A/N- the last chapter of this had over 940 hits but only 28 reviews-- am I doing something wrong? pouts>
Chapter 15 Seeking to devour.
It seemed that no matter where he ended up, it all came down to white walls and clean, tiled floors. The majority of his life had been spent in institutions like this and he had more in common with his 'kids' than even they knew. His father had been a military man and his childhood had been spent shifting from base to base. Once he was old enough, he signed up and spent his teenage years in barracks. A fast-track career led him from post to post until he was right there at the top of the food-chain, with only one minor blur on his record to show what happened when emotion took over from reason.
Lydecker strode with the purposeful tread that came from knowing that his place in things was on top, in charge and in the know.
No matter what anal-retentive little letter-agency squirts thought, Donald Lydecker was not a man to be messed with and he had had enough of Ames White's inept fumbling and secret agenda; which was why he was here now.
As his feet echoed down the halls he surveyed the contingency plan that the committee had placed into effect upon the unlikely—or so they had thought at the time—event of exposure.
They consolidated the main three facilities into one; Atlanta, Wyoming and what was left of Seattle had been taken to a secret facility in New Mexico and reconfigured.
Once the situation in Seattle had been made known, the idea was for those recalled by the signal to be taken to New Mexico and re-housed until they could set up another three separate sections, it was too dangerous for them to continue in the places that they had been and it was better for them to be separated than to have all his transgenic eggs in one basket—so to speak.
The fourth facility masqueraded as abandoned military base; truth hidden by subterfuge. Most who saw the base just saw a decrepit, rundown bio-hazard area and walked away, unaware that underground and in the huge metal structure laid one of the world's most sophisticated scientific laboratories and military training facilities.
Lydecker always grinned a little as he walked through the hallowed halls, wondering if the more sceptical conspiracy buffs figured there were alien experimentation going on behind the walls.
Close but no cigar.
There were no little green men here… Well, actually there were, but only those whose missions would include jungle warfare where camouflage with their surroundings was a must.
He turned a corner, ignoring the signs that proclaimed that he was out of bounds. There were no closed doors to him here.
What he was relieved about was the fact that there was air-conditioning in this god-forsaken place. The temperature outside had to be spiking at over a hundred and, in the short time it had taken him to get from his car to the base, he had broken out in a sweat and the dampness had set in around his collar. He may have been familiar with discomfort and primitive conditions over the years but that didn't mean he had to like it.
A locked door stood in his way and he swiped his hand over it, listening to the click that proclaimed that his palm-print had been successfully identified by the central computer. He leaned forward and seemingly spoke to the handle.
"Donald Lydecker."
Twenty seconds later the door swung open and he continued down the hall, feeling oddly proud of the security measures that had been implemented via his command.
He walked past the lab marked Alternate Remedies and continued down the long corridor absently wondering how many square miles of tiles there were here. The plain white and military grey walls were regulation in just about every military base that there was and he had grown quite fond of the pristine sanctity of the place.
Once he reached his destination he took a second to make sure that he was sweat free and unruffled; it was part of the persona that he had to play that it didn't do to look even the slightest bit in disarray. His reputation was one of almost inhuman robotic coldness and it was an image that had worked for him more often than he could count.
The two guards standing at the door stared impassively over his shoulder, although one did hold up a hand-held security scanner and waved it over his badge, waiting for the tell-tale bleep that would signal that he was who he proclaimed he was and had a right to be there.
Lydecker pushed open the door and stepped inside letting his eyes grow accustomed to the odd lighting that illuminated the genetics lab.
The set up here was far more sophisticated than it had been at any of the other laboratories and he took a moment to just watch the light play off the glass beakers and test tubes, the shine of the microscopes and centrifuges gleaming black.
"The latest batch isn't finished yet."
Lydecker turned towards the voice and raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
The man hadn't bothered to turn around to face him and the distain in his voice was patently obvious. "I haven't calibrated all the variables that came from adding the serpent DNA. Prehensile strength in the rear appendage isn't something that was high on my list of priorities."
Lydecker shrugged. "That part really isn't my department."
"No, you go for the after-care." He made 'after-care' into a filthy word as he spat it out.
The corner of Lydecker's mouth smirked as he baited the man. "Do I detect some hostility here?"
The stiffening of the man's spine was all the answer he needed.
"You may be able to scare the shit out of those kids, Deck, but I'll be fucked over twice from Sunday before you get anything out of me."
Lydecker ran his fingers over the top of the desk. "Now is that any way to talk to the man who rescued you, gave you a job and a government grant?"
There was a moments silence and then. "Tell me what you want, you sick shit and then get the hell out of my lab."
Lydecker ceased his taunts and straightened. "In your previous…position, you made some alliances that have suddenly become advantageous to you to revive."
Hands tightened on the edge of the desk until knuckles turned white with the strain of not turning around and placing those long fingers around Lydecker's throat.
"Get out."
"Your situation is tenuous at best. Perhaps now isn't the time to grow a backbone," Lydecker growled.
"Leave them alone, for god's sake. Didn't you and your sadistic Nazis make them suffer enough? Let them live a little."
"Their lives are dependant on my mercy," Lydecker grinned, fully aware that there were those who said he didn't possess that virtue. "My kids need to be home where they can be properly taken care of."
"Yeah, you took really good care of your kids. Don't forget, sir, I've seen the Wyoming files. I know exactly how well they were taken care of."
Lydecker held back a grimace. The one thing that he was ashamed of in his early work was the fact that he hadn't kept an eye on what had been going on in the Wyoming facility after the '09ers had escaped. He had been so busy trying to track down his 12 elusive kids that he never bothered to check and make sure that the one who had been left behind was doing alright.
The things he had read about in her medical file had turned even his stomach.
"We all have… regrets, and I will not make the same mistakes again. The children need to be brought home and you are just the man to do it."
"I won't do it."
"I wasn't aware that I gave you a choice."
The curse that exploded from his throat was violent and loud enough to rattle the test tubes on the desk in front of him.
Lydecker waited until the man ran out of English and American swearwords and started on ones in other languages.
He cleared his throat. "As informative and illuminating your profanities are; I think our time would be better spent on the road. I'll give you ten minutes to settle things here and then you are coming with me."
"Screw you and the horse that you rode in on," the man spat bitterly. "Go destroy their lives yourself; I won't be a part of it this time."
Brave words said, he turned and picked up a test tube, hands trembling with anger.
Lydecker looked at him. "When was the last time you spoke you your wife? Or child?"
"Bastard!" he exploded at the implied threat and the test tube in his hand shattered, spraying glass and liquid everywhere. "Damned son of a bitch."
"I assure you that not only were my parents married but my mother was a saint," Lydecker said, tongue in cheek. "Get this place cleaned up and pack your stuff… if you agree, of course?"
"Yes," 'you bastard' wasn't said but it was hanging in the air as the man grit his teeth.
Lydecker grinned maliciously. "Excellent, I'll go and sign your release papers. You'll be glad you helped."
"Like hell."
The door was opened and he was halfway out before he turned back. "Cheer up, if all goes to plan you'll be reunited with an old friend. You'll like that, won't you, Bill?"
>>>>
The crackle of static was eliminated by a hand smacking the side of the battered television as someone grew impatient with the lines across the Channel Eight anchorwoman.
She blurred for a moment and then resumed her spiel. "It's been six days since the brutal attack on police at the hands of the so-called "transgenic", police officials are still refusing to comment on the shocking footage exhibiting the extraordinary strength of the creature.
Yesterday the Attorney for the officers addressed the media at a press conference."
The picture showed a middle aged man with a supercilious expression on his face. "As soon as we find the parties responsible for unleashing these transgenics, we'll be seeking damages in the tens of millions."
Mole scoffed as he flipped a finger at the screen. "Yeah, sure Manticore will write you a big assed cheque for that, asshole."
Max sighed and turned to him from her position at the command control. "Can't you turn that crap off, Mole?"
Mole shrugged. "Wanna be kept updated as to what the ordinaries are making up about us."
Max rubbed the back of her neck and looked pleadingly at Alec.
"Mole?"
The scaled man turned to Alec with a question in his face and Alec gave him a heavily accented glare.
"Off," he commanded and Mole sighed, flicking the switch to mute the screen.
"So, what gives?"
"Trying to find room and board for everyone is hard enough without the blare of the idiot box," Max retorted as she scoured the numbers again
Alec stood behind her, rubbing her neck in an attempt to get her to relax. "Where the hell did all of these transgenics come from? I had no idea Seattle was this big."
Pix nodded and pushed another sheet of paper at her. "More arriving every day. Thirty today alone."
"Where in Renfro's name did they keep us all?" B.J. grunted as he surveyed the list, typing away on the keyboard as he did so.
"Basement," Joshua said with a sad face. "Lots of basement people."
"There couldn't have been that much basement in all of Washington State, let alone Seattle."
"Many were on manoeuvres when Manticore went down," Biggs said. "When word spread they refused to go back and many went AWOL, heading here. We just a got a consignment of fifty desert rats who were in Kuwait, all headed here."
"Logistically," Emma continued. "Manticore was running for years before they even started the X Series. That's over fifty years of genetic experimentation. Even if they only make ten transgenics a year that's still five hundred transgenics. We're looking at way more than a city full."
"Plus all the extra's we get from breeding programs and the…ahem, joy of release," Alec looked pointedly at Cece's stomach. She scowled at him and reached for the crackers again. "Even if they've not all hatched yet."
He dodged the cracker she threw at him.
"Gestation periods are all different," Gem offered as she shifted to get comfortable. "Some of the anomalies have birthing cycles of a few days, some, months. It's impossible to say exactly what our maximum capacity will be."
"Which makes it damn hard to organise supplies and allocate housing," Max finished.
"Not to mention the cost," Chance piped up, sliding in her seat closer to Pix.
"But right now, it's dangerous on the outside," Sunny added. "We can't go out like normal people and try to get jobs."
"We could head back to the casino," Biggs suggested. "Get a couple of transgenics and break the house."
"Amidst all of this panic and hysteria?" Max eyed him as if he were stupid. "The second you win you'll be checked for trangenicism and be slaughtered. Humans are going to use any excuse to eradicate those they don't like. Their daughter's dating a bad boy? Call him transgenic. A guy wins the lottery? Call him transgenic. A girl gets the best grades in the class? A guy wins all state? Never underestimate the stupidity of humans in large groups and with personal vendettas."
"Max is right," Alec agreed giving Biggs a hard look. "If we do this, we need to keep low key."
"Yes, mein fuehrer," Biggs muttered.
Max smiled slightly as Alec reached over to slap Biggs upside the head. It was almost like old times.
Biggs and Sunny sat side by side, with Biggs giving Pix and Chance the occasional glare. Pix ignored him in favour of running over ways that they could make money in what ways were safe.
Max was surprised but secretly so proud of the way that Pix had risen to the challenge and taken over leadership. Oh, she helped him, but the majority of the work was his alone and she saw no need to take over, even if she wanted to be in charge again.
B.J. sat at the computer, trying to set up a database to keep track of all of the transgenics in Terminal City. He had almost taken it as his own personal job to find out where people's friends and unit were and Max wondered if it were, in part, because of Anna.
B.J. has asked about her as soon as he walked in and Max had seen the way his face hardened when Pix told him about her mission to find and eradicate Ames White. He had been unusually silent and not even Jace, whom it seemed was a favourite of his, could elicit more than a few terse words.
Jace was currently standing by the door watching the proceedings with bemusement. Max had always liked her older sister but didn't really understand the woman who lived by the Manticore code as if it were the secret to eternal life. Their reunion had been awkward but genuine and Max had embraced her sister, glad that she had survived and even more appreciative that she had been there to help B.J., Zan and Emma.
Emma was sat by B.J. feeding him the names and designations that they had amassed so far and adding any additional information that she could recall from her brief time as transgenic psychologist. Her emotions had settled down somewhat once she was surrounded by her fellow transgenics and more than one person was glad that she was back to normal.
Zan sat behind Max as if she would disappear once he let her go, much to Alec's consternation. Their reunion had been far more enthusiastic and emotional than Max and Zack's, even though Zack was her first actual big brother. Zan had held her tight and ignored Alec's repeated requests for him to stop touching his girlfriend like that. Zan suggested an anatomically impossible way that Alec could leave and Alec had left it at that, recalling the way Zan had 'handled' the Trainers who hurt Max.
For her part, Max knew that Zan relished the contact he had with her, but she was studiously aware of not giving any encouragement to anything other than familial feelings.
Flex watched their interaction with his customary amusement, something he shared with Skye who was currently trying to get Galen to stop clinging to her like a limpet and interact with some of the other children. He steadfastedly refused, even going so far as to curl around her leg like a snake. Even Mole had laughed when Skye dragged her serpentine accessory into Headquarters that morning.
She had left the other four children to try to make their little house more habitable, much to Isacar's annoyance.
Cece was staring at the small boy oddly, probably wondering what her child would be like and sharing a plate of saltine crackers with Gem and Joshua whilst they tried to set up a sort of crèche for the huge number of expectant and newly born transgenics. Harley was helping by cleaning out a large building on the east side of Terminal city in the hopes of turning it into a school of some kind and had accepted the help of Jay, Kelpy and Zack who, to quote; "Had had enough of that mushy X5 sentimental crap to last him a lifetime."
Tara offered odd comments as she continued writing down lists of medical supplies and equipment that they would need for the hospital to function, whilst Carrot was mapping out sections of Terminal City that were in use, could be used and needed to be explored before use.
Luke, Dix and Techie were off to one side, talking in code about technology and electronics and acting like geek members of the dungeons and dragons set at a Xena convention, happy in the company of other nerds. Feen tossed in the odd comment but was totally lost in the technical vernacular, preferring to speak quietly with Mole about munitions.
Dek stared off into space, not really caring about what was going on at the moment and Max didn't have the heart to reprimand him for inattention. She missed Drew too.
Drew was the one woman who Max had felt close enough to call sister at Manticore, even more so than Jondy. Drew had understood her and the way she acted and the two of them had been as thick as thieves.
Her absence had been carefully avoided but her presence was sorely missed.
The monument to the fallen was underway, with more names appearing every day as people brought in reports of those missing and dead; the sad news underscored the fact that, although they were free, some had paid a terrible price for that freedom.
Max's thoughts flitted to Steve and Mets before circling to Drew, Coco and, of course, Anna.
Anna may have paved her own way and Max had nothing but pride for the woman who had taken the bull by the horns and taken the offensive. It didn't mean that she wasn't scared to death for the woman, though.
Other than that, all her family were here. Almost all.
"Where's Aiden?" Max asked suddenly.
That brought Dek's attention back to the group and he gave a sly smile.
"Oh, he's around. Enjoying the… night."
"It's day," Flex countered, curious at the expression of glee on Dek's face.
"Did I say night?" Dek asked innocently. "I meant the… chaos, yeah. The general chaos."
There was a moment of silence, then; "Are you on medication?" Cece asked.
"No." Dek shook his head.
"Shouldn't you be?" she continued.
Dek just grinned and placed his hands behind his head.
"Children?" Max called their attention back to herself. "The question is what to do with what we have."
Alec cleared his throat. "Uh, actually I have an idea… a plan, if you will."
His statement garnered everyone's attention at that.
Alec had been uncharacteristically quiet over the past few weeks. They were used to the 494 who wheeled and dealed in Manticore and who kicked ass and mooned after Max. The almost contemplative and silent Alec had made more than one transgenic uneasy.
Alec gave a ghost of his old grin and looked around at the expectant and hopeful faces. "I've been giving this problem some thought and have something of a solution."
"Oh?" Max faced him fully and folded her arms against her chest, watching him eagerly.
"During our recent experiences I have made one or two connections that are on the …seedy side," he grinned. "I worked for a while in a fight club."
"All silent for a moment for Brad Pitt," Cece said and closed her eyes, followed by Gem and Tara.
"Say what?" Max looked puzzled and Chance shrugged.
"Never mind, Neanderthals," Cece muttered and gestured for Alec to continue.
He gave her an odd look before carrying on. "During my tenure as cage fighter, I got in with a group of guys who wanted to start up their own club. They asked me if I knew any good fighters."
"Alec," there was warning in Max's voice. "Publicity is one thing that we don't need right now."
"I've thought about this, Max," Alec held up a hand to forestall her as she opened her mouth to protest. "The problem comes from keeping our strength from overpowering ordinaries."
"And showing barcodes," Tara reminded.
"Actually," Jace piped up. "The same laser surgery that people use for tattoo removal works for about three weeks. It's painful as hell but gets the job done."
"Right!" Alec leaped on the support. "So, if I offered these guys some support and fighters and we get two transgenics one on one, we'll not worry about losing it in front of ordinaries. It brings in the cash and gives an outlet for some of those who need the edge taken off."
Max watched him carefully. She didn't want to bypass his idea because it was the first time in an age that he had seemed concerned about things, but neither did she think it a very good idea.
"I'm not sure," she hedged. "Did these guys need a starting fee? And what about publicity?"
Alec shook his head, knowing what was wrong with Max. "No, these guys don't want that kind of exposure. The clubs have a kind of Guild thing going on and don't like free-lancers. It'd all be underground."
Max nodded thoughtfully.
"Also," Alec carried on. "I've made one or two calls and I think that I can get Normal to offer some of the kids jobs."
"Who's Normal?" Biggs asked.
Alec grinned. "Oh, you'll love him. He's like a 1970's reject."
"Who is in love with Alec," Max added. "Worships the ground his 'golden boy' walks on."
There were whistles and catcalls and Alec ducked his head. "Well, when you've got it, you've got it."
"And I'm sure Normal wants it!" Max leered and Alec turned white.
"Thank you, Max, for that very disturbing visual."
Mole shook his head. "Are they always like this?"
B.J. shook his head. "No, usually they are much worse."
"Jeez," Mole rolled his eyes and tapped his fingers on the table. "So what's the plan, Pixie?"
Pix held back a groan of disbelief as Dek's eyes lit up. "Pixie?"
B.J. looked like all his birthdays had come at once. "Pixie? Oh that is priceless!"
"Cutey little Pixie!" Dek taunted as Pix slammed his head on the desk.
"Oh, now they'll never respect me," he moaned.
"Hate to break it to ya," B.J. said. "But there was no way that that was going to happen anyway."
"Shut up, Big Jerk," Pix shot back.
"Aww, little Pixie is getting mad!" Dek laughed.
"And you, Dek, or I'll wipe the floor with you." Pix paused, looking around. "Dek—floor, get it?"
"Yeah, honey," Chance looked embarrassed. "We got it."
"No one appreciates my sense of humour," Pix moaned.
Dek grinned. "Yeah, well, that's because, unlike you, we actually have one."
"You see what you started?" Flex shook his finger at Mole.
Mole just gaped and Cece started laughing at the dumbfounded expression on his face.
"I swear to god, your brother has some answering to do for bringing that back," Alec said, shaking his head as he tried not to laugh.
"Leave Zack alone," Max said, as she leaned into Zan whose arms automatically tightened on her waist.
He shot a grin at Alec over Max's head and poked his tongue out as Alec glowered and Flex snickered.
"See this," Feen said to Techie, "is why I don't want children."
Techie looked up. "What?"
There was a moment of silence as everyone looked at the clueless technician before giggles started.
Techie glared bemusedly at the guffawing transgenics. "What? What did I do?"
"Nothing," Max smiled at him. It felt good to laugh, somehow it felt as if she hadn't laughed that hard in ages and she missed it.
"Hey, you know what we need?" she suddenly said.
"Therapy?" Dek offered.
"Oh, like that's news," Chance snorted.
"I'm serious," Max admonished. "We need a recreation hall."
"Mighty Max, the misery of Manticore says we need a recreation hall?" Cece started. "Who invaded your neuro-system."
Max glared at Cece. "Some of us do occasionally like to laugh, Cece. Of course, some of us get our fun in other ways," she looked pointedly at Cece's stomach.
Cece blushed and held her tongue whilst Max continued.
"With all the hassle and death reports, with everything that's going on we really need a place to kick back and relax."
"I have just the place," Carrot piped up. "Sector 14 has a large cafeteria area that was left to ruin when they built the new cafeteria by the kitchens. We could gut the place and refit it out."
"Who'll be on that assignment?" Sunny asked.
"How about getting the kids involved?" Skye suggested. "Until we manage to set up some form of schooling they are all pretty much at a loose end. Loose ends make trouble."
Max nodded. "Do you wanna take that over, Skye?"
"I'll need a hand," she agreed.
"I have two," Flex opened his arms wide.
"And I'll need both of 'em, lover boy," Max stopped him. "I have some jobs that need muscle and, for obvious reasons, I can't ask B.J."
B.J. pouted. "Hey, I have muscle."
"Just not between your ears." Jace slapped a hand across her mouth and her eyes went wide as everyone looked at her.
"Hey!" B.J. tried not to look amused as the girl blushed, she obviously had forgotten herself enough to join in the banter and that, more than anything, perked him up after the news about Anna.
Max grinned at the embarrassed girl and was about to say something when she was stopped by the ringing of the phone.
She grimaced at it, knowing full well that the only one's who had that number were either on supply detail, working or Logan Cale.
The first two meant trouble was happening and the third meant that trouble was brewing.
Mole grabbed the phone. "Yeah?"
Zan laughed at Mole's telephone manner and leaned over to Max. "Do you think we should send him for etiquette lessons with Trainer Delaney?"
Max found herself laughing at the thought of their old elocution Trainer. Trainer Delaney had tried to instil in them the correct behaviours should they go amongst royalty, nobility or any situation where pomposity was the order of the day. He hated slang and colloquialisms and would have detested Mole with a vengeance.
"Who?" Mole growled. "What the hell is a Cale…oh, wait, it's the Eyes guy, right? Max," he held the phone out. "It's the nerd with the God complex."
"I heard he goes by Logan now," Tara quipped as Max took the phone, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter.
"Max," she said.
"Max, this is Logan."
"Yeah, we covered that," she rolled her eyes. "Was there anything else?"
"You've seen the footage of the albino transgenic who was killed by the cops?"
"Yeah," Max felt her stomach clench. The footage had been run almost hourly and each and every time Max had seen the scared face of the anomaly who really wasn't sure what was going on, it made her feel sick.
"Well, I bribed one of the officers for the footage—the real deal."
"Why?" Max frowned. "You can catch it for free on every single channel, Logan."
"Not this part," he replied smugly. "This is uncut footage from the surveillance droids and it proves that the cops attacked first. In fact the transgenic refused to fight until he had no choice."
Max's heart beat loudly in her chest. "Can you air it?"
"Setting up as we speak."
"Excellent," Max smiled, somewhat relived. "Thanks, Logan."
"No problem, Max. There was something else. You asked me to keep you updated on anything to do with Special Agent Ames White?"
Max had. She'd not told Logan everything about the Special Agent and his unhealthy interest in them, nor had she spilled what she knew about Sandeman and his twisted experimentation and the breeding cult. She had let a few hints fall free to see what Logan knew.
"I think there might be a connection between White and the transgenic on the news. I have hoverdrone footage that puts White at the scene."
Her hands clenched. "Maybe he was looking to make a bust?"
Logan's voice was dubious. "I don't think so. He just sat in his car and watched. In fact, he looked pretty pleased with how it went down."
Max frowned. Why not just capture and kill the transgenic, why bother with the footage?
"Doesn't make any sense. The government pays White to keep the transgenic thing under wraps."
"That's right, unless White's taking his orders from somebody else."
Max almost slapped her own head.
Of course, he was! That did make sense. He was trying to turn the public against them; of course he would utilise the escape of the transgenic to the best ability.
She bit her lip, thinking deeply.
"I'll get the word put out soon," Logan was saying.
"Hmm, good. Thanks," Max replied absently as she put the phone down.
The picture was getting more and more complicated and she wasn't sure what the big picture spelled out.
If only she had more information.
"Max?" B.J. called. "There's someone at the door. Say's his name is Annoy?"
Max turned to see a pale, scrawny looking transgenic standing nervously at the door.
"Hi," she blinked as he kind of faded out of existence. "Uh, hello?"
"Sorry," he replied. "I get transparent when I'm nervous."
"Must make dating kinda hard," Flex joked and was promptly slapped by Skye for being crude.
"Annoy?" Max tried again.
"Yeah, listen I was told to report to whoever was in charge of Terminal Dump heap."
"You're from Anna, aren't you?" Feen sat up. "That was her pet name for the place."
"Oh," Annoy shrugged. "I thought that was its name."
Max gestured to the chair. "What have you got for us?"
"Is Anna okay?" B.J's voice was hard and everyone looked at him but he only had eyes for the man in front of him.
"Fine, a few bruises but she seemed okay," Annoy lied, the image of a bloody and battered Anna still fresh in his mind. But as much as he knew of her, which admittedly wasn't much after only an hour's acquaintance, he knew that she wouldn't like anyone to know of her weaknesses.
B.J. chewed on the outside of his lip and he nodded, settling back slightly.
Max eyed him, wondering if he would be okay. B.J. and Anna had always had an odd relationship. Half best friends, half deadliest enemies, no one was sure if they'd hug or hit. There were bets at Manticore as to whether the two of them would date and exactly how long it would be until a body was found.
"B.J?" Jace voiced her concerns with one word and he shot her an abstract smile, his mind still working away.
"Anyway, she asked me to pass this to whoever was boss." Annoy took a manila folder from his pocket. "Who's in charge?"
All fingers suddenly pointed to Pix who had been sneaking kisses with Chance.
He started and then pouted. "Damn it, which idiot left me in charge?"
"I've been asking myself the same question," Biggs deadpanned, staring pointedly at the small love-bite on Chance's neck.
Pix poked his tongue out at Biggs and took the folder, opening it and scanning the contents. His jaw tightened and everyone was shocked to hear the growl emitting from his throat as he read.
"Pix?" Max questioned and he shook his head once as he continued reading before looking up at Annoy.
"This accurate?"
"If it talks of men in white coats and a god-complex poking, prodding and basically being Manticorian without the tact and gentleness that we were accustomed to as children, then yes," Annoy bit out, touching his arm.
"Show me," Pix ordered and there was not one in the room who would have denied him the request with that tone of voice.
Annoy brought the raggedy sleeve up and showed them the deep, raw scars that criss-crossed over the fore-arm, bisecting his veins in angry purple lines.
"Shh-it," Flex breathed.
"Hey!" Skye hissed motioning to Galen who was staring wide-eyed at the scars. "Children present, so watch the language!"
Flex winced. "Sorry, honey."
"Honey?" B.J. snorted. "She's got you wrapped around her little finger."
"B.J.- behave!" Skye snapped out and B.J. jumped.
"Yes, ma'am."
Flex smirked. "She's got you wrapped around her little finger too. But at least I'm getting laid!"
"Too much information, thank you!" Tara interjected with a shudder.
"Flex says you can never have too much information," came a loyal voice from near the door.
"Zeph?" Flex eyed him. "I thought you were helping them clear up?"
"I was," Zeph shrugged. "Four transgenics get things done quickly."
"Not that quickly," Skye admonished and Zeph smiled sheepishly.
"Okay, we got bored and then when Nyx went off—"
"Wait, Nyx went off?" Flex interrupted. "Where did she go?"
Dek sat back with huge knowing grin, suddenly enjoying the show. "Are you her keeper, daddy Flex?"
"No," Flex shot him a glare. "But she's not been too happy recently. Is she okay?"
Zeph frowned. "I think so; she mentioned something about a friend."
Flex turned to look as Dek chuckled.
"Something you'd care to share with the entire class?"
Dek licked his lips and spread his hands wide in surrender. "Hey, got nothing to say from here."
Flex eyed him suspiciously. "The day I believe that you have nothing to say is the day when I get too old for this crap."
"Language!" Skye hissed covering a rather perplexed Zeph's ears.
"Would you stop doing that?" Cece snapped, irritably. "The kid learned worse than that in common verbal, and even worse in the field. It's kinda irritating!"
"Like you, only more useful," Skye snapped back and, to her horror, Cece's eyes filled with tears.
"I'm sorry," Cece's tears bubbled over to the dismay of everyone in the room. "Pregnancy hormones make me crazy."
"It's okay," Skye waved quickly, watching as the droplets made their way down her face. "I was out of line, I apologise. Lots. Really. Stop crying."
"I can't help it!" sobbed Cece, not even noticing, in her distraught state, that people were quickly slipping out of the door.
"I'll buy you a cookie," cajoled Skye frantically.
Even Zeph looked sceptically at her for that and Skye had to shrug. "I've been surrounded by kids."
"Ahem," Flex coughed pointedly.
"You included," she snapped.
Sunny edged over and wrapped an arm around Cece. "Um, there there?"
Cece cried harder and turned her face into Sunny's neck.
"Mfatebeenpregt," her voice was muffled in Sunny's skin.
"What?"
Cece pulled away. "I hate being pregnant!" She looked around. "Where did everybody go?"
>>>>>
Nyx pushed her hair behind her ear nervously. She had been on patrol with Aiden last night and he had done everything to try to put her at ease. She smiled as she thought of the myriad of random conversational ploys that he had started.
"So, if you could have any super-power, what would you have and why?"
"Would you rather be able to fly or turn invisible?"
"A luxurious palace with servants or a mud hut with family?"
"A trip to the Sahara or Iceland?"
He was actually a little sweet when he had calmed down somewhat, she almost had the feeling that he was trying too hard to impress her. Thankfully he had relaxed somewhat and was far more normal today.
She just hoped that her cryptic "gone to see a friend" message was enough to throw her siblings off the scent. The last thing she needed was for them to come looking for her.
Aiden, for his part, couldn't seem to shut himself up. He'd winced at some of the stupid things that came out of his mouth when talking to the beautiful girl and was determined to keep his trap shut for the next ten minutes.
Nyx watched him out of the corner of her eye as they rounded the corner and headed towards the next street. Whilst on rambles, Aiden had discovered that there was a small playground and surrounding fields on the far side of Terminal City. As far as he knew the slums and housing searches hadn't made it that far out yet and so he had claimed it as one of the places where he went to think.
Brood.
All right, sulk.
The playing area was at least thirty minutes walk and was hidden between two dilapidated buildings, which looked about a heartbeat away from collapsing—probably why Carrot hadn't made it this far out yet.
He had decided to show Nyx the place in the hopes of getting to know her better, a task that was easier said than done as the girl was, surprisingly, painfully shy around men.
"So, are you always this articulate?" she said warily, half in jest and half just as something to say.
"I've noticed that you get kind of uneasy talking to me," he countered honestly. "I'm not sure what to say to put you at ease. I'm not going to attack you."
"I'm sure that you would regret the action soon enough," she said coolly. "I happen to be more than capable of taking care of myself and have for some considerable time now."
Aiden grinned. "Sure."
"I… I have to own that I am not used to males taking a personal interest in me," she pretended interest in the floor, scuffing her new shoes as she walked.
"I find that hard to believe," he said, looking her up and down. "I'm sure that guys must flock to you."
Nyx shrugged one shoulder. "I seem to frighten men. One transgenic asked me for a… date?" she waved her hand at the word, "at Manticore, but once he confessed that it took him three years assemble the courage to do it. I was understandably repulsed by his cowardice, rather than flattered at his effrontery."
"He must have been a wimp," Aiden scoffed.
Nyx looked up. "I unnerve people. I have been told that I am notoriously difficult to fathom. People do not know how to take me."
Aiden swallowed several replies to that, reminding himself that he wasn't Flex and she wasn't used to the innuendo that flowed between men and women. She may be sixteen but she was far more naive about such things than he had expected.
"Can I ask why? I mean at Manticore, yeah, we weren't really encouraged to have relationships but we weren't exactly monks."
Nyx bit her lip. "I had some… bad experiences with people when I was younger. It made me more cautious than was prudent for my age. I closed myself off from my unit, so I didn't have the same social issues as everyone else."
Aiden nodded, understanding that. He remembered everyone turning their back on Anna after the whole B.J. thing and imagined Nyx turning out much the same.
"You seem fine with Flex," he pointed out and felt his heart pound at the soft smile that covered her face at the name of her surrogate father.
"Flex cares. I don't know how and I don't know why, but he cares about what I do and what happens to me. It's… nice."
"Flex is a great guy," Aiden offered and she turned that nice smile on him.
"Yes."
He reached out and offered her his hand, wondering if she'd take it. She looked askance at it and he dropped it back to his side with a sigh.
"Sorry," she said somewhat miserably. "I'm no good at this. I can assemble an AK15 in under a minute, I can discuss 15th century literature to my hearts content, I can run a small country but put me in front of a male and I seem to regress to early childhood."
"I'll take things slowly," he promised and smiled at the relieved sigh that escaped her lips. "So how about you tell me what you got up to at the school Flex forced you to go to?"
Nyx smiled.
>>>>
Ames White had grown tired of holding his operation out of a tiny tent in the middle of no where and working with equipment that should have been scrapped around the turn of the century. He had fought long and hard for the position that he was in now and resented having to utilize less than perfect supplies. To that end he had moved the entire operation back to a CIA safe house and set up the latest technology in order to catch transgenics better.
He was currently looking over the footage that the hover drone was re-showing every hour of the freak that had attacked the cops, with a little help, of course.
White had held the stocky man in a private holding cell and told Lydecker that he was waiting for transportation to take him back to the base that they had agreed to drop them at. He had, quite carelessly, left the transgenics manacles unlocked when putting him in the car and had pretended to be as understanding as to let the man escape.
It had worked like a treat and now everyone knew about transgenics. He was looking for surreptitious ways to cement the idea in the minds of the populace and breed fear and contempt.
White looked up as Lydecker walked into the room, a tall black man following behind reluctantly.
"Who's this?" he demanded, annoyed that Lydecker could seemingly come and go without restraint.
"None of your business," Lydecker retorted. "I want to ask you who the leak is?"
"Leak?" White tried not to look smug. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"The fact that every channel seems to know about the transgenics isn't a clue?" Lydecker replied snidely. "The fact that they mention Manticore by name, a supposedly top secret establishment. The fact that they know about the X series and their barcodes. You have a leak, Agent White."
White shrugged. "We are maintaining plausible denial."
"How plausible is it when a transgenic is the headline?" Lydecker snarled, throwing a sheet of paper onto the table.
White glanced dismissively at the newspaper. "It'll blow over soon enough. We can put our own spin onto things."
"Like what?" the man behind Lydecker said in disgust. "The man was wearing a costume and the police attacked him for crimes against fashion?"
"Who the hell are you?" he snapped. "I don't need civilians telling me what to do."
"This man knows more about the transgenics than either of us." Lydecker strode over to the other side of the room and peered at the monitor that White had been so engrossed in. he sneered at the picture of the bald, stocky transgenic.
"Bill McClay, geneticist," Bill introduced himself.
"Special Agent Ames White, in charge of catching your mistakes."
"Recognise this one, McClay?" Lydecker interrupted and the dark-skinned man stalked behind him.
"Anomaly, I'd say third generation. Possibly in his late twenties, early thirties, contusions on his face and head leathery skin, strong musculature."
"Hey, we're not discussing your date here!" White piped up, sitting on the edge of the desk.
"I'd say worker drone, designed to do heavy manual labour. The leathery skin indicates high temperatures. We made a batch in 1988 to go into India where a temple was found and needed to be dug up. Took us until 1992 to get the mixture right. Judging by his age, condition etc. I'd say his barcode is in the region of M-234 to 541."
"M- 360," White said flatly no longer amused. "We figured the M stood for Mule."
"Close, M stands for manual, as in manual worker. X for the X series. Not every transgenic got a pretty face."
"Speaking of pretty faces…" Lydecker trailed off as Bill glared at him.
"I told you that I never kept in contact with 452."
"Call her Max," Lydecker instructed with a smirk.
"This guy knows 452?" White suddenly saw the potential behind the tired eyes and ragged clothes.
"His child was taken into hospital for a regulation blood test after she miraculously survived a disease that would have killed her. The blood test came back…odd, so they called the CDC, who called us." Lydecker ignored the snarl from Bill.
"You would have let her die. You had the capability of curing her!" he yelled.
"And yet you managed quite well, yourself. The girl was given a transfusion of transgenic blood."
"Really." He had White's full undivided attention. "What happened?"
"The girl was cured. 452's blood neutralized the virus and she went home happy and healthy."
White's mind spun. This could be a huge breakthrough for the cult. Transgenics were only as strong as their blood. What would happen if some antigen were introduced to their system?
It bore thinking about.
"So why have you brought him here if he doesn't know where she is?"
"Because," Lydecker said with a roll of his eyes. "He can get close to her when we do find her. He can talk to her and try to get them to come quietly."
"Come quietly," Bill started to laugh and when the two men turned to face him, he just laughed harder.
"May I ask what is so funny?"
"All this time, all this money and energy and focusing on them. Everything that you have seen, and done, and been through," Bills' eyes were hard, "you don't understand her at all. Max, my Max, will never come quietly. She'd die first."
White stalked over, like a lion stalking his prey. "Oddly, enough, I don't have a problem with that."
tbc
Thanks to all 37 people who reviewed this chapter. I answered your reviews through the reviews page as we have been ORDERED by Big Brother not to attend to them at the end of the chapter. rules and we obey.
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