Thank you so much for reading, everyone! (: It does make writing this all the more fun…
Ames White got up from where he had been seated. It was time to leave now that finally it had been done. He had managed to eliminate what had been the cause for many a sleepless night in the last couple years… He shook his head, grinning to himself. At last, the cult had regained their superior status; the fight was over. The End could come…
Putting on a fresh shirt and buttoning it up thoroughly, he slipped on his coat, getting ready to leave Seattle behind, that dirty hellhole of a city with its abominable brood of transgenic trash—his father's cursed heritage. It was destroyed—dead, and Ames, Ames couldn't care less. Stepping out into the dazzling sunlight, he turned around to take in his surroundings. Taking what he thought to be a last look at the city, he made his way to the car that stood waiting for him in the shade of a tree. He was just about to hail the driver, when Otto Gottlieb appeared at his side, holding a thin folder in his outstretched arm.
"Sir," he said, offering the file to his superior.
"Otto," Ames shot him an annoyed glance.
"I'm sorry, Sir, but you should see this! That attack on Terminal City…"
Ames didn't wait for him to finish his report. With a trace of anger, he snatched the folder out of the taller man's grasp. Quickly leafing through it, his eyes fell all too soon on what Otto had wanted to show him. "452," he muttered through gritted teeth. Throwing the folder to the ground, he stormed past Otto, who bent down to pick up the now strewn pictures.
Snapshots of TC during and after the explosion; images of what had still been the transgenics' safe haven only a day ago…
Clouds of dust and ashes; a semi-transparent veil drifting down onto the ruins of Command, and in the middle: two forlorn figures...
… then four…
It was the second to last picture that had riled Agent White the most, though. For out of that one, Max Guevara stared up as if straight into the camera, her expression pained and desperate, her hands clinging to the back of a tall man carrying her to a car.
She had survived. Again, she had survived…
… some 24 hours earlier:
Alec couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a shadow emerge out of the haziness of the dust-filled air surrounding him and Max. It took more than a few seconds until the shadow took on a well-defined outline and Alec could eventually identify an actual person. But once he did, there was no mistaking who it was.
"Joshua!" he called when his friend came fully into view, the first shadow to turn into an actual person. He did not remain the only one, though, for right behind him appeared the silhouette of none other than Mole. Alec clenched his jaw, stifling the urge to yell, or to curse, or to cry… They were alive… Joshua was alive, and Mole—though he was looking something awful and was barely able to walk—he seemed to be in one piece, too. Alec couldn't see Dix, though, or Luke, or…
"Alec! Are you—you and Max all right?" Josh called out. Alec knew his friend was probably screaming the words, yet all he could hear was an annoying droning filling his ears, like the dust was filling his lungs, clogging his nose, his mouth, making it hard to breathe. With a quick downward glance he checked whether his companion was still with him, still holding onto life and, to his utter relief, found that she was. Entranced by a sudden flicker of her eyelids, Alec forgot to answer to Joshua's call, forgot that he was even approaching, until—quite suddenly—the dog-faced man appeared right by his side.
Falling on his knees next to Alec, Joshua shot his friend one worried glance before bending down over li'l fella and gently sniffing her face to discern how off she smelled already. Definitely off, but luckily he couldn't smell death, yet. He had barely finished gently patting her down while listening to Alec talk a little confusedly about better not moving Max, when said girl opened her eyes. He watched as the haze of unconsciousness slowly left her expression and recognition dawned on her.
"Geez, Max, you actually had me worried there for a second," Alec cajoled, playing his usual game of "pretend everything's just perfect." Of course, Joshua could see right through it and he knew that Max could, too. Even in her current state she frowned at her fellow X5 worriedly, but didn't say anything in return.
A brief grin passed Alec's face as Max grabbed his arm with surprising force. "Like a cockroach, huh, Max? You'd even survive Armageddon… —wait!" he slapped his own forehead, not grinning anymore. Unaware of his friends' worried looks, he continued, "But that's exactly why our lovely pal Ames is trying to extract your DNA, isn't it?—Of course it is…"
Joshua had wanted to ask Max if she was feeling alright. Now, though, he couldn't help rather blurting out, "Alec—feeling alright?" He extended a hand to touch a dark spot of blood issuing from a small wound at his friend's temple. But Alec suddenly rose in a blur and Josh let his hand fall onto his thigh again. He exchanged a glance with Mole, who had let himself fall onto what looked to be a huge chunk of concrete out of the old Command building, on which he now sat rubbing his leg distractedly.
"Alec?" a currently grumpier than ever Mole addressed the oddly flighty male X5, gaining his attention, which gave Joshua time to return his focus on li'l fella. She was so pale. He also noticed that her nose was worryingly dry—and warm. Sure signs that something was very wrong with her. Gently running his hands through her hair, his fingers soon came away bloodied as Max stifled a moan of pain. "S-Sorry li'l fella. Joshua will be more careful next time.—You hurt your head."
"I know. Josh?" She nearly whimpered, her expression torn between pain and worry as her hand touched his dusted face.
"Yes, Max?"
"I'm so glad you're okay… Are the others…"
"Shush, Max. You are hurt. Time for—for you now; the others—can wait—"
"No, Josh! The explosion…" She sounded so insistent that it was hard for him not to tell her everything. But he knew that he shouldn't. As it was, his li'l fella had enough on her plate already with her own poor state of health. She shouldn't have to worry about any of the others. She shouldn't have to listen to him telling her about Dix, and Luke. He didn't even have words for it, just as there were no words to describe what the explosion had done to Gem and littlest fella…
An involuntary howl escaped him at the unbidden memory.
"Josh… Oh no, oh no… Gem? Dix? M-Mole?"
"Right here, Princess!" the lizard-like transhuman suddenly chimed in, saving Joshua from going into actual detail. He heard Max exhale a long, slow breath at hearing the familiar grumble. A wan smile appeared on her face.
"Mole," she whispered. Suddenly she looked frantic. "Alec," she said, "Joshua, where did Alec go, where… We need to make it right this time, we—"
"Make right what?" He couldn't follow her. Her babble sounded incoherent at most, and Joshua was unsure what to make of that realization. Obviously the explosion hadn't only made Alec act somewhat curiously, but also li'l fella.
"No, Max. Not move," Joshua insisted when she tried to rise out of her lying position, and his voice rang with the tone of an actual command. Max stared at her friend, her wide eyes imploring him to let her go. But he couldn't do that. Too much seemed at stake, and instinct told him it was better to avoid any abrupt movements, what with Max's current fragile state.
"Joshua…"
"No. Max."
"But—Joshua. Let me go, I'm fine. Just a little bit of a headache. Nothing unusual—"
"No." Joshua was aware of her hands circling his wrists, the pressure quickly increasing, as was her level of frustration. Annoyance was settling on her features, lending her the typical air of impatience.
"This is ridiculous, Josh. Let me—"
"Only if Max promises to talk—'talk sense.'"
"What—"
Joshua gazed at her, determined. "Max talks sense and Joshua will help her get up—make—make sure Max didn't hurt her head." He knocked on his own head for emphasis, trying to make her understand.
"We don't have time for this, big fella. Alec—is he here? He was here, I know he was. I need to—let me—Josh…"
She was struggling against his grasp, painfully tightening her hold onto his wrists as she called out Alec's name. And eventually, seeking help from his best buddy, Joshua turned around to where he assumed Mole was talking matters over with Alec, only to find the X5 staring at him and Max. A haunted look grazed his features as his gaze met Josh's. Suddenly the transhuman heard Alec mutter one quick, "You take care of her now," before he broke into a quick run.
… The next day would find Alec gone, having left Terminal City. Having left Joshua—and Max.
Right then, though, kneeling beside li'l fella and watching Alec leave, Joshua didn't yet know that 24 hours from then, Alec would be gone.
Just a day from now… and Alec didn't even turn around once again to look at them.
He couldn't…
Yeah, I'm trying to make sense of this, also…(: