Brian Brunt looked over the fax and read the test results; they were almost perfect. The only problems that arose was the behavioural stats, they were well below normal in most spots and above normal. Off the charts and all over the place; loose cannons.

Sighing heavily, he set the test results aside and picked up another file. The shrink, freshly graduated from West Place, majored in psychiatry. Loves her dog, visits her parents regularly, an all American girl.

If she couldn’t teach them, nobody could.

-- -- -- -- --

The receptionist looked up as Johanna Gilbert approached the counter. Fresh out of University, she stuck out in this crowd and it was evident that she was a new employee.

“Johanna?” asked the woman, looking over the frames on her glasses. She pulled a thick file from her desk, looking down at her phone as it rang. “Mr. Brunt is waiting in his office. Tenth floor.”

Johanna nodded and took the file, looking around the bustling lobby with interest. People were moving around in a hurry, all of them not really doing anything as they did so.

“It’s just Jo. Would you happen to know why, Mr. Brunt, requested me?”

The woman looked up as she lifted the receiver.

“I don’t ask question, ma’am, I just take orders. Tenth floor.”

Jo stepped out of the elevator and found the Brunt’s office was the entire floor. It was massive and apparently he’d spent a lot of time there. The man was standing behind his desk, talking to someone on the phone as she came in. Her shoes clinking on the tile floor and drawing his attention as he turned around.

“I’ll call you back, Hades.” he said softly. He hung up and smiled widely. Brown hair swept to the side and brown eyes, he was just an ordinary man in an expensive suit. “Miss Gilbert, I’m glad to see you made it.”

Johanna raised an eyebrow as she sat.

“Well, I’m sure you didn’t request me right out of graduation to see my smiling face; as beautiful as it is.”

He nodded and grew serious as he sat.

“Quite right.” he frowned. “I’m not going to beat around the bush. We want you because after extensive mixing and matching, you’re the most compatible and you graduated top of your class.”

She nodded, that much was true.

“Compatible for what? I’m a psychiatrist, Mr. Brunt.”

He pointed to the file.

“Our lab has been testing genetic modification; we’re trying to make the perfect weapon to replace men as soldiers. The samples that have survived, all their information is in that file, are located in an out-of-state lab.”

She frowned.

“Isn’t that considered illegal? Genetic modification?”

He grimaced.

“We’re doing it for the government and we normally don’t use live specimens. These two are the only ones. They’re very special, but they have certain character traits that we need to get debugged before testing their actual skills.”

It was starting to make sense now.

“And that’s where I come in. You want me to move to an illegal lab, and shrink a bunch of…creatures?”

He cleared his throat and tapped his fingers nervously on the desktop.

“They aren’t, creatures.” he said seriously. “They are living breathing people.”

Jo frowned. Brian Brunt had been known world wide for his ground breaking research, and the price he was willing to pay for her services was worth it; she was even exempt from a practicum because of her placement with him.

Brushing a strand of dark brown hair, almost black, behind her ear, she looked at Brunt seriously.

“Trial period. If I don’t like what I see, I’m gone.”

He shook his head, full lips pursed into a disapproving frown.

“There is no trial period. Once you’re taken to the lab, you’re staying. I need a yes or no.”

Jo sighed heavily and nodded.

“All right, I’ll do what I can.”

He nodded and pulled a thick stack of files from the drawer beside him. Dropping them with a thud before her.

“These are their case histories. Everything from the day they opened their eyes, to now. Read them this weekend and review everything. I’ll pick you up personally on Monday. Take you to meet Artemis and Ares.”

Jo’s eyes came up as she picked up the folders.

“The God and Goddess of war?”

Brunt chuckled.

“It’s appropriate.”

-- -- -- -- --

Jo sat on her couch, staring at the thick files with trepidation. Her big yellow lab, Jake, stood on the opposite side of the coffee table wagging his tail excitedly.

“What do you figure, Jake?” she asked, looking up at him with hazel eyes. “Should we tackle that monstrous stack of files?” The dog barked at her loudly, doing a little dance where he stood. Jo sat up quickly. “All right, we’ll go for a walk first.”

The stack sat where it had been placed as she took Jake and headed outside.

She came back an hour later and glanced at the stack sitting on the coffee table, sighing heavily.

“Something to eat and then I’ll get right on that.” She passed by once again.

“Alright.” she declared firmly, sitting in front of the large stack. “I’m doing this now.” she pulled a tape recorder from her pocket and checked her tape to make notes. Hitting record she tested it. Rewinding and playing it back, she heard her voice and grinned widely as she hit record again. “I’d do anything for love! But I won’t do that!” she sang, laughing as Jake tilted his head sideways at her. She rewound and played it back, giggling. “I sound so very sexy, don’t I Jakey?”

With a heavy sigh, she flipped open the first folder and started reading.

“First Ares.” she started, getting serious. “Male, six and a half feet tall, black hair and green eyes. Why that’s important for me, I don’t know, but moving on. Flounders in certain social situations.” she paused and kept reading, shutting her tape recorder off. “What kind of social situations?” she muttered, seeing it wasn’t marked.

She read the stack, front to back and found that nothing about their behaviour was actually marked. All that was noted were things like sporadic interaction dysfunction and erratic behaviour. With a heavy sigh, she shut the folders and looked at Jake, turning the microphone on.

“Memo to self: Do not allow scientists to study behaviour because they suck at it.” shutting the recorder off and sticking it back in her bag, she looked at Jake seriously. “Looks like I’m going in blind.”

-- -- -- -- --

Brunt was punctual and on Monday morning, Jo’s doorbell rang at exactly eight o’clock. Jake started barking and jumping up at the door as she clipped his leash on and grabbed her bags.

“All right, all right.” she sighed, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face. “I know that someone’s at the door.”

She opened it and Brunt stood on the front steps, looking handsome and nothing like the man she’d met before the weekend. Wearing a sweater, jeans, and his hair rumpled like he hadn’t brushed it, he grinned widely at her.

“Are you ready to go?”

Jo nodded.

“Yes, I just have to drop Jake off at my parents house before we leave the city. I don’t want to put him in a kennel.”

Brunt frowned slightly.

“Nonsense, you’re bringing him with you. There’s plenty of room at the lab for him to run around and my German Shepard, Mandy, loves other dogs. They’ll get along splendidly.”

Jo was ecstatic.

“Great! I’m sure Jake’ll love that too. Thank you, Mr. Brunt.”

“Please, call me Brian. There’s no need for such formality outside the office.” he said lightly, helping her with her bags as they moved to the car. Jo paused as she looked over the massive black humvee.

Raising an eyebrow at him, she gave him a serious look.

“Over compensating for something? Think you could’ve gotten a bigger vehicle?”

He blushed slightly, thinking she was serious.

“I didn’t really get to pick it. It was given to me by the department.”

She promptly burst into a smile.

“You need to loosen up a little, Brian. I was teasing you.”

They began driving through the city, Jake with his head hanging out the window, and Brian asked her if she reviewed the files.

“I looked them over, but I’m afraid they won’t help me much.” she said seriously. “I need to know what they’re doing, besides just sporadic dysfunction and erratic behaviour.”

He grimaced as he pulled onto the freeway.

“I know they’re vague, but my people were having difficulty putting a handle on just exactly what it is that’s wrong. It’s not something obvious like screaming fits, or banging their heads against the walls. It’s something subtle.”

Jo nodded but groaned inwardly; this was going to be rough.

After four hours of driving, they pulled up to cast iron fence in the middle of nowhere. There was a guard booth at the gate and men patrolling with high powered rifles around it. Jo frowned as she looked at the massive property.

“I’m beginning to think you feel inadequate.” she said seriously. “It everything you do is as large as this.”

Brian blushed.

“Safety precautions.” He turned to the guard at the booth and took a tag, handing it to Jo. “This is your security pass and swipe card. There’ll be someone who can take you into town whenever you like, and a car will always be ready in case I’m not here.”

She clipped the tag to her blazer.

“Is it like this monstrosity?”

He blush darkened as they pulled through the gate.

“A Ford Taurus, I believe.”

-- -- -- -- --

The lab, didn’t look like a lab. It was a large Victorian house, probably built over fifty years ago. The grounds similar to a plantation.

“Yet another surprise.” she said lightly. “I believe you like to shake people up, Mr. Brunt.”

He chuckled.

“That’s the living quarters. The lab itself was built underneath. Their security cells are down there, as well as exercise pens and such.”

Jo raised an eyebrow as he pulled to a stop.

“Pens? Did you know that once an animal is kept in a zoo for so long, they also start to develop behavioural problems? How long have you had these two in close confines?”

“Since the day they were born.” He undid his seat belt. “I’ll let you get unpacked and then we’ll pull them in one at a time for interrogation. You can watch through the viewing glass to see analyze what you think.”

Jo nodded and let Jake out of the truck. A black German Shepard came bounding out of the house and they sniffed each other for a moment before taking off.

“Jake! Come back!” called Jo, watching as he disappeared.

Brian grabbed some of her bags.

“Don’t worry, the entire property is fenced off and there’s nothing he can get into. We’ll set the analysis for ten minutes, is that going to be alright?”

Jo nodded, but she wasn’t really listening.

Brian took her downstairs, to the basement, where the lab was located. Going through several security passes, he led her into a little room with one way mirror. Every person she’d seen so far was dressed in a lab coat, and it was bringing some curious conclusions. Glad she’d decided to change into something more comfortable; a simple sweater and jeans.

He hit a button on the wall and the black glass became transparent, exposing a incredibly handsome man sitting across from yet another scientist in a lab coat. He was staring blankly, a dull sheen in his magnificent green eyes, as the scientist began to speak.

“How has your day been Ares?” he asked softly, pencil moving over the paper. There was no answer. “Ares, I’m speaking to you. How was your day?” Still no answer. He sighed heavily and sat a little straighter. “Ares, it’s very rude not to answer when someone speaks to you.”

Jo frowned.

“Why are they treating him like a child?” she asked seriously. “He’s not a child, you’re talking to him in a condescending tone, no wonder he’s pissed and refuses to speak. Talk to him like he’s an equal.”

Brian made a mental note and watched as the scientist pulled out a rubics cube. He held it out to Ares, setting it on the table.

“Can you solve that?” he asked softly.

Ares lifted the cube without speaking and his fingers flew around it, turning the puzzle until all the colors where lined up; it must have taken thirty seconds.

Jo’s eyebrows went up in surprise.

“He’s brilliant.”

Brian nodded.

“Very. Artemis is nowhere near as smart as Ares. But watch this.”

Her eyes went back to the glass and she watched as the scientist pulled out a small toy, something that a child would normally master with great pride. All that was required was to place the shapes in the correct cut outs.

“Can you solve this puzzle for me, Ares?”

She watched as his eyes started to darken until they were black. They held no pupils, just a never-ending darkness that glittered with anger. He grudgingly took the puzzle and began working on it slowly. It took him almost two minutes to complete.

Jo frowned.

“They say that Albert Einstein failed school miserably until he was in grade six, when the work actually began to challenge him. Ares could very well be the same way, but I’ll see. He’s not showing any outward signs of aggression, which means he’s not dangerous. It just means that he’s annoyed.”

Brian nodded and hit the button to darken the screen before speaking into a microphone.

“Thank you, Ares. Bring in the next one.”

He waited a moment or two before hitting the button again. Jo jumped away from the glass in surprise as when the screen lit up, Ares was standing within inches of it and seeming to stare right at her.

“My God.” she puffed, putting a hand to her chest.

Brian frowned and spoke into the microphone again.

“Good bye, Ares. I’ll see you in a minute.”

The man turned slowly and walked away as the scientist came in the back room, looking flustered.

“I hate interviewing this one.” he muttered. “She’s clearly insane.”

Jo raised an eyebrow at him.

“How about you let me decide that.”

They had to drag Artemis into the interrogation room and chain her down. Long blond hair flying about wildly as she tried to kick, bite, scratch, or maim anything that came close enough. Jo looked at Brian.

“This could’ve been marked.” she stated flatly. “Violent temper, prone to violence, anything like that would’ve nice to know.”

Brian shrugged.

“She’s like that now, but watch.”

A woman scientist walked into the room as the guards left and she calmed immediately.

“Good morning, Artemis.” she said cheerfully, sitting at the table. “How has your day been so far?”

“Come over here and untie me and I’ll show you how good yours will be.”

Jo sighed.

“Threats of impending doom. What a prize.”

The scientist chuckled.

“Artemis, you know you love me and couldn’t stand to part with me. So threatening my very existence is just a waste of perfectly good breath. Now, why don’t you explain to me why you keep trying to kill the guards?”

Jo spun on Brian.

“She tries to kill the guards? That could’ve been marked! I’m starting to think that you’re a liar, Mr. Brunt.”

He frowned at her.

“I’m not a liar. She’s just started trying to kill the male guards when they move her. She tolerates the female ones, but the male ones she despises.”

“Has she had any contact with Ares? Do they do things together? Do they interact?”

Brian shook his head.

“They’ve been separated their whole lives. To put them together would be dangerous.”

Jo turned from the viewing glass.

“Start tomorrow. I don’t care if you have to chain them both, but they’re to start spending at least one hour a day with each other. I don’t care if they try to kill each other. I somehow doubt that Artemis could hurt Ares, so he’s safe.” She headed for the door and Brian hit the button to chase her.

“Where are you going?”

She looked from room to room as she walked.

“I’m going to talk to Ares right now. I’ll work on him first and then when I’m done with him I’ll start on Artemis. You want people that can blend into society, and believe me when I say that this could be a lot of work. You screwed that all up by keeping them in here, running tests, and treating them like some sort of zoo creature. If you’d raised them as normal kids, you wouldn’t need me right now.”

She found the door way and pulled her tag off, handing it to Brian after swiping it through the door.

“Stay here and don’t question what I do.”

Brian nodded slowly and stepped back as the door opened and she disappeared inside.

Jo stepped into Ares’s room and looked around slowly. The plain white walls screamed sterile laboratory, it was no wonder that he was cold and distant.

“Holy shit.” she said loudly, drawing his gaze to her from a seat in the corner. “How the hell do you stay sane? I’d got nuts, I know I would.”

He tilted his head to the side slightly, like Jake would but still didn’t speak.

She ignored him and wandered over to his bed, testing it with a hand before sitting on it.

Brian ran down the hall to the surveillance room and watched her through the video screens.

Jo looked around slowly, almost pretending he wasn’t there.

“So, what’s your favourite color?” she asked, finally looking at him. “Personally, I’m a purple person, but not very many men like that color.”

He frowned slightly, the first sign of something besides a blank stare.

“Red.” he finally answered, his voice a deep rumble.

“Red’s a good color. Bright and bold.” nodded Jo. She extended a hand towards him. “Name’s Johanna, but you can call me Jo.”

He stared at her hand blankly and she stood, moving towards him slowly. Grasping his, she shook it firmly.

“Ares, it’s nice to meet you.” She turned away and headed to a stainless steel bookshelf, looking over it carefully. The titles that stared back at her were all classics, most of them about war. She shook her head; they were brainwashing him and then expected him to act normal? That wouldn’t work.

“You read all these?” she asked, pointing to them. “I’m a reader myself, I’ve read a couple of the ones you got up here.” she took one down and flipped through it before sliding it back into place. “I’m more of a romantic myself, but then I’m a chick so what did you really expect right?”

He stood and she turned around. The realization of the strength in his body, even through the medical scrubs he was wearing, finally dawned on her; he could snap her neck in a matter of seconds.

“Don’t.” he said softly, stepping past her to the shelf. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

She frowned slightly.

“Now, why would I think that you’re going to hurt me?”

“Because I’m in here? Because there are armed guards everywhere. Because that’s what they’ve told you.”

Jo crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a flat look.

“I guess if I believed everything I was told, it would make me a fool, huh?”

He didn’t say anything as he adjusted the book slightly, putting it in the exact same spot it had been in before. Eccentric came to Jo’s mind, but then this whole place was like that. He’d spent so much time in it that his environment had rubbed off on him.

“Why are you here?” he asked seriously. “You’re not a scientist.”

She grinned.

“I’m a doctor. A shrink to be precise. I’m in here to see what makes you tick.”

“I’m not a clock, I don’t tick.”

She chuckled.

“Figure of speech really. Now, this is the deal; I can teach you things, how to behave, how to act around others, but what I want to know is if you’re going to listen or fight me at every turn. Because if you are, I’ll just turn around and walk away right now.”

He looked at her, his eyes still holding the flat sheen she’d seen earlier in the interrogation room. Either he was suffering from deep sadness, or he possessed no soul; she liked to believe the first one. The first one, she could fix.

“I will try.” he said finally.

She grinned.

“All right, first order of business!” she turned and looked around the stately room. “It’s way too stuffy in here. What do you like?”

He frowned.

“Like?”

“Yeah, like. Do you listen to music? Watch TV? What grabs your fancy?”

“I don’t.”

She rolled her eyes; they’d even banished him from the little pleasures of life.

“All right, never mind then, we’ll work on that.” she frowned. “Can I take your books?”

“No. They’re all I have.”

“I’ll bring you new ones. You must’ve read these ones at least a hundred times.”

He frowned and she could see that he didn’t trust her to do as she said. Putting a hand on his, he tensed; not used to physical contact either.

“Ares, I promise you that I’ll do whatever I can but let me take your books now and I swear to God that I’ll bring you new ones as soon as I can. Tonight, or tomorrow at the latest.”

He nodded slowly.

“All right.”

She grinned.

“Sweet. I haven’t read some of these in a long time, it’ll be like a book swap!”

He frowned at her but didn’t say anything.

“I’m going to bring you to the interrogation room tomorrow.” she said seriously. “But it’s not going to be like before. I’m going to ask you stupid questions, or speak to you like you’re seven, and I’m not going to ask you to do stupid little puzzles. I’m going to do all the talking and you don’t need to speak unless you really want to. Is that okay?”

He nodded and she picked up an armload of his books.

“Do you want to help me with these? Just grab the rest of them and follow me.”

He did as she told and Jo led him to the door. It opened and she went to the hall where Brian was waiting with a cart to put the books on.

“Ares.” he said, nodding to him.

Ares’s eyes turned black instantly.

“Brian.”

Jo looked from one to the other, the hostility radiating from Ares.

“Thank you, Ares. I’ll get the new books as soon as I can.”

He turned and headed back to his room. When the door shut, Jo looked at Brian seriously.

“Why does he hate you so much?”

Brian shrugged.

“I don’t know, honestly. He’s always been like that.”

“I’m going into town. I’ve got to pick some things up for him.”

Brian chuckled and began wheeling the cart away.

“I’d already guessed that.”

-- -- -- -- --

Jo lugged the can of paint downstairs and through the lab, earning several strange glances from the scientists that were milling around. She’d set several items on the cart and was now waiting for Ares to be freed up from his interaction time with Artemis. Setting the can on the cart and dusting her hands, she went in search of the exercise room.

Artemis was sitting in the chair, her body tense as she glared at Ares. The chess board between them untouched as he returned her glare. Not bad for a first encounter, but not really progressive either.

Jo pushed her way past the guards.

“Everybody out.” she declared, waving them towards the door. “Do you know how hard it is to think while you’re all milling around here and staring?”

Ares watched as the guards all left but still didn’t turn his head from Artemis. He knew she was waiting for a moment to pounce at him. Jo came up with an extra chair and sat at the end of the little square table, looking down at the chess game. Artemis was white and Ares was black.

“White moves first.” she said lightly, looking at Artemis. “You have to move the pawns first to free up your other players. They can only move forward and one square at a time. The little castles, here, they can only move in straight lines. Bishops, these pointy guys, they move in diagonals. Horses, or Knights, move in ‘L’ shapes, and the Queen can move anywhere she damn well pleases because she’s the Queen.”

Artemis stared at her blankly, blue eyes cold as steel. Slowly, she reached out a hand and moved one of the pawns forward a square.

“Excellent move!” cried Jo, clapping her hands slightly. “Your turn Ares.”

Ares reached out without hesitation and moved a pawn.

Jo leant back in her chair as Artemis’s eyes went to the board.

“You know, chess is a lot like war. It’s a game of thinking and strategy; the one with the coolest head wins the game.”

She sat back and watched silently as they both got into the game, the concentration was incredible, but when push came to shove; Ares won.

Artemis jumped up and slapped the board aside angrily, sending chess pieces scattering all over the floor. Ares didn’t move as he stared up at her blankly.

“Sit down.” he stated gruffly. “It’s just a stupid game.”

“Game?” she asked viciously. “You think this is a game?”

Jo stood slowly.

“He’s right, Artemis. This is just a game. The men are plastic and the field of battle a chequered board. Who wins isn’t important. What’s important is realizing that not everything is a life and death situation. Sometimes the loser is nothing more than just the loser.”

Artemis turned to Jo and went for her but Ares knocked her aside like lightening and sent her to the floor.

“What are you doing?” he demanded roughly. “She didn’t make you loose this game, you lost this game when you failed to recognize a trap. You’ve nobody to blame but yourself, perhaps next time you won’t be so stupid.”

The guards chose that moment to walk in and escort Artemis back to her room. She was shooting daggers at Jo with her eyes, but went willingly. Jo turned and looked at Ares seriously.

“Thank you, Ares. I’m a lover, not a fighter and she’d have kicked my ass.”

He looked at the door seriously.

“She’s a strange, girl?”

Jo sighed.

“Woman, right sex wrong time denomination but very close. I have some things for us to do now, including your new books. Interested? Or are you going to make me do it all myself?”

He nodded and followed her to his room, which had been emptied because of her instructions that it was to be done. She wheeled the cart in and saw his tense, but still blank, expression.

“Don’t worry.” she chuckled. “You’ll get your stuff back, we’re just going to liven the place up a little first.”

He look confused as she popped the lid off the can of paint and handed him a stir stick.

“Stir this gently, while I put some appropriate music on.”

He took the stick and moved it through the paint slowly, staring at the creamy red color that looked up at him. Music filled the room next and Jo began to dance around as she picked up a brush.

“Grab a brush!” she declared, dipping it into the red and slapping it on the wall. “Do as the Romans do and follow me!”

Ares stood for a moment, simply staring at her as she danced around and smeared red all over one wall. Hesitantly, he picked up the brush and began to paint. He wasn’t watching her and when she spun, she slapped him across the chest with her brush.

Jo’s eyes widened at the wide streak for red across his chest and couldn’t help but start laughing uncontrollably. She didn’t notice the black his eyes took on until the paint brush fell and left a puddle of red on the floor where it fell. Sobering quickly, she watched as his hands went to the scrub shirt and touched the red gently, almost terrified.

“Ares.” she said softly, taking a step forward. He stepped back in retreat. The blackness in his eyes wasn’t anger, it was fear. She took another step forward. “Ares, listen to me.” He still didn’t look up so she set the brush down and put her hands on the sides of his face, so he was forced to look at her. “Ares, it’s just paint.”

“Blood.”

“Paint, Ares.” she stated firmly. “It’s not blood, it’s paint. The same paint that we’re covering your wall with.”

He finally looked at her and she saw his confusion.

“Paint?”

She nodded; my God, what had they done to him in this place?

“Paint. Now calm down, pick up your brush and lets move on. I’ll even let you get some paint on me if it’ll make you feel better.”

His eyes returned to normal and he picked up the brush carefully, not wanting to get any paint on his hands. Jo frowned at him.

“Ares, paint my shirt.”

He stared at her for a moment.

“What?”

“Paint my shirt. Take your brush and paint my shirt.”

He took the brush and touched her timidly with it.

“See?” she said, grinning. “It’s all good, now come on. We’ve lots of wall to cover and the excitement doesn’t stop there. I’ve got all kinds of goodies in store for you this evening.”

He smirked slightly and dipped his brush again. By the time they’d finished the wall, he’d come to like the music that Jo had played and he was covered in paint but didn’t care. Jo was proud of herself, things were starting to look up with Ares; Artemis on the other hand, was going to be a handful.

-- -- -- -- --

Ares was growing by leaps and bounds. She started watching movies with him, having turned the interrogation room into a recreation room instead. Explaining the things that we took for granted was sometimes difficult. There was really no reason to do it, other than it was considered polite.

She’d brought him actual clothes that he could wear, instead of the scrubs they’d been giving him, and he now had a little stereo in his room to listen to music. He still maintained the strict physical schedule they kept him on, but he wasn’t the same; he’d become a different person.

“Aw, isn’t it romantic?” chuckled Jo, watching as the heroine kissed the hero passionately. “L’amour.”

He leant forward, eyes fixated on the TV screen.

“What is that?”

She frowned.

“What?”

“That. What they’re doing, what is it?”

“A kiss?”

He looked at her quizzically.

“What’s a kiss?”

Her mouth fell open in surprise.

“It’s a show of physical attraction and love.” she explained. “When you love someone, you kiss them. When you’re attracted to someone, you kiss them. Do I have to explain the birds and bees to you too?” She could tell by his blank expression that he didn’t understand. Sighing heavily, she stood up and turned the TV off. “I’m gonna need some flash cards.”

“I don’t think I’m capable of understanding.”

She frowned at him.

“Ares, you’re walking through the compound and you see an injured bird, lying on the ground. What do you do?”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s leg is falling off.”

He frowned.

“Can birds live with one leg? Do they need to have two to survive?” She nodded in answer. “Leave it alone.”

A small showing of compassion. He wasn’t going to nurse the bird back to health, but he wasn’t going to kill it either.

“Then you’re completely capable of understanding what I mean.” she declared. “You’re not made out of stone, Ares, as much as the other twerps in here would like you to believe. You’re quite capable of love, compassion, and caring.”

“That, means a lot to me.” he said softly.

Jo grinned.

“Your welcome, Ares. Now, I have a date with Artemis so you better be going. I have a wonderful surprise for you tomorrow.”

He nodded and left as Artemis came in.

“Afternoon, Artemis.” sighed Jo, preparing herself for the mental battle that was about to begin. This girl was trying.

“Doctor.”

Jo rolled her eyes. Artemis thought that by calling her, Doctor, that it was somehow insulting her.

“Are you looking forward to today’s fun-filled session of madness?”

“No.”

“Well, don’t hurt my feelings or anything.”

-- -- -- -- --

Ares sat across from Artemis, trying to ignore her as he looked down at the checker board. It was his move and he wasn’t sure which plan of attack to take; to sacrifice one for others or play it safe.

“Aren’t you a fine dog.” sneered Artemis, leaning back in her chair. “Worried about the fate of a stupid piece of plastic.”

Ares looked up and raised an eyebrow.

“What does it matter to you? Either way, you’re going to loose. Just like every time before it.” He reached out a slid a checker out, sacrificing it. “Your move.”

She took the bait and went after the checker, taking it off the board.

“And just what makes you so sure? The doctor isn’t here, patting your hand and telling you what a good boy you are. I’m surprised you can think clearly when she’s not around.”

Ares sighed and cleared her checkers off the board with one move, ending the game.

“I win. Did you ever stop to think that she actually cares what happens to us? Perhaps you might be willing to be destroyed but I’m not.”

“She doesn’t care.” spat Artemis angrily as she swiped the board and sent it falling to the floor. Ares looked at her tiredly. Where they came from might have given them a bond, but where they were going were two totally different paths and he wasn’t stupid enough to see that. “She’s only here because they sent her. She’s getting paid to turn you into a slave.”

“Actually, she’s teaching me to think outside the box.” stated Ares flatly as he stood to leave. “What do you think about every day? Probably not a hell of a lot.”

Artemis leant forward so her face was inches from Ares’s.

“I think about wrapping my hands around her throat and squeezing the life from her. That’s what I think about.”

Ares couldn’t help his reaction. With lightening speed, he put a hand around her throat and drove her into the wall, cracking it with the force of the hit. She began to choke slightly against the pressure he was applying as his black eyes glared down at her.

“Touch her, and I’ll pop your head from your body like the bloom of a flower.”

“Ares.”

He turned and saw Jo standing there, looking stricken.

“What are you doing?”

He released Artemis and stepped away. She barked at him like a dog and his temper flared again, but he choked it down.

“Nothing.”

Jo looked between the two and stepped to the side.

“Artemis, Brian is waiting for you.”

She walked from the room and Jo sat in one of the chairs, looking up at Ares seriously.

“What was that all about? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I’ll just look at the security tapes, but I’d rather hear it from you.”

He combed a hand over his hair in irritation, something he’d picked up from a movie he watched almost every day.

“She threatened to kill you.”

To his surprise, Jo laughed loudly and grinned at him.

“Why, Ares. I do believe you felt your first burst of protective instinct and I’m flattered it was me.”

He frowned at her.

“Is it true that Brunt pays you to come here?”

“He pays me, yes. But I wouldn’t stay if I didn’t like you Ares. You’re a good guy, if not a little warped at times, but we’ll get that all straightened out.” she waited until he nodded in acceptance and she looked over his clothes. A tight t-shirt, jeans, and vest, he had dressed up today.

“You’re looking pretty smart. What’s the occasion?”

He frowned once more.

“You said you had a surprise.”

She feigned shock.

“When did I say that?”

“Yesterday!” he cried, looking annoyed that she had the nerve to forget. “You told me yesterday that you had a surprise for me today!”

She laughed and stood.

“I know, I was teasing you.” She noticed the faint blush that came to his cheeks, something he didn’t do before. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of teasing. Come on, I’ll take you where we need to go.”

Jo threw open the doors of the house, exposing the sunshine and the large yard as Jake and Mandy came running up. Ares took a shocked step back as the dogs mauled him, green eyes wide as he stared openly.

“Welcome to the world, Ares.” grinned Jo, looking thrilled. “You’ve been given a gold star and are now allowed to come and go on the grounds as you please.”

“I can go, out there?”

She nodded and started forward.

“Yep, I’ll give you a grand tour. Come on.”

She showed him the paths, all the guards staring openly and following closely. Ares noticed them as well, bringing a frown to his face.

“Why are they following me?”

Jo sighed.

“One of the rules. Armed escort at all times, it was the only thing that I couldn’t talk Brian out of.”

Ares froze suddenly.

“He told you take me out?”

Jo frowned at his surprise.

“Yes. I said it would be good to start slowly introducing you to the world and he agreed. He’s also say that he’d talk to Artemis and find out why she’s so against me trying to help her.”

She caught the flicker of suspicion cross his face, but he kept walking; obviously pushing whatever it was to the back of his mind.

Brian looked at Artemis as she came in. His eyes swallowed her like candy, she was the perfect woman. Long legs, ample breasts, beautiful eyes, and a mouth that could suck the brass of a doorknob.

“Ares is gone.” she said softly, coming up and beginning to undo the buttons on his shirt as the door shut behind her. “Walking with that doctor.”

He swallowed heavily as her hands splayed over his chest.

“I told the doctor he could go.”

She placed a wet kiss on his chest and started undoing his belt.

“That doctor is bad for him. Can’t you see what she’s turning him into? He won’t listen to you anymore, he’ll think for himself. Is that what you want?”

His belt was jerked roughly from around his waist.

“It’s only for a short time. The doctor will be gone before long.”

She stood abruptly, abandoning her pursuit.

“I want her gone now!” she said, eyes turning black. “She’s served her purpose!”

Brian grabbed her roughly, eyes turning black as he forced her down to the bed.

“Listen, bitch.” he snarled, running his tongue down the side of her face. “Tonight, I’ll get rid of her tonight.”

She let out a cry of surprise and flipped them over, grabbing a handful of his hair and jerking his neck back.

“I want to do it.”

He nodded quickly and she kissed him hotly.

“Tonight, I’ll gather the others and they’ll come. We’ll get rid of the doctor, and Ares if he won’t join us, then we’ll go into the world.”

-- -- -- -- --

Ares glanced at the clock and knew it was dark outside. Down in his room, he felt the dread build in his stomach like something wasn’t right. His instincts were sharp, sharper than any before him, and he knew he had to act. Getting up silently, he left and started down the hall.

He froze next to the interrogation room when he heard voices. Brian’s and Artemis’s.

“First, we’ll secure Ares.” said Brian softly. “He’s our only threat. Once he’s secured, we’ll move upstairs and take out the doctor and any of the guards that still remain.”

Ares frowned darkly. He had to get to Jo before they did. Glancing down at the door, he grabbed it and swung it shut. Surprising the others inside, he grabbed the doorframe and pulled until it bent, slowing the progress of getting it open.

Brian appeared in the doorway, eyes black with anger.

“Don’t do this, Ares!” he shouted. “They asked for this when they created us!”

Ares shook his head.

“No. You decided that they asked for this and I won’t let you do it.”

Artemis pushed Brian aside.

“What are you going to do?” she demanded shrilly. “This door won’t hold us forever and we’ll be out before you even get to the doctor! Admit it Ares! She’s turned you soft!”

He left and ran down the hall before they had a chance to break the door open.

Jo was sound asleep with Jake when she felt the dog sit up and his tail start to wag. Opening her eyes, she almost screamed when she found Ares standing over top of her. He covered her mouth quickly to silence her.

“Don’t scream, I’m not going to hurt you but we have to go now.”

He removed his hand and Jo sat up.

“Ares, what are you doing? This is crazy, Brain…”

“Isn’t Brian.” growled Ares, moving to the doorway and looking into the hall. “Get dressed, hurry.”

Jo stayed where she was for a minute, trying to absorb what he’d just said.

“Ares, you need to explain. How come Brian isn’t Brian?”

He turned.

“Because I killed the real Brian Brunt a long time ago. The one you met is like me and Artemis. They’re coming up here to kill you and if we don’t hurry they very well could.”

Jo weighed her options. Go with a self proclaimed killer or wait to see if what he said was true and die for sure. Her decision was made quickly. Jumping to her feet, she pulled on her pants and grabbed a jacket.

“What are we going to do?”

He shrugged as a voice rang down the hall of the quiet house.

“Ares! We’re coming! Are you ready for us?”

Jo would recognize that voice anywhere, it was Artemis.

“How many are there?”

“Ten. Get over by the window.”

She did as she was told but Jake ran from the room and down the hall.

“Jake!” she whispered furiously. “Jake, come back here!”

“Don’t worry.” suddenly Ares was right beside her and wrapping his arms around her tightly. “Hold on to me.”

She barely had time to respond as they fell backwards and the sound of glass shattering filled her ears.

They free fell for five seconds before landing on the ground with a soft thud. He released her and started towards the Humvee. He opened the door to the backseat as the two dogs appeared and leapt inside.

“Get in.” he growled, moving to the passengers seat. “You have to drive.”

“Because you don’t know how?” demanded Jo, climbing in and starting the car. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. You better be telling me the truth or I’m going to recommend destruction if we come back, you know that right?”

Ares looked at her seriously.

“I’ll show you the truth.”

He directed Jo down an abandoned road and at the end was nothing but a small shack. Pointing her towards the bushes, where he wanted her to park the car, he got out and lead her towards it.

Inside was nothing but stairs leading down, and he took them without hesitating. At the bottom, he hit a switch and fluorescent lights buzzed to life. It was the exact same lab as the one Jo had seen in Brian’s house. This one, had dark stains over the tile floor; dried blood.

“My God.” she whispered, moving forward. “You were telling the truth?”

He nodded.

“There were eleven of us made. Copies of the scientists and Brian. They modified most of the DNA so the only thing that really remained the same was the building block. Brian, was leading the research and his clone, Brian, was made to fit him exactly. But something went wrong and they staged a revolt.

We broke out and I was new, I didn’t know what Brian told me to do was wrong; I just did it. When it ended, we moved up to the house and Brian took his creator’s place. The real Brian had already called you in, so he had no choice but to meet you and bring you here. It was a joke, until I started to take you seriously. I’m smart, smarter than any of them, and it didn’t take me long to realize the seriousness of what had happened or what can still happen if something isn’t done to stop it.”

Jo looked at him seriously.

“That’s why you were angry with Brian in the hall that morning, and why you’ve never enjoyed spending time with Artemis. You knew it was coming.”

He nodded.

“I knew that eventually, they’d kill you and move on. I refuse to let that happen and by doing that, they’ll hunt me down as well.” His expression didn’t change, but the color of his eyes did. They darkened incredibly, as if encompassed with sadness. “I don’t want to be what they made me to be.” There was a thud on the stairway and the sound of running footsteps. He frowned darkly. “But it appears that perhaps I have no choice.”

Taking Jo by the hand, he drug her to the back of the laboratory and through a back door. The footsteps were getting louder behind them and Artemis’s laughter sent chills down Jo’s spine as they ran.

Coming through, Ares blocked the door and hit the light; the room was full of weapons.

“Wow.” whispered Jo, looking at the assortment lining the walls. “I haven’t seen anything like this since I went to the War Museum.”

Ares turned as Artemis started trying to break through the door, picking up anything he could carry and loading it.

“Does that mean you can shoot a gun?”

She nodded; not well, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Then grab something to protect you in case this goes poorly.”

She frowned.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

The door slid slightly and he looked up at the air shaft. Jumping up and grabbing the grate, he jerked it off and tossed it aside. Pressing a gun into the palm of her hand, his hands went to her waist and lifted her into the shaft. There was a ladder the entire way up.

“I opened the vent several days ago.” he said seriously as she crawled inside. Get back to the humvee and if I’m not there, leave without me.

“Ares, just come-”

“No, I’ll be right behind you.” He picked up the grate and leapt back into the air, jamming it into place and sealing off any argument she might have had. Taking a step, his eyes turned black as he hit the fuse panel and the bunker went dark.

Artemis took a small step back as her vision left. Damn, Ares. He knew that he was the only one who had the vision to see in the dark and he was using it. Taking a quick step back, she heard the door open and dove to the left, where she knew there was cover from the hall. The others had come prepared and had night vision to use against him. But that didn’t help her.

Hiding like a rodent, she waited until his footsteps went past and then stepped behind him and down the hall to fix the lights.

Ares watched as the three in front stepped from cover and started firing. He ducked away and his gun barked loudly, shooting bursts of light into the darkened hall. The wonderful thing about him, was that when the lights in the hall started to flicker he could still see. His old friends with night vision goggles, couldn’t see anything. They ceased firing and looked around in confusion.

Artemis watched through the flickering lights as flash by flash, Ares drew closer to his pray. Grimm was the first to fall, his neck twisted at an unhealthy angle, and Hector followed closely behind, neck split open from a knife like a gruesome smile.

The power and calm in Ares while he did it was amazing. His posture never tensed, always appeared relaxed, and he paused to stand over and look down at his kill. Artemis had never been attracted to anything more than him at that particular moment.

It was short-lived, when the lights flashed once more and in the half a second they were out, he appeared right in front of her.

“Whore.” he spat angrily. “What did you think you were going to prove in going to your knees for Brian?”

Her face twisted with rage.

“Whore? You’re no better! Why do you insist on sparing that stupid doctor?” she suddenly smiled knowingly. “You want to fuck her? Is that it?”

He smiled, coldly.

“Who I fuck, is no business of yours but if I see you again before the time is right I’ll kill you myself. Leave the doctor to me, there‘s still something I want from her.”

Artemis loved him more than anything when he was like this. This was the Ares she adored. He was ruthless and powerful, in control of everything. She kissed him passionately, biting hard on his tongue and loving the dark growl that resonated from him and into her throat.

He pushed her away and slammed her against the wall, earning an excited smile and wanton look.

“Come on, baby.” she purred, running her tongue over his blood on her lips. “We’ve got time.”

Ares reached out and smacked the fuse box, making the lights flicker several times. When they came back on, he was gone.

Jo stayed huddled in the ventilation shaft. She had heard everything that Artemis and Ares had said. He’d lied to her and convincingly. Now she had to get the hell out of there before he came looking for her; she didn’t want him finding her there.

Crawling out the top, she checked carefully before jumping to the ground. She couldn’t go back to the car, he’d be waiting, but she didn’t know where the hell she was to run for help. Who would she ask? She’d have to go to the military.

Turning to run into the forest and hide, she let out a small gasp as Ares appeared around the edge of the vent. He spotted her and frowned as she took a slow step back and lifted her pistol.

“What are you doing?” he asked, looking confused.

“Oh, don’t you pull that pure and innocent bullshit with me!” she shouted, cocking the gun loudly. “I heard every fucking word you said down there! And your tongue must still be bleeding because you have some on the corner of your mouth.”

He wiped at it with his finger and spat a wad into the dirt, not taking his piercing green eyes from her.

“You need to understand.” he said softly. “This isn’t what it looks like.”

“Oh, yes it is.” laughed Jo bitterly. “This is me, trying to escape with my God damned life and you, selling me bullshit about keeping me safe. That’s what this looks like. What do you still need from me? Before you dump my body in a drainage ditch somewhere and start infecting the world with a bunch of little demon spawn.”

His mouth tightened into a disapproving line.

“I need to see what it’s like.”

“What?”

“To live like one of you.”

Jo lowered the gun slightly in disbelief.

“After all this time, the last three or four months, you still don’t see it do you? You are one of us, Ares. You’re made up from the exact same thing that I am. All of you are. And I’m sorry to burst your little bubble of superiority, but that’s it. Cut and dry, black and white, laid out right before you. You were created by some monster playing God and all he came up with was exactly what he was trying to avoid. You’re just a little boy, trapped in an extraordinary body, trying to figure out where you belong.” She smirked slightly and disarmed the pistol. “Welcome to the human race.”

He looked away and she watched as her words tried to penetrate his mind. It took several moments before he looked at her again.

“You’re wrong.”

She laughed mockingly.

“You’re right, hell, I’m completely wrong. Maybe you’re a superior being meant to take over the world with your high intelligence and lack of emotions. Maybe this is just one drastic step towards evolution and everyone’s going to swallowed up by it. You’ll be cold, unfeeling, and slowly kill each other off because you can’t control yourselves or figure out what you want because you grew up being told to destroy. Tell me, Ares. You see a little bird lying on the ground with a broken leg, what do you do?”

He frowned at her but didn’t say anything.

Jo shook her head.

“You’d step on it. That’s what separates you from us.”

He made a pained expression.

“I wouldn’t-”

“You would! You’re doing it right now!” she cried, struggling to get him to see it. “I’m that little bird, Ares. Me and the rest of the people like me. You, are you, walking up and looking down at us with our broken legs because no matter how hard we try we’ll never be quite up to par with you or your friends. And now, you’re standing there, looking at me and thinking what you should do. Walk away, or step on me.”

He didn’t move, didn’t flinch as he stared at her.

Marching up to him, she pushed him; he still didn’t move.

“Walk away or step on me, Ares? Would you care if you did? No. You’d continue on because I was wrong! You don’t care and you have no emotions and you’ll never be capable of love or compassion! Jake has more love and compassion in him than you ever will and he‘s a dog!” When he still didn’t react, she curled her lips in disgust and pushed past him towards the forest. “Fuck you, Ares, I thought you were my friend.”

“A friend that you were paid to spend time with?”

Jo froze, was that a hurt tone in his voice? She turned her head slightly.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You were paid to come here. You were paid to come see me everyday. That would make your friendship very expensive, I don’t think I could afford it anyway.”

Jo whirled around, forgetting that he was dangerous, forgetting that there were eight more just like him roaming around looking for her. She marched up to him and the crack of her hand against his cheek echoed through the silent woods.

“How dare you.” she spat, hazel eyes misting with tears. “For your information, every cent that Brian gave me to spend time with you is sitting in your room at the lab. It’s on your walls and your shelves. Apparently I’m not as expensive as you think, because I barely had enough left over to keep my house. Chew on that one while you’re ruling the world with your ice bitch.”

He watched her walk away, the sting in his cheek remaining.

“Do you want us to go get her?”

Ares turned to glance over his shoulder. Brian was standing with three others, waiting for instructions.

“Let her go. Take the dog, put it at her house.”

Brian frowned.

“The dog? Are you forgetting who is in charge? Who cares about a stupid fucking dog? I‘ll just go put a bullet-”

Ares walked over to him without words and crushed his throat.

“You were never in charge and maybe I care about a stupid fucking dog.”

-- -- -- -- --

Jo had just enough money to get her home. She was tired, strung out, and scared as hell; there was no way she could go for help and nobody would believe her anyway. She found her spare key and opened the door, surprised when Jake came running to greet her and all her bags were stacked neatly inside the door. Her keys sat on the coffee table with a note tucked underneath it.

Picking it up, she unfolded it: What do you do when you see a bird with a broken leg? Walk away.

She set the note down numbly as Jake came up to get some loving. She pet him subconsciously.

“Maybe I did get through to him, Jake.”

-- -- -- -- --

Ares stood on the balcony of Brian’s house. He’d destroyed the lab on his return, a fit of temper that he couldn’t control. The sun was setting and the sky was alight with fire while the stars tried to shine despite the light. The ones that remained were waiting for what they were to do next and he didn’t know.

When she’d slapped him this morning, it had surprised him. And now that she was gone, he felt as empty as before he met her. It was confusing and he didn’t know what to do about it, but a little piece of him said he had to find out. But he needed to think on it first.

Artemis was never patient and she came out onto the balcony.

“Well?” she demanded haughtily. “What are we going to do?”

He turned his green eyes on her, expression blank.

“I’m thinking about it.”

Her mouth fell open.

“Thinking about it? There’s no thinking! We should start eradicating them immediately. They’re nothing but diseased and pathetic fools. We’re the new world, we deserve to rule!”

“No, they’re better than us.” he said softly. “They can do things we only dream about.”

Her expression hardened.

“Like what? Feel? Love?” she snorted. “That doctor has been playing with you, Ares. What good are these feelings? They’ll just get in the way.”

Ares turned and walked past her, moving into the sitting room to speak with the others. They stood when he entered, looking at him blankly.

“I step down.” he said seriously. “I’m leaving, to live amongst these people and learn what I can from them. Do what you will, but harm them and you’ll answer to me.”

Artemis watched as he left the house and walked away from them, from her. Anger so fierce she could barely control it burst from her very being. Ares used to be so ruthless. He didn’t think about anything, he acted with rage and passion. That doctor! It was all her fault for what Ares had just done. The others had stayed, they’d fight with her to earn what was rightfully theirs; she’d lead them to victory despite Ares’s threats. But the doctor would be the first to pay for what she’d done to him.

-- -- -- -- --

Jo walked onto her front steps and opened her mailbox to check her mail. Nothing, nothing any different from before. Closing it and looking out over her neighbourhood, she noticed that the world was still standing. Nothing was smoking or burning to ash because of the monsters created by Brunt.

Perhaps they’d decided to melt into the background. But then she doubted it. Artemis wasn’t the kind to slink away and hide. In truth, Ares seemed the most civilized of them all. It was like Lord of the Flies where they were concerned. A bunch of children set loose with no one to govern them.

Turning and going back into the house, she froze when she spotted Artemis standing in her hall, looking at her through ice blue eyes. Jo smirked, she figured that she’d come for her.

“Artemis, I must say I’m not surprised.”

The woman smiled, a chilling smile that sent shivers down Jo’s spine.

“You had to know I’d come to thank you.”

“For what?”

“Destroying Ares.” she growled, getting serious as she stalked forward. “You took a beautiful creature and turned him into a civilized man.”

“Must break your heart.”

“It does not!” shouted Artemis. “I have no heart!”

“Then why do you care what happened to Ares? If he left, you shouldn’t care less, shouldn’t be holding a grudge that he left. You don’t feel remember? You have no heart.”

Jo’s lips lifted slightly when she saw Artemis’s confusion. She’d given the woman on other choice but to admit she did care, or being there didn’t make sense. When Artemis smiled coldly and started forward, Jo’s courage fled.

“I’ll have a heart. Yours, in the palm of my hand.”

Jo reached under her robe and pulled the pistol, cocking it and pointing it at Artemis’s chest. Giving herself courage.

“Hold this in the palm of your hand.” she fired.

The gun barked loudly and jerked Jo, surprising her as Artemis spun as the bullet lodged in her shoulder. Howling like a crazed animal, she fled out the back of the house and disappeared from sight.

Setting the gun down slowly, hands shaking, Jo shut the front door behind her and locked it. Laughing at herself mentally as she did so; a lot of good it would do.

Ares was looking down at the piece of paper in his hand, reading the address and comparing the ones around him when he heard the gun and the scream of pain. His chest constricted with a feeling he couldn’t place and he headed to the source, not missing Artemis as she ran bleeding down the street.

He walked up to the house and banged loudly on the door; remembering what Jo had told him about knocking and how it was considered impolite not to.

She nearly burst from her skin when the banging started on the door behind her. Picking up the gun, she crept up sideways and opened it slightly to peek outside. Seeing Ares standing there, she sighed heavily and disarmed the pistol. She didn’t unlock the door.

“What do you want, Ares? You just missed your girlfriend.”

“Fuck her, are you alright? Please, open the door.”

Jo frowned and closed it, undoing the chain and swinging it open. He flew in like his pants were on fire, looking around quickly before looking her from top to bottom.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

Jo sighed and walked over to the coffee table, setting the gun down gently.

“Oh, nothing. Just the usual run in with Artemis. She’s a lovely woman, I can see the attraction there.”

Ares frowned at her.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Would it matter if I wasn’t?”

“Yes.”

His answer made her flounder. The bravado she had left and confusion took it’s place.

“Why would it matter, Ares? You were more than willing to dump me in a ditch yesterday.”

“I’m not allowed to change my mind?”

“Normal people change their minds, not superior beings created from test tubes.” she was proud of herself when she said it, it almost sounded like she believed it.

He frowned at her.

“Why are you doing this?” he demanded. “It’s hard enough to figure out exactly what I want without you playing the devil’s advocate.”

Jo sighed heavily, he was right. He was a confused little boy and she was just making things more difficult for him.

“Alright, Ares, what do you want and why are you here?”

“I don’t know.”

She threw her arms in the air in frustration. Life was confusing enough as it was, she didn’t need him throwing more wrenches in the clockwork.

“All right.” she groaned, sitting in her chair and looking at him pointedly. “What exactly drove you to banging down my door?”

He frowned, setting his bag down.

“I didn’t like being that far.” he said seriously, looking confused. For once his expression wasn’t blank and she could tell he was struggling to put into words what drove him there. “I didn’t like knowing that you were upset when we parted. I didn’t like that I’d made you upset.”

“What you’re describing sounds an awful lot like love, Ares.” she stated flatly. “What drove you to pounding on my door like a madman?”

“I thought Artemis had hurt you and it hurt to breathe.”

Jo sat forward.

“Are you sure? Or was it the other way around?”

He shook his head.

“I saw Artemis. She was running down the street, bleeding, and all I could think about was getting in here to see you. I knocked too.”

She wanted to laugh, hysterically. Ares was in love with her and he didn’t even know what that meant. He was so proud that he remembered to knock, looking happy and boyish about it.

“I heard.” she agreed. “Very well done, but usually we don’t dislodge the door from the hinges when we knock.”

He looked at the door.

“It’s still on the hinges.”

“I was teasing you, Ares.” she said lightly. “Well, you’re obviously very in love with me, but what I can tell you to do about is nothing. I can’t tell you what to do, you have to figure it out.”

She stood up and went to walk to the kitchen, hoping he would leave to figure it out. She was surprised when he grabbed her gently and spun her around. His mouth covered hers and she stood frozen in shock. It was pleasant, once her shock subsided, but she didn’t kiss him back.

When he broke it off, he looked at her and his eyes were a shimmering black.

“Ares, why-”

“Is that not what you do? A show of love?”

Jo sighed heavily, she had told him that.

“Yes, but Ares, you don’t kiss someone because you think it’s right. It’s supposed to feel right when you do it.”

He frowned at her, his eyes turning back to their normal vibrant green.

“It did feel right.”

-- -- -- -- --

Jo watched through her patio doors absently stirring her coffee while Ares played in the backyard with Jake. She could see the muscles bunching beneath his tight t-shirt as he picked up the ball and tossed it for the dog to fetch. He had a beautiful body. Hell, everything about him was beautiful, except the fact he could kill at the drop of a hat.

She also didn’t trust him.

After hearing what transpired between him and Artemis in the old lab, it was hard to believe anything he said. She knew how brilliant he was first hand, had seen it in action several times. How was she to know that he hadn’t reconstructed another plan using what she said to get what he wanted? Maybe she was thinking about it a little too much.

The patio door slid open and he came in with Jake, looking vibrant and free for the first time since she’d met him. The dull sheen that usually encompassed his eyes was gone and they were sparkling.

“Have fun?” she asked softly, averting her gaze back to her cup of coffee.

Ares grinned widely, another thing he never did.

“Yes. I have to go.”

Her head shot up quickly.

“Leaving so soon after you beat down my door only an hour before?”

He smirked slightly and moved past her, kissing her on the cheek as he went. Another habit he’d started because he thought it was proper.

“I’ll be back.”

Groaning to herself she sighed.

“Where are you going?”

“I have to go get Mandy.”

She frowned.

“Brian’s dog?”

He shook his head.

“She was never Brian’s dog, she was mine.”

“And you left her behind?”

He shook his head again.

“No. I dropped her off at an animal shelter because I didn’t know where I was going or how long it would take to get here. But I’m here now, so I need to go get her.”

She must be insane.

“Give me a minute, we’ll take my car.”

Artemis watched with pitch black eyes as they took the mutt and put it in the doctor’s car. Ares was getting slack, or normally he’d have felt her presence watching him. They got into the car and she could’ve sworn she saw him smile, it just infuriated her more. How could he smile for that doctor and not for her?

Shoulder still oozing from the gunshot she’d taken earlier, the makeshift bandage was doing its job and slowing it down but she refused to look at it; terrified at what she‘d see. Starting towards the abandoned house with the intentions to rig a little surprise for when they returned.

-- -- -- -- --

Jo should’ve stayed home. She didn’t need to see the reunion between Mandy and Ares, it just softened her opinion about him. The black Shepard whined and cried as she came running out to see him, and he tried to soothe her by saying it would never happen again. It pulled at Jo’s heartstrings, but then she always had a soft spot for dogs and big dumb animals.

The animal shelter attendant was smiling widely as she handed Ares the leash.

“I see you found what you were looking for.”

He nodded and unhooked the leash as he turned away.

“Come on, Mandy.”

The dog fell into step beside him, tongue lolling and tail wagging as they started outside.

Jo let Jake out of the car and Mandy chased him, frolicking around the front yard as Ares grabbed the biggest bag of dog food anyone had ever seen and lifted it over his shoulder easily. She was trying not to laugh as she thought about the pet store.

Ares had taken Mandy in with him, as she usually did with Jake. What was funny, was the dog begging for toys and Ares having to tell her no. She whined, played dead, gave him soulful brown eyes, and eventually he’d give in. Mandy was an exceptionally smart dog.

Jo headed up to the house, with the bag of dog toys in her hands. Key ready to unlock the door, Mandy threw herself between Jo and the house and began growling angrily. Dropping the bag, Jo took a surprised step back before Mandy’s erratic behaviour caught Ares’s eyes.

“Get back in the car.” he said softly, taking the keys from her. Mandy was growling at him and he said something in German. She stopped suddenly and headed to the car with Jake trailing beside her. “Wait there until I get back.”

“Do I even want to know?”

He shook his head and started around to the back of the house.

Jo waited patiently, but soon the car began to fill with dog breath because of the two panting beasts in the backseat. Rolling down the window, she stuck her head outside and took in three large mouthfuls of fresh air.

“We should’ve bought some breath treats, I see.” she grumbled to herself. Mandy looked at her and tilted her head to the side.

Ares came out of the house then, frowning and packing something wrapped in a pillow case under his arm.

“What’s that?” asked Jo flatly, not sure she even wanted to know.

“Bomb.” he replied honestly. “Artemis, it seems, is trying to kill us both.”

“Bomb? Don’t bring it in here! What are you doing?” she demanded, getting out of the car quickly as opened the trunk and set it inside.

“Calm down, it’s disarmed.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

Mandy barked sharply and Ares straightened to look around.

Jo groaned.

“What is it now, dog whisperer?”

The humour was obviously lost on him because he frowned at her and shut the trunk.

“We’re being watched. Lets go inside.”

He picked up the dog food he’d set down and let the dogs out of the car, opening the front door and shooing everyone inside. Jo set her keys down and turned around to ask who was watching them and how the hell he knew that, but the dog food was nestled against the wall and he was gone.

Nerves jumping at suddenly being alone, she went to the coffee table and loaded her pistol.

Zeus and Hades watched from the trees behind the house as Ares took the doctor inside, frowning at how Ares had disarmed the bomb. Artemis wasn’t going to like that when she finally returned from getting her arm patched up.

“Ares is smart.” grumbled Hades flatly, his brown hair rustling in the breeze. “She should’ve known better than to think he’d not realize something was wrong with the house.”

“It’s the stupid mutt.” stated Zeus with disgust. “We should’ve put that thing down a long time ago when it first started coming around.”

Hades shrugged. He couldn’t disagree or agree, he didn’t mind Mandy.

“You don’t think Ares knows we’re out here, do you?” he asked suddenly. “Because he warned us about trying to kill the doctor, or anyone else for that matter.”

Zeus snorted.

“He’s so busy trying to figure out what he wants, he probably hasn’t even begun to think that somebody is watching him.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Zeus snorted.

“Because that stupid doctor has him by the balls, that’s how. She’s probably a really good lay and he doesn’t want to get rid of that.”

Hades was staring at Zeus, his eyes wide.

“Where did that come from?”

He frowned.

“You just asked how I could be so sure.”

Hades shook his head.

“I didn’t say that.”

Zeus looked up sharply but it was too late. Ares swung down and smashed him in the nose, breaking the cartilage and sending the bone splintering into his brain. His body fell and Hades backed away quickly, putting his hands up in surrender as Ares began to stalk him.

“Wait, this wasn’t my idea.”

“Then why are you here?”

He frowned.

“I don’t know. Because Artemis told me to?”

Ares stopped suddenly, it sounded very familiar.

“You didn’t want to kill me or Jo?”

He shook his head quickly.

“I never got to talk to the doctor, only saw her from a distance with you. I’m just here because Artemis told me to come with Zeus.”

Ares grabbed him by the throat and pulled him close.

“If you’re lying to me…” he let his voice trail off.

“I swear.” choked Hades, grasping Ares’s wrist to try and ease the pressure. “I swear on my life.”

He released Hades and stepped back, looking at him with a frown. If Hades wasn’t like the others, perhaps then Jo could do to him what she’d done for Ares back at the compound? Frowning slightly, he motioned for Hades to follow him.

“Come on.” he said seriously, turning to go back to the house. “And think of a new name on the way. I’m not calling you Hades anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Because Hades was the Greek God of death and the afterlife. Do you want people calling you Death for the rest of your life?”

“No?”

“So think of a new name.”

Jo watched Wade, formerly known as Hades, sitting in the backyard trying to scratch both dogs at the same time while they vied for his attention. He looked so young and couldn’t have been more than twenty two.

“Can you?” asked Ares, finally finishing his inspirational speech that had no doubt been designed to sway her into helping the boy.

“Can I what?” she asked, looking up at him suddenly.

The frown that crossed his face made her want to laugh, but she kept looking at him blankly.

“Where you not listening to a thing I said?” he demanded.

Jo chuckled finally.

“I heard you, I was teasing again. Fine, whatever, I’ll do my best, bring him on in and lets get to work.”

Ares grinned widely and Jo’s breath caught in her throat as he turned and went to the patio to let Wade in. It was a beautiful smile, full of joy and happiness; an emotion that didn’t cross his face nearly as often as it should.

Jo straightened as the boy came in and looked at her warily.

“Hey, Wade.” she said lightly, digging out some frying pans and stuff. “I like the name, very traditional. What do you want to eat?”

He frowned at her, looking confused, a look she recognized all too well after months of working with Ares.

“I don’t know.”

She smiled encouragingly.

“Sure you do. I’ll give you some choices. We can have skillets, soup and sandwiches, hamburgers, pizza, or roast beef. Which do you want?”

He was quiet for several moments.

“Pizza?”

“Pizza it is!” she declared, letting out a whoop and putting some pans away to pull out a pizza pan. “Ares! I’m going to need the pizza crust out of the freezer! Wade, grab the pasta sauce off the shelf! I’m going to preheat the oven and then we’re going to make sweet and beautiful pizza pies together!”

Wade looked at Ares as he headed to the pantry.

“I think she’s insane.”

Ares chuckled as he opened the freezer and pulled the crust out.

“You’ll get used to it.”

Jo looked at them both and frowned darkly.

“Do I hear insubordination?” she demanded in her best military voice. When they both shook their heads quickly, she pointed to the stereo on the kitchen counter. “I didn’t think so soldier! Now put some music on and grab the cheese! Where’s my pasta sauce! God damn it, this is war! We’re starving out here!”

She watched as Wade stared at her blankly for a moment before the corners of his lips twitched. Ares came from the fridge packing an armload of things they didn’t need and it finally occurred to her that he’d never made pizza before either.

Laughing as she picked up a jar of pickles, she shook her head and handed them back to him.

“Back to the fridge!” she declared. “Nobody here is pregnant.” He took it and put it back as she picked up a pepper and a knife, handing it to Wade. “Slice this up. I want big beautiful slices.”

He picked up the knife and twirled it around in his hand before chopping the pepper swiftly. When he reached the end, the edge of the blade grazed gently over one finger; leaving a thin line of blood.

Jo was busy spreading sauce, but when she heard the knife clatter to the floor she whirled to see what he was staring at; what was it with these people and blood? For men licensed and trained to kill, they sure didn’t like it much.

Ares grabbed a towel and walked over to Wade as his eyes turned black with fear and he backed into the counter.

“Wade.” he said softly, taking the towel and wrapping it around his finger. The boy looked up slowly and Ares smiled gently. “It’s okay, it’s just blood.”

Jo moved over and took his hand, and he let her.

“Lets just see what we’ve got here.” she muttered, peeling the towel back gently. Seeing the little thin line, she let out a cry of mock horror. “My God! Ares! Get my medical kit, it’s horrible! Monstrous! We need to amputate!”

Wade fainted.

When he came to, Jo apologized for scaring him. Explaining that she was teasing him. He nodded and looked at the little dinosaur band aid that wrapped around his finger, seemingly amazed as he stared at it.

“What are those?” he asked softly, in awe.

Jo raised an eyebrow.

“Dinosaurs?”

“What are they?”

Jo sighed heavily, it was a never ending circle and she doubted she had the energy necessary for this again.

Artemis had found Zeus’s body and had wondered where Hades had gone to. She didn’t have to search any further than when she saw them moving around the doctor’s kitchen. Hades was with them! Ares had abandoned the plan. He hadn’t killed Hades with Zeus and now they were both with that accursed doctor.

She didn’t know how long she stood there, but when Ares turned around and met her gaze, she couldn’t believe the smile that was crossing his face. Leaning against the counter as the doctor made Hades help her take something from the oven, he blew her a kiss and waved at her.

Odious man. He’d see who got the last laugh. They couldn’t be trusted, not one of them.

-- -- -- -- --

Ares sat in the backyard, looking at Hades seriously. Hades was frowning darkly, his confusion apparent.

“What’s the problem?”

He looked up and the frown dissolved.

“It’s not my place to question you, Ares, but this wasn’t part of the plan.” he said seriously. “I know we’re supposed to kill her, but I think I like her.”

Ares nodded.

“I know, she’s infectious.”

“Artemis won’t like it if she finds out that I didn‘t kill her when I had the chance.”

It was his turn to frown. Artemis was a cold-hearted bitch and he was beginning to want her dead instead of Jo.

“If Artemis doesn’t learn to control herself, I’m going to kill her myself.” snapped Ares angrily. “That little stunt his morning with the bomb, she’ll be lucky if I don’t send her a package in the mail.”

Hades sighed heavily, looking way older than his nineteen years.

“I’m confused. I don’t know what to do.” he looked up quickly as Ares turned to look at him, his eyes turning black with fear. “Not that I’m going to be insubordinate-”

“Easy.” chuckled Ares, turning his coffee cup in his hands. “You can speak freely. I’m not even going to tell you what to do. If you want to stay and see how this plays out, then that’s fine. If you want to go, then leave, but don’t go back to Artemis. She’s only using you and the original plan was for you to die with Zeus today in the forest.”

Hades frowned.

“Are you freeing me? We’ve sworn to follow you, no matter where-”

“I’m not in charge anymore, Wade.” he said, using his new name purposefully. “Dr. Brunt is dead, what he envisioned for us is gone. There’s only the decision now if we want to rule the world or live on it. That’s all there is left.”

“I wouldn’t mind ruling the world.” sighed Hades softly. “But I don’t want to kill the doctor either.”

Ares nodded.

“Me too, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it’ll either be one or the other and I don’t know which side I’m on.”

“Could you kill the doctor?”

He stiffened. Could he? Could he kill Jo? The answer came as quickly as the question.

“No.” he admitted. “The thought of anything happening to her hurts me too deeply to think about.”

Hades nodded.

“Then there is only one side for you, which means there’s only one side for me.” he saw Ares look up and smiled softly. “I’ll follow you wherever you go, Ares. You’re meant to lead and that’s why you can think like you do. Some of us, weren’t created for that. You’re a Shepard, and I was born a sheep.”

Ares wandered into the forest, his senses wide open despite the blackness; Artemis could hide in broad daylight if she wanted to. She swooped down from one of the trees and wrapped her legs around his waist tightly, her mouth ravenous as she kissed him roughly.

“I’ve been waiting for you.” she hissed. “There’s things I can give you that the doctor won’t.”

Ares groaned at the thought, but pushed her away.

“Artemis, this stops now.” he said roughly, ignoring the fact that he hadn’t had a woman in over four months and she was willing. “I’m done and I mean it.”

Her face twisted with rage.

“Bastard! You’re leaving everything we’ve dreamt about for that stupid doctor? That manipulating tramp? Everything is going so well! There are only five left and then just the two of us, it‘s everything we wanted.”

Ares choked down his anger at her slanderous words.

“It’s not the doctor’s fault. Nobody forced me to this decision, I made it on my own. So I’m telling you right now that if you come near me, Wade, or Johanna again, I will indeed pop your head from your body like a flower bloom. Do you understand me?”

“Perfectly.” she spat, backing away. He frowned when he noticed the bandage on her arm and remembered her being shot this morning. “You’re a traitor! I’ll damn you to hell, one at a time!”

Ares frowned at her.

“Artemis, you’re bleeding.”

She glanced down and stood, staring in trepidation as the blood seeped through the white bandages, mesmerizing her. He left her standing there, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to break her gaze away or unlock the fear until morning; tonight, they were safe.

-- -- -- -- --

He walked in through the patio, watching as Jo went over a webpage on her computer about dinosaurs. Wade was enthralled and listened carefully while she told him everything she knew and read off the website. She looked up at him over his shoulder and Ares couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“Why don’t you just put in Jurassic Park?” he suggested, remembering when’d first watched that movie.

“Because I’m trying to explain that these things died a long time ago and they don’t exist anymore.” she sighed heavily, changing the page for Wade. “If I show him Jurassic Park, he’ll go looking for it.”

Ares frowned.

“Wade.” the boy turned to look at him. “Dinosaurs don’t exist anymore, they died a long time ago and everything you’re reading is based on things that scientist have decided because they studied the bones thoroughly.”

“Okay.”

Ares grinned at Jo.

“There, now he can watch the movie.”

Jo sighed and moved to the VCR.

“Fine, but if he’s gone in the morning it’s going to be all your fault.”

Wade was so tired after watching the movie that he could barely drag himself upstairs. Ares watching him, smiling as he sipped his coffee, drag himself up the stairs and out of sight. He was proud of Hades, he’d made a decision and hadn’t been told what to do; even if that decision was to do whatever Ares did.

“Well, don’t you look smug.”

Ares turned around and looked at Jo, spread out on the couch tiredly with Jake and Mandy lying on the floor by her feet. He’d never seen anything so beautiful as her looking sleepy, and it took a lot for him to recognize it. The more time he spent with her, the more he could feel for himself.

“You look beautiful.” her eyes widened and he kicked himself mentally. He hadn’t meant to admit it out loud, something told him she didn’t want to hear it. “I mean…”

Jo frowned and sat up.

“Ares, I appreciate your honesty.” she said softly. “But you’ll have to understand that I’m having a hard time dealing with you right now. I mean, yesterday you were more than willing to kill me. Can you understand that?” He stared at her blankly and she sighed, trying to think of a way to explain. “Okay, what if yesterday I had said that I was going to kill you. How would you react?”

“I’d kill you first.”

She nodded.

“Alright, but lets say you didn’t and today I showed up and told you that you were the sexiest and handsomest man I’d ever seen? How would you react?”

“I’d take you right where you stood.”

A blush bloomed in Jo’s cheeks. She’d painted herself into a corner.

“It’s not the same.”

He sat on the couch and looked at her seriously.

“I’m going to tell you the truth.” he said flatly. “Artemis and I had planned on killing off all the others long before you came. We were going to be the only superior beings on the planet, and at the time I thought it was a marvellous idea. I accounted for everything. I killed off Brian’s clone after transferring all his money to my name, I killed the real Brian. I killed Zeus today and Hades was supposed to join him but something happened between the carefully drawn lines of my plan.”

She swallowed heavily.

“What is that?”

“You. I never thought that anyone could show me anything else but what I knew, you did. You showed me laughter, compassion, and beauty. You’re the purest creature on this planet and I could never hurt you. I might as well take my own life, it would be easier. I saw that today with Hades, when I saw his confusion over the simplest questions. Questions that I, myself, couldn’t answer until I met you.

The plan had been to use you to teach me these things and once the others were killed, I would take your life and return to Artemis. But I can’t do that. Artemis is not what I want and I’ve never been more sure of that than right now.”

It was a beautiful speech until he got to the part about killing her off again. She knew how he felt and it was hard not to return his feelings. He was handsome, smart, and seemed to genuinely care. But in the back of her mind, where he came from would always be there. She called herself a hypocrite for teaching him that it didn’t matter when to her, obviously did. But maybe she was thinking about it way too much and needed to stop for a moment and look at it just as it was; a moment in time.

“Ares, if someone came in here to kill Mandy what would you do?”

He grimaced.

“Please, not this again.”

“I’m serious. What would you do?”

“I’d rip them limb from limb.” he answered without hesitating.

“Why?”

“Because she’s mine and she can‘t protect herself.”

Jo frowned slightly.

“What would I have to do, to prove that I’m yours?”

He smiled softly.

“I already knew you were mine three hours ago, when I had decided that I could never hurt you. I told Artemis and she didn’t like it but I don’t care. If she comes near you again, I’ll break her neck and I mean it.”

“I seem oddly comforted.” stated Jo dryly, still frowning.

Ares placed a hand against her cheek, touching it gently.

“Don’t frown, little dove.”

His kissed her and this time, she kissed him back.

-- -- -- -- --

Jo sat in bed with the sheet wrapped around her as she watched Ares sleep. He was sprawled out on his stomach, splendidly naked, and dead to the world. The glow from the bedside lamp illuminated half his face and she didn’t want to reach across the turn it off.

He was a beautiful man.

If she’d passed him on the street, she wouldn’t have hesitated to flirt with him or give him her number. The fact that he was something grown in a lab and designed to do nothing but kill hurt her more than anything. She knew that she loved him, but it would never work like it should in real life.

Real people got married and had kids. Who knew what their kids would come out as. They could be like Ares or her, that didn’t bother her. But the fact that perhaps one would come out like Artemis, terrified her. Or maybe he couldn’t even have children? She wanted more than anything to have kids, she always had.

It would never work, it was that simple.

Standing up with the sheet still wrapped around her, she moved to the bathroom to get dressed. Coming out, she reached over and turned the lamp off, casting the room into darkness as the door opened and she slipped out.

Ares sat up slowly. He had felt her watching him and had heard the choked sobs as she’d left the room, as quiet as she’d tried to be. Getting up, he went to ask her if she was all right and remembered he was naked. Grabbing a pair of pyjama pants off the floor, he slipped them on and moved downstairs.

The car fired to life in the driveway and he watched as the lights rolled out and down the street. Mandy came up and whined at him, so he patted her head as he watched the car disappear. Only noticing the note tucked in her collar as she pawed at his leg. Lifting it, he read it in the dark.

I’m sorry, Ares. I love you, it’s only fair you know that, but it will never work. Please, don’t take this as an excuse to go back to Artemis because as your therapist I’m telling you she’s no good for you. Keep Wade, teach him what I taught you. You’ll live and you’ll move on, because part of feeling the wonders of gain is accepting the bitter pain of loss and if you love me like you said you do, then know that this is hurting me as much as you.

He sank onto the floor by the door and Mandy sat between his outstretched legs, looking at him with soulful brown eyes. For the first time in Ares’s twenty-six years, he felt tears run down his cheeks.

“Aw, did the doctor make her patient cry?”

He stiffened at the condescending voice and looked up to see Artemis standing in the living room.

“Get lost.” he growled, ignoring her and putting his eyes back on Mandy. She was balm for his soul, he needed to stay centered or he’d do something really stupid.

“I’ll bring her head back for you. I know how angry you must be feeling right now, would it make you feel better if I did that?”

“Fuck off, Artemis and if you go near her my previous threat still stands.”

“Why? God! She left you, abandoned you! I’m still here! Why can’t you love me like you love her?”

Ares looked at the cold woman, her steel blue eyes. They held none of the warmth that Jo’s languid hazel ones did, none of the laughter. Even Wade, who held the same shade of eyes as Artemis held more warmth then her. This woman was incapable of love and didn’t want to learn.

“Because you’re a cold-hearted bitch.”

She let out a roar of anger and flew at him, but he was waiting. Reaching under Mandy’s collar, he pulled Jo’s pistol and aimed it at Artemis. The gun barked loudly in the quiet house and a burst of light lit the room for a second.

Artemis crumpled to the floor, a small hole over her right eyebrow. Ares dropped the gun with a clatter and buried his face in Mandy’s fur. The dog rested it’s head on his shoulder and let him cry, somehow knowing that years of confusion had finally been lifted only to fall like a thick blanket once again.

-- -- -- -- --

Jo listened to Mr. Breckenfield list the things that his wife did to annoy him, feigning interest when her eyes were actually fixed on the beautiful blue sky outside. She longed to be out walking Jake, or playing in the park with him, but work was work. And she needed to work or she’d loose her house; some things didn’t change.

Two years had passed since she’d last seen Ares, and she couldn’t lie to herself and say she never thought about him or Wade. Yes, even Wade had penetrated her thoughts once in a while when she saw a dinosaur, a band aid, or cut herself chopping vegetables. She wondered what they were doing, because they obviously had abandoned their immature quest for world domination.

“Ms. Gilbert?”

Jo blinked a couple times and looked at Mr. Breckenfield.

“Yes? I’m sorry, I didn’t hear what you said?”

He frowned darkly, his jowls protruding.

“I suppose you’re going charge me for not hearing what I said either.”

Jo nodded.

“Of course, I wouldn’t be a true therapist if I didn’t.” the buzzer on her desk rang loudly and she smiled at him. “Same time next week, Floyd. I’ll see you then.”

He stood up grumbling and Jo hurried to the reception area to grab some coffee before seeing her next patient. Her secretary Martha, was sitting in the out patient room, looking all smiles.

“Harold and I are going to Cancun next week for our honey moon.” she said lightly, shuffling through some papers. “It’ll be so romantic.”

Jo rolled her eyes.

“I’m sure it will be. Do you happen to know who is next on my docket?”

Martha frowned and found the file.

“New patient. Wade Brindle. Strange name if you ask me anything.”

Jo nodded and took the folder to her room, looking at the tall man standing and looking out through the large office window. He was wearing a bomber jacket, ball cap, and pair of jeans.

“Mr. Brindle, take a seat and we’ll get started.”

He turned around and sat while Jo shuffled her papers.

“Please, you can call me Wade.”

She nodded and wrote down that he preferred to be called Wade.

“Or Hades, or maybe Wades…a combination of the two.”

She looked up and couldn’t speak. It was Wade, sitting there grinning at her like a fool. Hades! Grinning! She couldn’t believe it and her expression must’ve said that because he chuckled softly.

“I didn’t really come in to jeopardize a lot of your time, Dr. Gilbert.” he said, looking serious as he stretched on her couch and stacked his hands behind his head. “I just didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Jo frowned and smacked him in the feet with her clipboard, earning herself a grimace as he sat up quickly.

“People don’t actually lie on the couch, fool.” she hissed. “You’ve been watching too many movies.”

He shrugged and pulled something from his pocket. Expecting it to be a knife, she jumped away and held her pencil out as if she’d stab him with it. He raised a light brown eyebrow at her and pulled out a check instead.

Standing as he placed it on her desk, he nodded to her as he backed away slowly.

“I was told to give you that.” he said seriously. “We were going through our bills because we’re a couple years behind and trying to catch up. Apparently, we owe you some money for five months of treatment. We figured it out at twenty four hours a day for five months at the average rate, then we added some interest because it’s so terribly late. It’s all really a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me, but Ares knows what he’s doing.”

“Ares sent you here?”

Wade nodded as he headed towards the door that he’d come in.

“He didn’t want to come himself because he wasn’t sure you’d want to see him or not. He misses you something fierce though, and Mandy isn’t the same since Jake left.”

Jo nodded numbly, staring at the folded check. She was so stunned that she didn’t notice as Wade went out the wrong door and surprised the people in the waiting room. She glanced up and watched as he grabbed her receptionist by the face gently, puckering it up.

“They’re out there!” he shouted, looking terrified. “The government made them! Genetically modified from animal parts to fight wars on Mars!”

Jo couldn’t contain her laughter as he sauntered out of the room towards the elevator, pretty as you please like he hadn’t just spouted a bunch of drivel that actually wasn’t drivel. She picked up the check and opened it, frowning when she saw it was blank and signed. The subject line was written neatly, it’s meaning perfectly clear.

This is how much you’re worth to me.

Ares heard the front door shut and came skidding out of the kitchen. He didn’t care that he was still only in his boxers, he’d put pants on later. Wade walked in, a grin on his face.

“You should see her.” he whistled, removing his coat and hanging it neatly. “She looks pretty as I can remember her being.”

Ares frowned at him.

“What did she say?”

He frowned.

“Well, she gave me hell for lying on her couch. I gave her the check and then I left. She didn’t say too much but I sure the hell surprised her.”

Ares’s shoulders slumped slightly.

“Thank you for that.”

Wade smiled sympathetically and patted him on the shoulder as he headed for the kitchen.

“That’s okay, it was nice to see her again. Hey, you want pizza? Man, I got one hell of craving and I’m starting to think I’m pregnant.”

Ares snorted and shook his head.

“You have to be female to be pregnant, fool.”

“Are you sure? Cause man, I’m aching something fierce.”

Ares sighed and followed him.

“Who knows, maybe you’re asexual.”

Wade dropped the green pepper he was pulling from the fridge, looking stricken.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Yes.” snorted Ares, taking his seat at the table again to finish reading the paper. “If you were asexual, you’d have changed sex by now.”

Wade gave him a dirty look and started chopping the pepper, the knife flying expertly in his hands. Hitting the end, he jerked his free hand away and stared at it for a moment. Ares looked up from his paper, raising an eyebrow.

“Are you okay?”

Wade looked up and winced.

“No, I damn near cut my finger off!”

Ares watched the little drizzle of blood fall and shook his head.

“Poor boy, how will you survive?”

“I can see that you still need some work on compassion.”

Ares jerked his head up and turned to the kitchen entry, staring with a stunned expression as Jo stood there leaning against the door frame. She looked over his attire and frowned.

“And proper etiquette on how to greet guests; it’s not in your underwear.”

He stood slowly, pointing at Wade but not taking his eyes off Jo.

“Don’t let her go anywhere, I’ll be right back.”

He ran upstairs and Wade popped a piece of raw pepper into his mouth, chewed twice, and grimaced as he spat it back out.

“I should’ve thought that through a little more clearly.”

“Table manners, deplorable. What has Ares been teaching you?”

Wade grinned widely.

“How to be normal.”

“Well you’re well on your way. How long is he going to take?”

Wade rolled his eyes and moved to the fridge to get the pizza crust.

“Ares has become enamoured with himself. It takes him forever to get dressed when we go somewhere. Don’t be surprised if he’s not ready until after we eat.”

“You must look like quite the couple in this neighbourhood. Two good looking guys, physically fit, fancy house, and a German Shepard.” quipped Jo.

Wade rolled his eyes tiredly.

“You have no idea.”

Ares stared at himself in the mirror. She’d come, he didn’t know why but she’d come. Now he stood, with just a pair of pants hanging from his hips, thinking about what he was going to say. Hundreds, thousands, of times he’d played it over in his head and now he couldn’t think of a damned thing.

He wasn’t the same that he was two years ago. He knew why she’d left and understood why she had but he just wasn’t the same. He drove now, had a real job, and even sent out Christmas cards to all the others that had been like him and chosen the same path. Wade still refused to leave his side, but the boy was different too. He was going to school, college, earning a degree in Criminal Justice; he wanted to be a cop.

Would she understand that? Would she see how much he tried? Or had he wasted his time by thinking he could prove that he was worthy?

“Ares, are you going to take all day? Because I do have to be back at work in a half hour?”

He moved to the door and opened it, looking down at her seriously.

“Come back.”

“What?”

It was the only words that formed and now he was struggling to explain or at least put some reasoning to them.

“Come back, after work.” he said quickly. “Please. We’ll cook dinner and watch Jurassic Park..”

Jo sighed heavily.

“I just came to give you this back.” she said softly, holding out the cheque to him. “I don’t want it.”

“It’s blank.”

She nodded as he took it from her.

“I know, but I don’t want it. I’ve moved on. I just want to forget it all and go back to how things used to be and I can’t do that with this.”

He looked at her. Eyes diverted to his chin, closed posture; she was lying.

“You’re lying.” he stated numbly. “You’re lying to me.”

Her eyes misted over.

“Please, Ares, you don’t understand. What if I did come back and we did get married? What if we had kids and they came out like Artemis? What if they’re worse? What if you can’t even have children? There are too many ‘ifs’ to make it worth anything other than a fleeting whim that we should both get over. This would only remind me of what I can‘t have and that hurts me more than anything else.”

Hurt like he’d never felt before washed over him.

“So because I’m not normal, means I can’t have a normal life? Because I’m not normal, I can’t have the things that I want or need? Because I’m a freak, grown in a test tube, I’m supposed to live my life alone in misery?” she opened her mouth but he didn’t let her speak. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I’m not normal and I don’t have a mother or a father. I’m sorry that after all the things you taught me about being just like everyone else, you can’t see that I’m trying and there are things I’m being punished for that are beyond my control.”

She could see his hurt and pain written all over his face but she turned from the doorway.

“Good bye, Ares. Please don‘t come around anymore or send Wade.”

He watched her walk away and shut the door gently. The cheque he’d given her was griped tightly in his hand as he walked over to the drawer of the dresser and opened it. Staring down at Jo’s pistol that he’d kept all these years. Hatred burned deep in his veins because of the hurt swallowing him and her. He picked up the pen sitting on the desktop and scribbled violently on the back of the cheque. He would never move on and she wouldn‘t either.

Jo reached her car and froze. This was wrong. Ares was right. She was punishing him for things beyond his control. Any children they had would never turn out like Artemis because they wouldn’t let them and if he couldn’t have kids, they could still adopt. She’d condemned him after all the time of teaching him how to be normal. He was trying dammit and the rest wasn’t even his fault. And she loved him, that should count for something? Anything else didn’t matter, shouldn’t matter.

Turning back to the house, she ran up the walk and grabbed the door; joy at seeing that it could work delaying her from realizing that the door had locked behind her. Pounding loudly, she looked up at the bedroom window.

“Ares! Open the door, Ares!”

A gun barked inside the house.

Panic enveloped her as she ran to the back of the house and struggled to get the patio door open. It was locked, but she picked up a loose brick from the patio and threw it through. The glass shattered and she ran, heading up the stairs; praying to God that she was wrong.

Throwing open the door, she stared numbly at Ares.

Beautiful Ares, with a magnificent soul, was lying on the floor in a puddle of his own blood; a hole in his left temple.

“No.” she moaned, falling beside him and cradling his head in his hands. “No, Ares, what did you do?”

He didn’t answer; he never would again. He’d never frown at her when she teased him, never look at her blankly when he didn’t understand. Through her tears she spotted the cheque lying on the edge of the puddle and picked it up, the words on the back burning into her soul like hot irons.

What do you do when you find a bird with a broken leg? You step on it.

She’s crushed him like that little bird. Made him see that he was the different one, that he was the bird with all the things wrong in his past that his leg was broken. All he wanted to do was love her, and he’d hurt her in loving her. His words echoed in her soul as she closed her eyes and tears fell unchecked.

“I could never hurt you, I’d rather take my own life.”

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Thank you for reading my story, this is the complete thing and I'm not sure if I should expand on it or not. Let me know what you think because getting little review notices in my email really makes my day!! Thanks again!