Title: Total Recall, Chapter 27-The End
Author: CSIphile/redwing
AN: Tis the end of the road. Thank you everyone for coming with me, its been a fun ride! Hope it was good for you too!
AN2: Wow Panda! I didn't think anyone would get the movie! Color me impressed! For those who didn't recognize it, it was Aliens. Watch the movie, it's a great one, and you'll see the scene near the end.
AN3: Well, you are getting this chapter early, I'd say its because I've tortured you enough (which I have), or that you've been such great fans (which you have). But the honest truth is hubby and I got tickets to a Red Wings game tonight and I wont have time to do it then, so rather than make you wait till tomorrow, I figured I'd post now. Save some stress for y'all.
Again…thank you. Hopefully I'll start on another fic this month. Not sure if it will be a prequel, for sure not a sequel though.
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Chapter 27: …Where Your Mouth Is
The explosion that occurs, however, is not what he expected -- and a bit early. One minute, Alec is ready to meet his maker, so to speak, but the next, he and Max are freefalling, coming to a hard stop on their backs on the training room mats. Alec is careful not to release the lever on the grenade; until then, the small bomb is safe in his hands.
Getting his bearings, Alec grips onto Max even tighter, confused as to the turn of events. Looking up, he sees the large hole they came through and several guards on the ground in various states of misery; obviously they hadn't taken the nearly 20 foot fall as well.
Finally sitting slowly - his shoulders screaming in protest - he breaks out in a large smile when he sees Dalton standing there, a small laser cutter in one hand, the end to a training rope that connected to the ceiling near the vent in the other and an equally broad smile on his face. The other two Xs with him are restraining the guards and grinning like fools.
Alec finally turns his attention to the woman still in his arms. She, like everyone else, is smiling until she looks at their entwined hands. The grenade.
"You may want to hang onto that," she says and releases it, standing slowly.
He follows her carefully; it may be live, but as long as his hand doesn't slip, they are fine. Even if it does slip, they have 4 seconds to get the hell out of the way, plenty of time for a transgenic.
"We are awful glad you see you guys alive," Dalton says, and starts to lead the way out of the room.
"Yeah, we are awful glad to BE alive," Max responds.
"Well let's get you out of here and back to TC where you belong," the X6 says.
"We need to do something first," Alec says, and marches toward the computer labs. "How's the military doing? Are they busy?"
"Last reports were they got the last of the resisting guards so I would say they are, sir. They don't know we are here, but our orders are to retrieve you two and get out without being nabbed by the Marines. So, sir, I really think we should be going."
"Orders? Whose orders?" Alec keeps walking toward the labs, ignoring Dalton's suggestion.
"Well…Dix's, sir."
Alec snorts at that and gives a sideways glance to Max. "Dix, huh? I'm guessing he and Mole are in charge then?"
"Yes, sir."
"And the place is still standing?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good…and for the love of god, stop calling me sir."
"Yes….Alec."
The older transgenic just shakes his head and walks through the open door marked in large gray letters…COMPUTER LAB. The lab is empty; everyone has been rounded up by now and is being held until further instruction that all the facilities had been captured.
Alec walks over to one computer, bends down…and then remembers he is holding the grenade. He stands back up and carefully hands the device to Max, who grips it for dear life. She knows what he is doing, and the grenade will come in handy, but not quite yet.
Once relieving himself of the grenade, Alec sits down and starts typing at transgenic speed, moving through the Manticore system like a professional. Dalton and the other two Xs wait at the door, keeping an eye out for any Marines that might be sweeping the area -- and wisely not second-guessing Alec's decision to come here.
"Where'd you learn how to do that?" Max asks as he accesses the R&D department files and starts a mass delete of everything, Alec is thrilled to see half the information already wiped; obviously Jacob had started before the military found him. Alec just needs to get rid of the rest.
"I was a busy boy during my half-hour on the computer the other day. And Jake gave me some of the codes, the rest I just hacked."
"I'm impressed."
"As you should be." He spins in the chair to face her, his expression . "Why in the world did Olivet pull you into Medical at 3 am?"
"You tell me and we'll both know. I didn't have a chance to ask him before you put a bullet in his head."
"Heh, my bad." He smirks at her.
"I just hope everything is ok…"
Alec purses his lips in thought. "I have a feeling everything will work out this time, Max."
"Yeah, you know, me too." She smiles at him.
He turns back to the computer and completes the hard drive erase, standing quickly and pulling her to the door.
Alec speaks to Dalton. "All clear?"
"Yes, sir…Alec." The boy cringes, but Alec just smiles.
"Go ahead, Max -- let 'er rip," he says, and watches Max throw the grenade back through the door.
The five transgenics run the second the device leaves her hands and are jumping out an open window in the old classroom area where Alec was a mere three days ago, as the explosion rocks the facility.
They make it into the woods before pausing to turn back. There is a small plume of smoke coming from the center of the facility, but other than that, there is no indication of the turmoil going on inside.
"We did it," Alec says and entwines Max's fingers with his.
For just one moment, she allows herself to be pleased. "Yeah, we did."
Five minutes later, they come upon the SUV Dalton had procured for the trip -- hidden in some thick brush maybe a click from the facility. One of the other X5s drives, with Dalton in the passenger seat. Max and Alec sit in the middle, and the third X lays on the third row, quickly falling asleep as they hit the open road.
Dalton turns in his seat and points at their feet to a medium sized backpack. "New clothes. Once we are outside Boise, we'll stop and you can change. I'm sure you want out of the Manticore uniform."
"Yeah, we do. Thanks," Alec answers for them, and looks at Max who is staring out the window, lost in thought.
He touches her shoulder lightly. "Hey, you ok?"
She turns and smiles slightly. "Yeah, just…I hope it's better, Alec."
"Can't be worse, Max."
Dalton's voice from the front seat distracts them. "Hey, guys…listen." And he turns up the sound on the radio.
"…According to sources, the 15 locations were disguised as Juvenile Detention facilities. In a coordinated raid on these locations, the military was able to take control and gather those responsible. Only one facility located outside Seattle had been abandoned and burned to the ground before the raids commenced. Documents have leaked exposing the true nature of the transgenics, best known in Seattle where they live in peaceful co-existence with the human population around them…"
Alec snorts derisively. "Peaceful co-existence? What are they on?"
"Shut up," Max hisses at him and continues to listen.
"The small Seattle population had been assumed to be the only location of these transgenics. A fact that was forced upon the people of America by certain factions in our own government who were willing to do anything to avoid exposure of these others sites. In addition to perpetuating the idea that the transgenics are dangerous creatures whose mere existence threatens our own. A fact which documents uncovered have disputed. They were created to protect us, the human race, not to destroy us.
There are pages and pages of reports outlining the atrocities brought upon these children. Children forced to grow up as soldiers, with no parental ties, no friends or family at all. Who learn how to use a gun before they learn to read. Many of whom are trained to assassinate before their 10th birthday…"
"Eighth birthday," Alec comments, and this time Max hushes him with a cuff to the back of the head.
"Instead of a childhood they have combat training, tactics, escape and evade maneuvers, they receive PhD level educations by the time they hit puberty. The complete disregard for human compassion is unreal. In these reports they speak of numbers, not names, of autopsies on the ones that "failed" and organ harvesting from live donors."
At that, Alec looks at Max and squeezes her hand lightly.
"These children didn't WANT to be brought into this world, they were forced by a program created by our government. Senator Jack McCoy has announced that there is a bill already circulating in the house and Senate putting an end to this type of torture and allowing the freedom to those children, who until today, had none. According to the Senator, the semantics of what to do with the sudden influx of parentless children is still being worked out, but for now they are going to be allowed to remain where they are, cared for by others of their kind, until it can be decided. Reporting live from Capitol Hill…this is Jessica Marin for Fox News."
Dalton turns off the radio and practically beams at them. "It's over, isn't it? We are really free?"
Alec leans forward and claps the younger man on the shoulder, a little surprised himself at the wonders that had happened in 36 hours. "Yeah, we are."
Leaning back, he wraps one arm around Max, pulling her into him. She slides across the seat and rests her head on his shoulder, as he leans down and whispers in her ear.
"We have all the time in the world now, Max."
She tilts her head up. "Yeah, we do. What do you want to do first with our freedom?"
"Ohhh, I can think of a few things." He waggles his eyebrows suggestively at her.
She shakes her head slightly and leans into him, their lips meeting in a light, but promising, kiss.
"I'm sure you can, Alec, I'm sure you can." She pulls her head away and places it on his shoulder again, content to let the lull of the engine pull her into sleep. Her first sleep in a whole new world.
Fin
Don't forget to review the last chapter….perhaps I have an epilogue on my computer here that I can post if you ask nice enough.
Here's a little breakdown of where I got the names for my characters in the story (except the X6's, I made those up) I mean no harm, this is no reflection on the real people, it's a compliment they even made it in the fic:
Richard Olivet – Dr Olivet from Law and Order the original series, and named after my beta, who uses Olivet in her online name (she's the best).
Dr Thomas Brady – Tom Brady, QB of the 2004 Champ New England Patriots (and former Michigan QB)
Commander Law – Ty Law, another player on the Patriots and former Michigan alumn
SIC Rodriguez – Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, newly signed catcher for the Detroit Tigers, formerly on the 2004 Champion Florida Marlins team.