In the Heat of Battle
Author: Kat
Rating: R.
Spoilers: Takes place after Freak Nation.
Plot line: Angst M/L & Romance/Smut M/A.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Dark Angel. Retha, Dee, Dirk, Frankie, Stitch and Liv are mine however.
Full story available at: http://nunswithpens.hyperboards.com
Chapter 13 – You're killing me
Alec rushed through his shower in record time, anxious to get back to Max's side. Sifting through the items in the bag, he quickly threw on a black long-sleeved shirt and jeans and ran his fingers through his wet hair trying to tame it. It was getting far too long. Making a mental note to cut it now that he didn't have to hide his barcode anymore, he pulled on his boots and hurried back down the hall. He stopped just shy of the door when he heard the topic of conversation.
Max stared down at her hands. "I just don't get it. Logan's always been the most rational person I know. Sometimes almost too rational." She laughed dryly. "I thought of him as my best friend. But suddenly within the space of a few days, he completely lost it. He was rude and aggressive. Completely delusional. He even accused Alec of raping me. The things he said and did…" Her voice trailed off and she quickly wiped a tear from her face.
"I think that's your clue, right there." Max looked over at Liv, confusion obvious on her face. Liv just shook her head and sighed. "Look. We know this area is highly toxic to humans. Well he was here for five days so it had to be affecting him, right?" When Max nodded slowly, she continued. "I did some research on this when I first got here to make sure we'd be safe. As it turns out, we're completely immune but for humans the results are disastrous. Some people get physically ill while others develop mental problems."
Max gasped and sat straight up, completely horrified. "What kind of mental problems? Are the effects permanent?"
Liv shrugged. "Some of the toxins here can cause encephalitis - swelling of the brain tissue. Its effect on the body depends on the location and severity. Even a mild case can cause abnormal brain activity and significant changes in personality. If left untreated for too long, it can even cause permanent brain damage."
Seeing Max's look of horror, she hurried to reassure her, raising her hands placatingly. "That being said however, most of the damage is usually only short term. Once the person receives treatment, they often return to fairly normal functions. In some cases though the results are permanent. Some of the more common problems are: loss of physical sensation or motion, personality changes, loss of memory, inability to feel or control emotions, and the inability to understand and communicate."
Max brought a shaking hand up to her mouth. "Oh God. Why didn't anybody tell me? If I'd known I would have made him leave immediately."
"I'm sorry. I guess everyone thought you knew already. All of us that have been here for a while did." Liv put a hand on her shoulder. "The most important thing you can do now is make sure he gets treatment. He'll need antibiotics in order to recover."
Max nodded and looked around. "Right. I need a phone."
Liv got up and started to head for the door, when Alec stepped into the room and tossed Max his cell phone. "Here."
Max caught it instinctively and met his eyes, surprised both by his sudden presence and his willingness to help. "Alec?"
"I may not like him much at the moment, but I know you'll never forgive yourself if this causes him permanent damage." He shrugged and smiled at her, "I wondered why he went nuts like that. Should have known there was something up. At least now we know why." He walked over to the bed and sat down beside her, caressing her cheek with the palm of his hand. "Go ahead and make the call."
While she was on the phone with Dr. Shankar, Joshua and Mole walked into the room. Alec got up to fend them off. "She's fine. Give her a minute to finish this call."
Liv took the opportunity to pull them aside with a warning. "Keep it short guys. I know she looks fine, but she still needs a bit more time to recover completely. I'm going to keep her in overnight. I'm sure there'll be plenty of time in the morning to deal with whatever issues you've got going." She looked pointedly at her watch and then back up at all of them, "You've got half an hour. If you're in here any longer than that I'll personally kick your asses right out that door." When everyone reluctantly nodded at her in agreement, she left the room.
Seconds later, a young kid came running in with a large bag. He skidded to a halt when he saw Alec and immediately saluted, his posture becoming stiff as a board. "Sir, X8-743 reporting with provisions as requested, sir!"
Alec automatically responded, his voice crisp, recognizing the kid from a team he'd led last year. "At ease, soldier. We're not in Manticore anymore. Call me Alec."
Easing his stance only slightly, he held out the bag to him. "Yes si…Alec! Do you require anything else?"
"No thanks. This is fine." Alec shook his head slightly when the kid didn't move a muscle. Giving up, he barked out, "Dismissed." Turning around as the kid spun on his heel and left, he headed back over to the bed where Max had disconnected from the call. Arching an eyebrow at her in question, he waited for the verdict.
"She's heading over there right now with an ambulance. Everything should be fine." She sighed in relief and grabbed the bag out of Alec's hand. "God that smells good." She glanced over at Mole and Joshua before digging into the bag. "So what's up? I hear you guys were driving Liv crazy while I was out of it."
Alec pulled a small table over to the bed while she pulled out several steaming containers. Mole wasted no time in updating her. "We're still working on Logan's computer. Found a few interesting things, but nothing that can't wait a few days." He paused a moment for dramatic effect. "You'll never guess who called for you this morning."
Max arched an eyebrow at him as she started to dig into her meal. "A senator?"
"Nope. The Vice-President." He looked smug as Max almost choked on a mouthful of meatloaf.
"You're kidding me! The actual Vice-President? Not an aide or secretary?" Alec asked in disbelief as he shoveled a forkful of potatoes into his mouth.
"The real deal. I explained that your schedule was tight at the moment, but that you'd call her back tomorrow. She wants a videoconference though. Insists on seeing you face to face."
Max smiled for a moment. "She must have been thrilled to hear that I was too busy to take her call." Her face grew serious as she sighed. "What am I going to tell her? There are so many things that need addressing. Where do I even start?"
Alec tried to reassure her. "You don't have to do this alone Max. I know you're the one with the runes, but there are plenty of us around that would love to help you out. Myself included."
Mole nodded decisively, "Me too. I definitely want to have a say in this."
"Thanks guys. That would be a big help. Maybe we could get a group together to get things organized around here, since it looks like I'm probably going to be pretty busy with negotiations." Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Joshua standing silently against the back wall and turned to look at him, surprised by his lack of response. He stared down at the floor, refusing to meet her gaze. "What's wrong Joshua?"
"Joshua failed you. Didn't keep Logan away. You got hurt." His voice came out in a whimpering cry.
"Joshua come here." She sighed when he didn't move. "Please? Don't make me come over there."
He reluctantly walked toward her, shuffling his feet and making his way over to the other side of the bed. Max took one of his hands and held it. "This is not your fault, big fella. You did keep an eye on him for me and got Frankie to watch out for us too." She stroked the back of his hand. "Logan got sick from being here too long. That's what made him go crazy. Even Alec and I didn't expect him to do what he did, so how could you?"
Joshua slowly looked up at her. "But it was my job."
"I know I asked you to watch him, but I also asked you to help run things around here with Mole. It would have been difficult for you to do both. So actually, this is my fault." She laughed a bit at herself and smiled at him. "In fact, I really shouldn't have allowed Logan to stay here in the first place, so none of this is your fault."
"Really, little fella?" He looked hopeful and almost smiled.
"Really, Joshua. Besides, I'm fine." She glanced over at Alec and grinned. "Actually, I'm better than I've been in a long time. So please stop worrying about it." Picking up her fork, she started eating again. "Where did Liv go anyway? I wanted to see when I could get out of here."
"She said you're staying overnight. Wants to make sure you're 100% before she lets you out." At her groan, Alec continued, "It's probably a good idea, love. You're not really going to have much time to rest once you get out of here so enjoy it while you can."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Max finished the last bite and then leaned back against her pillow, trying to get a bit more comfortable. "Well, since I'm going to be stuck in here, could you guys help make up a list of key issues to discuss tomorrow? I don't want to forget anything."
"Yeah sure. I've got a few things in mind anyway." Mole chomped down on his cigar and headed for the door. "I'll have 'em on your desk first thing in the morning. Oh, and I'll also start getting volunteers for that group." Joshua followed him out.
Alec picked up the dishes and put them back in the bag. "I should probably get going too if I'm going to see Cindy and pick up our stuff tonight."
Max looked surprised. "You're still going?"
He laughed and leaned down to kiss her, slowly and thoroughly. When he finally released her lips, he pulled back slightly and traced her features with the tips of his fingers. "I don't think you'd really get that much rest if I stayed here, do you?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right." She sighed and leaned up to take his mouth again in a tender kiss, lips brushing gently against his, her fingers combing through his still damp hair. "Please come see me when you get back, so I know you got back okay."
"You're not worried about me are you?" At her knowing look, he laughed. "Hey. It's me remember. I'm always alright."
"Whatever." She reached up and ruffled his hair. "Just be careful. There are a lot of wackos out there, including White. I want you back in one piece."
He ducked down and gave her one more quick kiss. "I'll be back before you know it."
~~~~~
A few hours later, Alec entered the infirmary again expecting to find Liv waiting to give him the evil eye. Instead, loud laughter reached his ears. Walking down the hall, he entered the main room only to find Max wiping tears from her eyes and groaning helplessly through her continued laughter. "Stop, Liv… you're killing me…Ow!"
Taking another step into the room and tossing their bags in the corner, he asked, "Alright, I thought you were supposed to be resting. What's going on? What'd I miss?"
Max and Liv took one look at him, looked back at each other and then started laughing uproariously again.
"What!" Slightly irked now and conscious of the fact that the joke was obviously on him, Alec raised an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest. He looked suspiciously at Liv lounging in the chair at the foot of the bed. "Okay, spill it. What have you been telling her about me?"
Desperately trying to regain control of herself, Liv held her stomach and gasped for air, finally managing to get a few words out. "Guard…McIntyre…"
Alec dropped his head and groaned as he remembered the incident in question, feeling his skin burn under their scrutiny. Ruefully acknowledging the reason for their continued laughter, he glanced up again and tried to shrug it off, waving a hand in the air dismissively. "That was not my fault. She should have been putty in my hands. I was always able to get around the guards at Manticore. Always!"
Wiping more tears from her face, Max took a deep breath and shook her head, a huge smile on her face as she met his embarrassed look. "I know you think you're God's gift to women and all, tiger, but you really should have had a clue by the time she turned you down…" a few more giggles escaped her before she was able to continue, "for the fifth time!"
Liv nodded thoughtfully, "I thought you were a real prick. Especially when I overheard you talking to some of the guys in your unit about her. Bragging and sooo full of yourself, bound and determined to prove how big of a stud you were." She made little quote marks in the air as she deliberately deepened her voice, "I bet I can get in her good books in two seconds flat. She'll let me get away with anything after only one kiss." She snorted and then laughed genuinely. "But that all pales in comparison to seeing her escort you back through the barracks in the middle of the night, naked as the day you were born."
Still blushing, Alec ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah that was pretty bad. It certainly wasn't my best moment. But how was I supposed to know she was a lesbian?" Both girls stifled more giggles as he walked over to the bed and sat down beside Max. "It's not like I'd had much exposure to anyone like that before. And in my own defense, I was pretty messed up back then. They'd only released me from Psy Obs maybe a week before that." He took Max's hand and raised it to his lips, placing a light kiss to her palm. "Besides, doesn't matter now anyway. You know you're the only woman for me."
Liv choked back more laughter and rolled her eyes, "Alright, you're going to make me sick. Since she can't sleep anyway, you can stay as long as she stays in bed and doesn't move." She pointed her finger at Alec. "No fooling around. Damn shark DNA anyway." Muffled laughter followed her out into the hall.
"So how'd it go? How's OC?" Max asked eagerly.
"She's fine and so is Sketchy. I told her what happened with Logan and asked her to keep an eye on him. Although I swear to God she's psychic." When Max looked at him puzzled, he laughed. "She knew. The second I walked into the room, she knew something had happened between us. She took one look at me and said, 'Finally. It's about time suga'. Ya know you two's got some messed up shit when beatin' up on each other is foreplay.'" He said in a passable imitation of their friend.
Max just stared at him. "You're kidding! How did she…?" She shook her head. "No, I don't even want to know. She's too smart for her own good. Always seeing things that I didn't even know were there." She stared at the ceiling for a moment, thinking. "I wonder why didn't she say something to me?"
"I asked her that same question. She said we wouldn't have believed her if she'd tried. We had to see it for ourselves."
"Yeah, she's probably right. I wouldn't have believed her." She laughed and pulled him down so he was lying beside her. "Come here, you."
"Now Ma-ax, you heard what Liv said."
"I know, I know." She huffed. "I just want to snuggle. Is that okay with you, dad?"
Alec snorted and pretended to be insulted. "Dad? As if. You could call Logan that." He laughed and rearranged himself on the bed, pulling her in close to his side as she giggled. "Now close your eyes and try to get some sleep. We've got a lot of work to do tomorrow."
End Chapter 13…