Transgenic: A Hybrid Heresy
By AntipodeanOpaleye
Disclaimer: Everything you recognize from any other source either doesn't belong to me or is a purely coincidental occurrence. Anything that you've never seen probably belongs to me. I write for enjoyment and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: I am shocked! One, I actually got this out somewhat soon! And, most importantly, I actually got reviews! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate all of your positive input! I live for your comments, they make it so much easier to write! So, from this young writer, thank you so much.
Anyway, hope you like it!
Chapter Three: Bullet Hole
Alec looked out at the brightening horizon, illuminated by the slowly rising sun. He enjoyed the view for a brief moment, but registered that sunrise meant that it had to be around 5:00 AM. Meaning he had to get back to Terminal City soon. He stood, stretching his limbs and such, taking in the view he had from his position. He'd been up there plenty of times at this hour, and he'd seen the sunrise each and every time. But, it seemed, that this sunrise, though not especially brilliant in any particular way, had captured Alec's attention, and had gained his veneration. Alec wasn't exactly sure why this natural display was so captivating, but dismissed the thought quickly. He inched his way unconsciously to the very edge of the platform he was on, so many feet from the ground, and when he realized it, he reveled in the irony. There had been a time, not so long ago, where he would have most likely taken a deep breath and silently glided to his death without a second thought, knowing that no one would mourn him, no now would care, or even notice. But now, as he stared down the once-inviting 'out,' his mentality was much different.
Alec placed his right foot on the edge and arched his back, leaning dangerously over, his transgenic agility and balance aiding him. Moving his gaze downwards, he saw the deserted alley nearby, the row of rundown houses a few streets over, a filthy motel a couple of blocks over from that, and then the apartment complex next door. His eyes swept across the large brick buildings about a half a mile away and the abandoned adjoining shopping mart, which appeared to have been a part of a large franchise sometime before the Pulse. He raised his head again, his hazel green eyes taking in the city once again. The city that was filled with people that wanted him and his kind dead, people that thought of them as heartless, soulless animals incapable of love, or anything excepting assassination, for that matter. But, ironically, that same city was where he lived, was where his friends were, was where the people he cared about where. This city had become his home, and though he once was sure that he could, he now doubted her could leave. He took one more glance, grinning slightly, before finally turning and climbing down from the high place, trading its sanctuary and serenity for the filth, the hate, the danger, and the degradation of the city he called home.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Alec?" Max whispered into the darkness of his apartment. 'Idiot. Fell asleep and left your damn door unlocked. Not exactly smart around here, dumbass,' she thought, though she couldn't hear him, which should have been simple with her enhanced listening capabilities. She concentrated more intensely on detecting some kind of indication that Alec was there.
When she couldn't find any sign of life, not even the steady breathing of a sleeping transgenic, she became increasingly nervous. What if Alec had been captured? Hurt? Killed?
She tore desperately through the seemingly deserted apartment, her breathing rapid, an infinite number of highly unlikely, though horrible worst case scenarios, checking every room and area of the apartment, and then going back to check each possible place a second time, just to be sure.
After doing so, she deemed that there was, in fact, no one was in the apartment. After coming to this conclusion, she found herself embarrassed her complete lack of control only minutes earlier; the result of the most recent musings of her somewhat wild imagination. Who would only break into Alec's apartment when there were plenty others just seconds away from his? Besides, Alec would've known if someone was inside his place, he was a transgenic, after all, with all of the enhanced ability of any X5; he would have sensed it, or at least heard it. In fact, he wouldn't have been the only one to have heard it; the building was full of transgenics.
She frowned, partly at completely neglecting reason in such a situation, but partly at still not having found Alec. He never woke up this early. But hey, maybe today was a fluke. Max hoped so, almost nervously, as she made her way down to Command.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was still early, Alec thought, meaning that he still might be able to return to Terminal City without too much interference. Might was the key word. He'd actually considered going to visit Normal at Jam Pony that morning, knowing that Normal would be in the office already, due to his serious lack of a life outside of the Jam Pony Messenger Service. But, of course, Alec's plans never went accordingly, and he'd allowed himself to wallow in the sorrow and despair that laced every aspect of his past. 'Poor, poor pitiful Alec,' he thought sarcastically as he crept through the sparsely populated streets. He seriously considered trying to make it through Sector Checkpoints, which would prove to be a hell of a lot quicker, and far more pleasant, than trekking the sewers, but with the memory of Biggs's death so recent, he thought it better, and safer, to avoid Sector Police for the time being. So he made his way to the same sewer system that he'd traveled through with OC, Sketchy, and Logan, only it was a different entrance. He moved swiftly, much more efficiently alone than with the Ordinaries he'd traveled with before. Every so often, he'd stop to allow the disgusting nature of his position to be fully recognized, though promptly moving along after uttering a very characteristic groan of distaste.
After what seemed like forever, but in actuality was truly closer to a half an hour, Alec found an outlet that he deemed would be safe for him to exit from. He climbed through the opening with transgenic grace and speed and crouched in a cat like position upon reaching the deserted street above ground. His eyes darted around, insuring that he was in fact alone, and once doing so, he sprang from the ground and took off at transgenic speed, hell bent on getting to Terminal City before anyone could ask questions about where he was during the night.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Max jogged casually down to Command, where Dix and Luke were working, accompanied by Mole, smoking his ever present cigar, his rifle balanced over his shoulder. "Hey Max," Mole welcomed her upon noticing her presence.
At the sight of Max, the group abruptly abandoned their work to greet her.
"Yeah. Hey Max," Luke said happily.
"Hey Luke. Mole, Dix," she said distractedly.
"Hey there Max," Dix said in his soft-spoken way. Max regretted that she couldn't stay and talk, but she was adamant on finding Alec.
"Have any of you seen Alec?" she asked, wanted to be direct so that she could obtain her answer and either find Alec or continue her search.
"I haven't seen him Max," Luke said, his face thoughtful, "but you might look in his apartment. You know what late he likes to sleep, especially with everything that's been going on, and with his bullet wound and all."
"Looked there. He was no where to be found."
"Well, his motorcycle is still here, I saw it when me an' Joshua came back from delivering some supplies to the new mothers that are staying down across from the infirmary area. Just about an hour ago." Mole offered.
"Yeah," Luke added, "He couldn't have left between now and then without us hearing something."
"I know that someone took Cindy, Sketchy, and Logan back to Joshua's place. Logan sent an e-mail to that account we set up for when communications were down saying that they were there. Maybe he escorted them back," Dix said, bringing up the message, attempting to prove that that was were Alec must be.
"But that message was sent around 1:30 this morning," Max said, worry slightly edging her voice.
"I'm sure he'll be back soon, Max," Dix said reassuringly, though his strangely shaped face looked a bit distressed at the fact that Alec was 'missing'; Mole's and Luke's expressions both mirroring Dix's distraught countenance. Alec was close with all three of them, more so than Max, and each seemed to be a bit disturbed by Alec's absence.
"You're probably right Dix," Max said evenly as she walked away from the Command Center, followed by the eyes of the three transgenics she was departing from. After she was out of their sight, she took of at a run, decided on searching the entire of Terminal City for Alec. Though she still wasn't sure why she wanted to find him so badly, or why she was so upset that he wasn't around.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Alec was positioned on the roof of a building just outside Terminal City, watching the comings and goings of the Transgenic Oppression Front. The number of Ordinaries was phenomenal for 5:45 AM; it was shocking that so many people could hate something that they had no clue about. His enhanced hearing allowed him to listen in on some of the interviews and conversations going on below.
"These animals aren't natural! They're dangerous!"
"They'll kill us all! They don't have morals; they don't care! They're assassins!"
Alec cringed at the harsh words. They hit too close to home for him not to. 'Enough of this shit,' he thought as he scanned the area for a somewhat less occupied area to descend to.
"Just my luck,' Alec thought after failing to find a way down from his position. Knowing better than to just drop in among a throng of transgenic haters and just waltz right into TC, and not having any desire whatsoever to take out that many innocent bystanders just to get into Terminal City, even if they did want him dead.
After much debate, Alec reached the conclusion that his only plausible option was to try to make his way into TC from above. As in, trying to jump from building to building, climb from one spot to another, until he was safely inside. He didn't want to attract too much unwanted attention from those below him.
He evaluated the distance between himself and a large apartment building right inside Terminal City. It was a decently long jump, one that would push the limits of his feline abilities, but not to the breaking point. He'd made longer jumps in his time. Besides, it was the quickest route in. He paused before preparing for the leap; not because he was apprehensive, he was actually quite confident. No, he stopped at the sight of multiple television crews, cameras ready, all prepared to get footage of his inhuman leap. 'Oh well.' Alec thought as he shrugged out of habit and rubbed his hands together in preparation as he backed up in order to take a running start. 'This can't be any worse than Max riding her motorcycle into TC in front of a camera. Or riding a hoverdrone into Jam Pony.'
And so Alec blurred to the edge of the building and gracefully leaped the distance from one building to the other, closing the gap between the dangerous, odious world and the transgenic safe-haven he called home. But not without attracting just a tiny bit of attention from the onlookers below.
"Oh my word!" a female voice cried from who Alec deemed was the first to notice his momentary display of physical superiority.
"It's one of those mutant freaks!' screamed a couple guys who all sounded like they were die-hard 'trannie haters.'
"Dammit!" shouted a woman whose voice Alec recognized from a news report he'd heard. "Don't just stand there you idiot! Film this!"
"Shoot him!" A lone voice rang out in the throng of voices, a voice that Alec also recognized from a news telecast; an interview if he remembered correctly. And obviously, there were multiple people who agreed with this approached, seeing as Alec was met with a storm of bullets rising from below him. And, as he expected, not one of the shooters was even close to a decent aim; each of the attempts widely missing its target.
Alec landed gently on the rooftop of the building adjacent to the one he'd been on, his cat-like elegance aiding in his deplaning. He fought the urge to look down at all of the shocked people and wave in an innocent gesture of farewell before turning to leave, but knew he was just asking for trouble. But hey, wasn't he known for asking for trouble?
Alec walked slowly to the edge of the roof top, carefully shielding his face from view in an unusual attempt at discretion, and leaned over to stare curiously at the crowd congregating at the base of the building.
"My goodness! He made it across alive!" The same female voice that had first noticed his 'Miraculous Flying Leap' cried out once again. Alec placed the voice to an elderly, obviously homeless, woman, most likely just minding her own business, or maybe joining the crowd out of simple, good- natured curiosity. She didn't look like the type to want another being, no matter what it was capable of, to die. 'But, of course,' Alec reminded himself, 'looks can be deceiving.'
Alec smiled genuinely at the shocked gasps and horrified screams from those below, all of whom were either 1.) appalled that they'd had the horrible luck to have to witness the escape of a terrible transgenic freak, 2.) amazed that he'd made it across in one piece, 3.) if they had taken a shot him, inspecting their guns, as if something had to be wrong with the piece for them to miss their shot, or 4.) were just plain stupid, or mentally unstable, as people tended to be nowadays, and were simply gawking at him for no apparent reason. 'No apparent reason excepting my stunning good looks,' Alec smirked at the thought.
He bent over casually to get a better view of the onlookers. Once he saw that the majority of their attention was fixed upon him, he settled for widening his grin cockily, though effectively pulling off the innocent look he was aiming for.
The majority of the congregated Ordinaries below him where staring dumbfounded at him, as if trying to figure him out by gaping at him until he dropped dead. It was somewhat amusing.
But then, there were those who possessed a slightly quicker thought process, all of whom happened to have firearms at their disposal. Unfortunately, Alec was much too absorbed in his audience to notice these men taking aim at him.
Alec laughed sardonically at the spectacle before him. These people looked terrified of the mere sight of him, even if he was feet from the ground. With a single dismissive wave of his hand, Alec turned to leave.
Damn, what he'd give to show them exactly what they had to fear, just a quick little display of genetically superior power. But he knew it was risking too much, that it could endanger his friends, and the transgenic cause. And he wouldn't put something so important to so many people, something so important to him, in jeopardy.
He shuddered at the thought that only months ago, he would have put on a worthy show without a second though about how it would effect anyone else, because at that point, he really could've given a shit less about anyone other than himself.
And he froze at the realization that only a few years ago, he would not only have given them a frightening little show, but he might have snapped a few necks in the process. Hell, maybe it would've been on a mission, with his whole unit even, and then they could've carried out the assassinations in a more, 'creative' way. Damn, he couldn't believe how much he'd changed since then; it was unnerving and relieving all at once. He continued to think such thoughts for only seconds more, until his mind finally cleared enough for his transgenic hearing to pick up the small sound of a finger tightening on a trigger far below him. He tensed and his head snapped downwards to assess the situation.
Obviously, there was at least one pistol-carrying man down there who was a decent shot, or maybe he'd just gotten lucky. But if Alec hadn't possessed the transgenic agility that he did, he'd probably be dead. And even so, if any other transgenic had been caught in such a situation, it was doubtful they would have made it out without a critical wound or worse.
But, as it was, it was Alec who found himself in such a situation. The gunshot registered to his sensitive hearing immediately, but being caught off his guard had delayed his reaction time. Alec turned and attempted to flee at transgenic speed before the bullet reached him, but it was too late for that.
Alec groaned in pain as a lone bullet pierced his shoulder. Ironically, the new wound was unbelievably close to the not-quite-healed bullet wound he'd received at Jam Pony, which made for a more painful injury now. He cringed as he reached over with his unharmed hand to evaluate the damage, pain piercing his every movement.
'Not so bad,' Alec told himself, though he wasn't being entirely truthful. The bullet wound wasn't any deeper than his last, but it was already bleeding more frequently. He rolled his eyes, but the habitual toss of his head that accompanied the motion wasn't exactly comfortable, and he regretted it immediately. It was then when he heard the all to familiar sound multiple firearms, each of them cocked and readying to take their shot. At him.
Despite the stabbing pains in his arm and the slight lightheadedness it was causing, Alec turned quicker than humanly possible and, before he could take another bullet, blurred out of sight.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Real smart, Alec. Real smart. Couldn't leave well enough alone, could you Alec. Couldn't just, walk away, happily knowing that you had the opportunity to walk away. Oh no, you couldn't do that. You had to be a smart ass and have to last laugh. Well, look what that got you Alec?"
Alec had been climbing down that wall of the building he'd been on, which was an challenge with an injured arm, muttering to himself all the way down.
After reaching a point close to the ground, Alec released his grip on the wall and, protecting his bullet wound, leaped down and landed in his trademark feline position.
'What a coincidence,' Alec thought he looked ahead to the makeshift infirmary that lay only a few seconds away. 'Some divine intervention, I guess.'
He sauntered off towards the small building, on which Joshua had taken the liberty to paint a large red cross. He remained in the shadows, silently sliding past the multiple transgenics, all of whom he knew on some level, that passed him. He wanted to keep his slip-up as quiet as possible. And he knew if he could just get into the infirmary without anyone noticing him, he could do so.
He slowly opened the door, looking in to see if there was anyone there whom would spill on his situation. Seeing no one, he shut the door behind him and approached an aquatic looking anomaly, just one of the strange looking nurses that were tending to Terminal City's medical problems.
"Hey Ronnie," Alec said as he placed a hand on the female medic's shoulder. She jumped slightly, but turned with a smile.
"Alec, what a pleasant surprise," Ronnie said, her voice low, but sweet. She was somewhat shorter than Alec, and she looked up at him with wide eyes covered by a cloudy, though transparent, eye lids that she blinked pleasantly.
"Likewise," Alec said with his inimitable grin.
"To what do I owe this visit?" Ronnie asked, crossing her emerald and sapphire scale covered arms across her chest.
"Well, Ron," Alec said quietly, "I was thinking you could do me a favor."
"Oh really?" Ron look skeptical. "I don't know, what would this 'favor' be?"
"Well, it's not a matter of what I'm going to ask you to do, more what I'm going to ask you not to do," Alec said convincingly.
"Uh huh, I'm sure it is Alec," Ronnie said sarcastically. "What exactly is it that you need?"
Alec shrugged off his bloody leather jacket and gently rolled up the bloody sleeve of his shirt, which Ronnie now saw for the first time. As he exposed the wound, cringing as the material rubbed against the wound, Ronnie gasped.
"Alec!" she cried in exasperation. "Why on earth didn't you tell me about this as soon as you came in?"
"Ah, see Ron," Alec shook his head knowingly, "I told you I needed a favor." He looked down at the blood on his jacket. "I need you to patch this up."
"Alec, why wouldn't I?" Ronnie asked, confused at Alec's prior statement.
"I need you to keep this quiet. As in, no one can know I was here," Alec said seriously.
"Why, Alec? People are going to have seen you come in here, they're going to want to know what happened, whether or not you're ok."
"Ronnie, no one gives shit about me or what happens to me," he said bitterly as she escorted him to a small white cot to sit on. "That's a known fact."
Ronnie stared at him, disbelief written clearly on her features. She stopped what she collecting her supplies and sat down beside him.
"Alec, there are more people that care about you here than you know. More people care about you than me, or Mole, or Luke, or Dix, and, I hate to say it, but even Max. Everyone knows you, and almost all of them adore you, and if they don't, I can tell you they have the utmost respect for you. I should know."
Alec shrugged. "I dunno, Ron," he said distantly.
"You'll figure it out, Alec. You'll see it yourself, soon enough," Ronnie said, draping her arm over his shoulder and lightly squeezing his good shoulder.
"Now, let's get you cleaned up," she said as she jumped up to finish collecting her supplies.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"There. All done," Ronnie said after she'd removed the bullet, and cleaned and dressed the wound. "You never did tell me how you got this?" she gestured toward Alec's now bandaged arm.
"Ah, it was nothing. Just paying the price for letting my guard down," Alec said self-consciously. Ronnie knew she wouldn't get any more out of him, so she let the subject go. She leaned casually against the wall
"Well, you're lucky it hit where it did, even if it hurts like hell. It should heal within a few days, if I'm not mistaken. You'll be back to normal in less than a week, I can guarantee that much. As long as you stay out of trouble. You all right?"
"I'm always all right," Alec replied with a grin.
Ronnie rolled her aqua eyes and turned to leave. "Well then," she called over her shoulder, "Now that I've seen what I can do for you, I'll see what I can do for your jacket. You stay put," she added as she saw him moving to stand. "It'll do you goof to sit still for a few minutes."
Alec smiled, but he was a bit perturbed that she'd told him to stay there, knowing that he'd do so if she asked. He'd known Ronnie ever since she'd first come to TC. They'd become fast friends, and Alec would frequently come to visit her when he had nothing else to do. He'd help her with whatever she was doing, and he'd learned a hell of a lot more about medical care than he'd ever learned in training.
He laid back on the cot he was still situated on, staring up at the ceiling. He was becoming annoyed by the quiet when he heard footsteps approaching his bed. 'Probably Ronnie,' he told to himself.
"Done already Ronnie?" he asked quizzically. "I figured you'd be gone longer than that."
It was then that he realized that Ronnie was no where in sight, and that his visitor, or more like intruder, wasn't even a nurse. But she was obviously a patient.
"Oh," he said to the young woman who was now standing next to him bed, cradling a small, sleeping baby in her arms. "Hi there," he said kindly when he noticed the strange look the woman was giving him.
"Hello," she said in almost a whisper.
"Sweet kid," Alec said casually, looking at the infant she was holding.
"Thank you," she said again in the same small voice.
"You look familiar," Alec blurted out, not intending to come across as so blunt. "What's your name?"
"My name is Meg, and this is Lia," she muttered, indicating her child. "Yours?"
Alec wasn't one to trust very quickly, but something about this woman made Alec feel like he'd known her forever. Maybe he had.
"Alec," he said, sending a friendly grin her way.
"Alec? As in, 'The Alec' who everyone talks about? The Alec that's been leading Terminal City?"
"Uh, I wouldn't go that far. But I am the only Alec here, as far as I know."
"I didn't think it was you when they started talking about you. I thought you'd, you'd."
And it was then that Alec knew exactly who she was. And exactly when and where he knew her from.
"762?" he asked, already knowing the answer. His little human outcast back at Manticore. She nodded her head and grinned.
"I can't believe it's you sir. We all thought you were dead."
"Well, I've come very close quite a few times, but I always seem to weasel my way out of it," he said with a smirk.
"It's very good to see you, sir," Meg said quickly. Alec wouldn't have been surprised if she had saluted him if she hadn't been holding her daughter.
"Meg? Call me Alec," he said gently.
"Of course! I'm sorry, sir.. I mean, Alec," she said with a smile.
"No problem," Alec said honestly, "How long you been her in TC? I haven't seen you around before."
"We've only just arrived," Meg said, sitting down next to the cot in a rusty fold-out chair.
"We?" Alec asked, wondering whether she was referring to herself and Lia, or to someone else.
"Me, Lia, and Brian," Meg looked as if something had only just registered about this 'Brian.' "Oh, he'll want to see you! Can you hold her, if I go run I get him?"
"Sure," Alec said, gently taking the small baby from her arms and holding her, resting her gingerly in the crook of his arm. At first, he felt awkward, holding this helpless child in his arms, but it became natural soon after. She stirred slightly, and Alec stared at her as she yawned innocently and returned to her peaceful slumber. He smiled widely at her, brushing a few strands of her dark hair from her face, his thumb lingering to briefly caress her cheek.
'I could get used to this,' Alec thought, taking in everything about the beautiful bundle he was holding. He'd never thought of himself as anything close to family man, and had never even considered having a wife and children. Hell, who would want to have such a relationship with a screw up like him? But at that moment, he only knew that he would truly love a little one running around calling him dad.
Once again, he heard footsteps, and once again he didn't look up. He could tell it was a pair, and when he heard Meg's voice talking to 'Brian,' he knew he had nothing to worry about.
"Alec?" she asked quietly, "This is my husband, Brian."
Alec looked up suddenly at yet another familiar face, though this one wasn't so difficult to place. 787, the anti-killing machine, was standing in front of him. Though Brian didn't seem to recognize Alec as his former commanding officer. In fact, he simply looked at him blankly, wondering who exactly was holding his child.
"Nice to see you. Brian wasn't it?"
"Yes," Brian said softly.
Alec though Brian's dumbfounded attitude was amusing, but he didn't want to annoy the guy. They went way back; he didn't want confuse him any more than he obviously was.
"You have no idea who I am, do you?" Alec asked grinning.
"I'm sorry, I don't," Brian said warily.
"Oh now, come on 787, that hurts. You don't even remember me," Alec said in mock sadness.
The look on Brian's face was plain; he still didn't have a clue. Alec was shocked; he hadn't changed that much in appearance since the last time they'd seen each other.
"Really? You don't know? I'm devastated, man, I really am. Not even a year out of Manticore and you can't even remember you beloved commanding officer?"
"Sir?" Brian asked in disbelief. Alec smiled and nodded, though he was surprised that Brian had called him sir, just as Meg had, when he was no longer their superior.
"I'm sorry sir. I can't believe that you're here. I mean, we thought you were," Brian rambled, but Alec cut him off.
"Dead?" Alec asked, finishing Brian's statement in doing so. "Ahh, not quite. Gotten real close, but not quite." Brian looked ready to respond, but Alec stopped him. "And Brian? The name's Alec."
"Alec?" he asked incredulously, obviously not having heard his wife address him as such earlier. "As in, Max and Alec? Alec and Max?"
"Yeah, I guess me an' Max tend to be associated with each other," Alec said uncomfortably, staring back down at the sleeping child that was still cradled in his arms.
"Well, you and her a really great together. And with your leadership abilities, and then your relationship together, I mean, it's really given a lot of people around here a reason to, I dunno, hope for something more, someday."
Alec was taken by surprised at this revelation. He could see how some people might possibly be 'inspired' by their command, but, though their friendship meant the world to him, he couldn't see how it acted as a symbol of hope for the other transgenics. Unless.
Alec's mouth dropped slightly at the thought.
"Umm, Brian? You said, Max an' me? As in, Max an' me? As in, together? As in." He couldn't get the words out, the idea was so foreign. Did everyone think that Max and him were an item?
"Well," Brian started, but Meg cut him off.
"Oh no!" Meg burst out to the surprise of both Alec and Brian. "Alec, they've been looking all over for you! The lizard man, you know him, uh,"
"Mole?" Alec offered.
"Mole. He came down here about an hour ago, tearing up the place trying to find you! He and the others been all over Terminal City from what I hear."
Alec's eyes widened, his expression turning serious.
"Did he say anything as to why he was looking for me?" Alec asked, his tone demanding, mimicking the one he'd used at Manticore when he'd wanted something done or clearly understood.
"Nothing, he just left when she found out you weren't here," Meg stammered.
"Thanks," Alec murmured, standing and handing the child he was holding distractedly back to her mother. Before taking off to find Ronnie to collect his jacket, he turned to Brian and Meg.
"It was great to see you two," he said genuinely, flashing them another grin, regretting he couldn't stay and talk. "I'll see you around, and good luck with the little one," he said before leaving them alone in the room.
"Ronnie!" Alec called as he tore through the clinic, countless horrible thought flying through his head. Mole never came down to part of TC unless he was delivering supplies or something of the like. Didn't like the attitude of people around this area, he'd said for some reason. And as far as Alec knew, Mole had already been on a supply run that day; they'd been scheduled for an early morning delivery to the infirmary for child care supplies. Mole, of all people, wouldn't have been caught dead down there for any other reason, and definitely not alone, unless something was really wrong.
"Alec, I told you to stay." Ronnie began to say, but shut up when she saw the look on Alec's face. "Are you ok?"
"I have to leave," Alec said simply, though his voice was shaky and his breathing rapid. He didn't even attempt to hide this as he spoke to Ronnie.
"All right," Ronnie whispered automatically, handing him his jacket, which was clean as ever. "Be careful, Alec."
"Thank you for everything Ronnie," he said with a sad smile as he slipped his jacket on and left abruptly.
"Any time," Ronnie said slowly after he'd left
Alec ran through Terminal City at top speed, looking everywhere for Joshua, Mole, Dix, Luke, someone. But he was really looking for Max. Hoping, praying, that she was okay.
He lost all capability for rational thought at that point. Could White have planned some sort of heist to take Max into custody? Could he have been that quick with such a contrivance? What about the government? They could've made contact with the transgenics for multiple reasons. And any one of these things would have been kept under wraps by the central group of transgenic leaders in TC.
Anything could have happened. What had he been thinking, leaving Terminal City for so long? And if anything had happened to Max, he wasn't sure what he would do.
But at that moment, he didn't have to think any more about such things, because Max just happened to run right into him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Max had searched everywhere, and she couldn't find him. She wasn't even sure why she was so upset; part of her said that it was more than likely that he'd hooked up with some X5 female and hadn't left yet. But something told her that that wasn't true. Alec wasn't like that. Maybe he had been, a long time ago, but he'd really changed. Even Max wasn't blind enough to notice. And the fact that she couldn't find him was strangely terrifying.
When exactly did she start caring about Alec and his well-being? She never thought of him as a brother, like Zack, or Krit, or Jack or Zane when they were back at Manticore. She'd never even treated him with the same care that she harbored for almost every transgenic she'd ever met. What exactly was Alec to her?
She shook her head violently, trying to rid herself of such irrelevant thoughts.
Still unsure of precisely why she was so spun about Alec's unknown status, she made her way back to Command to see if they'd come up with anything.
Halfway to her destination, Max stopped dead in her tracks. Maybe she should check The Needle. She knew he went there for the same reasons she had for so long, and he was often found there when he was no where to be seen elsewhere. Why hadn't she though of that before? It was so simple.
Plans formulated themselves in her mind as she changed her direction and made her way to where the vehicles, including her own motorcycle, were stored. She could find a way out without attracting too much attention, and could most likely get back in just as easily if she was careful. If she was careful.
And as she turned down that alleyway that led to the transportation bay, she found herself clumsily running into a tall, very muscular, very familiar male transgenic.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Alec's arms wrapped instinctively around her.
"Max," Alec whispered, relieved, and he let out a slow breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding. And then he muttered in an tone inaudible to both transgenic and human hearing, more to himself than to the woman who found herself in his embrace, "Thank God."
Max, on the other hand, didn't put two and two together right away. She wasn't even completely aware of whose chest her face was currently buried in. All she knew was that one minute she was turning the corner of the alley she was currently traveling on, and the next minute she'd met an almost welcoming detour in the form of Alec. She stayed nestled comfortably against him before making the connection.
"Alec?" she asked disbelieving as she looked up to meet his eyes. Eyes which were swirling with so many different emotions it was impossible to decode them all. She was somewhat dazed, not only because she'd found the cause of her thoughtless hunt throughout Terminal City for the past few hours, but also because the eyes she found herself strangely lost in were breathtaking and bewildering in themselves.
"Yeah," Alec said softly, proposing this more as a statement than a question, as was appropriate. He looked down into her large brown eyes, drowning in their captivating luster. They were so dangerously close to one another, it was mind boggling, but neither was feeling awkward due to this. They simply stayed there, both feeling an immeasurable amount of relief at the other's safety, and also simply feeling an uncanny comfort at being together. It was a sensation neither of them had experienced in a very long time. And it was nice.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Dammit!" A young male X5 swore under his breath after clumsily tripping over a large crate while creeping through the streets of San Francisco. Not his usual place of residence. Not even extremely close, for that matter. But it was one of his necessary stops on his way to Seattle. She was here. She had to be here. They hadn't seen each other in years, but he'd kept in contact with her through their contact number. And she would have told him had she left.
He pulled a small, crumpled piece of paper from his jacket pocket, though he really didn't need to refer to its contents due to his photographic memory. His bright green eyes studied the message silently.
Work: Camron's Bar and Grille Sector 19
Home: Former Tempest Residences Apartment 15C Sector 22
He replaced the paper in his pocket. Ahh, California. Northern California had conformed to sector division after the Pulse, but San Francisco was as far south as the sectors went. Having always had the pleasure of living in the more liberal areas of the country, including the south west and east coast, it was somewhat shocking having to plan his route according to Sector Checkpoints, and quite annoying having to flash his fake sector pass at every stop.
He checked his watch. Midnight. She'd probably be working. He headed north down the alley and made his way to the Sector Division he was looking for.
As he approached the booth, he was a bit surprised to see a young woman manning it, two matching blonde braids laying neatly on her shoulders. She looked up from he magazine after he'd cleared his throat upon reaching her.
"Hi there," she said with a smile. San Francisco sure was different than the rest of the country. "Can I see your Sector Pass, doll?"
His eyes widened slightly at being called 'doll' by this perfect stranger. He glanced up at her as he dug for his pass in his jacket, but she was quite busy, her eyes roaming around her visitor's body. He rolled his eyes, a small smile tugging at his full lips. Typical.
He drew her from her exploration by waving his sector pass directly in her line of sight.
"Oh!" she squeaked as she fingered his pass, checking it casually.
"Looks like you're all set," she looked at pass again. "Zane."
"Thanks," he said with a grin, turning to leave.
"You know, I could use some company," the woman called flirtatiously.
"Sorry, can't. I've got somewhere to be," Zane called and bolted out of there before he could hear another word from her.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Camron's Bar and Grille. Zane's hands trembled slightly as he consulted the paper in his hands, confirming that this was the place. He was nervous, and he wasn't sure why. He was very different from most of the X5s he knew. He was fun-loving, laid back, friendly, loyal, an all around good guy. Not to say he didn't have problems, or certain dark secrets, but he was good at hiding them. But right now, he was a wreck. He riffled his spiky, light brown hair with his hand, sighed, and walked into the obviously popular club.
Zane was welcomed by the pulsing beats of typical club music clouding his sensitive hearing. He shook it off and headed straight toward the bar, taking a seat near the right end.
"What can I get ya?" asked a short redhead behind the counter. She appeared to be in her late twenties.
"Well," Zane said, deciding to be direct and to the point. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. Name's Jo-," he stopped, remembering that unlike himself, Jondy never used her real name for her work. "Her name's Marty, she tends bar here, far as I know."
"Marty's on her break," the redhead said plainly. Zane arched his eyebrow. "You a friend?"
"You could say that," Zane replied with a small grin, not wanting to look suspicious.
"Well, she's neva on time, but she should be back within, say, five minutes or so. She's already 'bout a twenty minutes late." She silently appraised Zane. "Can I get you something while you wait?"
"Uh, no thanks. I'll just hang out here and wait for her."
"Aiight, whatever," the girl dismissed him as she walked over to her next customer. "I'll let 'er know you're here," she called over her shoulder. Zane nodded in appreciation.
'Will she even recognize me?' he thought, unsure on how to approach her when he actually came in contact with her. He didn't even know what she looked like. He was sure Jondy had changed over the years. She wasn't even aware he was coming, let alone that he was planning to ask her to leave with him.
After immersing himself in his thoughts for a few moments more, his transgenic hearing picked up a somewhat familiar voice coming from behind the bar. Zane saw the redhead he'd spoken with earlier disappear through a nearby door. He moved closer and strained to listen to their conversation, seeing as the redhead left the door ajar.
"Marty, yo' late. Again. If Gary finds out that you weren't here on time he'll can yo' ass," the redhead fumed.
"Oh, come on Gerry," Jondy, or should he say, Marty, replied casually. "He won't find out. He hasn't yet."
"Yeah, whatever," Gerry muttered, "When you out o' a job, don't come cryin' ta me." Then she paused, "Oh, Marty. Some guy's up at the bar lookin' fo' ya. Some young hot thang. Didn't look too happy though."
Jondy didn't say anything, but the door did open shortly after to reveal herself, with a surprised looking Gerry following her.
"Which one?" Jondy asked, hand on her hips, surveying the men at the bar. She never looked down the line far enough to notice Zane. But Zane noticed her.
Her dark hair was pulled into two cute pig-tails, her makeup dark, yet wearing from her obviously long day. Her face was confused as she appraised the males in front of her, which, in Zane's opinion, made her look all the better.
"Right there," Gerry said softly as she pointed at the shadowed figure that was Zane. Jondy looked a small bit apprehensive, but walked over to him all the same. Gerry stood where she was, preparing to watch the exchange.
Zane eyes the counter in front of him, his hands folded in front of him and his forehead resting on the platform they created.
"Hi there," Jondy whispered, trying to get him to look up. He didn't. "Heard you were looking for me?"
Zane wasn't sure what to say. Should he play along, see what she would do? Should he mess with her mind a bit, provoke some sort of humorous reaction? Or should he just come right out and say what he had to say?
"You bet," Zane said softly.
Jondy didn't recognize the man, but he obviously knew her, and, not wanting to be rude, decided to play along.
"Was there something specific that you wanted?" she asked sweetly.
"As a matter of fact, yes. There is." Zane said in the same low whisper.
"I'm listening," Jondy said cautiously, getting a bit suspicious of this stranger.
"This isn't the place to talk, about anything," Zane said, becoming uncomfortable as he realized the many sets of eyes form behind the bar that were now glued on the pair.
"Why don't you tell me your name before we leave," Jondy said somewhat warningly.
"This isn't the place for even that," Zane said grabbing her wrist. She automatically tried to wrench it from his grasp, moving to shield the motion from others, as not to arouse suspicion about her strength. But Zane was expecting this, and held onto her tightly. When she couldn't break free, he eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly.
"We have to talk, Jon," Zane whispered in a soft undertone. "But not here."
Not sure what to make of this obviously transgenic stranger who knew real her name, she simply nodded. He motioned for her to come with him out of the bar. She vaulted over the counter and followed his lead, flashing an confident look to Gerry on her way.
After they were out, Zane led Jondy to a nearby bench, on which they both sat. It was now that Zane finally looked her in the eyes.
"Hey Jon," he said quietly.
Jondy's deep eyes widened as she realized who she was speaking with, who was sitting right in front of her. "Zane?"
"Yeah," Zane whispered.
And then, Jondy did something that Zane didn't expect, though he welcomed the gesture. Jondy threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He found himself returning her embrace just as forcefully.
"I missed you Zane," Jondy said softly, whispering in his ear. "I didn't know where you were, I hadn't heard from you in so long. I got worried, I thought maybe," she didn't finish.
"I missed you too, Jondy. I missed you too."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Alec and Max pulled apart after a few moments of reveling in each other's embrace, both confused at hat had just happened, but both grinning almost stupidly at how right it felt.
Alec stared at Max for a while, flabbergasted at what had happened. Then it hit him.
"What happened Max? They told me that you were looking for me. Mole was raising hell down at the infirmary. I thought," Alec paused, but didn't continue the thought.
"Why were you in the infirmary?" Max asked, concern and suspicion lacing her normally angry voice.
"Um," Alec said, not sure whether it was more intelligent to lie to Max and hope she wouldn't find out, or to tell the truth and only upset her at the fact that he'd been stupid enough to do what he did.
"It was nothing," he said simply.
Max looked him up and down, trying to find out if he was telling the truth. She noticed a small fray on the arm of his jacket. Not sure if it was new or from the Jam Pony incident, she moved toward him and gently touched his arm. He flinched, though he hid it well. But the flinch was too noticeable for it to have been in response to the wound he obtained at Jam Pony.
"Let me see it, Alec," she said quietly.
"It's nothing Max, really." Alec protested.
"Nothing my ass, Alec," Max replied, standing her ground. She started to remove his jacket, and, to her surprise, was met with no resistance. Seeing the bloody sleeve of his black shirt, she gingerly rolled it up to reveal the bloody, bandaged wound beneath.
"Alec," she gasped, "What the hell happened?"
"Got in a jam with some Ordinaries outside of here on the way back from Josh's old place," he shrugged, though it was painful, and dismissed the topic as smoothly as he could.
Max let the vague answer slide. At least he'd let her see the wound, and told her something about how he'd gotten it. It was better than nothing. And it looked like the nurse had taken good care of him.
"And you? You never answered my question, you know. I asked you what Mole was doing down there earlier, looking for me. What's wrong?" Alec asked, folding his arms across his chest. Max didn't answer. She didn't want Alec to think she was pretty incapable of handling herself, let alone an entire nation of transgenics, without him. Even if it was true. She couldn't bring herself to admit that she'd fallen apart at the thought that Alec might have left, or gotten killed, or captured, or a number of other horrible scenarios involving Alec.
When had he become so important, so valuable to her? She needed him. He was her support, helping her to see her flaws and to correct them before it was too late. Assisting her whenever he was needed, in whatever it was that needed to be done, without a second thought. And he was always there, something she now realized she took for granted. Alec was a great person, and, for some reason, had stuck around though all of the bullshit and had become an irreplaceable friend.
"It was nothing," Max lied, "Mole had come back from a supply run and was just looking for you. We were helping him."
Alec nodded, though he was slightly disappointed. He'd temporarily forgotten that it wasn't in Max's nature to care that much, and even if, by some freak accident, she did care about someone, she'd never think of admitting it. It'd been childish to think that she could have possibly just been worried about where he was this morning.
"Where were you, anyway?" she asked casually. "I told you. Infirmary, remember?" Alec said curiously. "I mean between then and when you left Joshua's. Logan e-mailed Command between 1:00 and 2:00 this morning saying that they were there. It couldn't have taken you that long to get back," she asked, suspicious once again.
"Had some stuff to sort out Max," Alec said, somewhat guiltily. "Needed to get it out of the way."
Max immediately thought of his Black Market dealings and scams, wondering if the 'things' he was 'taking care of' were for self benefit or for the benefit of the transgenic cause. Then she saw his eyes. The faraway look in his eyes signaled something much more significant than such deals. She watched him closely, watching his mouth silently form three distinct words. 'The High Place.' And Max understood, and questioned him no further.
"How 'bout we head back to Command," Max whispered, grabbing Alec's hand. "See how things are going. How's that?"
Alec looked at her and gave her a small, sincere smile. "Sounds great, Maxie, just great."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"What is it," a half asleep blonde X5 by the name of Syl to her male X5 boyfriend, Krit, who was attempting to wake her up.
"Syl, wake up. You said you wanted to see that report on the transgenic rebellion up in Seattle. It'll be on soon," Krit said, shaking her lightly.
"Yeah, ok, I'm up," she groaned, pulling herself into a sitting position and facing the dim glow of the television screen. She and Krit had been living in this apartment ever since the whole episode with the DNA Lab. It was a good sized place, big enough for the two of them, small enough to be considered 'homey.' They'd been able to live a normal life, they enjoyed it, and they'd become used it.
But now that there was this transgenic revolution going down in Seattle, and now they were once again forced into the real world. A world that did not and most likely would never accept them for who they really were. They'd both spoken of going to Seattle to do what they could for the transgenic cause, but they'd never gone through with it. They'd heard very little detail about the siege, hence their eagerness to see this report on the matter tonight.
"It's on," Krit said to Syl, who was already beginning to fall back to sleep, as the commercial break ended and a female reporter began her account.
"I'm standing here in front of Terminal City, the stronghold of the transgenic alliance. With me here is Dr. David Morton, an genetic specialist, who is going to give what he believes is a very accurate summary of the occupants of Terminal City, and of the way of life and the leaders inside."
Dr. Morton cleared his throat. He was young, maybe in his thirties. "The transgenics inside are the product of a covert government operation known as Project Manticore. There are four basic divisions of transgenics that we are aware of.
"There are the anomalies, which are combinations of human and animal DNA, though their appearance reflects this; they are literally part animal, part human.
"The transhumans are another division, mostly human, with strange disfigurations due to their unique DNA combinations.
"There is also the Psy-Ops division, human looking transgenics with the ability to manipulate brain waves, alter long and short term memory, and so on.
"Finally, and, in my opinion, the most amazing, are the X series transgenics. They were the successful melding of animal and Human DNA, as the enhancing of normal human abilities. For instance, the X5s are in possession of both the refined human and feline DNA, giving them incredible agility, speed, intelligence, strength, vision, hearing, and countless other such advantages. They are able to integrate into society easily, and were used for mission in which extended human contact was needed. They were perfect soldiers, living in barracks with their units, following orders flawlessly and without question. They have extensive training in weaponry, medicine, technology, language, and other such topics, and yes, they are all trained in assassination. They are considered dangerous," Here the doctor paused, as mug shots of both Alec and Max appeared on the screen. Syl and Krit's jaws dropped.
"Max," Krit whispered in amazement, gaping at the photo of his sister on the screen.
"Krit, is that Ben?" Syl asked tentatively.
"Can't be, but it sure looks like him," Krit replied.
"It is believed that these two X5s are partners, heading the transgenics inside Terminal City and guiding them with their natural leadership skills," the doctor continued.
"We are not positive of their designations, the numbers on their barcodes that identify them," he gestured at the back of his neck, "but it is believed that they were both at the very top of Manticore program, excelling more so than any of the others. The male possibly even more so, rumors indicating he is in possession of quite a bit more training than the female," he concluded.
"Thank you, doctor, and we appreciate your joining us tonight," the reporter smiled and the news continued as usual.
Krit let out a long breath and looked at Syl, who still remained to his side on the bed. She met his gaze, staring at him for a moment. In a silent agreement, they leaped from the bed, gathered some necessary items, and were out of the apartment in no time, beginning the long haul towards Seattle.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
He was watching the news report from the street outside, on one of the many televisions that decorated Fritter's Pre-Pulse Electronics in Portland, Oregon. He'd only just left his 'home', his life as Adam. Zack had been out on his own for a week.
Somehow he'd been able to piece together some the puzzle after having strange, yet recurring dreams about people he could barely remember, but somehow felt like he'd known forever. And Manticore. Once he'd figured everything out, he questioned how exactly he could forget Manticore. It was impossible to forget that hellhole.
But he had in fact remembered his past. Or, at least, what he thought was his past. He remembered to people named Zane and Jondy, who he could swear were living down south. He thought remembered Syl and Krit, who he somehow knew had gotten away after the DNA Lab mission had gone sideways, which he was positive had happened. He smiled at the thought they they'd probably escaped together, and had most likely stayed together. They made a cute couple, as far as he was concerned.
He remembered, with most certainty, Tinga and Ben, and Jack and Eva back at Manticore, all of whom were dead. Dead, in some way, because of him. All because of him.
He remembered Max, the one he'd always had a soft spot for. He wondered if she'd gotten out after they'd captured her. He prayed that she'd made it out alive. But, somewhere in his subconscious, he was sure she had. It was strange with memories of Max. There were so many thoughts involving her, all of which he was sure of, he knew they had happened. And then, there were less vivid memories of her. Incomplete memories, almost.
And he remembered Brin, who he could've sworn Manticore had gotten a hold of and had been reindoctrinated to be a slave once again. It seemed to be true, and Zack held himself responsible for it. He wasn't even sure she had gotten out of Manticore after Max had burned it down. Wait, Max burned Manticore down? When did that happen? How did he know that? Was it true?
Zack paused, and a wave of almost surreal memories came over him. Memories of Seattle. Memories of a man who he somehow associated with the term British Eddie. Memories of himself with some kind of cybernetic arm and some kind of metal plate with a blinking red light covering his one eye. More recent memories of Max. Memories of someone, an X5, a man named Alec. Recent memories of Logan, Max's man. Memories of, ridiculous as it seemed, himself trying to kiss Max. Memories of going after Logan and trying to, to, kill him? Why would he have tried to kill Logan? Not that he really cared for the guy, but he didn't wish him dead. What the hell was he thinking? But then again, now that he thought about it, it seemed as if it was only natural to have at the least attempted to kill the man, like it was something he was supposed to do, something that was expected of him, for the benefit of, someone. Who that someone was, he wasn't sure.
Then it was blank. He remembered waking up at the hospital, and living for months as Adam. But never just as Adam. There as always that voice in the back of his mind, telling him that this wasn't it, that this life wasn't what he should've been doing. Who he should've been helping.
And so he'd come to be where he was. He'd left the farm late one night. He'd doubted his memories while he'd been there, but after abandoning the medication he was taking to, suppress his super-human abilities, of course, he realized that his life was as the man he vaguely Zack, and never as Adam. He'd been a leader. He couldn't abandon his family, if they were real, now that this transgenic thing was going down in Seattle. He had to be sure.
And then everything hit him, all at once. Everything. Upon seeing the faces on the television screen, seeing those people one more time.
Everything from Manticore. Everything from the escape. Everything afterwards, the running, the fighting, the protecting. And then he remembered when things turned upside down. When Brin had to be taken back to Manticore, when Ben had gone back to the Blue lady he so believed in, when Tinga had left her husband and son behind after being killed by that bitch Renfro. And the attack they'd made on the DNA lab, and everything afterward.
He remembered waking up, being told he'd wounded himself in an attempt to save another member of his unit, an noble act, yet foolish. They'd said that he'd been a perfect candidate for some 'experimentation' that would be beneficial to himself and to the program. He had no choice but to comply. He remembered the brainwashing, the training, shooting at photos of the enemy.
Then, on his mission to take down Eyes Only, British Eddie had gotten a hold of him. Zack didn't mind too much, he and his cronies were interesting, if not amusing. It wasn't bothering him much.
And then he'd run into Max. He couldn't believe he didn't recognize her. She was his sister, his family, and he couldn't even figure out her name. He mentally slapped himself at that realization. Alec had been with her. Were they together? The made a cute couple, Zack thought for a second time that night.
And then he'd seen Logan, knew he was Eyes Only, remembered his mission. And in the process, Max had been captured. He'd gone to rescue her, and for some reason beyond his only recently restored knowledge, attempted to show something more than brotherly affection to her. He knew that he and Max were siblings, and that was it. And neither wanted it any different. But one of Manticore's experiments must have confused him quite a bit in the romance department, and her refusal of him was, at the time, infuriating.
And so he'd gone to kill Logan, on a stupid impulse, on a foolish whim, unplanned, executed on anger alone. Gone to complete one of the missions he'd fought against most of his life. And somehow, though now he knew it was wrong, it seemed so right to have wanted him dead, to want to finish him off, to take him out of the picture for good. And then, it went black. And when light returned, he was Adam. Now it all made sense. Everything clicked.
Zack stood there for what seemed like forever, simply staring blankly off into space, through the glass of the store window. At one point in time, he would've most likely either gotten arrested for loitering, or had at least been subject to strange looks at every turn. But nowadays, he was left alone to sort out his thoughts, to relive this possibility, these memories, this newly reinstated past.
And after doing so, Zack did what came naturally. He decided to head out to Seattle to help with the resistance. But before doing so, he had some people he really needed to talk to, and some that he really needed to see. If they even existed in this life.
A/N: I'm not exactly fond of some of this chapter. I'm not sure I captured Zack well, but I tried to make his confusion obvious, yet not so domineering as his protective nature toward all of his siblings. And when he regains his memory, I wanted it to be rapid, but believable. Not sure I succeeded. And, all of you writers will probably agree with me, my depiction of Max was very difficult, and therefore, I'm not sure about how convincing it is. Oh well, other than that, I'm pretty satisfied with this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it!
Anyway, R/R, Thanks!
-AntipodeanOpaleye
By AntipodeanOpaleye
Disclaimer: Everything you recognize from any other source either doesn't belong to me or is a purely coincidental occurrence. Anything that you've never seen probably belongs to me. I write for enjoyment and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: I am shocked! One, I actually got this out somewhat soon! And, most importantly, I actually got reviews! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate all of your positive input! I live for your comments, they make it so much easier to write! So, from this young writer, thank you so much.
Anyway, hope you like it!
Chapter Three: Bullet Hole
Alec looked out at the brightening horizon, illuminated by the slowly rising sun. He enjoyed the view for a brief moment, but registered that sunrise meant that it had to be around 5:00 AM. Meaning he had to get back to Terminal City soon. He stood, stretching his limbs and such, taking in the view he had from his position. He'd been up there plenty of times at this hour, and he'd seen the sunrise each and every time. But, it seemed, that this sunrise, though not especially brilliant in any particular way, had captured Alec's attention, and had gained his veneration. Alec wasn't exactly sure why this natural display was so captivating, but dismissed the thought quickly. He inched his way unconsciously to the very edge of the platform he was on, so many feet from the ground, and when he realized it, he reveled in the irony. There had been a time, not so long ago, where he would have most likely taken a deep breath and silently glided to his death without a second thought, knowing that no one would mourn him, no now would care, or even notice. But now, as he stared down the once-inviting 'out,' his mentality was much different.
Alec placed his right foot on the edge and arched his back, leaning dangerously over, his transgenic agility and balance aiding him. Moving his gaze downwards, he saw the deserted alley nearby, the row of rundown houses a few streets over, a filthy motel a couple of blocks over from that, and then the apartment complex next door. His eyes swept across the large brick buildings about a half a mile away and the abandoned adjoining shopping mart, which appeared to have been a part of a large franchise sometime before the Pulse. He raised his head again, his hazel green eyes taking in the city once again. The city that was filled with people that wanted him and his kind dead, people that thought of them as heartless, soulless animals incapable of love, or anything excepting assassination, for that matter. But, ironically, that same city was where he lived, was where his friends were, was where the people he cared about where. This city had become his home, and though he once was sure that he could, he now doubted her could leave. He took one more glance, grinning slightly, before finally turning and climbing down from the high place, trading its sanctuary and serenity for the filth, the hate, the danger, and the degradation of the city he called home.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Alec?" Max whispered into the darkness of his apartment. 'Idiot. Fell asleep and left your damn door unlocked. Not exactly smart around here, dumbass,' she thought, though she couldn't hear him, which should have been simple with her enhanced listening capabilities. She concentrated more intensely on detecting some kind of indication that Alec was there.
When she couldn't find any sign of life, not even the steady breathing of a sleeping transgenic, she became increasingly nervous. What if Alec had been captured? Hurt? Killed?
She tore desperately through the seemingly deserted apartment, her breathing rapid, an infinite number of highly unlikely, though horrible worst case scenarios, checking every room and area of the apartment, and then going back to check each possible place a second time, just to be sure.
After doing so, she deemed that there was, in fact, no one was in the apartment. After coming to this conclusion, she found herself embarrassed her complete lack of control only minutes earlier; the result of the most recent musings of her somewhat wild imagination. Who would only break into Alec's apartment when there were plenty others just seconds away from his? Besides, Alec would've known if someone was inside his place, he was a transgenic, after all, with all of the enhanced ability of any X5; he would have sensed it, or at least heard it. In fact, he wouldn't have been the only one to have heard it; the building was full of transgenics.
She frowned, partly at completely neglecting reason in such a situation, but partly at still not having found Alec. He never woke up this early. But hey, maybe today was a fluke. Max hoped so, almost nervously, as she made her way down to Command.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was still early, Alec thought, meaning that he still might be able to return to Terminal City without too much interference. Might was the key word. He'd actually considered going to visit Normal at Jam Pony that morning, knowing that Normal would be in the office already, due to his serious lack of a life outside of the Jam Pony Messenger Service. But, of course, Alec's plans never went accordingly, and he'd allowed himself to wallow in the sorrow and despair that laced every aspect of his past. 'Poor, poor pitiful Alec,' he thought sarcastically as he crept through the sparsely populated streets. He seriously considered trying to make it through Sector Checkpoints, which would prove to be a hell of a lot quicker, and far more pleasant, than trekking the sewers, but with the memory of Biggs's death so recent, he thought it better, and safer, to avoid Sector Police for the time being. So he made his way to the same sewer system that he'd traveled through with OC, Sketchy, and Logan, only it was a different entrance. He moved swiftly, much more efficiently alone than with the Ordinaries he'd traveled with before. Every so often, he'd stop to allow the disgusting nature of his position to be fully recognized, though promptly moving along after uttering a very characteristic groan of distaste.
After what seemed like forever, but in actuality was truly closer to a half an hour, Alec found an outlet that he deemed would be safe for him to exit from. He climbed through the opening with transgenic grace and speed and crouched in a cat like position upon reaching the deserted street above ground. His eyes darted around, insuring that he was in fact alone, and once doing so, he sprang from the ground and took off at transgenic speed, hell bent on getting to Terminal City before anyone could ask questions about where he was during the night.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Max jogged casually down to Command, where Dix and Luke were working, accompanied by Mole, smoking his ever present cigar, his rifle balanced over his shoulder. "Hey Max," Mole welcomed her upon noticing her presence.
At the sight of Max, the group abruptly abandoned their work to greet her.
"Yeah. Hey Max," Luke said happily.
"Hey Luke. Mole, Dix," she said distractedly.
"Hey there Max," Dix said in his soft-spoken way. Max regretted that she couldn't stay and talk, but she was adamant on finding Alec.
"Have any of you seen Alec?" she asked, wanted to be direct so that she could obtain her answer and either find Alec or continue her search.
"I haven't seen him Max," Luke said, his face thoughtful, "but you might look in his apartment. You know what late he likes to sleep, especially with everything that's been going on, and with his bullet wound and all."
"Looked there. He was no where to be found."
"Well, his motorcycle is still here, I saw it when me an' Joshua came back from delivering some supplies to the new mothers that are staying down across from the infirmary area. Just about an hour ago." Mole offered.
"Yeah," Luke added, "He couldn't have left between now and then without us hearing something."
"I know that someone took Cindy, Sketchy, and Logan back to Joshua's place. Logan sent an e-mail to that account we set up for when communications were down saying that they were there. Maybe he escorted them back," Dix said, bringing up the message, attempting to prove that that was were Alec must be.
"But that message was sent around 1:30 this morning," Max said, worry slightly edging her voice.
"I'm sure he'll be back soon, Max," Dix said reassuringly, though his strangely shaped face looked a bit distressed at the fact that Alec was 'missing'; Mole's and Luke's expressions both mirroring Dix's distraught countenance. Alec was close with all three of them, more so than Max, and each seemed to be a bit disturbed by Alec's absence.
"You're probably right Dix," Max said evenly as she walked away from the Command Center, followed by the eyes of the three transgenics she was departing from. After she was out of their sight, she took of at a run, decided on searching the entire of Terminal City for Alec. Though she still wasn't sure why she wanted to find him so badly, or why she was so upset that he wasn't around.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Alec was positioned on the roof of a building just outside Terminal City, watching the comings and goings of the Transgenic Oppression Front. The number of Ordinaries was phenomenal for 5:45 AM; it was shocking that so many people could hate something that they had no clue about. His enhanced hearing allowed him to listen in on some of the interviews and conversations going on below.
"These animals aren't natural! They're dangerous!"
"They'll kill us all! They don't have morals; they don't care! They're assassins!"
Alec cringed at the harsh words. They hit too close to home for him not to. 'Enough of this shit,' he thought as he scanned the area for a somewhat less occupied area to descend to.
"Just my luck,' Alec thought after failing to find a way down from his position. Knowing better than to just drop in among a throng of transgenic haters and just waltz right into TC, and not having any desire whatsoever to take out that many innocent bystanders just to get into Terminal City, even if they did want him dead.
After much debate, Alec reached the conclusion that his only plausible option was to try to make his way into TC from above. As in, trying to jump from building to building, climb from one spot to another, until he was safely inside. He didn't want to attract too much unwanted attention from those below him.
He evaluated the distance between himself and a large apartment building right inside Terminal City. It was a decently long jump, one that would push the limits of his feline abilities, but not to the breaking point. He'd made longer jumps in his time. Besides, it was the quickest route in. He paused before preparing for the leap; not because he was apprehensive, he was actually quite confident. No, he stopped at the sight of multiple television crews, cameras ready, all prepared to get footage of his inhuman leap. 'Oh well.' Alec thought as he shrugged out of habit and rubbed his hands together in preparation as he backed up in order to take a running start. 'This can't be any worse than Max riding her motorcycle into TC in front of a camera. Or riding a hoverdrone into Jam Pony.'
And so Alec blurred to the edge of the building and gracefully leaped the distance from one building to the other, closing the gap between the dangerous, odious world and the transgenic safe-haven he called home. But not without attracting just a tiny bit of attention from the onlookers below.
"Oh my word!" a female voice cried from who Alec deemed was the first to notice his momentary display of physical superiority.
"It's one of those mutant freaks!' screamed a couple guys who all sounded like they were die-hard 'trannie haters.'
"Dammit!" shouted a woman whose voice Alec recognized from a news report he'd heard. "Don't just stand there you idiot! Film this!"
"Shoot him!" A lone voice rang out in the throng of voices, a voice that Alec also recognized from a news telecast; an interview if he remembered correctly. And obviously, there were multiple people who agreed with this approached, seeing as Alec was met with a storm of bullets rising from below him. And, as he expected, not one of the shooters was even close to a decent aim; each of the attempts widely missing its target.
Alec landed gently on the rooftop of the building adjacent to the one he'd been on, his cat-like elegance aiding in his deplaning. He fought the urge to look down at all of the shocked people and wave in an innocent gesture of farewell before turning to leave, but knew he was just asking for trouble. But hey, wasn't he known for asking for trouble?
Alec walked slowly to the edge of the roof top, carefully shielding his face from view in an unusual attempt at discretion, and leaned over to stare curiously at the crowd congregating at the base of the building.
"My goodness! He made it across alive!" The same female voice that had first noticed his 'Miraculous Flying Leap' cried out once again. Alec placed the voice to an elderly, obviously homeless, woman, most likely just minding her own business, or maybe joining the crowd out of simple, good- natured curiosity. She didn't look like the type to want another being, no matter what it was capable of, to die. 'But, of course,' Alec reminded himself, 'looks can be deceiving.'
Alec smiled genuinely at the shocked gasps and horrified screams from those below, all of whom were either 1.) appalled that they'd had the horrible luck to have to witness the escape of a terrible transgenic freak, 2.) amazed that he'd made it across in one piece, 3.) if they had taken a shot him, inspecting their guns, as if something had to be wrong with the piece for them to miss their shot, or 4.) were just plain stupid, or mentally unstable, as people tended to be nowadays, and were simply gawking at him for no apparent reason. 'No apparent reason excepting my stunning good looks,' Alec smirked at the thought.
He bent over casually to get a better view of the onlookers. Once he saw that the majority of their attention was fixed upon him, he settled for widening his grin cockily, though effectively pulling off the innocent look he was aiming for.
The majority of the congregated Ordinaries below him where staring dumbfounded at him, as if trying to figure him out by gaping at him until he dropped dead. It was somewhat amusing.
But then, there were those who possessed a slightly quicker thought process, all of whom happened to have firearms at their disposal. Unfortunately, Alec was much too absorbed in his audience to notice these men taking aim at him.
Alec laughed sardonically at the spectacle before him. These people looked terrified of the mere sight of him, even if he was feet from the ground. With a single dismissive wave of his hand, Alec turned to leave.
Damn, what he'd give to show them exactly what they had to fear, just a quick little display of genetically superior power. But he knew it was risking too much, that it could endanger his friends, and the transgenic cause. And he wouldn't put something so important to so many people, something so important to him, in jeopardy.
He shuddered at the thought that only months ago, he would have put on a worthy show without a second though about how it would effect anyone else, because at that point, he really could've given a shit less about anyone other than himself.
And he froze at the realization that only a few years ago, he would not only have given them a frightening little show, but he might have snapped a few necks in the process. Hell, maybe it would've been on a mission, with his whole unit even, and then they could've carried out the assassinations in a more, 'creative' way. Damn, he couldn't believe how much he'd changed since then; it was unnerving and relieving all at once. He continued to think such thoughts for only seconds more, until his mind finally cleared enough for his transgenic hearing to pick up the small sound of a finger tightening on a trigger far below him. He tensed and his head snapped downwards to assess the situation.
Obviously, there was at least one pistol-carrying man down there who was a decent shot, or maybe he'd just gotten lucky. But if Alec hadn't possessed the transgenic agility that he did, he'd probably be dead. And even so, if any other transgenic had been caught in such a situation, it was doubtful they would have made it out without a critical wound or worse.
But, as it was, it was Alec who found himself in such a situation. The gunshot registered to his sensitive hearing immediately, but being caught off his guard had delayed his reaction time. Alec turned and attempted to flee at transgenic speed before the bullet reached him, but it was too late for that.
Alec groaned in pain as a lone bullet pierced his shoulder. Ironically, the new wound was unbelievably close to the not-quite-healed bullet wound he'd received at Jam Pony, which made for a more painful injury now. He cringed as he reached over with his unharmed hand to evaluate the damage, pain piercing his every movement.
'Not so bad,' Alec told himself, though he wasn't being entirely truthful. The bullet wound wasn't any deeper than his last, but it was already bleeding more frequently. He rolled his eyes, but the habitual toss of his head that accompanied the motion wasn't exactly comfortable, and he regretted it immediately. It was then when he heard the all to familiar sound multiple firearms, each of them cocked and readying to take their shot. At him.
Despite the stabbing pains in his arm and the slight lightheadedness it was causing, Alec turned quicker than humanly possible and, before he could take another bullet, blurred out of sight.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Real smart, Alec. Real smart. Couldn't leave well enough alone, could you Alec. Couldn't just, walk away, happily knowing that you had the opportunity to walk away. Oh no, you couldn't do that. You had to be a smart ass and have to last laugh. Well, look what that got you Alec?"
Alec had been climbing down that wall of the building he'd been on, which was an challenge with an injured arm, muttering to himself all the way down.
After reaching a point close to the ground, Alec released his grip on the wall and, protecting his bullet wound, leaped down and landed in his trademark feline position.
'What a coincidence,' Alec thought he looked ahead to the makeshift infirmary that lay only a few seconds away. 'Some divine intervention, I guess.'
He sauntered off towards the small building, on which Joshua had taken the liberty to paint a large red cross. He remained in the shadows, silently sliding past the multiple transgenics, all of whom he knew on some level, that passed him. He wanted to keep his slip-up as quiet as possible. And he knew if he could just get into the infirmary without anyone noticing him, he could do so.
He slowly opened the door, looking in to see if there was anyone there whom would spill on his situation. Seeing no one, he shut the door behind him and approached an aquatic looking anomaly, just one of the strange looking nurses that were tending to Terminal City's medical problems.
"Hey Ronnie," Alec said as he placed a hand on the female medic's shoulder. She jumped slightly, but turned with a smile.
"Alec, what a pleasant surprise," Ronnie said, her voice low, but sweet. She was somewhat shorter than Alec, and she looked up at him with wide eyes covered by a cloudy, though transparent, eye lids that she blinked pleasantly.
"Likewise," Alec said with his inimitable grin.
"To what do I owe this visit?" Ronnie asked, crossing her emerald and sapphire scale covered arms across her chest.
"Well, Ron," Alec said quietly, "I was thinking you could do me a favor."
"Oh really?" Ron look skeptical. "I don't know, what would this 'favor' be?"
"Well, it's not a matter of what I'm going to ask you to do, more what I'm going to ask you not to do," Alec said convincingly.
"Uh huh, I'm sure it is Alec," Ronnie said sarcastically. "What exactly is it that you need?"
Alec shrugged off his bloody leather jacket and gently rolled up the bloody sleeve of his shirt, which Ronnie now saw for the first time. As he exposed the wound, cringing as the material rubbed against the wound, Ronnie gasped.
"Alec!" she cried in exasperation. "Why on earth didn't you tell me about this as soon as you came in?"
"Ah, see Ron," Alec shook his head knowingly, "I told you I needed a favor." He looked down at the blood on his jacket. "I need you to patch this up."
"Alec, why wouldn't I?" Ronnie asked, confused at Alec's prior statement.
"I need you to keep this quiet. As in, no one can know I was here," Alec said seriously.
"Why, Alec? People are going to have seen you come in here, they're going to want to know what happened, whether or not you're ok."
"Ronnie, no one gives shit about me or what happens to me," he said bitterly as she escorted him to a small white cot to sit on. "That's a known fact."
Ronnie stared at him, disbelief written clearly on her features. She stopped what she collecting her supplies and sat down beside him.
"Alec, there are more people that care about you here than you know. More people care about you than me, or Mole, or Luke, or Dix, and, I hate to say it, but even Max. Everyone knows you, and almost all of them adore you, and if they don't, I can tell you they have the utmost respect for you. I should know."
Alec shrugged. "I dunno, Ron," he said distantly.
"You'll figure it out, Alec. You'll see it yourself, soon enough," Ronnie said, draping her arm over his shoulder and lightly squeezing his good shoulder.
"Now, let's get you cleaned up," she said as she jumped up to finish collecting her supplies.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"There. All done," Ronnie said after she'd removed the bullet, and cleaned and dressed the wound. "You never did tell me how you got this?" she gestured toward Alec's now bandaged arm.
"Ah, it was nothing. Just paying the price for letting my guard down," Alec said self-consciously. Ronnie knew she wouldn't get any more out of him, so she let the subject go. She leaned casually against the wall
"Well, you're lucky it hit where it did, even if it hurts like hell. It should heal within a few days, if I'm not mistaken. You'll be back to normal in less than a week, I can guarantee that much. As long as you stay out of trouble. You all right?"
"I'm always all right," Alec replied with a grin.
Ronnie rolled her aqua eyes and turned to leave. "Well then," she called over her shoulder, "Now that I've seen what I can do for you, I'll see what I can do for your jacket. You stay put," she added as she saw him moving to stand. "It'll do you goof to sit still for a few minutes."
Alec smiled, but he was a bit perturbed that she'd told him to stay there, knowing that he'd do so if she asked. He'd known Ronnie ever since she'd first come to TC. They'd become fast friends, and Alec would frequently come to visit her when he had nothing else to do. He'd help her with whatever she was doing, and he'd learned a hell of a lot more about medical care than he'd ever learned in training.
He laid back on the cot he was still situated on, staring up at the ceiling. He was becoming annoyed by the quiet when he heard footsteps approaching his bed. 'Probably Ronnie,' he told to himself.
"Done already Ronnie?" he asked quizzically. "I figured you'd be gone longer than that."
It was then that he realized that Ronnie was no where in sight, and that his visitor, or more like intruder, wasn't even a nurse. But she was obviously a patient.
"Oh," he said to the young woman who was now standing next to him bed, cradling a small, sleeping baby in her arms. "Hi there," he said kindly when he noticed the strange look the woman was giving him.
"Hello," she said in almost a whisper.
"Sweet kid," Alec said casually, looking at the infant she was holding.
"Thank you," she said again in the same small voice.
"You look familiar," Alec blurted out, not intending to come across as so blunt. "What's your name?"
"My name is Meg, and this is Lia," she muttered, indicating her child. "Yours?"
Alec wasn't one to trust very quickly, but something about this woman made Alec feel like he'd known her forever. Maybe he had.
"Alec," he said, sending a friendly grin her way.
"Alec? As in, 'The Alec' who everyone talks about? The Alec that's been leading Terminal City?"
"Uh, I wouldn't go that far. But I am the only Alec here, as far as I know."
"I didn't think it was you when they started talking about you. I thought you'd, you'd."
And it was then that Alec knew exactly who she was. And exactly when and where he knew her from.
"762?" he asked, already knowing the answer. His little human outcast back at Manticore. She nodded her head and grinned.
"I can't believe it's you sir. We all thought you were dead."
"Well, I've come very close quite a few times, but I always seem to weasel my way out of it," he said with a smirk.
"It's very good to see you, sir," Meg said quickly. Alec wouldn't have been surprised if she had saluted him if she hadn't been holding her daughter.
"Meg? Call me Alec," he said gently.
"Of course! I'm sorry, sir.. I mean, Alec," she said with a smile.
"No problem," Alec said honestly, "How long you been her in TC? I haven't seen you around before."
"We've only just arrived," Meg said, sitting down next to the cot in a rusty fold-out chair.
"We?" Alec asked, wondering whether she was referring to herself and Lia, or to someone else.
"Me, Lia, and Brian," Meg looked as if something had only just registered about this 'Brian.' "Oh, he'll want to see you! Can you hold her, if I go run I get him?"
"Sure," Alec said, gently taking the small baby from her arms and holding her, resting her gingerly in the crook of his arm. At first, he felt awkward, holding this helpless child in his arms, but it became natural soon after. She stirred slightly, and Alec stared at her as she yawned innocently and returned to her peaceful slumber. He smiled widely at her, brushing a few strands of her dark hair from her face, his thumb lingering to briefly caress her cheek.
'I could get used to this,' Alec thought, taking in everything about the beautiful bundle he was holding. He'd never thought of himself as anything close to family man, and had never even considered having a wife and children. Hell, who would want to have such a relationship with a screw up like him? But at that moment, he only knew that he would truly love a little one running around calling him dad.
Once again, he heard footsteps, and once again he didn't look up. He could tell it was a pair, and when he heard Meg's voice talking to 'Brian,' he knew he had nothing to worry about.
"Alec?" she asked quietly, "This is my husband, Brian."
Alec looked up suddenly at yet another familiar face, though this one wasn't so difficult to place. 787, the anti-killing machine, was standing in front of him. Though Brian didn't seem to recognize Alec as his former commanding officer. In fact, he simply looked at him blankly, wondering who exactly was holding his child.
"Nice to see you. Brian wasn't it?"
"Yes," Brian said softly.
Alec though Brian's dumbfounded attitude was amusing, but he didn't want to annoy the guy. They went way back; he didn't want confuse him any more than he obviously was.
"You have no idea who I am, do you?" Alec asked grinning.
"I'm sorry, I don't," Brian said warily.
"Oh now, come on 787, that hurts. You don't even remember me," Alec said in mock sadness.
The look on Brian's face was plain; he still didn't have a clue. Alec was shocked; he hadn't changed that much in appearance since the last time they'd seen each other.
"Really? You don't know? I'm devastated, man, I really am. Not even a year out of Manticore and you can't even remember you beloved commanding officer?"
"Sir?" Brian asked in disbelief. Alec smiled and nodded, though he was surprised that Brian had called him sir, just as Meg had, when he was no longer their superior.
"I'm sorry sir. I can't believe that you're here. I mean, we thought you were," Brian rambled, but Alec cut him off.
"Dead?" Alec asked, finishing Brian's statement in doing so. "Ahh, not quite. Gotten real close, but not quite." Brian looked ready to respond, but Alec stopped him. "And Brian? The name's Alec."
"Alec?" he asked incredulously, obviously not having heard his wife address him as such earlier. "As in, Max and Alec? Alec and Max?"
"Yeah, I guess me an' Max tend to be associated with each other," Alec said uncomfortably, staring back down at the sleeping child that was still cradled in his arms.
"Well, you and her a really great together. And with your leadership abilities, and then your relationship together, I mean, it's really given a lot of people around here a reason to, I dunno, hope for something more, someday."
Alec was taken by surprised at this revelation. He could see how some people might possibly be 'inspired' by their command, but, though their friendship meant the world to him, he couldn't see how it acted as a symbol of hope for the other transgenics. Unless.
Alec's mouth dropped slightly at the thought.
"Umm, Brian? You said, Max an' me? As in, Max an' me? As in, together? As in." He couldn't get the words out, the idea was so foreign. Did everyone think that Max and him were an item?
"Well," Brian started, but Meg cut him off.
"Oh no!" Meg burst out to the surprise of both Alec and Brian. "Alec, they've been looking all over for you! The lizard man, you know him, uh,"
"Mole?" Alec offered.
"Mole. He came down here about an hour ago, tearing up the place trying to find you! He and the others been all over Terminal City from what I hear."
Alec's eyes widened, his expression turning serious.
"Did he say anything as to why he was looking for me?" Alec asked, his tone demanding, mimicking the one he'd used at Manticore when he'd wanted something done or clearly understood.
"Nothing, he just left when she found out you weren't here," Meg stammered.
"Thanks," Alec murmured, standing and handing the child he was holding distractedly back to her mother. Before taking off to find Ronnie to collect his jacket, he turned to Brian and Meg.
"It was great to see you two," he said genuinely, flashing them another grin, regretting he couldn't stay and talk. "I'll see you around, and good luck with the little one," he said before leaving them alone in the room.
"Ronnie!" Alec called as he tore through the clinic, countless horrible thought flying through his head. Mole never came down to part of TC unless he was delivering supplies or something of the like. Didn't like the attitude of people around this area, he'd said for some reason. And as far as Alec knew, Mole had already been on a supply run that day; they'd been scheduled for an early morning delivery to the infirmary for child care supplies. Mole, of all people, wouldn't have been caught dead down there for any other reason, and definitely not alone, unless something was really wrong.
"Alec, I told you to stay." Ronnie began to say, but shut up when she saw the look on Alec's face. "Are you ok?"
"I have to leave," Alec said simply, though his voice was shaky and his breathing rapid. He didn't even attempt to hide this as he spoke to Ronnie.
"All right," Ronnie whispered automatically, handing him his jacket, which was clean as ever. "Be careful, Alec."
"Thank you for everything Ronnie," he said with a sad smile as he slipped his jacket on and left abruptly.
"Any time," Ronnie said slowly after he'd left
Alec ran through Terminal City at top speed, looking everywhere for Joshua, Mole, Dix, Luke, someone. But he was really looking for Max. Hoping, praying, that she was okay.
He lost all capability for rational thought at that point. Could White have planned some sort of heist to take Max into custody? Could he have been that quick with such a contrivance? What about the government? They could've made contact with the transgenics for multiple reasons. And any one of these things would have been kept under wraps by the central group of transgenic leaders in TC.
Anything could have happened. What had he been thinking, leaving Terminal City for so long? And if anything had happened to Max, he wasn't sure what he would do.
But at that moment, he didn't have to think any more about such things, because Max just happened to run right into him.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Max had searched everywhere, and she couldn't find him. She wasn't even sure why she was so upset; part of her said that it was more than likely that he'd hooked up with some X5 female and hadn't left yet. But something told her that that wasn't true. Alec wasn't like that. Maybe he had been, a long time ago, but he'd really changed. Even Max wasn't blind enough to notice. And the fact that she couldn't find him was strangely terrifying.
When exactly did she start caring about Alec and his well-being? She never thought of him as a brother, like Zack, or Krit, or Jack or Zane when they were back at Manticore. She'd never even treated him with the same care that she harbored for almost every transgenic she'd ever met. What exactly was Alec to her?
She shook her head violently, trying to rid herself of such irrelevant thoughts.
Still unsure of precisely why she was so spun about Alec's unknown status, she made her way back to Command to see if they'd come up with anything.
Halfway to her destination, Max stopped dead in her tracks. Maybe she should check The Needle. She knew he went there for the same reasons she had for so long, and he was often found there when he was no where to be seen elsewhere. Why hadn't she though of that before? It was so simple.
Plans formulated themselves in her mind as she changed her direction and made her way to where the vehicles, including her own motorcycle, were stored. She could find a way out without attracting too much attention, and could most likely get back in just as easily if she was careful. If she was careful.
And as she turned down that alleyway that led to the transportation bay, she found herself clumsily running into a tall, very muscular, very familiar male transgenic.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Alec's arms wrapped instinctively around her.
"Max," Alec whispered, relieved, and he let out a slow breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding. And then he muttered in an tone inaudible to both transgenic and human hearing, more to himself than to the woman who found herself in his embrace, "Thank God."
Max, on the other hand, didn't put two and two together right away. She wasn't even completely aware of whose chest her face was currently buried in. All she knew was that one minute she was turning the corner of the alley she was currently traveling on, and the next minute she'd met an almost welcoming detour in the form of Alec. She stayed nestled comfortably against him before making the connection.
"Alec?" she asked disbelieving as she looked up to meet his eyes. Eyes which were swirling with so many different emotions it was impossible to decode them all. She was somewhat dazed, not only because she'd found the cause of her thoughtless hunt throughout Terminal City for the past few hours, but also because the eyes she found herself strangely lost in were breathtaking and bewildering in themselves.
"Yeah," Alec said softly, proposing this more as a statement than a question, as was appropriate. He looked down into her large brown eyes, drowning in their captivating luster. They were so dangerously close to one another, it was mind boggling, but neither was feeling awkward due to this. They simply stayed there, both feeling an immeasurable amount of relief at the other's safety, and also simply feeling an uncanny comfort at being together. It was a sensation neither of them had experienced in a very long time. And it was nice.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Dammit!" A young male X5 swore under his breath after clumsily tripping over a large crate while creeping through the streets of San Francisco. Not his usual place of residence. Not even extremely close, for that matter. But it was one of his necessary stops on his way to Seattle. She was here. She had to be here. They hadn't seen each other in years, but he'd kept in contact with her through their contact number. And she would have told him had she left.
He pulled a small, crumpled piece of paper from his jacket pocket, though he really didn't need to refer to its contents due to his photographic memory. His bright green eyes studied the message silently.
Work: Camron's Bar and Grille Sector 19
Home: Former Tempest Residences Apartment 15C Sector 22
He replaced the paper in his pocket. Ahh, California. Northern California had conformed to sector division after the Pulse, but San Francisco was as far south as the sectors went. Having always had the pleasure of living in the more liberal areas of the country, including the south west and east coast, it was somewhat shocking having to plan his route according to Sector Checkpoints, and quite annoying having to flash his fake sector pass at every stop.
He checked his watch. Midnight. She'd probably be working. He headed north down the alley and made his way to the Sector Division he was looking for.
As he approached the booth, he was a bit surprised to see a young woman manning it, two matching blonde braids laying neatly on her shoulders. She looked up from he magazine after he'd cleared his throat upon reaching her.
"Hi there," she said with a smile. San Francisco sure was different than the rest of the country. "Can I see your Sector Pass, doll?"
His eyes widened slightly at being called 'doll' by this perfect stranger. He glanced up at her as he dug for his pass in his jacket, but she was quite busy, her eyes roaming around her visitor's body. He rolled his eyes, a small smile tugging at his full lips. Typical.
He drew her from her exploration by waving his sector pass directly in her line of sight.
"Oh!" she squeaked as she fingered his pass, checking it casually.
"Looks like you're all set," she looked at pass again. "Zane."
"Thanks," he said with a grin, turning to leave.
"You know, I could use some company," the woman called flirtatiously.
"Sorry, can't. I've got somewhere to be," Zane called and bolted out of there before he could hear another word from her.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Camron's Bar and Grille. Zane's hands trembled slightly as he consulted the paper in his hands, confirming that this was the place. He was nervous, and he wasn't sure why. He was very different from most of the X5s he knew. He was fun-loving, laid back, friendly, loyal, an all around good guy. Not to say he didn't have problems, or certain dark secrets, but he was good at hiding them. But right now, he was a wreck. He riffled his spiky, light brown hair with his hand, sighed, and walked into the obviously popular club.
Zane was welcomed by the pulsing beats of typical club music clouding his sensitive hearing. He shook it off and headed straight toward the bar, taking a seat near the right end.
"What can I get ya?" asked a short redhead behind the counter. She appeared to be in her late twenties.
"Well," Zane said, deciding to be direct and to the point. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. Name's Jo-," he stopped, remembering that unlike himself, Jondy never used her real name for her work. "Her name's Marty, she tends bar here, far as I know."
"Marty's on her break," the redhead said plainly. Zane arched his eyebrow. "You a friend?"
"You could say that," Zane replied with a small grin, not wanting to look suspicious.
"Well, she's neva on time, but she should be back within, say, five minutes or so. She's already 'bout a twenty minutes late." She silently appraised Zane. "Can I get you something while you wait?"
"Uh, no thanks. I'll just hang out here and wait for her."
"Aiight, whatever," the girl dismissed him as she walked over to her next customer. "I'll let 'er know you're here," she called over her shoulder. Zane nodded in appreciation.
'Will she even recognize me?' he thought, unsure on how to approach her when he actually came in contact with her. He didn't even know what she looked like. He was sure Jondy had changed over the years. She wasn't even aware he was coming, let alone that he was planning to ask her to leave with him.
After immersing himself in his thoughts for a few moments more, his transgenic hearing picked up a somewhat familiar voice coming from behind the bar. Zane saw the redhead he'd spoken with earlier disappear through a nearby door. He moved closer and strained to listen to their conversation, seeing as the redhead left the door ajar.
"Marty, yo' late. Again. If Gary finds out that you weren't here on time he'll can yo' ass," the redhead fumed.
"Oh, come on Gerry," Jondy, or should he say, Marty, replied casually. "He won't find out. He hasn't yet."
"Yeah, whatever," Gerry muttered, "When you out o' a job, don't come cryin' ta me." Then she paused, "Oh, Marty. Some guy's up at the bar lookin' fo' ya. Some young hot thang. Didn't look too happy though."
Jondy didn't say anything, but the door did open shortly after to reveal herself, with a surprised looking Gerry following her.
"Which one?" Jondy asked, hand on her hips, surveying the men at the bar. She never looked down the line far enough to notice Zane. But Zane noticed her.
Her dark hair was pulled into two cute pig-tails, her makeup dark, yet wearing from her obviously long day. Her face was confused as she appraised the males in front of her, which, in Zane's opinion, made her look all the better.
"Right there," Gerry said softly as she pointed at the shadowed figure that was Zane. Jondy looked a small bit apprehensive, but walked over to him all the same. Gerry stood where she was, preparing to watch the exchange.
Zane eyes the counter in front of him, his hands folded in front of him and his forehead resting on the platform they created.
"Hi there," Jondy whispered, trying to get him to look up. He didn't. "Heard you were looking for me?"
Zane wasn't sure what to say. Should he play along, see what she would do? Should he mess with her mind a bit, provoke some sort of humorous reaction? Or should he just come right out and say what he had to say?
"You bet," Zane said softly.
Jondy didn't recognize the man, but he obviously knew her, and, not wanting to be rude, decided to play along.
"Was there something specific that you wanted?" she asked sweetly.
"As a matter of fact, yes. There is." Zane said in the same low whisper.
"I'm listening," Jondy said cautiously, getting a bit suspicious of this stranger.
"This isn't the place to talk, about anything," Zane said, becoming uncomfortable as he realized the many sets of eyes form behind the bar that were now glued on the pair.
"Why don't you tell me your name before we leave," Jondy said somewhat warningly.
"This isn't the place for even that," Zane said grabbing her wrist. She automatically tried to wrench it from his grasp, moving to shield the motion from others, as not to arouse suspicion about her strength. But Zane was expecting this, and held onto her tightly. When she couldn't break free, he eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly.
"We have to talk, Jon," Zane whispered in a soft undertone. "But not here."
Not sure what to make of this obviously transgenic stranger who knew real her name, she simply nodded. He motioned for her to come with him out of the bar. She vaulted over the counter and followed his lead, flashing an confident look to Gerry on her way.
After they were out, Zane led Jondy to a nearby bench, on which they both sat. It was now that Zane finally looked her in the eyes.
"Hey Jon," he said quietly.
Jondy's deep eyes widened as she realized who she was speaking with, who was sitting right in front of her. "Zane?"
"Yeah," Zane whispered.
And then, Jondy did something that Zane didn't expect, though he welcomed the gesture. Jondy threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He found himself returning her embrace just as forcefully.
"I missed you Zane," Jondy said softly, whispering in his ear. "I didn't know where you were, I hadn't heard from you in so long. I got worried, I thought maybe," she didn't finish.
"I missed you too, Jondy. I missed you too."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Alec and Max pulled apart after a few moments of reveling in each other's embrace, both confused at hat had just happened, but both grinning almost stupidly at how right it felt.
Alec stared at Max for a while, flabbergasted at what had happened. Then it hit him.
"What happened Max? They told me that you were looking for me. Mole was raising hell down at the infirmary. I thought," Alec paused, but didn't continue the thought.
"Why were you in the infirmary?" Max asked, concern and suspicion lacing her normally angry voice.
"Um," Alec said, not sure whether it was more intelligent to lie to Max and hope she wouldn't find out, or to tell the truth and only upset her at the fact that he'd been stupid enough to do what he did.
"It was nothing," he said simply.
Max looked him up and down, trying to find out if he was telling the truth. She noticed a small fray on the arm of his jacket. Not sure if it was new or from the Jam Pony incident, she moved toward him and gently touched his arm. He flinched, though he hid it well. But the flinch was too noticeable for it to have been in response to the wound he obtained at Jam Pony.
"Let me see it, Alec," she said quietly.
"It's nothing Max, really." Alec protested.
"Nothing my ass, Alec," Max replied, standing her ground. She started to remove his jacket, and, to her surprise, was met with no resistance. Seeing the bloody sleeve of his black shirt, she gingerly rolled it up to reveal the bloody, bandaged wound beneath.
"Alec," she gasped, "What the hell happened?"
"Got in a jam with some Ordinaries outside of here on the way back from Josh's old place," he shrugged, though it was painful, and dismissed the topic as smoothly as he could.
Max let the vague answer slide. At least he'd let her see the wound, and told her something about how he'd gotten it. It was better than nothing. And it looked like the nurse had taken good care of him.
"And you? You never answered my question, you know. I asked you what Mole was doing down there earlier, looking for me. What's wrong?" Alec asked, folding his arms across his chest. Max didn't answer. She didn't want Alec to think she was pretty incapable of handling herself, let alone an entire nation of transgenics, without him. Even if it was true. She couldn't bring herself to admit that she'd fallen apart at the thought that Alec might have left, or gotten killed, or captured, or a number of other horrible scenarios involving Alec.
When had he become so important, so valuable to her? She needed him. He was her support, helping her to see her flaws and to correct them before it was too late. Assisting her whenever he was needed, in whatever it was that needed to be done, without a second thought. And he was always there, something she now realized she took for granted. Alec was a great person, and, for some reason, had stuck around though all of the bullshit and had become an irreplaceable friend.
"It was nothing," Max lied, "Mole had come back from a supply run and was just looking for you. We were helping him."
Alec nodded, though he was slightly disappointed. He'd temporarily forgotten that it wasn't in Max's nature to care that much, and even if, by some freak accident, she did care about someone, she'd never think of admitting it. It'd been childish to think that she could have possibly just been worried about where he was this morning.
"Where were you, anyway?" she asked casually. "I told you. Infirmary, remember?" Alec said curiously. "I mean between then and when you left Joshua's. Logan e-mailed Command between 1:00 and 2:00 this morning saying that they were there. It couldn't have taken you that long to get back," she asked, suspicious once again.
"Had some stuff to sort out Max," Alec said, somewhat guiltily. "Needed to get it out of the way."
Max immediately thought of his Black Market dealings and scams, wondering if the 'things' he was 'taking care of' were for self benefit or for the benefit of the transgenic cause. Then she saw his eyes. The faraway look in his eyes signaled something much more significant than such deals. She watched him closely, watching his mouth silently form three distinct words. 'The High Place.' And Max understood, and questioned him no further.
"How 'bout we head back to Command," Max whispered, grabbing Alec's hand. "See how things are going. How's that?"
Alec looked at her and gave her a small, sincere smile. "Sounds great, Maxie, just great."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"What is it," a half asleep blonde X5 by the name of Syl to her male X5 boyfriend, Krit, who was attempting to wake her up.
"Syl, wake up. You said you wanted to see that report on the transgenic rebellion up in Seattle. It'll be on soon," Krit said, shaking her lightly.
"Yeah, ok, I'm up," she groaned, pulling herself into a sitting position and facing the dim glow of the television screen. She and Krit had been living in this apartment ever since the whole episode with the DNA Lab. It was a good sized place, big enough for the two of them, small enough to be considered 'homey.' They'd been able to live a normal life, they enjoyed it, and they'd become used it.
But now that there was this transgenic revolution going down in Seattle, and now they were once again forced into the real world. A world that did not and most likely would never accept them for who they really were. They'd both spoken of going to Seattle to do what they could for the transgenic cause, but they'd never gone through with it. They'd heard very little detail about the siege, hence their eagerness to see this report on the matter tonight.
"It's on," Krit said to Syl, who was already beginning to fall back to sleep, as the commercial break ended and a female reporter began her account.
"I'm standing here in front of Terminal City, the stronghold of the transgenic alliance. With me here is Dr. David Morton, an genetic specialist, who is going to give what he believes is a very accurate summary of the occupants of Terminal City, and of the way of life and the leaders inside."
Dr. Morton cleared his throat. He was young, maybe in his thirties. "The transgenics inside are the product of a covert government operation known as Project Manticore. There are four basic divisions of transgenics that we are aware of.
"There are the anomalies, which are combinations of human and animal DNA, though their appearance reflects this; they are literally part animal, part human.
"The transhumans are another division, mostly human, with strange disfigurations due to their unique DNA combinations.
"There is also the Psy-Ops division, human looking transgenics with the ability to manipulate brain waves, alter long and short term memory, and so on.
"Finally, and, in my opinion, the most amazing, are the X series transgenics. They were the successful melding of animal and Human DNA, as the enhancing of normal human abilities. For instance, the X5s are in possession of both the refined human and feline DNA, giving them incredible agility, speed, intelligence, strength, vision, hearing, and countless other such advantages. They are able to integrate into society easily, and were used for mission in which extended human contact was needed. They were perfect soldiers, living in barracks with their units, following orders flawlessly and without question. They have extensive training in weaponry, medicine, technology, language, and other such topics, and yes, they are all trained in assassination. They are considered dangerous," Here the doctor paused, as mug shots of both Alec and Max appeared on the screen. Syl and Krit's jaws dropped.
"Max," Krit whispered in amazement, gaping at the photo of his sister on the screen.
"Krit, is that Ben?" Syl asked tentatively.
"Can't be, but it sure looks like him," Krit replied.
"It is believed that these two X5s are partners, heading the transgenics inside Terminal City and guiding them with their natural leadership skills," the doctor continued.
"We are not positive of their designations, the numbers on their barcodes that identify them," he gestured at the back of his neck, "but it is believed that they were both at the very top of Manticore program, excelling more so than any of the others. The male possibly even more so, rumors indicating he is in possession of quite a bit more training than the female," he concluded.
"Thank you, doctor, and we appreciate your joining us tonight," the reporter smiled and the news continued as usual.
Krit let out a long breath and looked at Syl, who still remained to his side on the bed. She met his gaze, staring at him for a moment. In a silent agreement, they leaped from the bed, gathered some necessary items, and were out of the apartment in no time, beginning the long haul towards Seattle.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
He was watching the news report from the street outside, on one of the many televisions that decorated Fritter's Pre-Pulse Electronics in Portland, Oregon. He'd only just left his 'home', his life as Adam. Zack had been out on his own for a week.
Somehow he'd been able to piece together some the puzzle after having strange, yet recurring dreams about people he could barely remember, but somehow felt like he'd known forever. And Manticore. Once he'd figured everything out, he questioned how exactly he could forget Manticore. It was impossible to forget that hellhole.
But he had in fact remembered his past. Or, at least, what he thought was his past. He remembered to people named Zane and Jondy, who he could swear were living down south. He thought remembered Syl and Krit, who he somehow knew had gotten away after the DNA Lab mission had gone sideways, which he was positive had happened. He smiled at the thought they they'd probably escaped together, and had most likely stayed together. They made a cute couple, as far as he was concerned.
He remembered, with most certainty, Tinga and Ben, and Jack and Eva back at Manticore, all of whom were dead. Dead, in some way, because of him. All because of him.
He remembered Max, the one he'd always had a soft spot for. He wondered if she'd gotten out after they'd captured her. He prayed that she'd made it out alive. But, somewhere in his subconscious, he was sure she had. It was strange with memories of Max. There were so many thoughts involving her, all of which he was sure of, he knew they had happened. And then, there were less vivid memories of her. Incomplete memories, almost.
And he remembered Brin, who he could've sworn Manticore had gotten a hold of and had been reindoctrinated to be a slave once again. It seemed to be true, and Zack held himself responsible for it. He wasn't even sure she had gotten out of Manticore after Max had burned it down. Wait, Max burned Manticore down? When did that happen? How did he know that? Was it true?
Zack paused, and a wave of almost surreal memories came over him. Memories of Seattle. Memories of a man who he somehow associated with the term British Eddie. Memories of himself with some kind of cybernetic arm and some kind of metal plate with a blinking red light covering his one eye. More recent memories of Max. Memories of someone, an X5, a man named Alec. Recent memories of Logan, Max's man. Memories of, ridiculous as it seemed, himself trying to kiss Max. Memories of going after Logan and trying to, to, kill him? Why would he have tried to kill Logan? Not that he really cared for the guy, but he didn't wish him dead. What the hell was he thinking? But then again, now that he thought about it, it seemed as if it was only natural to have at the least attempted to kill the man, like it was something he was supposed to do, something that was expected of him, for the benefit of, someone. Who that someone was, he wasn't sure.
Then it was blank. He remembered waking up at the hospital, and living for months as Adam. But never just as Adam. There as always that voice in the back of his mind, telling him that this wasn't it, that this life wasn't what he should've been doing. Who he should've been helping.
And so he'd come to be where he was. He'd left the farm late one night. He'd doubted his memories while he'd been there, but after abandoning the medication he was taking to, suppress his super-human abilities, of course, he realized that his life was as the man he vaguely Zack, and never as Adam. He'd been a leader. He couldn't abandon his family, if they were real, now that this transgenic thing was going down in Seattle. He had to be sure.
And then everything hit him, all at once. Everything. Upon seeing the faces on the television screen, seeing those people one more time.
Everything from Manticore. Everything from the escape. Everything afterwards, the running, the fighting, the protecting. And then he remembered when things turned upside down. When Brin had to be taken back to Manticore, when Ben had gone back to the Blue lady he so believed in, when Tinga had left her husband and son behind after being killed by that bitch Renfro. And the attack they'd made on the DNA lab, and everything afterward.
He remembered waking up, being told he'd wounded himself in an attempt to save another member of his unit, an noble act, yet foolish. They'd said that he'd been a perfect candidate for some 'experimentation' that would be beneficial to himself and to the program. He had no choice but to comply. He remembered the brainwashing, the training, shooting at photos of the enemy.
Then, on his mission to take down Eyes Only, British Eddie had gotten a hold of him. Zack didn't mind too much, he and his cronies were interesting, if not amusing. It wasn't bothering him much.
And then he'd run into Max. He couldn't believe he didn't recognize her. She was his sister, his family, and he couldn't even figure out her name. He mentally slapped himself at that realization. Alec had been with her. Were they together? The made a cute couple, Zack thought for a second time that night.
And then he'd seen Logan, knew he was Eyes Only, remembered his mission. And in the process, Max had been captured. He'd gone to rescue her, and for some reason beyond his only recently restored knowledge, attempted to show something more than brotherly affection to her. He knew that he and Max were siblings, and that was it. And neither wanted it any different. But one of Manticore's experiments must have confused him quite a bit in the romance department, and her refusal of him was, at the time, infuriating.
And so he'd gone to kill Logan, on a stupid impulse, on a foolish whim, unplanned, executed on anger alone. Gone to complete one of the missions he'd fought against most of his life. And somehow, though now he knew it was wrong, it seemed so right to have wanted him dead, to want to finish him off, to take him out of the picture for good. And then, it went black. And when light returned, he was Adam. Now it all made sense. Everything clicked.
Zack stood there for what seemed like forever, simply staring blankly off into space, through the glass of the store window. At one point in time, he would've most likely either gotten arrested for loitering, or had at least been subject to strange looks at every turn. But nowadays, he was left alone to sort out his thoughts, to relive this possibility, these memories, this newly reinstated past.
And after doing so, Zack did what came naturally. He decided to head out to Seattle to help with the resistance. But before doing so, he had some people he really needed to talk to, and some that he really needed to see. If they even existed in this life.
A/N: I'm not exactly fond of some of this chapter. I'm not sure I captured Zack well, but I tried to make his confusion obvious, yet not so domineering as his protective nature toward all of his siblings. And when he regains his memory, I wanted it to be rapid, but believable. Not sure I succeeded. And, all of you writers will probably agree with me, my depiction of Max was very difficult, and therefore, I'm not sure about how convincing it is. Oh well, other than that, I'm pretty satisfied with this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it!
Anyway, R/R, Thanks!
-AntipodeanOpaleye
