22
Alec called an emergency meeting and sent Max to get some sleep. She insisted on being there but he had overruled her, stating that her emotions would get the better of the both of them and he had to do this or everyone would figure out that something was wrong. Max reluctantly allowed him to lead the way.
Alec smiled at her and told her that he would join her as soon as the meeting was over and let her know what had occurred.
Eventually she had acquiesced and gone to her room to catch some of that elusive sleep that she claimed she didn't need.
Max had told him as much as she could recall about the base where she had originally been held and then the safe house that White had taken her to. From her account they had been able to narrow it down to one of three places.
But what he wanted to say to the transgenics and transhumans was something that would shock them. So he stood in front of the group of disgruntled transgenics who hated being dragged out of bed at this hour and told them what was going down.
"They tried to take us out before and nothing. We just went to ground. They spread lies about us to the humans and we smiled and tried to pass ourselves off as unthreatening and when they took us we just took us right back. We tried the pacifism route and look where it got us. Okay so we have a home but are any of us safe? Just look at Max."
This was one of the reasons why he hadn't wanted her to be around when he gave this little speech.
"She was taken and tortured by White and I am tired of turning the other cheek. She means more to me than that, more to all of us and we couldn't get her back because we were too busy playing it safe. I don't know what he did to her and he better hope I never find out. But she no longer feels safe here. I'm getting that back for her- back for all of us. He chose the wrong transgenic to piss off."
Alec swallowed hard.
"I say no more hiding, no more running, no more smiling and taking it. We are soldiers and they made us and we will not go away. Let's show them what their tax dollars paid for."
Mole nodded, for once totally on board with that, and one by one the council agreed and held up their fists in unity.
"Hell yeah." Mole said around his cigar
"We hit White and we hit him hard. We expose him and Manticore and this time subtlety can go to hell along with the Familiars."
Alec smiled harshly. "It's time we stood up to be counted."
Max never really slept. It probably had something to do with her shark DNA but lately she purposely didn't sleep. She had nightmares and woke up screaming, covered in sweat.
In her dreams she would hear the pulsating of a heart and against her closed eyes she could see the images that White had projected on the screen and the picture of Alec broken and bleeding.
Sleeping scared her now…hell, breathing scared her now and she hated it; hated being that weak and afraid. She had always been strong and Ames White had reduced her to a small child again.
But after weeks of sleepless nights she was mentally and physically exhausted and there was nothing she could do to stop her body drifting into slumber.
Fade to grey
Tic tic. Blood rushed through a thin blue vessel and up into a pounding heart saturated with blood.
Thump thump. The rhythmic sound beat against her head and she fought to open her eyes.
The blinding white light hurt her sensitive eyes and as she tried to shield her delicate corneas she realised that her hands were tied down to a metal table. Blinking harshly she could see White standing at the end of the table.
"Oh dear 452, looks like you wanted more. Well I found Ray so we don't have to worry about that."
"Worry about me." Renfro stepped up next to him. "Hello 452."
Thump thump.
"Nice to hear that heart's still going strong. Big brother must love you very much." She smirked. "But you didn't love him did you 452, what did you do to him?"
"She took my memories away."
"Zack?" Max called as he stepped into view, half his face hidden by metal plating and a disgusted look on his face.
"You were with him, I loved you Max, I died for you." He shouted "I DIED FOR YOU! How could you do this to me?"
"Because she's poison." Renfro answered with a smile.
"An animal." White agreed licking a lollipop.
"Everything she touches turns to death."
"Every promise she breaks." Another voice came from the corner.
"Tinga?" she stared at her dead sister.
"You promised my son he'd see me again," she accused harshly. "You lied."
"You betrayed me and handed me over to Lydecker." Brin said as she stood next to Tinga.
"Yeah thanks for that!" Lydecker waved cheerily from the corner where he was playing strip poker with Normal and Logan.
"I did my best." She whispered hoarsely. "I really did."
"Oh now 452 is that the truth?" Renfro stalked closer. "After all we all know what you are, what you do."
"Poison." Hissed several voices.
"Killer."
"Liar."
"Betrayer."
"You killed my son!" White yelled at her. "He's dead because you wouldn't tell me where he was."
"No." she shook her head as tears streamed down her face.
"Oh yeah 452, and you know what I found when I discovered his cold, dead body? His teeth were missing. Now who do you supposed could have done that?"
Max went cold.
"No, no, no, no."
"Hey Max." Ben smiled a charming smile. "Don't cry Maxie, everything will be okay. You can join me in the high place. We can finally be together again the way we were supposed to."
He moved forward and stroked her head, kissing her forehead and then her cheeks and finally planting a soft kiss on her lips.
"We can stay there together where no one gets punished and no one gets yelled and you can stay in bed as long as you like. That is if no one kills you first."
"Oh God, Ben." She sobbed into his hand as he moved her head so their eyes met.
"Thanks for killing me Max." he dropped another kiss on her lips.
"I didn't… so, so sorry…I didn't want… Ben please." She wept harshly.
"Didn't mean to Max, but that's always what you say." A voice added as Ben moved away.
"Didn't mean to infect you, didn't mean to touch you and nearly kill you, didn't mean to make you wait a year and didn't mean to break your heart." Logan accused, his eyes dark. "Didn't mean to pass me over for the first transgenic Romeo that comes along while good old Logan waited for you."
"It wasn't like that."
"You could have prevented so much Max. I can't walk because of you."
"That wasn't me!" she argued
"You could have helped ME." He shouted and it echoed around the room.
"Stop it."
"You left because you didn't care and now I can't walk!"
"STOP IT!"
"And if that wasn't enough you're new love is dead because of you." Renfro walked away.
"Alec?" her voice edged on panic.
"Oh we had to kill him, after he was assigned to breed with you and you turned him down. Then all the times you were nasty to him, he just wasn't worth keeping around. Bring him in. shame you never did tell him how you felt."
Two guards bought Alec in, kicking and screaming and without looking Renfro bought up a gun and shot him point blank in the chest.
"ALEC!"
fade to grey
Alec finished the meeting and headed up to fill Max in on what had happened, he was so damn tired; this day was really taking it out of him.
As he turned the corner to her room he heard her talking in her sleep, the moans getting louder and more frantic the closer he got. He raced for the door and fumbled with the knob.
"STOP IT!" she called pushing against the bed clothes.
"Max?" he raced to the bed.
"Alec?"
"Max? I'm here Max?" he touched her shoulders noticing the tears making their way down her face in floods.
"ALEC!" She screamed and bolted up in bed gasping for breath
"Max." he stroked her arm and waited for her to fully wake up murmuring soothing phrases to her.
She blinked several times. "Alec?"
"Yeah it's me." He gave her his trademark grin.
"Oh God, Alec." She threw her arms around him tightly. "I'm sorry, so, so sorry."
"For what?"
"Everything." She sagged. "Everything. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay Max." he said totally bewildered. "It was just a dream."
She shook her head "No, it isn't, its true, she was right, I screw everything up. I-I'm poison."
She pulled away from him. "I always end up hurting the ones that I care about. Zack, Tinga, Logan, Brin, O.C, Ben." Her breath caught on his name. "Everyone I love gets hurt or dies because of me-"
"Max no." he shook his head but she didn't seem to hear him
"I don't want to hurt anyone else. If I stay there's no telling who'll be next, Mole, Dix, Joshua, you?" she scrambled off the bed "White will come looking for me and I can't be here. I won't risk him hurting you. I can't."
"Max stop." Alec grabbed hold of her wrist "You don't have to leave, we are your family and we'll protect you."
"No! Don't you see that's what he wants and just when I feel safe again he'll take you again," she turned to him, "I can't let him hurt you Alec you're too important to me."
Alec froze. "I am?"
"I've lost everyone else I love please; please don't make me lose you." She begged with her eyes and he forgot to breathe.
"What are you saying?" he needed her to say the words.
"I love you Alec."
He swallowed- hard.
"Like brother like-"
She pressed her mouth to his in a feverish kiss and he almost drowned in the taste. She was so sweet and spicy and hot and wet…wet? He pulled away and traced the tears that had tracked down her face.
"Max?" he stroked her flowing brown hair "Please don't go anywhere. We'll help you get White. You'll be safe again I promise. I'm here for you."
She shook her head again scattering tears everywhere. "I'll never be safe again. Not while White is out there."
He pulled her close and gazed intently into her eyes "Then we take him out."
Max looked up into the eyes that promised retribution for her and for the first time she honestly thought that things might turn out okay. Alec had her back.
"Promise me you wont go anywhere." He said, something going on the depths of those eyes that she didn't know how to deal with.
"Ok."
"No, promise me Maxie."
"I promise." She swallowed and glanced down as his arms went around her.
"So what happens now?"
"Well I have Mole and the others working on finding out which is White's base."
"Then what?"
"I have a plan."
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