War Games

The air was dry and the sun beat down hard on the green trees. It was hot, not that she was complaining because it wasn't like her to complain. She was a trained soldier; there was no room for complaints, second guesses or doubts in her mind especially at that moment. They could be anywhere. With that though in mind she scurried across to the next tree making no sound even on the leaf covered ground and flattened herself to the trunk. She listened, her heart steady and breath even, the sounds of the forest came to her easily. Her eyes scanned the area around her then further out taking her time, making sure the area was clear. She was about to move out when movement grabbed her attention.

She crouched down quickly, keeping herself hidden behind the shrubs as she watched the target move along. For a moment she lost track of it and almost stood to get a better look when she heard it only this time to her left and much closer. Her brow furrowed knowing it wasn't possible to move that fast.

'They're trying to box me in.' she thought swiveling on her heels facing the same direction of the noise. 'See how you guys like this one.'

Quickly and silently she ran through the trees dropping low to keep out of sight at the same time positioning her rifle for the shot. The closer she got, the clearer her target was with no clue as to what was coming. She dropped down lightly pulling the trigger and the silent whoosh of air was the only warning before her target was hit dead center.

The blond hair was splattered in red coating her chest completely from where the bullet hit. With a sigh the blond slid down the tree trunk her rifle falling out of her hands.

'One down two to go.' And off she went in search of the next target. It was early still, no rush but she wanted to get it over with and take a dip in the little pond she'd found a week earlier. Thoughts of the cool water on her skin took up most of her attention, enough that she didn't see the figure shadowing her until she heard the soft plop of a bullet. Her attention returned to the forest with a jerk as she dropped onto her hands and knees searching the shrubs for the one taking shots at her. She didn't like being shot at; something about it aggravated her to no end. With a silent hiss she pushed through the ground moving in the general direction of his scent. He wasn't wearing cologne or anything else besides the soap they all used to wash with but his scent was as familiar to her as her own.

Suddenly she realized they were working together, drawing her out by using one of them as bait while the other one hid somewhere and waited to take her down. Hadn't they always told her not to risk anyone, not even herself?

'I must be better than I thought if they're being stupid like this and breaking their own rule.'

Well, she would just have to make it harder and slipping beneath a shrub she lay there quietly, rifle held on her chest and waited. Her eyes closed, her breathing stilled to a point where it was possible to believe she was no longer breathing. The sounds of the forest augmented filtering into her ears. Her brow furrowed finding the unfamiliar sounds and focusing on them, hearing them much closer than she'd first thought.

Her eyes slid open searching her surroundings for the next target wondering which one of them would appear first. A moment later she had her answer and a small smile lifted the corners of her mouth. He wasn't paying attention to the ground because he knew she preferred the tree tops. He was close enough to touch only she didn't want to just touch him she needed him down and out for the count. Her leg kicked out sweeping his legs from under him and he fell with a thud onto his back. She was on him before he had a chance to signal for help, a red splotch on his chest. He looked at her in surprise then his head dropped back with a sigh at her dimpled grin. She took his rifle moving off quickly knowing the last target wouldn't be far behind this latest kill.

It was just the two of them now. They both knew it even if they weren't using the communicators to keep in touch. She was much better than any of them had expected, there was no doubt she had been made like them. They were no closer to finding her purpose and these 'games' they played with the young girl had the potential to turn deadly if they let it go that far. Not for the first time did he wonder if he'd made the right decision taking her out of there instead of letting her burn with the rest of the lab. All the other experiments… he couldn't erase the memory of all the frozen tubes, the half formed fetuses-.

"Hey." The soft voice jarred him from his thoughts but it was too late to avoid the bullet to his side. The red stain spread down his shirt immediately and as he turned another stain appeared on his chest stinging his skin.

"Gotcha." Her smile widened until her dimple showed and her brown green eyes twinkled with mischief. "Can I go swimming now?" she asked almost childishly. Her head tilted side ways in an adoring pose which usually got the other person to give in.

"No." Krit replied pulling the now useless t-shirt over his head.

"Krit!" Nÿx exclaimed in a huff sounding very much like a spoiled child. "You promised! You said I could go swim if we finished early and the suns not even at its highest point."

"I know what time it is, Nÿx. I said no and I mean no. Now, where's everyone else?" he asked draping the t-shirt over his shoulder and moving towards her. She pouted a little more but seeing as how he wasn't giving in she turned in a huff and led him to Zane.

Krit stood over his brother, a slight scowl on his face. Zane looked up at them, smiled and waved.

"Piece of cake. She can't be that well trained." Krit mocked. "That's what you said right? Because I remember hear-."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Rub it in little brother." Zane gruffed as he got to his feet in one fluid motion. He raised an eyebrow looking at Krit's bare chest. "We showing off the baby muscles today?" he teased.

"Move out." Krit ordered Nÿx not answering his brother's remark though he did flush slightly. Krit blamed it on the warm day, the sun, the running they'd been doing since early that morning. Nÿx led them straight to Syl who was quietly plucking at the leaves on the ground beside her staring up into the trees.

"First one, huh?" Zane asked with a grin.

"Shut up." Syl replied shortly getting to her feet. Three sets of eyes rested on the younger Transgenic. Nÿx looked at the ground bored and wanting very badly to go swimming because she didn't like the games they were playing. They felt all wrong to her and it was just a little scary how the guns felt so comfortable in her hand. Everytime she looked at her hand holding the gun it was like she could see someone else's hand holding a completely different gun; someone cold, someone without conscience, like a machine almost.

'It's not me. I have feelings. It's not me!' Nÿx thought furiously.

"Nÿx!" Krit raised his voice and her head jerked up. She stood at attention without thinking to. Syl gently rested a hand on the young woman and Nÿx slowly dropped her rigid stance.

"Next game." Krit said and the foursome trudged off with Zane and Syl teasing. The sound of their voices echoed in her head and Nÿx followed quietly.

-X-

It was late and they were finally asleep so Nÿx decided to head out for some much needed air. Sneaking out wasn't difficult just fun and she'd become an expert at sneaking around. There was just so much to see outside of the ranch, not that she didn't like it there but her curious nature knew no bounds and it wasn't as if she could get hurt.

From the pages of the mythology books Syl read came to mind beings as great as the huntress Artemis and the Greek Goddess Athena. Both intelligent, strong women who feared nothing.

'Like me.' Nÿx thought grinning as she ran through the dense woods until she reached the main road. There weren't many cars that early in the morning, not that there was any sun to light her way. That wasn't a problem for the Transgenic considering the enhancements made in the lab. She could have taken the truck but that would have left the others without a means of transportation and she didn't really need the truck anyway. There were plenty of willing drivers who'd stop and offer her a ride into the city.

Nÿx heard the truck a mile off before it came into view. The headlights were bright, lighting the trees in the bend as it approached. It was one of those big semis with a long trailer and from the smell of it the driver had a load of animals in need of lots and lots of open space.

'That is really stinky!' Nÿx wrinkled her nose delicately rubbing her hand beneath it to try and get some of the stench to leave when the lights shone on her. She flinched from the overly bright headlights covering her face with an arm to let her eyes adjust. The driver must have seen her because there was a loud honk and the sound of the engine downshifting. That brought a smile to her face knowing this was her ride.

Nÿx stepped back until she was against the vegetation waving her arm in acknowledgement. When the hiss of the brakes passed Nÿx walked towards the waiting door and pulled it open then had to step onto the stair in order to see the driver. At first glance there was nothing exceptionally wrong about the man. He was older, about middle to late forties, with a head of thin blond hair and a potbelly. His mustache was one of those long, thick old western Wyatt Earp type of waxed caterpillars hiding his thin lips. The bushy eyebrows hung like curtains over his sunken blood shot eyes. He could've just been tired but the smell of alcohol was just as strong as his unwashed body. She looked him over carefully, the small smile on her face never wavering.

The trucker gave her a sloppy grin tipping his non-existent cap in her direction.

"Howdy." He said in a sickly sweet voice. "You headin' into town, miss?"

"Yes." Nÿx replied bobbing her head like a child. The truckers grin widened into a smile as he waved her into the cab.

"Come on then. I'm headin' there me'self. Cant let a pretty thing like you walk alone at this time." He said waiting for Nÿx to close the door. Once it was shut he started up the truck motioning for her to buckle up. She did as he said and breathed through her mouth mostly to avoid his stench though the animals stunk too.

"What are you hauling, mister?" Nÿx tilted her head smiling, the dimple peeked through her long black hair and the trucker chuckled. If the slight accent sounded strange to her she gave no sign of it.

"They're a smelly bunch, aint they?" he jerked his head behind him. Nÿx just nodded thinking he could do with a bath himself. "Goats. Just picked them up straight from the harbor. Some rich shmuck shipped them from Scotland."

"Scotland?" Nÿx's brow furrowed wondering why she felt like there was something she was forgetting. There was a flicker of recognition, like there was anytime she heard or saw something that made her think of what she couldn't remember. Just like the other times, a picture flashed in her brain. It was quick, only the faint echo of a room and men's voices. It had been cold-.

"Yep, island way over on t'other side of the ocean." The trucker glanced at the young girl licking his lips in anticipation. How many times had he picked up others like this one? Alone in the middle of nowhere, the beauty of innocence still reflected in their faces. Their lithe young bodies straining beneath his, their faces contorting in fear and pain as they realized their mistake. Runaways, girls out on the road wanting one last adventure before going to College and no one to believe them if and when they filed a complaint. How would they find him?

Nÿx kept thinking about Syl always having to go buy milk at the store because they didn't have a cow to milk themselves. Only cows weren't the only ones that provided milk and cows were too big to hide anyway, the beginnings of a plan formed.

She kept her eyes trained on the road in front of her though she could see the trucker clearly from her peripheral vision. He was shifty, constantly licking his lips as if they were dry and wiping at his shirt. Nÿx didn't trust him and it wasn't just his smell. Somehow this ordinary meant her harm but he was going to end up getting a surprise. She decided to make it a little easier for him and rested against the seat comfortably, pretending to fall asleep. It wasn't long after that she heard his low chuckle and almost smiled herself at his stupidity.

The semi hissed to a stop an hour later. The trucker picked a secluded rest area; one he knew wouldn't be frequented by anyone else this early and with a dark corner beneath an old tree where he usually conducted his 'business'. He glanced over at the sleeping girl, unbuckling his seat belt, making sure not to wake her before he was ready. His legs knocked into the gearshift, which made the truck jerk, but he'd set the emergency brakes. The trucker banged against the seat almost bouncing into the girl. Once he was steady on his feet he loomed over Nÿx, a feverish grin on his face. He was antsy with anticipation, struggling one handed with his belt. It dangled loose and he reached down unbuckling her as he grabbed her by the neck squeezing so she couldn't scream. He lifted her off the seat easily and began dragging her to the sleeper cabin behind them. Nÿx let him drag her up, struggling just like she was supposed to. Once they were both standing, as much as it was possible, Nÿx clamped her hand around his wrist. The trucker yelped in pain and surprise, the sound weaving with that of breaking bones. In reflex he struck her across the face letting go of her neck. Nÿx hit the windshield but wasted no time in delivering a front snap kick. Her foot sank into the sagging potbelly but the trucker still flew into his sleeper cabin. She wiped absently at the blood on her lip while shoving off the dash and heading to the back. There were a lot of things she couldn't remember but her muscle memory was fully intact. She went on instincts alone and Nÿx knew there were a lot of ways to hurt someone- painfully- with just the lightest touch. An electrical current at certain sensitive spots would knock a man out within seconds, but Nÿx wasn't a novice…

Outside the sky lightened while the semi rocked on its wheels. The thumps and cracks were muffled but no one pulled into the rest area. The lot was deserted with the only other sound that of chirping birds.

-X-

Doc examined the blood samples he took from Nÿx the day they brought her in convulsing. Something in the cells confused him, told him it wasn't normal, then again the girl had a virus in her! Still… he called over Rob, one of the medics currently on duty at the clinic. He was a younger X-series but extremely well versed in medicine. Rob was one of the more knowledgeable in Terminal City.

"Take a look, see what you find." Doc asked. Rob took Doc's place focusing the scope. Doc waited impatiently, he drummed his fingers on the counter top then began to pace the length of the small lab until Rob finally sat up with a frown on his face.

"Did you see this?" he asked Doc who threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"I just asked you to take a look!" he exclaimed standing in front of Rob. "Well?" he demanded.

"I'm pretty sure its positive but-. Well, how can we be sure?" Rob hedged, unwilling to confirm or deny. They'd had so many Transgenic's coming in…

"Well, test it." Doc ordered waving him away. "I have some work to finish up with the ordinary." He muttered moving off in the opposite direction.

-X-

'Where could she be?' Krit worried pacing back and forth through the length of the house. It wasn't the first time Nÿx left the ranch, even though he'd told her it was dangerous to go out alone. She usually came back the next day only this time she'd been gone for two days which is why he was worried.

"Dammit! Where the hell is she?" Krit yelled to the empty house. Zane was out in the barn maintaining their truck while Syl was just avoiding him. Both knew he worried over the younger woman more than normal but they also knew she was different and if anyone was looking for her there was nothing they could do to help her if she got caught alone.

All the training they'd been doing with her for the past six months had yielded nothing except a blown generator which was a result of an EMP. An EMP emitted by her. No one said anything about it now, though everyone was more wary of Nÿx, not that they avoided her.

"This has to stop." Krit stated to the silent room barely keeping from hitting the wall with his fist. It was frustrating, not knowing where she was or why she left, because the excuse of wanting to see the city wasn't plausible. What was there to see? A bunch of run down buildings, people living on the streets, standing under bridges, huddled round burning trash cans, creaking decrepit houses and abandoned stores not to mention the police. They gave everyone a hard time these days, especially a young girl out alone.

"Dammit!" this time he did hit the wall. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she understand they needed to stay out of sight? Of course she'd be curious; after all, Nÿx had been kept in stasis for most of her life. According to the file he'd retrieved along with her they'd been able to figure out why she behave more like a child than a young adult. She was eighteen, caught on incredibly fast and understood complex machinery or problems but when it came to everyday things her attitude was more like a child of twelve.

'What did they to you, Nÿx?'

"Krit!" Syl's voice elicited a frown but he hurried outside wondering what she was yelling about.

"KRIT!" Syl yelled again just as he opened the door and stepped onto the porch.

"What? Why are you yelling?" Krit snapped glaring at the smiling blond. She stood on the bottom step of the L-shaped porch a hand shading her eyes.

"Drop the scowl, Krit you'll get premature wrinkles and not even our perfect DNA will save you from looking old." Syl laughed seeing the scowl turn into a glare. She shook her head laughing then pointed to the road. "Look over there."

Krit followed her pointing finger where he could barely make out what looked like a bunch of dogs. "What…?" Krit trailed off focusing on the lone figure, a woman. "Nÿx." She was still too far to be sure but no one else knew the back road to the ranch besides them. He wandered down the stairs to stand next to Syl.

"What are those?" he asked warily. Zane stepped up next to Syl looking off into the glaring sun bleached path. He squinted seeing Nÿx and the rough bouncing shapes she herded in front of her. The noise reached their ears at the same time and he let out a chuckle.

"She's got a herd with her."

"Herd…" Krit trailed off seeing what they had already noticed. It was a herd, a herd of white noisy, smelly-. "Goats?"

"Where the hell did she get goats in LA?" Zane asked still laughing. He knew there was going to be a good story involved with this escape so he sat on the top step and waited for Nÿx to herd her goats to the ranch.

Nÿx saw them and waved, smiling happily. Syl would like the goats, of that she was sure because now she didn't have to go out and buy their milk. Now they had goats and goats gave milk too. She saw Syl wave in return and Zane lifted a hand but Krit just stood there, arms crossed.

'Oh boy, I'm in trouble now.' Nÿx thought feeling her happiness ebb just a little and after all the trouble she went through. She didn't know why he always got mad at her even when she did her best to please him, he seemed to be upset! She had no idea what she was doing wrong because he never told her. Syl would always make her feel better though and she'd let her borrow the art books full of colorful paintings. After she'd accidentally knocked out the generator Syl had gone into the city to 'order' another one. Nÿx had followed her, sneaking into a darkened building after the blond.

"What are you doing?" Nÿx had whispered. Syl had jumped around ready to put her down only to see Nÿx standing in perfect imitation of her.

"What are you doing here?" Syl hissed. "Krit is going to kill you when he finds out you're gone."

"You're stealing." Nÿx stated ignoring the question. Her head tilted slightly as she stared. "Why are you stealing, Syl?"

"I-." The question caught her off guard for a second and she floundered. Her gaze wandered over the valuables displayed. She frowned, hooked a finger at Nÿx motioning for her to follow. "Quietly."

'Krit is going to have a fit when he finds out I let her tag along. Not only did she sneak out which is bad enough but now I'm teaching her the cat burglaring skills. Great! Just wonderful!' Syl thought with another frown.

Nÿx had looked around seeing the beautiful pictures in the book come to life. Her eyes wandered, taking everything in and after that night she'd snuck off into the city just to look at them again, when the book wasn't enough anymore.

That's when she figured out how they paid for stuff on the ranch. It was dangerous and extremely risky because they could get caught and then what? What were they going to do? So Nÿx decided to be more careful because she wasn't about to hide from the police or Manticore. She couldn't remember anything about them or the others they told her about. Sometimes, when she helped Zane fix the truck or the tractor, he would tell her stories about what he did after the escape. How he'd spent his first days hiding on the streets but after a while he found it much easier to sneak into the libraries and curl up on a couch with a book. He did that in every town until he got to Los Angeles, where he bummed around before finally finding work at a garage where the owner didn't mind hiring a kid.

They'd given her a home for the last year asking only that she keep out of trouble and not call attention to them because the government was looking for them. Staying out of trouble just meant she wasn't supposed to leave the ranch because there was no where to get in trouble there and there was nothing to see, either. So, she always broke that rule, she'd leave for a day and come back the next morning or late afternoon but never empty handed. Usually, her return had a mush nicer smell than the current one. Krit couldn't help but glance at the lilies planted all along the bottom of the porch. How she managed to grow them out there was a mystery but their scent helped him rest most nights.

"What, no flowers this time?" Zane joked as Nÿx herded the goats to the barn/shed they used to house the small tractor and their tools.

"Not today. I didn't get all the way to the city." Nÿx called over her shoulder then stuck out her tongue very childishly at him. Zane only laughed resting his arms on the porch as he leaned back on the top stair.

"I'm not sure I wouldn't rather have the flowers." Syl commented watching as Nÿx closed the shed door then bounded towards them still full of energy. She stopped in front of Syl and hooked a finger towards the barn.

"I could've gotten more flowers but then you'd still have to go out and buy the milk so…"

Syl laughed thinking this was by far her most audacious escapade.

"Where did you get the goats, Nÿx?" Krit asked quietly and that immediately drew her dark hazel eyes up to his. He didn't look upset though she knew he had to be, considering she'd been gone longer than normal. It was the goats, they'd taken for ever to get moving in the right dierection.

"From a trucker." Nÿx said softly, slightly ducking her head. She pointed behind her to the now empty dirt track. "Down the road."

"Oh man." Zane sighed sitting up. "What'd you do now?" he asked her. His expression was serious and slightly concerned but they all had reason.

"Nothing!" seeing their disbelieving looks she told them the whole story. "I didn't do anything bad. He was trying to hurt me like he did the others only I didn't let him and now he knows better!" a momentary shadow crossed her face at the blurry images in her mind. Other girls cowering and crying silently-. She didn't know who or what they were, let alone why they were in her head but she didn't like the way they made her feel.

"You stole them?" Krit exploded.

"But I-."

Krit didn't let her finish as he stood glaring down at her.

"How many times have we told you not to leave the ranch? How many times do you have to risk them finding us before you learn to stay put! This isn't another game, Nÿx!"

"I know! I know! I know!" Nÿx yelled back. "How come you can steal and I can't?" she asked shoving a finger at his chest. "You get a different set of rules just cuz you're older and it's not fair!" she yelled again this time pushing past him into the house.

"NŸX!" Krit roared at the slammed door.

"It's not fair!" was the muffled reply.

-X-

"She's what?"

Doc repeated the news to a stunned Max and stony-faced Krit. Doc continue,d saying he was relatively sure but wanted to run more tests.

"No." Krit stared at Doc and seeing his intractable demeanor didn't push. He tried instead to appeal tp Krit's obvious affection for Nÿx.

"In her current condition taking the antidote may terminate- she could-." Doc had to stop because he suddenly felt a need to flee from the icy stare of the X-5. "She could stay iced for the full term but I don't know if that will work. We won't know much else about this virus so Nÿx could be re-infected with any contact-."

"Don't tell her." the words left his mouth before he knew it. Krit didn't display his shock. Max knew him, knew there was something he wasn't telling her and since when did Nÿx find the time-? Max really didn't care and what was the point of the argument anyway? Besides, Nÿx lived with a male ordinary, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Tinga had done the same thing.

"It would be easier if she didn't know." Max agreed looking sympathetically towards Krit. "Besides, it's early still she won't know. Nÿx will take the antidote and if her body rejects the fetus then you can tell her it's some side effect or something you're the Doctor." She threw a hand in his direction hating what she'd just said, what she had just agreed to doing. It was murder. Wasn't it? Only Nÿx had no say in this and it was her life they were trying to save so didn't that justify the measures being taken? Krit set his shoulders pushing the guilt aside while the anger sat heavy in the pit of his stomach.

"That's what we do. Not a word until after it's done."

Doc shifted his eyes from one X-5 to the other, appalled at their coldness. He'd thought Max, being a woman, would have more sympathy but it didn't seem that way. Had they no conscience? Did they care the harm this would cause the younger Transgenic when she found out of their deceit? And what about Doc? Was he going to go along with this?

"I'll tell her myself." Krit said quietly. "After she's well again. I'll tell her." he nodded accepting full responsibility then turned away leaving Max with Doc to stare at his retreating form. As soon as he left the clinic Krit went to the garage, got on his bike and left Terminal City. He had no idea where he was going, just that he needed to be out. Out of the cage because that's what Terminal City had become for him, a cage.

'How could she?'

The question kept going through his mind. Hadn't they all been careful enough, hadn't he given her the trancs, told her this could happen if she didn't take care of herself, didn't take the trancs? What had been the point of their safeguards at the ranch when Nÿx or Syl had gone into heat?

'Why?'

"Why him?"

And that was the problem. That's what hurt the most. It was Alec and not him she chose. Krit followed the road, trying to leave behind that knowledge, pushing himself further away from her, from them. He couldn't help but imagine Nÿx- see her with him…

Had she chosen? Or was it the feline?

'She was in heat that's the only explanation, she was in heat and Alec was there. Why didn't she take her trancs?'

Now it was different, now he had different questions and it wasn't that the pain he felt was any less or worse but knowing the feline had been in control gave him hope it wasn't Nÿx's choice after all. Not completely…

-X-