Disclaimer: I don't own anything you may recognise. This applies to the entire fic.
Chapter 1
Boston was as busy as ever. It was the middle of the summer holidays and everyone was outside enjoying the sun. The streets were packed with cars full of stuffy travellers fanning themselves with magazines and trying to calm screaming, red-faced babies. At the nearby park, kids charged around screaming whilst a huge queue had developed at the ice cream van. It was the middle of summer, one of the hottest days of the year, and everybody knew it.
Alpha Force were sat next to the fountain in the middle of the park. Most of the other members avoided them, knowing that anyone who disturbed Amber Middleton in the middle of town weren't going to live much longer. But most of the residents of Boston knew the old Amber, the Amber who would murder someone for splashing her. The Amber that was currently laid on the concrete border to the fountain was much different, and was rather enjoying the power she had over her neighbours.
Li was sat next to Amber's feet, her own feet in the cool fountain water. Paulo was leant against the side of the fountain attempting to resist the temptation to tickle Amber's feet. Alex was sat on the grass beside the three, absorbed in a book he'd found on John Middleton's shelves about survival in the wild, and Hex sat next to him, was, as always, on his palmtop computer.
It was a lazy feel that had overcome Alpha Force. A relaxed complacence had settled over the five of them, and nothing could destroy it.
"Amber?" Hex asked looking up from his palmtop. Amber replied with an inaudible murmur. She didn't move. Hex sighed. "Are we going to do anything else today?"
Amber murmured again, but this time it was a little more eligible to what she said.
"Go away" she muttered, keeping her eyes closed and shifting her feet slightly. Hex rolled his eyes.
"Nice" he sighed and glanced across to Alex "Want to do something?"
Alex looked up from his book. "Yeah ok. What did you have in mind?"
"I was going to go and have a look at the museum actually. Might not be computers but it's better than stifling heat". Hex looked across at Amber scathingly before turning to Li and Paulo. "You two coming?"
Li hopped down from the fountain. "Ok" she said grinning. "Paulo?"
"You three go," he said smiling "I will bring Amber in a minute. Once she is up". Hex suppressed a smile as he Alex and Li set off across the park.
"Good luck Paulo" he said, turning to his friend "Don't get too close, she might bite". Paulo chuckled as he watched his three friends head over to the edge of the park.
Amber could feel something on her foot. It was light, but slightly ticklish, like a piece of grass, or a spider. She twitched her foot to move it but as soon as she did the sensation increased. Amber opened her eyes. Sat at her feet was Paulo, his fingers lightly brushing her soles.
"Paulo!" she exclaimed angrily. He wouldn't get away with this… Paulo merely grinned and increased the tickling.
Amber yelped and pulled her feet out of Paulo's reach only for them to fall into the fountain next to her. Half her body followed and she found herself half in, half out of the fountain with a delighted Paulo next to her. She glared up at him.
"Paulo!" she shouted. "You just wait!" Paulo lifted his eyebrows, obviously amused before reaching out a hand and helping Amber out of the fountain.
As she tried to wring some of the water out of her shorts Amber glanced up at Paulo before sitting down and pulling on her sandals.
"You're lucky I didn't pull you in with me" she stood up. "Where're the others?"
Paulo jerked his head in the direction of the road and Amber looked up as the two of them began walking across the park.
Hex, Alex and Li had already reached the road, and were currently waiting for the lights to turn red before they crossed.
"Where they going anyway" Amber asked miserably looking up at Paulo.
"The museum Hex said" replied Paulo.
Amber rolled her eyes "Oh the thrill" she sighed. She could hear Paulo laughing next to her and frowned. Who'd want to go to a museum on a day like this? She and Paulo had almost reached the road. Amber turned behind to check they hadn't left anything at the fountain. Before everything changed. Forever.
The only thing that Amber was aware of was the noise of an engine and a sharp high scream. She whipped her head round to the side back to the road to see a car, black smoke streaming from its exhaust, spinning away down the road. And then further up to the left, a small crowd gathering. Looking down at something laid out on the floor. A person. And then Amber realised. It was Hex.
Next to her she heard Paulo say something but didn't take in what it was as he sprinted off. Nothing seemed real. There were people moving and noises, but nothing could draw Amber's gaze away from the prone figure on the road, four yards in front of her. She felt sick. And hot. Very hot. A lump rose in her throat and her head seemed to pound. Nothing made sense, nothing was real. Through the blurs that had seemed to form in front of her eyes she could make out Paulo on the floor next to Hex, Li stood staring, horrified down at them, and Alex on his mobile. His voice drifted up to her as if it had come out of a radio…
"And for God's sake hurry…"
Time passed. Amber wasn't aware of anything anymore. Not even herself, because it was all different. Nothing was real. It couldn't be real. A stark change in colour dragged her out of her trance. An ambulance had parked not far away, the green men making their way hurriedly through the crowd. There were voices and noises and things happening. They moved him. They moved Hex, and Paulo got in too. It was all different. None of it real. Except it was.
Amber felt Alex at her side.
"Come on Amber" he said shakily "We're getting a taxi". His voice seemed muffled, not his. Amber didn't reply but allowed herself to be led to a waiting taxi. She forced herself into the back seat. Words washed over her head. She could hear crying, but Alex's face wasn't wet. Li was there, Amber remembered numbly. Somewhere… Indistinct voices danced around her. But she couldn't grab them. Couldn't secure herself… Her legs were still wet, dripping onto the carpet.
The journey passed without Amber realising it. It could have been five minutes; it could have been half an hour before Alex was pulling her out of the car into a large, grey yard. There was much more here. More lights. More everything. But less of things to make sense of. She could see Paulo in the difference, and saw Li run to him. She felt Alex's hand in hers and followed him to where they were unloading a stretcher. Hex…
Next to her Paulo was shouting something, Li was sobbing. Alex was silent, but Amber knew she was the only one who heard it. The only one who heard the thing the nurse nearby said. Three letters. Three letters that destroyed her world and sent her spiralling into a place she couldn't fathom going…
"DOA".
A/N: This was written in response to my own challenge 'The End'. Thank you to my beta, spinkle22 - Elle xx