"MacDowell!"
Alec looked up from where he was sweeping the floor, in close proximity to one of the labs, at the sound of his name. Or at least the name he'd given Conrad Pharmaceuticals. One of the white coats was gesturing to him.
Alec put on his best charming smile and sauntered over, "Yes sir?"
The white coat was not immune to Alec's charm and smiled back. "Come with me."
He was led down several darkened corridors to an old storage room. The white coat pulled out a large key ring, and after much jingling got the door open. Inside were boxes, many boxes, of what Alec didn't know. Papers probably.
Alec was right. The white coat opened one and indeed it was packed with papers. "All of these need to be taken down to the incinerator, so we need you to load them up and take em down. Ok?"
"Yes sir."
White coat nodded, "There's a dolly outside." With that, he nodded and then departed.
Alec looked around and then and there decided that he was quite possibly the luckiest bastard alive. A lucky bastard with many long hours of boring work ahead of him. By the end of the day he had managed to dig through half the boxes, but he found what he was looking for.
The papers indicated that blood from a transgenic with the tryptophan deficiency was being used to create a more permanent solution to the problem. When they had reached puberty, the X5s were given a booster shot that cut the tremors to a more manageable level. Furthermore, whoever the transgenic was that the blood had been drawn from had never received this original booster. Only one of the X5s from the '09 escape would have not gotten it.
Alec had been avoiding thinking about Max, but now this brought her back to the front of his mind. She would want him to do something about this. He was tempted to call her, to talk to her. This led him to other things he wanted to do. Sophie.
Over dinner he watched her out of the corner of his eye feeding Tess. He thought of Max that night, tossing and turning on his couch, though.
He had watched Logan leave Terminal City, comforted Max, holding her as she sobbed. She had trusted him so much after, counted on him. Joshua had found a large private area and together they made it into an apartment for the three of them. The closeness was strange for all of them, but they all became much closer. Closer then they had ever been to anyone in their lives. He pushed the image of just how close out of his mind. Every day, more troops had amassed outside the perimeter of Terminal City. Every day they had become more desperate. Food, medicine and water were in short supply. Max was able to keep things together, but she needed Joshua and Alec more and more. Logan, unable to remain in the compound, kept information coming their way, as well as help getting through what supplies he could with his people. It was from Logan that the tip came in about the New York offer. It seemed too good to be true, and as it turned out, was. The offer supposedly came from a group
Max had come to Alec after the day after the offer had come forward. He had been sitting on the roof over their apartment, watching the boats in the harbor, and she came and sat next to him. So close, like that night, so close.
"We have to at least consider that the offer is legit."
"I don't like it, Max."
"I know. But Logan thinks they're legit, and we're desperate. We need help. If they can get us the reinforcements.."
"And if it's a trap?" He turned to look at her. He could see the desperation in her eyes, and wanted so much to take that away, to make it better. Lying now, on a bumpy couch in Sophie's tiny living room, he knew that was why he had agreed to go. Not because it was a good plan. Because it gave Max an inkling of hope. Now, he couldn't face Max again without something. He had hoped the information in the boxes would lead to a cure for the seizures that were starting to plague the X5s as more and more time passed from their last boosters at Manticore. He'd been lucky so far, but he knew his time would come too.
Well, I guess my next destination is the lab, he thought. At least he could spring the transgenic trapped inside. That would make Max happy. Yeah and another mouth to feed. But if he were lucky, he might be able to get more information about this fix.
In the morning,, he asked Sophie about the lab.
"Why, did you find something?" She asked him enthusiastically. Alec was both touched and concerned by her embracing of his cause. He worried for her; she had already lost so much. He could hear his Manticore handlers now. Too sentimental, 494. Your attachments will get you killed. The months he'd spent in solitary after Rachel. Focus, Alec, focus.
"Maybe. Do you know anything about the Forsythe Lab?"
"Yeah, it's an old school out on in what used to be the exclusive western suburbs. It's all pretty deserted now, so they keep the major research labs out there. I've been to Forsythe, never seen too much though, they keep it all pretty well locked up."
"So you wouldn't know what they do?"
"Not really. I know we get research from them, and I know they keep patients there all the time."
"Patients?"
"Well, maybe guinea pigs are a better word."
"I think they may have one of my people there."
Sophie sighed. "I should have known. I wonder if that's the only one. Are you going to break them out?"
"I guess. But I need plans to the facility first."
"I think I may be able to help you with that." Sophie smiled, and Alec felt his resolve to avoid attachments slipping. He reached across the table, took her hand, and smiled boyishly back at her.
Sophie was able to pull together some schematics for him, and Alec was able to procure himself a motorcycle and other necessities, and within a week, he had a firm plan. He would make the break-in on a Saturday morning, starting at around two. The facility was isolated, on a hill. The security was fairly tight, but the guards appeared to become engrossed in poker at around midnight and by two were oblivious to the woods surrounding them. He called in to work Friday and slept, preparing for the night. His dreams were at first warm, dreams of Max's smile, their bodies spooned in the moonlight. Peaceful moments, rare and beautiful. But even in his dream, he knew it was fleeting and he dreamed the same thing he had seen thousands of times played again and again in his mind. Rachel's scream, the explosion.
He awoke in the quiet apartment with a start, breathless. Surrounded by Sophie and Tess' things, he suddenly felt overwhelmed by the desire to just forget Manticore and Max and all of it. Just lose himself here, become a person not a number. He felt insanely jealous of Biggs for a brief moment, for ever having had all this for even as short a time as he did. The memory of Biggs' body stifled that, but he couldn't shake the desire to just forget. He got up and started getting ready.
By the time Sophie came home from work, Alec was ready. She came in and looked him over.
"Wow, you really do look like a cat burglar."
Alec avoided her eyes. "Where's Tess?"
"My mom's. I thought it would be.easier that way."
"Thanks." His voice was thick.
"Alec, are you ok?" Sophie asked, as she touched his cheek tenderly. He looked at her and smiled, his bitterness leaking through his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm always ok."
Sophie smiled back at him, and kissed him softly on the lips. He tensed slightly, then relaxed into the kiss, embracing her. She tilted her head back to look at his face.
"Promise you'll come back to me in one piece."
"Sophie.I.."
"Promise me."
Alec looked into Sophie's eyes and was lost. "I promise, I'll come back to you."
He leaned down and kissed her, pulling her up to him. Their bodies crushed together; for a long moment he was filled with her scent, intoxicated by her warmth. Finally, they pulled apart. They looked into each other's eyes, and she reached up and stroked his cheek.
"Come back." Sophie voice was choked with emotion.
"I will. I promise." He kissed her on the forehead, grabbed his duffel bag of gear, and left.
Alec looked up from where he was sweeping the floor, in close proximity to one of the labs, at the sound of his name. Or at least the name he'd given Conrad Pharmaceuticals. One of the white coats was gesturing to him.
Alec put on his best charming smile and sauntered over, "Yes sir?"
The white coat was not immune to Alec's charm and smiled back. "Come with me."
He was led down several darkened corridors to an old storage room. The white coat pulled out a large key ring, and after much jingling got the door open. Inside were boxes, many boxes, of what Alec didn't know. Papers probably.
Alec was right. The white coat opened one and indeed it was packed with papers. "All of these need to be taken down to the incinerator, so we need you to load them up and take em down. Ok?"
"Yes sir."
White coat nodded, "There's a dolly outside." With that, he nodded and then departed.
Alec looked around and then and there decided that he was quite possibly the luckiest bastard alive. A lucky bastard with many long hours of boring work ahead of him. By the end of the day he had managed to dig through half the boxes, but he found what he was looking for.
The papers indicated that blood from a transgenic with the tryptophan deficiency was being used to create a more permanent solution to the problem. When they had reached puberty, the X5s were given a booster shot that cut the tremors to a more manageable level. Furthermore, whoever the transgenic was that the blood had been drawn from had never received this original booster. Only one of the X5s from the '09 escape would have not gotten it.
Alec had been avoiding thinking about Max, but now this brought her back to the front of his mind. She would want him to do something about this. He was tempted to call her, to talk to her. This led him to other things he wanted to do. Sophie.
Over dinner he watched her out of the corner of his eye feeding Tess. He thought of Max that night, tossing and turning on his couch, though.
He had watched Logan leave Terminal City, comforted Max, holding her as she sobbed. She had trusted him so much after, counted on him. Joshua had found a large private area and together they made it into an apartment for the three of them. The closeness was strange for all of them, but they all became much closer. Closer then they had ever been to anyone in their lives. He pushed the image of just how close out of his mind. Every day, more troops had amassed outside the perimeter of Terminal City. Every day they had become more desperate. Food, medicine and water were in short supply. Max was able to keep things together, but she needed Joshua and Alec more and more. Logan, unable to remain in the compound, kept information coming their way, as well as help getting through what supplies he could with his people. It was from Logan that the tip came in about the New York offer. It seemed too good to be true, and as it turned out, was. The offer supposedly came from a group
Max had come to Alec after the day after the offer had come forward. He had been sitting on the roof over their apartment, watching the boats in the harbor, and she came and sat next to him. So close, like that night, so close.
"We have to at least consider that the offer is legit."
"I don't like it, Max."
"I know. But Logan thinks they're legit, and we're desperate. We need help. If they can get us the reinforcements.."
"And if it's a trap?" He turned to look at her. He could see the desperation in her eyes, and wanted so much to take that away, to make it better. Lying now, on a bumpy couch in Sophie's tiny living room, he knew that was why he had agreed to go. Not because it was a good plan. Because it gave Max an inkling of hope. Now, he couldn't face Max again without something. He had hoped the information in the boxes would lead to a cure for the seizures that were starting to plague the X5s as more and more time passed from their last boosters at Manticore. He'd been lucky so far, but he knew his time would come too.
Well, I guess my next destination is the lab, he thought. At least he could spring the transgenic trapped inside. That would make Max happy. Yeah and another mouth to feed. But if he were lucky, he might be able to get more information about this fix.
In the morning,, he asked Sophie about the lab.
"Why, did you find something?" She asked him enthusiastically. Alec was both touched and concerned by her embracing of his cause. He worried for her; she had already lost so much. He could hear his Manticore handlers now. Too sentimental, 494. Your attachments will get you killed. The months he'd spent in solitary after Rachel. Focus, Alec, focus.
"Maybe. Do you know anything about the Forsythe Lab?"
"Yeah, it's an old school out on in what used to be the exclusive western suburbs. It's all pretty deserted now, so they keep the major research labs out there. I've been to Forsythe, never seen too much though, they keep it all pretty well locked up."
"So you wouldn't know what they do?"
"Not really. I know we get research from them, and I know they keep patients there all the time."
"Patients?"
"Well, maybe guinea pigs are a better word."
"I think they may have one of my people there."
Sophie sighed. "I should have known. I wonder if that's the only one. Are you going to break them out?"
"I guess. But I need plans to the facility first."
"I think I may be able to help you with that." Sophie smiled, and Alec felt his resolve to avoid attachments slipping. He reached across the table, took her hand, and smiled boyishly back at her.
Sophie was able to pull together some schematics for him, and Alec was able to procure himself a motorcycle and other necessities, and within a week, he had a firm plan. He would make the break-in on a Saturday morning, starting at around two. The facility was isolated, on a hill. The security was fairly tight, but the guards appeared to become engrossed in poker at around midnight and by two were oblivious to the woods surrounding them. He called in to work Friday and slept, preparing for the night. His dreams were at first warm, dreams of Max's smile, their bodies spooned in the moonlight. Peaceful moments, rare and beautiful. But even in his dream, he knew it was fleeting and he dreamed the same thing he had seen thousands of times played again and again in his mind. Rachel's scream, the explosion.
He awoke in the quiet apartment with a start, breathless. Surrounded by Sophie and Tess' things, he suddenly felt overwhelmed by the desire to just forget Manticore and Max and all of it. Just lose himself here, become a person not a number. He felt insanely jealous of Biggs for a brief moment, for ever having had all this for even as short a time as he did. The memory of Biggs' body stifled that, but he couldn't shake the desire to just forget. He got up and started getting ready.
By the time Sophie came home from work, Alec was ready. She came in and looked him over.
"Wow, you really do look like a cat burglar."
Alec avoided her eyes. "Where's Tess?"
"My mom's. I thought it would be.easier that way."
"Thanks." His voice was thick.
"Alec, are you ok?" Sophie asked, as she touched his cheek tenderly. He looked at her and smiled, his bitterness leaking through his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm always ok."
Sophie smiled back at him, and kissed him softly on the lips. He tensed slightly, then relaxed into the kiss, embracing her. She tilted her head back to look at his face.
"Promise you'll come back to me in one piece."
"Sophie.I.."
"Promise me."
Alec looked into Sophie's eyes and was lost. "I promise, I'll come back to you."
He leaned down and kissed her, pulling her up to him. Their bodies crushed together; for a long moment he was filled with her scent, intoxicated by her warmth. Finally, they pulled apart. They looked into each other's eyes, and she reached up and stroked his cheek.
"Come back." Sophie voice was choked with emotion.
"I will. I promise." He kissed her on the forehead, grabbed his duffel bag of gear, and left.