The room had gradually been filling with people during the day. One by one, like rats deserting from a ship and just as cautious, they filtered in, making sure and doubly sure that they hadn�t been followed; that they had left their nightmares behind them.
The first to arrive and secure the location had been the one who had called them all, but he wouldn�t show himself until last; making sure they were all there before making his appearance, unwelcome as that might be. Instead he watched from surveillance cameras as they greeted in various states of elation, long lost friends who had arrived.
The room wasn�t posh or even very expensive, having been set up years ago and left to a state of blissful neglect, regular upkeep a thing of the past. The chairs and ratty sofa had been covered with dust sheets, the tables with clothes and the lights with gauze to keep away the untamed brightness that may have occurred should one of them be foolish enough to turn it on. There was a thick layer of dust covering the windows and anyone outside would just see another abandoned building, disused rooms and they�d ignore the shadows that passed in front of flickering candlelight, dismissing them as vagrants and squatters, maybe even drug dealers and would stay far away. But the room itself didn�t care. It had just waited for this day. The day when it would be needed for this rendezvous- the one they swore would never happen and yet here they were. Waiting.
�What the hell are we doing here?� A dark haired girl burst out �This is not tactically smart!� She stood tall and proud, her back almost as straight as the back of the chair she was grasping, clenching her fists in her frustration. Her dark eyes flashed and her black pony tail scraped back gave her beautiful face a severe look as she glared at everyone.
�Chill Jace.� A tall redhead said casually from one corner with a smirk. �I�m sure Zack has a good reason for the 911 call.�
Zack blinked at Jondy in apprehension. �I didn�t send the call out.�
�No that would have been me.�
Ben thought it was time to make his appearance and leaned on the doorway. It was amusing to watch them all leap to their feet and take up fighting stances. Eight soldiers, ready to kick ass, it would have been frightening if it hadn�t been so damn funny.
Ben surveyed his brothers and sisters with a grin. They were a lovely bunch, sadly depleted of course recently, what with Seth dying of natural causes�well natural for an X5 anyway; and Brin dying of Progeria as Zack rescued her from Manticore and Lydecker.
�What the hell do you think you�re doing Ben?� Zack asked in that condescending voice that had always annoyed him as a child and grated as an adult. �You know that that voice mail was for emergencies only and we were never, NEVER to all meet up, dammit it�s too much to risk, Lydecker catching us all at once.� He scanned the room as if expecting the creature of their nightmares to pop his head out of the futon and yell surprise. His blonde hair, the only unruly thing about the rigid X5, flopped into his face and he pushed it out of his eyes with a gesture that was one part irritation and two parts habit.
�Had some news, didn�t want to relay it a million times.� Ben shrugged, not caring about the ramifications- he knew that as soon as Zack heard him out anyway they�d be in the same boat.
�How�d you hack into my v-mail anyway?� Zack asked, almost grumpily and Ben smiled.
�Now I know you�re not the only one who excelled in diagnostics and repair, in fact I think I was remarkably better than you at hacking too. Wasn�t I?�
Ben delighted in teasing his stern big brother and felt satisfied as Zack bristled. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and rocked on his heels expecting a verbal fighting match to follow.
�Guys? Can we not?� Tinga said, her thick braided hair thudding against her back as she shook her head. �I have to be home this weekend, Case has his school play.�
�What part is he playing?� Zane asked interestedly. The broad man with dark blonde hair was built like a pro-football player but was surprisingly gentle and good natured, especially since his upbringing had been less than perfect. His blue eyes twinkled as he gazed at his sister curiously.
�A rabbit. It�s about some guy with a huge boat and a load of paired animals. It took me hours to make his costume- those damn ears. You�d think that Manticore would have included creative costuming in basic training, but nooo.� She huffed and sank back on the sofa, shuffling her feet under her and picking at the arm of the ragged seat in a move that would have got her son, Chase, a firm glare. �Anyway I�m not missing it.�
�Got a weekend pass from the bar.� Jondy threw her long leather clad legs over the sofa arm and lit up a cigarette much to the disapproval of health freak Ash, who kicked her leg and gestured to the cigarette. She grinned and flicked it out, shaking her long deep red tresses as she yawned, stretching her arms over her head in a lithe move that would have made a dancer proud.
Syl shrugged, her borrowed jacket, two sizes too big and billowing around her as she sat hunched in an oversized armchair. It almost swallowed the petite blonde making her look child-like. �I�m free all week, hit me up big brother.�
�All right, lend me a twenty,� Krit sassed. �I�m broke.�
�I meant info wise jackass,� Syl reached over and smacked his head.
�Who are you calling Jack ass?� Krit tickled her.
�As long as it�s not Jace-ass.�
Jace rolled her eyes at Tinga�s lame joke.
�Kids!� Zane laughed at them. �Look Ben, its great to see ya and all, but I haveta get back to the garage. My neighbour will only feed the mutt for, like, a day, okay so can we make this short and sweet?�
�I know you got better places to be.� Ben rolled his eyes at the way Zack�s fingers scraped though his blonde hair as he got more annoyed with Ben�s procrastination.
�I wouldn�t call New York better.� Krit said pulling a face.
�Well I would, better than Nowheresville, Texas.� Syl moaned.
�Oh well I�ll let you get back then,� Ben said with a shrug. �Just thought you�d want to know about your sister.�
He could sense that he had them all now, the way he did when they were kids listening to his stories.
�What?�
�Oh didn�t I say?� Ben smirked. �I found Max.�
You could have heard a pin drop�even without transgenic hearing.
�What?� Jace whispered.
�That�s not funny Ben,� Jondy swung off the sofa arm and planted both high heeled boots on the floor. �Max�s dead.�
�Really?� he raised an eyebrow. �Swears pretty good for a dead girl.�
At the subject of his sister, the dark haired Krit lost his joking tone. �What the hell are you talking about Ben? Jondy saw her go through the ice back in 09.�
�And ran,� Ben added, �She didn�t see her drown.�
�It was below freezing,� Jondy protested, �there was no way she could have survived.�
�And yet,� Ben sighed, �there she was bold as brass, clear as day.�
�You sure it was Maxie?� Zane asked, hope in his tone.
Ben turned to look at Zack who had frozen; his face set in stone. He waited for Zack to meet his eyes, knowing that Zack would need to meet his gaze to believe him.
�Positive.�
�How can that be?� Tinga wrung her hands. �Where has she been all this time?�
Ben reached up and scratched the back of his head. �Yeah about that. She got recaptured.�
There was a hiss of redrawn breath.
�C-captured?� Zack managed, his tone no longer that of their confident leader; but more like that of the boy he became every time they mentioned her name. They all knew of Zack�s love for their baby sibling and how it had changed over the years to a sort of reverence.
�Yeah,� Ben knew it was a blow. All this time they had lived in the world, unaware of the fact that their baby sister needed them.
�Oh god, how could we leave her there?� Syl sunk back into the sofa and Krit was suddenly there with his arms around her.
�Interesting little fact number one,� Ben continued, hoping to get this over with, �They have three bases.�
�We knew that.� Jondy growled, still reeling from the news. Her hand immediately went for her cigarette pack, much to the annoyance of Ash who got up and moved away as she lit up with a sigh.
�One is in Seattle,� Ben finished glaring reprovingly at her, �which is where Maxie is.�
�You sure?�
�I followed her home,� He shrugged. �Far as I could anyhow without being caught.�
�So she�s one of them,� Ash said disgusted, only to be silenced by Zack�s heavy glare.
�No she�s not.�
�How the hell did you find her?� Zane wanted to know and this is where Ben didn�t want to go.
He had been on his own, just like Zack had wanted. All the news that they had on each other had been what Zack had deigned to pass along. He knew about Tinga�s kid and her bakery job, he knew about Syl�s bad luck with men, he knew about Ash�s bid for his own gym- which Zack had turned down. But personal stuff they didn�t have clue about. He hadn�t made contact with any of his siblings and the last thing he wanted was for them to know about his little habits. He knew that they wouldn�t be as forgiving or understanding as Max had been.
�She found me, said Lydecker was on my tail and that I had to get out of dodge A.S.A.P,� he smiled. �She�s still our Maxie, they didn�t break her.�
There was a grin from several quarters as a relieved sigh went out. The thought that they might have to hurt their baby sister, who they still loved, didn�t sit well with any of them. Not even Ash, who was at heart the biggest pragmatist outside of Zack.
�Interesting fact number two, she wants out. Was going to come with me if not for extraneous circumstances.�
�Like what?� Zack wanted to know and Ben rolled his eyes again.
�Do shut up big brother. As I was saying, she wants out.�
�How did she find you?� Tinga asked curiously. �Why was Lydecker on your tail?�
Shit.
�Had some jail thing�look that�s not important,� he breezed, ignoring the suspicious looks. �She found me because of interesting fact number three,� He paused building up his audience in the way he did as children when they hung on his every word.
�Which is?� Ash fed him the line.
�Max�s Special Ops.�
�No way.�
�Max?�
�Maxie? Our Maxie? Special Ops?�
�Way to go!�
There was an explosion from everywhere, even stoic Zack had something to say.
�That�s my girl.�
�Our girl,� Ben corrected.
�So what do we do?� Syl pulled herself together starting to look more like the soldier that she had been. Her authoritative tone rang out loud and clear and spurred them into action. �I�m not leaving my baby sister in that place.�
�Me either. We have to get her out,� Tinga seconded, looking around at the determined faces of her family. �She�d do the same for us.�
�I�m in,� Jondy said decidedly.
�Me too,� Zane agreed.
�Agreed,� Ash said with a nod.
�Wouldn�t be a party without the piper,� Krit said.
They all stared at him.
�What?�
Krit rolled his eyes, �Crack a book sometime, sheesh.�
�So brother Zack you in?� Ben asked the serious blonde.
A smile slowly slid over Zack�s face.
�Wouldn�t miss it for the world.�