Disclaimer: I only want to own Jensen... sadly, all I have is DVDs
A/N: second last chapter!! I know it's been a long time coming. I hope it lives up to standards. And that it makes sense. Enjoy.
Chapter 11: Falling from the inside
Alec came through the hole in the wall at approximately 1:05 that night, crawling out onto the floor, coming to stop at Max's feet. She looked down, and smiled.
'Are you here to grovel now because I have everything organised, and I remembered all the small details where you did not?' She asked, amused, and he shot her a quick glare before he pulled himself up off the floor.
'I think not.' He said, as he brushed himself off. Some of the spaces he went through to get from his cell to Max's were quite small, and dirty.
'Well, if you're not here to grovel, I just can't see why you're here at all.' She said, feigning innocence. He let out a low growl that had her laughing as he reached out and pulled her towards him. 'You know, we should be resting or preparing for tomorrow, making sure everything's ready.' She mumbled as his lips brushed hers.
'Mm... everything's ready to go...and this is much more fun...besides, we have a busy few days ahead of us...I say we take advantage of the time we have' he replied, between kisses.
'Oh ok, if you insist.' She said as she sunk into the kiss.
A few hours later, Alec woke to find Max fully awake and lost in thought.
'Penny for your thoughts?' He whispered in her ear, and she turned to face him, and although she smiled, he could see the worry in her eyes. 'What's wrong?'
'Nothing, I'm...' She stopped when he looked pointedly at her, and took a breath. 'I'm just worried about everything. What if something goes wrong, or someone's timing is a second off, and we lose people, or everyone? I mean, back in 09 it was just a unit of us, we were harder to find. Now it's all of us.'
'Yeah, but no one's gonna be a second behind, cause that's not how we were made. Nothing's gonna go wrong, cause we won't let it; we have this thing planned out to the very last detail, taking in all possibilities. This is what we were made to do, Max. In fact, if weren't planning to escape the facility, I'd say Renfro would be very pleased with the plan, and our use of all our skills. And as for there being more of us, it's true that with more of us it might make it easier, but at the same time, we're a lot older than you guys were, and, no offence, a lot better. And we're all taking this risk Max, just like you did. We want out, and we're not stupid enough to know that some might not make it, but we're all willing to risk it for our freedom.' He held her as he spoke, but he pulled her back to look at her, and he grinned. 'Besides, Renfro's so busy trying to figure out who's gonna attack her, she'll be confused as hell when we start this she won't know what's going on until it's too late.'
'So, you're sure on your part?' Max asked him, and he chuckled.
'Yeah, I'm sure.' She looked at him, and he sighed. 'At precisely 6:25, when the dinner bell would usually be sounding, Lawrence and Drac will sound the alarm, thus causing everyone not in on the plan to hurry outside, as well as all of the X8s, most of the X6s and some X5s. Renfro'll be too busy trying to figure out who sounded the alarm, and where the attack is coming from to notice that not all of us are there. And if she does notice, the stupid bitch'll probably think we're off trying to defend the facility. The nomalies and special divisions will exit through the basement to the back of the facility. I will be waiting to enter the armoury, with Biggs and Ben. Sash, Daphne and Nicole, along with their appointed X5s and X6s, females, will be down near the maternity ward, and will take out the guards and doctors down there, before removing the babies. Other X5s and X6s will be in various places over the facilities buildings, looking out for stragglers and making sure the buildings are empty before we really begin. Blade, Steve, Ariel and Honey will all be leading teams to take out the various towers, while Jack, Angie and Sym take their teams to secure the perimeters. At this point they, along with those in the towers will eliminate the X7s on perimeters. And then...'
'I come out onto the roof, and the real fun starts, beginning with Renfro being detained and the guards realising who's in charge.' She quietened, and he looked down, concern in his eyes.
'What is it, Max?' He asked softly.
'As much as I hate the guards and the doctors, I feel bad doing this to some of them. I mean, as much as I hate killing, I really think that some of them deserve to die, like Renfro. But I can't help feeling that some of them...'
'Actually cared about us?' he finished for her, and she nodded.
'I know what you mean, Max. Which is why Abbey, Gem and Jordan, who will be out in the yard, will be instructing the soldiers in charge of subduing the guards and doctors that certain ones aren't to be killed, but left alive to be found by whoever arrives to clean up the fire. For their own sakes as much as ours, they won't tell what really happened here.' He watched as Max's face lit up as he spoke, and loved that he was the one putting it there. She looked confused as he smiled contentedly.
'I know why I'm smiling, why are you smiling?' she asked, and he laughed before answering.
'No reason, really. I just love seeing you smile like that. And I guess it's a good thing I have an excellent memory, cause I don't think I'll be seeing it for a few days, and I'll probably need it.'
'Yeah, it's gonna be a long few days.'
At exactly 6:24 the next evening, Alec stood in front of Biggs and Ben, listening for the sound that would signal the beginning of the end of Manticore, Wyoming. He thought back to the last time he'd seen Max, in her cell following lunch...
They sat on her bunk, side by side, in silence, just holding hands. Alec turned to Max, used his spare hand to turn her face to his.
'Max, you know I love you, right?' She tried to pull away, but he held fast.
'Alec, don't...'
'I'm not saying it in a 'just in case I never see you again' way, cause I know I'm gonna see you again. Just try and stop me.' He said, and they laughed lightly. 'I was serious, though. I guess I was just checking, I just wanted to go into this being sure that you knew it.' He shrugged as he finished, as if trying to make it a 'no big deal' situation, and she grinned.
'Not trying to back out of anything, are you?' and he grinned back, and pulled her into a hug.
'Not a chance in hell. Cause you're stuck with me. And when this is all over, it'll be me, you and our baby girl.' He whispered into her hair, and he held her.
The sound of the alarm, and the following footsteps pulled Alec from his memory, and back to the task at hand. Two minutes later, the footsteps had faded and Alec signalled to Biggs and Ben to follow him. They went around the corner, and saw to their disgust that the guards hadn't even bothered to make sure the armoury was secure before abandoning their posts. Renfro would be so disappointed. It only made their job that much easier, not that breaking in would have been hard, Alec thought to himself. They made their way in and separated. Biggs and Ben headed to the hand held weapons, particularly the guns, while Alec headed to where they kept the explosives. Those taking the perimeter and towers already had small weapons, and would take those of the ones they killed, but the soldiers inside the facility, and a few outside, would need weapons, and it was Ben and Biggs' job to get the weapons to them. Alec was preparing the "fire" that would ultimately destroy the facility.
Max sat in the stairwell that led to the highest roof, waiting for the alarm. She, too, was thinking about the conversation between her and Alec that afternoon.
'You know, Alec, we really need to think about naming her. We can't keep calling her baby girl, and god knows we're not calling her 946.'
'Hmm... well, I don't have anything just yet, how about we name her after this is over? And the name will be agreed on by both of us.' He said pointedly, and she glared.
'Was that a stab at my naming abilities?' She demanded, and she hit him when he only smirked. 'Well, your name turned out ok, didn't it?'
'That was lucky. Don't worry Max, we'll come up with a name.'
'I know. I guess I'm still not used to this whole thing, it still seems surreal, so I guess I think naming her will make it seem more real.'
'I know what you mean. We name her, it's like she becomes a real person, and ours.'
She smiled at the memory of Alec's face when he said that last word; the amazement on his face. Then the alarm sounded, and she pushed the memory aside as she began to count. They had given the teams outside 5 minutes to obtain control before Max made her appearance. As for the Xs in charge of restraining Renfro and the other ordinaries, their cue was Max's appearance. So she sat and counted.
'That was the alarm, so the guards and doctors should be moving now.' Sash said to the other women around her. Sure enough, two seconds later, hurried feet could be heard making their way out of the maternity wing. They knew that a few guards and doctors would have been instructed to stay behind, but they weren't of any concern to them. Except one, who was to be left unharmed and brought with them. Dr Ryans, who Alec had instructed was not to be killed. Sash knew that Alec planned on letting the few guards and doctors who had been kind to them, live, and she guessed that Cece or one of the others must have said something to Alec about Dr Ryans. Either way, she had her orders, and as soon as the footsteps stopped, she lead her group around the corner, and towards the maternity ward.
When they were close, they split into three groups, headed by Sash, Daphne and Nicole. They separated, Daphne's group heading out first to take care of the guards and doctors quickly and efficiently. Then Nicole and Sash's groups followed, going off to either side of the main corridor to start collecting the babies. Since they knew the rough numbers of infants, they assigned a female to two babies. Once Daphne's group had eliminated the remaining people, they too would take two babies each. And Dr Ryans would help. The plan was for them to move the babies as far as they could before the detonators went off, and they would meet up with the mothers and fathers after. But for now, they had at least 50 babies to handle, with there being an average of 6 babies per unit.
'Ok, let's get this done as quickly as possible. Max is only waiting 5 minutes to make her appearance, and after that we've got less than half an hour to get as far away from here as we can before this place blows. Cece, you and Evey take our unit; Claire and Elle unit 5, Sarah, the single babies from those two units. I'll take Sarah and get unit the babies from unit 4.'
'How much time do we before Max starts?' Cece asked, as they started to separate.
'4 minutes and counting. Let's get started.'
'Everyone settle down. Kellerman, what the hell is going on? Who sounded the alarm, and why?' Renfro demanded, calling over one of the head guards.
'Unknown, ma'am. We're trying to determine it, but we can't get a location on the guards stationed near the control room and security areas.' He replied, and she glared at him. 'I'll get right on it, ma'am. We'll locate them.'
'Yes, you will.' Was all she said before she turned and walked away, pulling out her cell.
'Hey, you have any idea what's going on? Why the alarm?' Angie asked, coming up behind a lone X7 patrolling the perimeter, who turned to her and raised his gun. 'Whoa, whoa, no need to do that. Just wondering if you'd heard anything about the alarm, which clearly you haven't. I'll just be going now.' She smirked when the kid moved the gun to stop her departure. 'Not a people person, huh? Just a loyal soldier. That's good. Not that it'll help you much, since Manticore won't be here much longer.' She finished, before she launched herself at the kid. It took her only two minutes before the kid was dead, and she had a weapon. She signalled to the soldiers she had in the surrounding trees to move out and take out any lone X7s first and secure their weapons before moving to pairs or groups. Then she headed out. They had less than three minutes to finish securing the perimeter.
Honey led her team of three towards tower 2, at the north-east corner of the facility, before the woods. She laughed at how lax it was now. One alarm and they all go running, she thought to herself. There was no one guarding the base of the tower now, and she could only see two men up in the main room of the tower, plus one sniper at the very top. She signalled for Chase and Kev, two males from unit 3, to follow her, and for Dina, from unit 5, to come last and make her way up to the top to take out the sniper, and assume his position. They all nodded and she started up the stairs.
When they reached the door, she slipped a note under the door, one of four that Max had prepared. They read, very simply; Guess who? They heard the guards moving, and one read out the letter. Then two sets of footsteps headed for the door. They opened the door and were met with the three transgenics. Honey smiled sweetly up at them.
'Weren't expecting us, were ya?' she asked sweetly, then blurred and punched them both, before moving past them, leaving Chase and Kev to finish them. A few seconds later they heard movement above them, which didn't last long. Then Dina popped back down the stairs to let them know she was fine, before she headed back up to take her position. She looked at Chase and Kev, who were now holding guns, and nodded. She turned to the control panel and picked up the radio. She looked down at her watch, saw that five minutes were almost up, and started to speak.
'This is Honey, tower 2 is secure. How about you?' Five seconds later, it crackled as someone began talking.
'This is Steve, tower 3 is... now secure.' They laughed at the brief pause that signalled that someone wasn't quite down when he started.
'This is Ariel, tower 1 is secure.'
'This is Blade, tower 4 is secure. 30 seconds to show time.' And in the four corners of the facility, the four transgenics smiled.
Abbey stood next to Jordan, watching Renfro talking to the head guards out of the corner of her eye.
'15 seconds and counting. How's Gem? She all set?' she asked him, looking at him discreetly. She saw him nod, a slight movement that an ordinary wouldn't have noticed.
'Ok, get back to your spot. 5 seconds.'
Max stood on the top step, counting down the final seconds. '7...6...5...4...3...2...1... show time.' She opened the door and walked out onto the roof. Blade was the first to see her from his position in the north-west tower, and his sniper sent off the two warning shots. As she approached the edge, Max looked down and saw the people scrambling for cover, unsure of where the shots were coming from. And she noticed as Gem, Jordan and Abbey led their people to surround them. She waited another 30 seconds for them to be in position, before she began.
'Elizabeth Renfro.' She projected her voice, and watched as the people heard it, and slowly stopped moving and began looking around. 'Director Elizabeth Renfro.' She called again, and saw them all look up at her, saw the look of astonishment, and then outrage on Renfro's face.
'452, I should've known. What, you managed to convince a few people to escape with you? You should've waited until dark, you would've had more of a chance.' Renfro said, and Max laughed.
'You don't get it, do you? It's not a few of us. It's all of us. Director Renfro... well, as Director, you're supposed to know everything that goes on here, right? Guess you're not as good as you thought, huh? Cause you clearly didn't know that all the X5 COs have been meeting every night for over two weeks, planning this. That someone from psy-ops, the desert division and the arctic division have also been involved. I bet you don't know that right now, this whole facility is under the control of X5s.' She saw disbelief, and panic, cross Renfro's face.
'You're bluffing, 452. There is no way that you could get the entire X series, and the special divisions teams, under your command.' Max smiled.
'Oh, I know that. After all, you did train them all to hate me. But, Alec, I believe you know him as 494, or should I just refer to him as my breeding partner? Anyway, Alec is looked up to by basically every transgenic here. And, well, neither of us took too kindly to you helping yourself to our DNA to create a baby, so when he went to the other X5 COs, they were only too happy to help.'
'494 is a good soldier, he would never...'
'He would never do this? You really under estimate us, Renfro. But don't worry, you won't be around much longer any way. But you can be proud, in your final minutes, that we're reaching our full potential. We're doing what we were trained to do. Eliminate our enemies, erase all trace of ourselves. Blend in to our surroundings. Well, we blended in here, we're about to eliminate our enemies, and once we're through here, all trace of us will be gone.'
'I still don't see anyone helping you, 452.'
'Look around, Renfro. Really look. We're everywhere. Oh, and my name's Max.' The second she said her name, Abbey and the others sprung into action, and within minutes they had all the guards, doctors and Renfro contained. Abbey was watching Renfro, and was using Kellerman's gun to keep her on the ground, not that she needed it.
'See, Renfro? I told you, you underestimate us. Don't go anywhere.' She turned, and disappeared back into the building. Once inside, she made her way down to the control room, where all the facility's systems were connected. She found Drac and Lawrence inside, erasing everything, although first they had made a copy of the main database of all the transgenics in the facility.
'Hey Max,' Drac said without looking up. 'We're about half done here. It took a while to copy the files, there are a lot of us here, but not we're just deleting everything. It sure was handy for them to have all their systems connected to this main one. Idiots.' He added the last bit slightly under his breath, and they all laughed.
'That's great. I'm gonna go see how Biggs and Ben are going. Make sure the rest of the building is clear.'
Outside, Abbey watched Max disappear back into the building. As soon as she was clear, she looked to her left, at Gem, then to her right, at Jordan. She nodded once, then looked forward. They passed their guns to the people behind them, and pulled out knives. She saw the fear in the eyes of those in front of her, in the eyes of Renfro, and for a second she felt a twinge of guilt for what she was about to do to most of them. But then she remembered why they were doing this, what these people had done to her, and her friends and family. And the fear in their eyes grew as they saw something change in her eyes, as she stalked towards them.
And as they started, the air filled with screams, but she blocked it; the only thing on her mind was the pain and horror these people had inflicted on them for the past 20 odd years.
'Hey, Max. We've secured half the facility, two casualties near Renfro's office, left behind to secure the files, I guess, not that there would've been anything for them to find, considering Drac and Lawrence are on it.' Biggs said a few minutes later, as the three of them stood in the hall talking.
'Yeah, and we've been down to the maternity ward. Sash and Nicole's teams were gone, all babies are fine, Daphne's teams were just about to head out, with Dr Ryans in tow.'
'That's good to know. Uh... did you happen to find out...?'
'Cece has her, she's fine. Now, we gotta go finish checking the place. See you later.'
'Bye.' Ben was about to leave, when he turned back and pulled her into a hug.
'You always worry too much, Maxie.' He whispered into her ear, before he pulled away and followed Biggs down the corridor. She took a deep breath, then turned in the other direction and headed off to find Alec.
Alec was setting the last explosive in place; they were strategically placed in 5 points around the facility to cause optimum damage, and start a nice sized fire, but also to leave the least amount of trace of explosives, causing the fire to look like an accident. Once everyone was clear, he would set of the first explosive, which would trigger a chain reaction through the pipes of the facility. He was double checking it when Max came up behind him. He rose, and turned to her, satisfied that everything was set to go. He'd also set a timer on the first one, set to go off in 40 minutes, just in case something went wrong.
'Hey, all set in here?' She asked softly, and he nodded.
'Yep. Last one's in place, timer's set in case I happen to lose this little bad boy,' he said, pulling a small plastic rectangle from his pocket, 'and Biggs and Ben should almost be done clearing the building.'
'They've done just over half, or they had about 5 minutes ago. They move quick, although I guess it helps if you know this place inside out, huh? And the maternity ward should be completely empty by now, Daphne's team was the only one left. And Drac and Lawrence should be almost done by now too. Which leaves...'
'Renfro. Are you sure you're up to this, Max? I know you don't like killing people, and considering what happened the last time...'
'I know, on both accounts. But I have to do this, Alec. I can honestly say that I have no problems about killing Renfro. You were right; I don't like killing people, so I guess it's a good thing for me that I don't consider Renfro has being human. Not that I love killing animals, but she doesn't even count as that. She's beyond low. She's evil incarnate, and I won't let her go out into the world to create another Manticore.'
'Ok. As long as you're sure. Ready to go?' He held out his hand for her, and she took it. They walked in silence until they reached the main door that would take them out to the yard, when Max stopped. Alec turned back, confusion on his face. 'Max...'
'No, I still want to do it, it's just... do you think you could go out and see if Abbey and them are finished? I'm just not big on the whole mass killing thing, ya know?' He nodded, and released her hand, before he stepped outside. When the door shut behind him, Max let out a breath, and looked around. Empty, and silent, it didn't seem like much. She tried to figure out why she'd spent so much time running from this place, of being scared to go back. It really wasn't much. But then, they had been stronger, faster, smarter, and they'd still been subdued the guards and doctors. Because they'd been weak, in the most important way, they'd been weak. But, she thought to herself as she smiled, not any more.
Alec stepped outside, and walked quickly towards Abbey and Jordan, who were talking. He could see the bodies, could smell the blood from the moment he opened the doors. But he needed the confirmation. Abbey looked up when she heard him approaching, and Jordan followed her gaze.
'Alec.'
'What's the situation?'
'There'll be 10 survivors. 7 guards, 3 doctors. They're over there. We cut them a little, made it look like they'd run for their lives and made it outside before they collapsed from exhaustion, and eventually, smoke inhalation. The rest... I guess they didn't make it out in time.'
'And Renfro?' Abbey shifted her eyes to over his shoulder, and he turned and followed her gaze to where Renfro was kneeling in front of an X6 who was watching her.
'Ok. Have you seen Biggs and Ben? Or Drac and Lawrence? Max is ready to come out.'
'Biggs and Ben headed to the north-west tower to check in with Blade, Drac and Lawrence haven't come out yet.'
'Ok... I'll go give Max the all clear and then find out what's keeping Drac and Lawrence.
When Alec came back in through the doors, he found Drac and Lawrence talking to Max.
'Oh, good. Well this saves me from having to find you guys. Max, everything's ready. You ready?' He watched as she closed her eyes, took a deep breath. And nodded.
'I'm ready. Let's go.' She walked out ahead of him, and with a quick look back at Drac and Lawrence, he followed. He watched her as she walked ahead of him. It was different today, her walk. There was nothing casual about it; it was purposeful, direct. He was still watching her as she came to a stop in front of Abbey, and Renfro, while he stood next to Ben.
Max stopped in front of Abbey, looked at her, and nodded. Abbey stepped away, joined the circle that was forming around Max and Renfro.
'So this is it 452? This is where all your training is going?' Renfro asked. 'You think your life will be perfect outside?'
'No. But it'll be a hell of a lot better than in here, that's for sure. You don't get it, do you? You never did, and you never will. Why do you think we go on the missions as often as possible, no fuss? It's not to kill for you, or to obey you. It was to get away from this place, if even for a few days. Cause this place is worse than hell on earth.' Max was circling Renfro now, as if deciding how to do it, like a bird circles their prey.
From his spot beside Alec, Ben watched the interaction, and the way Max moved. This was different from when she had killed White; she was cold now, calculating.
'You can try and beg, but it won't do you any good.' Max stopped beside Abbey now, and from the weapons she had, selected a medium sized knife. She walked back over to Renfro, hauled her to her feet. She ran the knife along Renfro's arm, slicing through her top, into the skin, and as their audience watched, blood formed and began dripping down her arm. Max's lips curled up into a slightly feral smile at Renfro's sharp intake of breath when the knife sliced into her. 'Before you leave this earth, you will know the pain you caused.' She handed the knife back to Abbey, moved forward. And started to land some very precise blows to Renfro. She moved quickly, though, and in a few minutes, Renfro was lying on the ground, sobbing from the pain; the pain of a dislocated shoulder, broken knee cap, crushed fingers and more.
'That was for Brin, Ben, me and everyone else who survived. This is for Jack, Eva, Tinga, Zack, and everyone else who didn't.' Ben watched as she continued to inflict pain on her, and the scene in front of him brought back memories of when they had first been reunited, more than a year ago.
'Ben why are you doing this?'
'You know why.'
He'd been just as cold back then, and he could remember the look on her face, the disgust at what he was doing.
'It's over.'
'Is it? What, are you gonna call the police now?' He watched her, then smirked. 'Didn't think so.'
'I could turn you over to Lydecker.'
'You wouldn't do that, would you? Your own brother?'
'Bet he'd love to figure out what the hell went wrong with you.'
'Nothing went wrong with me! I'm doing what I was made to do, what we were taught to do.'
'Hunt people down to perform amateur dental surgery? I must've missed that class.'
'You seem to know quite a bit about what I've been up to.'
'Where's Destry?'
'Not that I mind. You're one of the few people who could possibly understand.'
'That's where you're wrong. I don't understand.'
'Come on, Maxie. Don't tell me you've forgotten that day.'
'Believe me, I've tried.'
'But you can't, can you? And you wanna know why? Cause it was the most exhilarating day of your life. For one brief moment, you were what you were meant to be – a predator. What's the matter Maxie? Are you afraid to remember?'
'I don't wanna remember.'
'Because it scares you? I think we even scared Lydecker that day. I remember watching him run off into the woods... how long it seemed for Lydecker to count down the seconds. He never had a chance. Don't tell me you don't wake up with the sound of your heart pounding in your ears.'
'Shut up!'
'Or the taste of blood in your mouth.'
'Shut up!'
'You're like a wolf in sheep's clothing, Max! Hiding your instincts, every minute of every day, so no one will know what you really are. A soldier... a hunter... a killer.'
Watching her now, Ben felt himself in her shoes, watching someone you grew up with, someone you loved, seeming to spin out of control, and there was nothing you could do to stop it, to understand it. Oh, he could understand where her pain was coming from; he felt the same anger about their siblings. But Max's seemed to go above and beyond. When she had said it was for Brin and him, he was confused. He was alive. So was Brin, despite being loyal to Manticore. And he sensed there was more, but she seemed to be dealing with it all now. Her attack, which had quickened and become almost like her attack on White, became less frenzied, her breathing returned to normal, and her eyes began to shift back to how they normally were. But in that time, he understood how she felt watching him, and listening to him try to explain; he knew he couldn't understand what was going through her mind right now, just like she hadn't been able to back then.
'The barcodes. Why the barcodes?'
'They're soldiers. Worthy opponents.
'But you're not giving them just any barcode. You're giving them yours.'
'War is art, remember? So what if I sign my work?'
'No. It's more than that. You give them your barcode, then you hunt them down and kill them. Don't you get it? You're killing yourself over and over again.'
He laughed at her, shook his head slightly.
'Do you hate yourself that much? Hate what you're doing that much?'
'I do it for her.'
'The Blue Lady?! Come on, Ben. We made her up.'
'Don't say that, Max. Don't ever say that.'
'Normal kids had the tooth fairy. We had her.'
'She's real.'
'Then why didn't she protect us? Why didn't she protect Jack?'
'Because we failed her.'
'Or Eva?'
'Because we weren't strong enough.'
'Like hell we weren't. We got out, didn't we?'
'I know what my mission is. I have faith in her.'
'Is that why you give her your victims' teeth? To make her heart stronger to fight the Nomlies?'
'Shut up.'
'You're the Nomlie.'
'No.'
'The genetic mistake.'
'No.'
'The monster in the basement. Ben, you know what you're doing is wrong. Some part of you wants it to end. So end it. Tell me where Destry is. Your mission's over. You can't keep trying to recreate Manticore.'
'We never should've left. Everything made sense there.'
'No. Nothing made sense there.'
He was crying now, he couldn't help it.
'I'm a good soldier. I try so hard.'
'Tell me where he is.'
He could remember their last conversation, her last bid to stop him.
'You're just in time. It seems his faith wasn't strong enough.'
'We can let him go...find someone better.'
'No. This is for you, Maxie. So you finally understand what I'm doing.'
They fought, then he was on the ground, he couldn't move. He could feel the pain every time he tried to move. He could hear the helicopters, knew that Manticore was here. He looked up at Max as she held him, panic clear in his eyes.
'Don't leave me here. Don't let them take me.'
'Ben, I can't carry you. We'll both get caught.'
'I know.'
'Ben, I can't.'
'Please. You know what they'll do to me. They'll put me down there with them...the Nomlies. Please.'
'Tell me about the good place.'
'Where no one ever gets punished.'
'And no one gets yelled at.'
'And nobody disappears. And when you wake up in the morning, you can stay in bed as long as...' and then everything was blank, until the day he woke up in Manticore.
And now, as he watched her begin to break down, he sensed Alec about to step in, but he put out a hand and stopped him. And he stepped forward instead. She hadn't been able to understand what he was doing, and she had stopped him. Now he couldn't understand what she was doing, but he knew he had to help her. So that was what he did. He put a hand on her shoulder, stilled her. She spun to him, a chillingly calm look in her eyes, her face hard. But it softened when she looked at him. They shared something in their silence, and then Ben took her hand in his, and together they reached out, and snapped her neck. Then she broke down, and Alec stepped forward.
She let herself be pulled into his embrace, be held. She barely registered the words he spoke, until one word caught her mind. She looked up.
'What did you say?'
'I said it's over now.' She looked around, saw everyone was already moving around, preparing to put the bodies in or around the facility. The final bit of work before the finale.
'Yeah, it is.' She said before she caught a glimpse of Ben moving Renfro's body, and turned her head back into Alec's chest.
'Come on, let's go for a walk.' She tried to protest, saying they were needed, but he shushed her. 'They can handle it. Let's walk.'
When Max was finally calm again, Alec led her back out of the woods, towards the facility.
'Time to say goodbye.' He joked, and she gave him a small smile.
'Good riddance, more like. And not a moment too soon.' He looked down at her, and a moment later burst out in laughter. She tried to glare at him, but since she was laughing too, it was hard.
'I'm not laughing at you, I swear.' He told her once he could speak again. 'It's just good to hear you being sarcastic again. I've missed that over the past few weeks.'
'It's good to be back. Damn.'
'What? What is it?'
'I forgot that I wanted Renfro to watch Manticore burn.'
'Don't worry. I think she got the message. Besides, it wasn't so much about Manticore being here, at least for her. It was about being in control, controlling all of us. Watching the Manticore burn wouldn't have been as bad for her as losing control, of the place, or of us. The worst thing for her today would be knowing that she never really had control of us, followed closely of course, by having to submit to us.' He sent her a quick grin, which she thankfully returned.
'You're right,'
'Of course,' he snuck in, and she smacked him up the head.
'As I was saying, you're right; that woman was too much of a control freak for her own good. It really wasn't healthy.'
'Yeah, the way I see it, you did her a favour.'
'That's me; helping those less fortunate.'
'Sounds like a perfect description to me.' He said, trying to keep a straight face, but she saw the grin sneak across his face.
'Hey, no laughing at me.' She said, hitting him again.
'Hey! I was agreeing with you.'
'Whatever. Let's get back, help them finish up.'
15 minutes later, they stood on the hill above Manticore, watched as Alec pressed the small button that would erase all sign of the first 20 years of their lives. Watched as the first explosion rocked the ground, as four more followed in succession. They watched it burn for nearly 10 minutes before Alec turned to the large group. He raised his hands, and the hundreds in front of him began to fall silent.
'This part of our lives may seem like it's over, but it will be with us forever. It's part of who we are, of who our children will be, and we shouldn't forget it. They trained us to be killers, but it doesn't mean we have to be. Many of us aren't in most circumstances.' He paused, looked around at all the people in front of him, human looking and otherwise.
'The people out here don't know who, or what we are. People are afraid of what's different, but I don't tell you to hide yourselves, or who you are. Simply to be cautious. It's a different world out there, a different way of living. Try and blend in best you can, and I know that will be more difficult for some, but we made the choice, and here it is. I'll be there for anyone who needs me, or my help.' He looked down at Max, and she nodded. 'I'll be in Seattle, so any of you can look me up. And I'm sure I'm not the only one.' He looked to Ben, who nodded, then to the rest of his unit, who did the same. Max put her hand on his shoulder, signalling she would like to speak. He stepped back, gave her the floor.
'What Alec said is true. People like what they know, and are afraid of what they don't. Some people turn that fear into hate, and that hate into violence. So be careful. And stick together. When I first got out into the world, I lost track of everyone I escaped with, spent the next 10 years trying to find them. Don't let that happen to you. Whoever you leave here with today, you look after each other.' She looked back, and saw Biggs telling Alec something. Alec looked grim, but as Biggs finished, he looked relieved. He looked to Max to see if she was finished, and she nodded. He stepped forward again.
'I have some good news, and some bad news. We know the final tally of transgenic deaths from today. The total is 27. We lost Angie, a female from her unit, a male from Sym's unit, all on perimeter, Daphne lost a female in the maternity ward. Two males from unit 3 in the yard, 1 female from unit 2, 3 from unit 7. 8 X6s in the yard, 3 from unit 9, 1 from unit 10, 2 from unit 12, 1 from unit 13 and 1 from unit 15. 9 X8s. It seems the guards thought they were the easiest targets in the yard, went for them. No X7s survived. Max held back the tears that threatened to spill. They had all gone into this knowing the risk involved. They had been willing to take that risk if it meant the chance of freedom, for them and their family.
'We pay our respects.' She scanned the crowd, saw a young X8 towards the front, holding a bugle. She walked towards him, held out her hand to him, and he stepped forward tentatively. 'Can you play for us?' He nodded, and she smiled. Alec took his spot beside the kid.
'Attention!' He called out, and everyone snapped to attention, and the boy started to play. Images flashed through Max's mind; images of Zack, Tinga, Jack and Eva. Of everyone she had lost over the years. Even Ben, lying in the forest, even though he had come back to her.
Similar images were flashing through the minds of everyone standing there, images of friends dead or dying. Finally the sound of the bugle died off, and everyone relaxed. Alec cleared his throat again, and once again all eyes were on him.
'Now that I've delivered the bad news; the good news is that we've heard from Sash, and they made it safely to the building, 4 miles from here. All 51 babies present and accounted for. All X5s who gave birth, and their partners, can make their way to that point over the next few hours to collect their child. Or in some cases, children, for those of you who had twins.'
He heard the sighs of relief flood through the group as couples relaxed on hearing their children were ok. Max turned to him.
'Can we go get our girl now?' She asked him, and he smiled and laughed, pulling her into a hug.
'Yeah, let's go get out girl.' Everyone started to disperse, and Alec led Max into the bushes. She was surprised when she saw the green motorbike hidden in the bushes. Alec looked at her, and saw her look of surprise. 'I got it on my last mission before you came into the unit.' He explained. 'I liked it, so I hid it here, still use it. Come on, let's beat the crowds.'
Taking the roads, it took them a little over 20 minutes to get to the building Sash and the others had taken the babies to. Alec pulled up in front of the building, and Max hopped off. He followed quickly, and they went inside. The first thing Max picked up was the crying. It sounded as though half the babies were awake and crying, and she watched all the women hurrying around, some soothing, some feeding. And Dr Ryans, moving from baby to baby, checking them all.
'Max!' Max and Alec turned towards Sash, and saw her holding a baby, their baby, as she made her way to them. Max looked up at Alec, uncertainty and fear in her eyes, and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned back to Sash, and held out her arms. She took their daughter in her arms, held her close.
'Look at her Alec, she's so tiny.' Alec reached out, and she took hold of his finger. He chuckled.
'But already strong.' As they watched, she slowly opened her eyes, and once again Max was stunned to see Alec's eyes looking back at her.
'Her eyes are beautiful.'
'Why thank you, Max.' Alec said, and narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him.
'Well, for what it's worth, she's beautiful, and that's all you. I still can't believe she's our baby girl.'
'Speaking of that, have you thought of a name? I'm having trouble.'
'Max, the name-master, can't think of a name for her own baby girl?' She kicked him, the only way she could get him without moving the baby too much.
'It's got to be perfect, and I've had a lot on my mind.' He put his arm around her, and kissed her forehead as he looked down.
'Well, I did think of something. What do you think of Catherine?'
'Catherine. Catherine. I like it. She looks like a Catherine, doesn't she?'
'Yeah, she does. I also thought we call her Cat, for short. It's cute, plus, considering who her parents are, and her genes, it seems fitting, don't you think?' She tilted her head back, and laughed.
'Yeah. What do you say, baby girl? Is your name Catherine?' Their daughter made a small sound, and they smiled. 'I think I'll take that as a yes.' They turned as the doors opened, and they watched as more transgenics began streaming in. The first one in was Biggs, and they watched as he crossed to Cece, who was also holding a baby. They smiled at each other, caught up in each other and their child. Max turned to Alec, and they smiled as well.
'What do you say we get out of here, huh? Head back to Seattle. We'll catch up with everyone there, once everyone's settled in.' Max nodded, and they started towards the door, but then she stopped.
'Wait. You have a bike, and we have a baby.'
'Ah, that's where...' he hurried off towards Sash, and returned a minute later. 'That's where this comes in handy. Uh, I guess I'll be wearing it, since I'm not riding shotgun on my own bike. Uh, give me a minute here.' She watched as he fiddled with the object in his hand, and when he was done, he was wearing a sort of sling. He held out his arms, and after a moment, she gently put Cat in his arms. She watched in fascination as he settled her in the sling, and secured the top so that she was covered, to keep the wind off her. 'There. And you can keep your hands on her while we ride.' She couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him. 'What?'
'Nothing. It's just strange seeing you all... domestic.'
'Yes, haha. Alec holding a baby is very hilarious.' He held out his hand. 'Come on, let's go. I'm sure you can't wait to see Seattle, and all your friends again.' Once again she stopped. 'What?'
'God, how am I gonna explain this to OC? I disappear suddenly, I'm gone for months, and then suddenly I appear again and I have, not only a group of transgenics in tow, but a... boyfriend, and a baby. I'll be surprised if she doesn't kill me.'
'Kill you?'
'OC doesn't like being out of the loop, or getting surprises. This is gonna be a big one. I'm gonna have to try and get my job back, although explaining my 9 month sabbatical to Normal isn't gonna be easy. Although this little one my make it easier. And there's Sketchy, too. I suppose we'll have to find an apartment, but we can crash with OC for a while, she won't mind. It was my apartment.' She looked expectantly at Alec, waiting for him to get on. He looked perplexed. 'You ok?'
'Just trying to take it all in. OC I know, she's the room mate who bats for the other team. Who are Normal and Sketchy?'
'Normal's my boss, and I work with Sketchy. You'll figure it all out. Actually, I'm sure we can get you a job with Normal. We can get different hours, or at least different hours from OC, so someone's always with Cat. But for now, let's put this place behind us.' He nodded in agreement, and hopped on the bike. Once she was secure behind him, her arms around his middle, her hands holding Cat, he took off.
As he rode, he thought about his past, and Max's. He had effectively just erased his entire past, but here they were racing towards hers, or a large part of it. And it worried him a bit how he would fit in to her life there. But as he quickly glanced down at the bundle he had strapped to him, and smiled. And hit the accelerator just a little bit, speeding them towards their future.
A/N: Well? What did ya think? Love it? Hate it? Let me know. One more chapter to go.