Chemistry
By Sinful Starlet
Disclaimer: if you're bothered see the first chapter - if not I just saved you having to read it all again didn't I?!
Rating: again, see first one!
Summary: Max thought she had it all figured out - she loved Logan even though she couldn't be with him and Alec? He was just Alec - mildly irritating and a little too good at getting himself or her into trouble, but she forgot one thing - you can't fight chemistry!
Author's note: Righto - chapter three, here we go! And firstly, to any Alec fans out there - DO NOT PANIC! I know I left the last chapter in a kind of awkward place for our boy, but trust me, what kind of story was I gonna be left with if I killed him off in the second chapter? Seriously - are things ever really that simple?! Also - MAJOR thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far! You guys rock!! :-)
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part #5
Ben had been a busy little psycho before Max and Manticore had caught up with him, and one of his victims had been a cop. Other cops don't tend to take this sort of thing well, especially if they're friends as well. Unluckily for Alec, there were a group of guys who worked at the station that he was brought into when he was arrested, that were friends of the dead cop. And they were less than pleased when Alec escaped, they'd been tailing him since then, finally catching up with him that night after he left Crash. They stood round his unconscious form, more than one of them aiming a few kicks at him as he lay there.
"Come on", one of them said, evidently the leader, "we need to get him inside before someone sees something, let's get him to the warehouse". Of course they could have just arrested him again, but they didn't want to risk him escaping again, so they were gonna make sure that there was no chance of that this time. They weren't out for justice anymore, just vengeance. Two of the less senior cops hauled Alec's body up and into their car before they all drove off together. They had been so caught up in getting Alec they hadn't noticed the single observer hiding in the shadows. He waited till they drove off and then turned his bike round, speeding off as fast as he could in the same direction.
It wasn't too long before the cops got to their warehouse. The warehouse was owned by a corrupt ring of cops in the Seattle PD for them to use to dish out their particular brand of police brutality. Alec started to regain consciousness as he was dragged inside and chained to one of the concrete beams supporting the roof. He may have been awake, but he still couldn't move, and it didn't look like he was going to get a chance to anytime soon. "He's all yours boys", the senior cop said once they were all inside, "just stay clear of the face". They looked at him questioningly. "Where's the fun or the lesson to the rest of the Seattle filth if he's unrecognisable when we bring him in?", the senior guy said, eliciting a few horrible laughs from the other goons. "And no guns either", he added, "I want his pain to last, he's not gonna die for a long time yet!"
So they took their turns, kicking, punching, beating him with nightsticks and whatever else came to hand. Alec may have been tough, but nobody could have withstood the beating he was getting for long, it took all of his energy not to cry out but he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing him scream. His whole body wracked with searing pain, but he thought the worst was over, unfortunately he spoke too soon. Together two of them managed to turn him over and one of the others produced a whip. Whatever remained of his shirt fell to the floor in ragged shreds as the whip bit into his back.
Alec prayed for unconsciousness to return, but the only thing he could think of was Max. He knew she needed him to be there for Logan, and that Logan might die if he didn't get there, but there was nothing he could do. A single tear, single sign of weakness, rolled down his cheek before he mercifully lost consciousness.
Back at the hospital, Max was about ready to kill Alec. It'd been over half an hour and he still wasn't there. OC had left about ten minutes earlier saying she had a plan, but she still didn't know what to do. Dr Shankar kept coming back to check on Logan, but Max could tell that the news wasn't good. Max had absolutely no idea what to do - Alec wasn't answering his cell anymore, and she couldn't believe he could be that heartless as to just not show up. She was just about ready to hit the streets and drag him in kicking and screaming herself when Sketchy ran in, breathing hard.
When he eventually regained his breath enough to speak, the first word he managed was, "Alec". "Alec?", Max questioned, "Where is that little asshole 'cause I swear to God I---". "He's in trouble Max", Sketchy cut in, "this is serious". Despite her anger, Max held back enough to let him speak, trying to ignore the twinge of pain she felt when Sketchy said he was in trouble. "He was just coming out of his place when this group of guys jumped him - I think they were cops". 'Oh no', Max thought, "He was arrested again?", she asked. No way", Sketchy said, "they were out to hurt him and they weren't exactly failing. They've got him stashed at this warehouse but he's really badly beat up Max - I don't know if even he could last out much longer".
Sketchy had been initiated into their confidence over the whole Manticore issue a few months ago, it was getting to a point where it was more dangerous him not knowing, besides as he put it, "Who's gonna believe I know a whole bunch of super soldiers?" The second Sketchy finished though, Max felt the dull thud of pain in her chest. She was scared for Logan, but she had been scared for him ever since he had been brought in. This was different - now she was scared for Alec.
"We need that transfusion", she said, "I'm gonna have to get him out of there somehow". Just as she was about to go though, OC came running in as well, dragging someone with her...someone wearing a bike helmet. "The day is saved", Cindy reported, handing over her captive. "Joshua?", Max hazarded, trying to peer in through the visor. "Joshua here - help Logan", Joshua helpfully offered. "It's transgenic blood right?", Cindy reasoned, "I guess wonder boy still hasn't shown up right?" "It's not his fault", Max filled in, "some cops have snatched him - he's in trouble too". "Man, it never rains but it pours right?", Cindy sighed.
Dr Shankar appeared a few minutes later, and said that yes they could use Joshua to transfuse Logan, but they would have to do something about hiding his face on account of he couldn't sit there transfusing Logan with a bike helmet on. Max searched around for something, finally spotting a supply tray in the hall and grabbing a surgical mask. "That'd work", Dr Shankar agreed, leading Joshua into Logan's room. Max sighed, knowing that Logan would be okay at least. OC came over to her after a minute, "What about Alec?" Max looked back at Logan reluctantly. "Go", Cindy insisted, "I'll stay here and watch the two of 'em", she said, gesturing to Logan and Joshua, "you go help your other boy". Max nodded, she had to go, "Sketch", she called, "you said something about a warehouse?"
Max pulled up to the warehouse about a half hour later, having gone home to get her ninja first. She crept inside, keeping to the shadows till she could get a decent view of the situation. The cops had moved away from Alec for the time being, but she could see him lying on the floor - he wasn't moving at all. She felt something rise up inside her, something primal, definitely something Manticore, and it was fairly obvious those cops were going to be leaving the warehouse in a serious amount of pain.
She knocked over a paint can near the door to break up the group a little. Two of the goons got up to check it out leaving three playing poker by the look of it. The second the two of them rounded the corner she was hiding behind, Max threw herself at them, they never really had a chance, not even to see who their attacker was. An X series soldier was not a good enemy to have on the best of days, but a pissed off transgenic was about as dangerous as you could get. They were both down and hurting in about ten seconds. The remaining cops heard the noise and drew their guns, not that it helped them at all.
Max was like a bomb, she kicked two of them, almost twice her size, into unconsciousness in a single blow. The senior cop was the last man standing, but one kick and two punches from Max and it was going to be about eight hours before he woke up again, and then he would seriously regret doing that. Max hurried over to Alec as soon as the last man was down and got him out of his chains. At first he didn't seem too badly hurt but as she moved him out into the light she couldn't help but gasp at the welts and bruises all over his chest. She had to stifle a cry when she saw his back. The cops had been like animals, someone less than a Manticore kid would have died about an hour ago, but Alec was still holding on, though he was barely conscious.
She spoke to him, more and more insistently as she checked him out for any bone breaks or serious bleeding, and almost cried with relief when he spoke at last. "Max!", was his first word, spoken by a voice that was in so much pain it was horrible to hear, then, "Logan! Have to get to...hospital!" No matter how hurt he was, Max had to practically hold him down to stop him from getting up and trying to do that right then. "Ssh", she soothed, "Logan's okay - Joshua transfused him, he's gonna be fine". "I'm sorry", Alec insisted, needing her to know, "I couldn't--". "Ssh", Max said again, fighting back a tear, "it's you I'm worried about now. Amazingly you don't seem to have broken anything, but we need to get you out of here before these guys wake up again". Though there wasn't much chance of that happening anytime soon.
Alec struggled to stand, Max wincing as she saw the pain in his face, but he at last got to his feet and managed to walk, supported by her. There was nothing left of his shirt and Max's jacket obviously wasn't gonna fit him, but she managed to wrap it round his shoulders to give some kind of protection and warmth. She frowned with concern when they got outside and she realised that her ninja was the only transport they had - this was going to hurt like hell. "I'm sorry Alec, but we're gonna have to take my bike". Alec tensed a little against her, but he let her lift him onto the seat and didn't even flinch as she wrapped his arms fairly tightly round her waist.
She drove as quickly but as smoothly as she could back to her apartment, avoiding every bump in the road, every pothole (not in an easy job in the city these days). They at last got there, and she lifted him just as gently off the bike and into the elevator, up to her apartment.
part #6
Max pushed the door open and helped him inside to be greeted by OC sitting up for her. "You know I was startin' to worry Boo", she said, before she caught sight of Alec. She was a little suspicious seeing the two of them together, especially after what had happened at Crash, but then as Alec moved more into the light she got a glimpse of some of his injuries. "Damn!", she said, now more than a little concerned himself. "He'll be okay", Max said, helping him over to the sofa, "but we need to get these cuts and stuff cleaned up". It was only now that she questioned OC being back so early. "Logan?", she asked. "He's fine", OC replied, nodding, if a little surprised that it'd taken Max so long to ask, "the transfusion worked like a charm. Dr Shankar wanted him to stay in over night, but he wouldn't have it. He discharged himself so me and Sketch made sure he and Josh got home okay". "Thanks OC", Max said, smiling gratefully, relaxing a little and returning her attention fully to Alec. She had managed to lay him down on the sofa, unknotting her jacket from around his shoulders so she could get a better glimpse of what she was dealing with.
A thought crossed her mind and she mentally kicked herself for thinking about things like that at a time like this. She stroked a lock of hair out of his eyes and stood up again, "I'm just gonna get some bandages and stuff", she said, "I'll be back in a sec". She smiled to OC as she moved past her to the bathroom and OC sat down on the coffee table beside Alec. "Damn boy", she said, as she sat, "you okay?". "Yeah stupid question!", she added a second later as she saw the look on his face, but he wasn't really looking at her. OC turned her head slightly but she could already tell where he was looking and she sighed, shaking her head. "You know she was ready to kill you about three hours ago", she said, not wanting to be harsh, but needing him to know the truth. Alec couldn't reply, but he nodded his head to show he understood. "Hey I'm not saying it was your fault boo", Cindy went on, smiling a little at him, "but you gotta know how this is gonna go right?" Alec shifted a little, wincing slightly from the pain in his back, and looked at her questioningly. Original Cindy sighed again, she was obviously gonna have to spell it out to him. "You know she's only pretending to be with you to try to get Logan to forget her don't you?", she said, trying not to be harsh, "She's still in love with him". Alec didn't reply immediately, but he was clearly less than impressed that OC had seen through him. As far as she could make out, he sighed slightly, but the only thing he said was, "I know". 'Oh God', Cindy thought, this was all Max needed right now. She hesitated for a second, not sure whether to push it, but in the end she decided it was worth a shot. "You in love with her?" Alec's face was a picture of shock, but Cindy wasn't convinced that that wasn't an act. Unfortunately she didn't get the chance to push it any further, because just at that moment Max walked back in, bearing bandages, ointment and a bowl of warm water.
"Okay", Max said, setting her supplies down on the table, "let's take a look at you". She worked silently for the most part, occasionally murmuring something soothing as she grazed too close to an open wound. OC sat back in surprise as she watched Max work, in fact the whole scene in front of her was a picture. Alec, not normally the most trusting of guys just lay there, trusting Max completely to help him and tend to his wounds. And Max was scarcely less interesting. Though she was a little hesitant at first, she grew more confident as time wore on, and she worked so gently, tender even, her face marked with worry.
She eventually finished attending to his chest and arms and she helped him to sit up so she could see to his back. OC was even more taken aback when she saw that. She couldn't believe that they had done that to him. His back was raw with about fifty separate cuts where the whip had cut into him, and though the bleeding had stopped it was still a gruesome sight. Again though, Alec didn't even flinch as Max carefully cleaned up the cuts, bandaging the worst of them and helping him to lie back down again. She disappeared for a few seconds again and then came back, gesturing to OC to help her to get him standing again.
"I know my couch may seem like a good option right now", she said, "but you need to get some proper rest". Between the two of them, Max and OC managed to get Alec into Max's bedroom, lying him down on the bed. OC left for a minute to bring him in a glass of water and Max helped him to get under the sheets. His shirt of course was gone, as were his boots by now, but he still had his jeans on. Max hesitated for a second, this was a little more personal than she had planned on getting with Alec, but at the same time, she knew how uncomfortable sleeping in jeans was, so trying not to think about it, she gently eased them off, setting them down on the chair next to the bed and tucking his legs under the quilt.
Alec had already been too exhausted to object to any of this, and by the time he was under the covers, he was already asleep. Max sat there for a few more seconds, gently stroking his face, telling herself that she was only trying to check if he was running a temperature, but it somehow wasn't working. She only realised what she was doing when OC appeared back at the door with the water. The girl stepped past her to put the glass down and then beckoned for Max to follow her outside. Max closed the bedroom door behind her and then sat down with OC on the sofa. "So how's he doing?", Cindy asked, trying to read Max's face to see what she was thinking. "Not great", Max said sadly, "but he'll be okay, it could have been a lot worse if I hadn't've gotten there in time". OC nodded, waiting a second before she spoke again. "And how are you?" "I've had better days", Max said, managing a weak smile, "God I was so scared for him". "Well he's gonna be fine", OC supplied, "Doc said he'd be up and about by tomorrow, no problem". "What?", Max questioned, before quickly correcting herself, "Oh right, of course - I think I just need to get some rest". "Sure", OC replied, "You wanna take my room?" "No it's fine", Max insisted, "this couch looks pretty good to me right now!" OC smiled and got up to go to her own bedroom, offering a parting smiled to Max and wishing her goodnight, but the second her back was turned, a frown crossed her face. Max hadn't been talking about Logan.
AN. Ooh tension tension! Lots more to come soon! *SS* Also - in response to one review - hope this is easier to read!