DISCLAIMER: I don't own DA, Alec or anything of the like. They belong to
people who don't appreciate them.
MY EMAIL: idiot__jed@hotmail.com
WEB ADDRESS: http:/destined.to/prodigy
CHAPTER TWO - SOLDIER
We are what we are. Nothing can change that. Nothing. Alec sighed as he approached the secret entrance to Terminal City, known only to him and Max and a handful of other trusted transgenics. Alec was a soldier, always had been and always would be. At Manticore, doing what he was told, following orders. After Max burned the place to the ground he became a free man, but still a soldier at heart. Warring against his past, and fighting to forge a future for himself in a world far from welcoming. And now there was this. The transgenics and their 'Freak Nation'. The cause. Alec's cause. Alec's people. Alec's new battle. It was too much to ask for one night, just one night to pretend to be a regular guy, and Alec knew he was going to pay as soon as Max got a hold of him. "Alec, where the hell have you been?" Alec winced at the sound of her voice. Looks like she'd got a hold of him already.
Alec met Max's angry eyes as he emerged from the sewer tunnel he used to exit and enter their new home. Her eyes narrowed at him, and Alec knew she was thinking of a million ways to torture him. He imagined the outburst that was to follow, and he mentally braced himself for a rehash of all the bad things he'd ever done. Alec was surprised by the unexpected softness in her voice as she almost whispered, "I was worried". His shock must have been mirrored on his face, because Max quickly recomposed herself and launched into full abuse mode.
"And not to mention that we are in dire need of those med supplies here and you were probably off goofballing on your motorcycle. Do you ever think of anyone else, Alec? Of course not, Alec is the number one priority in your life" Max tilted her head to the side as if to push the full impact of her rant into Alec's self-absorbed brain. The guy never learns. She'd been worried at first, but somehow she knew that the reason he was late was definitely his fault. It always was. She saw the distant look float behind his eyes. He was switching off. He wasn't listening to her. The nerve.
Alec felt the blow behind his head long before he saw it coming. Damn X-5 speed. Max grinned triumphantly at him. "What the hell was that for?" Alec drawled out after the initial shock wore off. "Just remember that the next time you drift off while I'm talking to ya, I'm gonna hit ya upside yer head" She almost sneered at him. "You just did!" "And I will do it again". Max became a little more serious. "Now get your ass over to Command, I need your help with something".
Alec never missed an opportunity and this was too good to pass up. "What, the all-powerful, ass-kicking Maxie needs my help, Alec's help, the lowly X- 5 drone?" Max retained her seriousness. "Well it's not like I can get Joshua to do it". She stalked away. Alec raised one eyebrow inquisitively as he watched her disappear around a mound of rubbish. He wondered what she needed him for. He knew that it couldn't be for anything but a mission. He had comforted Max once when she had let him see her vulnerable side, and apart from a rare few occasions when she had let her guard down, or during one of their battle of wits, since their arrival at Terminal City she had only addressed him as a soldier. Why should this occasion be any different?
Max knew that there were hundreds of able and willing transgenics she could have been acquisitioned for this mission. Transgenics that hadn't recently held their place of employment hostage and compromised their identity. Plenty of other soldiers could do it; problem was Alec was the only one she trusted to do it. She mentally kicked herself. Alec is a screw-up, he messes everything up. Maybe, but lately he had become her comrade, and dare she admit it - her friend. She realized that his dedication to the cause was almost as strong - if not equal to, her own passion for it, and valued his input and insight more than he realized. More than he would ever realize, and that was the way she preferred it. Couldn't have him getting a big ego now, could she? Well, a more inflated ego, anyway. She didn't like having to ask for his help, especially seeing as how she knew he'd probably volunteer for the job anyway. Maybe she was just using it as an excuse to go looking for him. Hard as it was to admit, she kinda missed his wry remarks and observing wit when he wasn't around. Guess things were really tough in TC at the mo', and that he was the little light entertainment they had. Yeah, that had to be it.
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Alec entered Command and greeted the bunch of transhumans with a flick of his fingers in a half-salute that finished with him clapping his hands together. The crew were used to his characteristic greeting, and responded in their equally unique ways. Mole grunted a response through the cigar balancing precariously between his lips, Gemma raised a hand vaguely from her computer keyboard and Dix looked up from his computer and smiled, while several of the others nodded their heads in acknowledgement. They liked Alec and trusted his skills as a leader. For the most part they viewed him as a leader on equal par with Max, and knew that his extra years at Manticore had prepared him for the inevitable war between humans and transgenics. However, they also recognized the uncertain darkness within him, and no-one underestimated what he was capable of. They knew that he was adjusting to the world and learning in the same way they were, and they knew that like them, Alec hid in his own basement, a dark corner behind the façade of a happy-go-lucky charmer. They also knew that he was capable of making mistakes.
Alec sidled over to Max and lent on the table near where she was standing. Max raised an eyebrow at him over the papers she was looking at. "Good, you're here". Max drew in a breath as if what she was about to say was long and important. Alec had a feeling that it was. The other transgenics gathered around attentively. "Okay people", Max began, "Here's the 411." Luke pasted a picture on the wall behind Max, and Max gestured to it. "Undoubtedly y'all 'ave heard of Reverend Terry Caldwell either from the news or close encounters with his bands of followers and vigilantes yielding stones and weapons over our perimeter fence." Angry nods and muffled replies echoed from the gathered transgenics. "Thanks to the recon supplied to us by Logan, we have reason to believe that the Reverend is in league with White and his associated breeding cult, and is supplying them with info, leaking info to the press, and receiving orders and directives from White. Basically, him and his crew are a tool that allows White to control the general public indirectly." Mole grunted and straightened his posture as he responded to Max's information. "So we take him out" Max sighed slightly. "Absolutely not. The reverend is a very vocal, very public objector of transgenics. If there is a hit on him, they'll know who is responsible, and the last thing we need is another reason for them to come breaking down our doors and send us backto the US Army in pine boxes. Besides we can't just off everyone who is in opposition to us". Mole grunted again. "Max, that is what war is about!" "It's not a war." Alec's voice broke the tension between Mole and Max. He glanced up at both of them before casting his gaze over the other transgenics. "We're not soldiers anymore. I'll do it." Understanding resounded between Max and Alec, but Mole and the others were unsure of what he meant. "Do what?" Mole asked gruffly. "Infiltrate his crew, find out what they know, what our lil buddy White is up to, when they plan to attack blah blah woof woof..." Alec responded casually, finishing with one of his oh so confident grins. Max nodded to the others. "It's our best chance of staying one step ahead of the enemy". "It's your best chance of getting Alec killed!" Gemma's voice resounded strongly in the room. "It's too dangerous, what if they find out who he is?" Alec noticed the concern in Gemma's voice, and attempted to reassure her. "I can take care of myself" he responded. She looked at him warily. "Not one of us here could take on a gang on our own, don't you remember what happened to Biggs?" Alec's eyes dropped to the ground, avoiding everyone's gaze as he whispered softly "I do, that's why I gotta do this."
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Alec knew the mission would be difficult and dangerous and he expected no less. He also knew why Max had wanted him to take it on. She trusted him, knew he could be counted on. Or maybe she just wanted to get him out of her way for a while, cos seeing as how the mission was deep cover, he wouldn't be returning to Terminal City until Max ordered him home. All his correspondence would be sent firstly to Logan, who would then redirect it to Terminal City HQ. "Back in the real world Alec, are you ready for it?" Alec asked himself the question repeatedly in his head. Of course he was, he's Alec, the guy who can handle anything, anytime and do it with a smile and a cocky tilt of his head. He reassured himself as he packed a bag, filling it with essentials such as clothes, shaving foam, a shotgun, a sweet 9mm Smith and Wesson and a bottle of pre-pulse whiskey. He smiled to himself confidently, it's all gonna come correct Alec.
************************************************************
Max paced nervously at the entrance to TC, biting her bottom lip and running her fingers continuously through her hair. She hadn't been worried before, but now, as the tension before the mission intensified, she had begun to question her decisions. Could she trust Alec to do his job? How would the others at TC react if something were to happen to Alec? Would they blame her? Would they still trust her leadership? Max swallowed. Oh god, what if something happened to Alec? Would she be able to forgive herself? Max's thoughts trailed into an abrupt halt as soon as she saw Alec striding confidently toward her. With his usual cocky grin plastered on his genetically engineered face, a confident bounce in his step and a characteristic tilt of his head, Max found it difficult to imagine that Alec was feeling the slightest bit of hesitation about the mission. He was calm and collected, while she had been here worrying about him. Why did Alec just have a knack for frustrating her?
Alec saluted Max as he approached her. "X5 - Smart Alec reporting for duty ma'am" Alec smiled confidently, but inwardly he was losing his resolve. As soon as he had stepped outside his makeshift apartment the fear had gripped him. Would he end up like Biggs? He kept seeing Bigg's body in his nightmares, and lately even when he was awake. He didn't know why exactly it had affected him with such magnitude, perhaps it had made him realize that he wasn't in fact immortal, indestructible and all-powerful, but fragile, vulnerable. human. But he had to maintain the façade for Max. He had to appear in control, confident, calm and collected. And he would.
"Now, if you run into trouble or anything." Max began. "Don't worry Max, I'm not gonna screw it up" Alec his hid hurt expression well, but Max sensed a disturbance within him. She sighed, and in a rare moment of personal honesty, she decided to open up to him. slightly. "That's not what I meant." Max reached over and touched his arm gently. Alec looked up in surprise. "Just be careful" Max's worried eyes searched his for a distant feeling she knew he was keeping hidden. Alec smiled somewhat falsely. Max pretended she didn't notice and reverted back to the more comfortable lecture mode she had grown accustomed to when talking to Alec, although some softness was retained in her voice as she found it difficult to hide her concern for her friend. "And don't do anything stupid, you hear? And if you go and get yourself killed or anything, I'll kick your ass." Alec nodded at her slowly. He couldn't find the words to express what he was feeling - fear, terror, shame at his fear, friendship, excitement and the ever-present ominous warning he carried inside him. Turning to farewell the small group of transgenics gathered behind him, Alec waved and flashed them one of his trademark smiles. With that he disappeared into the dark sewer below, the only sound the seemingly distant echo of his feet as he climbed down the ladder that led him away from his home in Terminal City and to a world he thought he had left behind.
Above him, under a silvery moon, the other trangenics released a breath they didn't know they had been holding and slowly shuffled back to their posts, each silently reassuring themselves that Alec would be alright and that he would be able to get the information they needed to take down White once and for all. Once the crowd had shifted, one transgenic remained where they had stood. A tear slid down her cheek involuntarily and undetected as a feeling of ominous foreboding swept over her. "Good luck, Alec", Max whispered softly before turning her back and heading toward the dim but unfaltering lights of Terminal City.
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MY EMAIL: idiot__jed@hotmail.com
WEB ADDRESS: http:/destined.to/prodigy
CHAPTER TWO - SOLDIER
We are what we are. Nothing can change that. Nothing. Alec sighed as he approached the secret entrance to Terminal City, known only to him and Max and a handful of other trusted transgenics. Alec was a soldier, always had been and always would be. At Manticore, doing what he was told, following orders. After Max burned the place to the ground he became a free man, but still a soldier at heart. Warring against his past, and fighting to forge a future for himself in a world far from welcoming. And now there was this. The transgenics and their 'Freak Nation'. The cause. Alec's cause. Alec's people. Alec's new battle. It was too much to ask for one night, just one night to pretend to be a regular guy, and Alec knew he was going to pay as soon as Max got a hold of him. "Alec, where the hell have you been?" Alec winced at the sound of her voice. Looks like she'd got a hold of him already.
Alec met Max's angry eyes as he emerged from the sewer tunnel he used to exit and enter their new home. Her eyes narrowed at him, and Alec knew she was thinking of a million ways to torture him. He imagined the outburst that was to follow, and he mentally braced himself for a rehash of all the bad things he'd ever done. Alec was surprised by the unexpected softness in her voice as she almost whispered, "I was worried". His shock must have been mirrored on his face, because Max quickly recomposed herself and launched into full abuse mode.
"And not to mention that we are in dire need of those med supplies here and you were probably off goofballing on your motorcycle. Do you ever think of anyone else, Alec? Of course not, Alec is the number one priority in your life" Max tilted her head to the side as if to push the full impact of her rant into Alec's self-absorbed brain. The guy never learns. She'd been worried at first, but somehow she knew that the reason he was late was definitely his fault. It always was. She saw the distant look float behind his eyes. He was switching off. He wasn't listening to her. The nerve.
Alec felt the blow behind his head long before he saw it coming. Damn X-5 speed. Max grinned triumphantly at him. "What the hell was that for?" Alec drawled out after the initial shock wore off. "Just remember that the next time you drift off while I'm talking to ya, I'm gonna hit ya upside yer head" She almost sneered at him. "You just did!" "And I will do it again". Max became a little more serious. "Now get your ass over to Command, I need your help with something".
Alec never missed an opportunity and this was too good to pass up. "What, the all-powerful, ass-kicking Maxie needs my help, Alec's help, the lowly X- 5 drone?" Max retained her seriousness. "Well it's not like I can get Joshua to do it". She stalked away. Alec raised one eyebrow inquisitively as he watched her disappear around a mound of rubbish. He wondered what she needed him for. He knew that it couldn't be for anything but a mission. He had comforted Max once when she had let him see her vulnerable side, and apart from a rare few occasions when she had let her guard down, or during one of their battle of wits, since their arrival at Terminal City she had only addressed him as a soldier. Why should this occasion be any different?
Max knew that there were hundreds of able and willing transgenics she could have been acquisitioned for this mission. Transgenics that hadn't recently held their place of employment hostage and compromised their identity. Plenty of other soldiers could do it; problem was Alec was the only one she trusted to do it. She mentally kicked herself. Alec is a screw-up, he messes everything up. Maybe, but lately he had become her comrade, and dare she admit it - her friend. She realized that his dedication to the cause was almost as strong - if not equal to, her own passion for it, and valued his input and insight more than he realized. More than he would ever realize, and that was the way she preferred it. Couldn't have him getting a big ego now, could she? Well, a more inflated ego, anyway. She didn't like having to ask for his help, especially seeing as how she knew he'd probably volunteer for the job anyway. Maybe she was just using it as an excuse to go looking for him. Hard as it was to admit, she kinda missed his wry remarks and observing wit when he wasn't around. Guess things were really tough in TC at the mo', and that he was the little light entertainment they had. Yeah, that had to be it.
************************************************************
Alec entered Command and greeted the bunch of transhumans with a flick of his fingers in a half-salute that finished with him clapping his hands together. The crew were used to his characteristic greeting, and responded in their equally unique ways. Mole grunted a response through the cigar balancing precariously between his lips, Gemma raised a hand vaguely from her computer keyboard and Dix looked up from his computer and smiled, while several of the others nodded their heads in acknowledgement. They liked Alec and trusted his skills as a leader. For the most part they viewed him as a leader on equal par with Max, and knew that his extra years at Manticore had prepared him for the inevitable war between humans and transgenics. However, they also recognized the uncertain darkness within him, and no-one underestimated what he was capable of. They knew that he was adjusting to the world and learning in the same way they were, and they knew that like them, Alec hid in his own basement, a dark corner behind the façade of a happy-go-lucky charmer. They also knew that he was capable of making mistakes.
Alec sidled over to Max and lent on the table near where she was standing. Max raised an eyebrow at him over the papers she was looking at. "Good, you're here". Max drew in a breath as if what she was about to say was long and important. Alec had a feeling that it was. The other transgenics gathered around attentively. "Okay people", Max began, "Here's the 411." Luke pasted a picture on the wall behind Max, and Max gestured to it. "Undoubtedly y'all 'ave heard of Reverend Terry Caldwell either from the news or close encounters with his bands of followers and vigilantes yielding stones and weapons over our perimeter fence." Angry nods and muffled replies echoed from the gathered transgenics. "Thanks to the recon supplied to us by Logan, we have reason to believe that the Reverend is in league with White and his associated breeding cult, and is supplying them with info, leaking info to the press, and receiving orders and directives from White. Basically, him and his crew are a tool that allows White to control the general public indirectly." Mole grunted and straightened his posture as he responded to Max's information. "So we take him out" Max sighed slightly. "Absolutely not. The reverend is a very vocal, very public objector of transgenics. If there is a hit on him, they'll know who is responsible, and the last thing we need is another reason for them to come breaking down our doors and send us backto the US Army in pine boxes. Besides we can't just off everyone who is in opposition to us". Mole grunted again. "Max, that is what war is about!" "It's not a war." Alec's voice broke the tension between Mole and Max. He glanced up at both of them before casting his gaze over the other transgenics. "We're not soldiers anymore. I'll do it." Understanding resounded between Max and Alec, but Mole and the others were unsure of what he meant. "Do what?" Mole asked gruffly. "Infiltrate his crew, find out what they know, what our lil buddy White is up to, when they plan to attack blah blah woof woof..." Alec responded casually, finishing with one of his oh so confident grins. Max nodded to the others. "It's our best chance of staying one step ahead of the enemy". "It's your best chance of getting Alec killed!" Gemma's voice resounded strongly in the room. "It's too dangerous, what if they find out who he is?" Alec noticed the concern in Gemma's voice, and attempted to reassure her. "I can take care of myself" he responded. She looked at him warily. "Not one of us here could take on a gang on our own, don't you remember what happened to Biggs?" Alec's eyes dropped to the ground, avoiding everyone's gaze as he whispered softly "I do, that's why I gotta do this."
************************************************************
Alec knew the mission would be difficult and dangerous and he expected no less. He also knew why Max had wanted him to take it on. She trusted him, knew he could be counted on. Or maybe she just wanted to get him out of her way for a while, cos seeing as how the mission was deep cover, he wouldn't be returning to Terminal City until Max ordered him home. All his correspondence would be sent firstly to Logan, who would then redirect it to Terminal City HQ. "Back in the real world Alec, are you ready for it?" Alec asked himself the question repeatedly in his head. Of course he was, he's Alec, the guy who can handle anything, anytime and do it with a smile and a cocky tilt of his head. He reassured himself as he packed a bag, filling it with essentials such as clothes, shaving foam, a shotgun, a sweet 9mm Smith and Wesson and a bottle of pre-pulse whiskey. He smiled to himself confidently, it's all gonna come correct Alec.
************************************************************
Max paced nervously at the entrance to TC, biting her bottom lip and running her fingers continuously through her hair. She hadn't been worried before, but now, as the tension before the mission intensified, she had begun to question her decisions. Could she trust Alec to do his job? How would the others at TC react if something were to happen to Alec? Would they blame her? Would they still trust her leadership? Max swallowed. Oh god, what if something happened to Alec? Would she be able to forgive herself? Max's thoughts trailed into an abrupt halt as soon as she saw Alec striding confidently toward her. With his usual cocky grin plastered on his genetically engineered face, a confident bounce in his step and a characteristic tilt of his head, Max found it difficult to imagine that Alec was feeling the slightest bit of hesitation about the mission. He was calm and collected, while she had been here worrying about him. Why did Alec just have a knack for frustrating her?
Alec saluted Max as he approached her. "X5 - Smart Alec reporting for duty ma'am" Alec smiled confidently, but inwardly he was losing his resolve. As soon as he had stepped outside his makeshift apartment the fear had gripped him. Would he end up like Biggs? He kept seeing Bigg's body in his nightmares, and lately even when he was awake. He didn't know why exactly it had affected him with such magnitude, perhaps it had made him realize that he wasn't in fact immortal, indestructible and all-powerful, but fragile, vulnerable. human. But he had to maintain the façade for Max. He had to appear in control, confident, calm and collected. And he would.
"Now, if you run into trouble or anything." Max began. "Don't worry Max, I'm not gonna screw it up" Alec his hid hurt expression well, but Max sensed a disturbance within him. She sighed, and in a rare moment of personal honesty, she decided to open up to him. slightly. "That's not what I meant." Max reached over and touched his arm gently. Alec looked up in surprise. "Just be careful" Max's worried eyes searched his for a distant feeling she knew he was keeping hidden. Alec smiled somewhat falsely. Max pretended she didn't notice and reverted back to the more comfortable lecture mode she had grown accustomed to when talking to Alec, although some softness was retained in her voice as she found it difficult to hide her concern for her friend. "And don't do anything stupid, you hear? And if you go and get yourself killed or anything, I'll kick your ass." Alec nodded at her slowly. He couldn't find the words to express what he was feeling - fear, terror, shame at his fear, friendship, excitement and the ever-present ominous warning he carried inside him. Turning to farewell the small group of transgenics gathered behind him, Alec waved and flashed them one of his trademark smiles. With that he disappeared into the dark sewer below, the only sound the seemingly distant echo of his feet as he climbed down the ladder that led him away from his home in Terminal City and to a world he thought he had left behind.
Above him, under a silvery moon, the other trangenics released a breath they didn't know they had been holding and slowly shuffled back to their posts, each silently reassuring themselves that Alec would be alright and that he would be able to get the information they needed to take down White once and for all. Once the crowd had shifted, one transgenic remained where they had stood. A tear slid down her cheek involuntarily and undetected as a feeling of ominous foreboding swept over her. "Good luck, Alec", Max whispered softly before turning her back and heading toward the dim but unfaltering lights of Terminal City.
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