*****

Alec & Max Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

Alec joined Max in the main yard, an open square of grass in front of the base's peripheral buildings.

"Okay, people, listen up!" Max called out from her vantage point up on the parade ground bleachers. "There are fighter jets on the way. It could be just for show, or it could be they're comin' to bomb this place out of existence and us along with it. We've got to be prepared for anything!" She nodded toward the main building, the imposing four-story concrete structure. "I need the pregnant females and the children to take shelter back in the mountain. Go down into the basement labs. You'll be safe there. But take weapons with you. We still haven't found all of the X7s who were guarding this place."

Then she spoke to the rest of her troops. "All of you have been given assignments ... posts to man. We were trained for this kind of thing, folks! Trained to defend this very base in fact! We grew up playing with the toys here! Dix and Luke are cranking up the anti-aircraft guns right now. We have plenty of ammo and food. The water's from deep wells, and our power is geothermal ... limitless. We can hold out here forever if we have to!"

"What if they nuke us?" Mole's voice came from the crowd. Always the devil's advocate, the transhuman was asking the question that was on everyone else's mind as well.

"They won't," Alec said, speaking for the first time. Crouching low, he leaped the eight feet to land on the bleacher platform beside Max. "The base inventory shows nuclear weapons stored on site," he said. "Even a small nuke hitting here could scatter radioactive material from the bigger bombs. The Army won't risk that."

"Why not?" Mole argued as some of the transhumans around him nodded in agreement. "It's not like we're in the middle of a human population any more. They've got nothin' to lose. The ordinaries can kill us without hurtin' themselves. We're sittin' ducks!"

"You sayin' you think it was a bad idea to come here, Mole?" Max sassed him right back, hands on hips.

"It's a little late to have regrets, sister," the lizard-man snarked. "But I am sayin' we've lost a big advantage. We haven't got any ordinaries to use as shields anymore."

"Don't need 'em," Alec said sharply. "The humans won't use nuclear weapons against us out here for another reason too -- because there's something even more valuable than a city that could be destroyed."

Mole looked baffled. "What?" he said, spreading his hands wide. "A bunch of pine trees?"

Alec smiled slyly. "Yellowstone National Park, my friend -- one of the seven natural wonders of the modern world, not to mention one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country. We're only a hundred and fifty miles away from a truly fragile, but profitable, ecosystem. My guess is, no one's gonna be in a hurry to make those geysers glow with radiation."

Max was looking at him with open admiration. She obviously hadn't thought of that, but she was nodding in agreement. "Alec's right," she declared. "The Army won't risk destroying Old Faithful just to take down a few Freaks. Chances are, they won't even risk using conventional bombs for fear of setting off something nuclear in here."

"Then why scramble the fighters on us?" someone asked from the crowd.

"It's a bluff," Alec returned. "They're bluffing their asses off. And they're not gonna waste the manpower tryin' to surround this place with troops, either. At least not for long. They're gonna negotiate."

"And we don't have to give in to anything," Max added. "We're not sitting ducks. We're sitting pretty."

There was the sound of incoming aircraft, and all of the transgenics looked skyward to see a five-jet formation approaching from the south.

"Do we shoot 'em down?" Alec asked Max, keeping his voice low. "Or do we take the risk?"

"We risk it," Max said, coming to her decision. "Everyone into the mountain! We stay down and out of sight, and we wait!"

*****

Alec Artwork courtesy of Valjean, Eyes Only, & Jensen Ackles Museum

Fifteen minutes passed ... twenty ...

Alec and Mole stood just inside the door that opened into the Gillette Base's underground laboratory facilities -- rooms that had once contained material so secret and sensitive that they'd been hidden away inside a mountain.

It was one of these underground sections that Max, Zack, and her fellow X5s had destroyed in the spring of 2020 -- the DNA lab that had contained the literal pieces of the genetic puzzles which became the transgenics.

That wing was dark and deserted now -- cordoned off by yellow tape -- abandoned. Alec wrinkled his nose, the stench of burning lingering even after three years. However, the other areas inside the mountain were still viable ... usable .. and excellent shelter for his people.

Max's cell phone rang, the sound shrill in the enclosed space.

"I'm surprised we've got a signal down here," Luke commented softly. "Whoever's calling must have a military-issue cell."

"It's Lydecker," Max said, her voice rueful as she scrutinized the I.D. number.

"Of course it is," Alec said wearily. Now that they weren't going into immediate battle, the adrenalin had worn off and his knees were shaking with fatigue. He hadn't slept in almost three days. Some of the X5s were enhanced for long-term sleep deprivation or extended night work (like Max), but he wasn't.

"Go for Max," she said as she thumbed on the cell. Alec stepped closer to listen.

"I'm at the front gate," the familiar voice grated. "Let me in."

"You alone?" Max snapped. "Any backup singers?"

"I don't have the Army with me if that's what you mean."

"Can we unlock the gates from here?" she turned and asked Dix.

"No," the monacled-mutant replied. "Someone's going to have go topside to the main guard house."

"I'll go," Alec said.

Max grabbed his arm. "You're not expendable," she said quietly. "At least not for something like this."

"I'll go," Mole quickly offered.

"Mole--" Alec said.

The transhuman was lighting up a cigar. "Don't sweat it, Princess. I'll be fine. And if I'm not, then you can hold a good wake and we'll meet up again in Hell."

*****

Alec Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

"I'm here," Mole's gruff voice came through the transceiver a long minute later. "No sign of an invasion, either. Just Lydecker and one other at the gate. Guy's drivin' one of those Aztecs of all things. Surprised he made it here in that piece of junk."

"Let him in," Max commanded.

Another tense two minutes passed, and there was a knock on the subterranean door. Alec opened the panel and Mole slipped through along with Colonel Donald Lydecker and his companion.

"Brin!" Max exclaimed, paling slightly at the site of her long lost X5 sister. "You're alive!"

"No thanks to you," the oriental-featured soldier replied with a wicked smile. "I've been waiting a long time to thank you, little sister, for leaving me handcuffed in here while your bomb went off."

"I did that to save your life!"

"Ladies, ladies," Alec said amiably, stepping between the two women. "Let's reminisce over the good old days later. Right now we've got bigger fish to fry."

"Four nine four," 734 said, raking him from head to toe with critical eyes. "The colonel told me you'd gone native in a big way, but that doesn't surprise me. Major Renfro always did have you pegged as a rogue. Your one last chance was her." She nodded at Max. "But you failed that assignment too."

"You know what they say," Alec smirked. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

"Piece of traitorous shit," the other X5 muttered, turning her back on him.

Brin Photo courtesy of Eyes Only

"And where did you find the lovely 734?" Alec asked the colonel as he and Max moved with him away from the crowd so they could talk.

She's been at New Manticore," Lydecker replied with a heavy sigh and a glance back at Brin. "She refused to accompany the other X5s and X6s when I sent them to you in Terminal City for safety. Her loyalty to The Committee is stamped deeply in her mind."

"By your brainwashing," Max said bitterly.

"Yes, by my hand," Lydecker admitted. "Her reindoctrination -- unlike some --" he glanced in Alec's direction, "was a complete success. She came within seconds of dying from the progeria, and her gratitude for Manticore saving her was profound. That made her mind malleable."

He turned to Max. "She's not the sister you knew any more, Max. Don't ever forget that."

"Why'd you bother saving her then?" Max asked. "If she's a Committee drone."

"Because she's still one of my kids," the colonel replied. "And because I knew you'd want me to try and save her. But I was too late ..."

"Too late?" Max said. "What do you mean? She looks fine."

"By the time I got to her two days ago she'd already voluntarily submitted to the sterilization procedure."

Max's breath caught in her throat, and Alec blinked. 734 might be a first class bitch, but it wasn't her fault that her mind had been fucked with.

"Maybe the operation can be reversed someday," Max said quietly.

Colonel Donald Lydecker Photo courtesy of Eyes Only

"A complete hysterectomy was performed," Lydecker said wearily. "Her ovaries and uterus were removed and destroyed. McKinley doesn't want your people to have any possibility of reproductive capabilities." He looked at Alec. "All of his promises are lies. The males ... the ones he's cornered or persuaded ... are told it's a simple vasectomy, but when they wake up from the anesthesia they've been castrated."

"That's illegal by anyone's laws," Alec said, shifting his weight slightly as his balls tingled with sympathy. "Are you sayin' we need lawyers as well as guns right now?"

"The wording in the sterilization bill is vague," Lydecker said. "McKinley is taking advantage of that. I'm sure the technicalities will one day be challenged in court, but for now any transgenic who falls into the military's clutches will be spayed or neutered like an animal." He looked across the room. "I brought Brin here with me because I couldn't just leave her behind. And I also needed some personal protection. Now that I've officially resigned my commission with New Manticore my life is in danger."

"No foolin'," Alec said dryly. "Join the club."

"That's why I'm here," Lydecker said. "To join the club. I need asylum. Plus, I know this base like the back of my hand. I'll be a big help to you."

"Is there going to be an attack?" Max asked him. "Do you have inside information?"

Lydecker shrugged, his leather flight jacket creaking. "I have no idea. But I'm guessing The Committee will send someone to talk with you first."

"One last question," Max said. "Before we grant you your so-called asylum." She looked to Brin who was standing at ease against the wall further up the corridor. "Why'd she come with you, if she's so true blue Committee?"

Lydecker smiled ironically. "The answer's simple, 452. Brin came with me because I ordered her too -- and for no other reason."

*****

Senator James McKinley Photo courtesy of Eyes Only

"What do you mean we can't just bomb the place into oblivion!" Senator James McKinley literally screamed at his military advisors.

Seated at a round table in a very secret location, the Senator and his aides had called together their key personnel as soon as NORAD informed them of the Gillette Base's invasion by what appeared to be transgenics.

"Sir," a general said -- a short bald fellow with a paunch that gave away just how long it had been since he'd had seen active duty -- "there's nuclear material on the site. We can't risk an attack with explosives. We could end up contaminating half the state of Wyoming, including Yellowstone National Park, one of our country's few remaining treasures. The President wouldn't stand for such a thing."

"The President be damned!" McKinley shouted, practically frothing at the mouth as he pounded a fist on the table so hard it made pencils roll to the floor. "I want those Freaks dead! They can't be allowed to exist! They've taken over a military base for God's sakes! They're terrorists, and the mandate of this country is zero tolerance for such actions. Send in ground troops then. Storm the base. Overwhelm them. How many are there -- three, maybe four hundred at most? Surely we can stomp out such a small army."

"An army of supersoldiers," a second general pointed out -- a middle-aged black man with a more cared-for physique than the previous speaker, not to mention a thicker head of hair. He adjusted his glasses and looked down at the information sheet the officers had been given before the meeting. "Each transgenic is the equivalent of ten ordinary men," he said. "That means we're technically facing an army of several thousand ... not several hundred. Plus, they've got food enough to last for years, and unlimited water and power that we can't disrupt. Hell, they're damn near invulnerable on that base."

"General Garrett is correct," a new voice said from the doorway.

"Major Stendahl!" McKinley said, looking up at the tall soldier in surprise. "What are you--?"

Major Davis Stendahl

"The President asked me to attend this meeting, personally," Stendahl said with a smirk, his blue eyes sparkling in a pale-skinned face accented by short, spiked dark blond hair. Although well into his fifties, the major looked much younger ... "The Gillette Base was supposed to be my Division's new home," he said. "The move was planned for this summer, after the weather warmed up. That's why the place was left well supplied and not completely shut down. In other words, gentlemen, I have a vested interest in dislodging our transgenic squatters too."

"You're with Manticore," General Garrett pointed out. "Why should we believe you. You're on the transgenics' side."

Stendahl smiled a perfect smile. "I'm with New Manticore," he said, emphasizing the "new." Those Freaks out in Wyoming are leftovers from the old regime -- discards ... garbage ... useless outdated models that we've since scrapped."

"The X5s aren't exactly what I'd call useless," Garrett said grimly. "I've seen one of those hybrids in action -- the most impressive fighting skills I've ever witnessed. He took on five of my men and beat them in less than thirty seconds without suffering so much as a scratch himself. Those soldiers out there in Wyoming are formidable, Stendahl, no matter how much you try to minimize their abilities."

"And my men are far better," the major said, still smiling. "Plus, my soldiers are completely obedient and loyal, without an independent thought in their steel-encased heads. And, of course there's the small detail that New Manticore's cyborgs and X9s are completely sterile -- no worries about contaminating the human gene pool or the world being overrun by a breed of subhuman freaks.

"Subhuman? Garrett said. "Or superhuman?"

"Their DNA isn't stable," Stendahl said, strutting like the man in charge, and waving his hand in a dismissive way. "Even the X5s. They can't survive for more than a couple of generations, no matter how many viable offspring they produce. Then there are the seizures. All we really have to do is shut off their supply of tryptophan and right there you've cut off the snake's head -- killed the leaders." He stopped and placed both hands on the conference table, leaning forward slightly. "Gentlemen, I'd like nothing better than to march into Gillette with an army of my cyborgs and massacre every single one of those mistakes of nature. However, I don't have enough of my new creations -- yet. In a few years, maybe. But for now, I'm afraid you'll have to come up with another way of eliminating that nest of devils without direct military confrontation. If you try a ground assault, they'll kill thousands of your soldiers and the military can't afford that kind of loss -- not with the unrest in South Africa and Canada right now. Far better to use more subtle techniques -- perhaps kill them from within." He looked to McKinley. "With the Senator's permission, I propose forming a new committee to deal with this menace in our midst. I'll personally chair the group, and use my own cyborg Division for resources if need be."

Senator McKinley had listened to the Major silently. Now, he nodded his dark-haired head slightly, double chins colliding as he adjusted his glasses. "I accept your offer, Major," he said. "But I'll expect regular updates on your progress. For now, we do nothing but observe the transgenics in Gillette. Of course if any of them are caught off the base, in the open, they're fair game, and I intend to establish a perimeter to that effect. An order will be issued that Freaks are to be shot on sight. I'm sure the good people of Wyoming will help enforce this as well.

"Open season on mutants," Stendahl said, smiling again. "I like it. Just make certain that the bodies of any X5s or X6s are immediately put on ice and delivered promptly to me. I have use for the tissue."

"I'll begin the paperwork," the first general said.

"And I'll begin mustering a perimeter guard," Garrett added.

The meeting adjourned, but McKinley motioned Stendahl to remain behind. "I understand your old friend Donald Lydecker is somehow involved in this mess," he said. "Something about him resigning his New Manticore commission and joining Freak Nation?"

"Donald has always been blind where his precious X5s are concerned," Stendahl said with a large sigh. "He's an excellent soldier and an even better commander, but he refuses to change with the times. He insists his X5s should be the prototype of the new supersoldier program -- not the X9s or my cyborgs. Several dozen genetic experts and military officials disagree with him, however. The X5s, as I said, are obsolete, not to mention being a huge mistake to begin with."

"Why were so many created then?" McKinley wondered. "Why did my old friend Sandeman keep making them if they were so flawed?"

"The seizures and rebellious natures didn't manifest until the first group was almost six years old," Stendahl said. "By then, it was too late. Five generations had been built and born. So, we gave them a chance -- and had a few successes, like the assassination of the Pope in the fall of 2020. And of course," he added with a twinkle in his icy blue eyes, they were more than capable of serving the purpose Sandeman intended them for -- keeping your people in their place."

"That was a single short battle," McKinley snapped. "Once instance. Christmas of '21. We were caught by surprise ... unarmed ... at what was to have been a celebration."

"And then of course your precious plague meant to wipe out my kind never happened," Stendahl goaded.

"That, remains to be seen," the senator said tightly.

"Just worry about your Washington State constituents, right now, Senator," the other man said. "And leave your people's transgenic children to me. We may be on different sides of the fence, but on this issue we have common ground. We both want those mutants either contained or eliminated."

"They can't be allowed to breed!" McKinley called after Stendahl as he was leaving.

"That will be taken care of too," the major replied as he closed the door.

*****

Alec Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

"What do you mean there were X7s on the base when you entered?" Lydecker said, his face paling visibly. "Max, I swear, I had no idea a Unit of those was still stationed here."

"Yeah," Alec said laconically as he tipped his chair back on two legs and planted sneakers on the cafeteria table. "They were stationed here all right. Made a mess of the place, too. I don't think those little buggers even know what soap and water is. The latrines are filthy, and the kitchen was full of cockroaches and rotting food."

"The X7s aren't very self sufficient," Lydecker said. He studied the X5 for a moment. "You look like shit."

"So do you," Alec shot right back. "But I'll heal."

Mole, having been on the receiving end of that line before, grinned toothily, then took another spoonful of his soup. A lot of the transgenics had retired to the barracks once the initial danger of imminent attack seemed to be over. But some of the more hardy (and hungry) had gravitated to the mess hall where Gem and a few X4s were breaking out food supplies.

The Gillette base was in the throes of rapidly being brought back to life -- resuscitated as it were -- and with surprising ease. The military had intended the compound to be fully functional upon a moment's notice, and all that the transgenics really had to do was "flip the switch."

Currently, Dix and Luke -- after grabbing a couple hour's sleep -- were wrestling with the main operating systems and cracking open manuals. Mole was in charge of weapons, and was just now taking a break from dashing around like a kid in a toy store in the armory.

Joshua was helping with the younger X6s and the babies, seeing that everyone had a place to sleep.

It had been hours since the U.S. military had flexed its muscle with the jets, and nothing more had happened. The transgenics could really do nothing now except get a firm foothold on their territory and wait for the military to make its next move.

Alec was more tired than hungry, but he knew he had to eat. So he did -- making short work of the re-constituted chicken soup and oatmeal that had been the quickest things for Gem to whip up in the kitchen.

Lydecker had eaten too, but Brin had refused, choosing instead to stand guard by the colonel's chair, hands clasped behind her back and legs locked in standard "at ease" position.

"You know, sweetheart," Alec said with a sly look up at her. "You might as well loosen up. You ain't gonna win a commendation for standin' there like you've got a broomstick up your ass. No big brass to impress."

"You don't have a chain of command?" Brin said, one perfect eyebrow arching as she maintained her stance.

"Well, yeah," Alec admitted. "I mean, there has to be a leader, and rules and structure. But no one can order someone else to kill or get themselves killed." He took a large bite of oatmeal, talking while he chewed and pointing at her with the spoon. "Big difference from how it was back in the good old days at Manticore."

"Brin will catch on quick," Max said, scooting her chair closer to Alec's. Exhausted too, she leaned her head on his shoulder, and the X5 swiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then lightly kissed the top of her head before putting an arm around her.

734's eyebrow inched up another fraction. "You've chosen to mate with 494?" she said. "I'm surprised baby sister. I thought you had higher standards."

"Hey!" Alec bristled, golden green eyes narrowing. But then the indignant look was replaced with a wicked grin. "What's the matter, seven thirty-four? Jealous?"

"I have no need of a mate," she said calmly, her brown eyes locked with Alec's. "Not any more."

Alec clenched his jaw. He'd forgotten what had recently been done to her.

"And if I did," she added. "I would pick a much better male specimen -- not a rogue with substandard fighting skills."

All sympathy instantly vanishing, the X5 started to stand up, but Max's hand on his knee brought him back down, and Alec got hold of his temper. Usually, he was thicker skinned, but he truly was almost unconscious on his feet, and not thinking clearly. Emotions tended to run high in sleep-deprived X5s (a documented fact).

"Children," Lydecker chided sarcastically. "Settle."

"We're not your children," Brin replied. "Sir."

"You might as well be for all the worry and trouble I've gone to over you," the colonel muttered.

But Brin was still determined to chew on Alec like a dog with a bone. "You were always substandard, soldier," she needled haughtily. "Major Renfro showed me your file. She didn't trust you, and only used you on that last mission from the Seattle base because she was extremely short handed, plus you already had 452's confidence."

Max rolled her eyes at Alec. "You mean you lied to me back then, Alec? And here I thought you were such an upstanding soul."

"Lied like a rug," Alec said beaming with pride. "And got you to go straight to Logan." His eyes took aim on Brin. "As planned I might add. Mission accomplished. No sweat."

"Pure luck. I can beat you every time, 494," Brin said. She looked at Max. "You made a bad choice, little sis. I trained with him. I know him."

"I love him. I know him," Max shot back, her voice taking on an edge.

"Ladies, ladies," Alec said with a helpless look toward Lydecker. "I know I'm worth fighting over, but now's not the time to--"

"Hey guys!" Luke's voice piped in as the little mutant leaned through the door of the cafeteria looking as excited as Alec had ever seen him. "You know those doors that access the rest of the inner mountain? The ones we didn't think we had the codes for?"

"What about 'em?" Alec said.

"Dix just got 'em open, and you're not gonna believe what the military's keepin' down there."

*****

Joshua, Alec & Max Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

Max, Alec, Lydecker, and Brin joined Dix and Luke at the previously locked entryway with Mole and Joshua bringing up the rear. Ahead of them -- through three-inch-thick double steel doors that now stood wide open -- stretched a long illuminated corridor. (Luke had found the light switch.)

Alec's sensitive nose twitched at the scents reaching him - disinfectant ... medicinal ... Was that ozone?

This had been absolutely forbidden territory to the transgenic inmates when they'd lived and trained in Gillette. Partitioned off from the rest of the subterranean rooms on base, only the human in their midst -- Lydecker -- had ever been down that endless looking hallway before.

"How far does it go?" Max asked their former CO.

"Into the mountain?" Lydecker's greying eyebrows did a slight dance on his forehead as he, too, pondered that ominous looking corridor. Thin lips turned down in a brief frown. "A quarter mile maybe. There are several labs down there ... places where research was conducted that needed excellent containment, as well as protection in case the base was ever attacked -- plus numerous storage chambers."

"Bio warfare?" Alec wondered.

"Genetics research," the colonel replied. "It's where Sandeman built you." His look included all of the transgenics surrounding him.

"We destroyed the gene bank three years ago," Max reminded him. "It was in the wing back there." She nodded toward a hallway behind them that branched off to the east.

"You destroyed the storage vault containing the pre-mixed elements needed to manufacture X-series soldiers," Lydecker explained. "The finished work. Down there," he nodded ahead of them, "is the raw material."

"Explain," Alec said, leaning a shoulder against the granite wall.

"Samples," Lydecker said succinctly. "Taken from hundreds of human and animal specimens and kept in cryo-storage -- a collection that took decades to acquire." He smiled proudly. "Down there are bits of DNA from the finest soldiers, scientists, scholars, and artists the human race has ever given birth to. I didn't know this until fairly recently, but Sandeman is the one who actually started the library. It was a hobby for the old man ... getting his hands on pieces of people he found particularly desirable ... ones with traits he thought worthy of preserving for posterity and endowing his transgenic children with." The colonel's blue eyes misted over. "My wife is down there ... part of her ..."

"So," Max said slowly, her tone hushed, "we only blew up the lab that had the final product ... the finished DNA mixes that became--" She looked around at her fellow warriors. "That became us."

"Yes," Lydecker said softly ... reverently. "You destroyed yourselves that night. But you didn't destroy the raw material that had gone into your creation in the first place."

"Why are we whispering?" Joshua asked, speaking for the first time. "Is this like a church?"

Alec gave his head a little shake. It was kind of ludicrous ... acting all spooked like this, but for some reason he found that tunnel disturbing. If there were ghosts haunting Manticore, what better place for them to be lurking. Not to mention X7s. "We're not whispering," the X5 answered Joshua in his normal tone of voice, breaking the spell that had fallen over them while Lydecker narrated his tale. He patted Mole on the back and added cheerfully, "Well, let's get this over with."

"Where are you going?" Max said sharply, grabbing hold of her mate's arm.

"Exploring," Alec replied. "Max, we need to know what's down there. We haven't found any nukes yet, and they might well have been stored under the mountain."

"We haven't found the rest of those X7s yet either," she reminded him.

Alec opened the front of his leather jacket and showed her the Glock secured in the waistband of his jeans.

"Safety first," Joshua said, nodding knowingly.

"Don't worry. I'll protect his sorry ass," Mole said, speaking, as always, from around the stub of a cigar as he hefted his own current weapon of choice, a submachine gun.

"And so will I," Max said firmly, following the others as they stepped into Manticore's most forbidden territory.

*****

Alec Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

"You know, don't you," Lydecker said as they stood in the entrance of the first lab, "the only way the transgenics can now have children is to do it the old fashioned way." He glanced back at Max. "Without the upstairs gene bank, your original material is gone, although the blueprints of your DNA may still exist somewhere I suppose."

"We talkin' procreation here," Mole muttered, "or recreation?"

"And you can't crossbreed with humans," the colonel stated flatly, ignoring the transhuman. "Whatever you do, don't go there."

"Tinga had a perfectly normal son with Charlie," Max pointed out. "In fact, Case was exceptional."

"He was almost of X5 caliber," Lydecker conceded. "But Case was an anomaly, and I don't mean one like we kept locked in Manticore's basements. There was something in Tinga's DNA that allowed her to pass on her chromosomal traits the natural way even when diluted by human genetics. It's why Renfro killed her, in fact." He looked at Max again. "The major thought Tinga was the so-called 'special one' -- the one who carried the cure for the Familiar's plague."

"Tinga died because of me," Max said quietly as she watched Mole and Joshua slowly casing the perimeter of the lab.

"Tinga died because of that witch," Alec reminded her.

"Just ... don't allow your people to crossbreed," Lydecker continued. "X5s with X5s, X4s with X4s, DACs with DACs, and so on. And also always remember that X5s are the royalty -- the best Manticore ever created."

"Royalty my ass," Mole snarked. He punched Alec in the arm. "Does that mean I'm right to call you 'Princess,' Princess?"

"I'm not going to tell my people who they can shag," Max said adamantly. "You can't always help who you fall in love with."

"Amen to that," Alec agreed.

Joshua & Max Photo courtesy of Eyes Only

"So, you want to produce a bunch of deformed and retarded babies?" Lydecker said. "Max, X5 with X5 works. It's been proven numerous times. And the other series can also breed true. But the differences between the variations in your kind are almost as great as the differences between you and humans. The only possible successful combination outside the original is X5 with X6, but we don't know that for certain. Theoretically, both of your X-specifics are feline -- black leopard for the X5s, but domestic cat for the X6s because the scientists were trying to tone down the independent natures of the X5s."

"Meow," Mole teased Alec.

"Shut up."

"But the X6s were too young to breed three years ago," Lydecker continued, "at least most of them. And Manticore wasn't interested in mixing the species. I'm just saying ... be careful with your future, Max."

"As if we even have a future," she said, watching as Joshua opened a file cabinet and began rifling through the folders. She walked over to the dog man and peered over his shoulder, curious in spite of herself about what had gone on here in these labs. Glancing back at Lydecker, she added, "It's not as if there are enough of us to start a new race."

"Oh but there are," the colonel chuckled.

Max's eyebrows arched. "Four hundred people? But no more than maybe 30 in a group able to produce offspring? You do the math, 'Deck. We'd be a mess from inbreeding by the third or fourth generation."

"Or not," Alec suddenly said. He'd been listening to the conversation and thinking ... something kicking at the back of his mind ... something to do with all of those DNA samples in storage down the hallway. "We're made up of a lot of different people, right?" he said to Lydecker.

"Seven or eight per Unit," the older man replied with a knowing grin, apparently pleased that one of his kids was so quick.

"Each one of us is the equivalent of seven or eight individuals DNA-wise," Alec said to Max. "That gives us a genetic pool of--" He did the math in his head. "--over two hundred fifty people, and that's just the X5s. Thirty or forty isn't enough to start a race, Max. But over two hundred puts us back in the game."

"In other words," Lydecker said. "No inbreeding problems to worry about."

Max was impressed. She'd never thought of her kind that way before -- as an amalgamation of many, many individuals instead of just two parental units. But it made sense ...

"There's nothin' here but a bunch of records on the original gene samples," Mole said, closing a file cabinet drawer. "A lot of the info is probably on the computers, but they seem to have kept hard copies as well."

"Sandeman started collecting back in the 1930's," Lydecker said. "It would make sense that he kept written records as well." He looked at Max and Alec with a gleam in his eye. "If you took the time, and crosschecked your personal DNA records, you could find out exactly who donated your own samples and get their histories here."

"I can see the title of my autobiography now," Alec smirked. "Alec has Four Mommies and Three Daddies. Oh, and I can't forget the kitty. Guess I have an ancestor from Africa, don't I?"

Max wasn't in the mood. "Move on people," she said, gesturing toward the hallway. "We need to get this field trip over with sometime before tomorrow."

The next two labs were relatively empty -- just more records. But the third was filled with super-cooled canisters containing the DNA itself, the room wreathed in white vapor that glowed eerily from the illuminated computer banks that monitored the samples.

"Self contained?" Alec asked. "Or was it linked to the outside and we've now shut it off from the keepers?"

"Remotely monitored," Lydecker replied, stepping into the room and wiping frost off of a dial to read some numbers. "But the place was designed to run on its own indefinitely in case of a communications failure. Everything seems to be stable -- for now."

"Don't touch anything then," Max said, and Joshua jerked his hand back from a bright red knob he'd been about to grasp.

"No touching," the dog man said apologetically.

"Hey guys!" Mole called out from on down the corridor. "I think you'd better take a look at this."

This was what Alec's sensitive nostrils had picked up way back at the main door -- the smell of ozone. It was coming from in here, apparently used for disinfectant and preservative purposes. As he followed Max through the door of the fifth lab, he saw row after row of glass jars on lighted shelves, each containing what looked like organs or tissue.

"I thought Stendahl had taken all of this," Lydecker said quietly.

"What are we lookin' at?" Max asked.

"Spare parts," Mole answered. "For transgenics."

"It's the organ harvest storage room," the colonel said. "Whenever a healthy transgenic died or was put to death we harvested all usable tissue before burying the body. The Units are ideal candidates for organ transplants -- genetically made to have relatively interchangeable body parts with a very low rate of rejection due to your common blood and DNA types."

"Greenpeace would be so proud," Alec quipped. "We're not only biodegradable and earth friendly, we're recyclable." His vision telescoped in on a large container in the back of the lab. "What's that?" he said, walking toward it along with Mole. The vat reminded him of the tank in The Blowfish Tavern where he and Max had found the Manticore gill girl.

"It's a body," the lizard man said, taking the cigar out of his mouth as he peered at the naked human form floating in super cold liquid. "A whole one. Male ... well endowed I might add ... X5 from his looks."

It was hard to make out the corpse's features due to the dim lighting and the frost on the pane. Using his jacket sleeve, Alec smeared a clear spot on the glass--

--and saw his own face.

*****

Ben (X5-493) Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

Ben. My twin brother Ben. Preserved like a fucking science experiment in a jar.

Suddenly, Alec felt nauseous.

"My God," Max whispered behind him. "I knew they were monsters, but to do this--" She gestured to the tubes and wires feeding into the tank.

Lydecker cleared his throat. "He was kept for research purposes."

Max whirled on the colonel. "This is beyond disgusting!" she exclaimed. "It's ... it's perverted and sacreligious and immoral and ... and ..." Words failed her as tears welled in her eyes. "That's my brother," she sobbed, gesturing at the tank. His brother!

Alec caught her as she flung herself into his arms, holding her tightly to his chest so she could feel his warmth ... his strength ... his living heart beating. But he still felt like he was going to throw up.

"Your twin?" Mole said, speaking for the first time and nodding at the body floating in the tank.

"Ben?" Joshua asked. "This is Alec's Ben?"

Alec's Ben. How aptly spoken, 494 thought.

"The body was kept intact for future study and comparison with the still living Unit," Lydecker said quietly from behind the horrified transgenics.

Alec couldn't take his eyes off the living corpse, thoughts of his own fragile mortality far too close to the surface. And, as he took in the pallid skin and the those facial and body features so like his own, he saw something that, quite literally, made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

The little finger of Ben's right hand twitched.

"Jesus," Alec breathed, feeling as if the world around him was receding as his blood pressure plummeted from shock, and his head began to spin.

Max saw too, and whirled like a tiger on Lydecker. "He's alive! You despicable monster! You brought him back to life for ... for ..." Words failed her. "This!"

"No!" the colonel shouted, holding out his hands in his own defense. "Max, I swear 493's not alive! His tissue's been kept animated in order to preserve the body, but he was dead the second you broke his neck in the woods. What you saw was just a muscle twinge ... a reflex ... nothing more."

Alec was studying Ben's face, half expecting those closed eyes to open. His brother should look peaceful in death -- but he didn't. There was an anguish to his expression that made the X5's soul hurt.

"We need to bury him," Max said, putting into words exactly what Alec was thinking. "In the cemetery on the edge of the woods with the rest of his family. He needs to be treated with dignity, and to know that he was loved."

"Max," Lydecker tried. "I know how you feel. But think this through. What if Alec," he nodded at the living twin, "needs a transplant someday, a new heart or liver or kidney. You have the perfect donor here."

"That's sick," Alec hissed. "That's my brother in there, not a piece of meat to be cut up for spare parts."

"We'll bury him as soon as we get the place upstairs a little more settled," Max promised, squeezing Alec tightly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm always all right. Remember?" he replied through gritted teeth.

"Sure you are, pretty boy," Mole said sympathetically. The lizard man turned eyes toward the door. "It's gettin' late, and I think we've seen about all there is to see down here. Not a nuke in sight, unfortunately, though."

"There may be more rooms we haven't found yet," Max said as they all headed toward the hall.

However, Alec paused in the doorway and stood looking back at the tank at the far end of the lab.

"Tomorrow," Max said with a gentle hand on his arm. "We'll bury him tomorrow. I promise."

*****

Alec & Max Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

Max found him later that night where he'd gone out to one of the perimeter guard towers. Sitting down next to her lover, she followed his gaze where he was looking up at the cold twinkling stars overhead. With no nearby city lights to pollute the view, the panorama in the heavens above was incredibly beautiful.

"Do you believe in God?" she suddenly asked.

Alec smiled in the dark at the question. "Back at Manticore," he said quietly, "the X5s who qualified for solo missions were given a class in world religion. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Judaism, Islam ... heck, we even touched on the Native American beliefs and some of the cult teachings." He looked over at her, the irises of his eyes dilated and dark. "But the material was presented like a history course, and we were told all of the faiths were based in myth. They said the human race, in order to justify its existence and explain what science couldn't, had made up deities as an excuse for everything that went right or wrong in the world."

"They taught you to be an atheist then," Max said, nodding in understanding. "I'm not surprised. Manticore wanted its soldiers aware of the influence of religion in society, but they certainly didn't want you to adopt the teachings of Buddha or go all Hare Krishna on them."

"Yeah," Alec said. "I guess that means that -- theologically speaking -- I'm off the hook. Brainwashed right out of Heaven, or Hell too for that matter. Although--" He looked up at the stars again. "I think I'm actually more of an agnostic than an atheist. Sometimes ... I wanna believe in something."

"So did Ben," Max said quietly as she, too, studied the infinite cosmos that made everything else seem so small and insignificant. "He wanted to believe there was someone watching over him."

"His 'Blue Lady,'" Alec said, nodding. "You told me about her, that night in Seattle in your apartment. Remember? You said he believed the Christian's Virgin Mary would protect him and show him his purpose in life, only he got things twisted up and thought he had to kill for her to prove himself worthy."

"Something like that," Max murmured.

"An awful lot of killing has gone on in the world in the name of God and religion, Max. When you come right down to it, Ben was just one more misguided religious fanatic."

"It wasn't his fault. He was broken, Alec. Manticore broke him."

"No, it wasn't his fault," the X5 agreed. Then Alec turned his head and looked at her -- hard. "And it's not our fault either ... what we are. All we can do is try and live by what we believe is right ... and to survive, just like Ben did. You know that, don't you, Maxie?"

Maxie. He'd called her Maxie just like Ben used to.

"Do you believe we have souls?" she had to ask. "Is Ben's soul in a happy place right now? Is Tinga's ... Eva's? And can the dead ever contact the living back here on earth?"

Alec regarded her silently for what seemed like a very long time. Then, finally ... "Are we talkin' ghosts in white sheets here? Or do you mean do I feel as if Ben is still with me ... a piece of him? Does he live on in me because we were originally one embryo in that petrie dish?"

"Do you?" Max breathed. "Feel him inside of you ... ever?"

Alec smiled, those eyes now enigmatic. "No," he said easily, shrugging off her question as he shrugged his shoulders, breaking the spell. "Ben's dead. I'm alive. End of story."

End of story, Max thought, knowing it had to be that way, but also knowing that Alec wasn't being totally truthful. He did have part of Ben in him whether he admitted it or not -- the goodness and kindness that had been her brother's when he was a child back at Manticore. She'd seen it manifest in 494 too many times -- love, caring, decency. It was something both boys shared -- genetic -- beyond the primitive hardwired drive to kill.

Alec's basic noble nature truly did keep Ben alive for her in a small way. But Alec was Alec (and Ben had been Ben) and some things were better left alone ... unspoken ... never even thought of.

"You hungry?" Alec asked, standing up and stretching arms above his head. "'Cause I'm starved."

"Actually, I am."

"Then come on," he said, holding out his hand. "Because I think this conversation is over: metaphorically, metaphysically, and literally.

And together (so very much together) the two X5s descended the stairs, leaving the tower, the stars, and their theological questions behind -- for now.

*****

Alec & Max Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

They'd been fools.

The attack came at 0200 -- the "hour of the wolf" -- that half-past dead time in the morning when mortal beings were at their most vulnerable.

Alec jumped awake at the sound of a gunshot, instinctively reaching first for the Glock beneath his pillow, and then for Max who'd been sleeping beside him.

But Max's half of their makeshift double bed was cold and empty.

Swinging his feet to the floor, the X5 pulled on t-shirt, jeans, and boots then sprinted to join the other transgenics who were piling out of the barracks as fast as they could get decent and grab weapons.

Outside was the sound of an explosion -- a big one -- and orange-yellow flames lit up the night sky beyond the windows.

"Are we being bombed?" Hampton shouted at him, loading a pistol even as he jogged toward the barrack's main door.

Alec shook his head in frustration. "I have no idea? Where's Dix?"

Hampton shrugged. "Wherever he is, I hope it wasn't in the control center out front because that's what just blew to hell." The former squad leader turned to go, intending to join whatever battle was raging outside, but Alec grabbed his arm.

"Have you seen Max?"

Hampton shook his head. "No. I thought she was with you."

"She was," Alec said. "But sometimes she gets restless at night and prowls."

"She could be anywhere then," the other man said. "And we don't have time to look for her."

Alec let out a deep breath of frustration, and raked fingers back through tangled hair. He knew what he had to do -- where he belonged -- and it wasn't wandering around the base trying to find his girlfriend. "There's shooting out front," he said to the other X5, taking charge. "Which must mean ground forces. Round up whoever you can and head to the back. Rendezvous behind the mess hall. We need to try and take the armory. It's our only chance if this is a full scale invasion by the Army."

Hampton nodded, his keen dark eyes slightly narrowing in agreement -- and obeyed.

"You got any idea what's goin' down, Princess," a familiar gruff voice rasped at Alec's elbow.

The transgenic grinned briefly, glad of the company. "I thought you were bunkin' with Joshua in Barracks Three," he said as he edged closer to a window to try and see what was happening.

"I was," Mole said. "Me and dogboy hoofed it over here as fast as we could when the fireworks started -- figured you'd be rallyin' the troops."

Alec looked around. "Pretty much pregnant females and kids in here," he said. "Families. Most of the X-warriors are in buildings two and four ... the transhumans in three." He looked up at his friend. "Have you seen Max?"

Mole shook his head. "She's not with you?"

Joshua loomed behind them both. "Little Fella not here?"

"She probably went for a midnight stroll," Alec said. "What about Lydecker? He was bunkin' in the back of the mess hall."

"Haven't seen him either," Mole said.

"Shit," Alec cursed under his breath. Then, so Mole, "You take Joshua and head to where Hampton's rallyin' the troops back of the mess. If you see Max, tell her to stay safe with you guys. I'll meet up with the rest of you in a few minutes.

Mole nodded, and took hold of a very reluctant Joshua's jacket sleeve.

Alec hadn't quite decided which direction to look for Max first, when suddenly -- with a roar that could have been heard in Yellowstone -- the front door of the barracks blew in, the explosion knocking him off his feet and throwing him hard into a wall. Dazed, 494 staggered and tried to shake it off -- which is when he saw Max through the smoldering opening ... out in the yard ... fighting like a wildcat in the clutches of at least five black-suited TAC soldiers. Even as he watched, one of the humans drew back a fist and hit 452 as hard as he could on the jaw, and she went limp.

Drawing the Glock, 494 frantically fired -- emptying his gun in fact -- but it was no use. They were out of range and dragging her away.

"Max!" Alec screamed, throwing the now useless weapon aside and ignoring the blood running down the side of his face as he cleared the debris in one giant superhuman leap. Then he was in the yard, feet and arms churning, heart pumping, as he blurred to her rescue.

"494!" Lydecker's commanding voice pierced the night, audible even above the sound of gunfire, explosions, and screams. "Don't! Leave her! Your men need you, soldier!"

The colonel might as well have been trying to control a wild animal. All Alec knew or cared about was the fact that those soldiers were hurting Max ... taking her away from him.

The first TAC officer never knew what hit him as the enraged X5 sprang through the air and landed on top of him -- his neck snapped in an instant. The second soldier had his back broken by a cruel ax kick, and a third found himself facing a whirlwind as 494 spun into an aerial hook kick that brought a booted foot crashing into his skull.

All it takes is a trigger.

X7s Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

Three down. Alec paused a moment to swipe blood out of his eyes with the back of a hand, and shook his head, trying to focus. He couldn't see Max anywhere, but he did see a lot of his friends and family lying dead or wounded on the ground of the compound. And he also saw X7s -- dozens of them. The Terminal City transgenics been caught so unawares it was pathetic ...

And then Lydecker was screaming again, dashing into the middle of the fire fight, hands waving. "No! Don't kill him! Don't kill him!"

Alec turned around to see half a dozen rifles aimed dead at him, held in the hands of teenage X7s, the creatures' identical faces devoid of all emotion, their black eyes conveying nothing but death.

This was it. He could either surrender ... or go down fighting. No choice at all really ...

With a primal cry tearing at his throat, 494 launched himself straight at the soulless soldiers.

However, quick as the X5 moved, the X7s were quicker.

Another explosion rocked the compound, shaking the ground and sending shards of concrete into the air like shrapnel, masking the sound of the six guns as they went off--

--and masking the young transgenic's sound of agony as he went down.

Into blackness.

Into silence.

The battle of Gillette -- for Alec -- was over.

*****

Mole & Joshua Photo courtesy of Eyes Only

Shit.

That's all Mole could think of as he and Joshua ran through a hail of bullets, trying to reach the cafeteria where it looked as if some of the X5s truly were still making a stand.

Shit.

Everything had gone to hell, and for the life of him the lizard man couldn't figure out how. Where the fuck had these X7s and ordinaries come from? The perimeter defenses hadn't been breached. No alarm had sounded. Their guards had given no warning.

Yet the compound was overflowing now with well-armed humans and transgenics with hive minds, as if they'd materialized out of thin air.

"Max and Alec," Joshua said, looking back over his shoulder the way they'd just come.

Mole pulled the dog man down behind a ruined gun turret, out of the line of fire. "Those two can take care of themselves," he said. "What we've gotta worry about is gettin' our own asses outta here."

Joshua was shaking his shaggy head. "Can't leave Max," he said adamantly. "Won't leave her behind."

"Alec's gone to take care of her," Mole argued.

Joshua sneaked a peak over the top of the concrete barrier while Mole reloaded his sawed off shotgun, and his blue eyes widened. "Alec's in trouble," he said, ducking back down as several gunshots came their way.

"Whatdaya mean?"

Joshua pointed out toward the battle. "Alec needs his ass saved."

"So what else is new?" Mole groused as he took a look over the concrete slab. But what he saw was sobering. The lithe athletic X5 was engaged in battle royal with several TAC squad members, punching and kicking like a demon, taking soldiers out right and left.

"Get a weapon, asshole," Mole said through clenched teeth. "Damn it, Alec, use your head!"

And is that Lydecker? What the hell's the bastard doing?-- dancin' around hollerin' and wavin' his arms like a lunatic.

But it was obvious Alec was beyond coherent thought as he let normally dormant primal instincts take over. The X5 was fighting not for his own life, but for Max's. There was no method to his madness beyond the killing.

And speaking of Max--

"There," Joshua said, pointing.

Mole looked in the direction of the compound's main building and saw a large TAC soldier carrying Max's limp form in his arms up the steps toward the front door.

Why would they take her inside?

On the other hand, Mole realized there weren't any vehicles on site ... no sign of helicopters or parachutes either.

Where the fuck did these dicks come from?

Not that it really mattered any more. All around him transgenics were going down. Some injured ... some dead ... some just paralyzed with fear. Hands were starting to go up in surrender.

"What do we do?" Joshua asked, his voice trembling. "Mole, what do we do?"

"Probably die," the lizard man said, cocking the shotgun, his lips tightening even as he wondered if he'd have time for one last smoke before checking out. He had two cigars in his pocket ... Rising up on his haunches, he peeked out again -- just in time to see Alec give a primitive cry and throw himself in a suicidal leap into a pack of X7s.

"Alec," Mole whispered, the name of his friend dying on his tongue as he saw the young transgenic fall just as an explosion rocked the compound.

Mole and Joshua ducked, covering their heads with their arms as debris rained down. When he looked out again, Alec's body was lying very still on the frozen ground -- and Mole knew what he had to do.

"Wait here," he said to Joshua. He handed the dog man the shotgun. "Cover me. I'm gonna get the kid. The lizard man then grinned humorlessly. "Like you said. Someone's gotta save his ass."

The battle had actually moved on, with most of the gunfire now coming from the Barracks Four and mess hall areas. Keeping low, Mole sprinted across the open space to Alec and knelt beside him. The X5 had been hit with half a dozen TASER barbs -- not bullets, but deadly enough in their own right -- and his body left to lie twitching and unconscious on the ground.

"Come on, buddy," he said, hefting Alec easily over one shoulder. "Don't die on me now."

A gun cocked behind him, and Mole froze.

"Come with us," a cold voice said. "She wants some of you alive."

Mole wondered where the fuck Joshua was with his cover fire. But then he saw the dog man emerge from the artillery bunker with his hands held high in the air, escorted by a two-man TAC team. All around the base transgenics were surrendering.

The game was over, and the home team had lost.

*****

Max Photo courtesy of Eyes Only

Max couldn't quite manage to open her eyes, the lids seemingly weighted down. But she could hear ... and smell ... and feel. There was a pounding sound coming from somewhere, low like drums, vibrating through her body and making her head ache.

"She's not damaged is she?" a woman's voice said -- a voice Max recognized. But that was impossible!

"Not badly," a man answered. "We got her out of the battle at the very beginning, as ordered."

"Good. Have you had a chance to examine her yet?"

"Just a preliminary physical. But she seems to be intact."

The X5 could feel restraints around her wrists and upper arms ... her ankles and thighs ... her waist ... holding her down on a flat surface. And she was cold ...

"Should we sedate her further?"

"No. I don't want her body chemistry altered," the woman answered. "We need to begin the procedure as soon as possible. Time is of the essence. The pathogen is already manifesting in Beijing, London, and Mexico City -- spreading around the world. We have to begin manufacturing the vaccine or there won't be any survivors at all."

Max didn't understand. She struggled to open her eyes again, and at last managed to peer out through bleary slits.

"Ah," the woman said gently, coming closer. "She's waking up. Good."

A cool hand with well-manicured fingernails reached out and stroked Max's forehead. "Welcome back 452," came words carried on breath that smelled faintly of lemons.

The X5 tried to focus on the face hovering above her. However, all she saw were shadows, the features concealed inside a voluminous purple hood.

"Renfro?" she croaked. "Major Renfro?"

"Nothing like a nice family reunion, is there 452?"

"But you died," Max rasped. "You were shot ... and the fire ..."

"Yes," the woman said. "I was shot -- saving your transgenic ass I might add. But I was found by a loyal soldier and carried to safety." She stepped closer and dropped the hood, revealing short-cropped blonde hair and a horribly scarred face, the reddened flesh looking as if it had been melted, the right eye nothing but an empty socket, the sapphire necklace around her neck somehow enhancing the hideousness of that visage. Ruby lips twisted in an unintentionally crooked smile. "This is your fault, you know, 452," she said in a low voice, the one remaining dark eye gleaming. "You did this to me. And it's also your fault the human race is now going to suffer the loss of millions. However, you're going to make all that up to me now ... to us ..."

Extraction Tank Photo courtesy of Eyes Only

Max shivered, and not with just the cold. Turning her head, she saw that she was in some kind of lab -- underground from the feel of it -- lying spread-eagle in shackles on an examining table, stark naked. Half a dozen TAC soldiers surrounded her, their prurient eyes staring.

"Report," Renfro ordered a white-coated lab technician who was holding a chart. "Is she strong enough for the extraction process?"

Max craned her neck further and saw that the lab led into a large open space to the left. And then her heart almost stopped beating. She recognized that equipment ... that liquid-filled chamber ... the vast array of solar-powered generators throbbing behind it, the dull thrum exacerbating her headache.

It was where she'd found Tinga ... floating in a tank just like that with tubes hideously pumping fluids from her most private body parts ...

"What do you want from me?" Max demanded fiercely.

"The antidote," Renfro hissed.

"But the comet was a dud!" the X5 exclaimed. "Nothing happened. It was all a myth. And I already gave a blood sample to the CDC just in case. They have my DNA formula."

"Stupid girl," Renfro spat. "The comet was hardly a 'dud' as you call it. It just took a little bit of time for the disease to manifest. Now, it's cropping up all over the world. A deadly virulent strain of flu, they're calling it -- to prevent world-wide panic. But those of us on the inside know what we're really dealing with -- the Familiar's pathogen that will wipe out all of ordinary mankind unless you stop it."
"They've got my blood," Max tried again. "The CDC. Just ask them."

"You still don't understand, do you little girl?" Renfro said, that ruined face closing in so Max could smell the lemons on her breath again. A cool hand caressed her hair matted hair. "Sandeman created you, and you alone, to manufacture the antidote. Only your body's genetically modified systems are capable of doing that. The CDC can try for infinity to duplicate the process, but they won't be able to. It takes a living organism to make the vaccine, one with the properly coded DNA sequences." She nodded toward the chamber. "And this is how we get from you what we need."

Max shuddered.

Renfro smiled again. "You might a well resign yourself to your fate, 452. You're going to live a very long time in that vat -- being milked for your body's essences. Perhaps as long as a hundred years or more if Sandeman did as good a job as we suspect with your transgenic genes." She looked up at the lab technician. "Prepare her. Call the surgeon to insert the I.V.s, catheters, and tubes into her glands, then get her into the preservative fluid. The sooner we begin the extraction process the better."

"Wait!" Max wailed, pulling against the restraints but at the same time realizing she was too weak to escape. "What about the others? My friends? My family? What have you done to them?"

Renfro chuckled and glanced up toward the ceiling. "They fought well," she said. "But your transgenic siblings succumbed in the end. They're all contained now ... the ones that survived."

"What will you do with them?" Max demanded, needing to know this one last thing before her world was taken from her forever.

"Sandeman created your brothers and sisters to be an army for mankind," Renfro said. "And that's what they will be -- the ones deemed malleable enough to be reprogrammed and rendered compliant. The X6s and X8s certainly, and the children of course ... some of the specialized Units like the DACs ... We'll begin our breeding program again as well -- the fastest way to manufacture new soldiers at this point since we still don't have a viable in-vitro program or genetic cocktails ready. Your surviving friends will be put to good use."

"And the X5s?" Max asked as the surgeon entered, snapping on a pair of latex gloves.

Major Elizabeth Renfro Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Eyes Only

Renfro's single remaining eyebrow rose, and that twisted smile manifested again. "Not salvageable," she said. "Their reindoctrination would take too long, and time is of the essence right now. Our resources need to be better directed. They're too strong-willed, especially after being on the outside and living free for so long. Plus, they're the leaders ... the instigators of rebellion among the others. Samples of their DNA will be preserved of course ... but the adults will be put down."

Max had a question she desperately wanted to ask -- about the fate of one X5 in particular -- but she didn't. Instead, she closed her eyes and waited for the first incision to be made.

However, there was an interruption.

"Major!" the technician's voice shouted as he approached waving a chart in the air. "There's something you need to know."

"What is it?" Renfro asked, plucking the report out of her subordinate's hands.

"The X5 Unit, ma'am. She's pregnant."

Max's heart did stop beating then -- for a moment. She'd suspected. (So had Alec.) But they hadn't known for certain.

"We just got her blood work back from the preliminary physical," the technician explained. "There's no doubt about it. She's carrying a child."

"Is the retrovirus still active in her system?" Renfro asked. "The one designed from Eyes Only's DNA?"

"No," the tech replied. "It's totally deactivated -- harmless."

"Well, well, well, 452," Renfro purred, stepping close again. "So, you managed to find a way to be with the man you love afterall, and now you're carrying his child." She looked toward the tank. "Not that it matters," she shrugged. Then, to the surgeon. "Abort the fetus and proceed."

"No!" Max cried out. "Please! Don't!"

"I have no use for a deformed half-breed brat," Renfro snapped. Especially one carrying Eyes Only's genes.

Max's mind desperately sought a way out, like an animal caught in a maze her thoughts kept going around and around. What should she tell Renfro?

"Eyes Only isn't the father!" she blurted out. "An X5 is!"

That eyebrow rose again. "Really?" the Major said. "And the designation number of this X5 who knocked you up is ...?"

Max's mouth snapped shut.

"Of course," Renfro said. "You're protecting him the same way you did your former boyfriend -- not that it will do you any good in the long run." She tapped one well-manicured fingernail against the side of her deformed face, then turned to the technician. "I'm sensing a possibility here. Do a complete pelvic and an amniocentisis. Take samples. She could be lying. But if it's true, I want to know who the sire of that baby is."

*****

Colonel Donald Lydecker Photo courtesy of Eyes Only

Colonel Donald Lydecker realized that not only couldn't he save Max and Alec, he probably wasn't even going to be able to save himself.

He was a target. There was no doubt about that as the X7s who'd just gunned down X5-494 turned TASERS toward him that carried enough voltage to kill an ordinary human. Moving faster on his feet than he had in years, he managed to make shelter behind the corner of an outbuilding. Peering out into the gunfire-lit darkness, he was contemplating his next move -- futile as it might be -- when a hand snaked around his neck from behind in a choke hold.

His vision had started to dim, when a husky voice whispered "Sir?" in his ear, and suddenly that deathly grip eased.

"734?" the colonel choked, rubbing his bruised throat as he turned to see the lithe dark-haired transgenic crouched behind him. "You got away?"

"735, sir," Keema, Brin's twin, corrected her commander. "We're undetected for now, sir. But X7s are overrunning the compound and most of the Terminal City Units are either dead, wounded, or captured."

Lydecker looked out at the carnage, his blue eyes grim. The battle had, indeed, been waged and won quickly ... far too quickly in his opinion. This had been a huge double cross on someone's part, but for the life of him he couldn't imagine who. McKinley? Stendahl? The Army? None seemed capable of pulling off such a neat coup.

"You said most of the TC Units were out of commission?"

"Yes, sir."

"What about your Unit mates -- Devon and Jewel? And your sister, Brin?"

"Right here, sir," 472 and 657 spoke up from the shadows. "We've been watching the back door. But we haven't seen 734."

"Sir," Devon added, his tone urgent. "We need to get out of here. I have the gate codes. If we take out their guards we can make a run for it."

Lydecker knew that the three X5s didn't need gate codes to escape. They could simply jump the fence. But he -- mere human that he was -- couldn't manage such a feat, and his kids wouldn't leave their CO behind. They were psychologically conditioned far too well to even contemplate such a notion.

The colonel thought hard for a moment, weighing the options ... weighing the value of his own life against a lifetime of work. Because that's what those caged transgenics were to him -- his life's endeavor -- especially the X5s.

"I know a place where we can safely retreat," he said, making up his mind. "We'll wait awhile, gain information, and then come up with a plan to free the others."

"But sir--" Devon protested.

"That's enough, soldier!" his commanding officer barked.

"Yes, sir."

Keema and Jewel were watching him closely.

"Where is 734?" Lydecker suddenly asked, just now realizing that Brin had apparently vanished during the earliest part of the fighting.

"Like we said, we haven't seen her, sir," Keema repeated. "Not since we made it out of the initial explosions. The three of us were taking our turn at routine patrol, by the perimeter fence, and that's why we weren't trapped in the barracks like the others."

"Then we saw you, sir," Devon added.

Lydecker nodded, realizing these kids had acted just as they should have when under attack by a far superior force. First, they'd saved themselves. Then, they'd saved their CO.

"Let's go," the colonel said, motioning for them to follow. "There's a camouflaged provisioned underground bunker about a hundred yards to the south, behind the generator building. Hopefully, it's unoccupied ... forgotten. We can regroup there and make plans. Our first priority will be to find and free 494."

"But sir," Devon protested. "Dodger ... 494 ... isn't designed for heavy combat. There are other captured X5s who would serve us better, more efficient warriors and stronger in battle.

Lydecker smiled, just a little bit. "Better in regular combat, maybe," he conceded. "But not in this case. In this case, 494 will be in it for personal reasons. Believe me when I say I've seen the impressive lengths that Unit will go to in order to protect Max. Dodger ... Alec ... will fight, and he'll fight well because of her. And that's the soldier I want leading my squad."

"Yes, sir," three voices rang in unison, and the X5s -- per orders -- moved out.

*****

Alec Artwork courtesy of Valjean, Eyes Only, & Jensen Ackles Museum

"Well I'll say one thing," Mole growled. "The room service here sure is lousy."

"Joshua thirsty," the dog man said.

"We're all thirsty, bro," Mole replied. "It's been what? Two days now without so much as a sip of water or bite of food? Guess they want us dead afterall -- of dehydration and starvation." The lizard man looked up at the bleak grey sky overhead -- visible through the bars that imprisoned them in the courtyard cell. Then he slid across the cement floor to check on the third member of their party. "Princess is still out of it," he said quietly, his scaly hand lightly touching the side of the unconscious X5's face.

"Alec's hurt badly," Joshua said in a low voice. "He needs a doctor."

"Not one of those Manticore techs!" Mole shot back. "The last thing we want is for those creepy white-coats to get their hands on our boy."

"But Alec--"

"Will heal," Mole said firmly. "TASERs are nasty -- especially when you're hit with half a dozen of them all at once -- but he's X5, and that still counts for somethin'."

"Then why won't he wake up?" Joshua had to ask.

"Because he's not ready to," Mole snapped. "God, what I'd give for a light for my cigar right now."

A group of X7s walked by the cell, and the two transhumans stopped talking. When they'd passed, Mole once more looked down at his injured friend. "Some of these X5s are designed for deprivation," he said. "But I don't think pretty boy here's got the genes for a long haul without food and water. When he comes around, he's gonna need liquid at least."

"We could ask them," Joshua suggested, gesturing with his shaggy-maned head to the X7s who were now on the other side of the yard.

"You see any of the prisoners gettin' better treatment than us?" Mole countered. He moved to the front of the cell, and grasped the bars with his hands. "I count at least a couple hundred of us penned like livestock, and everyone's bitchin' about how thirsty and hungry they are. Looks to me like whoever's in charge hasn't made up their mind about our fate, and until they do, they're not wastin' any resources on expendable prisoners."

"Many died," Joshua said quietly, his head now hanging. "Max--"

"We don't know what happened to Max," Mole said quickly. "And yeah, some of us died, but a lot of us were just knocked out with TASERs and dart guns. Like I said, our fates haven't been decided yet. But what I'd like to know is where the fuck those bastards came from. I swear, they didn't breach the perimeter. It's as if they materialized out of thin air, right here in the middle of the base."

"The mountain," Joshua said, nodding knowingly. "They were hiding inside the mountain."

Mole squinted up at the afternoon sky, realizing that what the dog man said made sense. "You think these soldiers were concealed on the base all along?"

Again, Joshua nodded. "The X7s were already inside the fence when we arrived, weren't they?"

"Lydecker?" Mole guessed. "He betrayed us?"

"Don't think so. He was trying to save us ... ordering the shooting to stop."

"You think he's dead, too?"

Joshua shrugged broad shoulders, muscles cording beneath the material of his paint-stained flannel shirt. (His Army jacket was currently serving as a blanket for Alec, along with Mole's coat for a pillow.)

A sound from their friend made both transhumans turn, and Mole moved to the X5's side. "Hey," he said quietly. "You with us, bro? Come on, Alec. We need you back. Bad."

The injured transgenic swallowed, and raised a hand, shielding his eyes from the bright glare of the sky outside the bars. "Am I dead?" he mumbled. "'Cause I feel like I oughta be."

Mole grinned toothily. "You tried pretty hard to kick the bucket, but no. You're a prisoner just like the rest of us."

Alec's eyes blinked and focused on the face hovering above him. "Mole?"

"In the flesh ... or make that scales."

"Max?"

"Shhh," the transhuman said. "Time for that later. Right now you need to concentrate on wakin' up. You know, Princess, you were out for a long time. Kinda gave dogboy and me a scare ..." Moles' voice hoarsened and trailed off.

"Damage report," Alec said, groaning slightly as he tried to lever up on an elbow. Too weak, he sank back to rest his head once more on Mole's balled up jacket.

"Stay down," Mole admonished him. "You took a hard hit with the TASERs -- put you out like a light -- but you'll heal.

"Water?" Alec said huskily, his hazel-green eyes pleading in a way that kind of got to Mole.

"Sorry. No water."

Joshua scooted closer, sniffing his friend's hair as if to make sure the X5 was really still with them. "Alec better now," he said firmly. "Alec's going to be fine."

"As fine as the rest of us I suppose," Mole said grimly, watching as the X7 patrol marched by the cell again. "Which ain't sayin' much."

*****

Alec Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

There were a dozen questions Alec wanted to ask, but all his abused body wanted to do was to drift back into unconsciousness.

He fought it -- fought the darkness. His friends needed him. His family needed him. And most of all, Max needed him.

Max. No one could tell him what had become of her. Or of Lydecker, either, for that matter.

"Joshua thinks the bad guys were inside the mountain all along," Mole said after a long period of silence. "God, what I wouldn't give for a smoke."

"You mean in one of those sections we didn't explore?" Alec said, downing a small handful of tryptophan tablets dry, and silently thanking Luke for insisting he keep a supply in his jacket pocket. The dose should help calm the remaining tremors -- after effects of the severe TASER hit. "The ones Lydecker swore just led to more storage rooms?" He shook his head. "Typical."

Joshua nodded. "X7s were already here when we arrived," he said. "Then they disappeared, too quickly. They were hiding in the mountain, Alec."

The X5 licked chapped lips and tipped his head once, conceding to his friend. "Makes sense I suppose," he said. "But those things are just puppets. The real question is, who's pullin' the strings? Those were well trained TAC soldiers that took Max down -- as in Old Manticore style."

"No matter how you look at it, it all comes back to the Devil himself, don't it?" Mole said, taking out a stogie and sticking it between his teeth to chew on cold.

A group of TAC soldiers marched past, machine guns held at ready, and Alec moved to the bars so he could see what was going on. They stopped at the last cage in the row where the senior officer took out a set of keys and opened the door. Then, under cover of half a dozen Ouzi's, a transgenic was dragged out -- an X5 named Marcus who'd wandered into Terminal City about a month earlier, and who's genetic speciality was night fighting, just like Max.

The dark-haired X5 held his head high, looking haughtily down on his captors, not saying a word.

"What are they gonna do with him?" Mole wondered, peering over his companion's shoulder.

Alec had a bad feeling about this, but was hoping he was wrong. Cradling his wounded side, he shifted his position so he could see as the TAC squad escorted Marcus a little bit further down the row -- to an open space carved out of the containment area.

The X5, with six guns pointed at him, was shoved down on his knees and his wrists shackled behind his back. "X5-387's ready for termination, sir," the senior TAC officer said to a cool collected looking sergeant with neatly trimmed blond hair and the blue eyes of a killer -- an officer Alec recognized from back at Manticore's Seattle base named Jenco.

With a sadistic little smile that Alec remembered all too well, the CO calmly drew a Glock from the holster at his waist, stepped forward, pressed the barrel against the back of Marcus' head and -- without so much as giving the guy time for last words -- pulled the trigger. Simultaneous with the gun's roar, pieces of grey matter and a mist of blood exploded from a hole in the X5's face, and 387 collapsed to the ground.

It was as simple as that -- the end of a Freak.

"Jesus H. Christ," Mole said low under his breath at Alec's side. "What the hell'd they do that for?"

"Take a genetic sample then burn the body," the sergeant ordered the clean-up crew as they dragged the corpse away -- a pile of meat that only seconds before had been a living breathing X5 soldier ... a brother.

As the three friends watched in horror, the TAC squad moved on to the next cell, and pulled out another X5 -- a red-headed female named Nan whom Alec had flirted with a time or two before Max had leashed him for keeps. Having just seen the fate of her fellow transgenic, she fought like a wildcat, only to be knocked to the ground with TASER wands. Then, her body still twitching from the electric shock, she was dumped face down on the ground at Sergeant Jenco's feet.

Smiling just like before, the CO shot her in the head too.

And the TAC squad moved on to the third cell.

"They're killing the X5s," Mole said. "Fuck it all, they're killin' our leaders!"

"Max," Alec whispered, the sound one of pure despair. Because if what Mole said was true, X5-452 would certainly have been the first to die, probably days ago. The real question was, how had he -- himself --survived so long? Certainly these people knew he was second in command. He should have been number two on the hit list and taken out long before this.

Helpless, they could do nothing as two more X5s were executed, along with a DAC named Jerry who tried to protect his buddy -- an X5 he'd escaped from Manticore with and who'd remained his staunch friend.

And then the black-suited death squad was marching toward their cell.

"Don't fight 'em," Alec said, swallowing hard. He looked back at the dog man, hazel-green eyes stern and warning. "You hear that, Josh? Don't fight 'em. No matter what happens to me. You've gotta stay alive to help Max. And to help the others."

Joshua's reply was to curl his upper lip in a vicious snarl that revealed huge canine teeth.

"You, too, Mole," Alec admonished his other companion. "Leave it. You can't help me. No one can. They're puttin' down my series. But maybe you can still help yourselves, and anyone else who survives."

Guard Photo courtesy of Eyes Only

"X5s?" the TAC squad leader barked as he approached the cell, his cruel eyes landing on Alec. He gestured to one of his men who came forward with the key.

"No, Josh," Alec said, with difficulty making it a command rather than a plea as he put a firm hand against that broad chest when the dog man moved protectively forward. "Let 'em take me. It's my time."

Reluctantly, with a low growl in his throat, Joshua let Mole hold him back.

Manhandled out of the cell, Alec briefly considered fighting like Nan had done, but he badly wanted to be looking his executioners in the eye when he died, not be lying helpless and twitching when it happened. So, with a calm that came from years of practice, X5-494 held his head high like Marcus had, and walked with dignity to the killing ground.

They shackled his hands behind him -- metal cuffs snapping around his wrists -- and then a shove in the middle of his back knocked him to his knees. Sergeant Jenco came forward, and Alec's eyes briefly locked on the Glock. He wondered then what it would feel like -- a bullet piercing his brain ...

The sergeant smiled that infuriating smile -- the one that spoke of how much he enjoyed his job -- then stepped behind the prisoner.

Alec felt the cold hardness of a gun barrel pressing against the base of his skull.

The doomed X5 looked up then, to see the sky overhead ... the sun behind clouds ... trees ... He felt a cold breeze caress his cheek and could smell melting snow and pine from the mountains. I don't wanna die ... I don't wanna leave all of this behind ... to leave her behind. Why do I have to go?

But X5-494 wasn't being given any choice. The sound of the gun cocking was loud in his ear-- the last thing he'd probably ever hear.

--and Alec closed his eyes and conjured visions of Max to accompany him on his final journey.

*****

Max Photo courtesy of Eyes Onl375

"Ma'am" the technician said, holding out a DNA chart. "We've completed a partial analysis of the amniocentesis samples taken from X5-452. Here are the preliminary results."

"Finally," Renfro said, glancing across the laboratory to the plexiglass cage where 452 -- clad only in a hospital gown -- lay seemingly asleep on the floor. Other cells in the room also held specimens: sedated babies and toddlers -- the next generation of X5s born to mothers while in Terminal City -- including Eve, Gem's daughter. However, Max was the only adult.

Renfro flipped through the pages, her one good eye gleaming darkly as she read. The sudden intake of breath was subtle, but the technician noticed.

"What is it, ma'am?" he asked.

"The sire is an X5," Renfro said softly. "452 wasn't lying." She glanced up. "You're sure of this analysis?"

"Not positive, ma'am. As I said, it's just a preliminary. The final results won't be available for several more hours at least. They have to come from the Denver lab."

"And then you'll have an exact match on the father?"

"If he's an X5," the technician said, "and his genetic record is in the data base you recovered from the Familiars, then yes. We'll be able to identify him with a 99.8 percent certainty."

She read further in the report, and that single eye widened. "My God," she said. "The fetus carries the DNA for the vaccine's manufacture, just like its mother. That means we could theoretically continue fighting the pathogen for generations to come, especially if even more children of this caliber can be produced."

But then suddenly the woman once known as "Madam X" had a dire thought. She turned to an officer standing guard by the laboratory door -- one of several armed soldiers keeping watch over the room and its specimens.

"The euthanasia of the X5s was to have been performed today," she said. "How far have they progressed?"

The guard looked down at his watch. "They started killing the X5s fifteen minutes ago, ma'am."

Uttering a curse word in French, Renfro reached for a desk phone and punched in a number. "Sergeant Jenco," she said into the receiver. "Halt the executions. I repeat. Halt the executions of the X5s. Now!"

Then she turned to the technician who was still hovering. "It's a total miracle that 452 is carrying a child with the saving DNA," she explained. "Not one sire in a million could have blended his genetics with hers in a manner that allowed such a recessive trait to remain viable. Whoever this bitch mated with is worth almost as much to humanity as she is." The major eyed Max who had awakened and was glaring at her from her cell. "Bring me the final data the second you have it," she ordered. "I've got the pussy. Now, I want the tom."

*****

Alec, Joshua, & Mole Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

Alec was waiting for the blast of the gun. Instead -- incongruously -- he heard a cell phone ring.

"Yes, ma'am," Jenco said into the receiver. "As ordered." The sergeant then gestured to the surrounding guards. "Take this one back to his cell. We're done for the day. The director's changed her mind."

The director? Alec wondered as he was marched back to Mole and Joshua. And Jenco had said "Ma'am." Who the hell was pulling the strings around here anyway? Not Lydecker apparently ...

"Jesus!" Mole exclaimed, catching Alec in his arms as the guards brutally shoved the X5 through the door. "Talk about saved by the bell."

"Tell me about it," Alec said shakily as he dusted himself off and took stock of things. He was still a bit sore from the TASERs, and he had a headache, but his vision was clear and the nausea was gone. X5s were designed to go up to 6 days without food and water, and this was just day three. He still had some mileage left in him. "You guys got any clue who's behind this?" he asked his two friends, even as he took up a position beside the bars where he could keep an eye on the compound.

"Some of the TAC guards were talkin' about Stendahl," Mole offered.

Alec's eyes widened, and his head jerked around. "Listen to me," he said, his voice deep and low. "I know I just cheated death and all out there, but I was let off the hook for a reason and if Stendahl's involved I think I may know why."

"You think he still wants that gorgeous ass of yours?" Mole quietly asked, his reptilian eyes grim.

"More'n my ass," Alec confirmed. The X5 took a deep breath and looked up at Joshua. "Big Guy, I'm gonna ask you to do me a favor -- a hard one."

"Joshua will do anything for Alec," the dog man said seriously, at the same time placing a big hand on the younger transgenic's shoulder.

"If they come for me again," Alec said, "the guards or any other hostile ... I want you to kill me."

Joshua's blue eyes widened. "But Alec--"

"You're afraid Stendahl's gonna haul you off to his lab," Mole said, more astute than his canine companion.

"It's the only reason I can think of that I was spared just now," Alec said. "I've been promoted from hors douvre to main course." The X5 swallowed hard. "And Josh, it's gonna hafta be really permanent, like what you did to White. If you just break my neck Stendahl can--"

"No!" Joshua roared, covering his ears with his hands and shaking his head. "Joshua could never hurt Alec! Never!"

Mole grabbed the X5 by the shoulder. "Alec, you can't ask him to do this! It's not fair."

"Then you do it, Mole!"

"Princess, you're not thinkin' straight here! It may not be Stendahl at all. Max could still be alive. We still might have a chance. You can't--"

But Alec cut him off with a slashing motion of his hand. No more questions, hazel-green eyes flashed. "I'm beat," he said out loud, moving to a corner of the cell where he slid down the wall and reclined, stretching his legs out on the floor. "Wake me up if anything starts to happen."

*****

Major Elizabeth Renfro Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Eyes Only

Major Renfro studied the detailed DNA analysis she was holding in her hand, the results having just been delivered by secret courier from a Denver laboratory. Smiling to herself and nodding, she then strolled over to the plexiglass cubicle holding the most important X5 in the world.

That single eyebrow rose. "Well, well, 452," she said. "I must admit I'm astonished."

Max glowered. She could do little else.

Sitting on the floor in a corner of the cell, her long dark hair hanging in tangled mats and her slender arms bruised and pocked with needle tracks, the X5 was embracing her knees and shivering, the flimsy hospital gown offering little in the way of either modesty or warmth.

"We knew from the preliminary data provided by the amniocentesis that your new boyfriend was, indeed, one of your own kind," the major continued. "-- an X5. But 494?" She shook her head in wonder. "I realize he's the Unit I assigned to you at the Seattle base as your breeding partner, and that -- besides being handsome, well hung, and fertile -- his DNA is, indeed, an excellent match with yours. Originally -- to put it crudely but accurately -- the only plan was for him to get it up and cum inside you every night until you were impregnated. Those were his orders, which I assumed at the time he was carrying out."

"But then you changed his orders," Max said quietly, staring straight at the hated major, a little smile playing on her cracked bruised lips as she remembered the events of nearly three years ago.

No use trying to protect Alec now -- not when Renfro knows.

"Indeed," Renfro said with a cattish smile of her own. "He betrayed you, 452. He lied to you, pretending to care for you, perhaps even making so-called love to you ... sympathizing with your plight and being your 'friend' ... while he was really whoring strictly for me." She noticed Max's look of revulsion and added quickly, "Oh, don't worry. Not in the literal sense. I don't fuck with animals, not even ones as pretty as him. But what's important for you to know is that 494 ingratiated himself with you then assisted you in escaping when the whole time he knew full well you were infected with the retrovirus and the plan was for you to lead him to Eyes Only. All of it was a pretense, part of his Manticore personality package, what he was designed for -- charm, persuasion, and manipulation. You were his mission, 452 -- a way back into Manticore's good graces after the fiasco of '18 and his twin brother's meltdown. And that's all you were to him."

"He was real pumped about pulling that off, too," Max said -- sounding oddly proud of 494's exploits. "Alec did a number on me all right. I led him straight to Logan. In his own way, he was an excellent undercover operative. Manticore trained him well."

"494 carried out his mission to the letter," Renfro said in a bemused tone of voice. "But of course he was then one of the Units on the outside when I destroyed the base, and unlike some of his more brainwashed brethren, he knew enough to run rather than turning himself over for execution. However, it's obvious the two of you crossed paths again, and what I don't understand is why you didn't then kill him for his past treachery. I certainly would have." She took a step closer to the plexiglass, speaking directly into the grate. "He betrayed you, 452. Badly. And now you're carrying his child? I can't believe you let him rape you. Explain."

Max Photo courtesy of Eyes Only

"That wasn't the only time Alec betrayed me, either," Max said quietly. "X5-494 was a cold blooded, opportunistic show-off ... a self-centered, egotistical scum bag if there ever was one. All he was concerned about was himself. But then that's how he survived Manticore, isn't it? How he kept his own soul intact in spite of years of torture and brainwashing -- having an unshakeable sense of self."

"494 does, indeed, have an exceptionally large quotient of self-admiration and self-preservation in his psychological make-up," Renfro admitted, reading more from the chart. "But we made him that way, and I see now, looking back, where we failed to realize that his simplification in '09 didn't quite 'do the trick' as they say. He retained far too much of the ability to think independently." Again, she looked to Max as if for answers. "All the more reason for me to wonder what on Earth you ever saw in him ... that led you to take him into your bed on the outside. Getting pregnant could have been a unique episode during your heat cycle when anything with a penis would suffice. But your pregnancy is almost three weeks along, and the semen samples we acquired during your examination are fresh. The analysis proves that both the baby's sire and your current lover are one-in-the-same: X5-494."

Max raised her chin a fraction and looked the woman straight in the eye. "I stayed with Alec because I fell in love with him," she said, defying the major to take that away from her. "And he fell in love with me, too. Underneath that smart-ass act of his is an extremely brave, loyal, caring and loving man. But I don't suppose the 'why' really matters," she added bitterly. "You want Alec for the same reason you want me -- to propagate living vaccine for this supposed plague of yours."

"You're correct," Renfro conceded with a sneer of her scarred lips. "Although, believe me, I am indeed touched by your soap opera of a life, 452. Someday perhaps you can entertain me with the story of how you apparently dumped the love of your life, Eyes Only, for your X5 boy toy. That must have been quite a scene. However -- all this talk of 'love' not withstanding -- with 494's sperm and your eggs we can insure vaccine for generations to come. Which is, I might add, a marvelously happy circumstance, something we hadn't dared dream."

"What are you going to do to him?" Max asked quietly. "To Alec."

Renfro shrugged her shoulders in the purple cloak. "Give him a thorough physical of course ... do a detailed DNA analysis to find out exactly what's in his genetics that allow them to fit so perfectly with yours."

"He'll fight you," Max said quietly.

"Not for long," the major promised. "After all, all we need is for his body to be kept alive, not that pesky charming personality and independent mind."

Max leaped to her feet, brown eyes flashing. "Please!" she said, her hands balling into fists at her side. "Don't hurt him! Don't ... take him away from me."

"Why 452," Renfro said, her voice amused. "Do I sense a deal of some kind to be made here?"

The imprisoned X5 took a deep shuddering breath. "Let Alec and me stay together. Leave him ... intact ... and we'll willingly make all the babies you want."

The major actually laughed out loud. "You'll break 494's neck just like you did his brother's, to save him." She turned and spoke to the guard in the shadowed doorway. "Tell the men to bring me X5-494."

"Yes, ma'am," a female voice replied.

*****

Alec Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

"X5-494!" a voice barked at the cell door. "Come with us."

Alec jumped awake, for a second confused, then looking desperately to his two friends. "Josh--" he pleaded in a strangled voice.

But the dog man was hiding his head in the corner, his big body shaking with emotion. "Alec ... no," he mumbled.

"Hang tough, man," Mole admonished, retreating to the corner -- the only thing he could do -- as a team of well-armed TAC guards entered and shoved Alec out of the cell at TASER point. Clinging to the bars, the lizard man watched with a sick feeling in his stomach as they took his friend away. "You're stronger than they are!" he shouted. "You hear me ass hole? You're stronger!"

Alec heard -- but the words meant nothing to him, not when facing a fate so much worse than death.

*****

They cuffed his hands behind him, and took him deep into the mountain, shoving him roughly along past the labs they'd already explored to one of the doors Lydecker had sworn led only to more storage areas. A code was punched in, and the panel slid back to reveal yet another long corridor with branching hallways. The air smelled fresh, and the place was well lit. The background hum of machinery spoke of a living facility, not a mothballed one like the base above.

For the tenth time, Alec berated himself for trusting Lydecker ... for being so gullible. It had been a trap all along, and he'd led his people right to slaughter.

He didn't see anyone as he was pushed down that linoleum tunnel -- other than the TAC soldiers who were his escort -- and he wondered about the personnel numbers. How many of the enemy were there? He'd counted at least two dozen X7s up above, and seen that many human soldiers as well. But down here there was an echoing that spoke of emptiness in spite of the obvious lived-in condition of the place.

They came to a door that looked just like all the others. Sergeant Jenco pressed a button and spoke into the intercom. "We found him, ma'am. X5-494."

The door slid open, and Alec was practically thrown into a laboratory area filled with glass cages. Regaining his balance, he looked up to see Eve, Gem's daughter, in one of the clear cubicles. It appeared the little girl was sleeping -- or, as was more likely, sedated -- curled up on the cold floor cradling her little cheek on her hands.

Taking in the rest of the room, he saw that the far wall opened out into some kind of a warehouse that housed a vast array of what looked like a magneto or other type of energy producing apparatus, its rhythmic beat the source of the dull thrum that had been assaulting his ear drums for the past five minutes. There was also a stainless steel surgical table, complete with restraints situated in front of a large upright glass tank full of green liquid and floating tubes -- a nightmare setup waiting for ... Whom?

"Alec?"

Alec's head spun around at his name -- and all of a sudden the fear that had been choking his throat vanished, replaced with a surge of relief so great it made his knees tremble.

"Max!" He took a step toward her clear-walled cell only to be halted by the prod of a TASER rifle against his back.

"One more move, 494," Jenco warned, "and we'll be finishing this with you unconscious."

Alec relaxed, showing he could be a good boy. If he was knocked out, he couldn't help Max. Besides, he wanted to know what the fuck was going on.

"Who are you people?" he asked. "What do you want with us?" He looked around the laboratory again. "Is this Stendahl's secret base?"

"No," someone spoke from behind him. "Davis is busy playing with a different set of toys. He doesn't even know we exist."

Alec Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

Once more, Alec's head whipped around. Standing in the doorway was a petite figure draped head to foot in a purple cape. The face was in shadow -- but he knew that voice.

"Renfro," Alec said softly, nodding as the pieces of the puzzle suddenly came together and he finally understood what this was all about. "Back from the dead."

"Alec, run!" Max called out to him, her hands plastered against the plexiglass of her cage. "Get out of here!"

A TASER rifle whined behind him, winding up its power, and Alec shook his head in a silent "no." They had him, just like they had her.

But at least they were both still alive.

"You want her DNA, don't you?" 494 said, cutting straight to the chase. "For the vaccine? You need it afterall?"

"You always were a sharp boy, 494," Renfro's voice replied from the cavern of the hood.

Alec's brows drew down. "But there is no plague," he said. "The comet was bogus. So why do you still want Max?"

"Not bogus," she said, sounding almost happy about the fact. "Just slow acting. The human race is doomed, 494. Within ten years ninety percent of the 'ordinaries' as you call them will be dead unless--" She tipped her head in Max's direction.

"The CDC has her blood sample," Alec argued. "They can manufacture the vaccine."

"No!" Renfro said, her tone for the first time growing harsh. "Only the living Unit can produce the antigen. 452 is, indeed, the world's Messiah."

Great. Religious rhetoric again, Alec thought. Why are all the major bad guys such loons?

"So that's why you need Max," he said carefully. "That doesn't explain why I'm here."

"You're here, 494, because you're her breeding partner."

Alec didn't understand.

"452 needs to propagate your species ... pass on the special DNA to future generations in order to keep the human race safe. And you've already proven that you're capable of siring offspring with her that contain Sandeman's miracle."

What Renfro was saying took a moment to sink in, then Alec's mouth dropped open in a silent "oh" -- and when he looked toward Max his eyes collided with hers -- and he saw that it was true.

She was pregnant with his child -- at last.

At a nod from his superior Jenco undid the handcuffs. "Take off your clothes," Renfro said.

Alec's back stiffened, even as he rubbed circulation back into his tingling wrists.

"I said strip!" she ordered, at the same time stepping forward and pulling back the hood.

The X5 gasped, the look of that ravaged face catching him by surprise. "The fire," he murmured. "You survived the bullet but were caught in the fire."

"My sacrifice for the cause," she said, one corner of her ruined lip twisting up in a smile. The major looked over at Max and added more softly. "My sacrifice for her. Now. Take ... off ... your ... clothes."

"Why?" he demanded.

"Because you're going to undergo a complete physical examination, including a spinal tap, and have samples taken. After that ..." Renfro shrugged. "Well, let's just say that after that we'll be taking certain steps to insure your tractability."

Alec just stared at her.

"We can do it the hard way if you want, 494." The TASER rifles whined again.

"Let me say goodbye to Max," Alec said.

Renfro looked from one X5 to the other, seemingly amused, and Alec held his breath.

"Granted," she said, nodding to the guards who stepped away from their prisoner allowing Alec a clear path to Max's cage. "But make it fast."

He held her eyes with his as he walked across the lab, wanting her to understand. As much as he loved her ... and wanted to live for her sake ... he couldn't allow this to happen to himself. It wasn't in his nature ... to give up without a fight. And chances were -- since this was Renfro, not Stendahl -- his death would be quite permanent.

He reached the plexiglass cube and placed a hand against the clear surface, matching Max's fingers on the other side. "I love you," he said, speaking through the grate.

"I love you, too," Max breathed from her side. She blinked away a tear. "And I'll find you again ... someday."

"We'll always end up together," Alec reassured her. "No matter what the lifetime." And he meant the words. Somehow, even though he didn't have a religious bone in his body, he was certain at that moment that there would, indeed, be something more for himself and Max even if it was in a world beyond this one. Spirits as strong as their didn't just cease to exist.

He turned to look at Renfro. "Can I hold her? One last time?"

"No," the woman said coldly. "It's over, 494." She nodded at her men.

"Yeah," Alec said with a resigned sigh. "I think it is."

Alec Artwork courtesy of Valjean & Jensen Ackles Museum

He sprang with the grace and strength of his kin -- a panther. With a sweeping blow, he knocked the Glock out of Jenco's hands followed by a right cross