Chapter 8:
Author's Note: I know this has been a long time coming and I'm sorry, but I haven't hd much time to write and then, yahoo, Thanksgiving break. So now I have a bit of time and am trying to catch up.
Disclaimer: I am a poor, starving college student, I own nothing.
~*~
Alec's eyes were wide with shock, his mouth hanging open slightly. "Max?" he called again softly as he lowered her prone form onto the wet ground near the river's edge. One hand held her back while the other was buried in her hair, cradling her neck. His hands were covered in blood, warm and wet. He removed his hands from underneath her and stared dumbly at his crimson fingers. The blood was an intense, bright red, testament to the fact that wound was still open, flowing freely. He eyed the rest of her carefully, taking special note of the awkward way her wrist lay. He probed it gently, confirming his suspicions that it was broken.
He kneeled in the slush and mud, unaware of any of it. He swiped his hands across his pants, trying to wipe off as much of her blood as possible. Alec fumbled with the frozen zipper on Max's water soaked jacket, finally tearing it down with a frustrated cry. Her pushed her onto her side, carefully stripping the garment off her, casting the garment to the side. Alec pulled the back of her collar down, tearing the cloth and exposing her shoulder so he could examine the wound. There was blood everywhere, running over her shoulder and down her back. The bullet had entered just to the left of her right shoulder blade, and there was no exit wound he could see.
"Shit," he cursed. She was losing a lot of blood, too much, even for a transgenic. He rolled her onto her back once again. He checked her pulse, relieved to find it thumping regularly beneath his fingertips. Her skin was cold, clammy and pale.
"No, no, no, no, no," he kept repeating over and over again. His chest was tight and he felt a strange lump rise near the back of his throat. He touched her cheek gently with the back of his palm, sweeping a few dark, damp tendrils of her hair off her face. Her lips were tinged with blue and it as then that he first noticed the encroaching nightfall and the temperature dropping. His breath was clouding every time he breathed and the small droplets of moisture on her eyelids had begun to freeze. They couldn't stay here, in the open, with the wind whipping down on them from the mountain.
Max had never looked fragile to him before that moment. Sure, he'd seen her upset, tired, and well, bitchy was a given, but never so weak, never helpless. He grasped her firmly and stood, clutching her close to him as he rose. Her head rested limply in the crook of his arm. He trudged South along the river, hugging close to the canyon walls. There was a trail a few miles back, leading out of the canyon and he wanted to get up it before dark.
Carrying Max it took almost an hour to ascend out of the river basin. IN that time he'd felt her blood soak through the front of his jacket and start to trickle down his chest. His knee throbbed painfully and white hot flashes streaked up his leg, but he kept moving. Ten minutes out of the canyon found him facing a large, rocky outcropping. Trees above offered some shelter from snow and it's high, banked walls promised adequate protection from the wind. He was sweating now, breaths coming harder and there was a knot worked into his upper back. He set Max down on the earth, close to one of the walls.
'Fire," he thought to himself. They needed a fire. The night sky was brilliantly clear, a sure sign at the deep freeze the night would become. Alec was half frozen himself. The outer layers of his clothes were frozen stiff, and every time he moved the fabric crunched. His fingers were numb and his body felt stiff and heavy, like he was moving in slow motion. His hair was frosted white, spiked and frozen. They needed fire. He could survive the night, not moving, but Max…….Max needed the warmth. If only he weren't so damnably tired.
Max's pack had been lost in the river, but Alec dumped everything out of his and piled it up, keeping the empty shell. He moved back to Max and checked her pulse again. It was noticeably weaker this time and her body had started to tremble. "I'll be right back Max," he assured her. "I promise." Slowly he stood, hunching over in a poor attempt to make himself warmer and delved back out into the woods. He picked up any scraps of wood he could find, stuffing them hastily into his pack. Luckily, since the ground had not been anything less than frozen in five or six months, most of the woods he did find was reasonably dry.
Alec gathered all he could, both in his pack and both arms before heading back. His eyes were heavy and every step felt like wading through waist high mud. There was Max to think about after all. She was right where he'd left her, cold and shivering pressed against one wall. The silence was starting to get to him. Since being let out of Manticore there had been very rare moments of real silence, and he honestly didn't miss them. So he started talking and didn't stop. He figured it would be a good way to keep himself awake too. "It'll be all right now Max. We'll get this fire going and soon we'll be nice and toasty."
He piled a small lump of kindling and rooted around his pile of supplies for matches. He found some, but the box pack was almost empty. Only four remained. He steadied himself and he willed the slight tremble of his fingers to cease and then plucked one from the pack. He struck it, watching as it sputtered to life, sizzling wildly for a moment before a rogue gust of wind snuffed it out. Alec cursed and reached for another. This time he was more careful, shielding the match with his free palm. Unfortunately, his caution brought more trouble, as the match burned out on his fingertips before he got it to the kindling. Alec clenched his jaw. "Third time's a charm right?"
He let out a small sigh of relief as the pile of kindling began to smoke, then burn. He resisted the urge to cheer and cautiously added a small piece of wood to the fire, adding on till sizeable logs were burning furiously. He reached for his knife, unsheathed it, watching the flames flickering off the steel. He shoved it blade first into the glowing embers. "Sorry Max, can't see any better way to do this," he said apologetically, shrugging.
He turned toward her, sitting down close to the fire, his legs crossed. He pulled Max closer, hugging her tiny frame in his arms as he savored the warmth of the blaze. He kept one hand at her back, doing what little he could to slow the bleeding. He kissed the top of her head. "You know Max," he mumbled into her hair. He lifted his chin slightly. "I would never get involved in half the stupid shit I get into if not for you. You're constantly dragging me here and there. If it's not for some altruistic let's save all the transgenics cause then it's some whacked EO mission Logan needs help with."
He kept up the conversation as he waited for the blade to heat, not really caring that he was effectively talking to himself. "And what the hell is that anyway? I mean, it's irritating, the way he constantly refers to himself in the third person? I mean, we both know he's Eyes Only, so why bother?" he shook his head. "Freak."
The conversation went on like this for several more minutes. "….So what am I doing here, in the Rocky Mountains? Following you, like always, even when I should know better. And I do you know. Let's recap shall we? A, you get me on some nutty horse that I'm sure would far prefer to be in his little stable or whatever, resting. Then I get buried by an avalanche, shot at by a sniper, have to jump off a cliff then find you shot to hell…..have I missed anything?" Max didn't answer. "Good, didn't think so."
The blade still needed a little more time. SO he started to hum, some strange song from decades ago he'd heard once. He'd found it funny at the time, and now it just seemed appropriate. The group had had a weird name too……Beach Bums maybe? His mind was wandering. He started to sing the words softly. "So hoist up the John B's sail, see how the main sail sets…..I want to go home, yeah, yeah…..this is the worst trip, I've ever been on." A slow smile crept to his lips. "Yep, that about covers it.
The knife would be ready now. Alec lifted Max up os he could scoot out from underneath. He kneeled by her side. "I'm glad you're not awake for this. I could hear now, bitch, bitch, bitch. He stripped Max's sweatshirt and T, till she was clad only in her pants and a black bra. Hew reached for the fire, pulling the knife from the embers. The knife glowed a dull orange.
Holding the knife firmly in his right, Alec used his left to turn Max onto her side. HE swiped the long, dark hair away from her neck and pulled the bra strap down over her shoulder, his fingers sweeping over her soft skin. Then, with a sigh, he pushed the knife down. Max's flesh sizzled, but she remained eerily still as the metal cauterized her wound. The stinging, hot aroma of burning flesh made his nose prickle. The deed finished, her tossed the knife in the general direction of his pack and threw another log onto the fire.
Alec resisted the urge to sit back down, to hold her close. Max was still desperately in need of blood, and he had not had the foresight to pack a transfusion kit, or anything with which he could improvise. He needed to find Jondy's cabin, though he didn't dare try and bring Max along. The less she was moved, the better. The bullet was still lodged somewhere in her chest cavity, so she would stay, while he went for help. The map the rancher had given them was lost somewhere out in the river, but he could picture it in his mind's eye. His best guess put him some three or four miles North of the cabin.
Alec covered Max in their space blanket and placed some rocks he'd had near the fire around her. He sheathed his knife near his ankle, just in case. Alec stood. He was ready to set off, but he was stuck, rooted firmly in place watching Max's face in the firelight. He wanted to stay, but that wasn't practical, so he turned and set off before he could change his mind.
He kept himself to a reasonable clip, scrutinizing every landmark, every notable piece of shrubbery so he would be able to find his way back. He didn't plan on this little jaunt lasting anything more than forty or so minutes. Five minutes in he spotted the first true signs of life, hoof prints frozen into the ground, and a lot of them, all headed South. He ran a little faster.
Alec stopped again after another half mile. He crouched, eyes skimming over the ground and the mass of hoof prints. His enhanced smell caught wisps of wood smoke on the breeze. He was close. Something rustled on his left. He tensed, fingers clenching instinctively. He reached for his ankle, for his knife. He spun, lashing out with the blade, but a dark figure was ready for him and deflected the blow. Something smashed into Alec's temple and he went down, darkness enveloping him.
--
"What?" Jondy looked up from her book. Zack was at the window, hands fisted around Jondy's double barreled rifle. His eyes were intense, searching the darkness. Her chair scraped the wood floor of the tiny cabin as she stood and went to be near Zack. She peered out the window into the valley, but all she could see was her herd. They were milling quietly, occasionally letting out a long moo. "What is it?"
Zack's face was hard, his mouth set. He never even looked in her direction. "Someone's out there," he breathed.
Jondy sighed and placed a soft hand on his shoulder. Before just a few months ago, Jondy hadn't heard from Zack in almost a year. The last time she'd seen him was about a year after she's gotten the job at the ranch. She'd met him in Denver and they'd talked, about a lot of things. They'd talked about Lydecker, Manticore, the others and them. Back then Jondy had been almost sure there was a them.
Zack kept closer tabs on her than most of the others, stayed with her longer, was more open with her, at least for Zack.
They'd talked about them in that bar, even dared mention a future. He'd laid his hand on top of hers and smiled, honestly smiled. Then he'd said he had to check on Max. He'd come back right after, but he wanted to make sure she was all right. But he hadn't come back, and after a while, she lost hope that he would.
Then, three months ago she'd gotten a call at the ranch. The name was different, the voice unsure, but it had been him no doubt. She'd picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello. My name is Adam. Look, this is gonna sound a little strange but……..do you know me?"
Shocked and happy, Jondy had taken her first vacation. The man on the other end of the line had questions, some she couldn't answer, some she could. She'd gone to meet him, at a small farm a few hours outside Seattle. She spotted him the moment she got out of her car, but her elation faltered when she really looked at him. Zack, her Zack wasn't there anymore. There was just some confused man in his body, asking her questions with hollow eyes.
She spent almost a month with him, just talking, slowly giving him back little pieces of his memory. It had been a rough time. Half the time Zack didn't want to believe what she told him, about Manticore, about the transgenics. A few times the flashbacks to the days of being a soldier made him lash out viciously. He'd even attacked her once, but luckily JOndy had been ready and wound up with little more than a few bruises.
She started telling him about the escape, their siblings. She mentioned Max, and something glimmered in his eye. He'd reached up with his right hand and touched his chest. "I'm a part of her," he mumbled softly. Then he started to remember on his own, though a lot of the times the memories were unclear, disjointed. She helped him sort through, helped him become Zack again. She left after a month, but he kept in close touch, calling her a few times a week.
Now, watching him stare out the window she wondered if he would ever really be Zack again. Sometimes she thought he was back to normal, but he was still paranoid. He still thought someone was out to get him, her. It had been quite a surprise when he'd showed up at the cabin door two days earlier, rambling on about Max and trouble and how she wasn't safe. She'd tried to placate him, and it and worked to an extent, but he was still on edge.
"Zack, there's no………" her eyes narrowed. Something was moving at the edge of the woods, along the rim of the herd. "You're right," she said lowly. Zack's eyes flicked in her direction and he moved for the door. "Wait a second, I'm coming with you….." JOndy scowled, bending down and unlocking the bottom drawer of her small desk. She said without looking at him, "Don't even argue with me Zack." She drew a small 9 mm from the drawer, checked the clip quickly and drew back the barrel, priming it.
Zack watched her, agape. "You have a pistol."
Jondy felt a grin tugging at her lip. "It would seem that way, wouldn't it? Nice gun too, semi-automatic, thirteen in the clip one in the chamber, and never jams. What?"
"You have a pistol."
"I thought we'd established this already."
"You have a pistol, and didn't tell me."
"Really?" She cocked her head to one side. "Must have slipped my mind."
"Jondy!"
"What Zack? You really think I've forgotten everything they taught us, everything you taught us? I don't see Lydecker around every corner, it's true, but I'm ready if I need to be. And as for not telling you, I'd prefer you not take pot shots at everything in the woods that twitches. Last thing I need is for the herd to stampede. You ready?"
With a final glare, Zack nodded and opened the door, slipping out into the darkness. He kept low, and motioned with two fingers for Jondy to split with him, so they could come at the figure from both sides. She nodded and trotted off, keeping the nose of her weapon pointed at the ground. She moved quickly, silently, as she'd been trained.
He knew they were coming. There was no doubt in his mind. He'd seen them leave the cabin, his approach giving him a clear view of the only exit to the building. He kept his eyes forward, trying to resist the urge to look to his left, where Jondy was, or into the trees, where Zack was surely staring at him. "Hold it right there," a soft, yet demanding voice said from his left. He halted, shifting his load in his arms. He heard a rifle being cocked.
Zack stepped out of the trees, rifle up and steadied on his shoulder. Jondy came forward too, her pistol leveled at his head. "Don't shoot," he pleaded. "It's Max, she needs help." He heard Zack growl. "She's been shot. I know what you're thinking, but it wasn't me Zack. I wouldn't hurt Max. Why would I have come looking for you if I wanted to hurt her?"
Jondy glanced between the two men anxiously, willing Zack not to fire. "We ought to just kill him now JOndy, get it over with. He's lying. He came after me, and he was coming after you too."
"That wasn't me!"
"Then who??!!!" he shoved the rifle toward the man. Jondy's heart beat a little quicker.
"Zack, don't, you'll hit Max. And what if he's telling us the truth?"
"He's not."
"I am. I didn't come after you Zack, I've never even seen JOndy before this. I came looking for you earlier, and I was attacked. I barely made it back to Max. As strange as this sounds…..I think it was…..my twin…..I think it was Ben." Zack froze and Jondy sucked in a quick breath.
--
Jondy rummaged through her kit of medical supplies, pulling out syringes and long strips of rubber tubing. Zack was at her side, keeping one eye on Alec, who was seated next to a still prone Max. "I still don't trust him," he muttered.
"Well, when we get Max back on her feet we can get the story from her. But for the time being he stays. You trust her, don't you?"
"Of course."
"Okay then, how bout you get out of my way so I can help her. She needs blood, and then we'll need to get that bullet out." Jondy raised her eyebrows and Zack stepped out of her way. "Alec, it's Alec right?"
"Yeah."
"I'm gonna hook you up to give Max a transfusion while I start. SO just stay still and relax."
Nearly an hour later Jondy finished digging the bullet from Max's shoulder. "She was lucky," she announced. "A few more inches and it would have been lodged in her spine. She should be okay now, but it may be a while before she wakes up."
Alec nodded, pulling the needle from his arm and detaching Max from their makeshift transfusion system. "Her color looks better," he observed. Zack didn't say anything, just glared.
A loud call from several of the cows made all the transgenics pause. Jondy went to the window. "They're upset. Something's bothering them." She exchanged a look with Zack and they headed for the door for the second time that night, guns ready. They slipped out, leaving Max and Alec alone.
Max stirred on the bed and he went to her, sitting lightly on the edge of the bed. He touched her face, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "Wake up Maxie."
Max's eyelids fluttered and she groaned. Her body felt so heavy, and there was a sharp, stabbing pain in her back every time she moved. Someone was standing over her, but her vision was blurry and she couldn't tell who it was. "Alec?" she finally managed to croak.
He bent closer, his breath washing over her face. A cold glint came to his eyes and his smile twisted. A shiver ran down her spine when he touched her throat. He shook his head. "No."
Chapter 8
Figured that would be a good place to leave it for the time being. Sorry it's taken me so long. Should have the next, and I think last chapter up quicker than this one. Please review and thanks.
Author's Note: I know this has been a long time coming and I'm sorry, but I haven't hd much time to write and then, yahoo, Thanksgiving break. So now I have a bit of time and am trying to catch up.
Disclaimer: I am a poor, starving college student, I own nothing.
~*~
Alec's eyes were wide with shock, his mouth hanging open slightly. "Max?" he called again softly as he lowered her prone form onto the wet ground near the river's edge. One hand held her back while the other was buried in her hair, cradling her neck. His hands were covered in blood, warm and wet. He removed his hands from underneath her and stared dumbly at his crimson fingers. The blood was an intense, bright red, testament to the fact that wound was still open, flowing freely. He eyed the rest of her carefully, taking special note of the awkward way her wrist lay. He probed it gently, confirming his suspicions that it was broken.
He kneeled in the slush and mud, unaware of any of it. He swiped his hands across his pants, trying to wipe off as much of her blood as possible. Alec fumbled with the frozen zipper on Max's water soaked jacket, finally tearing it down with a frustrated cry. Her pushed her onto her side, carefully stripping the garment off her, casting the garment to the side. Alec pulled the back of her collar down, tearing the cloth and exposing her shoulder so he could examine the wound. There was blood everywhere, running over her shoulder and down her back. The bullet had entered just to the left of her right shoulder blade, and there was no exit wound he could see.
"Shit," he cursed. She was losing a lot of blood, too much, even for a transgenic. He rolled her onto her back once again. He checked her pulse, relieved to find it thumping regularly beneath his fingertips. Her skin was cold, clammy and pale.
"No, no, no, no, no," he kept repeating over and over again. His chest was tight and he felt a strange lump rise near the back of his throat. He touched her cheek gently with the back of his palm, sweeping a few dark, damp tendrils of her hair off her face. Her lips were tinged with blue and it as then that he first noticed the encroaching nightfall and the temperature dropping. His breath was clouding every time he breathed and the small droplets of moisture on her eyelids had begun to freeze. They couldn't stay here, in the open, with the wind whipping down on them from the mountain.
Max had never looked fragile to him before that moment. Sure, he'd seen her upset, tired, and well, bitchy was a given, but never so weak, never helpless. He grasped her firmly and stood, clutching her close to him as he rose. Her head rested limply in the crook of his arm. He trudged South along the river, hugging close to the canyon walls. There was a trail a few miles back, leading out of the canyon and he wanted to get up it before dark.
Carrying Max it took almost an hour to ascend out of the river basin. IN that time he'd felt her blood soak through the front of his jacket and start to trickle down his chest. His knee throbbed painfully and white hot flashes streaked up his leg, but he kept moving. Ten minutes out of the canyon found him facing a large, rocky outcropping. Trees above offered some shelter from snow and it's high, banked walls promised adequate protection from the wind. He was sweating now, breaths coming harder and there was a knot worked into his upper back. He set Max down on the earth, close to one of the walls.
'Fire," he thought to himself. They needed a fire. The night sky was brilliantly clear, a sure sign at the deep freeze the night would become. Alec was half frozen himself. The outer layers of his clothes were frozen stiff, and every time he moved the fabric crunched. His fingers were numb and his body felt stiff and heavy, like he was moving in slow motion. His hair was frosted white, spiked and frozen. They needed fire. He could survive the night, not moving, but Max…….Max needed the warmth. If only he weren't so damnably tired.
Max's pack had been lost in the river, but Alec dumped everything out of his and piled it up, keeping the empty shell. He moved back to Max and checked her pulse again. It was noticeably weaker this time and her body had started to tremble. "I'll be right back Max," he assured her. "I promise." Slowly he stood, hunching over in a poor attempt to make himself warmer and delved back out into the woods. He picked up any scraps of wood he could find, stuffing them hastily into his pack. Luckily, since the ground had not been anything less than frozen in five or six months, most of the woods he did find was reasonably dry.
Alec gathered all he could, both in his pack and both arms before heading back. His eyes were heavy and every step felt like wading through waist high mud. There was Max to think about after all. She was right where he'd left her, cold and shivering pressed against one wall. The silence was starting to get to him. Since being let out of Manticore there had been very rare moments of real silence, and he honestly didn't miss them. So he started talking and didn't stop. He figured it would be a good way to keep himself awake too. "It'll be all right now Max. We'll get this fire going and soon we'll be nice and toasty."
He piled a small lump of kindling and rooted around his pile of supplies for matches. He found some, but the box pack was almost empty. Only four remained. He steadied himself and he willed the slight tremble of his fingers to cease and then plucked one from the pack. He struck it, watching as it sputtered to life, sizzling wildly for a moment before a rogue gust of wind snuffed it out. Alec cursed and reached for another. This time he was more careful, shielding the match with his free palm. Unfortunately, his caution brought more trouble, as the match burned out on his fingertips before he got it to the kindling. Alec clenched his jaw. "Third time's a charm right?"
He let out a small sigh of relief as the pile of kindling began to smoke, then burn. He resisted the urge to cheer and cautiously added a small piece of wood to the fire, adding on till sizeable logs were burning furiously. He reached for his knife, unsheathed it, watching the flames flickering off the steel. He shoved it blade first into the glowing embers. "Sorry Max, can't see any better way to do this," he said apologetically, shrugging.
He turned toward her, sitting down close to the fire, his legs crossed. He pulled Max closer, hugging her tiny frame in his arms as he savored the warmth of the blaze. He kept one hand at her back, doing what little he could to slow the bleeding. He kissed the top of her head. "You know Max," he mumbled into her hair. He lifted his chin slightly. "I would never get involved in half the stupid shit I get into if not for you. You're constantly dragging me here and there. If it's not for some altruistic let's save all the transgenics cause then it's some whacked EO mission Logan needs help with."
He kept up the conversation as he waited for the blade to heat, not really caring that he was effectively talking to himself. "And what the hell is that anyway? I mean, it's irritating, the way he constantly refers to himself in the third person? I mean, we both know he's Eyes Only, so why bother?" he shook his head. "Freak."
The conversation went on like this for several more minutes. "….So what am I doing here, in the Rocky Mountains? Following you, like always, even when I should know better. And I do you know. Let's recap shall we? A, you get me on some nutty horse that I'm sure would far prefer to be in his little stable or whatever, resting. Then I get buried by an avalanche, shot at by a sniper, have to jump off a cliff then find you shot to hell…..have I missed anything?" Max didn't answer. "Good, didn't think so."
The blade still needed a little more time. SO he started to hum, some strange song from decades ago he'd heard once. He'd found it funny at the time, and now it just seemed appropriate. The group had had a weird name too……Beach Bums maybe? His mind was wandering. He started to sing the words softly. "So hoist up the John B's sail, see how the main sail sets…..I want to go home, yeah, yeah…..this is the worst trip, I've ever been on." A slow smile crept to his lips. "Yep, that about covers it.
The knife would be ready now. Alec lifted Max up os he could scoot out from underneath. He kneeled by her side. "I'm glad you're not awake for this. I could hear now, bitch, bitch, bitch. He stripped Max's sweatshirt and T, till she was clad only in her pants and a black bra. Hew reached for the fire, pulling the knife from the embers. The knife glowed a dull orange.
Holding the knife firmly in his right, Alec used his left to turn Max onto her side. HE swiped the long, dark hair away from her neck and pulled the bra strap down over her shoulder, his fingers sweeping over her soft skin. Then, with a sigh, he pushed the knife down. Max's flesh sizzled, but she remained eerily still as the metal cauterized her wound. The stinging, hot aroma of burning flesh made his nose prickle. The deed finished, her tossed the knife in the general direction of his pack and threw another log onto the fire.
Alec resisted the urge to sit back down, to hold her close. Max was still desperately in need of blood, and he had not had the foresight to pack a transfusion kit, or anything with which he could improvise. He needed to find Jondy's cabin, though he didn't dare try and bring Max along. The less she was moved, the better. The bullet was still lodged somewhere in her chest cavity, so she would stay, while he went for help. The map the rancher had given them was lost somewhere out in the river, but he could picture it in his mind's eye. His best guess put him some three or four miles North of the cabin.
Alec covered Max in their space blanket and placed some rocks he'd had near the fire around her. He sheathed his knife near his ankle, just in case. Alec stood. He was ready to set off, but he was stuck, rooted firmly in place watching Max's face in the firelight. He wanted to stay, but that wasn't practical, so he turned and set off before he could change his mind.
He kept himself to a reasonable clip, scrutinizing every landmark, every notable piece of shrubbery so he would be able to find his way back. He didn't plan on this little jaunt lasting anything more than forty or so minutes. Five minutes in he spotted the first true signs of life, hoof prints frozen into the ground, and a lot of them, all headed South. He ran a little faster.
Alec stopped again after another half mile. He crouched, eyes skimming over the ground and the mass of hoof prints. His enhanced smell caught wisps of wood smoke on the breeze. He was close. Something rustled on his left. He tensed, fingers clenching instinctively. He reached for his ankle, for his knife. He spun, lashing out with the blade, but a dark figure was ready for him and deflected the blow. Something smashed into Alec's temple and he went down, darkness enveloping him.
--
"What?" Jondy looked up from her book. Zack was at the window, hands fisted around Jondy's double barreled rifle. His eyes were intense, searching the darkness. Her chair scraped the wood floor of the tiny cabin as she stood and went to be near Zack. She peered out the window into the valley, but all she could see was her herd. They were milling quietly, occasionally letting out a long moo. "What is it?"
Zack's face was hard, his mouth set. He never even looked in her direction. "Someone's out there," he breathed.
Jondy sighed and placed a soft hand on his shoulder. Before just a few months ago, Jondy hadn't heard from Zack in almost a year. The last time she'd seen him was about a year after she's gotten the job at the ranch. She'd met him in Denver and they'd talked, about a lot of things. They'd talked about Lydecker, Manticore, the others and them. Back then Jondy had been almost sure there was a them.
Zack kept closer tabs on her than most of the others, stayed with her longer, was more open with her, at least for Zack.
They'd talked about them in that bar, even dared mention a future. He'd laid his hand on top of hers and smiled, honestly smiled. Then he'd said he had to check on Max. He'd come back right after, but he wanted to make sure she was all right. But he hadn't come back, and after a while, she lost hope that he would.
Then, three months ago she'd gotten a call at the ranch. The name was different, the voice unsure, but it had been him no doubt. She'd picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hello. My name is Adam. Look, this is gonna sound a little strange but……..do you know me?"
Shocked and happy, Jondy had taken her first vacation. The man on the other end of the line had questions, some she couldn't answer, some she could. She'd gone to meet him, at a small farm a few hours outside Seattle. She spotted him the moment she got out of her car, but her elation faltered when she really looked at him. Zack, her Zack wasn't there anymore. There was just some confused man in his body, asking her questions with hollow eyes.
She spent almost a month with him, just talking, slowly giving him back little pieces of his memory. It had been a rough time. Half the time Zack didn't want to believe what she told him, about Manticore, about the transgenics. A few times the flashbacks to the days of being a soldier made him lash out viciously. He'd even attacked her once, but luckily JOndy had been ready and wound up with little more than a few bruises.
She started telling him about the escape, their siblings. She mentioned Max, and something glimmered in his eye. He'd reached up with his right hand and touched his chest. "I'm a part of her," he mumbled softly. Then he started to remember on his own, though a lot of the times the memories were unclear, disjointed. She helped him sort through, helped him become Zack again. She left after a month, but he kept in close touch, calling her a few times a week.
Now, watching him stare out the window she wondered if he would ever really be Zack again. Sometimes she thought he was back to normal, but he was still paranoid. He still thought someone was out to get him, her. It had been quite a surprise when he'd showed up at the cabin door two days earlier, rambling on about Max and trouble and how she wasn't safe. She'd tried to placate him, and it and worked to an extent, but he was still on edge.
"Zack, there's no………" her eyes narrowed. Something was moving at the edge of the woods, along the rim of the herd. "You're right," she said lowly. Zack's eyes flicked in her direction and he moved for the door. "Wait a second, I'm coming with you….." JOndy scowled, bending down and unlocking the bottom drawer of her small desk. She said without looking at him, "Don't even argue with me Zack." She drew a small 9 mm from the drawer, checked the clip quickly and drew back the barrel, priming it.
Zack watched her, agape. "You have a pistol."
Jondy felt a grin tugging at her lip. "It would seem that way, wouldn't it? Nice gun too, semi-automatic, thirteen in the clip one in the chamber, and never jams. What?"
"You have a pistol."
"I thought we'd established this already."
"You have a pistol, and didn't tell me."
"Really?" She cocked her head to one side. "Must have slipped my mind."
"Jondy!"
"What Zack? You really think I've forgotten everything they taught us, everything you taught us? I don't see Lydecker around every corner, it's true, but I'm ready if I need to be. And as for not telling you, I'd prefer you not take pot shots at everything in the woods that twitches. Last thing I need is for the herd to stampede. You ready?"
With a final glare, Zack nodded and opened the door, slipping out into the darkness. He kept low, and motioned with two fingers for Jondy to split with him, so they could come at the figure from both sides. She nodded and trotted off, keeping the nose of her weapon pointed at the ground. She moved quickly, silently, as she'd been trained.
He knew they were coming. There was no doubt in his mind. He'd seen them leave the cabin, his approach giving him a clear view of the only exit to the building. He kept his eyes forward, trying to resist the urge to look to his left, where Jondy was, or into the trees, where Zack was surely staring at him. "Hold it right there," a soft, yet demanding voice said from his left. He halted, shifting his load in his arms. He heard a rifle being cocked.
Zack stepped out of the trees, rifle up and steadied on his shoulder. Jondy came forward too, her pistol leveled at his head. "Don't shoot," he pleaded. "It's Max, she needs help." He heard Zack growl. "She's been shot. I know what you're thinking, but it wasn't me Zack. I wouldn't hurt Max. Why would I have come looking for you if I wanted to hurt her?"
Jondy glanced between the two men anxiously, willing Zack not to fire. "We ought to just kill him now JOndy, get it over with. He's lying. He came after me, and he was coming after you too."
"That wasn't me!"
"Then who??!!!" he shoved the rifle toward the man. Jondy's heart beat a little quicker.
"Zack, don't, you'll hit Max. And what if he's telling us the truth?"
"He's not."
"I am. I didn't come after you Zack, I've never even seen JOndy before this. I came looking for you earlier, and I was attacked. I barely made it back to Max. As strange as this sounds…..I think it was…..my twin…..I think it was Ben." Zack froze and Jondy sucked in a quick breath.
--
Jondy rummaged through her kit of medical supplies, pulling out syringes and long strips of rubber tubing. Zack was at her side, keeping one eye on Alec, who was seated next to a still prone Max. "I still don't trust him," he muttered.
"Well, when we get Max back on her feet we can get the story from her. But for the time being he stays. You trust her, don't you?"
"Of course."
"Okay then, how bout you get out of my way so I can help her. She needs blood, and then we'll need to get that bullet out." Jondy raised her eyebrows and Zack stepped out of her way. "Alec, it's Alec right?"
"Yeah."
"I'm gonna hook you up to give Max a transfusion while I start. SO just stay still and relax."
Nearly an hour later Jondy finished digging the bullet from Max's shoulder. "She was lucky," she announced. "A few more inches and it would have been lodged in her spine. She should be okay now, but it may be a while before she wakes up."
Alec nodded, pulling the needle from his arm and detaching Max from their makeshift transfusion system. "Her color looks better," he observed. Zack didn't say anything, just glared.
A loud call from several of the cows made all the transgenics pause. Jondy went to the window. "They're upset. Something's bothering them." She exchanged a look with Zack and they headed for the door for the second time that night, guns ready. They slipped out, leaving Max and Alec alone.
Max stirred on the bed and he went to her, sitting lightly on the edge of the bed. He touched her face, rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "Wake up Maxie."
Max's eyelids fluttered and she groaned. Her body felt so heavy, and there was a sharp, stabbing pain in her back every time she moved. Someone was standing over her, but her vision was blurry and she couldn't tell who it was. "Alec?" she finally managed to croak.
He bent closer, his breath washing over her face. A cold glint came to his eyes and his smile twisted. A shiver ran down her spine when he touched her throat. He shook his head. "No."
Chapter 8
Figured that would be a good place to leave it for the time being. Sorry it's taken me so long. Should have the next, and I think last chapter up quicker than this one. Please review and thanks.
