All Fairytales End – Chapter Ten
After at least half an hour of circling Tash finally found a place suitable for landing. There were just so many trees and the compound didn't exactly have a landing strip. Some military government base but then again, it was supposed to be a hospital. Tash wanted to laugh at the irony of everything; her childhood, her whacked memories, where she was right now… If the greater populace only knew the kind of projects their tax money was being used for, governments would probably have real mutiny on their hands, not just pissed off transgenics.
"Nice landing." Bumpy and rough would be the honest assessment but considering the circumstances Alec thought it was best to leave it at nice. He moved to stand next to her chair and pushed the release button on her safety belt. Hoisting his backpack over one shoulder, Alec looked out the window of the cockpit. It was dark outside, the sky overcast blocking most of the moon's light and no stars dotted the sky. To the right the VA hospital building looked like it belonged in a ghost town with its charred walls, broken windows and debris strewn everywhere. The eerie silence lingered and whispers of the winds echoing through the vacant halls sounded haunted to his ears.
Tash got out of her seat and straightened her vest, she smoothed her hair back and tightened her ponytail. "Let's get moving, I don't want to hang around this place any longer then necessary."
After securing the plane, they quickly made tracks for the hospital. Alec didn't know exactly where he would find what he was looking for but he had an idea of a few places they could start with. They were about three hundred metres away from the building when Alec first heard the sound. It was the sound of swift steps. The untrained ear wouldn't even have noticed it but he had. Looking over to Tash, he realised she'd heard it too. Quickly ducking for cover they both hid waiting for their stalker to show.
Alec looked to where Tash was hidden, she'd chosen the higher ground and there was a large cluster of bushes where she was lying low. Looking to the left he saw nothing and he was about to turn in the other direction when a hand closed around his neck from behind and lifted him clean off the ground.
From where she lay on the ground she saw a shadow move behind Alec, silent and slow. She wanted to scream out and warn him but at the last second she hadn't. Instead she'd pulled her knife from her pocket and without hesitation, threw it toward the attacker's head. She was a good twenty feet away, she hoped that her precision wasn't out.
The slight hum of a whistling cut the air and Alec's assailant shifted him directly in the path of the oncoming projectile. He'd been in such damn awkward positions before in his life but this was a new twist, with less then a millisecond to think he relaxed his body and second the knife reached him, he stopped it dead between his palms. The blade nicked his left thumb and he dropped the knife. At the same instance his attacker dropped him life a sack of potatoes. Alec rolled onto his back, spluttering and choaking, working to move the air through his windpipe again.
"You one of them." The man said.
He was still in the shadows so Alec couldn't make out his face, only that he was very tall and had a deep voice. His voice, it was almost as if he had an accent, he couldn't speak English all that well.
"One of who?" Alec questioned, finally sitting up. Tash had come out of hiding, her gun trained on the man still hovering near the tree.
"X5, I smell cat. You and her." He pointed to Tash. "Like Max."
Alec was on his feet in a flash, "You know her? You know Max?"
Tash still very wary had collected her knife, just in case this guy decided he'd pull a fast one. She stood back looking between Alec and this stranger. How did he know Max and what was he doing at Manticore?
"I helped her escape. I'm Joshua. This my home, you go now." He took an aggressive stance and a low growl escaped his throat.
Tash did quick thinking, if this guy helped Max, maybe he'd help them. Putting her gun back, she approached him slowly. "We won't stay, I promise but we need to find something for Max. Something inside the building." She could see he was listening, maybe even considering backing down.
"I'm going inside alone." Alec said. When Tash looked like she was about to protest he quieted her. "I need a lookout. This place is still being watched Tash, we both know it. This guy," Joshua huffed, "Joshua," Alec corrected, "he knows Manticore, he can help me."
He didn't have to say it, she already knew. She would be of more use to them watching the plane and keeping a look out. She didn't know the layout of the hospital, she had never been held there. Reluctant and as ditched as she felt, she knew Alec was right. "Fine, I'll wait. You've got thirty minutes, any longer and I'm calling the cavalry."
Alec grinned at her, "What? You and who?"
Tash winked, "You don't wanna know, my boy. Max'll hate to have to save your ass yet again."
Alec started running before he could hear any more of her bright ideas or taunts. He didn't need any reminding of what a screw up he was. This was his attempt at setting things right and he'd make sure Logan lived, even if it took his last breath.
They'd only been gone less then ten minutes when Tash heard vehicles approaching. There were two she could hear. Heavy vehicles, maybe military issue. Her first instinct was to hide… dah pretty hard to disguise a plane, idiot. She pulled her compact mirror from her bag, she hoped that the pale light from the moon was enough to flicker a signal. Aiming directly at the building she flashed, 'intruders', repeatedly before the trucks sounded too close for comfort. Ducking for cover, she hid amongst the trees fifty metres from the plane. It gave her a clear but sheltered view of where the trucks had pulled up.
White got out of the van before it had even come to a complete stop, "You four, stay. The rest of you search inside." He barked orders and divided the group. He had a feeling that 'Jenny Woresly' was close. Nice touch calling her brother, it gave them the lead they'd been waiting for. Not to mention the huge trail 452 had left him. Renfro hadn't been such a blundering mad woman after all. Well no doubt mad and self-serving but at least she'd made his job a little easier. Knowing his girl, she'd be here saving her kind once again. He had to admire her sense of loyalty though; she was a committed one, reckless and predictable but dedicated nonetheless. "Hey Jenny, dear Jenny I know you're out there. You'd never believe who I just bumped into." He turned as he spoke, waiting for anything; a sound, a give away but nothing came. "Dean Baxter. My good friend turned up in Seattle, would you believe that? He's supposed to be in prison but he escaped. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" He sent a few of the officers standing around to scoured the trees, moments later there was loud scuffling, zaps of electricity and moaning then silence again. Heavy footsteps started in his direction and a wide grin broke across his face. He'd just hit the jackpot.
Tash wanted to swear so bad that she'd probably bite her tongue off in an effort to keep quiet. She'd unwittingly stepped backward into a tripwire. The trap launched an arrow straight into her calf. It hurt a lot and moisture automatically sprung to her eyes. She didn't even scream but the whizzing noise was enough to draw attention. The two officers standing close by turned and spotted her. She tried to run but they caught up with her, fighting while already injured didn't prove to be her best. They winded and tied her before dragging her up the short embankment to White.
When she got close he reached out hand grabbed her by the hair, pulling her close so she was inches from his face. White searched her eyes before a smirk played on his lips, "not your lucky day is it, tramp?" He threw her backward, if the men hadn't have been holding her tightly she would have fallen. "Get her cleaned up. I don't want her messing up the upholstery." He didn't spare her another glance; just as she was being dragged away he wrenched the arrow from her leg.
An anguished scream pieced the chilly night air. In the bushy mountain terrain the sound carried on the wind. Inside the building Alec momentarily stop ransacking what was left of the Genetics Lab. A couple doors down Joshua stopped tearing cabinets open and several miles away on a bridge a motorcycle slowed.
"What was that?" Dean whispered. It sounded a lot like a woman's cry and it sent shivers down his spine. He hope with all his being that it wasn't Tash.
"Nothing." Max replied absently. She fringed ignorance, there was no reason to let him worry, it wouldn't get them there any faster and it certainly wouldn't make her feel any better. She felt sick to her stomach already. If White was there, it could very well have been Tash's scream. And if that was Tash screaming then she aught to prepare for the worst. Max revved for a second before dropping the clutch and peeling up the road.
Alec didn't like that sound, it wasn't right. Tash was in trouble. Why hadn't she signalled? Then again he was so busy searching he might not have noticed it. He swore and kicked the table in front of him causing it to tip over. He was about to leave when he noticed a wad of black tape stuck to the underside of the desk. After trashing what was left of the lab he'd gone for Renfro's office. Pulling at the sticky wad he yanked if off, inside was a key and an ID card. The ID card said, 'Elizabeth Renfro, Demolitions and Disposals'. What did that have to do with Manticore? Did it make her an expert is some operation that involved extermination? Where the desk had once been there were markings on the floor, to the naked eye they just looked like fade marks. Kneeling down he traced his fingers along them. There was a tiny grove. Moving quickly he followed the indentation till he'd marked out a perfect square. Was it some secret compartment, a safe, a passage, what? He cursed the witch again, there was no key hole, no combination lock. How was this thing supposed to open? The longer he hung around thinking the more frantic he got. Tash was out there alone and he didn't get the inkling she was just counting daisies. She was in trouble.
"Joshua." He hollered. When Joshua bounded round the corner Alec got to his feet and dusted his pants. "Get that thing open and take all the small bottles you find. Be careful Joshua, Max needs them badly." Joshua nodded in comprehension; Alec slapped him on the back before running for the exit. "Thanks big fella, meet you back on the hill."
Max hid her motorcycle in the trees and she and Dean approached the entourage stealthily. There couldn't be more then eight officers and White. But there could be more in the facility at present she couldn't tell. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Alec quickly making tracks toward them. Was he insane, he was out in the open? All White had to do was turn around and shoot him.
It all happened to quickly. Dean slipped by her, making a mad dive for White. He knocked the man to the ground, his gun slipping from his grasp and skittering away. Before White had a chance to recover, Dean stood up and put his boot down on the man's throat.
Max flew into action taking out the three nearest officers in quick succession, making her way toward Tash. Alec saw the commotion on the hill and hurried towards them. He never thought that there would be more behind him or anywhere else. He knew better, it was what he was trained to do, he should have looked.
