The meaning of the runes

By Sinful Starlet

Disclaimer: everybody! "Not mine, never will be, wish it was, etc etc"!

Rating: probably PG-13 - nothing too graphic!

Summary: Alternate take on events around and following 'Love Amongst the Runes' - certain aspects of the storylines around that time really bugged me! Basically Max discovers the runes, but they aren't quite as unique as she thought. What do they mean and what will that revelation mean to her and the ones she loves?

Author's note: Okay, so I know this was supposed to be the last chapter, but it didn't quite work out that way - there'll be one more after this, and I apologise in advance for the evil cliff-hanger, but hey - it's my story! I do - at least - finally explain the whole 'runes' thing! Hope ya like it anyway, and I should have the last chapter up soon. *SS*

9

Max and Alec arrived at the Terminal City hub about half an hour later, and as Max walked into the centre of the 'room', if it could really be called that, she was amazed at how full it was. Sitting around the place, or leaning against the walls were Mole, Dix, Luke, Joshua, Stat, Flix, and Logan. The atmosphere was a little tense already, and Stat and Flix in particular were looking quite uncomfortable - they weren't used to being invited to ruling committee meetings. Max shot a smile at Flix to make her relax a little and then took one of the remaining seats, Alec sitting beside her automatically.

A few looks were exchanged between the other transgenics. They all knew that Max was pretending to be with Alec because of Logan, but there seemed to be something different between the two of them, although Joshua was the only one who seemed to realise what it was, and he wasn't about to say anything. "Well, I guess we can get started," Dix said, though Logan noticed he looked to Max and Alec for authority first. "Go ahead," Alec said, "what's the news?" "Right," Stat said, after Dix motioned for him to speak, "well everyone from the siege yesterday seems to be recovering pretty well". "Gem?" Max cut in. "She's fine," Flix said, smiling, "and so's her baby - she's calling her Aurora".

"Uh," Stat cut in, smiling apologetically, "not to be rude or anything, but if that's all you need us for, we should probably get back to the infirmary. We used up a lot of materials yesterday and we could really do with getting an inventory together for the next supply run". "Sure," Max said eventually, when she realised that everyone else was looking to her to answer, "good idea". "Oh, tell Gem I'll be over later," she added as Stat and Flix both got up to leave. Flix said that she would and they both left, leaving the remaining council to finish the meeting. "Your friends are safe too," Mole said, taking his turn, "we took them back last night, and they've both called in this morning to say that they're okay". Max breathed a sigh of relief, she was sure that OC and Sketchy would have been fine, but it still helped to hear it said out loud.

"We're working on strengthening our defences on the borders of TC as well," Dix continued, "We've got a few construction crews together - mostly X5, X6. We can't keep 'em out forever, but it's a start". "Uh, that's great guys," Alec said, somewhat at a loss. He and Max were supposed to be the 'generals' of the TC population, but there didn't seem to be a damn thing for them to do. Looking at Max, he could tell he wasn't alone in that opinion. "That just leaves you," Dix said, gesturing to Logan, focussing everyone's attention on the sole human present. "I'll leave later today," Logan said, avoiding Max and Alec's eyes for the time being, "Joshua and Luke have got me hooked up with some tunnels that should get me beyond the sector police's barricade without attracting too much attention". "But before I go, I have some news that I think everyone needs to hear".

"It's about the runes," he went on, seeing that he finally held the attention of everyone else there, "I've got a translation". "Before I start that though," he said, quickly, because he could tell that they were all waiting for him to get on with it, "you're sure that no one else has them?" Max looked questioningly over at Joshua, who shook his head, "Nope - told everyone to come here if they find any - no one's come". "So what do they mean?" Mole asked, impatiently - Logan after all, wasn't exactly his favourite person.

"Well, Max's - like I told her yesterday," Logan started, taking a guilty pleasure in the look of surprise that prompted on Alec's face, though his joy faded when Max shook her head and placed her hand over Alec's to appease him, locking her fingers in his. "As I was saying," Logan said, struggling to recover his thread, "Max's form some kind of prophecy or forewarning. It's a little vague, but they speak of some kind of event, a plague or some kind of catastrophe anyway. Ultimately, something will happen that will put the whole of mankind in danger, possibly even danger of extinction".

"Okay, so she didn't have the funny pages printed all over her, but what's that gotta do with Max?" Mole said, butting in. Logan rolled his eyes, but recovered himself enough to carry on, but Max beat him to it, "I'm the one that's supposed to stop it". She was clearly having enough trouble herself coming to terms with that idea, even before she took in the astounded looks of everyone else (particularly the concern etched on Alec's face), "It doesn't say how, but there it is - whatever it is, I'm the one who can prevent it". "She's right," Logan said, taking over from her again, "unfortunately it doesn't say what this event is, or when it'll happen, or what Max is supposed to do about it". He stopped, looking over at her for a minute, "You haven't had any more runes?" he asked.

"No," Max said, shaking her head, "the ones I had have all faded as well". A silence descended on the group then, while everyone tried to process what Logan had just said, though it looked like that was going to take a while. Eventually it was Joshua who broke the silence, voicing the question that apparently everyone else had forgotten, "What about Alec?" Alec looked up then, frowning, not realising what Joshua was talking about. "Runes on Alec," Joshua added, clarifying his meaning, "what do they say?"

Everyone turned back to Logan then, waiting to hear what he had to say. "You haven't had any others either?" Logan asked, stalling a little. "No," Alec replied, shaking his head, "so what do they mean?" "Basically they tie your future into Max's", Logan said, his face blank, clearly not enjoying actually having to say this, "they mean something like 'guardian of the one - protector of her destiny', which I guess would explain your superior strength and maybe even how you knew that the raid was coming yesterday". "Guess you two really are meant for each other," he added, his voice ever so slightly bitter, though he took some satisfaction from the confusion on all their faces.

"Well, I guess that about does it," Dix said, breaking the moment of stunned silence that was threatening to engulf the room again, sensing that Max and Alec needed a little time to work through everything they had just heard, "maybe we should get back to---". Thankfully, the others seemed to get the message, Mole mentioning something about their arsenal and disappearing off to check on that, Luke and Joshua going to do a door-to-door check on who needed what for the next supply run. Dix discreetly took himself off to the far side of the hub, where all the monitors were hooked up, starting to leaf through a stack of papers. Eventually, it was just Max, Alec and Logan that were left, and if the silences had been awkward before, they were nothing at all to this one. This time it was Alec that took the initiative though, letting go of Max's hand, that he hadn't even realised he was still holding and getting to his feet.

"I'm gonna catch up with Stat," he said, almost imperceptibly shaking his head as Max looked like she was about to follow him, "come and find me later?" he said to Max. She hesitated, not sure this was really the best time to be talking to Logan, but then nodded, realising that they couldn't just leave things the way they were. Logan waited till Alec had gone, and then looked over to Max, finding not for the first time in the last few weeks, that he no longer knew where to start when it came to talking to her. "So," he said at last, not able to think of anything else. "So," Max echoed, standing up and walking over to him, "Logan, I think there's a few things we need to say".

*

"Alec?" Stat called again, realising that the other X5 hadn't heard a word he had just said, "Hey, Alec!" he tried again. "What?" Alec said, coming sharply out of his momentary reverie, "Oh, sorry," he said, apologetically, "guess I'm a little distracted today". "I noticed!" Stat replied, laughing a little, though he wiped the smile from his face when he saw Alec's expression. "Must be serious to distract the great and powerful 494!" Stat added, trying to lighten the atmosphere, although that apparently didn't go down all that well. "Let me guess," he went on, a little more sensitively, "this wouldn't have anything to do with Max, would it?"

Alec just shrugged, there didn't seem to be much point in denying it now. "So what's the problem?" Stat asked, frowning, "I mean, I haven't seen you this messed up since that whole Berrisford thing". Alec rounded on him in an instant, and Stat quickly held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, "Sorry, man - I forgot you don't like to talk about---". "It's ok," Alec said, waving his apology aside, though the mention of Rachel had brought back a lot of painful memories. "I don't think she knows what she wants," Alec said, sighing, sitting down on one of the gurneys in the room where Stat had been writing out his inventory. "And I'm not sure if she'll ever get over her feelings for Logan," he finished, looking more defeated than Stat had ever seen him before.

Stat hesitated, but then said, "Are you sure? She was pretty worried about you last night, and she just walked off and left him while she went to look for you". "I don't know," Alec said, his shoulders slumping, the hope he had felt that morning, rapidly deserting him. "For a while I guess I thought that……maybe I was wrong". Stat put down the phials that he had been marking off on his list and looked straight at Alec, "You're in love with her, aren't you?" After all the conversations, all the soul searching - it all came down to that one question, and the simple truth of it scared Alec more than anything that they'd thrown at him in psy-ops. But Stat never got his answer, because just as Alec was about to reply, there was a knock at the door, and Max appeared in the doorway, smiling awkwardly.

"Hey," she said, more to Alec than Stat, who greeted her just as awkwardly, so she turned to Stat, welcoming the change of subject, "how's it going?" "Not bad," Stat replied, smiling back at her, reassuringly, "I've got Flix and Dian checking on our blood supply and bandages, and I think we're gonna need some more IV kits and sterilising solution". "Right," Max nodded, not really paying too much attention, but remembering that she should at least say something, "well, if you get that list over to Dix tonight, we'll see what we can do". She turned at last to Alec again, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" "Sure," Alec said, sliding off the gurney and walking towards the door, "see ya later, Stat". Stat nodded, watching the other two leave - hoping for Alec's sake that she was going to give him some good news.

I know, I know! Horrible place to stop, but I just wanted to eke out the suspense a little more! The next chapter is definitely the last one though - nice little M/A scene to tie it all up. *SS*