Title Edge of the Earth

Author: Dragonmaster

Rating: NC-17 (R on FanFiction)

Genre: Drama/Supernatural

Fandom: Alexander the Great (movieverse, kinda)

Pairings: Ptolemy/Thais, right now. More to come later.

Warnings: Slash (duh), AU/FutureFic hybrid. Mad angry violence.

Disclaimer: They own themselves. Or, at least they would if they weren't dead. Song disclaimers will be at the end of each chapter.

Summary: Alexander and his Companions are brought back to life by the Powers that Be to help a mysterious man named Rogue defeat the Brotherhood of the Sun, a group of chaos-worshipping mages that are bent on bringing about the apocalypse.

Edge of the Earth

By: Dragonmaster

Stand out on the edge of the earth
Dive into the center of fate
Walk right in the sight of a gun
Look into this new future's face

30 Seconds to Mars: "Edge of the Earth"

Manchester, New Hampshire - 2005

The man known only as Rogue cursed under his breath as he checked his watch for the fifth time. The prophet, Maverick, was late.

Maverick was never late.

I'll give him three more minutes, Rogue thought to himself. Then I'll call in reinforcements. He leaned back against the alley wall and took a drag on his cigarette, the glowing embers briefly lighting up his scarred face. He was taking a big risk by meeting Maverick in person; one of the reasons he wasn't dead yet was because he didn't make a habit of revealing his identity. Even his allies knew him only as a mysterious voice on the phone. To others, this was paranoia. To Rogue, this was a safety precaution.

A beeping from his watch drew Rogue's attention. Maverick's three minutes were up. An uneasy feeling knotted in the pit of his stomach as he ground out his cigarette and headed for a pay phone. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't think about using a line that could be so easily tapped or traced, but the prophet's life was now on the line.

"Hello?" a sleepy voice on the other end said with a half-stifled yawn.

"We need a search and rescue out to Maverick's place," Rogue said by way of greeting. "He failed to make the rendezvous. You need to hurry. I'll be in touch." He hung up the phone before the man on the other end could respond. With a quick glance behind him, Rogue pulled his sweatshirt hood down lower, hiding his face in its depths. Maverick's life was now in the hands of his allies and the only thing Rogue could do now was pray to the gods that the prophet was okay.

Ptolemy Lagos stared at the phone and wearily ran a hand through his reddish-blonde curls. He was getting more and more adjusted to this new, modern world, but sometimes he wished the gods hadn't decided to bring him back to life.

"Ptolemy?" Thais' soft voice came from the bed. The Athenian woman had also been brought back from the ancient world and she and Ptolemy had recently married. "Who was that?"

The former general set the phone back in its cradle and pulled a clean shirt and a pair of jeans from the closet. Despite having been in this new world for nearly a year now, he still thought that pants were one of the oddest things about it. Tunics and chitons with the armoured leather skirt made far more sense. "Rogue," he replied, fumbling with his belt. "The prophet never showed up to meet with him and now he wants us to check it out." He picked up a comb and attempted to bring his hair into some semblance of order. "I wish I could get more information out of this guy; he's so damn cryptic."

"I don't trust him," Thais sniffed. "Why won't he tell you why these prophets are being targeted, and who's targeting them?"

"I wish I could tell you, love," Ptolemy said, giving his wife a brief kiss. "I'll see you when I get back."

"Be careful. This could be a trap for all we know."

Ptolemy grinned reassuringly at her. "I'll be alright," he said. He shut the door to his bedroom and opened the one immediately to his left. The three figures within didn't move, but Ptolemy wasn't fooled. He knew they had heard the phone ring and simply didn't want to move. Living among Americans had made all of the Companions lazy.

"Get up. Rogue just called."

Three voices groaned in unison. Kassander threw his pillow over his head and Harpalos affected an obviously fake snore. Kraterus reluctantly hauled himself out of his bed and moved to get his roommates up. "I'll get these two," he grumbled. "You get the others." Ptolemy nodded and moved to the last bedroom in the small house.

Alexander and Perdiccas were roused without too much difficulty and what remained of Macedon's finest warriors gathered in the living room. The six generals had often discussed why the gods had chosen them to bring back to life, but not men like Leonnatus, Nearchus, Hephaestion, or Black Cleitus.

Alexander still hadn't completely gotten over the loss of Hephaestion. Everyone had expected the stolid young general to be revived, but it had been a year and there still was no sign of him.

The Companions piled into the Ford Explorer that the mysterious Rogue had sent to them and set off into the night.

"Someone read me the directions," Ptolemy said, keeping his eyes on the road.

Harpalos leaned in between Alexander and Ptolemy from the back seat with a piece of paper. "Turn left up here at the light, then it's the apartment building immediately on the right. Apartment 504." The crippled man sat back. "Do you think Rogue will be there?"

"I hope so," Alexander growled. "I, for one, would like to get some answers out of him." Kassander and Kraterus murmured their agreement. Ptolemy cast a worried glance at the blonde Macedonian. Alexander had darkened considerably ever since he had come to accept that Hephaestion would not be returning. Ptolemy worried about him on a daily basis, ready to intervene if the former king went any farther into his downward spiral.

The Explorer pulled into a parking space at the apartment complex. Ptolemy patted his jacket, reassuring himself that the .33mm was still tucked safely in his inside pocket. Unlike the others, he refused to carry anything more powerful. He'd had enough of war and violence for one lifetime and hated Rogue for dragging him into yet another battle.

The group entered the complex and rode the elevator in silence. Alexander stepped into the hallway first, one hand resting on the .45mm tucked into his belt. He stopped in front of Maverick's door and motioned for the others to follow suit. Strangely enough, the door was unlocked.

The apartment appeared to be deserted. Ptolemy and Kraterus split off and checked the two bedrooms and bathroom thoroughly before meeting the others back in the living room.

"Nothing?" Harpalos asked.

Kraterus shook his head. "Nothing. Not even a scrap of paper that could give us a hint as to why this guy's a target."
Alexander sighed. "So we're back to square one," he grumbled.

"Not entirely."

As one, the Companions jumped at the American-accented drawl. Six guns were drawn and instantly pointed at the hooded figure in the doorway. No one had heard him enter. The man was dressed in typical American style: faded black jeans and boots with a black sweatshirt. The hood was pulled down low over his eyes and a scarf covered the bottom half of his face, muffling his voice.

"Put your weapons away; I'm on your side," the figure growled. "I found something that could help."

Ptolemy tentatively lowered his gun. "You're Rogue," he said.

"Very perceptive of you, Lagos. You get the gold star for today," Rogue said dryly. He tossed an object through the air and Ptolemy caught it awkwardly. "It's a medallion belonging to someone in the Brotherhood of the Sun, a cult of chaos worshippers. My guess is that they're the ones who took Maverick."

"Why do they want him, anyway?" Kassander asked, eyeing the taller man suspiciously.

Rogue brushed past Alexander and took a seat on the prophet's couch, rubbing his left leg absently. "He's one of the last people left alive who know about the Apocalypse. The Brotherhood knows that if the Apocalypse isn't stopped, chaos will reign. They want Maverick to tell them who the opposition is so they can eliminate it.

"I can only help you from a distance; in fact, I'm taking a big risk meeting you here like this," Rogue continued. "That's the price I have to pay for my immortality. I can provide you with whatever you need, but when it comes down to the final battle, I can't interfere."

Alexander sat next to him, trying to peer inside the dark cowl. "Immortality? The gods revived you too?"

Rogue nodded, turning his head away from Alexander. "I've been here since the late eighteen-hundreds," he replied.

Ptolemy and Perdiccas exchanged surprised glances. They had always assumed Rogue had been from this time. His rough American accent and knowledge of modern weaponry certainly suggested that.

Rogue though, was not in the mood for any more questions. He stood and walked to the door, favouring his left leg. Alexander took his arm to steady him, but Rogue flinched under the other man's touch and jerked away. "Don't," he rasped, sounding nervous for the first time. Alexander let go and backed away, confused.

"Work on gathering as much information you can about the Brotherhood. The symbol on the medallion should get you started," Rogue instructed, rubbing his arm where Alexander had touched him. "I'll keep in touch."

"Will we see you again?" Ptolemy asked, now wanting more than ever to find out more about the strange man.

"Probably not. I can't risk being caught by the enemy." With that, he left.

Ptolemy sighed. He had hoped to get some answers from Rogue, but he was only left with more questions. There was nothing he could do about it now, except to follow Rogue's instructions. "Kraterus, follow him," he said. "The rest of you, let's go. There's nothing more we can do tonight."

Rogue stumbled into his temporary apartment, the pain in his leg getting stronger by the second. His scarf slipped to the floor and he violently shoved his hood away from his face.

"Bastard," he hissed, falling to his knees. "Let me go!"

"I don't think so," a sinister voice sneered into his mind. "You've been a bad boy."

Rogue fought against the intruding presence in his mind. He wouldn't let the mage control him again. "Alexander had the key now. You're too late."

The mage chuckled. "Not even the great King Alexander can stop us now, boy." A pause, then the voice took on a more mocking tone. "I wonder what Alexander would do if he found out that you knew where his beloved Hephaestion was?"

Rogue froze. "You wouldn't tell him. You can't."

"Physically, no, I can't tell him. I know you, though, boy. The truth will come out eventually because you won't be able to stay away from him. He'll hate you for keeping it from him."

Abruptly, the pain in his leg was gone and Rogue collapsed, panting heavily. "You'll never defeat him," he gasped. "Alexander killed you once; he'll do it again."

The mage laughed cruelly. "We shall see, child. We shall see," he purred as his presence faded away, leaving only an echo of his words behind.

Rogue fought to stay conscious, his long sable hair falling in front of his scarred face. Fighting off the mage had taken more out of him than it usually did. As he let darkness claim him, he failed to notice the lone figure whom had followed him from Maverick's apartment standing just inside the doorway.

Author's Note: So, what did you guys think? The slash will come soon, don't worry. I thought it would be cool if someone took Alexander and the Companions and tossed them into the modern world, so this came up as the best one as I threw some plots around. Hope you guys like it so far! -DM