Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel so don't sue me. Thanks. :-)

A/N: Thanks a ton for the reviews! Reviewers are beloved, as always.

Ex Multus Familia

Chapter 5

"And this is the command center, which you've already seen," Dalton said as they entered the common area of Terminal City's headquarters. "This is where everyone hangs around and pretends they're doing stuff."

Seth glanced at Dalton. "Just because they don't tell you what they're doing doesn't mean they're not doing anything." He had reluctantly given Taylor back to Robin, and the baby was now sleeping in her mother's arms.

"I don't see why I can't know important stuff," Dalton grumbled, "I'm as much of an adult as anyone else around here."

"Yeah, I can totally tell that by your complaining," Sidda said. She poked Dalton in the shoulder and grinned at him. "I didn't know they made such whiny X6s. Crazy, yeah, but not whiny."

Dalton made a face at her. "Haha. Funny."

"But true," Seth said as he headed down the stairs.

Dalton fought the instinctual urge to stick his tongue out at Seth's back and settled for a glare. "Anyways, HQ is where people usually hang around if they don't have anything better to do or are waiting for an assignment. We've set up a couple rec rooms, and then there is the surveillance area. And Joshua's studio is in here and the mess hall." He looked around the sparsely-populated room. "I'm guessing most of everyone's in the mess hall."

"Who's Joshua?" Robin asked, catching the name that Dalton had spoken.

"Our only source of income," Dalton said with a wry grin. "He's an artist."

"And the first Manticore creation," Seth added, "He doesn't have a barcode."

"So, he's like our older brother?" Sidda asked, smirking, "Nice. I always wanted one."

"I was going to tell them that part, Seth," Dalton said, frowning at the male X5. "You always tell them the cool things."

"You should learn to talk faster," Seth said. Dalton rolled his eyes and clomped the rest of the way down the stairs.

"Man, be a little louder!" yelled someone who was watching one of the TV screens. There were a lot of them; Robin hadn't noticed them all last night. This one was medium-sized and playing some sports game. A crew of transgenics who probably could have been doing something better with their time was gathered around it on a variety of couches and chairs, eyes glued to the screen.

"Yo, Denali, looks like your team's biting the proverbial dust of fail," said one of the younger transgenic girls. A bright red pixie cut gave her away as Jaz even from behind.

A startlingly white transgenic with wild, snowy glared at her from his spot near a vent. Robin recognized him as one of the rare Arctic units; there were only about five of them in all of Manticore. "You're asking for a fat lip, Jaz."

"Hey, look, it's that annoying, bitchy girl from last night," Sidda said as she walked off the steps. She glanced over at Dalton who was frowning at Jaz. "Is she always a pain?"

"Yeah, unfortunately," Dalton said, "It's a defining personality trait."

"One that we wish we could erase," Seth muttered.

"Maybe that's her Manticore skill," Sidda suggested. "Jaz, X6-Something of Other, programmed for extreme bitchiness in all situations." She smirked at the redhead who was glaring her way, probably eavesdropping on the conversation. "It may come in handy somehow."

"More likely, it's a defect," Dalton said.

Jaz raised a one-fingered salute for Dalton, but Dalton ignored her. Jaz was always petty like that.

"Come on, let's go down to the mess hall," Seth said, giving Dalton's shoulder a gentle push. "I'm hungry, and I know the girls are too."

"I wouldn't mind eating," said Robin. They had only had a couple of energy bars that Seth and Dalton had brought by for breakfast, and before that, there hadn't been much food.

As if in agreement, Dalton's stomach rumbled. He grinned up at Seth. "Bet I'm hungrier than you are."

"Dalton, you're a teenager. Therefore, you're a bottomless pit, so of course you're hungrier than me," Seth reasoned. "If you're not hungry, then I'm going to assume you're dying and send you over to Sibil and Gray."

"Yeah, that's about right," Dalton said, nodding his fluffy-haired head. "Gem's probably got something good for lunch, 'specially since Everett and Nix just did a mission night before last."

"A thieving mission?" Robin asked. She was curious about everything that went on in this place; she wanted to immerse herself in the odd, quirky culture. It was a whole new world, deadly but exciting. It startled her that it was something she desperately wanted to be a part of.

"Yeah, out into Sector Twelve. They've got some nice food stores down there," Dalton said. His dark brown eyes that contrasted with his corn-yellow hair gleamed with excitement. "I heard they got some chicken. And a ham."

"It was stupid of them to go down there," Seth said. Robin looked at him as his voice lowered and his eyes. His shaggy brown hair was falling into his face; he needed a haircut. "It's dangerous to go looking for perishables, especially in a commercial district like that."

"Dude, I totally think that the ham is worth it," said Dalton, "I mean, come on, it's a ham."

Sidda chuckled. "Yeah, Seth, how could you possibly try to say that anything to do with ham could be wrong?" she said, her eyes wide with mock surprise.

Seth rolled his eyes and pushed Dalton's head, a gentle, playful gesture. "You think with your stomach."

"Whatever, it's done me good so far," Dalton said. "And now my stomach is telling me to go find Gem. Find food. Foooood." He laughed and ducked as Seth punched lazily in his direction. "Come on, Robin, Sidda. You guys have to meet Gem!"

Dalton headed off down a dimly-lit hallway that led off from a corner of the HQ. Seth sighed and motioned for them to follow Dalton. "That kid…"

"He's cute," Robin said, "And he just wants to be helpful."

"Yeah, I know," Seth said, "But one of these days…he's going to meet up with someone who won't take any of his lip."

"I've seen people with worse lips," Sidda said, her face straight, "He'll be a lady-killer when he gets older." The only thing that gave her teasing away was the slight upward twist at the corner of her mouth.

Robin rolled her eyes. "Ha, funny. You better eat something before your jokes get any worse."

"Oh, they haven't hit rock bottom yet." She turned to Seth, a smirk on her face. "Did anyone ever tell you the one about the rabbi, the elf and the three-legged dog?"

"Sidda…" Robin said, shaking her head.

"Kidding, kidding," Sidda said, holding up her hands and laughing. "Geez, you were more fun when you were pregnant, and that's saying a lot."

"I am not above smacking your head around, Sidda," Robin said, her eyes dangerous sapphire slits. "I'll just hand Taylor to Seth and whack you."

"Mhmm," Sidda said, seeming like she wasn't paying Robin any more attention. The sound of voices was spilling into the narrow concrete and steel hallway. "Mess hall ahoy?" she asked, looking up at Seth who was slightly behind her, walking next to Robin.

"Yep, straight ahead and to the left," he said. "It used to be some kind of storage area, like a basement, but it wasn't hard to convert it into a kitchen and mess. There's a guy here, Dix, who can make just about anything if you give him some scrap metal and electricity."

"Even hot water heaters?" Robin asked, hope in her voice. She loved hot baths, hot showers, hot water...

Seth gave a gentle, amused smile. "He made Max one a couple weeks ago. She says it helps her relax, and we all want a less…stressed Max. So, yeah, he can do that for you, if you ask him."

"I don't want to be a bother," Robin said, her nose wrinkling. She couldn't imagine him having the time to fix a hot water heater when there was so much else to do around here.

"You won't be," Seth said, "He does things in order of priority, but everyone has their own requests. There're a lot more working TVs around here than there should be."

"I smell something glorious," Sidda said, closing her eyes and lifting her nose into the air.

Robin sniffed the air and gasped. Warm, thick scents were floating down the hallway, tantalizing smells that made her mouth start watering as if someone had flipped a switch in her brain. "What is that?"

"Smells like mashed potatoes, ham, green beans, buttered rolls, and carrots, but that could just be me," Seth said, shrugging his shoulders. Robin and Sidda looked at each other with the same expression. They had expected army rations, not a feast.

They stepped into the crowded mess hall and were further surprised. It seemed like most of Terminal City's residents were here, smashed into a room full of mismatched picnic and card tables, lawn and arm chairs, and a couple of completely out of place recliners.

Some transgenics sat intermingled around tables, but most of the groups kept to themselves, transhumans with transhumans, X-series with X-series. The divide was mildly disturbing but not unexpected. The trust between the groups was slow to grow and would take a while to solidify. Half the room looked up at the newcomers, but the others kept their heads down, focused on either the amazing food or their conversations. A lot of the X5 women had babies in their laps or arms and were too busy with them to be bothered by the entrance of new people.

Dalton waved to them from across the room. He was standing beside a table in the back that was covered with all sorts of delicious, yummy food. Next to him stood a red-haired transgenic with a bumpy, tri-colored sling around her torso. When they got closer, it was easier to make out the baby-shape to the bump; the sling was an interesting, old-fashioned kind of baby-carrier.

"Guys, this is Gem and Crystal. Gem's our best cook," Dalton said as soon as they were standing nearby. "Gem, this is Robin and Sidda. They're new."

"Really? I never would have guessed with the introductions," Gem said, but she affectionately tousled Dalton's hair. He scowled and tried to straighten his hair, but it stuck up at odd angles, and eventually he gave up. She grinned at his irritated expression and held her hand out to Robin. "It's good to meet new faces, especially female ones." She nodded her head at Seth. "Got enough guys around here to drive a girl crazy."

"That's because the women are usually smart enough to stay away from here," Seth said, smirking back at Gem, "And then there are the stubborn ones…"

"Proud to claim it," Sidda said with a grin. Gem smiled back. Stubbornness was a trait that almost all of the transgenic females embodied.

"Besides," Robin said, jiggling Taylor gently as the baby started to fuss, "There wasn't really anywhere left for us out there."

Gem nodded and smiled at the baby. "I understand what you mean." She absently played with Dalton's hair, the picture of a loving older sister. "We were pretty desperate to get here, too."

"I told you we could've waited for a little while, but no…" Dalton said, making a face.

Gem tugged Dalton's hair, and he hissed and twisted away from her, but she kept her painful grip. She smiled at Robin, Sidda, and Seth. "Aren't kids so cute?"

"Gem!" Dalton yelped. There was chuckling from one of the nearby tables, and Dalton's cheeks went red. "Geeemmm…"

"You're a cruel woman, Gem," Seth said. "Better let him go before you do his social standing permanent danger."

Gem sighed dramatically. "Only because you're such a sweetheart, Seth." She released Dalton's hair, and the teenager leaped away, smoothing his hair back and frowning at Gem.

Robin clenched her hands at Gem's statement then automatically loosened them. That reaction was completely ridiculous. What did it matter to her that someone else…someone else that was female…thought Seth was nice? It didn't matter to her. Nope.

Gem filled up four plates for them and sent them on her way. They sat down at an empty, small round table in one of the corners and dug into the undeniably good home-cooking.

"Wow, this is really, really amazing," Robin said after getting a good taste of the ham. She was holding Taylor with one arm while she ate with her free hand.

"We've got some good cooks," Seth said, "A lot of us have started stealing cookbooks just to see what Gem and the others can manage."

"Nice plan," Sidda said, grinning, "Maybe if we show the Ordinaries that we're domesticated, they'll let us live."

"Domesticated?" Alec dropped his tray in-between Dalton and Sidda and pulled a chair over to their crowded table. He smirked at Sidda as he sat down, forcing Dalton to scoot over. "I'd rather be feral, thanks."

"Nobody likes a tomcat," Sidda replied. "They never stay put."

Alec winked at her as he picked up his fork. "Maybe they just haven't found the right person yet." Before Sidda could say anything, he looked over at Seth. "How's the tour going?"

"Fine. I think we've shown them just about everything," Seth said. "Or everything there is so far."

"Yeah, still haven't seen the spa or the movie theater yet," Sidda said, "I'm guessing you're waiting until after lunch for that?"

"Dude, I wish," Dalton said, stabbing at his mash potatoes. "There's barely anything to do around here."

"I'm certain we can find you something to do," Alec said, smiling dangerously, "I think Gatorade's still looking for help with her gym."

Dalton became very interested in cutting his ham. "Uh, no, I just meant that there wasn't anything fun to do…but I'm cool. I like being with the girls."

"We like you being with us too, Dalton," Robin said, smiling at the kid, "You're a great tour guide, even when Seth's trying to steal the spotlight."

"I didn't do that," Seth said, "I was just trying to tell you…"

"Yeah, I totally could have done it without him," Dalton said, "I don't know why Max made him come with me."

"I couldn't imagine why…" Sidda said, glancing at Robin out of the corner of her eyes. Robin glared back and discreetly kicked the short blonde's uninjured leg underneath the table. Sidda didn't yelp, but her expression changed swiftly from a smile to a constrained grimace.

"Weird, but that's Max for you," Alec said. He popped a slice of ham into his mouth and attempted to talk around it. "She's always…doing…stuff like…"

"Ew, don't talk with your mouth full," Robin reprimanded, shaking her head. "It's gross."

Alec rolled his eyes but started chewing. He made a big deal of swallowing and leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table. "Anyway, Max is always doing stuff like that. She's got some kind of spun reasoning for all of it."

"Max knows what she's doing," Seth said. He glanced over at Robin and met her eyes for a brief moment before looking away.

Robin sat back in her chair and let the others chatter. She was glad that they were finally getting to sit down for a while. They had been walking for the past three hours, and that wasn't any stretch of endurance for an X5, but it had felt like an information overload. Their tour guides had been incredibly thorough, walking through all seven blocks of Terminal City and taking them into most of the buildings and into some of the underground passages that led out of the tiny "city." Robin was still trying to get the layout straight in her head; maybe she would draw out a map of it all later.

She shifted Taylor to her other arm as the baby squirmed around, raising her head and flailing her arms. She was hungry, but Robin didn't feel comfortable feeding her around all these people. Not that there wasn't a lot of other young mothers in here, and probably everyone had seen a woman feeding a baby, but it didn't feel right to Robin. She always wanted privacy. Taylor whined as Robin tried to shush her.

"Can I hold her?" Dalton asked, his eyes flitting from Taylor to Robin, "I'm pretty good with babies."

Seth laughed when Robin gave Dalton a skeptical look. "It's okay. He babysits for Gem all the time, and he hasn't killed Crystal yet. That's a pretty good track record."

"Hey!" Dalton exclaimed, "I'd never hurt Crystal, and I won't hurt Taylor."

Robin hesitated. "I trust you, Dalton, it's just…"

"She barely let's anyone hold the kid," Sidda said as she pulled apart her roll and slathered the inside with butter. "It's her violently protective mother side." She pointed her knife at Dalton. "Be wary." She bit down into the roll and tore off a large chunk of it.

Robin made a face at Sidda before turning to Dalton. "To prove that I'm not a crazy mother, you can hold Taylor."

Dalton was up from the table and at her side in a moment. Taylor stopped moving when Robin placed her in Dalton's arms. Robin's eyebrows lifted as Taylor quieted immediately, her wide blues eyes latched onto Dalton's face. The X6 went back to his chair and gently rocked the baby back and forth, humming snatches of some of his favorite rock songs.

"So, we know Manticore screwed up with you, kid," Alec said, a wry look on his face as he looked at Dalton, "Girls are supposed to get the mothering gene."

Dalton didn't look up from Taylor's face but his cheeks went red. He didn't like being teased by Alec, who he had halfway regarded as a role model since the Jam Pony Siege.

"I think you're jealous, Alec," Seth said, coming to the boy's defense. He looked across the table at Alec and smiled. "Just because Crystal always screams her head off every time you attempt to hold her doesn't mean that you have to envy Dalton."

Alec jabbed his fork into his carrots. "She'll come around. Eventually."

"If it helps, Taylor probably won't cry if you hold her," Robin said.

"That's because Taylor almost never cries anyway," Sidda said, "That's not a good way to tell if all babies hate Alec or not."

"You know what, you eat like a bird," Alec complained, motioning to Sidda's plate and conveniently switching the topic. A lot of the food was left on the chipped ceramic plate, half-eaten or barely picked at. He twisted in his chair to stare at her, eyes narrowed. "Are you anorexic?" If it hadn't been for the playful tone in his voice, she probably would have slapped him.

She glared at him. "You changed topics, and, no, you just saw me destroy a roll," Sidda replied. She poked at the remaining bread crumbs on her napkin for emphasis.

Alec shrugged. "That could be a ruse. Or you're bulimic," he said, waving his fork in a circle at her. He smirked at her. "Isn't throwing up all the time sort of gross?"

Sidda sighed and pushed her food around with her fork. "I just don't eat a lot. Never needed to. I told Gem I didn't need this much."

"I still think you're anorexic," Alec replied as he speared a hunk of her ham and brought it to his plate. "But you can sit next to me and be anorexic. I'll make it look like you're not." He grinned at her as he lunged for the rest of her mashed potatoes.

"Aren't you such a gentleman," Sidda replied, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling as he chivalrously stole the rest of the food from her plate.

"Always glad to help out a damsel in distress," he said. Now her plate was scraped clean.

"My knight in scientifically constructed armor," she said. She handed him her extra napkin, and he grinned as he plucked it from her fingers.

"Milady," he replied before shoveling her remaining green beans into his mouth.

Robin laughed quietly to herself at their bantering. She wasn't sure when she had last seen Sidda look so…not carefree but… happy. She was usually too busy worrying about how to get their next meal or where they were going to go next; there was not a lot of time for fun when you were trying to survive. Robin glanced at Seth before looking down at her plate again. Maybe this move to Terminal City really was for the best.