Sorry this one took so long, gang. The muse decided to sputter from the faucet but I was diligent I promise :D - and here's the fragmented result. Review for me loves - oh and check out the banner for CheckMate as well as the new header for my blog (both of which I'm rather proud).You can find them at my DA fic blog (the URL is on my profile). Enjoy!

-- Tyler

Original Cindy glanced up from her locker as Sketchy appeared around the corner, his face longer then a mules and his eyes shifting uneasily towards the dispatch counter (and Normal).

"Where you been?" Cindy challenged as he approached, and Sketchy ducked under one of the overhanging bikes before gripping her arm casually and pulling her behind a set of lockers.

"Easy, alright? Normal's gonna pull a muscle in his throat yelling at me if he finds out I skipped the decontamination hose-down and came into work."

"Say what?" Cindy crinkled up her nose and narrowed her eyes as she looked him up and down, "Boy, you wreak o' sewer – think Normal's somehow gonna miss out on that?"

"I'll go home and change." Sketchy didn't seem to notice the incrimination odor as he cast a furtive look over his shoulder and continued, "Spoke to Max and Alec 'bout our little problem."

"Really." Cindy raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms, "You done traipsed into Terminal City in broad freaking daylight?"

"Sewers." Sketchy reminded her, "I'm not stupid."

"You're not dead." She responded coolly, "'N you still got all your limbs to boot – which means Max and Alec musta hit where you it don't show. What are you thinking, Sketchy?"

"I was thinking," He raised his eyebrows at his shorter, browner affiliate, "that they could take care of this incarceration threat looming over our heads before we're all out of work and in the can!"

"Max 'n Alec got enough on their plates without havin' to sort this one out as well." Cindy informed him matter-of-factly as she poked him the chest.

"Yeah well it's not like they wouldn't have found out anyway." Sketchy protested as he rubbed the back of his neck, "It just woulda been too late for them to do anything under the table."

Cindy's lips twisted as she cocked an eyebrow at him, "Just what exactly are Max and Alec meant to do about this anyhow?"

"I'm just sayin', Max, we're not gonna get anywhere with this one till we find out who's behind it." Alec spread his hands as he raised his eyebrows up at Max's pacing form, "And the only way to do that is to start with asking Normal who he got the visit from."

"Oh right," Max paused to smile cynically at Alec, "Cuz we can just waltz into Jam Pony and make Hard-Hat spill the beans without attracting any attention whatsoever."

Alec's eyebrows fell, "You know, sarcasm's only therapeutic when you get it right."

"Yeah well you can lecture me on that later – just take a number and get in line." She ignored the purse of Alec's lips at the remark as she placed her palms on the table and sighed.

"We can't risk anybody else on this one – we're gonna have to go it alone."

Alec nodded as his gaze fell to the dusty windowpane of Max's apartment, "Mole made it pretty clear this morning that backing was outta the question as far as he was concerned."

"It's fine, we can take care of it ourselves." Max pushed away from the table as her pager beeped, fingering the device and frowning at the caller ID.

"Speak of the devil." She thumbed the power off and tucked her pager into her pocket. Alec resisted the urge to suggest that Max hand it over – he had become used to assisting her as stalker repellent on more then one occasion (tricking Logan did not count).

"Yeah good on ya, Maxie. You tell him where to go." Alec stood up and stretched his arms over his head before swinging them into a clap, "Right, so I take Normal, you take Logan and we double up for the inevitable knuckle-grinding – sound good to you?"

"I guess." Max sounded almost despondent at the whole situation, and Alec instinctively knew that she was blaming herself for the fall-out their former workmates were now experiencing.

"S'not your fault, Max." He informed her quietly as he moved to stand beside her and patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Yeah well whether that's true or not, it's still my problem." Max was staring vacantly at the table with silent distress on her striking features.

"It's our problem." Alec responded, before he cleared the air with a matter-of-fact sniff as he headed for the door, "Right, see ya later then."

"Where you going?" Max queried, and she found herself genuinely surprised at the small desire inside of her wishing Alec would stick around and tell her everything was going to be okay.

Alec seemed equally taken aback by the tone in which Max had spoken the words as he rested a hand on the doorframe, "Central, first – to tell Mole to mind his own damn business on this case. Then Normal's, I guess." His eyes narrowed in concern, "Why, you uh need me for somethin'?"

Yes. No. I don't know. Max shook her head and closed her eyes briefly as if the action would rattle her brain back into gear, "Forget it. Just…call me when you know who's pulling the strings with this."

"Sure thing." Alec flashed her a reassuring smirk before smacking the doorframe and disappearing through the threshold.

Max sank into a hard-backed dining room chair and folded her arms on the table before dropping her head in between them.

Okay Max, what the hell was that?


Slipping in and out of Terminal City was a relative breeze for the average transgenic – even with the perpetual hover-drone presence patrolling the perimeter and angry civilian militia.

Least they called off the squad cars, Alec noted duly as he swung his legs over the saddle of his Triumph and snapped his biker gloves in place, Mutual exchange of good will my ass. We had to pull every single one of our snipers back before they even attempted to return the favor.

"You're 494, right?"

He glanced up cautiously and then grinned slightly at the pre-teen X7 boy from his rescue the previous day, "Yeah well, you get to call me Alec. Everyone else does."

"How do you pick a name?" The boy had large brown eyes that were wide with something akin to curiosity, and the dirty brown curls entangled around his ears suggested it had been some time since he'd been groomed at all, "At Manticore we didn't have names."

"Well this ain't Manticore, so uh…" Alec's grin broadened as he threw a quick look around to ensure his leaving was going undetected, "Guess you can call yourself whatever name you want to, kid."

"Kid." The boy nodded, "It's a good name." His eyebrows flickered up in worry at the laugh which escaped Alec, "Does it mean something bad? Did I make you angry?"

"No, no. It's just uh…" Alec quickly smothered his laughter into a smile and reached out, tousling the boy's hair, "You know what, Kid's a great name."

"Really?" The boy's eyes somehow managed to widen.

"Yeah, it suits you." Alec stated with an affirming nod as though that settled the matter.

"So where you going?"

Again with the eye thing. Alec began to fight the eerie suspicion that this boy was in fact a Psy-Ops prodigy on Mole's payroll. The nomalie had already threatened to have Alec and Max tagged against their knowledge (and consent, but that apparently didn't hold water with the driven transgenic).

"Out." Was Alec's ruthless response as he revved the engine of his bike to life and glanced over his shoulder as the young boy stepped back a few paces.

"On a mission?"

"Somethin' like that." Alec cracked a poignant grin at the child's twisted innocence and gripped the handles of the Triumph, "See ya round, Kid."

"Bye, Alec!" The boy responded earnestly as Alec accelerated to full speed, tearing up the ramp that sent his bike flying over the walls of Terminal City. Gravity kicked in just as he cleared the vigilantes stumbling on the scene, the suspension on his baby lessening the jolt of rubber hitting concrete as he sped out of firing range and around a corner, bullets ricocheting off the license plate of the motorbike.

Too easy.


Ames White let his mouth hang open insipidly as he watched the figure whizzing by.

A Triumph. Someone's clearly desperate.

He scrubbed his hand across his jaw as his phone buzzed, reaching into his suit jacket and holding the device to his ear after glancing at the caller ID.

"Fenestol." Ames' eyes narrowed into a squint as he pulled his car onto the road with one hand, "Don't worry, I'm on it." He nodded at the Sector Cops patrolling the border as they waved him through, "It's called working the blind spot, Senator. You of all people ought to be familiar with the tactic…I said I'd take care of it. Let me do my job."

Ames disconnected the call and tucked his phone away before placing both hands on the steering wheel – just in time to hit the brakes and avoid the ragtag bike rider who cut across his path at an intersection.

White's face flushed angrily as he punched the horn repeatedly and leant out his window to glare at the young man who was remounting his fallen bike.

"Watch where you're fucking going!"

"Hey, sorry man!" The youth held up his hands briefly before shoving a stray package into his backpack and pedaling away in rapid retreat from White's acerbic glare.

"Fucking bike messengers." White muttered with a great deal more emotion then he normally unleashed as he continued on Alec's trail. It's days like these the job becomes a pleasure.


The midday winter sun had managed to puncture the ambling clouds that seemed to have gathered to grumble over the drab apartment complex where Reagan Ronald had made his home. Alec had only been over to his former boss' pad once – and that was an experience he would rather not repeat. It had been right after his uncomfortable defeat at Max's hand (or rather her foot) cage fighting at Mia's behest.

Didn't he still owe Max some incredibly evil payback for that one? Her low-stooping maneuver had knocked her a substantial few notches down on Alec's 'worthy of respect' list. That would have been punishment enough except for the fact Max had now earned back said brownie points.

Wonder how she'd react to the itchy powder tactic? Alec smirked and shook his head as he parked his bike and tucked his hands into his pockets, glancing causally around as he strode through the Fire Exit entrance into Normal's apartment.

Nah, Max had enough making her uncomfortable just then – to the point where Alec was actually attempting to alleviate her circumstances rather then aggravate them.

The stairwell was dark, green and dingy. Peeling wallpaper and mold climbing the sideboards alerted Alec to the fact that decadence was becoming a household word even in middle-class suburbia.

Normal's lock was of the 'easy-to-pick' caliber, but Alec was fairly certain that knocking was both safe and strategic. Normal could be damn pissy if his personal stomping grounds were encroached upon – not to mention the fact that the last meeting between the edgy Jam Pony boss and his 'Golden Boy' had gone down rather sourly.

After the first rap of his knuckles against the door, Alec rocked back on heels and waited patiently. Sure enough, the snippy response echoed through the well-worn oak.

"Not givin' anymore statements. I already told your bosses – if they want an interview that's not a repeat o' what's already printed, they can…"

"Normal, open up. S'me."

Alec was less then fazed by the silence following his response. A full minute passed before the door cautiously clicked open, a chain linking it to the doorpost and obscuring the suspicious face peering out at the X5.

"Well take me Jesus." Normal muttered, and Alec shrugged with a friendly smile.

"Gonna invite me in?"

"Gimme one good reason why I should." Normal retorted briskly, "Last time I let one o' you genetically-modified…"

"Genetically enhanced."

"Just get a move on before the stakeout teams catch sight of you. Now bip!" Normal moved to close the door but Alec shoved a foot in it and pasted on his most gracious, genuine expression.

"Look, just lemme in, alright? I'm here to help."

"Think you done your fair share already, mister, what with the cops breathing down my neck 24-7." Normal stated flatly, "Now clear on out – and tell Missy Miss she left a pile of crap in her locker, so if she doesn't want me to throw it out she should…hey!"

Normal's indignant bleat of protest came as a result of the deft hand Alec slipped through the door, unhooking the chain as he stepped inside the apartment and closed the door behind him.

"This is private property." Normal huffed at Alec's countenance as the X5 surveyed the cushy bachelor pad with a raised eyebrow of approval.

"This is pimped property, Normal. Does uh…" Alec raised both eyebrows as he waggled a finger in the direction of the rotund sofa, "that fold out into a love nest?"

"I'm a blue-collar professional, Alec, now what do you want?" Normal barked out the demand as he cast shifty eyes toward the windows.

"I want a full run-down on the suits who threatened you 'n the team with time for refusing to fabricate." Alec stated blandly as he leant against the patterned wallpaper and folded his arms.

Normal's eyebrows gathered at the bridge of his glasses, "Why, so you can open a can of whoop-ass on them all and get me locked up for certain? I think not."

"Yeah well I think so, Normal." Alec informed him dryly, "And so does Max for that matter."

"Max knows about this?" Normal sounded notably put-out at the concept.

"Yep and she's jettin' steam, man, so if I were you?" Alec pushed away from the wall and leant forward with a congenial smile that completely didn't suit the guile in his green eyes, "I'd spill the beans now before she collars it outta you and goes all agro on their asses." He shrugged, "Cuz that would just escalate the situation unnecessarily if you know what I'm mean."

"Uh huh." Normal seemed to be getting the (somewhat embellished) picture, "And how exactly do you intend on preventing unnecessary escalation in the situation, if you don't mind my asking?"

Alec beamed his former boss a grin, "Just leave that one to me why don't ya, huh?"

The hard-nosed Jam Pony owner was less then convinced by the gesture of assurance, but he nevertheless obliged his former employee.

"Said they were FBI." Normal shifted on his feet uncomfortably, "Same guys who dropped by back when that transgenic got shot on the news."

"Is that right?" Alec seemed less then pleased by the knowledge as he rested his broad shoulder blades against the wall and squinted in concentration as Normal continued.

"Walked in like they owned the place." Normal paused and cast Alec a dubious glance, "Weren't transgenics, were they?"

"Nowhere in the same genetic ZIP code." Alec reassured him staunchly, "Though they'd like to think they were as pretty."

"Huh." Normal grunted as he stalked nervously over to the mini-bar gracing his kitchen and poured himself a tall glass of Jack Daniels, "Anyway damn bastards ain't getting nothing outta me. Already told'em everything I know, lawsuits aren't credible in cases like this."

"Sure." Alec nodded in agreement, trying to keep a lid on the fact that lawsuits would never come into play 'in cases like this'. The Conclave would do as they fucking pleased and keep Team Jam Pony on ice till the cows came home if they felt like it.

"I'd offer you a drink, Alec, but you really should be hitting the road." Normal dropped some ice into his glass and took a quick gulp as his eyes shifted behind thick-rimmed glasses to the window once again, "They've got the place caged, I'm pretty sure of it."

"Yeah well don't worry, they won't be sticking around much longer." Alec stated wryly before offering the man a friendly smile, "Keep your head up, alright? Stuff's gonna take care o' itself soon enough."

"This ain't a case of 'give the devil enough rope and he'll hang himself', Alec." Normal stated reprovingly, "These people may be pains in the asses but they're smart. Don't piss'em off."

"They're always pissed off." Alec smirked benignly before patting Normal's shoulders and heading for the door, "Just concentrate on finding a couple of employees as awesome as me 'n Maxie."

"Wherever will I find such true and honest folks?" Normal's sarcastic gripe flooded Alec's countenance with warmth as the X5 disappeared through the door and headed quickly down the steps.

He had barely gotten through the door when he was set upon by a set of mean-looking thugs armed with stun prods.

Alec's body gyrated with the electricity coursing through him before he broke away, gripping the forearm of the man attacking him and flipping his opponent clear over his shoulder. Alec ducked under the swinging stun prod which glanced the tip of his ear and charged the second assailant. The pair crashed into a batch of trash cans and sent them clattering to the ground as Alec wrestled his attacker amidst the spilled garbage.

Blue static crackled through the air in angry swirls as the attacker swiped the stun prod at Alec's head. The X5 rolled back to avoid the blow and slammed his boot repeatedly into the man's face as he did so. Somersaulting onto his feet, Alec straightened up just in time to catch another stun prod straight in his abdomen as the first opponent struck viciously.

Alec pulled back, his breath staggered and his vision blurring with pain as he doubled over. His back hit the frozen concrete and his fingers scrambled to find purchase on the gritty wall of the apartment as he attempted to straighten once more.

Suddenly, at the precise moment when both of his assailants moved in for the joint kill, the sound of gunshots snapped through the air like the clear ring of a bell. Alec instinctively ducked behind the one standing garbage can and heard the groans of his attackers as they hit the asphalt.

"Alec!"

The voice was young but self-assured, and Alec narrowed his eyes in confusion as he peered out from behind the can to catch sight of his potential rescuer.

It was the X6 boy that he'd pulled to safety the previous night, clutching a .44 and looking around with his wide, brown eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Alec demanded, and Kid flinched back from the harsh tone in the adult transgenic's voice.

"You were in trouble, I…" The boy glanced anxiously from the bleeding bodies on the ground to the incensed X5 looming over him, "I just wanted to help."

"Come on." Alec took hold of the kid's collar and hauled him along to the Triumph sitting stoic not too far off. Alec kept his eyes sharp for signs of further attack as he hoisted the X7 onto the front of the seat and swung on behind him.

"Who were those men?" The boy queried, receiving no response from Alec but a brisk 'hold on' as the X5 revved the bike to life and sped down the alleyway, exhaust smoke thawing at the chilly air in their wake.

"What happened?" Max was on them before Alec even pulled the bike to a full and total stop, her brown eyes thick with apprehension as she noticed the kid perched on the front of Alec's saddle.

"You took him with you?" She demanded, ready to cuff Alec a good one at the outrageous possibility.

Except that his response mirrored her sentiments.

"Why the hell would I do something like that?" Alec seemed well and truly pissed as his boots hit the ground and he gripped the boy's arm none too gently, "Off." He ordered, and Kid compliantly slid onto his feet with an anxious glance towards Max.

"I just wanted to help."

"How, by getting yourself killed?" Alec barked before Max had a chance to voice her equally reprimanding statement. She raised her eyebrows and wondered if she had ever honestly seen the normally complacent X5 this upset before.

"They were gonna kill you!" The young boy responded as he waved his hands, and it was then that Max noticed his gun.

"Give me that." She snatched it away and widened her eyes at Alec (who, Max noted with alarm, looked ready to tear the kid a new one). "What happened?"

"Got jumped outside o' Normal's and Junior here decided to come in packing!"

"My name is Kid!" The boy declared with enough obstinacy to filter any humor out of the sentence.

"Quiet." Max ordered sternly, and the pale-skinned youth settled for glaring at her instead as he shifted his footing from side to side while she turned to address Alec once more.

"White's guys?"

"More likely then not, though I didn't get a chance to find out before Rambo here shot'em dead." Alec motioned a hand towards Kid once more and Max assessed that she needed to separate the two before full-on war commenced.

"Right, you, where are you staying?" She bent down slightly to gain eye-contact and was taken aback by the breadth and depth of the boy's dark brown eyes. It was like a strangely familiar lukewarm blanket.

"Max?" Alec's insistent voice jolted her from her reverie, and she straightened the curve in her spine before addressing Kid.

"Wherever you're bunking down, I'd beat it there fast."

He actually had the nerve to scowl, "They would've got him if I hadn't…"

"That would mean now." Alec interrupted with a ruthless cool that was clearly spread thin.

Kid huffed out a breath in the cold air before him as he turned and dug his hands into the pockets of his gray hoodie, "You're welcome."

"Don't." Max stated matter-of-factly, slapping out a hand without looking to catch Alec in the chest before he lunged forward, "He's just a kid, Alec."

"Damn straight he is." Alec glared after Kid's retreating form as it disappeared, "And I think it's about time he was reminded of that little factor."

"Speaking of factors," Max hastily switched topics as she gripped her jean, wool-lined jacket tighter around her and cursed the clouds behind which the winter sun had suddenly hid its face, "Normal have anything useful to cough up?"

Alec's frown was still present but it was slightly less lucid as he kicked a discarded can to and fro absently and pocketed his hands into his jacket, "Well White's the one behind it, that much he did say."

Max quirked a brief glower, "And how much exactly didn't he say?"

"Max, relax, alright? Guy told us as much as he knew." Alec squinted at the sun as it appeared once more and thumbed the bottom of his nose with a token sniff, "Normal's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he ain't an idiot either. He's in full stubborn-bastard mode right now and that's gonna work to our advantage in buying time for a plan."

"I gave Logan a buzz while you were gone. Turns out Sung offered Normal and co witness protection a couple weeks back in exchange for the full dig on what went down with White's muscle queens." Max glanced up at the curious expression on Alec's face, "Predictably Normal called proxy and turned him down."

Alec shook his head with a wry smirk, "Why am I not surprised?"

"Yeah well, I figure the first step would be getting everybody at work to speak for themselves and shake hands with Sung on it." Max sat down on a crumbling brick wall and pressed her palms against the cool surface as Alec stood in front of her, "Got any smart ideas?"

He shrugged, "Sketch and Cindy'd do it in a heartbeat, but I dunno about the rest of them. If Normal's mouthing the idea to pieces, a good chunk o' the guys are gonna side with him."

"So basically our prerogative is to get Normal to sign the dotted line." Max smiled tightly as though less then thrilled by the prospect. Her eyes brightened as she raised an eyebrow up at Alec, "Wanna play good cop/bad cop?"

He smirked patronizingly, "Max, you couldn't play bad cop if you tried."

She scoffed, "Please – how do you think Cindy and I ruled the roost back at Jam Pony?"

Alec's eyebrows squirmed in disbelief, "Only thing you guys ruled was the four-foot vicinity of your lockers."

"One o' you mind tellin' me what the hell is goin' on around here?"

Max's face set into a stone barrier, and she stood up impassively as Mole appeared on the scene, the ruby pigments in his eyes standing out impressively – along with his apparent anger.

"Just testin' out the clichéd scenario, Molie-boy." Alec's causal grin worked in opposition with his body language as he took the two steps forward it took to place him between Max and the nomalie, "You know, a boy, a girl, a back alleyway…"

"That waggin' tail o' yours is gonna be between your legs when you get wind o' what's going down outside Central." Mole responded curtly.

"What do you mean?" Max queried, stepping up to stand alongside Alec.

"What the hell is going on?!" Max's voice blasted danger in volumes as she, Alec and Mole hovered at the threshold of Central's open-air entrance, watching the complete chaos into which the building had fallen.

"You familiar with the term 'urban warfare'?" Mole was fingering the rifle he kept perpetually plastered to his side as he spoke, "Well it's younger, uglier twin's taken up camp. We got X series versus nomalies and it's gettin' nastier by the second."

"Shit." Alec yanked Max's arm down to pull her out of range of the bottle that smashed at the wall behind their heads, "Alright that's enough!" He yelled over the noise of transgenics battling it out, but Max snagged his wrist as he moved forward to put his money where his mouth was.

"Wait." She intoned before launching her elbow at the fire alarm in the wall, shattering the glass and punching the button in a single move. Instantly a screeching alarm blasted through the overheads and gradually put a stand-still to the fighting.

Max snatched the intercom hanging on the wall and glared at the crowd of grappling Manticorians, "Games over, people! Unless you got a death wish I suggest you haul ass back to whatever joint you're calling home!"

Tank's head, sporting a stream of blood from a cut in his forehead, appeared from under a crowd of nomalies as he shrugged them off and rested his hands on his knees. His breath was jagged and razor-sharp as Alec and Max stalked through the crowd of glaring, retreating transgenics to his side.

"You okay, man?" Alec helped his buddy to straighten up and threw Max a sharp expression as she opened her mouth to begin a lecture.

"Yeah." Tank swallowed at the blood coating his lips as he raised a split eyebrow at the X5 pair, "I dunno what the hell just went down. One minute it was all good and the next it was the civil war's fucking reincarnation."

"What set it off?" Max queried, noting with panic the complete whirlwind of disaster left in the wake of the dissipating crowd.

"No freaking clue." Tank shook his head. "Just tried to break it up once it got outta hand."

"Well someone knows what happened." Alec stated turgidly as he surveyed the broken tables and chairs with notable disapproval, "Though it musta been something royal to get the whole damn Central crew in a hustle."

"Was it some kinda racial crack?" Max raised her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips as she did so, "Cuz it seemed pretty specific – every X-series had a nomalie on their ass."

"Some of us had more then one." Tank agreed dismally, "I dunno, Max. What do you want me to say?"

"Nothing." She smiled acerbically, "Just find out what went down. If we can nip this bitch in the bud before anymore fights breakout, it might just be advantageous."

"You know there's a time and a place for sarcasm." Tank ground out as he leant against the stair railing and flashed Alec a look demanding back-up.

"So your Siamese twin keeps tellin' me." Max rolled her eyes and brushed past her fellow X5s as she stalked over a splintered chair and out the back door of Central.

Fresh air greeted Max's lungs and she inhaled deeply, palming her forehead briefly to ward off the splitting headache threatening to launch. Max didn't get headaches – she didn't even get accosted with the threat of one.

She guessed she should be worried. Not that she had time for that right now.

Her eyes furrowed suddenly as she came face to face with Kid. He was standing directly opposite her, just a few meters off from the warehouse that was Terminal City Central.

His pale skin and rosy lips contrasted sharply with the dark of his eyes as he stared blankly at Max. She froze in her tracks and took in the sight of the young X6 for a moment too long before he turned and strolled matter-of-factly around the block and out of sight.

Okay. Max resisted the urge to head back inside and share the details with the others. Alec would probably jump to conclusions and Mole and Tanker wouldn't understand anyway, so she decided against it.

Still – there was something really off about the kid. And Max was beginning to wonder if she now had other reasons besides her potential headache to be worried.

Not like she had time for that right now.