A/n: Hey everyone, sorry it's been a while. Thanks for your reviews for 17, I just love reading them.

I have no idea how much longer this fic is going to get. I get about four new ideas for it a day so even I don't know where it's going. There probably won't be a sequel because this is so hard to write. If anyone else would like to have a go after it's finished, feel free.

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Chapter 18: He Ain't Trannie…

Alec's team had cleared around half of the ground floor of the building. Their losses had been fairly light; most of the familiars seemed to be unarmed for some reason. Alec himself was taking point. He peered carefully around a corner, listening to the faint sound of footsteps coming from around the bend and found himself face to face with Mole doing exactly the same. Both jumped.

"Oh, it's you," said Mole. "Stand down, soldiers, they're ours."

"Good to see you too, Mole," said Alec, shouldering his weapon. "What's the sit rep?"

"We've covered the western half of this floor and I've left guard details on all the staircases. We were planning to meet up with you and then start expanding the perimeter."

"All the East side is covered too. You seen any sign of Max yet?"

"Nope," said Dix. "Guess that ordinary of hers is hard to find."

"Just look before you shoot, we don't want to take any friendly fire. Do you want to go up or down?"

"Up," said Mole instantly. "We've spent enough time in basements."

"Fair enough. See you outside, if we live that long, for the firework display."

"All right," said Mole. "But no cracks about the cigar trick."

"Thought hadn't even crossed my mind."

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Joshua was the first to move. He scrambled forward to kneel beside White and turned him over. Despite the bullet hole in his chest, the familiar was still breathing. His dark eyes opened to glare at Joshua with absolute hate.

"Go on, freak," he wheezed, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. "Finish me. There's plenty more of us to take my place." Joshua's soulful eyes looked down with ambivalence on his fallen enemy. The conflict within him was clear on his face.

Then he sighed, and with infinite gentleness, Joshua put one massive arm around White's shoulders and lifted the familiar's head onto his lap.

"Get off me!" White said, with as much venom as he could muster.

"So full of hate, Father's son," he said softly, stroking Ames' forehead. "Like Isaac. He did bad things too; I forgave him. So I can forgive you, my brother."

"I'm no brother of yours, freak!"

"But he is," said Logan unexpectedly. "Sandeman based all the transgenics on his own DNA pattern. Technically, all of them are blood relatives to you."

"My brother. I will not let my brother die alone, no matter what he's done. You killed Annie. You tried to kill us all. But I forgive you, because I am no monster. I am Joshua."

Logan tore his gaze from the tableau of Joshua and White to look at Max. She was just staring at them, her eyes full of tears, a proud smile hovering at the corners of her mouth. Impulsively, he crossed over to her and wrapped a strong arm around her waist. Max leaned into his embrace, accepting his support as naturally as breathing.

Together, the couple continued to watch the disparate brothers' embrace. Transgenic and familiar, healthy and dying, friend and foe; opposite in every way except the fact that they were family.

The rest of Max's team and Thula were as transfixed by the scene as they were. The familiar hadn't even noticed her breeding partner standing with her enemy.

Ames looked up with incredulity at his unlikely nurse. Two pairs of identical brown eyes, one pitying, one disbelieving, firmly locked together.

Ames gazed into the depths of Joshua's eyes and forgot his canine features. He saw himself, his father, his brother, even his son. Raised in a society that venerated family above all else, the familiar finally understood what he'd done. And even as he realised it, the eyes of Ames White glazed over in death.

Tenderly, Joshua stroked his eyes closed. "Goodbye, brother," he whispered, two tears tracing their way down his face. Reverently, he laid Ames out on the floor and got to his feet. His clothes and hands were dark with his brother's blood.

The first of the transgenics turned to their leader. "He understood, little fella," he said. "In the end, he understood." Momentarily, Max let go of Logan to hug Joshua, knowing the gentle giant needed her.

"You did the right thing, big fella," she whispered, stepping back to clasp Logan's hand.

"Virus bitch gone?" Asked Joshua, seeing them touch.

"Yeah, said Max with a smile. "Seems all we needed was a dose of nanocytes."

"What virus?" Said Thula. "What are you doing? Logan?"

"Max and I haven't been able to touch for almost a year," Logan told her. "Manticore gave her a virus targeted to my DNA to kill me. Now it's gone, we're making up for lost time."

"Max and Logan, meant to be," added Joshua. "Like in my painting."

"But… you said… the Conclave gave you to me…"

"This is your breeding partner?" Said Max, raising an eyebrow as she leaned possessively closer to Logan. "Damn did you draw the short straw."

"Tell me about it."

Thula raised the gun still in her hand and levelled it at Logan. "Step away from her."

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Zack's team were keeping guard on one of the smaller entrances to the building. So far, about two dozen familiars had tried to get past them in small groups. All were dead, without loss for the transgenics. Zack had deployed his forces to lie in wait for them, weapons at the ready.

Jondy swiftly signalled the approach of two unfriendlies to the rest of the group. They all tensed in anticipation, waiting to see their enemies before opening fire.

A woman poked her head around the corner and saw the welcoming committee. A shower of bullets peppered the wall, missing her by inches as she withdrew. She turned to her companion.

"It's no good, Bennett, there are transgenics on guard here too. We can't get out. I'm so sorry, this is all my fault…"

"Shh, Marianne, it's ok. Let me try something." He raised his voice to a shout. "Uh, hello?"

"Come out or be killed somewhere else, familiar, it makes no difference to us," called Zack.

"But I'm not a familiar. I'm human. My name is Bennett Cale, I'm Logan's cousin."

"Yeah, right, and Mole's going to win the Miss World contest, Zane replied. There was a snicker from the transgenics, except for Jondy.

"Shut up, you guys, Logan does have a cousin called Bennett, Max told me about him. Hey, if you're really Bennett Cale, you've met Max, right?"

"Yes, she was at my wedding."

"What colour did she wear?"

"Uh… red, I think. Yes, definitely red."

"Ok. Roll up your sleeves and step out so we can check you for snakes. We won't fire unless we see them."

Cautiously, Bennett complied. Jondy shouldered her weapon and checked his arms were definitely unmarked. "No snakes. If you turn out to be an enemy we can always kill you later."

"Can my wife come out too?"

"This a look like a family picnic to you? What are you doing here anyway?"

"These 'familiars' brought us here to try and make Logan do some hacking for them. Please, we haven't done anything to hurt you…"

"All right. Come on out, Mrs Cale." Marianne left her gun on the floor and walked out, looking every inch the frightened housewife. Zane and Jondy tied the couple up and left them in a corner, out of the way but easily visible.

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Logan gestured at the transgenics around him. "Thula… you know if you even think about shooting me they'll take you out."

"And that's why you're playing along with that freak, to protect your own skin. you're pathetic, Logan!"

"Everyone, put your guns down." Max glared at the team of transgenics. "That's an order, soldiers! Reluctantly, the transgenics complied. "There. Now you're the only one with a gun. You have guaranteed safe passage out of here. Logan, choose which one of us you want."

"Are you serious?" Asked Logan, raising an incredulous eyebrow.

"Absolutely. And if you choose Thula, I promise I won't have you killed."

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of humour, Max."

"Since when did you care?"

"I never said I did. I made my choice two years ago tomorrow."

"You remembered our anniversary? How do you do that? I can memorise the order of an entire deck of playing cards in less than thirty seconds and I've forgotten both times."

Logan shrugged. "Mia did say I was talented."

"Anniversary?" Said Thula, in confusion.

"We count the night we first met as our anniversary," explained Max. "After everything we've been through, it feels longer than two years."

"Feels like a lifetime," agreed Logan. "My paralysis, your seizures, Eyes Only, Lydecker, Zack, Renfro, you dying…"

"Zack's suicide, Manticore reindoctrination, broadcasting its existence to the whole world, freeing the transgenics, the virus, Asha, Rafer, Alec, White, Sandeman, Jam Pony, Terminal City, and now this."

"You really want her, instead of me?" said Thula in a small voice. She seemed to recover, and continued with determination. "Then if you won't choose your destiny for yourself, Logan, I'll have to do it for you."

She moved the gun to aim at Max and pulled the trigger.

Max ducked before the shot was fired, bringing Logan to the floor with her. The bullet impacted into the wall behind her as she pushed herself forwards, snatching the gun from Thula's grip. With transgenic speed she tossed the gun to Joshua, who just managed to catch it.

"Now, either you accept that Logan's mine or I have to kick your ass. What's it gonna be?"

In reply, Thula dropped into a fighting stance. "Bring it on, 452."

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Ok, that was evil, but I could have been more evil. I was very tempted to leave this chapter when Thula shoots at Max. But I think I'm getting to be a bad influence on Reilynn; I didn't want to further warp her mind.

Tell me what you thought, anyway.