Rant: Wow, I never realised this story was so far behind what I'd posted at
NWP. those 5 days when ff.net was down really makes a difference, huh?
Thanks for all the reviews, I love hearing that people are reading this
stuff.
"Max, ya know that aint right" Cindy stared at her friend. "You and Alec, no matter what you two tell yourselves, there' something there."
Max sighed. "It's not that simple."
"You make it 'not that simple'. You kissed him, right?"
"Well." Max stalled, trying to think.
"And he kissed you. So what you scared of, Boo?"
Everything. That was the simple response. Right now, any feelings that existed in her for Alec, if any feelings did, were locked behind a wall deep inside her. If she opened that door, it might never shut again.
"I need to go" she told her friend.
"Uh huh. to see your boy?"
"No. but listen, can you?"
"Run that by me again?"
"I left Alec alone. I needed to make sure that Normal wasn't going to do anything, turn Alec in. And, there's some other stuff I need to do. But, that means he's alone, and if he."
"Gets sick again" Cindy finished her sentence. "No prob, Boo. Consider it done"
the other squad heard the sound, and turned, raising their guns. 494 threw himself to the ground, diving behind a tree for cover, and coming up firing. His squadmates were out there, several of them out in the open, perfect targets. On the other side, 361 hesitated, seeing 384 lying on the ground, his body shaking like he was cold. Really cold. His hesitation cost him his life, at least in the mission. 494 took him out, then ducked back behind the tree as the opposition attacked. 494's teammates for the most part were caught off guard, rifles down slightly, and they didn't have time to cover and return fire. The whole fire fight lasted about 12 seconds, from 361s fall to the five enemy soldiers that converged on 494, the last of his team, the only one that had managed to get cover. To a man, they all stood and turned to look at 384. he had stopped shaking, and he stood slowly, facing both his squadmates and his opponents.
319, 494s squad leader stepped forward. He reversed his rifle, and slammed the butt into 384s stomach. He fell to the ground. Again, as one, they turned away from him, and walked away.
Alec awoke, gasping for air. He rolled out of bed and went to the window, pushing it open. A freezing wind hit him, causing him to shiver, but he stayed where he was. He wanted to forget. More than anything, he wanted to understand.
When 384 hit the ground, he had turned away with the rest of them, disgusted with his squad-mates weakness. Only now, did he start to feel any remorse for what he had done. Now, because he had been through, was going through, the same thing.
Cindy knocked on the door to Alec's apartment, and waited. She had a key, Max had given it to her, but she understood Alec's need for privacy. She was just about to use the key, when the door opened.
"Hey" Alec greeted her dully. Cindy looked at him closely. He was shivering with cold, and the expression on his face, it was one she didn't like the look of.
"Hey Boo, How ya doin'?"
"Fine" Alec leant in the doorway, clearly not wanting to let her in. "What'd'ya need?"
"Max wanted me ta check on ya, see that ya doin' okay"
Great. Max thought he needed a babysitter now. just fantastic. "I'm fine" he told her, crossing his arms. "I'm kind of in the middle of something though, so, I'll see you at work tomorrow, yeah?"
"'kay, Boo." OC had been watching him closely through their exchange, and could actually pinpoint the exact time his face had drained of all emotion, and had changed into someone that she didn't recognise. For the first time since knowing about Max and the rest of the transgenics, she felt nervous around one of them. She turned and walked away slowly.
Alec shut the door, and leant back against it. He hated this feeling of not being in control, of having others feel the need to look out for him. he should be the one helping them. He moved to the centre of the room, and dropped to the ground, slowly starting to do push ups. This was familiar to him, something that he had done several times a day all his life. While his squad-mates got tired, he never did. A few hundred push ups just didn't affect him. He felt his mind finally start to clear. He reached three hundred, then four, then five hundred.
"On the ground, 494. give me a hundred." "Sir, yes sir!" he dropped to the ground, and began to work his arms. At one hundred, he threw himself back up to his feet, and snapped to attention again, waiting for orders.
"Stand at Ease, soldier" the Colonel stood and moved around the front of his desk. 494 snapped into the new position, his arms hard down behind his back.
"Report" the Colonel ordered as he leant against the desk and stared at the young boy.
"Sir. B squad was unsuccessful in the mission, Sir."
"I know that, soldier. What disturbs me, is the fact that B squad took only 12 seconds to be unsuccessful. I want to know why."
494 stared straight ahead of him. it did not seem to be a question, not yet anyway.
"Tell me why"
that was an order.
"Sir. 319 was the squad leader, Sir."
The Colonel's fist snapped out, catching 494 in the face. He staggered back, feeling blood run down his face, then caught himself, moving back to attention.
"Cut the shit, soldier. Tell me what happened. Now"
494 felt something behind him, something touch his shoulder. He was at attention, though, and so he didn't move. He stared straight ahead, waiting for orders.
Max touched his shoulder again, trying to get a response from him. OC had rung her, said that something was up, and as usual, OC was right. Alec turned to look at her. More accurately, he looked straight through her, as if she wasn't even there.
"Alec?" she asked. He made no move
"Alec!" she spoke louder, touching his arm. He shook his head slightly, then looked at her. "Max." he smiled, but it looked forced.
"How're you feeling?" she asked him. Slowly moving her hand down his arm, she took his hand in hers, tentatively. Alec bit his lip, and shrugged.
"I'm fine, Max" he told her, smiling again, more believably this time.
"Want to talk about it?" she asked him, squeezing his hand lightly.
"Not really" he told her, trying to move away from her. Max tightened her grip on his hand, not letting him go.
"Max, can you just leave me alone?"
"No. there are two options here. One, you're not fine, and you go lie down and rest. and I stay here to make sure you do. Or Two, you are fine, and we have things to talk about."
"Which will make you go away faster?" he asked. He didn't want to be around anyone just then. He needed to think, try to figure out some stuff. He couldn't do that around other people. Especially not Max, she just added to the complications.
"Probably the latter" she told him.
"So, talk" Alec sighed, moving to the couch and sitting down. Max moved over to join him, purposely sitting close to him, her leg touching his.
This was one conversation she did not want to have. Any answer he gave would just lead to more questions. And once he gave her an answer, she would have to start asking herself some questions. Like, how the hell did she really feel about the kiss.
"Max, ya know that aint right" Cindy stared at her friend. "You and Alec, no matter what you two tell yourselves, there' something there."
Max sighed. "It's not that simple."
"You make it 'not that simple'. You kissed him, right?"
"Well." Max stalled, trying to think.
"And he kissed you. So what you scared of, Boo?"
Everything. That was the simple response. Right now, any feelings that existed in her for Alec, if any feelings did, were locked behind a wall deep inside her. If she opened that door, it might never shut again.
"I need to go" she told her friend.
"Uh huh. to see your boy?"
"No. but listen, can you?"
"Run that by me again?"
"I left Alec alone. I needed to make sure that Normal wasn't going to do anything, turn Alec in. And, there's some other stuff I need to do. But, that means he's alone, and if he."
"Gets sick again" Cindy finished her sentence. "No prob, Boo. Consider it done"
the other squad heard the sound, and turned, raising their guns. 494 threw himself to the ground, diving behind a tree for cover, and coming up firing. His squadmates were out there, several of them out in the open, perfect targets. On the other side, 361 hesitated, seeing 384 lying on the ground, his body shaking like he was cold. Really cold. His hesitation cost him his life, at least in the mission. 494 took him out, then ducked back behind the tree as the opposition attacked. 494's teammates for the most part were caught off guard, rifles down slightly, and they didn't have time to cover and return fire. The whole fire fight lasted about 12 seconds, from 361s fall to the five enemy soldiers that converged on 494, the last of his team, the only one that had managed to get cover. To a man, they all stood and turned to look at 384. he had stopped shaking, and he stood slowly, facing both his squadmates and his opponents.
319, 494s squad leader stepped forward. He reversed his rifle, and slammed the butt into 384s stomach. He fell to the ground. Again, as one, they turned away from him, and walked away.
Alec awoke, gasping for air. He rolled out of bed and went to the window, pushing it open. A freezing wind hit him, causing him to shiver, but he stayed where he was. He wanted to forget. More than anything, he wanted to understand.
When 384 hit the ground, he had turned away with the rest of them, disgusted with his squad-mates weakness. Only now, did he start to feel any remorse for what he had done. Now, because he had been through, was going through, the same thing.
Cindy knocked on the door to Alec's apartment, and waited. She had a key, Max had given it to her, but she understood Alec's need for privacy. She was just about to use the key, when the door opened.
"Hey" Alec greeted her dully. Cindy looked at him closely. He was shivering with cold, and the expression on his face, it was one she didn't like the look of.
"Hey Boo, How ya doin'?"
"Fine" Alec leant in the doorway, clearly not wanting to let her in. "What'd'ya need?"
"Max wanted me ta check on ya, see that ya doin' okay"
Great. Max thought he needed a babysitter now. just fantastic. "I'm fine" he told her, crossing his arms. "I'm kind of in the middle of something though, so, I'll see you at work tomorrow, yeah?"
"'kay, Boo." OC had been watching him closely through their exchange, and could actually pinpoint the exact time his face had drained of all emotion, and had changed into someone that she didn't recognise. For the first time since knowing about Max and the rest of the transgenics, she felt nervous around one of them. She turned and walked away slowly.
Alec shut the door, and leant back against it. He hated this feeling of not being in control, of having others feel the need to look out for him. he should be the one helping them. He moved to the centre of the room, and dropped to the ground, slowly starting to do push ups. This was familiar to him, something that he had done several times a day all his life. While his squad-mates got tired, he never did. A few hundred push ups just didn't affect him. He felt his mind finally start to clear. He reached three hundred, then four, then five hundred.
"On the ground, 494. give me a hundred." "Sir, yes sir!" he dropped to the ground, and began to work his arms. At one hundred, he threw himself back up to his feet, and snapped to attention again, waiting for orders.
"Stand at Ease, soldier" the Colonel stood and moved around the front of his desk. 494 snapped into the new position, his arms hard down behind his back.
"Report" the Colonel ordered as he leant against the desk and stared at the young boy.
"Sir. B squad was unsuccessful in the mission, Sir."
"I know that, soldier. What disturbs me, is the fact that B squad took only 12 seconds to be unsuccessful. I want to know why."
494 stared straight ahead of him. it did not seem to be a question, not yet anyway.
"Tell me why"
that was an order.
"Sir. 319 was the squad leader, Sir."
The Colonel's fist snapped out, catching 494 in the face. He staggered back, feeling blood run down his face, then caught himself, moving back to attention.
"Cut the shit, soldier. Tell me what happened. Now"
494 felt something behind him, something touch his shoulder. He was at attention, though, and so he didn't move. He stared straight ahead, waiting for orders.
Max touched his shoulder again, trying to get a response from him. OC had rung her, said that something was up, and as usual, OC was right. Alec turned to look at her. More accurately, he looked straight through her, as if she wasn't even there.
"Alec?" she asked. He made no move
"Alec!" she spoke louder, touching his arm. He shook his head slightly, then looked at her. "Max." he smiled, but it looked forced.
"How're you feeling?" she asked him. Slowly moving her hand down his arm, she took his hand in hers, tentatively. Alec bit his lip, and shrugged.
"I'm fine, Max" he told her, smiling again, more believably this time.
"Want to talk about it?" she asked him, squeezing his hand lightly.
"Not really" he told her, trying to move away from her. Max tightened her grip on his hand, not letting him go.
"Max, can you just leave me alone?"
"No. there are two options here. One, you're not fine, and you go lie down and rest. and I stay here to make sure you do. Or Two, you are fine, and we have things to talk about."
"Which will make you go away faster?" he asked. He didn't want to be around anyone just then. He needed to think, try to figure out some stuff. He couldn't do that around other people. Especially not Max, she just added to the complications.
"Probably the latter" she told him.
"So, talk" Alec sighed, moving to the couch and sitting down. Max moved over to join him, purposely sitting close to him, her leg touching his.
This was one conversation she did not want to have. Any answer he gave would just lead to more questions. And once he gave her an answer, she would have to start asking herself some questions. Like, how the hell did she really feel about the kiss.