CHAPTER 92

FAMILY SQUABBLES

December 13, 2010

7:30pm

Carthis, Scotland

The New Centre

At seven thirty on the dot, dinner was served for Peter and his group in one of the conference room's on the third floor that Peter had taken command of. The only person missing was Bane, for he had already been briefed on the plan to escape the Centre, and someone had to keep guard over Cox and Raines. The young sweeper had to swear not to harm Cox or Raines.

The little group had made headway over the few days they had known each other, they were no longer divided as they were. In fact friendships had been forged. Surprisingly, Akio and Jiro had become close with Ajax, Ares and Achilles, Alex supposed it had to due with their upbringing.

A new member had been added to the group, Kyra, Ares's girlfriend. At seventeen Kyra was a year old than Bane and six months older than Ares, Ajax, and Achilles. She was most defiantly a pretty girl, with her long black curly hair and pixie like features and of course Kyra had the golden eyes denoting that she was a member of project Midas. She also had a bit of spunk to her that Alex couldn't help but like.

"So Petey what's the plan?" Derek asked.

"Certain staff, has been told not to report in the morning. That staff being the more or less innocent Centre workers. This will make it easier for us to be rescued," Peter answered.

"I don't get it why can't we just walk out?" Minna asked.

"First off if we just walk out we'll be hunted down. And the last time we just walked down they brought the Centre back. The Centre needs to be shut down once and for all. Over the past few days I've slowly been transferring subjects to hospitals and psychological wards across the country. But there will be a fight. I'm telling you all now this will be ugly, people may die, hopefully none of us."

"Gee Tiger, way to inspire the troops," Alex said sarcastically, as she looked at the worried expressions of the people around her.

"I'm just trying to be realistic here," Peter defended himself.

"You might want to work on your skills at delivering information," Kyra smirked at the boy.

"If I wanted a clone of my sister I can just go and restart Shadow," Peter muttered and Alex smacked the back of his head not so gently.

"Your newfound cousin seems to be a bit feisty, Ares" Kyra whispered to her boyfriend.

"Ease off the young one. He's not even eleven yet and you've got to admit he's doing a hell of a job for a kid his age," Ares pleaded.

"I have nothing but respect for Young Master Russell. Observing him and his sister makes me wonder just how... strong willed the rest of their -your- family is," Kyra said.

"The word you wanted was stubborn," Peter corrected Kyra, overhearing Kyra and Ares's conversation. "And I assure you that my lovely sister is as stubborn as they come in the family, she's even surpassed our mother."

"I may be weak but I can-"

"Still set me on fire, yes I know," Peter cut off his sister. "And you wouldn't dare. Mom would kill you."

"You're forgetting little brother, due to my -for the lack of a better term- childhood, I'm the family favorite which grants me amnesty," Alex argued.

"I was abducted; had my memory erased; impersonated by my evil clone; given completely new memories; turned against my family. Oh, and now I have to bring down the Centre from the inside all the while trying to keep a certain stubborn sister from over exerting herself," Peter scowled.

"Big deal, in the past three days, I was shot three times; beaten; and had a letter opener shoved through my had. Oh, and I was clinically dead for two minutes," Alex smirked.

"Are they always like this?" Inara asked Derek.

"You should have seen them at lunch," Derek whispered as Alex and Peter continued their verbal spar.

"All the more reason you should be in bed resting, Katherine! You have been up for the better part of the day, and are doing yourself no good by not resting," Peter said slightly hurt at the memory that Alex had been seriously injured on his behalf.

"If I wanted the opinion of a doctor, Peter Simon Vincent Russell I believe I would have called Daddy or William of anyone of our numerous relatives who have taken up the medical profession," Alex said, angry that her younger brother was treating her as though she were four years old and an invalid at that.

"That maybe so, Alexandra Katherine Russell, but someone here needs to take into account your health and you certainly aren't doing so," Peter hissed. The rest of the group looked on at the brother and sister and were vaguely reminded of a car crash. The knew that they should excuse themselves, at the very least look away and yet couldn't.

"I love you little brother but right now you are getting on my nerves. I think that I shall go and rest," Alex said in a low voice, wheeling herself away from the table.

"Derek can you please escort my sister back to her room?" Peter asked the sweeper, all the while keeping his eyes on Alex.

"I'm more than capable of getting to the room on my own," Alex stated. "After all I spent the first seven years of my life in hell, it'll be like old times."

"Please, Katie," Peter begged of his sister his eyes softening.

"I hate it when you given me that kicked puppy look," Alex sighed.

"It's my secret weapon," Peter smirked and for a moment Alex could see the little boy Peter use to be before the Center had darkened his heart. "Get some rest then? We'll talk when I'm done here."

"Alright," Alex nodded her head. "Derek, I think that maybe my little brother was correct in that I need to be escorted back to the room, you don't mind do you?" Alex asked the sweeper.

"O-of course not," Derek replied taken aback by the sudden changed of attitudes of Peter and Alex. Derek quickly got up and took hold of the handles of Alex's wheelchair. "I'll return shortly, Peter."

"Take your time. I'm entrusting my sister to you and she happens to mean the world to me despite the fact she is as stubborn as a mule," Peter told Derek. Derek then took it upon himself to escort Alex out of the conference room before she could come up with a retort. Yet the sweeper wasn't quick enough to prevent Alex from flicking her little brother off.

"You and your brother have quite the temper," Derek commented as he pushed Alex down the hall.

"Peter and I normally don't but heads but when we do..." Alex trailed off.

"Fireworks fly," Derek supplied, and Alex nodded her head.

"The last time we fought -the first time we fought- was two years ago. I snapped at him for leaving one of his toys out. The thing was I wasn't even angry at him, I was worried about my brother Jeremiah, he had disappeared the day before. But I ended up taking out my frustration on Pete, one of the worse verbal spars in Russell family history. Luckily it didn't get too bad. We may have said a lot of nasty things to each other but there were things much worse we could have used for ammunition," Alex reminisced.

"What happened after?" Derek asked.

"I was walking down the hall and found him crying in his room. I never hated myself more than in that moment. Pete has always been a sweet boy and to see him crying broke my heart. I wish you could have known him before all of this, you would have liked him even more then. You can see glimpses of who he use to be every now and then. But they're so brief," Alex said sadly.

"Is he you're favorite brother?" Derek questioned opening the door to Alex's room.

"I love all of my brothers, and sisters," Alex replied. "I sometimes give Tiger a bit more attention, because of his past. I don't think that the other's see that it bothers Pete that he is Richard Parker's son. I can though, a lot easier than I wish I could."

"It's because you're an outsider, like Peter," Derek told her.

"It's odd being an outsider of a group as tightknit as mind. But Jer, Jake and I are at times. Peter and my cousin Adam are also outsiders. The five of us have just led different lives from the rest of our family. Jer and I are lucky in the fact that we have each other to talk to. Ad and Pete have each other. Jake, he's just got himself," Alex frowned.

"So tell me why you and Peter were really arguing," Derek requested helping Alex into bed.

"If he knew that I knew he wouldn't be happy. You see I'm an empath, I can pick up on peoples feelings, even make people feel things. Yesterday, when Peter came to see me I could tell he was upset, so I took a peek. He's thinking about not going home because he's worried the family will blame him for what happened to me, Jace, Jack and everyone else," Alex sighed.

"Idiot," Derek muttered.

"No he's just a little boy. Sometimes it's so hard to forget that even if you're looking at him he seems so much older. I worry that he has completely left childhood behind him," Alex whispered studying her hands. She then raised her head, her eyes peering in to Derek's brown ones.

"Who was Kathy?" Alex asked shocking Derek.

"S-she she was my sister," Derek stuttered.

"Was?"

"She was murdered when she was fifteen. It was my fault, I got involved with the wrong crowed. Kathy was just an innocent bystander. You remind me of her," Derek said. "She had a good soul, and a fire to her. She could make grown men quiver in their boots."

"So that's why you decided to trust me. Because you see your sister in me," Alex realized.

"I guess so. I never really thought about it," Derek shrugged his shoulders.

"You're a good man Derek. I'm glad to have you on our side," Alex told the sweeper.

"I'm glad to be a part of something better. I'm glad that I can do something that would make Kathy proud."

"Derek...there's something that you need to know," Alex said softly.

"What?" Derek asked worried at Alex's tone of voice.

"I know that you care about Minna, Inara, Jiro and Akio, and you may not like to hear this, but one of then has or will betray us. I'm too weak to tell who it is, so Airell is trying to figure it out. Do you have any idea who it might be?"

"Alex, I can't even believe that one of them would ever think of betraying us. I mean come on we all have so much to lose, our lives for instance," Derek argued.

"I know. And I wish I wasn't so weak, if I was stronger than my abilities wouldn't be so off right now and I could sense who it was. Not even the voices are giving me any clues." Alex sighed.

"Voices?" Derek questioned as brief look of worry crossing his features as he wondered about Alex's mental stability.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not crazy," Alex scowled. "I left out that I have an inner sense," Alex reminded Derek.

"Inner sense?" Derek's brows furrowed.

"It runs on the Jamieson side of my family. We hear voices, mostly for me it's my grandmother Catherine, sometimes my Uncle Kyle. My cousin Jeremiah can hear his biological mom. Pete's got an inner sense to, his voices are basically limited to his biological mom who is my grandmother Catherine," Alex explained.

"That's a new one," Derek said shaking his head, amazed by Alex's confession. "These's voices what do they tell you?"

"Warnings sometimes. I knew that I was going to be captured, that Jeremiah couldn't stay behind or he would be killed. Sometimes I'm told little facts-"

"Like Kathy?" Derek questioned.

"Exactly," Alex confirmed. "And then sometimes it's just nonsensical words that I can't make out."

"No offense but it sounds just a bit crazy to me," Derek said.

"By Russell standards it's nothing," Alex said a yawn escaping.

"You need to get some sleep. I can stay if you wish, the meeting should be over shortly. Once it is Jiro and Akio will take over watch for Bane, I'm sure the first place he'll come is here," Derek teased lightly.

"He worries about me," Alex said blushing slightly.

"He's infatuated with you," Derek corrected. "I've known Bane for over a year now, and while we haven't been exceptionally close until now, we bordered on friendship. And in the time that I have known him Bane has never cared about anyone as much as he cares about you. I believe Miss Russell you have stolen young Bane's heart."

Up Next: The mole is revealed and finally Jeremiah and Bobby have their talk.

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