Acknowledging the truth behind what Will had said would mean accepting the years of lies Cicero had told her. But, how could she so easily believe Will? He was a stranger to her.

But, if he's telling the truth, he's my brother.

Alex sat outside the building Will was in. Her back was pressed against the wall, knees tucked up against her chest. She scuffed the bottoms of her boots back and forth along the asphalt.

"Do you really think he could be my brother?" Alex wondered.

Ace sat beside her. His arms were propped up on his knees. "I'm not sure," he said after a moment.

"I think he's my brother," Alex stated.

The words felt foreign to her. Like she was admitting a secret she knew deep down in her belly. Once it left her lips, Alex knew it to be true.

"How can that be? That means I wasn't always with Cicero. That means there's more to this than I could have ever thought," she continued.

Alex rolled a finger across the inside of her arm, trying to picture the small nanites floating around in her bloodstream. They had removed the jammer weeks ago. Oh, what secrets the technology within her blood might have held about her life. More than just the solution to stopping the Achilles.

Ace sighed and leaned his head back against the brick wall. "Whatever the reason was for keeping this from you, I'm sure there was a reason. If Cicero knew Will was your brother, or that you had family out there, you know he did it to keep you safe. Not to hurt you, right?"

"I know," Alex said, patting the top of one of Ace's hands. "It's just, so much could have been avoided had I not been kept in the dark. It really sucks knowing that I've still had the wool pulled over my eyes this entire time."

He nodded sympathetically.

They both looked up as Nyx and Edric crossed the street towards them. The former was twirling the knife in one of her hands, skillfully tossing it and catching it without even having to look at what she was doing.

Alex and Ace climbed to their feet the closer they approached.

"I assume you've had a chat with Will?" Edric asked. He turned his head and exhaled a plume of smoke over his shoulder.

Alex noticed the bandages around both his hands, blood soaking through the white fabric at his knuckles.

"It looks like you had a chat with someone, too. Tell me, if the Achilles really raided the bunker, why aren't Greg and Daniel back yet?" It was her intention to strike a nerve.

Someone did talk, after all.

Edric narrowed his eyes at Alex and tugged at the edge of his cowboy hat. He didn't entertain her goading.

Ace looked between the two of them, clearly trying to piece together the puzzle that was her insinuation and Edric's reaction. He almost choked on his spit.

"Did you kill them?" Ace sputtered out.

"I did," Nyx interjected. "And I did it with a smile on my face. They sold you out to Will. Turns out they told him who you were, too. They radioed out when you guys were all nice and comfortable behind these walls. Both of them were cowards who folded when things got tough."

"Why do you care so much?" Ace challenged Nyx, turning his attention to her.

Alex noted the muscles in his jaw clench and unclench, working through an emotion that she knew all too well.

"I love to deal out justice when no one else has the stomach to," Nyx said coolly. "And let's just say I think the Achilles really deserves what's coming to them all bundled up in pretty, little packages." She flitted her gaze up and down the both of them.

Alex's eyes widened. Nyx knew who—what—they were.

"Are you going to kill Will?" Alex asked.

She didn't know how to feel about Will dying. It wasn't like she had any memories of him to recall, but he was her brother. And he had information about her past.

"No," Edric answered for her.

Nyx looked almost disappointed at the statement, eyes casting downward briefly.

"We just want to find out where Gianna, Jonathon and Brin are. That's it," Edric continued.

"So, you'll kill Greg and Daniel, but not that guy? One of his men almost strangled Alex to death, and the other tried to abduct her. Not to mention all of us almost getting killed by them, too." Ace raised a brow.

Edric rolled the cigarette around between his teeth. "I'm not killing Will." He sounded defensive.

"Why not?" Ace pushed.

Ignoring him, Edric walked through the door into the building. Nyx was close on his heels.

"Love."

Alex nearly jumped from her skin as she spun around.

Vida pulled a dark blue baseball cap down to shield her eyes from the sun.

"Love always makes a person do unexplainably stupid things," Vida said as she looked at Alex with a smirk. "But, I guess you know that all too well. I don't know if Keepers can feel love like we can, but whatever it is, it brings out similar stupidity."

"You think Cicero lied to me because he loves me? And you think Edric won't kill Will because of what, a crush?" Alex crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, not the same love. Obviously. But you're the only family Cicero has. The only person he really has to care about."

Alex's teeth grated against each other. She didn't want to admit it, but Vida was right. Cicero would never, could never, have any intention of hurting her. The Code had biologically designed him to be unable to do so.

"It's just something to think about," Vida added. "I hate to see people who really care about each other fighting. I let you go in that room with Will to get answers for yourself. I don't believe it's right to keep something like that from a person. That being said, now you have the answers. You should find out the reason."

"So, Cicero does know who he is?"

Vida shrugged, a mischievous half-smile playing on her lips. "I dunno. There's just been so much going on lately it's hard to keep track. I guess that's for you to go talk to him about." With her final words, she, too, disappeared into the building.

"Everyone and their games," Alex mumbled.

"I thought Vida and Edric having a thing was interesting. But Will and Edric? Man," Ace shook his head, laughing, "that's interesting. Really interesting. I would have never thought Edric would be into someone so..."

"Manly?"

"Similar in appearance to you," Ace laughed out.

Alex slapped him over the head without even hesitating. "You're a real piece of work, you know that? I'm more bothered by the fact Will's so freaking crazy and we're apparently siblings. And I don't think someone looking like me is the worst thing. I don't think I'm unlikable." She frowned.

Ace held up his hands in front of him. "Oooookkkkaaayyyy." He dragged out the word, intentionally enunciating each letter.

"Wait." Alex stumbled after Ace, following him back to the main building. "Ace, wait. You don't really think I'm ugly, right? Ace!"