TRUTH

Seattle, October 2040

and Manticore 2024

"Which truth?"

Alec, Gray and Seth spun around and Max was standing right in front of them. While they were sitting there with their beer and talking, they hadn't noticed how she had arrived.

"What truth Alec?" she asked again, a little more urgently.

"I studied the codes and found out the background of Y1 and Y2 and a few other things."

"Then let's discuss this in peace, but first in private."

"I'd like to be there, Mum," Seth said.

"You two can find out everything we discuss once we've managed to get Ben to safety, you and Gray should prepare and Alec and I should talk."

Alec looked at Max a little skeptically because the moment had now come that he had feared for a long time, but also longed for. He slowly stood up and followed Max to the motorcycles. She jumped onto her Ninja and Alec also grabbed one of the faster models and the two of them were on their way. Seth couldn't even object anymore because the two of them were already roaring through the hall on the way to the exit.

Seth looked at Gray and smiled.

"So what are we going to do tonight?"

Gray looked at Seth in surprise because that had sounded more challenging than Seth had intended. He could tell by the blush that was rising on Seth's face again.

"What do you think of a little relaxation? We'll look for a room and talk and drink another beer."

After the somewhat ambiguous suggestion about the room, Gray had skillfully distracted with beer and a conversation and Seth agreed after a moment's thought. He now knew where to find a place to rest in Terminal City and took Gray's hand as he got up to move into one of the rooms that were still available on the upper floors.

They went up the stairwell to the second floor above the hall, which used to be the workers' apartments, which were still quite comfortably furnished. He knew that some of the rooms were always available for guests and others were used by Terminal City's permanent residents. They walked down the hallway and he led Seth to the large room at the end of the hallway that had a great view of Seattle. They were in the nicest room and Gray looked out over the city. He stood there at the window with his incredibly strong charisma and was bathed in a wonderful atmosphere by the light of the city. His blue eyes shone sea blue despite the dim light and his muscles stood out clearly under his slightly tattered sweater. Seth sat down and just looked at him. Gray turned to him and walked straight towards him. Seth's heart almost sank because he hadn't been prepared for how his emotions would overwhelm him at that moment. Gray sat down next to him and gently, without words, he grabbed Seth's sweater and tugged on it. Seth involuntarily raised his arms as if in a sort of trance and simply let the sweater be pulled over his head as he stood up. They now stood in front of each other and Gray looked at him briefly before gently pushing Seth back onto the sofa. He stroked the contours of Seth's upper arms and gently turned Seth so that he was sitting behind him. He stroked Seth's back and smiled at the goosebumps that appeared on his back.

"You can need the relaxation even if your silhouette is really beautiful and defined, I feel the tension in it. Would you like to lie down?"

Seth couldn't speak, it was as if thousands of synapses in his body exploded and he simply lay down on the bed without saying a word. Gray sat down next to him and continued to touch his back. Seth closed his eyes and felt the warm, strong hands on his back. He could finally enjoy it and just give himself to Gray. Gray was reserved and careful with him but felt exactly how Seth was calming down and letting himself go. Gray slipped off his sweater and lay down next to Seth. Seth could feel his excitement but Gray took him in his arms and just held him tight. Gray's warmth flowed through Seth like the night he had had such confused nightmares and just like that night all his tension flowed out of him and he just felt accepted. He could now completely let go and give himself to Gray. He had never felt so intensely that something was right before and it had never felt so good to give himself over to a person. They were close and Gray silently accepted that Seth needed some time to let him get even closer.

While this evening was coming to a wonderful end for Seth and Gray, Max and Alec were in Max and Original Cindy's apartment, catching up on old stories and events. Alec first asked Max what memories she had of all the events back then 16 years ago and she had been telling us what she remembered for some time. At first, Alec decided to just listen and see if he could finally confront her with the truth. She said that she was surprised and kidnapped by a group of familiars in September 2024. Back then she had no chance against the 5 superhumans alone and they had overwhelmed her quickly and hard and then taken her to Manticore. She talked about her fear of never seeing Logan again this time and then she only knew bits and pieces about drugs and different rooms. She could then only remember a fire, explosions and her escape in brief images. That memory had returned over the last few years and she had remembered seeing Alec there. Then she woke up in Logan's arms and he told her that she had been found disoriented but that the police had recognized her from the events back in Terminal City that had only happened a few years ago. He was contacted immediately and took her with him from the hospital because he feared he would be followed further. A little later she realized that Ben was on the way and she was just happy to know that he was free. Shortly after his birth, the threats and attempts to kidnap or kill the children began and the rest was more than well known to Alec.

"But what is the truth and what did Logan tell you before he died?"

Alec was silent. He looked sad. It was a look that she knew all too well from him because she had not only gotten to know him as the sunny boy but also seen his very vulnerable side in difficult times. He now gathered his courage and began to speak hesitantly.

He was also attacked by a group of familiars at the same time, overwhelmed and kidnapped and began his story.

"You haven't even told me that in detail all these years."

Max looked at him reproachfully.

"Listen! It's hard for me so be nice to me for a moment."

Max was surprised at how serious Alec was and just nodded and then continued to listen. He continued to talk about how he kept waking up. Through his hard training after the X5 group's escape in 2011, he was able to better process many methods of overwhelm and regain his clarity of mind more quickly. He could remember Overseers from Manticore, lab staff, and Familiars working together. They used the strength of the Familiars to keep some of the X5s they had kidnapped under control. He had seen how they had put the group in which he was held prisoner and a second group into small cells and turned them into zombies with gas that caused a kind of numbing of the will. He didn't know what day or time of day it was and he regularly fell victim to the drugs himself. But it seemed to him as if he was the only one who always found his way back to his own will. At that time, a plan developed in his head. However, it took weeks until he was able to overcome the drugs long enough and was finally ready to fight. One of the guards, the one who had carried out the check on the way to Logan's rescue and would certainly have recognized him, had mistreated him badly and repeatedly made him submissive, so that it took him several more weeks to get through that and stay awake. He waited until they took him back to his cell and held his breath as soon as he noticed the gas being led into the rooms. So he managed to regain his clarity of mind and enough strength to break free. First he waited for a good opportunity, overpowered one of the guards and got a weapon. At that time he shot some of the familiars and was able to free his group, but not accompany them, because he could not leave the second group, who had already been in captivity for much longer, behind. He knew about explosives and, as soon as he got the first ones off the site, he set out to start an inferno similar to the one Max had organized back then. Manticore's rebuilt buildings completely collapsed in places after the explosions, directly burying some of the enemies. This gave him free access to the cells of the other group, which were housed in a kind of hospital.

Alec paused: "Do you really want to know Max?"

She nodded but she already knew that the rest of the story would change her life.

Alec continued. He didn't know what was coming. He had thought, like with the group before, they could just open the doors and get everyone out. When he had blasted his way and fought, he opened the first door and an already very pregnant X5 sat apathetically in front of him. The same thing in the next room. There were 4 pregnant women and 4 men. He helped the women to their feet and ordered the men to take them off the premises immediately. He gave everyone different directions and they immediately followed his command. That was also the moment when he realized that the drugs had not only been anesthetic and that they had not only made them defenseless, but had also become mindless recipients of orders. Max looked at him spellbound.

"So you're saying we were awake?"

"Yes, Max. And not only that, we did what we were told".

That sounded apologetic.

"And what were we told to do?"

Alec gave her a look that pierced her heart.

"You mean, no, no, no, it's definitely just your sick brain, I don't believe you."

Alec continued to look at her in silence. He looked vulnerable and very clear at the same time and she knew he was telling the truth. He actually didn't say anything but she read it in his eyes.

"Ben?"

"I think so, I can only remember a little about the first month".

"Few?"

"Yes, but you can certainly remember the day we first met and that they had already assigned us to each other."

Alec told again how he slowly came to consciousness, always waking up, like everyone else, knocked out and only being able to vaguely remember a few things. It had taken him quite a while to defend himself against the poison and to develop a tactic to avoid being stunned again and again. After cleaning up the whole store and fighting like a madman, he removed a large part of the evidence, but the files that he initially wanted to destroy made him skeptical and he hid them from the clean-up crews who combed the area after they had escaped. Unfortunately, during the later operation when Logan was caught there again, the files were somehow stolen. He didn't know exactly who it was, but Mole swore he saw Colonel Lydecker at the time.

"So you're trying to tell me that we were, so to speak, subjected to this damn breeding sect as slaves and did what they said."

"Yes, I want to tell you that at first I only saw vague things and did what they told me."

"What are you trying to excuse Alec?"

"I can't apologize for it, it wasn't my free will but I've been trying to figure it out for years and put my memories together."

Alec told her how he was plagued by memories on the way to Maple Falls. Flashes of images flashed through his mind but it still didn't make any sense. He had the little one in his arms at the time and knew that he had more of a connection with him than he himself wanted to admit. He tried to explain to her that he had suppressed it for a long time and that time had not made it any easier to talk to her. He had tried a few times but she was in this deep sadness for Logan and he had always left without having achieved anything, knowing that he had made a promise to Logan.

"Tell me what he said back then, I'm ready to hear it."

"It took long enough," a somewhat sarcastic undertone like he often displayed in difficult situations burst out of him.

"Don't forget what I lost and despite all these years I'm not over it."

Alec came closer and took her in his arms. Like when they were out with the children and a few years before when she had told him the story about her brother Ben. She laid her head on his chest and he kissed her hair. Her tears flowed and the pain of losing Logan overwhelmed her. Alec stood next to her and just held her. He had been broken inside himself and could feel the pain traveling through her body, finding no way out. They stayed like that for a long while without speaking.

"Do you need a break?" Alec asked into the silence.

She nodded and turned to the side as she grabbed her things and stood up without a word.

"Can you look after the boys for a while until I get back?"

He was surprised but also frozen as she put on her jacket and left the apartment. He sat there for a long time, staring at the wall opposite without moving, until he thought again about the fact that Ben was still sitting in the apartment and every day there put him in greater danger of being discovered.

He didn't know where Max had gone, but he knew that she would return when she was ready. However, he hoped it wouldn't take another 15 years.

Alec went out, jumped on his motorcycle and just drove off. Back and forth through Seattle until he was finally ready to return to Terminal City. Another day had already passed and dusk was approaching.

He drove straight into the hall to the computer platform and asked Luke where he could find Seth. Luke sent him up to the second floor apartment where the two young men had retreated. Alec stormed up and straight to the room at the end of the hall, as Luke had said that was the room Seth had liked best during his wanderings through Terminal City. They had wandered through Terminal City together during the day yesterday, had a little meal and retreated back to the room this evening, as Dix had told him.

Alec stormed through the door but paused when he saw a picture of deep intimacy but also contentment before him. Seth and Gray were lying there on the bed, still half-clothed, cuddled up close to each other and had fallen asleep. They had laid there together yesterday and in the morning Seth had woken up and turned to Gray: "Can we just enjoy this for now until I'm ready?"

"Sure sexy, all the time in the world for you."

Gray winked at Seth and grinned challengingly.

As they waited for Alec and Max throughout the day, they strolled through Terminal City, talked and later went back up to the room. This time Seth took the initiative. He had come up to Gray and, after taking off his own hoodie, helped him out of the sweater and kissed him deeply and then pulled him to the bed. There they talked and kissed for a while until their eyes closed.

Alec stood in front of the bed and looked at the two of them. He hadn't had a relationship with more depth than a shot glass in many years. He just stood there and absorbed the atmosphere in the room like a sponge. Secretly it was what he was always looking for. Enjoy peace and contentment in safety.

His job as a city councilor was anything but that. Back then, he threw himself into activism so that, as always, he didn't have to show anyone what he was like. Max was unresponsive after Logan's death and he had never had a closer friend than her in life. Asha had deliberately stayed away to completely disappear from the Familiar's gaze, so he became a workaholic. He had achieved a lot in the city and had become a respected man. However, that didn't help with finding confidants. The charismatic Alec McDowell, Seattle city councilor, had many colleagues, colleagues and acquaintances, but he, Alec, the transgeno with the hard shell, had been very lonely for a long time. He had worked to support the boys' coaches, supervisors and protectors and had actually dedicated his time, alongside his work, solely to this purpose over the years. He actually knew the two of them inside out and had always received reports on how they were doing. Asha had regularly reported to him after her visits and he had grown into the role of a father in a way he had never thought possible. Only the two young men didn't know that. They still mourned Logan and longed for their mom. And the godfather had not yet become aware of his importance to her.

Alec sat down in a chair next to the bed where Seth and Gray were lying. They still hadn't noticed him. He just looked at her. At least half an hour passed before Alec looked at the clock and realized that he would soon have to implement the plan to get to Ben's shared apartment. He leaned over and stroked Seth's hair like a little boy. Seth opened his eyes and at the same moment Alec was lying on his stomach on the floor, his arm twisted behind his back and groaning.

"Man, the training really made a difference."

"Sorry, Alec, I had no idea…"

"May I get up then?"

"Sethy, let him go," Gray reminded Seth what he was doing and Seth immediately jumped up and helped Alec sit up again.

"Sethy?" Alec asked with a certain undertone that suggested something wicked and intimate.

Seth blushed and gave Gray a somewhat punitive look, but he couldn't be too mad at him because he kind of enjoyed the way Gray handled the situation. It helped him to be more open and somehow it got him going quite a bit, but he didn't dare think about that at the moment.

Alec rubbed his shoulder as he asked the two of them if they could go downstairs with him to discuss everything and finally know that Ben and the shared apartment were safe. They had to contact Oliver again and clarify the final details.

They arrived at the platform together.

"Good morning, you two lovebirds," said Mole, who had also arrived so he could finally take action.

Joshua also stumbled into the hall in his typical rocking gait and had several other transgenos in tow.

When everyone was gathered at the top and around the platform, Luke started the connection.

It only took a few seconds before Oliver's face appeared on the screen. He had been planning everything regarding the shared apartment for the last few days and Yara, Aiden, Chad, Madison, Boas and his little brother Damon were already sitting around him. He reported that he had already sent Jade and Carson to inform various people in the city who could be trusted. There were stacks of maps and plans in front of the young people in the shared apartment and Jannik was on his way to get more plans from the underworld, i.e. the sewerage plans.

"Where is my brother?"

Seth asked before he even said hello because he was worried about his brother, who was often prone to rash actions. But Nika had him under control, and at the same moment the two of them came around the corner into the almost overcrowded media room in the shared apartment, a little disheveled and clearly not wearing enough clothes.

"Hey, big brother, you don't need to let your guard down, after all, we've been here without you for a while."

"I see, little one," with a look at Nika's bare upper body and her askew blouse, Seth couldn't help but comment, "You don't let anything burn."

Ben had now pushed his way through the group at the front of the screen and was now sitting there directly in front of the screen.

Seth looked over at Alec, who didn't say a word but just kind of stared at Ben. Ben looked Alec directly in the eyes, as best as possible during a video conference, and they both stared at the other person in a rather strange way. It was Nika who spoke up:

"We have looked through various documents in the last few days and it seems to be confirmed that the Y codes have something to do with the parents."

At that moment Alec started and changed the subject conspicuously and somewhat firmly.

"We're not talking about that right now, what's the plan to make the path between the shared apartment and Terminal City safe and everyone can move freely?"

Nika looked at him challengingly, but against his gaze and the determination not to go into further detail about the previous statement for the time being, she had no chance. Alec had a charisma and determination that practically took the wind out of her sails and she immediately followed his almost wordless instructions.

Jannik just came into the shared apartment and straight to the shared apartment, he waved a thick roll of planning paper and now the various positions began to put together their plans. They had divided into groups and specialized in different areas. Jannik first explained the plans of the sewer system, where the various exits and entrances were located and Boas reported what he had already received from Jade and Carson about apartments and helpers near these entrances. They had practically spun a web of corridors, apartments, drivers and supporters across the city. Since the Familiars couldn't find out where he had come from when Seth followed Gray, the others in the shared apartment were able to go in and out unmolested. They knew they were being watched, but as long as the Familiars didn't know for sure where Ben was, who according to their research was their number one target, they stayed in the shadows. However, they did not remain hidden from the transgenos with their keen senses. Everyone in the group knew exactly when and where they had been observed, so Jack, the youngest, had started recording this information on a map each time.

He hadn't been able to contribute much so far because he was the youngest and weakest in the group, but it turned out that after a short time it was his work that was the most important part of the planning. His drawings revealed where the familiars usually positioned themselves, which routes they regularly checked and it became clear where the connecting road had its safest course. There were still some corners where these stupid guys rarely came by or even never showed up. Since Ames White's death, the organization had no leader but, after working with Manticore, was only a militant group that carried out menial goals of the higher-ups. The higher-ups were not involved in the fight, they gave an order and sent their sect's spies, some of whom were quite stupid and no longer adequately trained, to carry it out. That was the biggest advantage that the roommates and the Terminal City crew wanted to take advantage of. In any case, Ben was not allowed to fall into the hands of the sect's superiors and their allies from Manticore. So far no one knew why he was the target of their efforts, but now they had to try to find out exactly that and still keep him safe. Alec was the first to try out the route, always supported by the various marshals. He was supposed to arrive at Ben's shared apartment without the familiars smelling the roast. The first marshal was already on the way to Terminal City. Madison was supposed to meet Alec there and take him to the Jam Pony Express where she worked, where he could pretend to invite his old colleagues Sketch and Cindy for coffee. Carson was the one who would take his place at the coffee table while Alec would slip out the back door unseen. There was the first descent down into the sewers and half of the way could be covered down there. Joshua took the lead down there. There was actually an underground connection to Terminal City, but the coffee meeting was supposed to keep the surveillance unit busy and find out how quickly the bastards would figure out that they were being glued. At best, however, they were stupid enough not to notice. The most difficult part, after getting out of the sewer system, was to jump over the roof unseen onto the roof of the shared house and climb in at the floor window. Camera surveillance had shown regular patrols going up and down around the area where Seth was last seen. Fortunately, according to fixed schedules, Jack had now figured that out and written precise plans and recorded the routes exactly. They had taken advantage of the time when Seth was unable to contact them and had not idled around.

"Hey guys, you're amazing, good work," he praised, really impressed by the sophisticated research.

Alec had just set off to drive to Madison and at that moment he roared out of the hall with the engine screaming.

"Why did he interrupt you earlier when you wanted to tell us about the Y Codes?" asked Seth now that he seemed to have little influence on the rest of the plan and wanted to distract himself.

Nika came forward to the screen. She tried to explain, but she said it was just guesswork that they had pieced together from the files. She first tried to explain how the X5 had been coded. Their genetic sequences were recorded in their personal barcode so that they could be reproduced if they were lost. So far they have only been able to study the Y1 codes in more detail because they became readable shortly after they were born. The code contained the number of the X5 mother, but also a Y1 to identify the successors, some of them copies of their parents, but certain disadvantages or weaknesses were compensated for by non-transgenic, human genes.

"You mean the trypophan deficiency?"

Seth tried to remain calm and matter-of-fact but he had an idea where the whole thing was going and that almost scared him.

"Yes, the tryptophan deficiency does not occur in any of the Y1 but in all of the Y2," Nika replied.

Ben sat quietly and bowed his head. He had been alone with this uncertainty for a long time, as always he had tried to figure it out on his own and now he just couldn't say it out loud. He was very afraid of Seth's reaction.

Nika continued. They suspected that in a secret project for which they still lacked the information, X5 were brought together to produce the perfect offspring. And these offspring were all conceived and born at exactly the same times. However, the code seemed to contain some kind of security function and no one knew exactly when it could be read and thus the parents could be assigned. They hoped to recognize the parents' number sequences in the Y2 code and be able to assign them to the files. They found that the first were born on January 15, 2024, the second on July 17, 2024.

"Right, I guess I'm part of the first batch then," Gray confirmed.

Seth looked at Ben in disbelief.

"Are you telling me you're only half my brother?"

"Yes Seth, I've been torturing myself with this idea for a long time and you have to admit it's all explained plausibly, isn't it?"

They had been talking for a while and had lost track of time. Suddenly there was a clatter above Ben. Nika went to see what was going on there.

"Hey, do you think that's Alec yet?"

Seth didn't know how long it would take to go the way we had discussed, but he trusted Alec to do anything.

At the same moment he saw him behind Ben with a big grin.

"90 minutes for the dress rehearsal!"

Alec boasted about his record time and smooth execution while getting closer to the screen. Seth looked at the two of them and then looked over at Gray, he too had immediately recognized the resemblance. Ben jumped up and almost threw himself on Alec's neck. He was the first adult in his life who had known him since birth, so to speak, and Ben was happy to see him. He wanted to say something to Seth afterwards but he had just gotten up a bit hastily and jumped off the platform.

"What's wrong with you guys Gray?"

Alec and Ben looked at him but Gray didn't know what was wrong with Seth. It was quiet in the hall and there didn't seem to be any special incidents.

"Hey, you two sit down together and I'll check on him, are you staying until tomorrow or coming back tonight, Alec?"

Alec thought for a moment and Yara suddenly came up from behind.

"He'll stay for a day or two," she ordered without further ado.

She was completely open with Gray and smiled at him, pushing Ben and Alec out of the room and sitting across from him.

"How is Seth?" Has he been able to sort himself out a little or is he still having a hard time?"

Gray wasn't sure how much he could say without putting pressure on Seth, so he just nodded. She smiled again and Gray realized what had drawn Seth to her. She was the most tolerant and open person he had ever seen. She wasn't just able to suppress the disappointment about her failed relationship with Seth, no, she understood in depth what had happened and that it hadn't happened to hurt her but to lead everyone into the life that was intended for each and every one of them was. And besides, she wasn't a child of sadness, as he noticed when Aiden came around the corner and called her to dinner. She grabbed Aiden's hand and said a quick goodbye. Oliver said he would get in touch as soon as Alec tried the way back too. Everyone else in the shared apartment was less under observation and would now go about their everyday tasks, their work and a bit of food gathering for the next few days. With that he also said goodbye and ended the connection.

Gray looked around and spotted Seth at the back of the hall on one of the sofas that had been dragged over. He sat there with his head between his hands and there was that desperation again that he had last felt in the kitchen of the shared apartment, before their first kiss with Seth. He jumped over the platform railing and Seth raised his head. Gray saw a tear roll down his cheek and hurried over to him.

"What's wrong sexy?"

"I think I just realized that Ben is just my half-brother and I'm a half-orphan. He will find his father at some point and all I can do is mourn."

"So you would rather feel sorry for yourself than be happy for him? He IS your brother and this one half won't change that."

Gray put his arm around Seth and with a mischievous grin he added:

"And I'm really glad that you have different genes, otherwise I might have had trouble deciding."

That's what Seth needed, a little levity in a situation that threatened to overwhelm him. Nevertheless, he was worried about Ben, but now he no longer concentrated on his grief but on what was to come and hoped that in a day or two Ben could also commute back and forth via the secret routes and get out a little.

They had just started cooking together in the shared apartment and Ben sat down with Alec in the kitchen with the others. All of the young people had questions for Ben's famous godfather and they rushed him and asked all possible and impossible things until the food came to the table.

Alec turned to Nika and Ben: "Can we talk privately later?"

"You'll have a break from broadcasting later and everyday life will be lived here for the next few days, people."

Nika said this with a commanding tone and everyone at the table knew they had better do what their leader said. Alec was impressed by her and proud of the connection between her and Ben. He couldn't concentrate very much on the food because he kept looking at Ben and wondering whether he should tell him what was already unspoken in the room and he was actually pretty sure.

But how should you do that? He thought about just saying, "I think I'm your father," but he still waited until he could sit down with Ben privately. Then he would just let it happen. He was good at improvising and, as always, he approached this situation spontaneously.

While the boys, Alec, Gray and the shared apartment were figuring things out, Max was on the way to Wyoming to get the documents that she thought were from an old acquaintance. With these documents the whole truth should now come to light and finally clarity in all of their lives.