Title: Movie Magic
Summary: Max and Alec go undercover on a movie set, and things get…complicated. MA.
Spoilers: Takes place sometime after "Love Among The Runes," but before "Freak Nation."
Disclaimer: Alec says hi, lol. ;)
A/N: A few people asked about the tiger-transhuman. :) For anyone who's curious about her, she's inspired in part by the panther-woman Alec meets in the sewers in "Proof Of Purchase." Like the panther-woman, she has a lot of animal DNA, and doesn't really speak, though she can understand some of what people say to her. Her instincts tend to overwhelm her human characteristics though, so Manticore couldn't train her. She was kept for research purposes. If you have any more questions about her or any of the other OCs, please feel free to ask. :)
To my anonymous reviewers:
Alec's Angel: Thank you so much! :) I'm very glad that you enjoyed the action scenes, and Alec trying to talk to the tiger-woman. And I'm so glad that you caught the reference to Supernatural too, lol! :)
I hope you'll enjoy this next chapter, and please let me know what you think!
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Movie Magic
Max watched the soldiers lining up outside, and tried to force away her frustration. She knew the only option they really had now was to withdraw, but something inside her rebelled at the idea. It made her think of all those sayings about the predator becoming the prey, and the predator inside Max didn't like it one bit.
Besides, with the week she'd had, she really wanted another excuse to hit something.
Max sighed. Right now, they had other things to worry about. She glanced at the transhuman woman who was prowling around behind Alec, and activated her comm.
"Mole, we'll head for the back of the building. Meet us there."
She didn't wait for Mole to answer, just started walking. She felt Alec move behind her, and tried to ignore how aware of him she always seemed to be. It was part of what had annoyed her when they'd first met, but lately, it had almost started to be kind of…comforting. Now, though, it was just another reminder of what she couldn't have.
Max led the team through the hanger and back towards the corridor they'd been in earlier. She thought about using the window again, but one look at the transhuman changed her mind. The tiger-woman was keeping up with them for now, but it had taken Alec a while just to coax her out of that cage. If they used the window, chances were she wouldn't follow, and Max didn't want to risk leaving her behind. She kept moving down the corridor instead. There was an emergency exit at the end, an unlit sign above it. She tested the handle, glad to find that it wasn't locked. Not that locks were really much of a challenge for a transgenic, but they had enough to deal with already.
She had pushed the door open and was just about to step outside when she saw them. A group of soldiers was standing about ten feet away, guns raised.
"Down!" Max shouted, and dropped to the ground.
A split second later, a barrage of bullets flew overhead.
Max's gaze darted around to the others, and relief swept through her when she realized they had all instinctively obeyed the order. Alec was right beside her, using a low-lying crate as extra cover, his hand reaching for the Glock tucked in his waistband as he looked for an chance to return fire. Garret was a little farther back, reaching for his own weapon. The transhuman was on Alec's other side, crouched down, growling.
Max hit the radio at her ear.
"Mole, where are you?!" she demanded.
"Busy," came the terse reply. Another round of gunfire sounded a second later, carrying over the comm and echoing outside. The bullets punching through the thin walls of the hanger stopped abruptly as the soldiers outside realized they had a new threat to worry about.
Max looked over at Alec, and he nodded, already knowing what she was thinking. Going out the front of the building was risky, but it was better than trying to meet the ambush head-on.
She pushed herself up, and staying low, started running for the main part of the hanger. Alec fell in behind her, jogging backwards, both hands on his gun. Garret climbed up onto a stack of crates, ready to lay down cover-fire if they needed it. The transhuman followed behind them, looking back in the direction of the soldiers, her teeth bared.
A noise echoed through the hanger, and Max froze. There was a loud creak, the sound of metal grating on metal, and slowly, the main hanger door started to open.
Max's breath caught in her throat.
Rodriguez.
He'd been corralling them. He'd set his operation out in the open hoping they'd see it and try to sneak out the back, where his men were waiting. Now, he was opening the hanger, giving his men easy access to building. He was surrounding them, cutting them off in both directions.
"This isn't good," Alec said lowly. Max saw him tap the radio at his ear. "Mole, we're gonna need some help in here!"
The only answer they got was static.
"Logan!" Max tried. "Can you reach Mole?"
"No, and I'm not picking up anything else either. Whatever orders those soldiers have, they're not discussing it over comms."
"Radio silence," Alec muttered.
Max nodded in agreement. Rodriguez was obviously paranoid, and this time it was paying off. Not that it was really hard to figure out what the soldiers' orders were now. The door was high enough that she could see them outside, waiting. Max and Alec shared a look, then moved apart automatically, trying to cover more ground and not give the bad guys a single target.
Chances were they wouldn't be able to hold off the soldiers for long, but they didn't exactly have much choice. Their best bet was to wait for Mole and the others. They wouldn't win, but they might be able hold Rodriguez and his men off so they could escape.
As soon as the door was high enough, the first of the soldiers slipped through.
Max ran at the nearest one, making his head snap back as the heel of her hand connected with his nose. He staggered back, stunned, and Max kicked out, her foot catching the back of his knee. His leg collapsed, and he went down hard.
A fist came at Max from the right, almost taking her by surprise, but she ducked just in time, hitting her newest attacker in the side with her elbow. She felt a rib give way, and he cried out in pain. She reached up for the collar of his uniform, picking him up and throwing him overhead, tossing him to the cement.
A gun clicked behind her, and Max blurred immediately, heading for the near-by wall of the hanger. She jumped up easily, running perpendicular to the wall, then twisted in mid-air, flipping over the soldier and landing behind him. He spun around but didn't move fast enough, and Max reached for his gun, ripping it from his hands, then hit him in the face with it. He stumbled back, and Max attacked again, her leg connecting with his chest. He crumpled to the ground and didn't move.
Max looked at the gun with disgust and dropped it, her eyes darting back to the battle around her.
She could see Alec a few feet away, fighting two soldiers at once, dodging their blows, and coming back with several of his own. Garret was still balanced on one of the high stacks of crates, making careful shots, acting as a sniper.
Max knew they had to end this thing now. The hanger was rapidly filling with solders, and it seemed like as soon as one went down, another appeared to take his place. They wouldn't be able to last much longer like this.
They had to get that door closed.
Her eyes flew up to the ceiling, searching the shadows, looking for something, anything. She let her gaze sweep over the hydraulics controlling the door, and…there.
"Garret!" she shouted. He turned, and she pointed at the ceiling. "The hoses!"
He nodded in understanding and raised his gun, adjusting his aim. He fired a few quick shots, hitting the main hose, rupturing it. The metal screeched in protest, and the building rattled as the door started to fall. Soldiers scrambled out of the way, and a few of them ran outside just before the door crashed to the cement, the sound reverberating though the hanger.
There was still a handful of soldiers inside, but for now, the soldiers outside would stay there. That would have to be enough until backup arrived. Max felt a stab of worry. She hadn't let herself think about it earlier, but if Mole and the others had been taken out, then-
A roar of pain came from behind her, and Max spun, her eyes immediately finding the transhuman. She was surrounded, a group of soldiers slowly pushing her back towards the cage. One of the men had found a cattle-prod somewhere and was shocking the transhuman with it each time she lunged.
Max turned around again, searching for Garret. A few of the soldiers had started shooting at him after the door had come down, and he was laying flat on top of the crates, ducking fire. He'd chosen his position well though, and they hadn't been able to hit him. He was safe for now, safer than the transhuman, anyway. She glanced across the hanger. Alec was busy taking on some of the men who'd managed to slip through before the door had closed.
Oh well, Max thought. It was up to her.
She blurred, coming up behind one of the soldiers and throwing him of her way. He hit the wall of the hanger hard and didn't get back up. She blurred again, punching another soldier in the face, then smashed her knee into his chest, making him double over as the air was forced from his lungs. She moved for the next one, but pain suddenly raced along her nerves, wrenching an involuntary cry from her throat as her muscles spasmed.
Cattle-prod, Max thought hazily. One of the guards had hit her with it.
Her legs gave out, and she fell, landing hard on the cement. Instinct made her try to get up right away, but her body ignored her brain's commands.
The guard stood over her, watching her twitch. Realizing she wasn't much of a threat at the moment, he drew his gun and aimed leisurely, the barrel of his weapon pointed straight at her chest. Max saw the guard's finger slowly tighten on the trigger, and braced herself for the inevitable.
"MAX!"
Alec's yell was the last thing she heard before the gun fired.
TBC…
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A/N: I know, I'm mean! *ducks all the rotten tomatoes* It just was too good a spot to stop at, and I couldn't resist! *hides under desk*
The next chapter should be up in a couple days, Lord willing. :)
Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think!
Take care and God bless!
Ani-maniac494 :)