A/n: great reviews yet again, everyone.

OMG X-318, there is a person in the whole country who hasn't seen LOTR!

Λλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλ

Chapter 12: Darts, Doubts and DNA.

A slightly scorched and very pissed off Mole dragged Alec by the scruff of his neck back towards the command centre.

"It was Jondy's idea!" He protested desperately.

"Who, me?" She asked, a picture of innocence, looking shocked at the very idea.

"Nice try, asshole. Someone get me a rope! Sabotaging my cigars is a hanging offence."

"You're not really gonna hang me, are you? Are you?"

"Not by the neck. I don't want to piss Max off by killing you, she'd have my ass. No, I have something much more interesting in mind for you."

Smiling sweetly, Jondy handed Mole the rope. "He deserves everything he gets if you ask me."

"Oh, you are so dead, Jondy. I am gonna get you good for this…"

"Shut up, Alec," said Mole, stuffing a rag into his mouth as a gag. "Hey everyone, who's up for a game of Transgenic Darts?"

Λλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλ

Logan was typing busily, trying to stall for time. It was a week since he had sent the email to Sebastian. Knowing him, it wouldn't have taken long to track down Max. If she were going to mobilise the whole population of transgenics she'd need a few more days before she was ready. As soon as he made the broadcast he'd probably be killed, because he had no intention of putting out the message that had been prepared for him.

The computer tech that had been assigned to keep an eye on him began to doze in his chair. Logan had deliberately kept working long into the night in the hope he'd get a chance to do some work unobserved. Abruptly he minimised the screen he was working on and set himself to the task of hacking into the conclave's security system.

Λλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλ

"So before we were so rudely interrupted, you were going to tell me what the hell is so special about me and why I have these runes showing up on my body like a damn bulletin board."

"Yes, of course. I'm going to have to explain my story to you first, I'm afraid."

"Whatever, just get on with it."

"Very well. I created manticore in 1995, with government, or rather Conclave, backing. They were prepared to fund my research into genetic treatment for various diseases if I built them transgenic soldiers at the same time. The first prototype was born in May '96."

"You mean Joshua?"

"You know Joshua? Is he all right?"

"Fine, he's here with us. Turned out to be quite an artist, I'm looking at one of his paintings right now."

"Really? I did mix some of my favourite painters into his DNA, I'd love to see some of his work."

"Try the basement of the house you're in. That was his studio, might still be some stuff in there. Anyway, carry on."

"The colonel here was brought in to supervise the military side of the operation, training and so on, in early '97. What the conclave didn't know was that I was starting to question their plans for the coming."

"I tested the DNA of my two sons, Ames and Charles Junior. Ames was one of us, but CJ didn't have the immunity genes. He was always my favourite, more independent, more intelligent, always questioned everything. Ames just did as he was told, no imagination. Perhaps if I hadn't favoured his brother so much, he wouldn't have rebelled against me."

"The time was fast approaching for CJ's initiation, and I didn't want him to die, so I sent him away in the dead of night. Told everyone else he'd run away from home. I still knew that he'd be killed if the coming actually happened, so I set to work to prevent it. I worked for the next two years on creating a transgenic with the cure. X5-452."

"Me. so I get that you wanted to stop the coming to save CJ's life, but what exactly did you do to my genes?"

Just then, Jondy burst into the room. "Max, you have got to see this. It is without doubt the funniest thing you will ever see in your life!"

Max put her hand over the phone and answered in a slightly annoyed tone. "I can't right now, Jon. I'm talking to our creator here."

"Shove Sandeman, Mole's strung Alec upside down by his ankles and is throwing mud at him, using him as a human dartboard."

"What's so funny about that?"

"He's butt–naked. Guess where the bulls' eye is?"

Max removed her hand from the phone. "Sorry, everyone, something's just come up. I'll be back in five, k? Good."

Λλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλ

Living in a wheelchair was nowhere near as painful as flirting with Thula, thought Logan that night, trying to get comfortable on the cold floor of his cell. Geez, she's dumber than Sketchy. How the hell can she believe I'm interested in her? She's fallen for lines I haven't used since college.

I miss Max more when I'm with her too. Thula makes me think about everything she isn't, which just happens to be everything I love about Max. Independence, intelligence, beauty, wit, depth, strength, compassion… I miss her so much it's eating me up inside, like it did when she was back at Manticore. Who cares if we can't touch, it kills me not to see her just as surely as it would to kiss her.

I hope she's ok. Maybe if I can just get to sleep I'll dream about her again, like I did when White tortured me. It felt so real, like she was really there, giving me strength. Down to the smell of her hair, the warmth of her skin. That dream gave me the will to keep fighting, to resist all for Max, no matter what the cost.

I wonder what that cult leader guy thought of me. I don't even know who he is, except White called him 'my lord' so he must be important. Probably has some unpleasant plans for me, anyway.

At least I managed to get into the security system and fit an override so I can get back in whenever I need to. When I do the bulletin I can lock down all the doors so the familiars can't stop me broadcasting their existence to the world. Damn I'd love to see White's face when it goes out. Thinking about it, maybe the whole world can, if I hook up the security camera feeds to the broadcast…

Λλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλ

"Sorry about that. Now, where were we?"

"I made three major alterations to you, to make you different from any other transgenic or familiar who ever lived. One to keep you safe, one for the cure and one to give you the runes."

"The first was the most difficult. I made you hyper-intuitive, something I was experimenting with at the time. Have you ever sensed danger before it happened?"

"Well, yes, now you come to mention it. There was that time when Logan was sick and I knew something was wrong. And I knew the Sonrisa thing was a bad idea as soon as he told me about it. And I knew when the familiars were coming for us at Jam Pony…"

"It was a kind of insurance, to try and keep you safe so you'd survive to stop the coming. Your DNA contains the… recipe if you like, for the cure that will save the ordinaries. All you have to do is be exposed to nos'stracore and your body will begin to produce the enzyme that destroys it. Then your blood can be used as a vaccination."

"I've already been cut with the caduceus knife thing, that do?"

"You have? How did that happen?"

"Long story. So all we have to do is inject my blood into people and they're safe?"

"That's right."

"But I only have eight pints to go around six billion people."

"We need to take blood from you little and often, starting as soon as possible. It can be refrigerated while your body replaces it. I made sure your body could reproduce blood faster than any other transgenic. And each person will only need about half a millilitre to make them immune anyway. It can be done."

"And what about Logan? What about the virus?"

"What virus?"

"The love bug," explained Cindy. "Manticore wanted Logan dead so bad they gave Max a virus targeted to his DNA. They touch, he dies. If you put Max's blood in his body it'll kill him."

"You say Logan was very severely injured in the bombing?"

"So Alec said, he found him."

"In that case, it's likely that nanocytes were used in his treatment. Nanocytes would make him immune from a virus of any description, as well as the nos'stracore itself."

"Seriously? We can touch now? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. If he has nanocytes he's safe."

"Would these nano-whatsits repair serious nerve damage too?"

"Any type of tissue damage, yes. Why?"

"An even longer story. Never mind. So where did you go, anyway? Why did you leave Manticore?"

"The government took over the project completely. I was not allowed to do any of my own research, I could only get funding to build better soldiers. I left to work in my own lab, Advanced Recombinant Genetics, in what is now Terminal City. Then in 2008, the conclave worked out that I'd betrayed them. I had no choice but to leave the country. They'd found CJ and locked him up in a mental institution. I covered my tracks as best I could; changed all the records to make your files look the same as the other X5's."

"Then when I heard about the destruction of Manticore on the news I started looking for the colonel here. I needed him to find you, to explain what you needed to know. You are the only hope for the ordinary population, Max. if you want to help them you must return to Seattle and find a lab we can use."

"Sebastian's place would probably be best. Sector six, corner of Clancy and 54th street. See you there in three hours?"

"Very well. How will he know to trust us?"

"He's spoken to Cindy before. You should be ok. If not, call me and let me talk to him. Later, my peeps."

Λλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλλ

Tell me if you liked it. Sorry it's been a while in coming.

Chapter 13 will probably be even longer I'm afraid.