Sorry I know it's been forever and a day but I've had to completely to a few re-writes when it was suggested to me that some of the plot aspects were to far out of the DA realm. So this epie is ¼ re-written and the next that I'm currently getting help on re-writing wise from 'daciavu73' is going through a major over haul. I've already had to cut half of it out. So sorry for the immense delay and I hope this doesn't discourage the readers from reading this anymore.

recicup: sex, violence and subterfuge is great as a combination.

Scmumsy: Brin will be at the epicenter for a few epie's but it'll be for the betterment.

As always read and review. And thank 'daciavu73'.

Season 5 ep. 9

I knew breaking the news would be difficult, but there was no amount of preparation that could help me now. Since our mission was completed, I went to Zack's room to give him the news of our sister. I just couldn't label her as fallen yet. Not until he accepted it as well. Her mind and body belonged to General Ross to do as he pleased. Any mission and she would do it.

Tried and true to myself, I didn't bother to knock as I walked in...though admittedly for once I wish I had. To my shock, Zack was locked in a passionate embrace with Gem. It was only my presence that interrupted the moment, but it was enough to make me feel guilty.

"Sorry to disturb you both but..." I shot my eyes to Zack, "I have some news on Brin." I regretted ruining this moment now. Gem thankfully knew my sib's name well enough that no jealousy sparked in her eyes, only understanding and awareness. Zack shifted, "What are you talking about? She's dead."

"I thought so too...until tonight. And she's not a clone cause she recognized me." I explained further.

I faltered though, since we thought she was dead from the explosion at Manticore. For us being dead was better than being a mindless slave to the general.

"So once again our failure comes back to haunt us." he remarks, a pregnant pause encompassed the space around us. He brought his eyes back to mine, "You bring her in?"

I shook my head, "No, we didn't."

His eyes turned to flint and his jaw clenched, indicating how angry he was, but I refused to show fear. "So you had the opportunity to save our sister and you didn't take it?" he demanded.

I steeled myself. I knew this confrontation wasn't going to be easy. "She would have been dead weight, Zack. We couldn't get her out, not without screwing up our time frame and risking exposure."

I felt like I had gone back in time and was once again answering to my CO. That thought did not make me the least bit comfortable. I am the CO now, damn it! Why do I feel the need to constantly explain myself to Zack?

Taking a deep breath to settle my nerves a little, I gently advised, "Alec had to knock her out to avoid her alerting the guards to our location."

He pursed his lips, the only indication that told me he felt like I did, guilty for allowing her to go back to Manticore all those years ago, and hopeless that we'll ever save her from a fate worse than death. "She doesn't deserve this." he remarked. "We never should have let Deck have her all those years ago." he mourned regretfully, mirroring exactly what I was thinking.

Gem placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Zack, maybe sometimes there is no alternative. Especially if there was no other choice at that time that didn't involve her being dead."

His eyes looked dead as they stared at Gem, "I know you think you're helping…Don't!"

I cringed at the sharpness of his tone and the undisguised hurt on her face before she quickly put her Manticore mask back on and quickly concealed her hurt. Every Manticore alumni were pros at this.

"Hey!' I snapped in response to Gem's flinch from Zack's harsh words. He could be such a big jerk at times. He glared at me but it didn't faze me in the least, "Don't snap at your girlfriend over some past mishap she had nothing to do with. It was Brin's decision to go back, not yours and not mine. It was HER choice." he started to open his mouth but I continued, not allowing him to get a word in until I said my peace.

"No, big brother, you are going to listen to me this time! Gem is here for you! Stop hurting the one you love or you'll lose her too, you big dumb ass. Don't keep biting her head off for trying to help because you feel guilty."

Zack continued to glare at me, but stayed silent, so I finished my thoughts, "As for Brin...you know she made her decision back then, and it saved her life. She wanted to live. That's on her. 100 percent. She's not the Brin we know anymore Zack, she's X5-734. Believe me I would love it if she were trying to get out but she made her choice." I told him, my tone absolutely final. My big brother would just have deal.

Zack stared at me with what appeared to be caution written in his face, "So you're saying her inner soldier has taken over and made her loyal to the General?" I nodded in agreement. Just like with Manticore.

Turning to the nearest counter, in an angry rage he swept the items off, which created a great banging clatter that caused Gem and me to cringe in understanding pain and misery. "Couldn't we break her out?" he asked in desperation, his fingers now combing through his hair in agitation.

It was Gem's quiet words that broke the short silence that descended on the small apartment. "She wouldn't go with you...not willingly, "You would have to reach the human side of her, the Brin within that you remember."

"She's right. Last time I ran into her at Manticore, I asked her to come with me...and her response? 'Never!' That was her exact word." The memory rang in my head clear as day. The defiant gaze in her once charming, sweet eyes, she was faithful to Manticore and everything they stood for, just like she is loyal to General Ross today. It was heart breaking to say the least. And on top of that, it freaking sucked!

Confused, I asked Gem, "Wait, what do you mean when you say 'get to the Brin within'?"

"The brainwashing she went through brings out the soldier in her and squashes her personality. The one you refer to as Brin." Gem explained, "Her re-indoc had to be pretty painful. My guess is that when she first came back to Manticore, maybe she was extremely defiant at first?"

"I don't think she would have had much fight left in her at the time." Zack admitted. Gem looked between us, her eyes asking for clarification and I articulated further, "She had progeria. She figured out on her own if she kept her body cold long enough it would delay the rapid aging process. But it simply wasn't enough and Deck promised us that Manticore knew how to treat progeria. We let Brin decide what she wanted to do…"

Zack paced restlessly around the tiny apartment as he muttered, "We should have never turned her back in."

"It was Brin's choice Zack. She stated she wanted to live. She chose to go back with Deck. Would you have let her die? You know to save her life we would do the same thing over again if faced with the same choice."

"Aha, that's it!" Gem exclaimed, interrupting our argument. "She wanted to live so badly that she would have promised anything. Come on guys, if anyone knew how Manticore worked, it was those of us that lived there until it burned down, okay? Go with me on this…"

Zack folded his arms and tilted his head, his only indication he was listening. So I nodded, "Okay Gem, we're all ears. What's your theory?"

Now Gem was the one pacing and gesturing as she talked, "More than likely, they brought her in when she was in the later stages of progeria."

"Well yeah, Zack and I can tell you that. That's how we left her." Sadness from that moment flitted through my memory.

"Well, we all know Deck wanted his 'special unit' back under the Manticore umbrella." She used air quotes when describing our unit and I picked up a slight sarcasm. I raised a brow at the tone and she quickly explained, "Hey it's old news now, but back then, you guys were all Deck thought about, it affected his work with the rest of us in some ways."

She waved that away like it was an annoying gnat, bringing us to her point. "Bottom line, one of his 'kids' was now home right? He would not want her to leave again, so maybe he let her suffer the pain a little while longer until she promised anything he wanted just so she could get a cure. Then once cured, she would be so beholden to him. It's the classic 'pain-slash-comfort' form of torture." Zack and I looked to one another seeing where she was going with this.

"Because they allow you to live, your mind suddenly is loyal to the torturer. They break you down until you realize you have no control, no say, in what they decide. They make sure you understand you're expendable. So when they make the ultimate choice and 'kindly' decide to save your life instead, you then feel so eternally grateful to them." I rolled my eyes at it but understood the truth in her words.

Since she was getting through to us, she continued. "And once you're fully recovered and they feed you and clothe you and make you feel a part of the unit again, you don't want to ever piss them off. Because now you know what they're truly capable of and you want to stay in their good graces. They had the power to put you through all kinds of hell. Believe me, I've seen this so many times. So my guess is she became loyal due to survival."

She looked between us and exclaimed, "Come on guys! Don't you see? It's classic Stockholm Syndrome. They probably had to do further tweaking in her brain, putting her through the re-indoc to train her brain to think she's only a number again AND see you guys as her enemy. AND she may have went through more re-indoc when Deck defected from Manticore. Frankly we all did.

It all made sense as I thought it over, "And therefore, getting her out of there won't be easy. Loyalty to your unit is huge where we come from."

Zack straightened up, shoulders back, his spine straight and arms at his sides in a classic military pose as his eyes met mine in determination, "You're right. She was part of our unit and as far as I'm concerned, she still is, swiss-cheesed brain and all. Recon is what we're trained to do Max, and now that we have a tap into their systems..."

"I'll see about our windows of opportunity but..." I was all for it until I realized something.

I lowered my head down in guilt and shook my head, lost in my thoughts. "What?" he demanded, his inner alpha CO coming out as his gaze hardened at me. I almost couldn't face him...almost. I had been without him as my CO for ten plus years and he still made me feel like a SIC at times. I felt a tad pathetic at that before I pulled myself together. My inner alpha wanting to tell him what was what.

"If you take her willingly or by force, Ross might see it as a declaration of war." I added on, "I'd rather not give him anymore ammo till it's time to have a full on fight with him. Besides he's not even the main player here. White is the head honcho behind the Phoenix Project and Ross is just the pawn." I had to make him understand my reasoning for my decision.

"Therefore, we can't go in, guns blazing, for just one person. We have to think of the good of everyone in TC. We kidnap Brin, it could start a war. With the number of transgenics at the Phoenix Project, plus the numbers of Familiars that will come in behind them, it would be suicide." It was a tough decision to make but I had to stand my ground on this.

Zack's look of disgust tore at me, "You know I'm beginning to wonder if popping out a couple of kids has softened you up too much." I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off, "Either that or you feel that now that you have a mate and some kids that you have a family of your own. So you can now ignore, forget and piss all over the ones you grew up with."

"That's not true Zack!" How dare he say such a thing!

In his anger, he wasn't even listening, he just continued his tirade. "You traded one family for another and when our sister needs your help, you bail!" He slammed his fist onto the counter, making the rest of the items jingle. It made both Gem and me flinch. In defense I yelled back, unwilling to let him think of me as the bad guy here, "You're taking my words out of context!"

I lowered my voice, trying to clamp down on my anger and raised my hands in supplication, "Now, I refuse to feel guilty over a matter that could literally send us in a 'transgenic war'. I'll come back later when you've cooled down and you're not ready to fly off the handle."

I knew I made a mistake in turning my back on him, thinking he's my brother, I can trust him. Boy have times changed.

I turned to leave when I felt a blur behind me. I jerked around, blocking his hold aimed at my throat only to have him grab the wrist I used to block and twist it effectively and a bit painfully behind my back. Now with my back to his front he said, "You're getting weak as a soldier. Becoming unfit as the CO. Let me ask you, were you EVER in the game?" his voice grated in my ear.

Gem's yell for him to stop rang through the apartment, but neither of us were listening. Grabbing his arm, I pulled forward, bent at the knee and kicked out his knee at the side. It made him falter enough to break the hold he had on me.

Turning back around on him, he bent to grab me around my waist, his shoulder at my stomach as he slammed me bodily into the door. We nearly broke it with the impact, both of us grunting and struggling with the other.

"Would you two stop? This is ridiculous!" Gem yelled at us, knowing we wouldn't truly hurt one another, though she seemed to be edging forward in an attempt to dissolve the situation.

I slammed my elbows into his back, hitting his kidneys in the process to get him to release me. He grunted in pain. It was the door trying to open from behind that gave Zack an edge.

I punched out, he dodged and pivoted, holding my arm over his shoulder and grabbing the waist of my jeans, he flipped me over his shoulder. Most people would have landed on their backs with this move but I cart wheeled back to my feet.

"Zack, I don't know what the hell your problem is, but I will totally kick your ass if you come one step closer."

"Bring it baby sister!" He muttered as he lunged toward me.

Daniel was suddenly there, apparently having heard the ruckus and was checking it out. When he saw me in trouble he acted quickly, stepping in and body slamming my brother into the wall without a moment's hesitation. "What the hell is your problem?" Daniel demanded.

"You're not a part of our unit. You wouldn't understand." Zack growled in anger.

"I'm sure Max'll explain it to me." I nodded in agreement as Daniel struggled to keep Zack still. He pushed Zack hard into the wall, causing Zack to grunt when his head hit a wooden stud behind him. Daniel practically spat in his face as he delivered a warning.

"Oh and get this straight in your head 599. Max, Alec, Mole, Cece and I run this place. We lead around here, NOT YOU, so remember your placement here. You attack one of us, your position here will be questioned, and you'll get demoted or told to leave. Do we understand each other?" Daniel threatened.

"And that's the Sunday school version." I muttered.

Zack's steamed face was ready to strike but also he seemed to be livid, trying to contain his anger. He shoved Daniel away and growled, "Get out, all of you."

I knew he needed some time to think this all over so I indicated for everyone to leave him alone. "Listen I can ask around but I won't guarantee anything." I told him as we left. Closing the door behind us and walking away I stole a glance back, figuring I'd talk to him again in a few hours. I had expected a negative reaction but nothing like the level of rage he showed me.

"As far as news breaking goes, that was a home run." My sarcasm wasn't lost on my audience, I could tell. I saw the deliberating faces from both parties, "He just needs to take time and process it all." I explained. I watched them shift their eyes to one another, neither of them readily agreeing to my prediction. I turned my head back to the door hoping I was correct or at least close on my next words.

"I know my brother, he just needs to get his head on straight is all." I defended.

Daniel snorted, "No argument there." I shot my eyes to him, "But mind you, this is the same 'brother' that had the hots for you before Gem saved his ass from getting reamed by Alec if he so much as made a move on you."

Gem quickly replied to that statement. "Didn't you make that mistake once?"

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck in mingled embarrassment and anger, "Pheromones were heavy in that apartment, I couldn't control myself and since I was unmated at the time and she was yet to be mated, at least scent-wise...we were lucky that nothing truly happened." I knew that much.

I know in all honesty if Alec hadn't come in when he did that day… well I'm just glad he did. There would have been no running from him. I would have jumped and Daniel would have happily taken me anywhere or in any way I wanted.

"I know." I agreed. Thankfully it had been a bit of time since that happened so it was no longer awkward to bring it up.

"No lost love between you two in there a minute ago." I shot my eyes to Daniel's own at his cocky reply.

A tiny glare was sent his way before remarking, "He's dealing with no longer being in charge of a unit. He's already technically demoted. Now he's dealing with the fact that we might not be able to save Brin. It's a lot to take in for an alpha."

Gem responded, "Max…I might have an idea." Now she had a faraway glaze in her eyes. "What idea? Right now I'm open to suggestions." I stated, ready to listen to anything that might save my sister and in the process, make amends with Zack. I didn't want the last memories of her to be Alec knocking her out.

"We could simply kill her." My eyes widened in shock at her suggestion. I shot a glare to Daniel wondering what the hell they were thinking. He actually looked like he was entertaining that idea. Am I missing something here? She did say 'kill' right?

"Are you nuts?" I demanded, the thought of killing Brin turning my stomach. It was a good thing Zack wasn't here to hear his girlfriend suggest such an idea.

Daniel completely ignored my outburst as he raised his eyebrows and asked Gem, "Like the 'Dosoto mission'?"

Their shared knowledge on something I was unaware of was making me edgy. And the non-verbals between them were killing me. I pinched the bridge of my nose, "Please tell me this story has a happy ending?" I asked.

Gem explained, "It can…depends on timing actually. In order to get a POW out of a camp, like we had to do with the DeSoto mission, we 'killed' him to bring him back...to Manticore. Or at least made everyone think they were dead."

Still confused, I had to ask, "How does it work?"

"It's a little cocktail that we can inject into her system. It will make her appear dead but in reality she'll be in a comatose state. To any and all machines known to man she'll be dead as a door nail. Her breathing will be non-existent and her heart rate will be gone to any regular resuscitation. But if we don't nail the timing perfectly to get her back it would kill her for real. As long as you get her off base and into a secured area within the hour here there won't be any interruptions it can be reversed."

It was a long shot for sure. I was just thankful we were far enough away that Zack wouldn't hear us. I didn't want him to have false hopes. "It's worth a shot, Gem do you know where we could find the cocktail, or how to make it?" I asked her.

"I can get some." My face now filled with shock from Daniel's admittance. He held up his hand, "Don't ask." I didn't. "Let's move then. Just don't tell Zack, if anything goes wrong..." the rest was left unspoken as we all knew the potential reaction from Zack.

We went to HQ to see if our idea for Brin would be possible when I spotted Deck, sporting some reading glasses with a book in hand. It seemed he was trying to fill in his extra time these days with anything that would keep him busy. I waved off the others, "I'll catch up with you guys in a second." They merely stood there waiting for me, while giving me odd glances.

"Hey Deck." Hearing me call his name, he turned around to face me. I pulled the ring from my back pocket that I stashed away earlier in the evening. His eyes widened and he seemed to have trouble controlling his own breathing. I could hear Gem and Daniel shift to see what was going on, "Is this -?" he took it from me in a flash, "Where did you find this?" he ordered. His eyes hard, worn and a bit glassy.

"Ross's desk at his home. He had it locked up there. It's your wife's isn't it?" I stated more than asked, "Look I'm sorry to ask, I know it can't be easy but it wasn't mentioned in the police reports, courtesy of Logan's hacking ability, that she was missing her ring…but it also wasn't in them that she had been raped either." I told him. Now he appeared a bit pissed, "It wasn't?" he was shocked.

I shook my head, "No. Just that she was murdered and that her killer was never found." I was beginning to wonder…did someone or did Avram himself go into her records and alter them to save his ass? Deck's eyes started to mist, "I still remember getting it engraved…" he showed me the engraving on it, "With love always…Donald." I read. He really loved her…

Just as I was about to say something he remarked, "You have no idea what you've done for me, thank you Max." he rushed off without another word.

"Come on Max, let's go." Daniel said, though not so much as a command but more in a 'we need to get this taken care of.'

As we made it to HQ we figured if it seemed that she died, Avram wouldn't care. He felt his troops were expendable but if Brin was taken then it would raise questions, red flags that would be unanswerable. Plus however unfortunate with her extended stay with the Psy Ops people, he'd never believe it if she left willingly. Heading up to Dix's computer station I asked, "How's it going up here?"

He turned his head to me. "Great I've actually been working on creating a small back door system if you will to be placed behind the computers fire walls. It's pretty guaranteed that no one will look, so I can access it whenever needed. It'll a perfect hiding place…done." He stated turning to face me happily. I saw the monitors flashing with the completed work now loading. I smiled in thanks to the little guy, "Wow that is awesome, how soon can we use it?"

"Now if you want to." he offered. "Not yet, not till we need to use. We use it only when needed that way we don't accidentally get spotted. They have transgenics working their magic to." I warned, "True…but their not me. I'm built to work with it." I smiled understanding him, "Okay."

Hearing Alec's office door open I looked up to see his eyes glued to the screen on his phone, apparently reading a text he wasn't happy with. His face shifted into several different emotions before settling on two: anger and irritation. I called for him, hoping to dispel the mounting anger at least. "Alec." I said only loud enough to gain his attention though.

Walking over I saw the mental calculation in his eyes as they swept over my body. Assessing any visible damage or any disturbance to the shift in my stance. Daniel, no doubt after our brief meeting sent a quick text to him of what happened.

"We need to talk." he said. No asking, it was a demand. One of these days he really needs to learn he can't go around throwing out demands. I'm the damned CO! "Correct, but not on what you think." I finish off. I was coming up with a new idea that was based on Gem's and needed to get Zack off my back about some stuff. I was a strong CO, I wasn't getting weak. Not that I'd ever admit it but I wanted to prove him wrong. I was a strong person.

His eyes shifted from irritation to mild confusion as he walked closer to me, "An idea from Gem got me thinking." I announced. He crossed his arms over his chest. For a moment I purred internally at the appearance it made. I shifted my stance to avoid a change in scent from forming, standing downwind from him

"I think we have more important issues at the moment rather than that Max." he stated. I shot back, "They're interconnected." I insist. "Gem, Daniel and I may have come up with a way to get Brin out. It's using some kind of cocktail to inject into her to make everyone think she's dead."

I could tell my man wasn't thinking about anything but the fight he now knows I had with Zack. "Dosoto mission? Ring any bells?" I ask, hoping to distract him from his usual protective, alpha, sometimes-pain-in-my-ass stance. I love him, I really do, but I can take care of my own damn self!

"Max can I talk to you...in private?" I could tell from the tone that it wasn't a question, it was an order and he was not going to be swayed. Once Alec got something in his head, there was no distracting him.

Sighing and rolling my eyes as he turned away, I followed, preparing my argument internally. We walked into his office, shutting the door to muffle at least some of the conversation that was about to take place. I watched him pace about like a caged animal ready to pounce and protect his mate if need be. Alec's reaction was endearing but not needed right now.

"The hell are you thinkin'?" he demanded of me. His nostrils began to flare with anger.

"Getting my sister out, that's what I'm thinking."

"Max, I'm very well aware you can take care of yourself regardless of what you do. But I'm wondering if fighting with Zack has perhaps knocked your brain off-kilter? How the hell do you expect to get this injection to Brin?"

"I'll do it myself." I volunteered, although I could tell my voice even had a little doubt in it.

"Um… no way. Ross knows what you look like, and you don't have a twin there to masquerade as…and there's no freaking way he'll believe you've turned on us. What if you get caught? He'll kill you without a second thought. You're not going."

"You can't tell me what to do Alec!"

"Like hell I can't. You'll walk right into a trap plus you're too close to this. Your feelings for Brin will cloud your judgment. You know it as well as I do!"

I was really flying by the seat of my pants like I always did. Yes, I was aware of it, but tried and true me, I fell back on anger to power my next words, "I can take care of myself!" I whispered fiercely as his angry protective eyes met mine.

Just as fiercely he replied, "You're NOT goin'!"

I stomped down on the urge to kiss him for getting all alpha on me when it came to my safety, but my own inner alpha was getting pissed at him thinking he could tell me what to do, "While I realize you're worried about me, reality check, I survived over ten years in the real world before we even met. I can handle -" he cut me off.

"Listen I know you're tough, smart and well trained - we ALL are!" he started up again, caressing my cheek with the backs of his fingers to soften his next words.

"I think whatever Zack said to you is getting to you. Brin isn't your sister anymore, she's 734 now. That woman would kill for the General without blinking if he asked it of her. She's following blind orders." I hated to admit it but he was right.

"You know it, and Zack, in some part of his mind, he knows it too. Now if you really want to attempt a rescue mission, I'll go. I've had more field training when it comes to resisting subterfuge. I can get inside and fake my way through it better than anyone. I'm like a freakin' chameleon Max." I smiled against my better judgment at his words.

Still, I started to protest, though Alec caught me yet again, "Max, you're too emotionally attached to this. I'm not." he stated firmly and resolute in his words. I deflated a bit seeing his logic.

Ten years out in the world gave me ways to intermingle and pretend to be mostly human while leading a semi-normal life. However, it didn't give me the ability to resist subterfuge at the General's level. Alec has played soldier way longer than I have. He would know all the ins and outs, how to handle fellow transgenics, and how to fake his way through if he had to.

"Maxie..." he cupped my face in his hands, "Love of my life..." I cracked a smile as he wrapped his arms around my form, holding me in a strong yet tender embrace as I hugged him back just as tightly, "I know you want to go, but on this one, let's just stick to the original plan and get your sister out. I'll go in and get her." My instincts called upon me to protest it.

"But if the other X series see us taking her, see you taking her - " he cut me off with a kiss. We stayed in that kiss for several moments before he lightly let my lips go. I opened my eyes slowly, "They won't. Max I'm a trained assassin. You know I do sneak and creep better than anyone we know." I closed my eyes once more, already knowing that.

"I can do a clean strike and bring her back here in one hour. Tops, okay? Hell, we'll even have Mia go into her mind and bring out the Brin you and your sib's know and love. She's gotta be in there somewhere." I nodded reluctantly at his smiling face.

"But before I leave..." I shift my face up to him and ask curiously, "Were you a part of the Dosoto mission?" I asked, "Yeah…I led that mission… so that's the scenario we're using for this trip?" he asked. I nodded in answer.

"So you'll need the deep sleep cocktail." I agreed again, glad I didn't have to explain everything. He clapped his hands together." Okay! Gotta wait on that before I can make my move." He confirmed. I nodded, "I'll talk to Daniel and see how far he is with getting his hands on it." I told him, snuggling into his embrace, enjoying his warmth. It was the tightening of his muscles that I noticed he was getting ready for something.

"And while you do that, I'm gonna go 'talk' to Zack." I raised my head up to him at his words.

"Alec please - "he stopped me with a finger to my lips, "Brother or not he assaulted you. He was damn lucky it was Daniel that saw him and NOT me." his voice serious. I had to ask, even knowing the answer. "And why is that?"

I expected a smart - Alec reply, I didn't get one, "Cause he'd be in the infirmary." his tone dropped further indicating his seriousness on the matter.

It was an alpha male thing, his mate had not only been yelled at, but had been physically attacked. It was unacceptable to him for his mate and mother of his baby girls to get attacked by anyone, but most of all by her own brother. True I could hold my own, but I wouldn't do much in defense of my own brother since I saw no real threat in him.

"Just don't kill him, he is still my brother." I relented.

I would talk to him myself, but I needed to see where Daniel was on the cocktail. And Zack probably wasn't ready for a heart-to-heart yet. Giving one last kiss and a pat to his butt for good measure and to see that slight shock on his face before ducking his head for another kiss, I sashayed my way out of his office. I turned my head around behind me to find him openly ogling my butt. Eyes finding my face, I winked at him before walking out of his office.

As the argument that everyone was expecting didn't come to pass, they settled down, now once more happy that their beloved leaders or at least two of them were on happy grounds.

Alec POV

I didn't care less if anyone saw me as I was watching my mate's ass swing about. I swear I got sorely tempted to see if I could bounce a coin off her ass, it was that firm. Had she not left the office I would have been even more tempted to take her against my desk, thrust myself inside of her and slap her ass cheeks till they turned a slight shade of pink as she cried out in pleasure. Next time…

Shaking my head of that I focused on more important things, like knocking some sense into Brother Zack's head. He physically harmed my mate and that wasn't going to fly by without a bit of retribution. A warning was definitely in order. I made my way out of HQ and down to Zack's apartment.

I didn't bother knocking once I got to his apartment, just walked right in as Max would do. I saw him in the kitchen to my right, "Let me gue -" I didn't let him finish. Blurring forward I slammed my fist into his gut before slamming his head onto his own counter. The surprise would wear off in a few seconds, then he would defend himself from the shocking intruder. Me.

He blocked my next punch, and went to slam my head in with his own when I used the moment to slam my knee into his groin. His grunt of pain made me wince for the guy, but only because I had been hit there before. It was a low blow, but to attack one's sister was low blow too.

"I swear to whatever deity that's out there, if you EVER hurt Max again..."

Pulling him back to his feet, my fingers fisted in his shirt, as I shook him like a rag doll.

"Ever again...I'll put you in the infirmary, and personally, I don't give a damn that she's your sister. You still have NO RIGHT to lay a finger on her!" I spat in his face.

"And you have no right to come into my home and threaten me you piss ant!"

Zack shoved me away and I stumbled back a few steps. I really wanted to wring his fucking neck, but remembering Max telling me not to kill him gave me pause. I straightened the lapels of my jacket and he fumed.

"Your influence on Max is causing her to forget her family. Her real family, her real unit." I got agitated.

"Real family? I am her real family. Get it through your head Zack. She's mated to me now. We have kids together. It's about damn time you got over that!" I demanded of him, my voice rising.

"I do what is necessary to protect my unit! My family! Max is part of that. YOU are not!" Zack bellowed as he shoved me again. Tired of being manhandled I grabbed him by the shirt and threw him against the wall, getting in his face.

"You're referring to the same family that you split up? The same family she begged of you to tell where they were located? The same family you denied her cause she didn't do things the same way you did? You have a strange interpretation of the word FAMILY you ass wipe! At least she has a sense of home with me and the girls. All you do is give her grief. Cut it out before I have to make you do it!" I remarked.

"You're brainwashing her against me." Zack accused. I just shook my head.

"Nope, I let her make her own decisions and she's using her own brain. You are judging Max cause she's not jumping to your command like she used to do when you were kids and for some crazy-assed reasoning going on in those circuits under that metal head of yours, you're running to save a sister that doesn't want to be saved!" I knew he wouldn't want to hear it but he needed to.

"Don't you get it? Its bull, and you know it! You are not goin' to force her to choose between the family she has with me and the sibs she grew up with because you can't face not being in charge any longer. You're not goin' to lay that on her." I told him at face value. He wasn't going to have her question where she stood with both families.

I walked out of his kitchen intent on leaving, "I always..." he started. I stopped and turned around partially as he finished, "I always had a feeling she would usurp me in the end..."

He leaned against the counter, somewhat in defeat, but mostly in pain as he hissed. "I just don't get where the hell her head is. Emotions will make you weak and what does she do? With all the threats of Ross or White or the Familiars or the Phoenix project she gets knocked up by you. I find it damned stupid to let your guard down enough to have kids that can be used against you someday." I shifted my stance angrily.

"Our girls are NOT a mistake. We wanted to have them." He turned to me.

"What I meant, it was a mistake to want to have a family." I grit my teeth at that, "I'm sure Gem is very fond of your way of thinkin'." I retorted sarcastically.

He straightened and turned away, intent on ignoring my presence here,

"I want you to back away from all this family unity talk for a while. All you do is confuse her." I ordered. Hell yeah, I'm giving a fucking order and Brother Zack had better listen!

He turned back around to face me again. His face stony as he looked deeply into my eyes to see how serious I was.

Zack seethed though, "Understand that she IS my family. And so is Brin, and I want to make sure Brin gets back safely. I was only trying to relay to Max that we're soldiers, this is what we were trained to do. She needs to come home to us."

"I understand Zack… I really get it, believe me. But let me ask you this… Brin, Max and all of that aside… Do you really wanna be a soldier all your life?" I asked him, he hesitated, "Or are you gonna live your life the way YOU want to live it? My guess is, settling down with Gem and Eve and poppin' out a kid or two more might be at the top of the list of things that you really want to do. I would even bet you already view Eve as yours don't you'?" I knew I was right and so did he.

"I would have no clue how to do that. A soldier's life is all I know. I don't know how to do things differently." If I hadn't had transgenic hearing I never would have caught that last part, or the defeat in his voice as he said it.

"Neither did we." His eyes gradually met my own, "Zack we're all making it up as we go. There was no course on this, no users manual, no book, nothing. Manticore didn't teach us this. We're just figuring it out as we go along." I gave him a neutral face. His eyes were unable to meet mine.

"I just want to save my sister." he admitted.

"We'll work on a few different angles to get Brin back, but I'm not promising anything." I admit.

He turned to me a little warily as he reminisced. "The night we had escaped from Manticore all those years ago, they put their lives in my hands. And I've always looked out for them. I've failed with Brin twice now. I should have known she wasn't thinking clearly when she was suffering from progeria, but Max and I still let her go...still let Lydecker have her. Now she's in the enemy's hands again and my own are tied in helping her. I hate that. Don't you get it? I've gotta make it right." I sighed at his words.

"And sometimes Zack, realizing you only lost the battle and not necessarily the war means you're growing as a soldier and learning for the better." I revised.

"All I ask…can you get Brin back here?" Zack asked.

I couldn't lie to him. The best I could do was answer, "I'll do my best."

Sitting down on his couch in defeat, his shoulders slumped on a sigh, "Fine. I don't like you very much but I don't have much of a choice right do I?"

I shrugged, "Honestly I've never liked you either...but as a brother-in-law type, I respect the relationship you have with Max. But hear my words Zack…" As Max's brother met my eyes, I warned, "Brother or not, if you attack her again you'll be grateful that the infirmary is all I'll be giving you." He gave me a glance of contemplation.

"What makes you think I'll end up in the infirmary? You really think you can take me on?"

I smirked, thinking Over confident much?

"Don't test me." I answered, folding my arms and staring him down to show I serious I am.

Having been a CO for so long he felt as alpha as I do. "Just a friendly warning buddy. I have ten years of training on you, I've killed more people than you have. And even after I went through re-indoc, I still managed to work my way back up in the ranks and become CO yet again. If Max gets hurt by your hands again, my instincts alone will want your blood. So think twice before you act because once I'm done with you you'll be begging for the infirmary." I growled.

I think he got it, his face became very uneasy. "Tell her I'm sorry, I was just upset." he tried amending.

"She knows, she even defended your actions towards her. She shouldn't have had to Zack." I told him. He nodded in agreement.

Leaving his apartment I head out to find Daniel to see how far along they are on getting the sleep cocktail prepared for the next mission…to rescue Brin from the evil clutches of General Ross.

Damn, I think I've been reading too many fairytales to the kids lately. Now I'm even THINKING like those damn books! 'evil clutches'?!

I hoped the cocktail was going to be ready soon. I really didn't want to sit on this 'mission' for too long. Walking in I saw the kid that had come from Lane's unit several weeks ago in there. His eyes were glued in fascination between the vials and Max, I cocked a brow at the odd combination.

"How's it goin'?" I asked, she brought her head up to see me, "So far so good. It's a bit disconcerting that it's NOT that hard to make once you have the proper ingredients." Max admitted. I laughed, "You make it sound like a cake." she smiled, "Hardly." she responded.

"Hey just head about your plan I have a better idea…" Krit came in. "What's that?" Alec asked, "Simple let me go in as my bad twin. It 'll make it way easier on us all and a time saver to." He responded. "Actually it's not a half bad idea. Ross wouldn't give to flying monkeys that he's there." Alec agreed. "Not to mention he can get in and out faster and won't have to worry over hiding like I would." Alec continued on.

"Max I want to get our sister out. Let me do that." Krit asked, "Its plausible for it to be more successful with you going in rather than Alec but Alec you and Daniel would have to be there as back up. This is my brother and sister were dealing with." She told me. I nodded but smiled, "Trust us, your brother and sister are safe in our hands." I motioned over to Daniel.

"Sounds like a better plan. Now I've got a few changes to make to the original then we can get going." Krit suggested. We nodded and listened as the near entire plan of action was changed. Only a few details remained the same for what to do and how to get Brin outside the complex. "With any luck we'll be in and out before they even know what hit them." Max said. I smiled to her in agreement.

To be continued…