Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, but I wish I did! Just playing with them for a while.
Summary: Set during season two. A mysterious message from a supposedly dead Lydecker ends up being a trap that Max waltzes straight into. Will Alec be able to save 452, or will his attempt only end up risking his life as well? Hurt/Empathic!Alec.
A/N: This story is dedicated to scifigeek22.
"Clear the room," Renfro ordered, stepping around White and walking steadily towards her captives. "494 and I have some catching up to do."
Alec had never felt weaker in his life. His body didn't want to move and he couldn't blame it. His muscles were starved for oxygen and barely responsive, his lungs felt asthmatic though he had never suffered from the condition, and his inability to see the vile woman approaching caused his damaged heart to stutter a few times in panic.
He needed more time to recover. He wasn't ready to fight for his life again yet. But the last vision he had before losing his sight kept replaying in his head and he converted his fear into anger. White had every intention of torturing Max and Alec was not about to let that happen, even if it cost him his life to prevent it.
The echo of Renfro's heels in the relatively empty room made it hard for him to pinpoint exactly how close the crippled woman was getting. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he needed to know if he was going to counter-attack.
Alec sensed Max shifting her body in front of his, making herself a human shield and blocking him from Renfro's view. "Think again, sister. You're not gettin' anywhere near him."
Alec reached out and latched onto Max's arm, ignoring the screaming protest his body made as he pulled himself into an upright position on the reclined chair. He knew there was only one choice, but it wasn't his alone to make. "Max?"
She glanced over her shoulder at him, waiting for him to ask a question. But then she realized he wasn't looking for an answer. He was asking for permission. Her mind fumbled for a moment in confusion, and then it clicked.
Alec's eyes were damaged and he couldn't see, but as they had established back in Logan's apartment, he was able to see through her. He wanted her to say it was okay for him to piggyback off of her sight.
Turning back to Renfro, Max felt ill as she read the hungry look in the woman's eyes. She found herself considering that leaving Alec blind might actually be doing him a favor. That, and the connection always came with consequences.
"Alec, you're not strong enough yet. It could kill you. Again."
"Max, please." His voice faltered on the last word, his emotions barely being held in check beneath the surface. She could tell he'd rather die than face the unknown without a fighting chance.
Alec needed her, and what right did she have to deny him after everything he had done for her? She braced herself for the mental invasion.
"Alright. Do it."
It took him two tries before he was able to succeed. The first time, he was being too tentative though Max didn't know if it was because he was afraid of the inevitable pain or if he was worried about what it would do to her.
She felt the tingling in her stomach that announced his presence and mentally reached out to him in return, hoping to ease him into the connection instead of making him do all the work.
He gasped softly behind her and she knew the connection had succeeded. Even better, he was still conscious. Apparently, they were getting better at this.
As the room began to focus around him, Alec found himself turning his head and trying to assess their situation but the image in front of his eyes never wavered. It was like staring through a View Master, and he realized he was staring at himself.
"Uh… Maxie? I know I'm hot but more them and less me, if you don't mind." Their shared view immediately shifted to Renfro and unless he was much mistaken, he could feel the heat burning in Max's cheeks.
"Right. Sorry."
Realizing he had to surrender control of his vision in order for this to really work, Alec closed his eyes and trusted Max to show him what he needed to see. It was like watching a 3D interactive movie. A feral grin crossed his face when Max locked eyes with Renfro and he saw her staring back at him. Game on, bitch.
Alec stumbled his way off of the chair and Max had to throw out an embracing arm to help him find his footing, but when he did, he stood tall and boldly stepped forward until he was side-by-side with Max. He was done cowering behind her.
Renfro was still sauntering her way towards them when she started chuckling. "I'm impressed, 494. Didn't think you had it in you. But tell me, what exactly is your plan here?"
"To send you back to Hell where you belong," he growled through clenched teeth. Max could practically feel his hackles rising like their primitive jungle cat ancestor. He was poised to pounce, and she almost pitied his prey. Almost.
White seemed to recognize the true threat faster than Renfro did and he moved forward, itching for some hand-to-hand combat. With an evil smirk, he began circling the two transgenics, making it impossible for Max to keep both him and Renfro within sight.
Normally, this wouldn't be an issue and they would just fight back-to-back but as they were sharing her vision, they were now fighting a two front battle, half blind.
Max swung around to watch White and Alec swayed on his feet, caught off guard by the sudden motion when he himself hadn't moved a muscle. It felt like the room was spinning around him and one step could land him on the ceiling. Worse yet, he lost sight of Renfro and her echoing footsteps told him she was on the move again.
"Max…" he warned, hoping she would understand the anxiety he was trying to convey.
Between the two enemies, White was the bigger threat though. "Hang in there," she whispered over her shoulder as she prepared to battle the Familiar. Max stepped away from Alec just enough to give herself some fighting room, and then White engaged her.
Every time the man threw a punch at Max, Alec found himself dodging it. He felt ridiculous, but it was instinctive to avoid the hit and as far as he could tell, it was aimed at his own head and not hers.
He was starting to think the connection was more of a hindrance than a help, but at the same time, he was grateful to escape the darkness, even if only for a short time. While he waited for Max to turn back around, Alec switched focus to his hearing and raised his fists, preparing to fight and protect himself at the same time.
"Bring in the reinforcements." Renfro's voice caught Alec by surprise as it was only a foot or two away on his right. He spun to face her, his heart hammering as the sound of a door sliding open and heavy booted footsteps joined the fray.
"Stand down!" White ordered as they closed in around him and Max. "She's mine."
"As if," Max growled back. At least she sounded okay still.
A strong hand landed on Alec's shoulder. He could tell by the weight and the size that it was a male and not Renfro. Half a second later, and whoever it was had four broken bones and a dislocated thumb. Not Familiars then. Just soldiers. He could work with that.
Alec felt the shifting of air just before a fist collided with his jawbone. His reflexes were fast enough that he was able to roll with it but too slow to avoid it completely. That's gonna leave a bruise…
He crouched down a little lower and raised his hands a little higher, throwing out occasional jabs when the sound of rustling fabric or squeaky tiles gave away a soldier's position. Fighting blind wasn't impossible. He could do this. He just needed to concentrate.
He deflected another punch to the face and an attempted kick to his ribs, but the increased commotion prevented him from hearing the leg sweeping underneath his own. Alec hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from his lungs. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to make it that easy for them.
He kipped back onto his feet, thankful as ever for his cat-like sense of balance. Max kicked White's knee out from under him and he went down long enough for her to throw a quick glance over her shoulder at Alec. He wished she hadn't bothered.
Alec's stomach clenched when he saw that he was surrounded by soldiers. Three of them were directly in front of him and unarmed, trying to subdue him with non-lethal force. The rest were holding down the perimeter and they each had a gun in one hand and a taser in the other.
They were screwed. Any resistance Alec had left was futile. Struggling now was only going to weaken him, and it was merely putting off the inevitable. Hell if he gave a damn though. He'd rather go down swinging than cower like a puppy while they chipped away at his humanity.
Max also knew they had no chance of getting out of here alive, not with just the two of them. But she was buying time, trying to keep Alec out of Renfro's clutches long enough for help to arrive. White was getting back to his feet when he rushed her, tackling her to the ground with a shoulder to her stomach.
A yelp from Max helped to feed Alec's fury and he used it. No more Mr. Nice Guy. He was done playing around. Doing some quick calculations in his head, he was able to map out the soldiers' locations according to his own standpoint from the image Max had given him. Give it your best shot, fellas.
"Enough of this. Bring him down," Renfro ordered, sounding a bit further away than when she last spoke. Apparently the amount of fight he had left in him took her by surprise and she retreated to the nearest wall. "But I want him alive!" she clarified.
The three soldiers rushed him as one. Alec fought like a man possessed. It was a beautiful sight to behold and Renfro couldn't hide her awe. He shut out his pain, focused his hearing, and delivered a beat down that any MMA fighter would be jealous of.
By the time he was done, he was panting and bloody but the soldiers lay in a heap at his feet. He held his wounded arm against his side as crimson ran down his bicep from the hole in his shoulder again.
His head was throbbing and his connection with Max was faltering. It was as if he were in a pitch-black room with a strobe light that only flashed every other second. "Disorienting" was an understatement.
He staggered to his left a few paces, dropping heavily to his knees. Okay, so maybe he overtaxed himself a bit on that one. Seizing the opportunity, Renfro kicked off her high-heeled shoes, grabbed a taser from the nearest soldier standing guard, and padded her way behind the fallen transgenic without making a sound.
She wrapped a strong forearm around his throat and locked him in a chokehold, simultaneously jabbing the taser into his chest and pushing the button. Alec's hands immediately came up to his neck to pull her away, but as soon as the current coursed through his body, his muscles locked up and his systems began shutting down one by one.
He couldn't call out. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't struggle. And then he couldn't see, not even through Max's eyes. Renfro leaned down until her twisted lips were practically touching his ear. "If you want something done right…"
He passed out before she could finish.
Max felt the connection between them short circuit and whirled to see what had happened. Renfro was supporting Alec's limp body against her own, easing him to the floor like she was putting a child to bed.
"Alec!"
Max's momentary lapse of concentration cost her and a harsh blow to the back of the head from White sent her into unconsciousness before she even hit the floor.
Renfro stared down at her fallen charge, kneeling behind Alec with his perfectly sculpted body sprawled between her legs. His head was still in the crook of her elbow, though now she was using her arm to brace him instead of choke him.
She ran the back of her hand gently down the side of his face, feeling the short stubble of neglect scrape abrasively against her skin. Her thumb caressed his soft lips, the two different textures awakening emotions inside of her that she hadn't felt in years.
She pressed two manicured fingers against his neck, just beneath his beautifully cut jawbone, to make sure she hadn't been overly aggressive with him. His pulse was a bit erratic, but that was to be expected after an excessive amount of voltage has surged through your torso.
Gliding a bit lower, she laid her hand over his heart, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest. Even after everything he had been through, he was still alive. She was now starting to realize that no matter what she threw at him, this boy was not going to break. At least, not from pain.
Manticore had trained him to resist interrogation a bit too well, and Max had taught him compassion; a lethal combination that made him both brave and loyal. What a waste. Those qualities were usually beaten out of their soldiers at a young age. Independent thinking tended to get them killed or botched the mission.
Unless… unless she could force him to feel loyal to her and her alone. Alec had resisted reindoctrination multiple times in the past, but Lydecker had been in charge then and he always was too easy on his kids.
This was Renfro's show now though, and 494 would be her personal lapdog soon enough. And by the time she was finished with him, he wouldn't even remember who 452 was, aside from a traitor to the cause.
Renfro leaned forward and kissed Alec's temple tenderly. He would break. And she knew just where to apply the right amount of pressure to make it happen.
TBC
Sorry for the long delay once again, everyone! I promise I have a valid excuse this time though lol Hope it was worth it, and more to come when I've got the time. I love you all for your continued support and inspiration! I couldn't thank you enough.