Strike 1!
Nÿx leaned half out of the tub waiting for someone to answer.
"Don't." Krit laid a tender her hand on her shoulders pushing her back into the ice water. She was getting fed up with their molly coddling, treating her like an invalid, behaving as if the slightest-.
"Enough is enough." She said with some heat in her voice. "I get this is good for me, ok." Nÿx splashed a hand in the water emphasizing the need to stay in by submerging her body further.
"We're trying to help." Krit said straightening.
"I know." Nÿx sighed. "I'm fine really. A bit pruny but okidokey." She joked half heartedly. Krit barely smiled but it was a good sign. "Just tell me-."
"There was a red head at your apartment. A Familiar." Max said matter of fact. Everyone turned their attention on her.
"Red- what did she look like?" Nÿx questioned already thinking the worst but hoping her fevered brain was just-.
"Red hair, maybe about 5'4", slim-." Max began when a loud banging grabbed everyone's attention. Nÿx rolled her eyes as Alec stiffened. He scowled to the hall moving in that direction. He raised a finger saying; "Be right back."
"Alec, just let him out!" Nÿx yelled to his back but he ignored her like he had the half dozen times before that. She grumbled under her breath, splashing the water in her tub clearly annoyed.
"Let who out?" Max frowned following Alec into the hall. He banged on the door making it rattle in its hinges as he yelled; "Shut up!"
Max frowned wanting to believe Alec hadn't locked someone in there when there was a muffled reply.
"You shut up!"
"Who is that?" Max questioned standing next to Alec.
"Who?" Alec turned an innocent look on her, which only annoyed Max. She grabbed the door handle jerking it open saying; "This, who." She scowled.
Aric stumbled out not seeing Alec who was behind the door Max had just thrown open. He turned a semi-charming smile on the brunette who'd let him in Terminal City and brought him to Nÿx. Alec shoved the door closed again scowling at the ordinary.
"Why were you locked in there?" Max questioned.
"Ask him cuz he sure won't tell me." Aric hooked a thumb in Alec's direction. Both sets of brown eyes focused on Alec.
"You said there was a spy." Alec said as if that were reason enough to lock the ordinary in the empty hospital room.
"And it's not him. Didn't we just say-." Max began to scold him.
"And how would the red head know? Someone still had to tell her about Nÿx." Alec cut in and both turned to Aric who was looking more confused but at their looks, he took a step back raising his arms in surrender.
"What, wait!" Aric exclaimed as both Transgenic's moved towards him. "I don't even know who 'she' is!"
Max raised her hand above her head. "Red head, this high, slim, busty. Get a picture?" she asked scowling because Aric had lowered his eyes to her chest.
"Maybe?" Aric asked in return as he thought of Audny. She was the only red head he knew who fit that description, not that he knew another red head…
Both Transgenic's grabbed an arm intent on locking him back in the empty hospital room.
"Nÿx!" he yelled hoping for some help.
"Let him go!" she ordered though her voice wasn't as strong as he would have hoped. Aric struggled harder but he wasn't getting anywhere they didn't want him going.
"He's the reason you're in there!" Alec yelled back giving the ordinary a shove towards the door of the empty room he'd been locked in.
"I didn't do anything!" Aric cried defensively grabbing at the frame while Max held the door open.
"Stop it both of you." Nÿx ordered sitting up in the tub. Doc took a step away from all the commotion leaning against the table as he watched with an amused smile the goings on.
"Don't make me get out of this ice!" Nÿx threatened to which Krit immediately began to protest considering she was half up and reaching for the sides.
"Nÿx," Krit saw she wasn't going to listen so he turned to the other two. "Alright! Get him in here." He yelled. Both Max and Alec scowled at the doorway where Krit's voice had come from.
"He didn't jus-." Alec pointed over his shoulder, a questioning look on his face.
"He did." Max responded glaring at the door. Both drew in deep breaths, simultaneously reaching for Aric and hauling him across the hall. Neither X-5 felt particularly fond of Krit at the moment and they weren't shy about showing it.
"How long have you known Audny?" Nÿx asked Aric who was trying very hard not to look like he was trying to get out of their sight and away from the X-5's.
"Audny's the spy? But she's-." Aric was confused not that he hadn't gotten the same idea when Max had described her but he'd been hoping.
"She asked you a question." Alec grouched smacking Aric's neck. The ordinary turned on the X-5 standing at his full 5'9", almost eye level with Alec, and reached back. Aric was tired of being pushed around, manhandled and just thrown around like he was some- some- well, he had no word for what they thought he was but he was pretty sure Nÿx had a perfect one all picked out for him. She'd seen him get beat up on since day one. Aric couldn't blame her for thinking him a coward; she probably lobbed him in the same category as that pansy they'd sold her to.
'No wonder she doesn't love me. Why would she? I wouldn't love me either!' Aric thought putting all his hurt into the punch. Alec's head snapped back feeling his nose burn and eyes begin to water. He grabbed at his face letting out a few choice words before advancing on the ordinary with murder in his heart.
"Knock it off!" Nÿx yelled throwing ice cubes at Alec while Aric stumbled behind Max, using her for a shield. She could have laughed at the sight, she wanted to laugh, wanted to get out of the tub and have a good laugh at their antics but she couldn't. She was stuck in that tub with Alec pouring ice into it every couple of hours because her body heat kept melting it almost as fast as the ice machine could make it.
"He hit me!" Alec exclaimed swiping the ice cubes away from his face. He made to grab Aric but Max intervened holding him back.
"Are you bent?" Max questioned looking at Aric as if he were crazy.
"So did you. Now you're even so quit it and you!" Nÿx glared thinking Aric wasn't bent he just had this innate need to put himself in mortal danger. Now that Aric didn't have Max to hide behind, he pointed at himself innocently. "Yeah, get over here."
Aric shook his head, "I don't think I want to." He said afraid she was going to hurt him.
"Answer her question." Krit ordered quietly pulling the gun from his side and crossing his arms. The stony look on his face and the quiet tone of his voice immediately dried Aric's throat.
'These dudes aren't messing around.' He realized.
"Gryph-." His voice cut out and he swallowed a couple of times before trying again. "He introduced us. She started working at JamPony last year, a little after the raid. Normal needed messengers and- he didn't ask too many questions…" Aric finished remembering that afternoon. He'd left, walked out just as the Transgenic's had arrived. He didn't even see them go in, not that he'd been paying attention.
"Gryph?" Max repeated the name wondering why it sounded familiar. Aric turned to her so she straightened. "How did you know about her?" she asked nodding towards Nÿx.
Aric gave a short bark of laughter. "Are you kidding?" he asked with an incredulous smile on his face. Nÿx chucked an ice cube at him shaking her head. "Knew the night we met." He said looking around at the others. "Day she arrived in Seattle…" he trailed off at the glare on Krit's face and scowling Alec. He turned to Nÿx who slowly sank lower into the tub with a hand over her face.
"Shit." Aric said because now he knew she hadn't told them about that.
"Nÿx." Krit's voice, very quiet yet stern, made her peek through her fingers. She lowered her hand slightly giving him her innocent smile and waved 'hello' hoping he wouldn't be too upset after she told him about her fist night in Seattle.
"I can explain."
"Later. First we find out why he told the Familiar." Max interrupted and for once Nÿx felt a wave of gratitude. Maybe Max wasn't so bad after all then again… first impressions and all that.
"I didn't!" Aric defended himself then turned imploringly to Nÿx. "I swear Nÿx-! We were at Crash and I was drunk. Gryph was- giving me advice." He glanced at the others knowing they'd caught his slip but he wasn't about to tell all of them he'd been moping over Nÿx. "Audny shows up, full pitcher and you know Gryph." He shrugged.
"Tell me he didn't." Nÿx begged knowing it was in vain. Gryph was just… so… Aric shook his head.
"I don't know, I said you weren't my cousin then-."
"Cousin?" Doc asked from his corner. Everyone looked at him remembering he was still in the room. He'd been so quiet they had forgotten he'd never left.
"She believed you?" Alec asked while everyone glanced from Nÿx to Aric, comparing skin tone to eye color, hair color and facial features.
"My point!" Nÿx rolled her eyes turning a 'See what I mean?' look on Aric.
"It still doesn't explain-." Krit began only to have Nÿx cut him off.
"Oh yes it does." She chucked another piece of ice at her feet. "Gryph loves women and if he was drunk…"
"He didn't!" Aric exclaimed in surprise moving towards Nÿx though he half expectd that, it was Audny's participation that wasn't expected after all the times she'd turned Gryph down.
"Sure did." she answered while Krit stepped in his way. Aric frowned at the Transgenic but didn't go any further seeing he still held the gun rather loosely in his hand. "Practically gave me details the next morning." Nÿx grumbled giving a delicate shudder at the memory. "That's when I took the HotRun to Sector4 and... you know."
Nÿx really hoped Aric wouldn't start going into details of what they'd been doing in Sector4 because there was no doubt Krit would have some serious words for her. Hell, he'd probably yell at her again and they'd been doing so well the past year.
"Gryph!" Max exclaimed finally putting a face to the name. She blushed when everyone turned to her, eyebrows raised in question. "I remember him…" her voice trailed off, shoulder shrugging slightly.
"It's plausible that after she found out," Doc said looking to Nÿx and Krit. "The Conclave devised this virus. There are any number of ways to get Nÿx's DNA without her knowing it."
"I swear- Nÿx." Aric knelt by the tub ignoring the gun toting X-5 behind him. "I'd never-." He shook his head looking very much the remorseful human. "I'll fix this. I'm gonna fix this." He promised.
"Are you kidding me?" Alec grabbed the ordinary, pulling him up and away from Nÿx. "You don't know half of what's going on." He raged.
"Who's fault is that?" Aric accused, pulling out of his hold. Alec looked like he was going to tear Aric apart when Max shoved them.
"Neither of you is helping so shut up or get out!" she ordered with finality.
After the yelling match was finished everyone was sent off on different assignments. Doc took Aric after showing him the basic sketch of the design, he'd been surprised by Aric's quick mind and ability with the equations. Max left to get the blue prints for the warehouse where the Conclave had the antidote for Nÿx's virus in order to plan the break in. Alec was sent home to shower and rest. Krit was the only one left in the room and he sat with her quietly, unwilling to start the conversation. He didn't know what to say, to ask or if he should ask anything of her. She didn't think of him as a man, at least he didn't think so. Nÿx would have said something…
'Just like I was going to?' he asked himself.
"Why are you so quiet?" Nÿx asked softly. She was feeling tired and even in the ice water she was warm. She had to keep ducking her head under water in order to keep it from feeling hot.
"Not much to say I guess." Krit replied quietly. He leaned his elbows on his legs sighing. The gun was tucked in its holster again having no use for it then. Nÿx chuckled turning her head towards Krit.
"You're a bad liar."
Krit turned a raised eyebrow in her direction, a smile playing the corners of his mouth. "I'm a trained soldier, Nÿx. I don't lie."
"Yeah, well…" she trailed off closing her eyes again. "Be right back." She said slipping under the water. Krit watched her, shoving the ice out of the way so he had a clear view of her face.
"Why?" he whispered as his fingers tangled in her floating hair.