Vivir
Alec's Chapter
Alec & Eric
To all the kids with heroin eyes,
Don't do it, don't do it.
Because it's not not what it seems,
No no it's not not what it seems.
Salvation, salvation, salvation is free.
Salvation, salvation, salvation is free.
Alec Stepped in front of the young X6 that had been pointed out to him by Max the day before. He looked small, but Alec guessed it was just because he was curled up into a ball. Alec watched the smoke rise form his cigarette, then looked at the top of his head. His hair was flopping over his knees.
Alec was caught off guard for a moment by a somewhat unpleasant thought. Had his own brother, Ben, been like this? Sitting in corners, all alone, smoking a cigarette that slowly consumed his life. Something had made him loose it, was it the loneliness. He shook his head, he couldn't think of that, he would drive himself crazy.
Back to the boy. Max had pointed him out because she noticed he hadn't been taking meals, or doing anything. He just sat in his corner, occasional lighting up a cigarette. She was disturbed that someone still didn't have a home in terminal city, since there was so many vacant beaten down apartments. She had asked Alec to talk to him, maybe have him stay with him for a few days, until they found a home for him.
Alec had been upset that she just didn't do it herself. Max had replied that he needed a male friend, someone to look up to. Alec had told her he didn't want to be a role model. Max had Smacked him. Alec agreed to talk to the kid.
He waited for the boy to notice him, but he didn't. "Hello" he said cheerfully. The boy looked up at him for a moment, then put his head back down, not saying anything. This annoyed Alec, and he probably would of left, but he had recognised the boy. He had been under hiss training for a while, but Manticore moved him down to a lower level, decideing he wasn't good enough. Alec rememberd being amused because his barcode number was 123.
He remeberd 123 as being weak, and not very good at combat skils. As he thought about it, he rememberd 123 wasn't really good at anything. Or anything that Manticore had to offer. "X6-123" he said with his CO voice.
Training took over and the boy got up to his feet. "Sir" he said. Then he shook his head, "You can't give me orders, were not at Manticore" he said.
Alec nodded his head in agreement, "I just wanted your attention, Eric is it now?" he said reading the name embroiderd onto the kids jacket.
"Sure why not" Eric said, he had afterall used the name before. But not many people asked him fr it, so he wasn't used to it. It had a nice ring to it though.
"Right, well, do you have a place to stay here in terminal city?" Alec asked him. Eric shook his head. "Well then, you're in luck" he said. "You see, I'm friends with the girl who basicaly runs terminal city, so I can get you one of the better ones.
"That's nice of you, but I'm fine" Eric said. He folded his arms tightly infornt of him, as if to keep warm.
Alec noticed now That his skin was quite pale, bordering on blue. He looked cold. Colder then it was in terminal city. His heart at last went out to this young boy. He cursed Max for makeing him care about people. "Listen, I can't let you stay here. You're obviously very cold, and you look like you could do with some food" He said reasonably. Eric didn't respond, he simply looked up at Alec with his large puppy like brown eyes. "Come back and stay with me, I have more then enough room, and tomorrow I'll take you to look at some of the open apartments at Terminal city" Alec said.
Eric was now sure that this man was crazy. Alec wanted him to come and stay with him. He didn't even know him. But the temtation of warmth and food out weighed the wierdness of the situation. "Okay" he said under his breath, still unsure of his decision.
Alec was actualy quite surprised that he had agreed to the arangement. But he was also a bit relieved. The problem now was that he wasn't sure he wanted some punk teenager hanging around his apartment. He was also a bit worried that Eric would tell Max that he had a little bit of an ilegal Cable hook up in his home. Acording to Max, no one was suposed to have a tv at all.it would be unfair to the rest. "Great" Alec said, "Come with me and I'll show you my place, get you some food, and try to find you some warmer clothes" he said. He smiled uneasily.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alec & Ann
so it's better this way, I said
having seen this place before
where everything we said and did hurts us all the more
its just that we stayed, too long
in the same old sickly skin
I'm pulled down by the undertow
I never thought I could feel so low
oh darkness I feel like letting go
if all of the strength
and all of the courage
come and lift me from this place
I know I could love you much better than this
full of grace
full of grace
my love
Alec walked through the main building of terminal city, with Eric close behind. He saw Max walking towards them, instantly he smiled. She nodded in his general direction. Alec motioned his head back to point out that he had Eric with him. This managed to get a smile out of Max. But she still looked distressed over somthing.
Alec turned back to Eric, "I need to talk to that girl over there, I'll just be a minute, okay?" he told the boy. Eric pasivly nodded his head. Alec smiled at him, but Erics expression remained the same.
Alec walked over to Max, and put a hand on her shoulder, "Somthing Wrong Max?", he asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact there is" she said looking up at him. "This girl X6 turned up injured about 5 minutes ago. She passed out as soon as she got here. We don't have anywhere to put her. We're working on building a medical ward, but it's not nearly ready for a patient" she stopped talking, waiting for him to reply.
"Well, where is she now?" he asked.
"Zane's with her at my apartment" she told him. "But the thing is, I only have one room, and Zane's going to be staying with me for a while. Alec, she can't stay with me, she has no where to sleep" she smiled at him. "I was thinking, you have one extra rooms, right? and don't tell me no. I know you picked one of the bigger apartments", she said.
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. But that room will be going to the other X6 you had me pick up. At least untill he gets his own place" Alec said. Max gave him a pretty please look. "Max, no. My apartment is not going to become a playground for X6's." he said more sternly. There was no way he was going to let Max talk him into takeing in another one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alec couldn't believe he had let Max talk him into takeing in another one. He stood in his beaten down kitchen, watching Eric heat up a can of soup on the barely working stove. He had his arms crossed, and an angry look on his face that Eric was begining to notice. He was waiting for Max and Zane to get there with this unconcious X6.
"If you didn't want this girl staying with you, why did you agree" Eric asked. He was begining to shift under Alecs anger.
"You wouldn't understand" Alec told him. "You don't know Max, It's absoloutly imposible to say no to that woman!" his voiced raised a little as he talked about Max. Eric jumped back a little at Alecs tone. Alec was about to apologize, but he heard MAx and Zane coming up his hall. He wanderd what took them so long. Max's apartment was only about 3 doors down.
Max came in first, with out nocking, and cleard off a pile of clothes from Alecs couch, letting them fall to the ground. "Hey" Alec said, "some of those clothes were clean" he crossed his arms.
"Deal with it" Max said. "Okay Zane, bring her in" she called out to Zane. Alec then saw the dark haired man from earlier walk into the room, carrying a bundle of a woman. Alec couldn't see her face, it was hidden by her flameing red hair. Her clothes were torn a little, like the clotheing of most people from Manticore.
Zane layed her down on the couch. A few locks of hair fell out of her face, and Alec saw a very familiar face. His mind flashed back to smiles and sunlight reflecting gold. He rushed over to the side of the couch and dropped to his knees. He brushed away more of her hair, so that her whole face was visable. His mind showed him her chocolate brown eyes, and full pink lips. "I know this girl" he said.
"What?" Max asked surprised.
"I know her. Back at Manticore, the best X5s were put on to train a group of X6s. She was in it. She was my second in comand. It must of been white or some one from is weird little cult. Max, she was strong. Stronger then me" he said. He reached a hand out and stroked her face with his thumb, "She was my friend. My only friend" he told them.
"Well that's perfect" Max said, though she wasn't to happy about the expression that was on his face as he looked down at her. "She'll have a familiar person to stay with" she said.
Alec was in a world of flashes and moments of this girl. He rememberd her laugh, her voice, and the way she would hum tunes that she made up in her mind. He heard nothing of what Max was saying. He pulled his sleve over his hand, and wiped her smeared eyeliner off of her eyes. Then he wiped away her lipstick. There, her face was clearer to him now.
He rememberd the sunlight reflecting off her face, and her hair. Golden hair, not red. Gold like the sun. That's what he used to call her, Sun. "X6-914, or Sun" he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alec & Max
That's how you show your love for me
That's how you show your love for me, you're like
Here today, gone tomorrow Each time you come, you leave a little sorrow, you're like
Here today, gone tomorrow
Each time you come, you leave a little sorrow
Alec walked Max out of his apartment, and over to hers. She stopped in front of her door. "You alright Alec?" she asked him.
"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" he asked.
"I don't know, you were just acting a little wierd in there, that's all" she said to him. She reached out a hand and put it on his arm, "You can talk to me, you know that right?" she asked him.
Alec smiled, "Yeah I know, I think I'm just a little shocked to see her after so long" he said. He looked down into her dark eyes, wanting nothing more then to look at her for the rest of the evening.
Max met his gaze for a moment, then turned away, takeing back her hand. "Well, I better go, Zane and I need to talk some more about all the things that have happend. Then I need to work out a few systems for the medical phisility we're trying to build" she said.
Alec took a step towards her, moving on an impulse, and slung his arm around her shoulder. He leand his face down near her ear, "don't work to hard, you may be a geneticaly engineered super soldier, but your still human" he whisperd. He kissed hercheek, then turned to go with out looking back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer- songs used in this chapter were 'Salvation' by the cranberries, 'Full of Grace' by Sarah Mclachlan, and 'Here today, gone tomorrow' by David Bowie.
Alec's Chapter
Alec & Eric
To all the kids with heroin eyes,
Don't do it, don't do it.
Because it's not not what it seems,
No no it's not not what it seems.
Salvation, salvation, salvation is free.
Salvation, salvation, salvation is free.
Alec Stepped in front of the young X6 that had been pointed out to him by Max the day before. He looked small, but Alec guessed it was just because he was curled up into a ball. Alec watched the smoke rise form his cigarette, then looked at the top of his head. His hair was flopping over his knees.
Alec was caught off guard for a moment by a somewhat unpleasant thought. Had his own brother, Ben, been like this? Sitting in corners, all alone, smoking a cigarette that slowly consumed his life. Something had made him loose it, was it the loneliness. He shook his head, he couldn't think of that, he would drive himself crazy.
Back to the boy. Max had pointed him out because she noticed he hadn't been taking meals, or doing anything. He just sat in his corner, occasional lighting up a cigarette. She was disturbed that someone still didn't have a home in terminal city, since there was so many vacant beaten down apartments. She had asked Alec to talk to him, maybe have him stay with him for a few days, until they found a home for him.
Alec had been upset that she just didn't do it herself. Max had replied that he needed a male friend, someone to look up to. Alec had told her he didn't want to be a role model. Max had Smacked him. Alec agreed to talk to the kid.
He waited for the boy to notice him, but he didn't. "Hello" he said cheerfully. The boy looked up at him for a moment, then put his head back down, not saying anything. This annoyed Alec, and he probably would of left, but he had recognised the boy. He had been under hiss training for a while, but Manticore moved him down to a lower level, decideing he wasn't good enough. Alec rememberd being amused because his barcode number was 123.
He remeberd 123 as being weak, and not very good at combat skils. As he thought about it, he rememberd 123 wasn't really good at anything. Or anything that Manticore had to offer. "X6-123" he said with his CO voice.
Training took over and the boy got up to his feet. "Sir" he said. Then he shook his head, "You can't give me orders, were not at Manticore" he said.
Alec nodded his head in agreement, "I just wanted your attention, Eric is it now?" he said reading the name embroiderd onto the kids jacket.
"Sure why not" Eric said, he had afterall used the name before. But not many people asked him fr it, so he wasn't used to it. It had a nice ring to it though.
"Right, well, do you have a place to stay here in terminal city?" Alec asked him. Eric shook his head. "Well then, you're in luck" he said. "You see, I'm friends with the girl who basicaly runs terminal city, so I can get you one of the better ones.
"That's nice of you, but I'm fine" Eric said. He folded his arms tightly infornt of him, as if to keep warm.
Alec noticed now That his skin was quite pale, bordering on blue. He looked cold. Colder then it was in terminal city. His heart at last went out to this young boy. He cursed Max for makeing him care about people. "Listen, I can't let you stay here. You're obviously very cold, and you look like you could do with some food" He said reasonably. Eric didn't respond, he simply looked up at Alec with his large puppy like brown eyes. "Come back and stay with me, I have more then enough room, and tomorrow I'll take you to look at some of the open apartments at Terminal city" Alec said.
Eric was now sure that this man was crazy. Alec wanted him to come and stay with him. He didn't even know him. But the temtation of warmth and food out weighed the wierdness of the situation. "Okay" he said under his breath, still unsure of his decision.
Alec was actualy quite surprised that he had agreed to the arangement. But he was also a bit relieved. The problem now was that he wasn't sure he wanted some punk teenager hanging around his apartment. He was also a bit worried that Eric would tell Max that he had a little bit of an ilegal Cable hook up in his home. Acording to Max, no one was suposed to have a tv at all.it would be unfair to the rest. "Great" Alec said, "Come with me and I'll show you my place, get you some food, and try to find you some warmer clothes" he said. He smiled uneasily.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alec & Ann
so it's better this way, I said
having seen this place before
where everything we said and did hurts us all the more
its just that we stayed, too long
in the same old sickly skin
I'm pulled down by the undertow
I never thought I could feel so low
oh darkness I feel like letting go
if all of the strength
and all of the courage
come and lift me from this place
I know I could love you much better than this
full of grace
full of grace
my love
Alec walked through the main building of terminal city, with Eric close behind. He saw Max walking towards them, instantly he smiled. She nodded in his general direction. Alec motioned his head back to point out that he had Eric with him. This managed to get a smile out of Max. But she still looked distressed over somthing.
Alec turned back to Eric, "I need to talk to that girl over there, I'll just be a minute, okay?" he told the boy. Eric pasivly nodded his head. Alec smiled at him, but Erics expression remained the same.
Alec walked over to Max, and put a hand on her shoulder, "Somthing Wrong Max?", he asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact there is" she said looking up at him. "This girl X6 turned up injured about 5 minutes ago. She passed out as soon as she got here. We don't have anywhere to put her. We're working on building a medical ward, but it's not nearly ready for a patient" she stopped talking, waiting for him to reply.
"Well, where is she now?" he asked.
"Zane's with her at my apartment" she told him. "But the thing is, I only have one room, and Zane's going to be staying with me for a while. Alec, she can't stay with me, she has no where to sleep" she smiled at him. "I was thinking, you have one extra rooms, right? and don't tell me no. I know you picked one of the bigger apartments", she said.
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. But that room will be going to the other X6 you had me pick up. At least untill he gets his own place" Alec said. Max gave him a pretty please look. "Max, no. My apartment is not going to become a playground for X6's." he said more sternly. There was no way he was going to let Max talk him into takeing in another one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alec couldn't believe he had let Max talk him into takeing in another one. He stood in his beaten down kitchen, watching Eric heat up a can of soup on the barely working stove. He had his arms crossed, and an angry look on his face that Eric was begining to notice. He was waiting for Max and Zane to get there with this unconcious X6.
"If you didn't want this girl staying with you, why did you agree" Eric asked. He was begining to shift under Alecs anger.
"You wouldn't understand" Alec told him. "You don't know Max, It's absoloutly imposible to say no to that woman!" his voiced raised a little as he talked about Max. Eric jumped back a little at Alecs tone. Alec was about to apologize, but he heard MAx and Zane coming up his hall. He wanderd what took them so long. Max's apartment was only about 3 doors down.
Max came in first, with out nocking, and cleard off a pile of clothes from Alecs couch, letting them fall to the ground. "Hey" Alec said, "some of those clothes were clean" he crossed his arms.
"Deal with it" Max said. "Okay Zane, bring her in" she called out to Zane. Alec then saw the dark haired man from earlier walk into the room, carrying a bundle of a woman. Alec couldn't see her face, it was hidden by her flameing red hair. Her clothes were torn a little, like the clotheing of most people from Manticore.
Zane layed her down on the couch. A few locks of hair fell out of her face, and Alec saw a very familiar face. His mind flashed back to smiles and sunlight reflecting gold. He rushed over to the side of the couch and dropped to his knees. He brushed away more of her hair, so that her whole face was visable. His mind showed him her chocolate brown eyes, and full pink lips. "I know this girl" he said.
"What?" Max asked surprised.
"I know her. Back at Manticore, the best X5s were put on to train a group of X6s. She was in it. She was my second in comand. It must of been white or some one from is weird little cult. Max, she was strong. Stronger then me" he said. He reached a hand out and stroked her face with his thumb, "She was my friend. My only friend" he told them.
"Well that's perfect" Max said, though she wasn't to happy about the expression that was on his face as he looked down at her. "She'll have a familiar person to stay with" she said.
Alec was in a world of flashes and moments of this girl. He rememberd her laugh, her voice, and the way she would hum tunes that she made up in her mind. He heard nothing of what Max was saying. He pulled his sleve over his hand, and wiped her smeared eyeliner off of her eyes. Then he wiped away her lipstick. There, her face was clearer to him now.
He rememberd the sunlight reflecting off her face, and her hair. Golden hair, not red. Gold like the sun. That's what he used to call her, Sun. "X6-914, or Sun" he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alec & Max
That's how you show your love for me
That's how you show your love for me, you're like
Here today, gone tomorrow Each time you come, you leave a little sorrow, you're like
Here today, gone tomorrow
Each time you come, you leave a little sorrow
Alec walked Max out of his apartment, and over to hers. She stopped in front of her door. "You alright Alec?" she asked him.
"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" he asked.
"I don't know, you were just acting a little wierd in there, that's all" she said to him. She reached out a hand and put it on his arm, "You can talk to me, you know that right?" she asked him.
Alec smiled, "Yeah I know, I think I'm just a little shocked to see her after so long" he said. He looked down into her dark eyes, wanting nothing more then to look at her for the rest of the evening.
Max met his gaze for a moment, then turned away, takeing back her hand. "Well, I better go, Zane and I need to talk some more about all the things that have happend. Then I need to work out a few systems for the medical phisility we're trying to build" she said.
Alec took a step towards her, moving on an impulse, and slung his arm around her shoulder. He leand his face down near her ear, "don't work to hard, you may be a geneticaly engineered super soldier, but your still human" he whisperd. He kissed hercheek, then turned to go with out looking back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer- songs used in this chapter were 'Salvation' by the cranberries, 'Full of Grace' by Sarah Mclachlan, and 'Here today, gone tomorrow' by David Bowie.