What Is

They arrived at Terminal City in a flurry of panic. Nÿx's convulsions had become violent but infrequent and that unnerved Krit. Logan's voice echoed in his mind repeating his warning that if the convulsion stopped there would be nothing else they could do.

Before Nÿx passed out she handed the cd to Krit barely able to explain its contents but he understood. He kept it in his pocket still holding onto her legs while Alec held her arms and head cradled in his arms. The van swayed back and forth as Logan made his way to the clinic. He hadn't known the ordinary and he hadn't liked him just because Nÿx lived with him. Krit couldn't help his feelings but knew they were unfounded. If Nÿx had decided to take that ordinary into her confidence she'd had good reason. The cd jabbed into his ribs as they came to a stop making the reason obvious; Aric had been loyal to her.

The door swung open revealing Lydecker's stoic face. He motioned them out as Doc arrived with a gurney and three others of the medical unit. Terminal City didn't have much by way of doctors but there were plenty of field medics on hand. At least they knew to work quickly and efficiently. The gurney rolled off in a hurry with Nÿx strapped in and Krit grabbed Doc's arm.

"This is the anti-virus." He handed the cd to the older Transgenic silently urging him to do everything he could to help her.

"We'll get right on it." Doc replied taking the cd and heading off in a different direction.

There was nothing left for him to do there besides worry. Worry that she'd lost too much blood from the bullet in her stomach or that the convulsions had stopped completely or that the medics wouldn't be able to work on her in the current circumstances. Krit knew they needed to submerge her in the icy water again but with the bullet in her still…

"Damn!" Krit's fist cracked the plaster on the wall showering the floor with tiny flecks of white. "We never should've gone." He whispered to himself.

Max wasn't sure how to approach her brother. He stood with his hand through the wall, head ducked down and blaming himself, blaming her.

Logan lay a comforting hand on her shoulder still wearing his gloves even though she wore a jacket. Her eyes glazed over realizing they were no closer to solving their virus puzzle since they'd begun and yet here was Nÿx. Sure she was wounded and the ordinary was dead but she still got a cure.

'At what price?' the little voice asked. Its quiet admonition flooded her with guilt. What would happen now? Would either survive this trauma? She didn't think so and what was there to look forward to?

-X-

Thirsty, I was so thirsty and the worst part my entire body ached. No, that's not entirely right, my body hurt, like I'd been pounded on for days. Something creaked to my left and I turned to the sound wincing as my neck protested and my eyes flinched from the bright lights. I raised a hand to cover my face and managed to smack myself.

"Oow, krap." I grumbled. Besides being thirsty and sore I had no control over my body. Beautiful, just wonderful. What else did I have to look forward to? Was I missing any limbs-?

"What!" I had no idea where the thought had come from but it was enough to get me up, painfully, to look at myself. The glaring lights turned out to be a soft night light a foot away and the creaking sound was Krit getting up from the chair beside my bed. He took my flailing hands in his and made me lie down refusing to answer my questions until I was on my back and completely still.

"You're fine, Nÿx." Krit's soft voice usually made me feel safe because I knew there was nothing to worry about, not with him around. This time there was something else, a certain- I don't know how to explain. Krit didn't look at me, something he had never done before…avoiding eye contact.

"Krit?" I didn't know how to ask why he was avoiding my eyes but he knew.

"There's something I have to tell you." He began after he took his seat. He kept his hand on mine threading our fingers together. "Doc was able to make the anti-virus thanks to the information Aric gave you." He paused though still unable to look at my face. I wondered what had him behaving so strangely.

"You're making me antsy, Krit. What is it?"

He sighed in response and stood taking his hand from mine.

"You took a bullet. The medics dug it out but not before-."

"Before?" This was getting ridiculous. I mean if he couldn't tell me what the hell was wrong with me I was going to have to go looking for someone who could. "Just tell me!"

"There was nothing they could do, about- it was too soon, Nÿx." He looked at me then.

"Too soon?" he wasn't making any sense and for some reason he expected me to know what he was talking about. "What are yo-?"

"They couldn't save it."

Save? Save what? There was nothing to save besides my life!

"The virus?" A profound sense of dread washed over me. What if they hadn't been in time to give me the anti-virus? What if I was already dying? That's why Krit was behaving so strangely-

I'm dying.

Hmm.

Now that it was happening I found I really didn't want to die. I liked living, liked breathing and walking not to mention hitting 'things'. I wanted to grow old maybe; someday far far in the future I could start a family…

"There is no virus, Nÿx. You're fine now." He looked annoyed with me.

"I- what?" how could he be annoyed with me? "I don't understand what the problem is. The cure worked, I'm not dying anymore. What's the deal?"

Krit loomed over me, his face now scowling and said very softly; "There are consequences when you decide not to take the trancs or protect yourself, Nÿx. For now you don't have to deal with those consequences."

He couldn't have been clearer and the fact that I hadn't wanted to understand his words only confirmed that I had known. Deep down I had known what was happening yet I'd ignored every sign.

-X-

Their voices carried out into the hall through the open door. He was there again, alone with her. It was enough to put him in a bad mood but he wasn't going to let them know how much it bothered him. The closer he got the cleared their words became and Alec slowed enough to eavesdrop. It wasn't that he didn't trust Nÿx because he did; at least he assumed he did. Wasn't that what you were supposed to do when you were in a relationship?

He was trying to figure the logic in that when something Krit said drew his attention. It wasn't so much the words but the tone of his voice that gave it that doomsday effect.

"Consequences." His eyes fell to the tiles at his feet, brow furrowed as he thought. She hadn't taken her trancs, she'd told him as much and they'd definitely dealt with the 'consequences' of that while they'd waited to be let out.

'How could I have been so stupid!' Alec thought smacking his forehead understanding exactly what Krit had said to her. He just hadn't thought about it what with everything that had happened afterward.

'It was weeks ago. A little over a month. Did you really think nothing was going to happen?'

What an idiot! And he'd let her walk into that building-.

He'd come to realize that no one stopped Nÿx from doing what she wanted, when she wanted without a fight. It wasn't that he was above hitting a girl because everyone knew he'd had plenty of fights with Max and hitting her wasn't a problem, not anymore but Nÿx… well, it was different with her.

"I shouldn't have let her go." He muttered clenching his fists. Guilt weighed him down, guilt for failing to protect her and leaving her with the ordinary as back up. He shook his head at that brilliant idea unable to go down the path of 'what if…' knowing how futile that was.

The footsteps drew near but Alec was too slow in moving and Krit found him standing in the hall.

"She's awake." Krit said looking at Alec expectantly.

"Yeah," Alec replied not sure as to what he was supposed to do.

'You're supposed to go in there, that's what.' the little voice told him. It was scornful making him feel worse because he knew he should go in there. Krit kept looking at him obviously waiting for him to go in and see Nÿx.

Alec straightened his shoulders; his chin rose another inch, green eyes icy and without a word turned around heading down the hall and out into Terminal City.

'What are you doing?' The voice asked. 'You're running away again? Ha!' it was gloating now. 'I'd begun to wonder when you'd be turning tail and leaving her behind. I was afraid you wouldn't this time, at least she's still alive.'

Alec clenched his jaw ,refusing to let the voice pick at him anymore let alone bring up the past. He wasn't running, he wasn't going to leave, he wasn't abandoning her.

"Open the gate."

"630."

He stood at attention eyes front and waited for his orders.

"You are to eliminate this target." The picture was held up to his eyes by a pale hand. "Once you terminate you are to capture and contain 722."

"Yes sir!"

"Perfect. I want 722 brought in." the cold blue eyes twinkled behind the glasses matching the smile on her face. It was time to reunite the family, time to set the plan in motion, time to finish.

-X-

And finish I shall just don't hate me for leaving you with a cliffhanger.

I bet none of you can guess who the target is? Or who the new evil chic is? I'm not sure I know either but I know there's lots of questions that need answering but it aint gonna be here.

That's for the next part of this fic so if you have any questions let me know cuz I might miss something you want to have explained.

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