Disclaimer: I own nothing of Dark Angel or its characters...but OH MY GOSH I WISH I DID!
A/N: This is an alongside for "It's Over." You should read that as well. Thank you to Foxykyuu15 who suggested I take a look from Alec's Point of view and write his side of things. This is what I came up with. Hope you like it. Read and review Please!
He was in the tunnels on his way for a supply run when he heard it. The most deafening, horrific sound he had ever heard in his young 24 years…and that was saying something considering everything he had been through in his life. The others stopped and for a moment everything was silent as they all instinctively stayed crouched. Until screams echoed through the tunnels. All at once everyone moved. Alec signaled to the X6's to go to ground. Hideout until he found out what was going on. The X5's with him, Nemo and Skyler, headed back with him as back up. Each one of them headed in a different direction. His priority was to find Max. He finally got the girl to fall in love with him and a catastrophic bomb levels the city…just my luck…he thought to himself. One time, will never be enough….
But as he started to run past the first downed building a scream stopped him in his tracks. Damn it…There was no question in his mind, not anymore, he couldn't leave whoever it was behind. He ran into what was left of the building that had been apartments. Three transhumans were huddled next to a small feline like girl no more than 13 pinned by a cement pillar on her legs. Alec didn't waste a beat.
"Okay listen, I need two of you on that side and the other one with me, on the count of three we are going to lift." Everyone nodded. On the count of three everyone did their part, and the little girl rolled out of the way of the pillar as they dropped it back down. "Now you all need to get out of here. Head for the tunnels, they are still open. Is there anyone else in here that you know of?"
"No, but we've never been to the tunnels." One of the transhumans said.
Alec hung his head, of course they probably hadn't been…most of the transhumans were stuck on the inside. Shaking off the set back he looked at the little girl. "I got her just follow me."
Alec headed back towards the tunnels and as he got there he advised them all to go to ground. He told them to find an X6 named Brass. Who had been with him on his way to the supply run. He handed the little girl to one of the transhumans and took off back on the inside. He decided to do this right. IF he was going to save Max, he'd have to save as many people as he could. So building after building he cleared. Getting out as many people as he could. Till he got to the nursery and his heart stopped. And a voice from behind him almost made him jump with joy.
"Medium fella! Babies safe."
Alec swung around taking the scene with a laugh. Joshua had four small babies in his large arms. Gems daughter Hope on his shoulders. And five small toddlers huddled behind him.
"I'm so glad! Josh buddy look, let's get you and the kiddos out of here."
"Bomb, buildings falling FUBAR...very WACK!"
"Yeah Josh…I couldn't agree with you more. Any sign of Max?"
"Little fella was in command, no sign…not yet."
"Okay I'm going to finish clearing these buildings get the kids out of here. I may need your help, find an able body to get them safe. And meet me back here."
"Alec, Joshua and kids safe that's the plan"
"No Josh. As many people as we can safe that's the plan."
Joshua bowed his head, he knew Alec was right.
"Joshua save kids, get them safe. Then come back. Alec stay safe"
"You got it buddy. Then we get Max and get out of here."
"Okay Joshua be back"
As he watched Joshua retreat towards the tunnels with the children, some hope flared within him, but with that bit of hope came a slight feeling of dread. It had been 35 minutes if he had been keeping time right, and no one he's come across had seen Max. He also had no idea where the bomb had come from, and how long he had before the dust would settle and the troops, or familiars or whoever would march in. He had to keep going through the buildings. He decided to work towards command. Another apartment building this time he found a group of 12 X5's all with varying injuries, He helped them get the ones who couldn't walk on their own, back to the tunnels and he headed back towards command. Another apartment building with a few more. The mess hall was completely demolished nothing left, everyone dead. The streets where littered with bodies. Most he knew, very few he'd only met in passing. He had to keep going. He had to have hope. Max would keep going. Max would have hope. He reached the infirmary. The building that was set up next to command. The building was in ruins. But inside he could hear someone screaming. It was Luna, their Doc. She was trapped between a collapsed wall and some ceiling cement. He had to get her out. When Nemo came up behind him he couldn't help but be glad. But Nemo looked apprehensive.
"Okay look, we are going to get her out, we don't know the extent of her injuries, but no one else dies today! DO YOU understand me?! It's bad enough I've found Gems daughter, is now alone in the world, and Dalton…and so many others HUNDREDS of others, in buildings I've cleared...Anyone still breathing, we get them out, got it?!"
Nemo nodded. Hearing the alpha rank in Alec's voice. At once they started moving the debris away from her, but with each move the building seemed more and more unstable. Alec kept moving, he was getting her out alive. It didn't matter the cost. No one else was dying today. He saw the building next door. There was no way anyone survived, the collapse. But he had to have hope. Max would want him to have hope. Even if the world seemed hopeless, she would still have hope. She could still be alive in there. And Luna was just one more step closer to finding Max.
One last piece. One BIG piece stood between Luna being free and getting everyone out safely. Alec looked up, realizing the piece barricading her in was the only support the ceiling had from caving the rest of the way in… so he made the only decision he could live with.
"Nemo, I'm going to pull this away from her, you are going to have 5 maybe 10 seconds to blur her out of here as fast as you can before this building is coming down, because I'm not going to be able to hold it that long."
"But Alec, what about you?"
"I'll be alright, I'm always alright…I'll get out of here."
"Max will kill me…if"
"Don't you worry about Max, she'll never know… and anyway I'm telling you get Luna out of here. It's the only way. I told you no one else dies today."
On the count of three, Nemo and Alec moved all at once. Alec grabbed the piece of ceiling and Nemo grabbed Luna and literally ran for their lives towards the tunnels. Alec counted to 8 seconds before his arms gave out and he ran as fast as he could… and he almost made it. But just as he reached the edge of the building he was struck in the head, hard with falling cement debris, and staggered backwards into a piece of shrapnel, piercing throughthe back of his chest, he took a deep breath, and with every ounce of energy he could muster he pulled himself forward. Ripping the shrapnel from his body in the process. He refused to die in this building. He refused to die today. NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO DIE TODAY DAMN IT!
As he got outside he found Joshua. And he realized Josh had seen the last few seconds. He knew Alec had risked himself to save the others. And Josh was Angry, and he was hurt.
"Alec and Max and Josh and others safe outside that is the plan." With tears in his eyes.
"Still the Plan buddy. I'm not dying today. But you got to help me get back to the tunnels. Find someone, anyone to patch me up. If Max sees me like this she's going to flip out."
"Alec hurt. Alec bloody" Joshua said taking his jacket off pressing it against the wound in Alec's back from the shrapnel.
"I'm fine big fella, just need to get to the tunnels. Find someone to help."
Alec coughed blood and realized it was bad. The shrapnel may have nicked his heart. It definitely hit his lung on the left side…but he couldn't let Joshua know.
"okay buddy, new plan. Help me to the tunnels, for help. Then we will go back out for Max."
Alec leaned on Josh slightly, as it seemed he had also damaged his ankle in his stumble backwards. Can this day get any worse? As he coughed again with the move forward Joshua saw the blood.
"Alec no fine. Alec hurt. Bad!" he could feel the blood from Alec's back pooling between his fingers through the fabric.
"No buddy, I'm okay…just get me to the tunnels. Sooner we get me to the tunnels the sooner we get back out here for Max. we have to find her. She has to know we're safe. She has to know we got a lot of people out. She has to know not all hope is gone."
"Alec talking like he's dying" Sadness crept into Josh's voice, as he felt the reality of Alec actually dying here today hit his heart.
"No, man" Alec coughed again, enough that he had to stop, each coughing fit getting worse. Blood was still gushing from where the cement hit his head and, his hands were covered in blood from coughing. Blood was everywhere. "Just stating the facts" he finally said. "We need to make sure that Max knows this is not her fault. You know she's going to blame herself. Typical Max…but it's not her..." He coughed again. They were almost at the end of the row of building when Alec dropped to his knees. Taking Joshua with him. Not like this, please not like this. I need to know that she's okay please...I… whoever is listening if you exist. Please…not like this. I have to know she made it. He took a deep but rough breath and looked up at Joshua who had howled, instinctively when Alec had fell to his knees. "fault." Alec's breathing was getting worse. And he knew this was it…" Josh man." Alec said sitting down. Leaning against his doglike friend. "I…make sure she knows. Make…sure she… knows I… loved her…That it wasn't…just a fling…" Alec stopped with tears in his eyes as another coughing fit hit him. And Joshua howled again. Longer and louder this time. "Make… sure…not…her…fault" "Promise…take…care…of…her…Josh"
"Joshua promise Alec. Joshua promise."
Alec could feel the energy draining from him. And then he heard it. A very faint, very far away "Joshua!" With that beautiful sound Alec took his last breath.
It had been Max's voice that allowed him to let go of his human life, knowing she was safe, was enough for him. He knew Josh would do whatever it took to get her out of there. And that he would tell her everything Alec had said. What kept him lingering on this plain was his little girl. The one he hadn't known about, but he sensed as he started to cross to the other side. The one he never got to hold. The one he never got to officially meet. But he was there with her, through it all. He was there for the day she was born. He was there to see her take her first steps and say her first words. He was always around. Protecting them. Watching over them. It broke his heart, but it also gave him peace. Being able to be a part of them, even if they couldn't see him, he knew they could feel him there. He was there the day Max said good bye at his grave site. Three years to the day of the bomb. His daughter was a little over 2 years old. He touched Max's face one last time and kissed her lips. Kneeling by his baby girl as she leaned down at his makeshift gravestone he kissed her forehead one last time. And in that moment he was sure she could see him. As she kissed his headstone.
"I love you, daddy." she had said.
"I love you too baby girl"
He would still be there when they needed him of course, but it was time for him to move on. So as they turned to walk away so did he. It was the hardest steps forward he ever had to take.
Again please don't hate me. I love Alec and this story and the last one killed me to write...but it insisted... Thank you again Foxykyuu15 for the idea to do this from Alecs POV. Read and review. Hope you all like it!