Chapter 4:
Author's Note: Okay, so yeah, Alec and Max on horses was meant for a
little humor. I will eventually explain why Max can ride. Glad you like
it so far. College does not give me nearly enough time to write
fanfiction, can you imagine?
Disclaimer: God, I wish I owned them, I'd get Max and Alec together SO
fast.
~*~
Alec grimaced and shoved he horse's shoulder a little harder than he'd meant. The horse stumbled away with a grunt, removing its offensive hoof from Alec's now tenderized foot. The horse swished its tail irritably, ears laying back against his head as he shot Alec what could only be described as a glare. "That horse hates me," he grumbled.
"The horse does not hate you," Max rolled her eyes. She slung the heavy stirrup over the horn of her saddle and hefted it up off her horse's back. Underneath the animal's coat was slicked and darkened with sweat, evidence of the hours of hard riding that lay behind them.
"Then how do you explain the fact that I've been dumped three times today?" Alec questioned with one eyebrow raised.
Max chuckled, eyeing Alex's dirt encrusted clothing. "It's not the horse's fault you forgot to tighten the cinch when we stopped to give them water."
"It doesn't help you know, you laughing at me as I'm making a complete ass out of myself." He lifted the saddle off the horse's back, jumping away as the animal swung his haunch toward Alec and raised a hoof threateningly. He was not in good mood. He was stiff and more tired than he wanted to admit. Hours sitting in the saddle, okay perhaps bouncing was closer to the truth, had left both his backside and his ego, seriously bruised.
"Alec, how the hell is that any different than the day to day?"
"True," he relented with a small nod of his head. "But, how was the last time my fault?"
"You weren't paying attention. You were so busy looking for Zack hiding in the trees you didn't notice the turn in the trail, so yeah, you're fault."
"Hey, one of us has to be looking out for Zack. He does want to kill me you know Max. It's not like you're doing a whole hell of a lot."
Max shrugged, "If Zack were nearby I'd know before you. So don't worry about it."
"Oh yeah, how does that work?"
She grinned. "No junk DNA remember? I'm practically perfect in every way," she teased. "Yeah, and modest to boot," he said wryly. Max whipped the canteen off her saddle and chucked it at Alec. He caught it easily with his left hand and quickly drained the rest. "Thanks, I needed that."
"You're such an ass," Max snipped, but she was smiling.
"And you're a..nevermind."
"You're learning."
"I'm quick like that." His mouth quirked and his eyes glimmered with unconcealed humor.
Max and Alec led their horses over to a small stand of pine trees. Alec strung up some reflective tape around the trunks to make a small paddock area for the horses. They moved back to the middle of the camp site, an area slightly raised and flat. "I still think we should keep going," Alec told her.
"The horses needed a break, and besides it's dangerous to move over unfamiliar territory in the dark, especially with the possibility of an enemy lurking in the shadows." Max lectured, hands resting lightly on her hips.
Alec flashed her a sloppy salute. "Yes ma'am. Why did we even bother with the horses anyway? We could maneuver through these mountains without pack animals, in the dark, just as we can with them."
"Sure, but I think Curt would have found it a little odd had we shown up and said: 'Hey, we need to no every strategic advantage in the approach to the cabin, because we're a couple of super soldiers genetically engineered by the government chasing another soldier hunting down your employee Jondy, who also happens to be a mutant freak. Have a nice day." Alec didn't respond, and Max laughed, cuffing the back of his head. "Idiot."
Max walked away shaking her head and still smiling. She paused halfway to where her saddle was propped against a tree. Despite the entire Zack situation, she hadn't had a half bad time that day. Hell, it practically bordered on enjoyable, and she'd spent it with..ALEC. No single place in her mind did that make any sense whatsoever. Taking a steadying breath she pushed the disturbing thought from her head.
The two made camp, mixing the idea for a fire and a hot meal, just in case someone was watching. Instead the quietly shared the heavy pack of beef jerky and rolls stuffed in their packs. Alec made a face as he gnawed on the meat. "I don't understand why people do this for FUN."
"Have you always been this much of a kill joy? Think about it, the fresh air."
"The fresh air."
"No one around."
Alec made a face, "the solitude."
" ..just you and the mountain."
"The complete lack of edible food."
She sighed. "You're not giving this a fair shake."
"I am thinking about it Max. I used to do this all the time remember? IN the woods, in the dark, find a target, no food, no water, alone. It was called basic training. I didn't enjoy it then I don't see what I should enjoy now, just because it's called camping and not survival training," he emphasized his point by emphatically jabbing with his jerky.
Max immediately sobered at the mention of Manticore and the missions he'd had to endure there. "Right," she returned hollowly. Then she had a thought. "Well, I guess we'll just have to change your mind about all this. We'll do it again, just sans the crazed transgenic part." -Again? What was she talking about again?- Max shook her head and tried to ignore the odd look Alec was shooting her. "I'll take first watch," she mumbled. "I'll wake you in a few hours."
--
It was pitch black when Alec woke a few hours later. He'd been having a weird dream. He was in the middle of an earthquake...wait..an earthquake that whinnied?? Hazel eyes flew open and he propped himself on one elbow. Something was wrong with the horses. Where was Max? Shrugging off the question he leapt to his feet, just as a coppery hide zipped by him at a full gallop. "Shit. Max!" he called, not caring at this point who heard.
He didn't see her, didn't hear her. He turned, just in time for his gray to strike him as he rushed past. The horse's massive shoulder nailed him and Alec flew back, smacking his head on the ground when he landed. His eyes widened as he saw the horse reel back on its haunches and prepare to leap over him. Alec curled into a ball, hands covering his head. He grunted as one of the gelding's hooves grazed his side.
Max came running back into the camp as Alec was picking himself up off the ground. "What the hell happened to you?" He demanded irritably.
"I heard something over by the river, so I went to check it out. What happened here?" she motioned to the ruins that was their camp site.
"Our courageous steeds decided to spook at something," he commented dryly. "Mine decided it might be fun to use me as a kick start on his little sprint too. So what? Do we go after them?"
Max shook her head. "Forget it, we could waste hours tracking them. It's four AM now, it'll be dawn in a couple of hours. They'll be fine, they know how to get back to the ranch. Let's just take what we can carry and get going. I want to get on the other side of the pass before tonight. Alec nodded, and the transgenics set about cleaning up camp.
--
They traveled steadily all morning, through the woods ever upwards. The sky lightened, but never past a light gray, and the clouds hung low over the higher peaks. The wind was bitter cold. The woods began to thin, and shrubbery became more scarce. Eventually they were walking on shale that slipped beneath their boots. They reached the snow line just after two that afternoon. The skies opened up and snow began to fall steadily.
Max's face was flushed and she was sweating beneath the collar of her sweatshirt. Still she pushed forward, legs pumping progressively up the slope. Alec followed, looking for all the world like he would rather be somewhere else, with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. His shoulders were hunched and his eyes cast downwards so he could only see Max's footsteps before him. The flakes of scow and ice stung his face and he pulled his collar higher.
Another hour brought them to the base of the pass. It was a narrow, treacherous trail that cut between two peaks, little more than a crevice. The horses wouldn't have been able to manage, so she was suddenly glad they'd chosen to turn back when they did.
Max could barely see through the storm and the wind whistled down the gap. She stopped, suddenly feeling very small standing between the rising walls of snow and ice. Alec came up beside her. "What do you want to do?" He asked, having to raise his voice to be heard over the wind.
Max considered for a moment. "We could find someplace to take shelter and wait out the storm a few hours."
"And if it gets worse? We could wait and then the pass would be to dangerous. Then we'd have to go the long way around"
Max bit back a smile. Sometimes Alec knew far too well what she was thinking. "I'd rather go for it now. We'd be that much closer to Jondy. Are you up for it?" Alec flashed her a thumbs up. Max turned back to the pass, placing one deliberate foot on the rock, and started up.
Their progress was almost unbearably slow. The storm was making for almost zero visibility, and slicking the rocks and trail with a thin layer of ice. Max's lips were cracking, the extreme cold blistering her exposed skin. Her hands were bleeding and torn from having to pull herself up over the sharp rocks.
A knot grew between Alec's shoulder blades. His fingers ached and his eyebrows were encrusted with ice. He was freezing. Manticore training could not have prepared him for the violent storms of the Rockies. -I guess not even Maticore could beat out Mother Nature,- he supposed wryly. His foot slipped and he went down on one knee. He pushed himself back up quickly. It would be far too easy to lose Max if he fell more than a few feet behind.
The trangenics made it to the top of the pass despite the Mountain's best efforts. Alec would have liked a drink of water, but all that was in his canteen had been frozen. "At least going down should be easier."
"You think?" Alec called. "This storm isn't letting up any."
"Well we can't stay here!"
"I wasn't suggesting that we should. Now quite talking and move before I freeze in place!"
The only plus going down was that wind let up marginally, so that snow wasn't whipping up in their faces. Alec guessed they were a little more than 2/3 of the way down when it happened. He felt it, the mountain shifting beneath his feet. His ears barely picked up the low rumble. Ten feet or so below him Max paused, turning back to look at him questioningly. He shrugged, glancing back over his shoulder.
His mouth went dry and his breath caught in his throat. He turned back and doubled his pace, leaping recklessly over rocks and fissures in the path. "Max! Move it. Avalanche!!" Her eyes widened and she too began to run. The white wall of snow was careening down at them, growing in intensity by the moment. Alec leaped down a ledge, landing heavily, his feet sliding out from beneath him and he crashed to his knees. A sharp jolt went straight up his arm, but he couldn't stop and pushed on.
Max moved faster than was safe, slipping and sliding down the trail, half falling, half awkwardly leaping. She could hear it now, chasing them, the angry roar of the mountain. Then she saw it, the end of the pass, where the path widened and leveled off. Her eyes scanned the rocks, and she spied a small cave, just big enough for two people. "Alec!" She cried over her shoulder, gesturing desperately for the safe haven. She just hoped he saw her. She dove for the opening, immediately spinning and waiting for Alec.
Alec was running hard, breath billowing out behind him. He saw where Max had disappeared into the rock and headed for it. Behind him the snow gained steadily, till the avalanche was practically nipping at his heels. Ten more feet, just ten more feet. The cave, Max and safety were just beyond his reach when the tidal wave overtook him. He felt the snow hit him in the back, sending him flying face down.
Max watched, horrified, from her place in the cave. He was so close. Then the snow caught him. It hit him hard in the back, flipping him head over heels. He hit the ground with his left shoulder, spinning helplessly over and over. The giant wave of snow engulfed him, propelling him further, until he disappeared. Max didn't even hear herself scream.
Chapter 5 Cliffhanger huh? I know it's taken me a while to get this up, but please do bear with me, I'll try to update as fast as possible. Please read, enjoy, and don't forget to review, if only to yell at me for doing this to poor Alec.
A/N: I'll admit it, (waves guiltily) I actually watched Dawson's Creek just to get a look at Ackles. Damn, I really don't like that show.
~*~
Alec grimaced and shoved he horse's shoulder a little harder than he'd meant. The horse stumbled away with a grunt, removing its offensive hoof from Alec's now tenderized foot. The horse swished its tail irritably, ears laying back against his head as he shot Alec what could only be described as a glare. "That horse hates me," he grumbled.
"The horse does not hate you," Max rolled her eyes. She slung the heavy stirrup over the horn of her saddle and hefted it up off her horse's back. Underneath the animal's coat was slicked and darkened with sweat, evidence of the hours of hard riding that lay behind them.
"Then how do you explain the fact that I've been dumped three times today?" Alec questioned with one eyebrow raised.
Max chuckled, eyeing Alex's dirt encrusted clothing. "It's not the horse's fault you forgot to tighten the cinch when we stopped to give them water."
"It doesn't help you know, you laughing at me as I'm making a complete ass out of myself." He lifted the saddle off the horse's back, jumping away as the animal swung his haunch toward Alec and raised a hoof threateningly. He was not in good mood. He was stiff and more tired than he wanted to admit. Hours sitting in the saddle, okay perhaps bouncing was closer to the truth, had left both his backside and his ego, seriously bruised.
"Alec, how the hell is that any different than the day to day?"
"True," he relented with a small nod of his head. "But, how was the last time my fault?"
"You weren't paying attention. You were so busy looking for Zack hiding in the trees you didn't notice the turn in the trail, so yeah, you're fault."
"Hey, one of us has to be looking out for Zack. He does want to kill me you know Max. It's not like you're doing a whole hell of a lot."
Max shrugged, "If Zack were nearby I'd know before you. So don't worry about it."
"Oh yeah, how does that work?"
She grinned. "No junk DNA remember? I'm practically perfect in every way," she teased. "Yeah, and modest to boot," he said wryly. Max whipped the canteen off her saddle and chucked it at Alec. He caught it easily with his left hand and quickly drained the rest. "Thanks, I needed that."
"You're such an ass," Max snipped, but she was smiling.
"And you're a..nevermind."
"You're learning."
"I'm quick like that." His mouth quirked and his eyes glimmered with unconcealed humor.
Max and Alec led their horses over to a small stand of pine trees. Alec strung up some reflective tape around the trunks to make a small paddock area for the horses. They moved back to the middle of the camp site, an area slightly raised and flat. "I still think we should keep going," Alec told her.
"The horses needed a break, and besides it's dangerous to move over unfamiliar territory in the dark, especially with the possibility of an enemy lurking in the shadows." Max lectured, hands resting lightly on her hips.
Alec flashed her a sloppy salute. "Yes ma'am. Why did we even bother with the horses anyway? We could maneuver through these mountains without pack animals, in the dark, just as we can with them."
"Sure, but I think Curt would have found it a little odd had we shown up and said: 'Hey, we need to no every strategic advantage in the approach to the cabin, because we're a couple of super soldiers genetically engineered by the government chasing another soldier hunting down your employee Jondy, who also happens to be a mutant freak. Have a nice day." Alec didn't respond, and Max laughed, cuffing the back of his head. "Idiot."
Max walked away shaking her head and still smiling. She paused halfway to where her saddle was propped against a tree. Despite the entire Zack situation, she hadn't had a half bad time that day. Hell, it practically bordered on enjoyable, and she'd spent it with..ALEC. No single place in her mind did that make any sense whatsoever. Taking a steadying breath she pushed the disturbing thought from her head.
The two made camp, mixing the idea for a fire and a hot meal, just in case someone was watching. Instead the quietly shared the heavy pack of beef jerky and rolls stuffed in their packs. Alec made a face as he gnawed on the meat. "I don't understand why people do this for FUN."
"Have you always been this much of a kill joy? Think about it, the fresh air."
"The fresh air."
"No one around."
Alec made a face, "the solitude."
" ..just you and the mountain."
"The complete lack of edible food."
She sighed. "You're not giving this a fair shake."
"I am thinking about it Max. I used to do this all the time remember? IN the woods, in the dark, find a target, no food, no water, alone. It was called basic training. I didn't enjoy it then I don't see what I should enjoy now, just because it's called camping and not survival training," he emphasized his point by emphatically jabbing with his jerky.
Max immediately sobered at the mention of Manticore and the missions he'd had to endure there. "Right," she returned hollowly. Then she had a thought. "Well, I guess we'll just have to change your mind about all this. We'll do it again, just sans the crazed transgenic part." -Again? What was she talking about again?- Max shook her head and tried to ignore the odd look Alec was shooting her. "I'll take first watch," she mumbled. "I'll wake you in a few hours."
--
It was pitch black when Alec woke a few hours later. He'd been having a weird dream. He was in the middle of an earthquake...wait..an earthquake that whinnied?? Hazel eyes flew open and he propped himself on one elbow. Something was wrong with the horses. Where was Max? Shrugging off the question he leapt to his feet, just as a coppery hide zipped by him at a full gallop. "Shit. Max!" he called, not caring at this point who heard.
He didn't see her, didn't hear her. He turned, just in time for his gray to strike him as he rushed past. The horse's massive shoulder nailed him and Alec flew back, smacking his head on the ground when he landed. His eyes widened as he saw the horse reel back on its haunches and prepare to leap over him. Alec curled into a ball, hands covering his head. He grunted as one of the gelding's hooves grazed his side.
Max came running back into the camp as Alec was picking himself up off the ground. "What the hell happened to you?" He demanded irritably.
"I heard something over by the river, so I went to check it out. What happened here?" she motioned to the ruins that was their camp site.
"Our courageous steeds decided to spook at something," he commented dryly. "Mine decided it might be fun to use me as a kick start on his little sprint too. So what? Do we go after them?"
Max shook her head. "Forget it, we could waste hours tracking them. It's four AM now, it'll be dawn in a couple of hours. They'll be fine, they know how to get back to the ranch. Let's just take what we can carry and get going. I want to get on the other side of the pass before tonight. Alec nodded, and the transgenics set about cleaning up camp.
--
They traveled steadily all morning, through the woods ever upwards. The sky lightened, but never past a light gray, and the clouds hung low over the higher peaks. The wind was bitter cold. The woods began to thin, and shrubbery became more scarce. Eventually they were walking on shale that slipped beneath their boots. They reached the snow line just after two that afternoon. The skies opened up and snow began to fall steadily.
Max's face was flushed and she was sweating beneath the collar of her sweatshirt. Still she pushed forward, legs pumping progressively up the slope. Alec followed, looking for all the world like he would rather be somewhere else, with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. His shoulders were hunched and his eyes cast downwards so he could only see Max's footsteps before him. The flakes of scow and ice stung his face and he pulled his collar higher.
Another hour brought them to the base of the pass. It was a narrow, treacherous trail that cut between two peaks, little more than a crevice. The horses wouldn't have been able to manage, so she was suddenly glad they'd chosen to turn back when they did.
Max could barely see through the storm and the wind whistled down the gap. She stopped, suddenly feeling very small standing between the rising walls of snow and ice. Alec came up beside her. "What do you want to do?" He asked, having to raise his voice to be heard over the wind.
Max considered for a moment. "We could find someplace to take shelter and wait out the storm a few hours."
"And if it gets worse? We could wait and then the pass would be to dangerous. Then we'd have to go the long way around"
Max bit back a smile. Sometimes Alec knew far too well what she was thinking. "I'd rather go for it now. We'd be that much closer to Jondy. Are you up for it?" Alec flashed her a thumbs up. Max turned back to the pass, placing one deliberate foot on the rock, and started up.
Their progress was almost unbearably slow. The storm was making for almost zero visibility, and slicking the rocks and trail with a thin layer of ice. Max's lips were cracking, the extreme cold blistering her exposed skin. Her hands were bleeding and torn from having to pull herself up over the sharp rocks.
A knot grew between Alec's shoulder blades. His fingers ached and his eyebrows were encrusted with ice. He was freezing. Manticore training could not have prepared him for the violent storms of the Rockies. -I guess not even Maticore could beat out Mother Nature,- he supposed wryly. His foot slipped and he went down on one knee. He pushed himself back up quickly. It would be far too easy to lose Max if he fell more than a few feet behind.
The trangenics made it to the top of the pass despite the Mountain's best efforts. Alec would have liked a drink of water, but all that was in his canteen had been frozen. "At least going down should be easier."
"You think?" Alec called. "This storm isn't letting up any."
"Well we can't stay here!"
"I wasn't suggesting that we should. Now quite talking and move before I freeze in place!"
The only plus going down was that wind let up marginally, so that snow wasn't whipping up in their faces. Alec guessed they were a little more than 2/3 of the way down when it happened. He felt it, the mountain shifting beneath his feet. His ears barely picked up the low rumble. Ten feet or so below him Max paused, turning back to look at him questioningly. He shrugged, glancing back over his shoulder.
His mouth went dry and his breath caught in his throat. He turned back and doubled his pace, leaping recklessly over rocks and fissures in the path. "Max! Move it. Avalanche!!" Her eyes widened and she too began to run. The white wall of snow was careening down at them, growing in intensity by the moment. Alec leaped down a ledge, landing heavily, his feet sliding out from beneath him and he crashed to his knees. A sharp jolt went straight up his arm, but he couldn't stop and pushed on.
Max moved faster than was safe, slipping and sliding down the trail, half falling, half awkwardly leaping. She could hear it now, chasing them, the angry roar of the mountain. Then she saw it, the end of the pass, where the path widened and leveled off. Her eyes scanned the rocks, and she spied a small cave, just big enough for two people. "Alec!" She cried over her shoulder, gesturing desperately for the safe haven. She just hoped he saw her. She dove for the opening, immediately spinning and waiting for Alec.
Alec was running hard, breath billowing out behind him. He saw where Max had disappeared into the rock and headed for it. Behind him the snow gained steadily, till the avalanche was practically nipping at his heels. Ten more feet, just ten more feet. The cave, Max and safety were just beyond his reach when the tidal wave overtook him. He felt the snow hit him in the back, sending him flying face down.
Max watched, horrified, from her place in the cave. He was so close. Then the snow caught him. It hit him hard in the back, flipping him head over heels. He hit the ground with his left shoulder, spinning helplessly over and over. The giant wave of snow engulfed him, propelling him further, until he disappeared. Max didn't even hear herself scream.
Chapter 5 Cliffhanger huh? I know it's taken me a while to get this up, but please do bear with me, I'll try to update as fast as possible. Please read, enjoy, and don't forget to review, if only to yell at me for doing this to poor Alec.
A/N: I'll admit it, (waves guiltily) I actually watched Dawson's Creek just to get a look at Ackles. Damn, I really don't like that show.
