Alec turned his face away from her, trying to control himself. Something
had gone wrong. Had they failed? Had one of them.
He felt Max grip his hand harder, and he took a deep breath.
"Tell me" he asked, turning to face her again, wincing slightly at the pain the movement caused him. Max noticed, and bit her lip. "Later" she told him gently, leaning over to kiss his cheek. He jerked back. "Don't" he told her, his voice hard. It was Max's turn to move back. That expression on his face worried her. Something was wrong. Maybe it was the medication, something wrong with the pain relief that Neil had told her was working. She moved to leave, meaning to go get him, see what he could do to help.
"Max" Alec whispered. She stopped, and turned towards him. "You asked me. not to turn away from you" he gasped, raising his head off the pillow. She moved forward quickly, putting her hand on his chest to push him back onto the bed. "Like Logan did. I have done, I'm sorry" he closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on his breathing. "We can do this later" Max told him, running her hand down his face. "And I asked you, not to treat me like Logan. Not to hide stuff from me." His eyes stared into hers until she looked down. "Max, tell me what happened, or get out"
She took a deep breath, then another. Finally, she spoke quietly. "They captured Shay, and Tim"
Alec bit his lip, forcing his head back against the pillow, and squeezing his eyes shut. No. how had it gone so wrong? So completely wrong. Both of them? But how? He started to breath harder as he struggled to remember. Tim had been with him. He had tried to get to the guard, but had fallen. Tim had taken him down though, he remembered that. It was a good shot. That guard wasn't going to be in a position to do anything.
"Alec calm down" Max told him. "Neil!" she screamed in the direction of the door. He was in the room in less than 5 seconds. "I told you not to yell at him." he commented, moving quickly across to the bed and putting his hand on Alec's forehead. Alec tried to move away.
"I didn't yell at him" she told him.
"Alec, talk to me" Neil told him.
"I'm fine. Just leave me alone for a minute" he replied. Neil shook his head. "Not until you get that heart rate down. Max?"
"I'm staying." She said firmly.
"Wait outside" Neil told her just as firmly, and kept staring at her until she backed down. He turned his attention to the heart monitor they had hooked up, and watched as the number of beats per second slowed down visibly.
"How did you do that? No, forget it. I don't want to know."
"Sir? What do you want us to do?" a man in a suit stood in the entrance to White's office, not feeling comfortable enough to enter the room without permission. White looked up from the file he was reading, and stared at the man for a minute. The man took a step back, moving further from the room. "Carry out the plan." White went back to reading his file, effectively dismissing the man.
When he had gone, White sighed, and closed the file, again. There was something wrong with his son. 494 had clearly done something to him, to make Ray hesitate before taking his hand in the tunnel. According to his file, 494 had no Psy skills personally. He must have gotten hold of a psy ops transgenic, and got it to hypnotise his son, try to convert him to their side. but why? From the look on 494's face when they had crossed paths, it had been unexpected on both sides. Why would they kidnap his son in the first place, take him from the school, then go to all this trouble? Surely there had to be something more to it than just getting revenge on him for all the trouble he had caused them? He had no idea. They had psychiatrists on staff too, Familiar psychs, and one of them was talking to Ray right now, trying to figure out what was wrong with his son.
And if they had hurt Ray in any way, then they would truly understand what it meant to have his full and undivided attention on making their lives hell.
Alec heard them both leave, and clenched his fist. This was his fault. All his fault. He had let Shay go on the mission, even though he wasn't one of the chosen ones. And Tim? A little kid. He had forced a young boy to take part. What the hell was the point? To save the humans? God, Fuck them. Who cared? Okay, there were a few worth saving, OC, Sketchy, Normal, but as for the rest, those that were standing outside of the perimeter fence, the ones who had killed Biggs, why save them? As for his own kind, they could have found a cure. They had a starting place, he was immune, so were the others. It didn't need to happen.
"Time's up" Neil spoke as he re-entered the room, and looked at his patient. Alec looked bad, his face ashen, his whole body tense. The wound on his chest must have re-opened, the bandage was slowly turning red. He sighed. "Okay, I'm going to sedate you again. You need to rest, and you're obviously not doing that. Alec, as a friend, I'll tell you this: You're an idiot"
Alec looked at him "What?"
"You're an idiot."
"Thanks." Alec shook his head, trying to figure it out. He couldn't.
Mole looked around HQ. There were literally dozens of transgenics milling around, waiting for something to be done. He didn't like the look of that. Bored transgenics could only lead to trouble. They needed to find something for them to do, and fast, before one of them came up with an idea of his own. He wasn't a leader, though. He had no idea what was needed. Max was the one that would know what to do, or Alec, and neither of them were up to doing anything right now.
He pushed through the crowd and entered the backroom, where Dix was messing around on his computer. Dix didn't bother to look up
"Good morning" Mole commented pointedly.
"Sorry, what did you need?" Dix looked up finally, and grinned weakly.
"there's a mob forming outside."
"I know." Dix shut his laptop. "They asked me for assignments. Me. I don't know what to tell them."
"Me neither."
"So, how long do you think it will take before they start fighting amongst themselves for something to do?" Dix asked, reaching for one of Mole's cigars.
"A day." Mole suggested drily.
"You need to talk to Max. get her to start organising them."
That was pretty much what Mole himself had thought, but he had a problem with the fact that he was to be the one to talk to Max. a big problem. He had a mental image of Max throwing him across the room and through a window.
"Tell me" he asked, turning to face her again, wincing slightly at the pain the movement caused him. Max noticed, and bit her lip. "Later" she told him gently, leaning over to kiss his cheek. He jerked back. "Don't" he told her, his voice hard. It was Max's turn to move back. That expression on his face worried her. Something was wrong. Maybe it was the medication, something wrong with the pain relief that Neil had told her was working. She moved to leave, meaning to go get him, see what he could do to help.
"Max" Alec whispered. She stopped, and turned towards him. "You asked me. not to turn away from you" he gasped, raising his head off the pillow. She moved forward quickly, putting her hand on his chest to push him back onto the bed. "Like Logan did. I have done, I'm sorry" he closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on his breathing. "We can do this later" Max told him, running her hand down his face. "And I asked you, not to treat me like Logan. Not to hide stuff from me." His eyes stared into hers until she looked down. "Max, tell me what happened, or get out"
She took a deep breath, then another. Finally, she spoke quietly. "They captured Shay, and Tim"
Alec bit his lip, forcing his head back against the pillow, and squeezing his eyes shut. No. how had it gone so wrong? So completely wrong. Both of them? But how? He started to breath harder as he struggled to remember. Tim had been with him. He had tried to get to the guard, but had fallen. Tim had taken him down though, he remembered that. It was a good shot. That guard wasn't going to be in a position to do anything.
"Alec calm down" Max told him. "Neil!" she screamed in the direction of the door. He was in the room in less than 5 seconds. "I told you not to yell at him." he commented, moving quickly across to the bed and putting his hand on Alec's forehead. Alec tried to move away.
"I didn't yell at him" she told him.
"Alec, talk to me" Neil told him.
"I'm fine. Just leave me alone for a minute" he replied. Neil shook his head. "Not until you get that heart rate down. Max?"
"I'm staying." She said firmly.
"Wait outside" Neil told her just as firmly, and kept staring at her until she backed down. He turned his attention to the heart monitor they had hooked up, and watched as the number of beats per second slowed down visibly.
"How did you do that? No, forget it. I don't want to know."
"Sir? What do you want us to do?" a man in a suit stood in the entrance to White's office, not feeling comfortable enough to enter the room without permission. White looked up from the file he was reading, and stared at the man for a minute. The man took a step back, moving further from the room. "Carry out the plan." White went back to reading his file, effectively dismissing the man.
When he had gone, White sighed, and closed the file, again. There was something wrong with his son. 494 had clearly done something to him, to make Ray hesitate before taking his hand in the tunnel. According to his file, 494 had no Psy skills personally. He must have gotten hold of a psy ops transgenic, and got it to hypnotise his son, try to convert him to their side. but why? From the look on 494's face when they had crossed paths, it had been unexpected on both sides. Why would they kidnap his son in the first place, take him from the school, then go to all this trouble? Surely there had to be something more to it than just getting revenge on him for all the trouble he had caused them? He had no idea. They had psychiatrists on staff too, Familiar psychs, and one of them was talking to Ray right now, trying to figure out what was wrong with his son.
And if they had hurt Ray in any way, then they would truly understand what it meant to have his full and undivided attention on making their lives hell.
Alec heard them both leave, and clenched his fist. This was his fault. All his fault. He had let Shay go on the mission, even though he wasn't one of the chosen ones. And Tim? A little kid. He had forced a young boy to take part. What the hell was the point? To save the humans? God, Fuck them. Who cared? Okay, there were a few worth saving, OC, Sketchy, Normal, but as for the rest, those that were standing outside of the perimeter fence, the ones who had killed Biggs, why save them? As for his own kind, they could have found a cure. They had a starting place, he was immune, so were the others. It didn't need to happen.
"Time's up" Neil spoke as he re-entered the room, and looked at his patient. Alec looked bad, his face ashen, his whole body tense. The wound on his chest must have re-opened, the bandage was slowly turning red. He sighed. "Okay, I'm going to sedate you again. You need to rest, and you're obviously not doing that. Alec, as a friend, I'll tell you this: You're an idiot"
Alec looked at him "What?"
"You're an idiot."
"Thanks." Alec shook his head, trying to figure it out. He couldn't.
Mole looked around HQ. There were literally dozens of transgenics milling around, waiting for something to be done. He didn't like the look of that. Bored transgenics could only lead to trouble. They needed to find something for them to do, and fast, before one of them came up with an idea of his own. He wasn't a leader, though. He had no idea what was needed. Max was the one that would know what to do, or Alec, and neither of them were up to doing anything right now.
He pushed through the crowd and entered the backroom, where Dix was messing around on his computer. Dix didn't bother to look up
"Good morning" Mole commented pointedly.
"Sorry, what did you need?" Dix looked up finally, and grinned weakly.
"there's a mob forming outside."
"I know." Dix shut his laptop. "They asked me for assignments. Me. I don't know what to tell them."
"Me neither."
"So, how long do you think it will take before they start fighting amongst themselves for something to do?" Dix asked, reaching for one of Mole's cigars.
"A day." Mole suggested drily.
"You need to talk to Max. get her to start organising them."
That was pretty much what Mole himself had thought, but he had a problem with the fact that he was to be the one to talk to Max. a big problem. He had a mental image of Max throwing him across the room and through a window.