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*Between Love and Hate*
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Spoilers: This is the fifth story in my series – if you haven't read any of my work before, you'd be best off going back to read and understand. The first story was Shattered Trusts and Whispered Confessions. The second is Remembering to Forget, the third is Events That Lead To Greatness. The most recent is the fourth story called the Longest Day (which was basically just a wrap up of some confusing things I had to sort out from previous works). This series is set after Hello Goodbye but does reveal spoilers from the rest of the season, as I incorporate it into the story.
Disclaimer: Ideas are mine based on the brilliant work of the Dark Angel team – so don't sue me! I wish I owned Alec, but I don't. So I have to settle for writing fiction about him.
Authors Note: Just a general shout out thanks to all the great readers who have been reviewing my work and totally keeping me motivated. If it weren't for you guys I wouldn't be writing this stuff. I am trying out a new style of writing in this one; let me know what you guys think.
Have fun and remember to review!
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CHAPTER SIXTEENMax shifted in her binds again; the chains were pliable
enough to break with her transgenic strength. Renfro would've known that, which
meant that the real obstacle would be defeating her guard here.
Herself.
BOOM.
Another explosion sounded and Max yelped inwardly as the facility plunged into blackness, flames casting shadows from outside through the window.
She didn't have long - she had to act now.
Biting her lip in concentration, Max squeezed her eyes shut and focused on bending the metal of her shackles.
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8 minutes to go...
Alec wiped at the sweat coating his brow, grimacing at the thick layer of soot, which came off onto his hand. He stopped outside a closed door, sniffing the air tentatively,
She was nearby.
Max was close.
Whether she was alive or not was a different question.
But he had no time to think about that. He had to save her and escape.
And he was running out of time.
Psyching himself up mentally, Alec burst through the door and came face to face with the eyes of an enemy even he hadn't been ready to battle.
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7 minutes to go...
Max's eyes flew open at the sound of someone bursting into the room. Her acute eyes squinted as she attempted to focus on the two blurry figures by the window fighting.
Finally she managed to see past the dust and soot in her vision.
Finally the intruder slowed down enough for her to identify him.
Alec.
He had come for her like she had wished.
Powered by sheer will, Max snapped her shackles open, rushing over to aid Alec in this struggle which seemed to be getting the better of him.
As the two fought the younger version of Max, they yelled out bitten comments at one another,
"You okay Max?"
"Yeah – you?"
"Yeah. I... she has your eyes. It threw me for a minute there before I realised."
"Clone."
"Exactly."
"We've only got about 4 minutes till this place is a pile of ash. We need to jet – NOW!"
Alec cried out in pain after his last sentence, falling to the ground and clutching his leg in the very spot the soldier had kicked him. The young girl grinned maliciously, her eyes demonstrating how soullessly efficient she was about to be. That she was ready to finish him off.
Max shivered at the thought, throwing her arms up in the air and yelling as loud as she could,
"Hey! Hey! Renfro assigned you to me. It's me you want! Lets go then!"
Her ploy worked and just like planned, she was granted full attention.
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Max gulped as she realised it was one on one now.
As the first blow headed severely for her nose, she ducked; quickly raising her head again in time to see the younger version of herself lurch backwards, her eyes rolled up in their sockets and blood gushing from her forehead.
Max turned slowly to see Alec sprawled out on the floor, his handgun still pointed at the spot the soldier had occupied. He dropped his arm as she rushed over to him, gingerly touching his leg,
"We need to get out of here. You think you can walk?"
He shook his head tersely, obviously in great pain,
"There's no way."
Max swung her head wildly, her best guess was that they had about three minutes – if that – to go.
"I can't carry you Alec. You're just gonna have to suck it up."
"I can't move Max. Just go, save yourself."
The lost, helpless look in his eyes made her shiver again, jumping as a familiarly disturbing memory edged its way into her head.
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Flashback:
Max kicked Ben viciously to the ground and Father Destry took off as Ben leapt to his feet. He and Max circled each other, glaring, and began to fight. Each landed several kicks and punches on the other, before Ben kicked Max against a tree.
He moved to kick her again and she lashed
out, breaking his leg. He fell to the ground, gasping, and tried unsuccessfully
to sit up. Max knelt and started to help him up, but they could both hear
Manticore helicopters approaching. Ben let out a pained gasp,
"Don't leave me here. Don't let them take me."
"Ben, I can't carry you. We'll both get caught."
"I know."
He looked up at her pointedly and her face fell,
"Ben, I can't."
"Please. You know what they'll do to me.
They'll put me down there with them...the Nomlies. Please."
Max looked down at him tearily while he silently begged her. Finally, it seemed
she had made a choice,
"Tell me about the Good Place."
A faint smile crossed his face and his eyes
took a distant dreamy gaze,
"Where no one ever gets punished."
"And no one gets yelled at."
"And nobody disappears. And when you wake
up in the morning, you can stay in bed as long as..."
His voice cut off as Max snapped his head and softly dropped his head down. As the
helicopters became louder, signalling Manticore's oncoming approach, she sat
with her brother's body and cried.
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To be continued...
Author's Note:
Oh my hero (swoon, swoon) hehehe, I just think my writing is getting worse and cheesier haha. Anyways, would really appreciate some reviews...