lDISCLAIMER: I don't own DA, Alec or anything of the like. They belong to
people who don't appreciate them.
MY EMAIL: vokal_angel_@hotmail.com
WEB ADDRESS: http:/destined.to/prodigy
CHAPTER THREE - BROKEN WORLD
A cold, damp breeze played about Alec's face as he sat perched atop the Space Needle, his ageless hazel eyes drawing in the broken world below him. He could smell the beginnings of rain on the horizon and sensed the approaching sunrise in his bones. The dawn brought with it countless complications for Alec, and as much as the world needed its warmth and comfort, Alec silently cursed the cycle of the sun, much rather preferring the concealing darkness of night and the misleading shadows cast by the uncertain moon. In the light Alec was vulnerable - exposed, and although he shielded himself constantly beneath the smile and charm of a happy-go-lucky sociopath, he also consistently slipped up, revealing his weaknesses beneath the blinding harshness of day. It was difficult maintaining the façade but eventually, as Alec grew into acceptance of himself and his friends, he had been able to let down his guard some of the time. But now he'd have to become HIM again - the man Alec hated, but mostly, the man Alec feared. The Soldier. The Pretender. The man Manticore made Alec so long ago when they trained him to be an assassin, an infiltrator, a killer. The man Alec tried so hard to forget, but whose face he saw every time he looked in the mirror, and whose memories flooded back to him every time he smelled the metallic sensation of blood or heard the distant sound of helicopters or the haunting resonance of an eloquently played piano. This man was a part of Alec and that was what scared him the most - not that the transgenic-haters might discover him and torture or kill him, but that he would deserve it.
************************************************************
The last time Alec had pastries was the day before Annie was murdered and he had picked some up from Little Debbie's on his way to Joshua's place where he had been hiding out to avoid the police and a definite life sentence in one of their less glamorous resorts. Biting into their flaky texture this morning reminded him of those days long ago. well they seemed long ago anyway, and a wave of nostalgia flooded him. If he had those days again. He sighed out loud at the things he could've done differently, fancy wasting it all on hookers and beer. Alec grinned, nah wouldn't change that part for anything. Though lately Alec hadn't been doing much of it, one thing could be said, when he smiled, he smiled. And when Alec smiled, everyone else around him usually did too. An old woman selling raffle tickets outside the bakery noticed Alec beaming and couldn't help smiling herself. His smile spread across his face involuntarily and was filled with a mischievous undertone that made passers-by wonder what he was thinking about. Licking the pastry residue from his lips Alec stepped out onto the street with his duffel bag swung over his shoulder, oblivious to the many pairs of eyes watching him and appreciating the radiance he was emanating. Alec could light up a room or a bakery or the whole street when he was near, but somehow he couldn't let any of that light into his own life. Especially now.
************************************************************
Max had given Alec specific, thorough and step-by-step instructions to follow and Alec was determined to follow them exactly. Okay, well maybe not exactly, but mostly. Then again, not mostly either seeing as how The Space Needle and Little Debbie's hadn't been on his list of 'To Do's' but more on the side of his 'Not To Do's' list. But he'd started a pattern now and patterns are hard to break, that's why he was gonna have to make one more stop before he commenced his 'mission'.
************************************************************
Alec pulled up to the club on his motorcycle, memories of a distant night racing through his head and his genetically-charged blood. He had been planning on following Max's commands; Go to his apartment and get settled in; visit Logan to get his barcode lasered off and pick up some surveillance equipment; apply for a job with Reverend Caldwell. Simple, easy-to-follow directions. But as Alec had been contemplating on the Space Needle the club had come to mind, the club and her. However, as he glanced over the club's exterior in the bright of day, Alec wondered if he had imagined the encounter several nights ago as the building before him in no way resembled the somewhat mystical aura of the one he remembered. The harsh sun eliminated any appeal the club might have at night as it revealed the dissipating walls, acid-wash bricks and the debris of the neighborhood that seemed to have collated around the entrance. When he knocked on the door it almost collapsed as the rusting hinges groaned beneath the force of his fist. He didn't know why he was here, but just being here had him spinning. He could smell her, taste her, and remember everything about her - the woman with no name and eyes as deep as the ocean and as green as the last forests. The bar's owner greeted Alec at the door with a grunt as he flicked the towel he was holding over his shoulder. "What can I do for you?" He asked in a low, rasping voice. Alec eyed him over cautiously before beginning. "I was here the other night, with a girl." Alec raised his eyebrow in question. "You expect me to remember everyone who comes in here?" Alec smiled wryly. "You'd remember her. Dark hair, great body, expensive watch, pretty eyes." Alec characteristically shook his head to the side as he spoke and his hands made seemingly involuntary gestures. A look of recognition crossed the balding man's face and Alec smirked triumphantly. "That's right buddy, you know who I'm talking about." The owner grunted his distaste. "The hot stuff girl lawyer who comes in here acting like she's one of us." Alec's face fell and he almost sighed in disappointment. "So she comes here all the time." Alec nodded his head slowly and the corner of his mouth curled as the realization that their night together wasn't anything special to her dawned on him. The older man seemed to notice the change in the strange young man before him, and he attempted his best comforting words. "Well, maybe not all the time, but she's been here a few times." Alec's shoulders slumped as he nodded his thanks and turned back toward his motorcycle. He was confused. He felt like he'd been betrayed - but he hadn't. He didn't even know the girl for crying out loud. They were a one night stand, one in a long line for Alec, yet for some reason he was jealous. Alec shook himself both mentally and physically. He started his motorcycle and tried not to think about her. Tried not to imagine her delicate, supple skin, the soft curves of her body and her dark hair cascading over bare shoulders. But mostly he tried not to think about her eyes. Those piercing, green, incandescent eyes that saw through him and made him feel vulnerable and safe, afraid and excited, alone and loved all at the same time. Get over it Alec, she's just an intangible memory. A memory that Alec thought he could leave behind him as he sped away from the seedy club and into the bright Seattle morning. But Alec's genetically-enhanced senses foretold the forthcoming rain and revealed to him the soft rumblings of dark clouds racing through the sky. Seattle would need to prepare for a storm.
************************************************************
Alec arrived at Logan's place (formerly Joshua's) hours later than he was supposed too. Damn, Alec thought. He disliked the idea of giving Logan another reason to hate him. When he entered the house he could see Logan sitting at his computer trying to save the nation. Hmph. Alec was about to make some witty comment when he realized, what was he trying to do himself? Save his Freak Nation. Guess they were more similar than either realized. "Alec, is that you?" Alec heard Logan call somewhat scathingly from the other room. "Great", Alec muttered under his breath before fixing a strained smile on his face and bouncing into where Logan waited. "Hey, Logan, buddy, wassup?" Logan looked up at Alec over his glasses in a condescending manner, eyeing the younger man before speaking. "Good, you're here" Alec could feel the contained anger emitting from Logan even though he was doing his best to suppress it. He knew that Logan never really liked him much, but since Max's little charade where she made Logan think that Alec and Max were dating, Alec noticed Logan's intense dislike of him. Added to this, Logan was obviously still fuming because Max had chosen to remain in Terminal City with the transgenics when he had left and gone back to Seattle and Eyes Only, rather than return to what Logan called 'the real world'. He didn't realize that TC was very real to the hundreds of transgenics who resided there and to the hundreds more who had died or would die defending it. He listened to Logan's careful instructions for hours, Logan repeating everything more than twice so that Alec would understand and making him memorize countless reports and maps as he lasered off his tattoo. Alec was getting frustrated - didn't Logan realize that this is what Alec had been trained to do for twenty years? But he understood that they were both after the same goal and working for the same cause, so every time he felt the urge to smirk and cut Logan down he contained himself and smiled through it all.
That god damn smile. Logan hated it. He had been angry when Alec was late and was so worried that he would screw the mission up that he had gone over everything thoroughly. He could sense Alec's frustration, but somehow that only served to make him more determined to repeat information, speak slower and make the X5 memorize anything that he had lying around. It was hard pretending to be civil to this man. He didn't hate Alec, but he didn't like him very much either. He did, however, hate that Alec had taken the one thing Logan had ever truly loved apart from his work - Max, and that hurt him so badly that sometimes it felt as if he couldn't breathe. He hated that Max had chosen to remain with Alec at Terminal City instead of with him. He thought that they had reconciled. He remembered holding her hand that morning, watching the sun rise as they stood beneath the Freak Flag, his heart full of hope. But that hope had been taken from him when Max had looked him in the eye and told him that she had to stay with her own. No love, no hope. Logan felt as if everything had been taken from him and that made him feel empty inside.
************************************************************
Alec left Logan's place tired, frustrated and desperately annoyed. He didn't like the fact that he was going to have to rely on this man for the successful completion of the mission. It wasn't that he didn't trust Logan; it was that he didn't want to. Besides, he didn't like that fact that Logan was going to be able to see almost everything he was doing. Alec turned slightly on his motorcycle and eyed the small camera and surveillance equipment he was going use to spy on Reverend Caldwell with distaste. But it had to be done, Alec reminded himself sternly, the survival of his people depended on it. And so, like he frequently did, Alec swallowed his feelings, pushing them into a region of his mind and heart where they would not easily resurface. Riding at high-speed through the dying streets of post-pulse Seattle, Alec's mind wandered to other things; new parts for his motorcycle, the vintage whiskey at his apartment, spending the night at the blowfish tavern. and her. As much as he tried to forget her - he couldn't. And as much as he had to forget her - he didn't want to. But thinking of her perfect skin, tender touch, warm musk scent and those primeval yet embryonic green eyes made Alec crave other things - things he knew he would never have. A normal life, a place to call home, a stupid little job delivering packages for a hopelessly devoted boss, and one more night with her, hell two more nights, three. forever. Alec shook the thoughts from his head, buried more feelings far beyond his genetically-engineered heart, just as he had been trained to do and blanked his mind, his face lax and his seemingly permanent smirk flattened. He became a man who didn't care, empty and unresponsive, reminiscent of the man who had beat upon some local vigilantes in the street one night as part of his violent revenge. He became X5-494. A soldier. A killer. Alec darted down streets wet by rain, small puddles collecting in the numerous potholes in the ageing roads, the multi-coloured sky reflecting in their shallow depths. Behind him, the setting sun was glowing red as it acquired the threatening colour of Mars, presaging the imminence of war.
MY EMAIL: vokal_angel_@hotmail.com
WEB ADDRESS: http:/destined.to/prodigy
CHAPTER THREE - BROKEN WORLD
A cold, damp breeze played about Alec's face as he sat perched atop the Space Needle, his ageless hazel eyes drawing in the broken world below him. He could smell the beginnings of rain on the horizon and sensed the approaching sunrise in his bones. The dawn brought with it countless complications for Alec, and as much as the world needed its warmth and comfort, Alec silently cursed the cycle of the sun, much rather preferring the concealing darkness of night and the misleading shadows cast by the uncertain moon. In the light Alec was vulnerable - exposed, and although he shielded himself constantly beneath the smile and charm of a happy-go-lucky sociopath, he also consistently slipped up, revealing his weaknesses beneath the blinding harshness of day. It was difficult maintaining the façade but eventually, as Alec grew into acceptance of himself and his friends, he had been able to let down his guard some of the time. But now he'd have to become HIM again - the man Alec hated, but mostly, the man Alec feared. The Soldier. The Pretender. The man Manticore made Alec so long ago when they trained him to be an assassin, an infiltrator, a killer. The man Alec tried so hard to forget, but whose face he saw every time he looked in the mirror, and whose memories flooded back to him every time he smelled the metallic sensation of blood or heard the distant sound of helicopters or the haunting resonance of an eloquently played piano. This man was a part of Alec and that was what scared him the most - not that the transgenic-haters might discover him and torture or kill him, but that he would deserve it.
************************************************************
The last time Alec had pastries was the day before Annie was murdered and he had picked some up from Little Debbie's on his way to Joshua's place where he had been hiding out to avoid the police and a definite life sentence in one of their less glamorous resorts. Biting into their flaky texture this morning reminded him of those days long ago. well they seemed long ago anyway, and a wave of nostalgia flooded him. If he had those days again. He sighed out loud at the things he could've done differently, fancy wasting it all on hookers and beer. Alec grinned, nah wouldn't change that part for anything. Though lately Alec hadn't been doing much of it, one thing could be said, when he smiled, he smiled. And when Alec smiled, everyone else around him usually did too. An old woman selling raffle tickets outside the bakery noticed Alec beaming and couldn't help smiling herself. His smile spread across his face involuntarily and was filled with a mischievous undertone that made passers-by wonder what he was thinking about. Licking the pastry residue from his lips Alec stepped out onto the street with his duffel bag swung over his shoulder, oblivious to the many pairs of eyes watching him and appreciating the radiance he was emanating. Alec could light up a room or a bakery or the whole street when he was near, but somehow he couldn't let any of that light into his own life. Especially now.
************************************************************
Max had given Alec specific, thorough and step-by-step instructions to follow and Alec was determined to follow them exactly. Okay, well maybe not exactly, but mostly. Then again, not mostly either seeing as how The Space Needle and Little Debbie's hadn't been on his list of 'To Do's' but more on the side of his 'Not To Do's' list. But he'd started a pattern now and patterns are hard to break, that's why he was gonna have to make one more stop before he commenced his 'mission'.
************************************************************
Alec pulled up to the club on his motorcycle, memories of a distant night racing through his head and his genetically-charged blood. He had been planning on following Max's commands; Go to his apartment and get settled in; visit Logan to get his barcode lasered off and pick up some surveillance equipment; apply for a job with Reverend Caldwell. Simple, easy-to-follow directions. But as Alec had been contemplating on the Space Needle the club had come to mind, the club and her. However, as he glanced over the club's exterior in the bright of day, Alec wondered if he had imagined the encounter several nights ago as the building before him in no way resembled the somewhat mystical aura of the one he remembered. The harsh sun eliminated any appeal the club might have at night as it revealed the dissipating walls, acid-wash bricks and the debris of the neighborhood that seemed to have collated around the entrance. When he knocked on the door it almost collapsed as the rusting hinges groaned beneath the force of his fist. He didn't know why he was here, but just being here had him spinning. He could smell her, taste her, and remember everything about her - the woman with no name and eyes as deep as the ocean and as green as the last forests. The bar's owner greeted Alec at the door with a grunt as he flicked the towel he was holding over his shoulder. "What can I do for you?" He asked in a low, rasping voice. Alec eyed him over cautiously before beginning. "I was here the other night, with a girl." Alec raised his eyebrow in question. "You expect me to remember everyone who comes in here?" Alec smiled wryly. "You'd remember her. Dark hair, great body, expensive watch, pretty eyes." Alec characteristically shook his head to the side as he spoke and his hands made seemingly involuntary gestures. A look of recognition crossed the balding man's face and Alec smirked triumphantly. "That's right buddy, you know who I'm talking about." The owner grunted his distaste. "The hot stuff girl lawyer who comes in here acting like she's one of us." Alec's face fell and he almost sighed in disappointment. "So she comes here all the time." Alec nodded his head slowly and the corner of his mouth curled as the realization that their night together wasn't anything special to her dawned on him. The older man seemed to notice the change in the strange young man before him, and he attempted his best comforting words. "Well, maybe not all the time, but she's been here a few times." Alec's shoulders slumped as he nodded his thanks and turned back toward his motorcycle. He was confused. He felt like he'd been betrayed - but he hadn't. He didn't even know the girl for crying out loud. They were a one night stand, one in a long line for Alec, yet for some reason he was jealous. Alec shook himself both mentally and physically. He started his motorcycle and tried not to think about her. Tried not to imagine her delicate, supple skin, the soft curves of her body and her dark hair cascading over bare shoulders. But mostly he tried not to think about her eyes. Those piercing, green, incandescent eyes that saw through him and made him feel vulnerable and safe, afraid and excited, alone and loved all at the same time. Get over it Alec, she's just an intangible memory. A memory that Alec thought he could leave behind him as he sped away from the seedy club and into the bright Seattle morning. But Alec's genetically-enhanced senses foretold the forthcoming rain and revealed to him the soft rumblings of dark clouds racing through the sky. Seattle would need to prepare for a storm.
************************************************************
Alec arrived at Logan's place (formerly Joshua's) hours later than he was supposed too. Damn, Alec thought. He disliked the idea of giving Logan another reason to hate him. When he entered the house he could see Logan sitting at his computer trying to save the nation. Hmph. Alec was about to make some witty comment when he realized, what was he trying to do himself? Save his Freak Nation. Guess they were more similar than either realized. "Alec, is that you?" Alec heard Logan call somewhat scathingly from the other room. "Great", Alec muttered under his breath before fixing a strained smile on his face and bouncing into where Logan waited. "Hey, Logan, buddy, wassup?" Logan looked up at Alec over his glasses in a condescending manner, eyeing the younger man before speaking. "Good, you're here" Alec could feel the contained anger emitting from Logan even though he was doing his best to suppress it. He knew that Logan never really liked him much, but since Max's little charade where she made Logan think that Alec and Max were dating, Alec noticed Logan's intense dislike of him. Added to this, Logan was obviously still fuming because Max had chosen to remain in Terminal City with the transgenics when he had left and gone back to Seattle and Eyes Only, rather than return to what Logan called 'the real world'. He didn't realize that TC was very real to the hundreds of transgenics who resided there and to the hundreds more who had died or would die defending it. He listened to Logan's careful instructions for hours, Logan repeating everything more than twice so that Alec would understand and making him memorize countless reports and maps as he lasered off his tattoo. Alec was getting frustrated - didn't Logan realize that this is what Alec had been trained to do for twenty years? But he understood that they were both after the same goal and working for the same cause, so every time he felt the urge to smirk and cut Logan down he contained himself and smiled through it all.
That god damn smile. Logan hated it. He had been angry when Alec was late and was so worried that he would screw the mission up that he had gone over everything thoroughly. He could sense Alec's frustration, but somehow that only served to make him more determined to repeat information, speak slower and make the X5 memorize anything that he had lying around. It was hard pretending to be civil to this man. He didn't hate Alec, but he didn't like him very much either. He did, however, hate that Alec had taken the one thing Logan had ever truly loved apart from his work - Max, and that hurt him so badly that sometimes it felt as if he couldn't breathe. He hated that Max had chosen to remain with Alec at Terminal City instead of with him. He thought that they had reconciled. He remembered holding her hand that morning, watching the sun rise as they stood beneath the Freak Flag, his heart full of hope. But that hope had been taken from him when Max had looked him in the eye and told him that she had to stay with her own. No love, no hope. Logan felt as if everything had been taken from him and that made him feel empty inside.
************************************************************
Alec left Logan's place tired, frustrated and desperately annoyed. He didn't like the fact that he was going to have to rely on this man for the successful completion of the mission. It wasn't that he didn't trust Logan; it was that he didn't want to. Besides, he didn't like that fact that Logan was going to be able to see almost everything he was doing. Alec turned slightly on his motorcycle and eyed the small camera and surveillance equipment he was going use to spy on Reverend Caldwell with distaste. But it had to be done, Alec reminded himself sternly, the survival of his people depended on it. And so, like he frequently did, Alec swallowed his feelings, pushing them into a region of his mind and heart where they would not easily resurface. Riding at high-speed through the dying streets of post-pulse Seattle, Alec's mind wandered to other things; new parts for his motorcycle, the vintage whiskey at his apartment, spending the night at the blowfish tavern. and her. As much as he tried to forget her - he couldn't. And as much as he had to forget her - he didn't want to. But thinking of her perfect skin, tender touch, warm musk scent and those primeval yet embryonic green eyes made Alec crave other things - things he knew he would never have. A normal life, a place to call home, a stupid little job delivering packages for a hopelessly devoted boss, and one more night with her, hell two more nights, three. forever. Alec shook the thoughts from his head, buried more feelings far beyond his genetically-engineered heart, just as he had been trained to do and blanked his mind, his face lax and his seemingly permanent smirk flattened. He became a man who didn't care, empty and unresponsive, reminiscent of the man who had beat upon some local vigilantes in the street one night as part of his violent revenge. He became X5-494. A soldier. A killer. Alec darted down streets wet by rain, small puddles collecting in the numerous potholes in the ageing roads, the multi-coloured sky reflecting in their shallow depths. Behind him, the setting sun was glowing red as it acquired the threatening colour of Mars, presaging the imminence of war.