Sometimes a Manticore soldier would take a fall. Sometimes weakness was a tactical advantage. Sometimes if your enemy thought you were down for the count, they would take their attention away from you for the split second you needed to pounce up and break their neck from behind. And sometimes, only very occasionally, and in the most extreme circumstances, a Manticore solder would go down, because they were hurt bad.
Alec was deathly silent. His chest was occasionally moving up and down in harsh, ragged movements. His ghostly complexion was fading from a sickly white colour, to an even more deathly grey and his leg lay in an awkward angle across the floor. If he was faking, he was doing a particularly good job. Nobody, expected Alec to be getting up from that one. Not even Max.
It was like Ben all over again. She may not have dealt the final blow this time, but she certainly hadn't done anything productive to stop it. She may have even made it worse by trying to intervene, again. Alec had been out, he could have escaped. But instead he came to protect her. Max felt a pain in her chest like it was caving in on itself. She wanted to shout, and scream and cry until there were no more tears to fall. But instead she did as she was trained.
She inhaled that energy and turned it into rage.
The first grisly man didn't even know what hit him. The force from her fist came so fast and unexpectedly, it felt like being hit in the face by a truck. The second found a new appreciation for his shin bones as they splintered and sent his massive frame collapsing like a crumbling building. The third flew back as an artistic flourish of blood exploded from his nose and painted the walls. Hot anger burst from every muscle, bone and breath as she punched, slashed and ripped through the crowd.
But like the beast which had fought so valiantly, a greater number can beat even the most brutal force, and slowly the mob began to take control over the helpless Transgenic again. They fought her back against the wall again and the men pinned her arms down where they could do no danger.
Max's attention was suddenly stolen as one of the gorilla like men grabbed Max by the throat, lifted and squeezed harshly. "Hey you little slut," he spat. A dirty bloodied hand brushed itself against Max's face almost tenderly, "We're gonna make you wish you had been eaten in the cage girly". Ugly giggles of anticipation tittered round the group as they realised what there new leader intended. "You think your so special mutie" he continued, his evil eyes concentrating fully on Max, "I can make you feel like nothing, " he sneered, "and then my friends here will make you feel like less than nothing.
Fear was an emotion that Max wasn't accustomed to. But it was an emotion that had passed through her body more than once in the last few hours. She was learning to accept it, use it and deny it. Max tried to say something sarcastic and vicious, but not even a squeak of air could pass through her throat.
Instead a familiar ally made the comment for her. She heard the soothing cock of a gun. A shot gun from the sound of it and a smooth, calm, strong male voice said "Touch her and I'll make you understand the pain of childbirth…tenfold."
The hairy repulsive man released his grip on max and she fell a couple of inches to the ground. Instantly she poised back into her combat position, hands up ready for a fight. But all of the men were retreating. Their hands were raised and their weapons dropped to the ground. They backed up against the wall, and for the first time, Max got to see the familiar face of her rescuer.
Shart. And the rest of the transgenic from the base. They were all over the complex, guns in hands. Joshua was with them, growling and swiping the odd unsuspecting captive. No wonder the gorillas were so keen to drop their weapons. If one or two transgenic could cause this much chaos, imagine how much fifty heavily armed killing machines could do.
Shart gave a cheeky grin a shrugged his shoulders, "We changed our minds" he sighed, "and brought backup". Then his smile faded and turned very serious. "You look hurt." he claimed anxiously, "We need to get you back to base. We have three trucks out back. Did you find Alec?"
Alec!
Where was he?
The last time she had seen him he was…
exactly where he lay motionless and grey right now.
"We need a medic!" she called, suddenly very panicked, "NOW!"