Finally! Back again!
For those of you who thought I was dead, well, I'm not. For those who thought I forgot about this story, I didn't either!
Okay, I know it took me some time...well, who am I kidding? It took a an eternity to update and I really, really am sorry. Life has been a little bit rough lately.
Two of my recruits nearly died during a training mission. They're gonna be okay but I had the MP breathing down my neck during the past two weeks including the weekends so I really couldn't find the time to update, I'm terribly sorry, but I hope you can understand.
Well, this is gonna be the last chapter of this story. I would like to thank you, all of you, who have read and reviewed my story. You're absolutely amazing! Thank you very, very much!
There will be a sequel. Hunting an Angel: The Fallen Ones
I hope to see some of you there again. I will PM my regular reviewers and those who review this last chapter as soon as the first chapter of the sequel is up.
nattylovesu: Thanks for sticking with me. This is, however, gonna be the last chapter of this story. Sequel is already in progress, I hope you'll be there, too.
Divine Fighter: I thought about Brin having her revenge and perhaps she will get it, but not yet. Glad you liked the last chapter, hope your still around!
452max: Thanks to you too, glad you liked it. Sorry again it took me so long!
Alan Grey: Why thinking I would be with Lydecker? Well, I believe because it would most probably be true. Not the totally evil Lydecker from the beginning, though, but rather the one we met a little bit later, the understanding one. I once discussed the whole Manticore thing with some fellow officers and we all had to agree that while from a ethical point of view it is totally disgusting to train soldiers from their childhood like they do it, it would be magnificient from a strictly military point of view. Not that I would ever agree with somebody really doing it, don't get me wrong. I left a short possibility in this chapter why the committee betrayed Lydecker so easily, I understand your doubts but hey, somehow I had to get them out ;) Ah, you just know me too well. Yes, of course they will ally with the Deltas, you'll see more in this chapter, but for details about the Deltas you will have to wait a little longer as well as why Renfro is so interested in Max and X7-452. Yes, I know you don't like M/A and I intend to keep it low for now, can't say how it's gonna be in future though, but for now you don't have to worry ;) Thank you very much, Alan!
JOUNOUCHI sama: Hm, not so sure about the Highlander part but Kate Todd is an interesting idea. Yep, perhaps I will bring this one up, can't promise already, though.
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char list:
X5-154 aka Nova The blond transgenic is the medic of unit two. She's one of the smallest X5 but nevertheless can take care of herself just fine. Other than that she's one of the X5 with the most experience in missions outside Manticore. After running away from Manticore she has finally gotten together with Havoc. Has no shark DNA.
X5-194 aka Blade Member of unit two. The Asian woman is one of the few that could actually beat her CO or her 2IC in a hand-to-hand combat. She is almost obsessed with any sort of blades and usually tries not to use firearms. Has no shark but snake DNA.
X5-210 aka Jondy As children Max and Jondy had been in unit one and escaped together in '09. Jondy got caught by Lydecker months before Max and has joined unit two. She is loyal to Manticore and her unit but this doesn't mean she likes everybody around the base. Eventually she even refers to Lydecker that he 'can be an asshole sometimes'. Nevertheless she chose to stay out of her free will and is happy Max did so as well as she once said she couldn't bear it to lose her little sister again.
X5-258 aka Nitro Member of unit two. The young blond man adores every sort of vehicle. He's one of the more unsettled X5. KIA after the mission in Joliet.
X5-301 aka Kyla 2IC of unit two. Usually paired with Wolf during their missions. The two of them have the most experience throughout the X-series when it comes to combat missions and search and destroy and both of them are very well trained in close quarter combat and hand-to-hand fights. Over the years she has developed a strong affection towards Wolf but being soldiers first and inexperienced with this kind of emotions none of them had the courage to make the next step until recently. They are a couple now but they still have to deal with a lot of unknown and troubling emotions, most of all the fear to lose the other.
X5-367 aka Havoc Member of unit two. The black haired and tanned transgenic is the unit's expert when it comes to explosives. He is almost as calm as 439 and is known for his subtle sense of humor. After running away from Manticore he has finally gotten together with Nova. Has no shark DNA.
X5-439 aka Artemis Member of unit two. She's the sniper of her unit. Her rather calm and controlled self helps the others from getting out of hand too much. Like Wolf and Kyla she keeps her brown hair very short as she thinks it would hinder her otherwise.
X5-451 aka Wolf CO of unit two and Max's genetic brother. Just like his partner Kyla he had been developed for combat operations. His intense grey eyes and very short black hair clearly let him look like the soldier he is and his knowledge about almost any sort of combat makes him a deadly enemy. Over the years he has developed a strong affection towards Kyla but being soldiers first and inexperienced with this kind of emotions none of them had the courage to make the next step until recently. They are a couple now but they still have to deal with a lot of unknown and troubling emotions, most of all the fear to lose the other.
X5-494 aka Alec Member of unit two and third in the chain of command. He has become sort the unit's unofficial leader as Wolf and Kyla often are on outside missions. He can be sort of a smart ass sometimes but he usually knows when to stop. Recently he has started to have strange feelings for Max but isn't sure what to do about it yet. Has no shark DNA.
X5-526 aka Bear Member of unit two. He's the biggest and strongest X5 in the unit and prefers heavy weapons. Nevertheless he's very gentle and almost never gets angry. Has no shark DNA.
X5-734 aka Brin After her return to Manticore she underwent a very brutal reindoctrination which left her brainwashed and only partly able to make independent decisions. She has been under Director Renfro's command until Renfro had to leave the Wyoming facility. After having been a specialist for one-man missions for some time Brin got assigned to unit two after the mission in Montpellier. It seems like she got back most of her memories by now, most of all about her brother Zane.
X5-798 aka Jace She was the only one staying behind during the '09 escape out of her free will. She has been a member of unit five but got assigned to unit two after the mission in Montpellier.
X7-452 aka Kara The nine year old girl is the X7 clone of Max. Forced to leave Manticore with unit two she was terrified at first but quickly accustomed to it. Despite being a child and acting quite innocently most of the time she more than capable to defend herself.
Corporal Daniel Hayden He was a corpsman in the Manticore black ops corps. When he threatened Director Renfro in order to protect Lydecker he was forced to leave Manticore and flee with unit two.
Sergeant Christian O'Neill He was a TAC team leader in the Manticore black ops corps. When he threatened Director Renfro in order to protect Lydecker he was forced to leave Manticore and flee with unit two. He and the Colonel have known each other for a long time as they had served in the Delta Force during the Mogadishu incident in 1990 already.
"This is a streaming freedom video bulletin. The cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped and it is the only free voice left in the city. The rich Tricia Helden is known to be a generous supporter of various social projects. What almost nobody knows it that this only serves her to cover up her illegal arms dealing and drug trafficking. But no more. Eyes Only has collected enough evidence against her to put an end to her criminal actions."
Logan pressed the stop button after he had once again reviewed what would be his next Eyes Only broadcast. It was good; Helden was a very wealthy and well known woman of the Seattle high society but what he had collected against her during the last five weeks would be enough to put her into jail for several years. Yet he wasn't really satisfied with the broadcast. Somehow it was still too gentle. Yes, he definitely needed to sound a little bit more aggressive. Not much, he was still Eyes Only after all and Eyes Only didn't get angry, but a little bit more wouldn't be bad.
He adjusted the webcam and was about to record the broadcast a second time when there was a knock on the door.
"I'm on it" Bling called out and Logan could hear his bodyguard and friend approach the door. He smiled and thought about the last months. He didn't need Bling for his physique anymore; the exoskeleton was taking care of that already. But it was a nice feeling to have the strong but kind man at your side, especially since Max had been gone. Max! That thought brought a somber expression to his face. It had been hard to accept that she wanted to stay at Manticore, as it seemed out of her free will. Hell, calling it hard was probably the understatement of the century! Still he had somehow managed to accept her choice but that didn't mean he had to like it! He tried to monitor Manticore's operations as good as he could and until now they seemed to be clean – well, what you would call clean in Manticore's world – but the day he'd find out they were about to get out of hand he would be back. Somehow he would find Zack and the other '09 escapees and together with the Eyes Only Informant Network they would bring that place down for good. But not yet.
Just when he forced his conscious mind to return to his task – recording the broadcast again – he heard Bling open the door and even over the distance he could hear his friend gasp and there were noises of a short struggle.
Logan was on his feet in a second and ran towards the door, gun in his hand. When he rounded the corner he got aware of a sight that let his blood freeze: Max's brother – Wolf – had an unconscious Bling pinned down to the floor. Apparently his friend had tried to draw his own weapon upon seeing who was standing in Logan's door but even if very well trained no ordinary human being would ever be faster than an X5. Nevertheless the transgenic didn't seem to want to hurt the unmoving Bling, he just held him down and shot a glance towards the three people who were with him. One was Kyla, the other transgenic who had been in his apartment before. Upon seeing Logan with a weapon she moved faster than the cyber-journalist would have thought it was possible and disarmed him and pushed him back, but did not follow him further. For a few seconds he just stared at his unexpected visitors in shock and none of them spoke a word.
"I told you this wasn't a good idea!" Lydecker – Colonel Donald Lydecker, head of the Wyoming Manticore facility – who hadn't moved during the whole time said to the third person and shook his head.
Despite his surprise and shock and the adrenaline rushing through his body Logan could hear the slight undertone of amusement in the older man's voice but he didn't care. He just stared at the woman Lydecker had talked to, unable to move or to speak. She shot her superior an annoyed glance but turned towards the cyber-journalist again.
"Calm down Logan!" she said reassuringly and his heart jumped upon hearing her voice again after so long. "We are not here to hurt you!"
"Max?" His voice sounded surprised and confused.
"Yes, it's me" Max replied and smiled taking a step towards him and past Kyla who still had his gun in her hands but didn't aim at him. "Easy Logan, we're here to talk."
He looked just like he remembered her, a little bit worried perhaps, but still beautiful as ever. Suddenly he took a step forward and embraced her in a tight hug. She tensed up at first but returned his gesture after a second. They stood there like that for about half a minute until Wolf suddenly spoke up.
"Does that mean I can let Mister Wardrobe stand up?" His voice was full of mocking sarcasm and he smirked at the two of them.
Max let go of Logan and turned around, shooting her brother an angry glare which he returned with a mean grin. Before she could say anything Lydecker stepped in, not wanting to hear another bickering between the two of them; he'd had enough of that during the past weeks.
"I think it is safe to say Mister Cale will not attack us for the moment" he said and looked at Logan. "Am I right?"
"It's not like I have a choice" Logan replied coldly. He had noticed how Max had taken a step back and stood between him and the older Colonel again.
"Not really, no."
"So, I take it the orders concerning me have changed?" It felt strange how easily those words left his lips.
"Perhaps" Lydecker shrugged. "But I don't know anything about it."
"How's that?" That was a surprise.
"It's a long story and I'd rather not tell it in your hallway."
"Whatever" Logan sighed angrily but stepped back and allowed his 'guests' to enter the living room. He really was confused now. Not only was there a transgenic commando in his apartment – again – but there was also Colonel Donald Lydecker himself who had made it very clear some time ago he'd like to see him dead. But nevertheless none of them made a move to attack him and he had a strange feeling none of them would anytime soon. Perhaps the world was really going crazy.
Wolf let go of Bling who'd just regained his senses but kept the bodyguard's gun. Maybe Max was right and Logan Cale could really help them but he wasn't taking any risks. After all he had been shot the last time he'd been in this apartment.
Bling stood up and looked from Wolf to Kyla.
"Why am I always the one who gets hit or thrown against something?" he muttered.
"Perhaps you deserve it?" Kyla quipped with an innocent look on her face before she followed the Colonel and Max. Bling shot her a surprised look and glanced cautiously at Wolf who just grinned and nodded towards the living room. Shortly afterwards Lydecker and Logan were sitting on the couch looking intensely at each other while Bling was standing behind Logan and Max sat at her commanding officer's side. Wolf and Kyla looked out of the windows and from time to time Wolf would radio for the rest of the team who were outside making sure nobody would sneak up on them.
"Well, if you're not here to kill me" Logan finally began looking the old officer straight in the eye. This was one of the weirdest situations he'd ever been in. "then why are you?"
"As I said, it's a long story. And I'm sure you'd rather hear it from somebody you trust" Lydecker replied calmly and looked at Max who just nodded.
"After you were in Wyoming with Zack and the others…" she began and told Logan and Bling everything that had happened since their last encounter. The new enemy, the missions in France and Italy, Renfro's betrayal and their escape. After she'd ended Logan looked at her incredulously.
"You mean" he slowly began, "you're running away from Manticore?"
The happy undertone in his voice was very well audible but Max smiled gently and shook her head.
"Not from Manticore. Renfro. I don't know why but she's after me and when we attacked her and her men we all became traitors."
"Why are you here then?"
"To warn you and because we need your help, Mister Cale" Lydecker stepped in again.
"And why should I help you?" Logan looked at the older man for the first time since Max had started talking and the hostility in his voice was more than evident.
"Because we must leave the country and Max said you were good at creating fake IDs and such things" Lydecker replied calmly. "I'm not asking you to trust us, but we are the only ones who know about Renfro's betrayal. I don't know why the committee has allowed her to take over Manticore so quickly and without hearing my side of the story first; perhaps it has been corrupted, too. But with Renfro being in command of Manticore now she has become dangerously powerful. I know you probably despise me but you also know that all I ever did I did it for this country. Do you really think Renfro is going to do so as well? We need to bring her down and we will but first we have to get out of the US to gain some time to regroup. And you must go into hiding, too. I don't know exactly what she's planning but I can't imagine she will tolerate you like I did."
"I thought I was not to be harmed."
"Lizzy doesn't take her orders too serious, the past two months have proved that and there is always a possibility to make it look like an accident" Lydecker reminded him.
"I could go public" Logan offered. "With all the evidence I have against Manticore and your knowledge we could bring her down easily."
"Not gonna happen, son" Lydecker's voice was suddenly sharp again. "If we inform the public about this now we'd do exactly what she wants. She doesn't care about the transgenics, never has and with every man and woman knowing about them we would do exactly what those cyborg-soldiers probably want. Every Manticore soldier, every man and woman and child with a barcode on the neck would be hunted down by our own population and killed in a wave of public hysteria."
"People are not that stupid" Bling interjected. "I've known about Max for a long time and I didn't do anything to harm her."
"One man is smart" Lydecker reminded him sternly. "Many people are just a bunch of nervous and hysterical gregarious animals. Think about it, you know I'm right. The majority of the population would not understand what the X-series are and what they've done for this country and people are afraid of things they don't understand. And you can be sure Renfro knows that, too. She would be all too happy if Eyes Only would broadcast everything about transgenic soldiers he has all over America. No, we can't go public, not before we have neutralized Renfro and those cyborg soldiers."
"And why hasn't she done it herself already?" Logan wanted to know. "Leaking some information, for example?"
"She's powerful, but not almighty. Even if the committee has been corrupted I doubt nobody would notice it if she'd do such a thing and as things are now she has other possibilities to take us out; she'll try to get us in the conventional way."
"Which means hunt you down and blow your head off" Logan assumed with a mean smirk towards the older officer. "Not a nice feeling, being on the run yourself?"
"Not at all" Lydecker admitted and shifted uncomfortably. "Listen, I know you must think I'm just getting my well deserved punishment but this is bigger than any of us. Whoever is behind this is mighty enough to go against one of the most powerful military units this country has and until now they're on the winning side. They have planned this for a long time and if nobody has suspected anything until now they must have people in the right places in DC, too. We don't know yet what it is they want but I think it's safe to say that whatever it is none of us wants it to happen."
"How bad is it?" Bling had been quiet most of the time and had listened carefully. He knew what Lydecker had done in the past and it was unforgivable in his eyes but his military past had kicked in by now. This man knew what he was talking about; he was an experienced operator and tactician and if somebody like Lydecker was worried he knew he and Logan should be, too. The Colonel looked at the tall man a little bit surprised at the sudden concern and interest in his voice. "What are their abilities?"
"Bad. One of their TAC teams was able to drive back an X5 commando almost without problems. They have been after us during the last two months and they are good. They know our tactics, our reactions. And it's not only them. TAC teams from almost every intelligence service and the military are looking for us." Lydecker drew a deep breath and looked Logan straight in the eye. "To be honest: It is only a question of time until they find us. It took us two months – two months – to get from Wyoming up here. They are close and they know it."
"And where would you go?" Logan asked with reluctance in his voice. He could see how Max's face lit up at this. "Supposed I'll help you."
"Europe" Wolf answered without turning away from the window. "We have allies there."
"And after you have defeated Renfro and her allies; what are you going to do? Return to Gilette like nothing has happened? I'm sure you can understand that this is not how I would like it to be!"
"I think you don't understand what this is about" Lydecker sounded a little bit more agitated now. "This isn't some drug lord or arms dealer. This is international and until now we are the only ones who know about it. If we die – and you can be sure if Renfro catches us we will die – any sort of hope will be destroyed. I know you don't want to help me, but at least help my kids! Because whatever you think of me this has nothing to do with them! What we do afterwards we can discuss when our enemies are dead or locked away in a cell. After what has happened and what will happen I doubt Manticore can remain as secret as it was until now, if this reassures you."
None of the men noticed the strange look in the transgenics' eyes when Lydecker called them his kids.
"I really don't know what to say, Colonel" Logan sighed after a long silence and shook his head. "I mean: Helping you is like I would help Manticore. It's…crazy."
"I understand that, son" Lydecker replied his voice calm and controlled again. "But the Manticore you fought is already dead. Nothing's gonna be the same anymore."
Logan remained silent for about a minute. It was crazy. He should help Colonel Donald Lydecker escape, the man who had put Max through hell for most of her life. He would help the head of Manticore, the institution that had taken Max away and turned her into a soldier again. But Lydecker had some points. He didn't know much about Elizabeth Renfro – until know he had only read some minor reports about her while trying to find out more about Manticore – but he was sure this woman was dangerous. And with what Max had told him it was clear there was something big going on. He turned around and looked at Bling, silently asking for his friend's opinion. The tall man returned his glance for a few seconds and finally nodded barely visible. Logan then looked at Max and in her eyes he could see hope, fear and an almost desperate plea. And he could also see trust. Trust in the man beside her, the officer she had once called her personal antichrist. And trust in him, Logan Cale, the notorious crime-fighting Eyes Only. She had agreed with the Colonel's plan already and was convinced it was the right thing to do. And when had Max ever done something wrong? Logan sighed heavily and shook his head like in defeat. His voice was hoarse and low but full of determination when he answered.
"What do you need?"
When they returned to their current hideout – an old and semi-derelict block in the one of the really bad parts of Seattle – later that day Max was unusually quiet. Her siblings had already noticed but none of them said anything as they felt their sister needed time to think. It had been a strange day for Max, to say the least. Seeing Logan again had brought a wave of happiness to her heart. She had looked forward to that meeting; it was like she was allowed to live in her past life for a few hours. But then again that's what it was: Past. She knew things would never be the same between Logan and her again. He had accepted that she was a soldier now, a young woman whose first concern was about her unit and her mission. Accepted, yes, but she had noticed that he looked at her differently now. Not disgusted or afraid, no, but it was like he had finally understood how dangerous she could be. He still wanted to be a friend and Max was glad for that but the days when he had looked at her as if she was just an ordinary girl despite the fact he knew she was an X5 were definitely over.
They approached the apartment where they'd chosen to stay in while in Seattle. The location of the hideout was perfect; no police came here ever and the few other inhabitants were smart enough not to mess with a group of armed people or to sell them out to the police which wouldn't get them anything. Nevertheless they all knew they couldn't stay here for long as Renfro was well aware in what sort of environment they would hide and sooner or later her teams would just stumble across them.
But for the moment they were safe and they tried to make out the best of their situation. Bear, Blade and Artemis had found some old furniture and they'd even managed to install some sort of a kitchen in one room. It wasn't much but it was better than living on the streets. Max couldn't help but smile quietly when she looked at the scenery taking place in the small living room: Hayden and O'Neill were playing poker with Jondy and Brin and by the looks on the two men's faces they were losing. Again. Alec wasn't there as he was currently on the rooftop as their lookout.
She could hear Blade and Jace moving around in the kitchen and Artemis and Bear were doing some reading on the old couch. All of them looked up when the small group entered the apartment with relieved but questioning looks on their faces but Lydecker just shook his head. There would be time to talk later.
While Kyla made herself comfortable on the couch Wolf left the room again to make the call that would decide their further course of action and Lydecker joined the poker table with a sly grin towards the two former Manticore black ops. Suddenly a small figure came storming out of the kitchen.
"Max!" The small girl was on her in a second and hugged her tightly, a gesture the X5 happily returned.
"Hey, Kara!" she smiled. "How are you?"
"Bored." Max chuckled and looked at her younger self.
"Sorry about that, but perhaps I can spar with you later, how's that?" Kara nodded viciously; she was always eager to train with her older sister. "Okay, but first we have to eat something. Go help Blade I'm starving."
The girl grinned and was gone in a second. After they had left Manticore X7-452 had calmed down after a while when she'd grown accustomed to the fact that she wasn't connected to the hive consciousness of her unit anymore. Artemis had come up with the question how they were gonna name the young girl. Max almost frowned when she remembered how Alec had come up with 'Mini-Max' immediately. In the end Blade had suggested Kara and the small X7 had suddenly smiled and nodded; apparently she'd liked that name from the start. It had been strange at first, looking at your nine year old self, but after a while she and her smaller twin had grown closer and Max really liked the small girl by now.
At first she had barely talked and looked always for the X5s or the Colonel for orders but after some time she'd come accustomed to the fact that she was no longer at Manticore and started to act more like an ordinary girl of nine years. This didn't mean she had forgotten she was a soldier. When an X5 or one of the three former Manticore operatives asked her something or gave her an order she would grow absolutely serious in the blink of an eye and Max hadn't forgotten how this small girl had attacked two soldiers of a TAC team that had found them about three weeks ago without hesitation. She had broken one soldier's arm and the other one was probably still in coma. She was an X7, nothing would ever change that and Max knew that in a few years this little girl would probably even beat Wolf, Kyla and Blade when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Nevertheless Kara was able to cheer them up almost constantly with her childlike curiousness and innocence. One time she had even made the Colonel laugh. It had stunned the other transgenics and even O'Neill and Hayden had looked puzzled but Lydecker hadn't noticed.
'He really has changed' Max thought and tried to remember the grim and pitiless man from her childhood but found out that she could hardly imagine that man anymore when she tried to give him Lydecker's face.
A strange moan brought her back to reality and every person in the room looked towards the closed door that led to the bed room.
"They are driving me crazy!" Bear growled.
"It's not like there is a choice, you know" Max replied and sat down onto the couch as well.
"I know that" the big X5 answered grudgingly "but I begin to wonder if they're not doing it intentionally by now. It's been almost three days."
"They're not doing it intentionally" Kyla hissed and hit him in the side. "Pervert!"
"What? You've ever heard of a heat that went on for so long?"
"You have no idea, big one!" Artemis said without looking up from the newspaper she was reading.
Back at Manticore they never had to deal with their seizures or heat as the doctors made sure they always got enough tryptophan and their heat suppressor shots but not anymore. The seizures they could control; it was no problem for a bunch of genetically enhanced supersoldiers on the run to steal enough tryptophan for all of them but the heat suppressor was something they wouldn't get out here. Max thought back to when this whole deal had started two days ago.
"And I tell you I should have gone with them!" Artemis still argued while they were walking towards their apartment.
"Oh come on now, will you finally stop it?" Wolf snapped. "If the Colonel thinks he's safe enough with O'Neill and Jondy that's fine by me."
Max, Kyla and Havoc remained silent but exchanged short and amused glances. All of them except for Nova and Hayden had been out today, even Kara who was with Blade trying to get some food but Artemis hadn't stopped worrying for Lydecker the whole day. According to her their CO should have stayed in the hideout and not risking his life out there.
"It's not like they're walking around in enemy territory for the first time!" Wolf growled seemingly tired of this whole argument when he opened the door, "and I'm not their…"
He stopped dead in his tracks and Kyla almost bumped into him. The shorthaired transgenic held back a curse and looked past her partner then she gasped in shock. Inside the living room were Hayden and Nova. The blond transgenic had the young man pinned against the wall and tried to kiss him while he tried almost desperately to hold her back. Without thinking the transgenics rushed into the room and separated the two, Max and Wolf holding a struggling Nova while Kyla, Artemis and Havoc held Hayden back, Havoc shooting daggers at the young Corporal.
Suddenly Nova calmed down and looked at Wolf with heightened interest and a smile came to her lips. Max noticed how her brother's breathing quickened and looked at him in worry seeing that he was trying to control himself but was failing quickly. Suddenly it dawned on her what was happening.
"Let go of her, Wolf!" she ordered him and when he didn't react she pushed him back which earned her a threatening glance from her brother and a growl from Nova.
"What the hell?" Kyla asked bewildered by their behaving.
"She's in heat" Max called out. If a female X5 went into heat it would have no effect on an ordinary man – except for the fact that she would try to jump him at any second, of course – but male transgenics could smell the pheromones the female's body was producing and they reacted to it, quite vehemently to be exact. "Help me, dammit!"
Without thinking Kyla, Artemis and Havoc were at her side in a second, Kyla holding back Wolf while the other two tried to help Max to calm down Nova, which unfortunately put Havoc too close to the blond X5 and he suddenly started to behave just like Wolf had before. Max tried to push him back, too, when Nova suddenly attacked her, forcing her and Artemis to let go of her. Nevertheless Max wanted to try again but there was no way she could take on Nova and Havoc at the same time and both of them shot her threatening looks and the male transgenic move slightly like he was going to attack in order to protect the blond woman.
"Max!" Kyla suddenly shouted. She had driven Wolf back away from Nova and stood now between him and her and it looked like her brother had calmed down a little bit but the effects of a female in heat in the room were still very well visible on his face as well as the fact that it took him all his strength to control himself. "Artemis, let them!"
For a second Max didn't understand what the older X5 was telling them but when she did she just nodded and held her arms up like in surrender and took a few steps back, putting some distance between herself and Havoc and Nova; Artemis did the same. Seeing this their siblings seemed to calm down a little bit and turned towards each other and kissed passionately.
"Could you two at least go to the bedroom?" Kyla shouted agitated. Even in the trance of heat they seemed to hear her and in the blink of an eye they were gone and the door to said bedroom slammed shut behind them.
"Well" Artemis said after a few seconds "that was…interesting."
Max had no problem with a Nova in heat sharing her bed with a man – as long as it was Havoc. Like she had suspected it the first time she'd seen the two of them they really had liked each other for a long time and three weeks after their escape from Manticore they'd officially become a couple. They'd slept with each other before and why should it be anything other now that her friend was in heat? Havoc was her boyfriend and like that Nova wouldn't regret it later.
Kyla turned to Wolf again who shook his head like he felt dizzy but seemed much calmer now that the blond X5 wasn't in the same room anymore. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's okay. It was just…" he trailed off and looked at Kyla with guilt in his eyes. "Kyla, I'm sorry, I didn't want to…"
"Shh! It's okay, it wasn't you" she reassured him and pulled him closer, kissing him gently. "Don't worry."
He looked relieved and Max could see the love for each other in both of their eyes and she smiled silently, feeling happy for the two of them. Then, as if on command, the three transgenics looked at Hayden who was still leaning against the wall.
"Hey!" he exclaimed suddenly getting aware of the strange looks they gave him. "I didn't do anything! She was just…I…"
"You don't have to explain to us" Max chuckled. "Just make sure you have a good explanation when Havoc leaves that room the next time!"
Max grinned when she thought about how the young Corporal kept looking at the bedroom door like Havoc would storm out of it any second. They had explained it to the others when they had returned and all of them had agreed that it was best if they let them alone until Nova's heat was over. How those of them who were not in a relationship would deal with it in the future was another question, however. A sudden moan that could be heard from the bedroom brought her back to the present once more and she looked at Jondy who just grinned at her. This was so friggin' weird.
"Okay, that's it!" Bear exclaimed. He got up and approached the bedroom. "I've had enough!"
"I wouldn't do that if I were…" Artemis began but it was too late. He had already opened the door and entered the room. There was an angry hiss from Nova, the sound of a small fight and then Bear was thrown out of the room headfirst and the door slammed shut again.
"Vicious little thing!" Bear mumbled and got up rubbing his head.
"Hey, I warned you!" Artemis said laughing almost hysterically. Everybody in the room grinned, too, and Lydecker just shook his head like a father would upon seeing his son doing something stupid.
"What did I miss?" Wolf wanted to know. He had just entered the room again after he'd called their allies.
"Oh, not much" Brin grinned. "Bear just wanted to separate our two love-birds."
"And you're still alive?" Wolf smirked at the big transgenic. "I'm impressed."
"Wolf?" Lydecker wanted to know and looked at the shorthaired team leader. It had been odd at first to call the X5s by their names, names he had tried to forbid. But after some time he got accustomed to it and by now he barely ever thought about them using their designations. He knew that as a matter of fact he, O'Neill and Hayden were slowing them down. The last two months had been rough and he felt more than ever that he was growing old but it had been even rougher for his children. It was always them on guard duty, making sure the ordinaries got enough sleep. It was them covering their retreat if necessary and putting their lives on the line without questions or hesitation. On one side that made him proud but on the other one it made him feel terribly sad and more than once he had promised himself to make sure to do everything he could to give them a better life when all of this was over. But it was not possible yet. "What did he say?"
Flashbacks of the conversation he'd just had appeared in Wolf's head. It had taken them some time to get the number but when finally hearing the voice on the other end he'd felt a weird sensation of relief.
"You once said that we have friends out there now."
"You still have them. I've been expecting your call, my friend."
"We need to hide."
"I know. I just happen to have the right place to do so. Fortress Delta is ready. When are you arriving?"
"He said yes" Wolf answered his superior's question, suddenly deadly serious again. Everybody in the room tensed; so they had to move again. "They expect us in four days."
"Good, that means we still have some time" Lydecker assumed. "We will leave this place in two days."
Everybody nodded and they rested quiet for about a minute. They all knew how dangerous it would be to leave the country; even with Cale's fake IDs the danger to be detected at the airport was high.
"I'm going to relieve Alec" Kyla suddenly said and got up. Max watched her leave and she was worried. She had noticed that Kyla had acted for differently for some time now and she knew her 2IC had dreaded this day and she believed to know why. She looked at her brother and signaled him silently to go after Kyla. He frowned and hesitated for some seconds before he nodded and left as well.
A few minutes later Kyla was on the rooftop and watched the only street that led to the building. Alec had left already and she was alone with her thoughts. They were about the task at hand: Getting the whole team out of the states without being detected and making it to Fortress Delta. But most of all they were about Wolf. She didn't know why but she knew something terrible would happen. Not to the team and not to her, but to him. She had never been very good when it came to talk about her fears, not even to him so she had kept them to herself; it was just a feeling after all and they couldn't just begin to react differently every time one of them thought something was gonna happen. But she knew something was gonna happen and being sure it would be devastating but not knowing what it was drove her crazy.
She inhaled deeply, trying to calm down.
"Lords of War and Justice, hear my prayer" she began, her voice low. She hadn't prayed to their childhood-gods for a very long time. Blade did it, sometimes Nova and Artemis, but she hadn't in years. But she didn't know who else she could ask for help anymore. "Give me the wisdom to choose the right path and the strength to follow it and to lead my team to safety. Protect them, all of them. They are good people and deserve your protection. And most of all protect Wolf, for I do not know what I should do without him."
She breathed deeply.
"And if necessary give me the courage to give my life in order to protect his."
"But most of all help us to make sure none of us is ever forced to put his life on the line for the other" a voice suddenly sounded behind her and she spun around and got aware of Wolf who was approaching her slowly "because I wouldn't know what to do either if I lost Kyla."
He stopped when he was right in front of her and kept looking at her with concern and worry but also love in his eyes. Kyla on the other hand refused to look at him and had her eyes looking down at the ground beneath her feet instead. He hadn't been supposed to hear her and now she felt ashamed and weak and she couldn't muster the strength to tell him why. For about a minute none of them said anything.
"Kyla" he whispered softly, breaking the silence. "Look at me!"
She shook her head and shifted uncomfortably. He sighed, put her hand under her chin and forced her to look up.
"Nothing's gonna happen to me" he said quietly. "I promise."
"You can't!" She felt surprised herself how weak her voice sounded; her words came out almost as a sob. She shook her head and tried to turn away to hide the tears in her eyes but he suddenly reached out and pulled her close.
"Don't do this" he warned her. "We have made no mistake, all of us made it this far and we will end this together. Nothing's gonna happen to me because that would mean I would not be able to be with you anymore and that's definitely something I will not let happen."
He paused for a moment and waited until he felt she had calmed down a little bit. He knew she had been placing herself under a lot of stress lately and he also knew she was worried about him whenever she wasn't around. On one side he felt glad for that for it showed him she really cared about him but on the other hand he knew this would eventually destroy her and what he had just heard had shocked him. Not only that she was willing to give her life for him but that she also prayed for it to be this way if necessary.
"And Kyla" he continued. "I don't want to hear you talk like that ever again. We are gonna make it and we're gonna make it together and that's and order, do you understand?"
She nodded and pulled him even closer and hid her face in the curve of his neck.
"I'm sorry" she whispered. "I didn't want to scare you. It's just…I'm afraid something terrible is going to happen and I feel like I can do nothing against it."
"We've been through a lot lately" he admitted "but you and I, we've been through a lot, too, and we've got the Colonel and the others. We will be okay in the end, I promise."
Somehow she believed him this time. She didn't know why but whenever he was around she felt safe, protected. She pulled back a little bit and looked at him.
"We are one weird couple."
"Yeah, but a good one!" He smiled when they recited the words they had spoken to each other in Fortress Delta after their first night. They were suddenly lost for words, grey eyes drowning in green ones and when their lips met it was not the passionate kiss of young lovers but of two people who knew that they belonged together and who were constantly afraid to lose each other. But together they knew they were strong enough to face whatever was about to come.
When they finally parted they refused to let go of each other and just enjoyed the closeness between them in silence.
"You should go down and sleep, Kyla" Wolf finally whispered. "I know you haven't slept in more than a week. I can take care of the guard duty."
"Okay" she nodded, "it's just…could I please sleep here? I feel better when I know you're around."
He smiled softly at her almost pleading gaze and nodded. They sat down and she leaned against him, her head against his shoulder while he placed a hand on her waist, holding her close. It only took her about a minute to fall asleep and Wolf smiled, looking at her from time to time before he returned his attention to the street below them again. When he started to softly caress her back in small circles she suddenly started to purr in her sleep; quietly, barely audible but just loud enough for his transgenic hearing to catch it. He looked at her again, surprised at first and then with a love that came from the deepest depths of his heart. In this moment he knew he would do anything for her.
"We're gonna be okay, Kyla" he murmured in a low voice and kissed her softly on the forehead. "I promise. But if necessary it's gonna be my life, not yours."
Behind them Max stood in the door that lead to the staircase and smiled. She had been right about Kyla but as it seemed she had also been right about her brother. He was a tough-hearted soldier, sure, but it seemed he was also more than able to care about her older sister. She stepped back without making a sound and disappeared into the staircase. They deserved to be left alone for a while.
Four days later a Manticore TAC team stormed the apartment where they supposed the fugitives but all they found was a small note on the table. Agent Sandoval who was in charge of the attack took it. It read:
'Sorry Lizzy, too late again.'
Sandoval gritted his teeth and ordered his mean to search the whole block but he knew it was a futile attempt. They were probably out of the city already.
What Sandoval didn't know was that the men and women he was after weren't just out of the city but out of the country already. Against all odds they had made it without being detected. Split up in four groups they had boarded planes which were already over the ocean and on their way to Europe when Sandoval's team stormed their old hideout. Each of them – whether transgenic or ordinary human – was lost in thoughts. They had left their country, not for a mission but because they had to hide. They were running from a deadly enemy and yet they knew that they would eventually return.
It wasn't just a thought or a possibility. They would return, they had to.
Neither of them could know at that time how hard the battle would be and how much it would cost them.
Okay, so this is it, the end of the first book.
Once again I would like to thank all of you. You made me going on and you warned me when I was going too far, thank you very much.
Just remember, this isn't really the end of the journey, the journey itself has just begun.
Please give me some reviews of what you think, about the chapter and the whole story.
And keep in mind that I will PM my regular reviewers and those who review this last chapter as soon as the first chapter of the sequel is up. (Doesn't mean the regular reviewers don't have to review, though ;) )
I would like to end this with a quote I believe in and I think Max and her siblings do so, too.
'SIC VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM' (If you want peace prepare for war)
Thank you very much again and I hope to see you again in Hunting an Angel: The Fallen Ones
Tolen