her to make a move, escape or attack maybe but it wasn't what she saw in his eyes. There was confusion in those green depths. Somehow she could see or maybe she felt his sadness and the way he moved around the room, precise, very much like a soldier, reminded her of Zane, Syl and Krit. They all had haunted looks at times, as if they were still back there.

'Maybe that's why Alec seems so… interesting? What am I saying!" Nÿx thought with a slight frown. 'The fall must've done something or maybe the cattle prong… yeah, that was it. It shorted out my brain, sure. That's a reasonable explanation. Why I can't stop glancing at Ale- the X-5! X-5 331845739494.' Nÿx told herself.

She had to repeat his barcode to herself because that barcode made him a target. It separated them from her, from the ordinaries and made her an outsider. Nÿx wasn't an X-5, not an ordinary, not anything.

Once again she found herself asking the old questions.

What was she? Why was she? Why was she different than the others? Why had she been isolated? What was her purpose?

"How do you know her?" Max asked Alec. He looked startled for a moment and opened his mouth to answer but he had no idea what to say. What could he say?

'Sure! We go way back. She swiped the statue I was supposed to steal so we could get supplies.' Oh, that was gonna make things less volatile.

"He doesn't." Nÿx interrupted. "Just like you don't know me but I know you- well about you."

Nÿx stood up ignoring Max's glare. She began a brief synopsis beginning with Max's designation and her stay at Manticore up to the escape in 09. From there she had nothing until the day Zach brought in Syl and Krit to save her and they had blown up the DNA lab. She briefly went into the aftermath of that night glancing at Logan to gauge his state. He seemed to fold in on himself remembering the day Max had been shot and wondered…

As for Alec, all she knew was his designation and that he'd been twinned with Ben, the X-5 in Max's platoon.

"You're Logan Cale. An ordinary." Nÿx stated. The tone of her words unsettled him and Logan glanced at Max before nodding acknowledgement. "You've helped Maxie in the past, one hand washing the other…" Nÿx trailed off.

"Maybe now's a good time to speak privately." He said to Max.

"Who said she's not a Familiar? I don't hear anyone asking about that." Mole grumbled vociferously. Nÿx rolled her eyes with a half smile finding them all a tad annoying and yet unable to get mad about it.

'It's practically my fault.'

"Where's her barcode? If your brother really sent her where's the proof?" Mole asked now belligerent. He knew the others were listening.

"Turn around." Max ordered. Nÿx arched a shaped eyebrow before laughing.

"What's so funny?" Mole wanted to know.

"Her." Nÿx hooked a finger in Max's direction. "Giving me orders."

Before there could be another fight Alec stepped in with his charming smile. "You saw mine." He said softly stopping in front of her. Nÿx had to look up and slightly raised her head. "Only fair…"

With a wink Nÿx turned around and waited patiently. Alec tentatively reached up after a moment and gently moved her hair over her shoulder. He tugged the collar off her neck and frowned seeing her bare skin.

"Did you laser it off?" he asked quietly as he ran a finger over her neck.

"Didn't have to." Nÿx muttered turning around to hide the shiver that coursed through her at his touch. She stood with her arms crossed.

"What do you mean?" Max began with a frown but Mole was having none of it. His hands banged down on the table as he roared; "No more riddles! Speak clearly-!"

"Or what lizard man?" Nÿx glared. "You gonna hit me with another cattle prong? Cuz that worked out great the first time!"

Nÿx turned her glare on Max dropping her arms. She tried once more, calm and clearly to explain.

"I'm here because Krit sent me to check up on you and help. I don't particularly have a stake in this little war of yours. As you can see," Nÿx waved towards her neck. "I'm not branded so blending in isn't a problem."

"Then there's nothing stopping you from doing just that." Max retorted crossing her arms. She was furious, thinking that Krit didn't believe her capable enough of handling things at Terminal City.

"Yeah, there is." Nÿx retorted. "His name's Krit." She was getting tired of the childish attitudes.

"What does he have to do with you?" Alec asked with some heat. The idea that someone had a hold on her, Nÿx, didn't sit well with him.

"I owe him."

-X-

'I owe him.' She'd said but it didn't explain the why to Alec. He stood watching Max and Logan whispering furiously by the stairs using his enhanced hearing to listen in.

'Hell, everyone is listening!' Alec thought and glanced sharply at Nÿx. Did she also have that ability? Could she hear them over there, arguing about what to do and Logan unable to reach Krit to confirm the message?

"You didn't tell them about me." Nÿx's soft voice removed the scowl from his face. He looked at her then, seeing the face Manticore had put to this new super-soldier. Her dark hair cascaded loosely about her shoulders and down her back slightly curling. He reached up absently to run his fingers through it and settled for clutching the tabletop instead. Her eyebrow arched slightly, the dark eyes twinkling, as if she knew what he'd been about to do. He remembered then the mischievous glint in her eyes that night and the dark green flecks he noticed. They were almond-well, more cat shaped- not slanted as he'd begun to imagine. The corners of her mouth lifted in a smile and he wasn't sure if it was the deep red lipstick that made them look so full or if it was natural. There was a smattering of freckles aver the bridge of her nose, her cheeks slightly rounded giving the face a childish look. He liked that her skin seemed to glow warmly, it's golden tan clearly hinting at some Latin genes.

"No." Alec replied though she hadn't asked him.

"Why?" she wanted to know. Nÿx wasn't sure what the Transgenic was thinking but his look was making her uncomfortable so she moved around the table walking around the room with him close by.

"I-." Alec frowned, about to say he hadn't wanted to be ridiculed by the others nor Max to throw it in his face, a botched job… He wanted to say the others wouldn't have believed him if he started talking about the mysterious masked cat burglar he couldn't forget or stop thinking about.

"You didn't give me up." Alec said instead. Nÿx shrugged looking around the room again.

"Figured you could get yourself in enough trouble without my help."

He heard the smile in her voice and almost returned it but the thought of her knowing that…

"You psy-ops?" he asked harshly. Nÿx glanced up at him noting the tone and slightly frowned.

"Don't follow." She said wondering why he suddenly looked so upset.

"You don't have a barcode and you don't look like Joshua so…" Alec mumbled thinking maybe Sandeman had made another first but first what?

"Joshua?" Nÿx asked.

"Yep, the first ever. Sandeman made him or father if you ask him…" Alec explained.

Nÿx didn't hear anything past the name. It triggered the darkness clouding her eyes and in it she saw the hunched form. It was too dark, the light fading to mist, everything unclear but she felt it. Recognition, but of what or who she couldn't tell and she was jerked from the shadows.

"Nÿx?" Alec's voice was questioning and the last clear picture in her mind was a pair of steely gray eyes.

"Sande…man…" Nÿx mumbled. Why did she know that name? Who's eyes-.

"Nÿx? Hey." Alec waved a hand over her face and Nÿx pulled back slightly. She heard Max clearly just then and turned to the X-5 marching towards the arguing pair. Alec watched, slightly annoyed at being ignored-

"I can hear you clearly." Nÿx threw at them. Max leaned on the railing feigning indifference while Logan sighed heavily before fidgeting with his glasses.

"Cattle prongs don't hurt you, someone obviously trained you and you can blur but there's no barcode… What else don't we know?" Max set hard eyes on the brunette below watching the woman's face.

"Plenty but I'll make it easy." Nÿx answered stopping just under the Transgenic and having to look up, pointed a finger to Max then herself. "Anything you can do, I do." She paused a moment before adding; "Only I do it better."

Logan felt the tension coiled in Max and quickly intervened before they could start to argue again.

"Bickering isn't getting us anywhere." He said glancing from one woman to the other. Max obviously didn't like the brunette and he didn't understand why. Distrusting her, yes but dislike?

"I agree." Nÿx said moving to the stairs and heading up. "So, why don't you get Krit on the line and stop wasting my time."

"Wasting-." Max began in a menacing tone.

"We don't know how." Logan tried for patience glancing at Max as they watched Nÿx come up the metal stairs.

"That's what I'm here for." Nÿx said stopping by the bank of monitors. Her eyes kept sliding over the end of the platform but she ignored the nagging feeling that she should go over there. Only there was a perfectly good computer right there, in front of her, which she was going to use. The Transgenic currently in residence scowled up at her but moved when she hooked her thumb at him to get up.

"I thought you were here because Krit sent you." Max sniggered from behind. Nÿx turned bored dark hazel eyes to her, slightly shaking her head.

"And you're supposed to be older…" the words rang true in Max's head but she couldn't help the animosity she felt for the woman. Who was she really? Why had Krit sent her there in the first place? Why hadn't he told them about the Transgenic? Max stared at the back of the Transgenic currently typing away. The monitor blanked out as if it had shut down. Logan leaned in, hovering over the petite brunette, watching intently. There was screeching noise then the dial tone. Max scowled at his back noticing how close he was to her.

"You're invading personal space, four eyes." Nÿx grumbled turning her glare on him. He retreated hastily mumbling an apology to which Max gave him a look. Logan noticed and shrugged as if he were clueless. Both turned to the screen as it flashed brightly then showed a room. The walls were bare but they could only see two since the computer faced a corner. They could hear footsteps in the background then there was a black clad torso blocking the screen.

"Nice shirt." Nÿx laughed and heard the answering chuckle. "I'd rather see the face though, not that the view isn't nice…"

Krit's face came into view as he sat down. His smile widened, obviously happy and Syl leaned over his shoulder with a brief wave.

"Nÿx!"

"Hey! Miss me?" she asked giving him her dimpled smile. Syl rolled her eyes and pointed at the screen.

"You were supposed to check in a while ago!" she accused wagging her finger. Krit lay a gentle hand on her arm glancing from the screen to the blond.

"She's reporting now, Syl." He said gently then turned his attention to the screen. His face lighted again seeing Nÿx sitting obviously alive and well. "We were worried."

"Needlessly." Nÿx replied with a nonchalant wave. She wasn't about to tell him of her first night in Seattle or how his sister had greeted her. "Hey, I got someone you need to talk to." Nÿx got up giving her seat to Max. "Maybe then she can mellow out."

Max moved to the seat oblivious to the brunette as she stared at her brother and sister. Her hand tentatively touched the screen, a soft smile on her face.

"Max." Krit smiled.

"Little sister." Syl wrapped her arm around Krit, her blond hair falling over his shoulder.

"How are you?" Max asked with feeling. There was a sadness in her eyes seeing her family, what little was left of it.

"We're good, laying low." Krit answered with a shrug.

"Not so much for you though. You've been pretty busy." Syl commented.

"We've been worried and there hasn't been much activity of late from 'EyesOnly'." Krit could see Logan shift uncomfortably behind Max but didn't say anything.

"There's been a lot going on…" Max hedged glancing over her shoulder and caught Nÿx frowning to the right. She kept turning her head and looking out of the corner of her eye. 'Alright, she's definitely weird.' Max thought turning back to her siblings.

"That's why Nÿx is there." Syl was saying.

"Yeah…"

"I know she's not like us, Max but-."

"He means her training." Syl interrupted.

"We'll let her tell you about that just trust that she knows what she's doing. Manticore had a different purpose for her design; we just don't know what that is." Krit was obviously uncomfortable with the lack of information.

"She doesn't either and we can't be sure it was Manticore…" Syl glanced at Krit who took over.

"We can't really explain but she's full of surprises."

"Yeah, we've noticed." Max retorted dryly.

"I'll let you kids catch up." Nÿx said leaning into the screen so they could see her. "Bye Syl, Krit. Hey, how's Dozer?" she asked as an afterthought.

They laughed with obvious amusement remembering the day Nÿx had brought him home.

"He's fine, still giving. Bye Nÿx." Syl waved standing to let a new figure take her place.

"Hey, finally decide to check in, runt."

"Zane!" both Nÿx and Max spoke in unison; one surprised the other slightly annoyed.

"How many times have we gone through this, you grease monkey?" Nÿx huffed. Zane just laughed it off as Nÿx turned away. She heard their laughter, the happiness they expressed at talking to each other again.

'They are family.'

Something she didn't have even though they treated her as if she were. She glanced once at Max and felt jealous of the X-5 for having them in her life then anger because she kept them away, made herself so cold and distant when it wasn't at all what Max wanted.

-X-

Mole watched as the 'spy' walk around, weaving her way through the others, looking around and being so obviously nosy he wondered if she really was a spy. Seeing Alec and her close to his station, Mole pretended to be engrossed in his job.

Nÿx pouted slightly trying to gauge Mole's mood but it completely evaded her. The DAC was obviously hostile towards her then again she had blasted him with an EMP. That alone would piss anyone off, anyone that survived of course.

"So… you don't like me, huh?" Nÿx turned an impish look on the lizard man while fiddling with a weapon.

"What gave you that idea?" Mole asked never glancing at her as he busily assembled another weapon.

"Oh, I don't know, that perpetual scowl on you're face…" Nÿx trailed off.

"It's how I always look." Mole grumbled.

"Sorry." Nÿx's voice was laced with mirth and Mole turned a scowl on her which drew a chuckle out of her. "Ok, I'm sorry. Its just you're easy to rile."

"She has a point Mole." Alec was smiling up at the DAC. Mole clenched his jaw biting down on the cigar and slammed the weapon on the table top.

"I won't make any cracks about you," Nÿx smoothly cut in. "If you don't take anymore shots at me. Deal?"

"Why would I make a deal with… whatever you are?" Mole looked over the petite brunette leaning against the table.

"Because I'm trying to be nice… and you don't like nice do you?" Nÿx realized.

"Come on Mole." Alec intervened. "Another pretty face around here…"

"We'll see." Mole commented with a smirk.

"You mean Max?" Nÿx glanced over her shoulder to where the Transgenic was still talking to her siblings and smiled up at Mole. "She's having a talk with little brother. I'd say you'll be seeing plenty of me so why not try and get along? Besides," Nÿx looked as if her next words weren't as important to her as they were to the DAC. "You're too good a shot for me to be watching my back all the time."

Mole puffed up slightly with the praise and seeing the grin on Alec's face he grumbled something sounding like agreement and moved off.

"Nicely done." Alec whispered in her ear.

"Really? You're the type to notice." Nÿx kept her face turned to the tabletop suddenly finding it unbearably interesting and trying her best not to let the blood rush to her face.

'What is this? Am I going into heat again?' she wondered in horror. The thought of grabbing Alec and throwing him on the table-.

"You have to be psy-ops." Alec mumbled staring down at her. Suddenly he pushed away from the table. "Come on. Let's get you settled in."

-X-