A Little Birdie Told Me
Summary: Supply runs keep going wrong and Max needs to figure out why… MA.
Finally, Alec gets to talk today. He's earned it. This story has been awfully hard on him. Not that today is any easier, but he at least gets to talk about it.
Chapter Ten
For half a second, Alec was stunned into immobility. He caught Max before she fell and lowered her to the ground. He glanced up and saw White still standing with the gun in his hand, a similarly stunned look on his face.
And then Alec saw red. He wasn't sure what happened after that but the next time he stopped to breathe, the familiars were unconscious or had been knocked off the rooftop. White was flat on his back staring into the barrel of his own gun which Alec had somehow managed to get hold of. Alec could hear the SWAT team clomping up the fire escape and imagined more would be swarming up the steps inside the building. Throwing familiars off the roof probably hadn't been his best bet for not giving away their position.
"Are you gonna shoot me or just keep staring at me?" White snapped.
Alec stood up straight and brought the heel of his boot down viciously on White's face. He didn't even wait to make sure that White was unconscious, although the amount of blood pouring from his nose was very satisfying.
Alec tucked the gun into his waistband at his back, scooped Max up in his arms and ran in the opposite direction of the fire escape. He couldn't look at her yet, wouldn't. The cops were right behind him and he had to get her away before he could do anything else for her. Besides, if he looked at her, he'd probably go back and empty his gun into White just for good measure, police or no police.
The next building was far enough away that Alec thought twice about jumping. He had a bum knee and he was carrying an extra person. He didn't really have a choice, however. The cops were hot on his heels and more importantly he didn't know how badly Max was hurt. She was still unconscious which certainly wasn't a good sign.
As he approached the edge of the rooftop, Alec put on a burst of speed, ignoring the protests his knee was making, and jumped with everything he had. He landed hard and his knee made a noise that told him he was going to be sorry as soon as the adrenaline wore off. The impact nearly jarred Max out of his arms, but he clung to her fiercely and rolled, protecting her as best he could.
He got back to his feet and ran. He could feel his shirt was sticky and knew it was Max's blood. The thought pushed him faster.
"Max?" Alec said, panting. There was no response and he shook her. "Max!" She groaned and her eyes fluttered open just barely. "Max, where's your bike?" he demanded. "I need to know where your bike is!"
Max's eyes fluttered again and he could see her trying to focus. "Dumpster."
"You hid it behind a dumpster?" Alec asked, gasping as he ran, resettling her in his arms as he found another fire escape and tried to make his way down. "Where is it?"
"Two blocks." She blinked distantly again. "South. By laundry."
Alec ran with every last ounce of strength he had. He had to stay ahead of the sector police. He had to get past the checkpoint before they closed everything down. He had to get Max back to Terminal City.
Alec wanted to weep when he saw Max's Ninja stashed just where she'd said it would be. He climbed on and settled Max in front of him, facing him. She was barely conscious and she wouldn't be able to hold on if he put her behind him. He held her close, her legs thrown over his, straddling him. "Put your arms around me, Max," Alec ordered. He waited for her to obey, frightened by how weak her grip was on him.
Alec started the bike and drove down the alley the dumpster was in. He crossed the next street and then went down another alley, then again. Once he was satisfied he was far enough away from the SWAT team and their cordoned off area, he floored the bike, heading in the opposite direction of TC. The first thing the cops would do was close down that checkpoint. They would assume any transgenic would be trying to get back there. Alec would have to go in the opposite direction, get through that checkpoint and then circle back around in a big enough loop that they wouldn't know that he was who they were looking for.
All of which would take time, which he just wasn't sure they had. Or Max more specifically.
Alec swore furiously. He should have known. He was just doomed. He had been since birth. Manticore had seen to it.
For weeks he'd been doing his best to keep Max at bay, keep himself in check. He of all people knew just how dangerous it was for people like them to become attached. He'd done fine, kept himself busy with supply runs, ignored the way she looked at him, kept his back to her while they slept, ignored that her scent lingered on his skin even when they were apart.
He'd found himself longing for the moment when they would leave the apartment. He could touch her then and it was fine. It was just part of the Op. That was all it was, he'd told himself. It didn't mean anything. She was still in love with Logan, after all. Alec was just an afterthought to her, a necessary annoyance.
Still, he'd found himself weakening. He'd known it was wrong, a disaster in the making, a recipe for heartbreak. Then he'd woken up that morning to see Max's skin covered with runes. Before he could stop himself, he'd reached out to trace them and her warm skin beneath his fingers had been his undoing. When Max had turned to him, he'd known he was lost. Alec had spent those two days when the sector cops had them pinned down coming up with every possible reason that being with Max was a terrible idea. He'd fought it, yelled at her, refused to believe her, but he'd known it was useless. He'd been a goner the second she'd come into his office and told him she needed his help with Logan.
Max had lost people close to her, too many people. She should have known better, and yet for some reason she couldn't help caring about the people around her. She protected them, loved them, fought for them time and time again. They both should have known better. But if she couldn't keep her distance then Alec should have. He should have stayed away. Because now Max wasn't just fighting for him or caring for him. She was dying for him.
Alec saw the checkpoint ahead and slowed the motorcycle to a crawl as he approached. He kept Max where she was and hoped the darkness would hide the blood.
"Sector pass," the guard said. He sounded bored and Alec was grateful. It meant the guard hadn't been given an alert yet to watch for them.
Alec leaned down and nuzzled at Max's neck as he fished his pass out of his pocket and showed it to the guard. "Sorry, Maxie," he whispered only loud enough for her to hear. He tightened his arm around her, pressing her closer to him and Max moaned involuntarily. Alec hated causing her more pain, but he was desperate to get them through the checkpoint as quickly as possible. As far as the guard was concerned they looked like lovers who needed to get a room.
"Where's her pass?"
"Oh, come on, man," Alec said jovially, with just a hint of impatience. "Are you really gonna make me find hers too? I live just over there." He pointed with the hand that wasn't holding Max. "We're kind of… busy."
Alec put his free hand under Max's thigh and once again pulled her tightly to him. Max moaned again and the pain made her claw at him more tightly, the muscles in her legs tightening so that she rose, looking like she was nearly trying to ride him then and there.
It was the most awful, unsexiest thing Alec had ever seen or felt, but he tossed the guard a lascivious grin over Max's head, now tucked against his chest. "Come on, man. Give a guy a break."
The guard snorted appreciatively at the sight they made, half-leering like he wanted to get in on the action. It took everything Alec had not to get off the bike and smash the guy's ugly grin into pulp. Instead, he turned back to Max, once again nuzzling her neck. "Hold on, Max. Almost there."
The guard gave them one last look, laughed and shook his head, then waved him on through. The guy would never know how lucky he was. Alec had been prepared to just shoot him if he held them up any longer.
Alec once again floored the bike. He raced back toward Terminal City, avoiding anything else that might slow them down. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Command, swearing at how awkward it was while trying to hold Max and control the motorcycle.
"What?" Mole said.
"Max is hurt. Have them ready in Medical."
"Copy that."
Alec shoved the phone back in his pocket as he drove the bike into the garage they'd been using to hide them. Since TC had been locked down, getting the motorcycles in and out had become nearly impossible. They'd decided to keep them in a garage close to a sewer entrance so they could still use them to get around the city. Alec got off the bike, gathered Max in his arms and ran for the tunnels. It was only two hundred yards of sewer, but with Max held close against him it felt like miles.
He burst out of the tunnels and blurred toward Medical. Mole had informed them as asked, and as soon as he appeared, there were hands waiting to take her from him. In seconds, she was gone, disappearing into a crowd of people as orders started flying.
Alec fell to his knees, panting for air. He was immediately sorry. His injured knee was screaming in agony and Alec rolled off it, landing on his back, grasping it tightly. It didn't matter though. Max was in good hands. They were the best field medics Manticore could create. She would be fine. She had to be.
Alec got to his feet, biting his lip to keep from crying out as he put weight on his knee. It still didn't matter. Alec had one thing left to do.
Other than Max, Alec had told only one person about the supply run. Just one.
Alec walked out of Medical into the chilly night air. The sun would be coming up soon, but if Alec had anything to do with it, there was a transgenic who would never see the dawn.
Alec strode toward Command. He'd never had any doubts about his place in life, or if he had, those doubts had been beaten out of him. Alec knew who he was. He was a trained assassin.
He locked everything else away. The emotions, the worry, the pain, the anger. He wasn't Alec anymore. He wasn't 494 either. He was just a man on a mission.
And he had someone to kill.
More soon…