ARCHIVE: No
By Valjean
Betrayal
They were being followed. Alec could sense two ... maybe three behind them as they walked through the streets of Calvi toward the harbor where they could catch a boat back to the mainland.
"Max ... honey," he said lightly. "Do you remember how fond old Sandeman is of his electronic surveillance devices?"
"What about it?" Max said, her voice rough with exhaustion. She looked terrible, her hair unkempt, dark circles beneath her eyes, her shoulders slumped in a very un-Max-like way.
Alec glanced behind them and with his cat eyes spotted a fleeting shadow disappear into a doorway in the half dusk of encroaching evening. Licking dry lips, he took hold of Max's upper arm, pulling her closer, and lowered his voice. "I think Herman's on to the fact we're not gonna just sit back and quietly enter his 'annals of history.'"
"What do you mean?" Max asked, looking up at him sharply.
Alec jerked his head backwards, indicating their followers. "We've picked up a tail ... or three. I'm guessing Sandeman eavesdropped on what we were sayin' in the hallway back at his castle. And now he can't let us leave the island 'cause he knows how dangerous we are."
"Sandeman would never hurt us," Max said, whispering so harshly she might as well have been shouting. She pulled her arm away. "You're imagining things."
"No, unfortunately I'm not," Alec said with a heavy sigh as a large (larger than him at least) male dressed in military fatigues stepped into the cobbled street in front of them, blocking their way.
"Halt," the man said, his hand on his sidearm.
"Daddy Riley's a combat model, isn't he?" Alec said casually, at the same time sizing up his opponent.
"I think so," Max replied. "There are three behind us?"
"Yeah."
"Four to two. Not bad odds."
"Your leg gonna hold up?"
"My leg's fine."
"I told you to join me and the kids during our training sessions, but no, you didn't have time to exercise."
"I said it's fine, Alec," Max snapped, her voice an extension of her temper.
"They've got guns."
"I know," she said in a low voice. Then to the soldier. "What do you want?"
"You're to return to the castle. Sandeman's orders."
"Why?"
"You're to return to the castle. Sandeman's orders," the automoton repeated.
"Yep," Alec said. "He heard us talkin' about blowin' the place up. No doubt about it. We're fucked."
"What are we going to do?" Max asked nervously, her eyes on the gun that was now in the soldier's hand.
Alec shrugged. "What we always do, Maxie. Fight."
Max nodded, her brown eyes grim. "Guess we need to show 'Father' just how good his first born really are."
*****
Alec blurred at the same time the soldier fired. The bullet missed him, but not by much, and then he was on top of the cloned X5, his hands gripping the uniform collar, using his momentum to flip over the soldier's head. Landing gracefully behind his opponent, he planted his feet and heaved, pulling the man into a spin and smashing him into the brick wall of the "Olive Tree Tavern." A glance over his shoulder told him Max was in trouble -- the other three had her surrounded and were closing in with sidearms drawn, the only reason they hadn't gunned her down already the fact she was moving too fast -- whirling and kicking -- for a clean shot.
Heart pounding with both exhileration and fear, Alec leaped like the cat he partially was into the middle of the fray, fingers of steel taking hold of a dark haired head and twisting viciously. It had been a long time since he'd heard that sound, felt that sensation -- vertebrae breaking -- a technique he'd been taught as a very young child. The fact he gleaned such satisfaction from the deed horrified him, but also reaffirmed what he sometimes forgot -- that he'd been bred, born, and raised to be an assassin. Killing came far easier to him than it did to Max.
And that was truly the only thing that was going to save their lives now.
Max was still dancing around, landing a kick or punch now and then, but for the most part just feigning, trying to keep from being a target for their bullets. She might swear her leg was healed, but Alec could tell she was favoring her left side, putting most of her weight on the right -- a handicap that was going to get her killed.
Dropping to the ground, Alec's leg swept out, knocking one soldier off his feet. The follow through was easy -- a karate chop to the throat. Three down, one to go. Sandeman's boys might look impressive, but they really weren't very well trained.
The sound of the gunshot was unusually loud in the close Calvi street, the retort echoing off the cobblestones and brick walls.
"Max!" Alec screamed.
Her arm was bleeding, but she was still standing, still fighting. Sensing the attack from behind, the soldier who'd just shot Max whirled and pointed his gun at Alec, aiming dead center at his chest as the transgenic charged to protect his mate.
But turning his back on the enraged and wounded female ... on Max ... was a big mistake. There was a rusty iron post lying on the ground near the curb. Max scooped it up, swung hard, and buried its barbed tip in the clone's brain, driving it home with strength fueled by desperation. However, to their amazement, the soldier didn't fall, instead swinging his fist and landing a cuffing blow to the side of Alec's head.
Momentarily stunned, Alec staggered back, breathing heavily, looking straight down the barrel of the gun that was about to end his life. But even as he braced himself for the impact of a bullet, the cloned X5's blue eyes glazed over and, with brain matter and blood dripping from his ears, Max's ill conceived offspring collapsed into a twitching heap of flesh and bone on the ground.
*****
"Get us outta here!" Alec shouted to Zeb as he and Max ran up the boarding ramp into the plane.
"Our take-off time isn't for another hour," Zeb said mildly. "Filed the flight plan last night."
"Take off! Now!" Max ordered, holding her bleeding arm.
"Why?" their pilot implored. "I could lose my license for violating international regulations."
"It's not as if we haven't violated them before," Alec said easily as he slid into the co-pilot's seat. He looked sharply at the older black man. "You flyin' or am I?"
"I gather you two have someone lookin' to kill ya again?" Mole said, talking around his cigar stub as he leaned with folded arms on the back of Alec's seat.
"So?" Max shot at him. "What else is new?"
Joshua had come forward from the cargo area. "Is Father in danger, too?" he asked.
Alec looked at Max, his eyes warning.
"No, Big Fella," Max said, her voice dropping to a more soothing decibel. "Father's fine. But there are some ... men chasing us."
The DC9's engines sprang to life. Alec, however, was only half watching the control panel, his hearing and attention tuned to what Max and Joshua were saying.
"Why?" the dogman asked innocently. "More of White's people?"
"Yeah," Alec said quickly, before Max could hesitate. "But don't worry about Sandeman. He's well guarded in his castle. We just got jumped in the street, barely made it out."
"How many did ya kill?" Mole asked, a toothy grin splitting his scaley face.
Alec held up three fingers, pointed to Max and held up one.
"Four total?" the lizard man said. "Impressive. But then that's what we were designed for ain't it? Killin'?"
With a twinge of conscience, Alec remembered the exhileration he'd felt after breaking the cloned X5's neck. Manticore had done that to him, bred instincts into his mind and body that he couldn't deny. In reality, that was why the rest of the human race so feared his kind -- genetically enhanced killing machines. He was ashamed of that in a way, but also oddly proud. Afterall, what else could he be?
"Alec!" Max said loudly. She snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Are we taking off or not?"
Alec looked over at Zeb who gave him a shrug followed by a high sign.
"Tell the tower it was a mix-up," Alec said. "Tell 'em we thought our flight time was three and not four when they start screamin'. We'll hafta pay a fine next time we land, but I have a really bad feeling about stayin' on the ground." He looked out over the tarmac, half expecting to see an army of X5 clones advancing.
"He doesn't have that many yet," Max said low so only he could hear. But she forgot that Joshua also had keen ears.
"Many what?" their friend asked innnocently.
"Many soldiers in his army," Alec said truthfully.
Joshua grinned. "Which is what you and Max and the others are for. You're Father's army, and there will be more soon."
"Or less," Alec said softly, clenching his hand into a fist to stop the sudden uncontrolled trembling.
The plane was taxiing down the runway now, and a moment later, in spite of threats and curses from the air traffic control tower, they were in the air, headed out on the long flight to Wellington. When he spotted the island of Calvi below as they banked into the setting sun, Alec's keen vision focused on Sandeman's castle. "You should have your seatbelt on," he said to Joshua as his friend's hand came down on his shoulder.
But Joshua was looking out the window too, following Alec's gaze. "Father will help you, Alec. I know he won't let you die."
"Right" was all Alec could say, wondering just how he was going to break the bad news to his best friend that their so-called father had abandoned them -- worse, had tried to kill them.
Joshua's big hand ruffled his hair affectionately. "Have faith, Alec," he said softly. "Just have faith in Father."
Alec closed his eyes, blocking out the view of the castle below.
To be continued ...
Also, I'd like to encourage all M/A DARK ANGEL fans to read Max Collins' official prequel novel BEFORE THE DAWN. True, Alec isn't in the story (yet), but there's lots of canon background material in the book that would be pertinent to Alec later on. Plus, Mr. Collins says that Alec and Joshua will be "centerstage" in the DARK ANGEL sequel novel SKIN GAME coming out next February. -- author's note