A/N: Sorry this took me so long dudes but it's been a bitch to write and then it took me ages to get my new 'puter set up. More freaky dreams, White, Max/ Zack stuff, Erin/ Alec stuff and a mysterious dude. What more can you ask for? Logan bashing? Damn it! *rolls eyes* NOW I think of it… Ah well, that'll have to be in a later chapter.
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Chapter forty-six: Never
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Max: Can I ask you a question?
Zack (Sam at the time): Yeah?
Max: Were you born a prick?
-Max and Zack (411 on the DL)
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'But I've had too many stand-offs with you
It's about as much as I can stand
Just wait until the upper hand
Is mine'
-Linkin Park (Hit The Floor)
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Erin stirred into consciousness slowly, her senses waking up one by one as the last vestiges of sleep left her.
The first thing she felt was warm soft skin- a bare chest rising and falling beneath her head. The second thing was the steady thump of a heartbeat beneath her ear and the smell she came to associate with one person. Then next thing was the feel of a possessive arm around her waist. Erin smiled and snuggled closer to Alec, feeling him pull her closer in his sleep. It had been several days since they had officially got together and Erin was loving every minute of it.
Alec spent every free moment of his time with her, much like he'd done anyway but with definitely more benefits.
She looked up at him sleepily; trailing her fingers down his cheek, smiling again as he instinctively nuzzled her hand in his sleep, murmuring her name.
She couldn't believe that he was here with her. Alec had chosen to be with Erin, no one else, Erin. Never in a million years had she thought that he would want to be with her. Still smiling, Erin laid her head back on his chest and closed her eyes.
Erin slept deeply, images flickering in front of her eyes- her own memories interspersed with strange images, things she'd never seen and couldn't possibly have known. Images of the past- an ancient past full of pain, torture and cruelty. Images of war.
It was cold. Erin sat huddled in a corner of the room on a thin mattress, covered with a thin dirty blanket. Her hair was long and matted about her shoulders, her face and clothes filthy, her clothes torn.
The room she was in was more like a cell. The walls were thick concrete, cold like the floor. There were no windows and only one door. It was a metal door, thick and sturdy with no handle on the inside. On the outside, Erin knew there was a huge padlock, keeping them from escaping. The only source of light creped in from under the door- a long sliver of light that moved as it's source swayed in the draft.
Beside Erin was a boy, skinny like her, dark- almost black hair identical to her own, too long from lack of attention. Their eyes were identical too.
Both of them were weak and in constant pain, the boy was half leaning into Erin.
"Erin?" Erin closed her eyes before opening them again and looking down at her brother.
"Yeah, Jake?" she croaked back. Her voice was rough, she was thirsty and her throat hurt.
"It hurts" Jake swallowed and winced, his hand going to his side.
"I know" Erin tried to sound reassuring "Don't worry; I won't let them get you next time. I'll fight back."
"But they'll take you away again!" Panic flittered across his features and Erin wished she hadn't said anything. "I don't want them to take you away! Last time, you didn't wake up for hours!"
"It doesn't matter, Jake. I'll keep them away from you." Erin sounded calm but a slight quiver in her voice gave away her fear. It didn't matter anyway; Jake could always tell what Erin was feeling. "I'll always protect you."
"You don't have to!" Jake grabbed her arm weakly "I don't want you to die!"
Erin smiled at him "Don't worry Jake; I'm not going to leave you." She lifted her arm painfully, her wasted muscles screaming in protest as she moved it around his small shoulders. "Go to sleep."
"No, it's your turn- I'll stand watch" Jake was already fighting to keep his eyes open.
Erin shook her head and began to hum softly like their mother had done to them when they were little. Despite Jake's protests, he fell into a deep fitful sleep in a matter of minutes.
As Erin hummed softly, the light under the door moved, backwards and forwards like a flickering flame, dancing across Erin's skin.
Huts were blazing and screams filled the smoky air. She walked with purpose, calmly and with a smile on her face as she cut through villagers and unworthy warriors alike. She was covered from head to toe in the blood she's spilt with her bare hands and whatever weapon she had decided to take from a warrior before killing him.
Erin sighed and gently laid Jake down on the mattress, lifting his bloodied t-shirt to take a look at his stomach and chest. She blinked back tears as she stared at her brother's battered body. Hers was the same. Blood and bruises, cuts and stitches.
Both of them were covered in blood as well as grime but their captors didn't seem to care so long as they were alive.
She looked down at her hands. There was blood, too much blood. Most of it was hers; some of it was Jake's. Why did they have to do that to Jake? Why couldn't they leave him alone? They could hurt her all they wanted if they just left him alone.
Erin choked back a sob as she continued to see if there was anything else that they'd done to her brother.
Alec woke up abruptly. His senses sharpened faster than any human's could after sleep and his eyes immediately focused. He held his breath and stayed still, alert and ready for action. Everything was quiet on the 6th floor. He could hear the soft breathing of Sketchy and Logan's annoying snores. He could here Cindy's breathing further away in her quarters. Max wasn't there- probably pulling another all-nighter. Joshua's muffled snores reached him next but none of these sounds had woken him up. Alec squinted at his watch. 4:17 am flashed at him and he silently groaned. What the hell had woken him up at 4:17? His question was answered as Erin made a strangled sound in her throat. Alec looked down at her in his arms, startled. He had heard Erin make noises before. He knew that her vocal chords weren't damaged. It was just that he'd only heard her make a noise if she was hurt of annoyed. This was the loudest noises he'd ever heard her make.
Erin's hair was spread over his chest as she lay with her head on his shoulder. Some of it was stuck to her forehead with sweat.
Alec frowned as she twisted in his arms, making that noise again. The look on her face was a mixture of fear and anger. Silent tears made tracks down her cheeks.
'Nightmare' Alec thought silently as he reached up to move the hair from her forehead. He began to whisper in her ear, his voice gradually getting louder as she refused to wake up.
The city was in chaos and she revelled in it. The stench of death mingled with smoke and blood, she inhaled it deeply as she reached out to grab a fleeing warrior and rip out his throat. Still, she barely paused in her stride. She was death walking.
Erin pulled Jake's t-shirt back down and moved to stand up and stretch her legs. Jake woke up immediately, despite the fact that he'd been deeply asleep minutes before.
He reached out to her, latching onto her arm with shaking hands. His eyes were wide and tear filled. "Don't leave me!"
"I was only going to stretch my legs, little brother. Go back to sleep." The words had no sooner left her mouth when they heard the sound that they both feared. Footsteps. Immediately, Erin and Jake tensed up and cowered in the corner, gripping each other tightly.
There was the jingle of keys and the sound of the padlock being removed. The door opened spilling light into the room, blinding both Erin and Jake for a few moments.
The villagers- men, women, children alike, cowered in their homes, muttering prayers and spells of protection amongst the screams yelled at her.
A hoarse cry ripped its way through her throat as Erin was pulled away from her brother and pinned down by rough callused hands.
"Leave her alone!" Jake yelled out and tried to launch himself at the man but was knocked back by the other man that had entered the room.
"Watch yourself, boy" the man laughed loudly, the noise grating. "Don't want to make us angry now, do ya?"
Jake glared as he tried to pull himself to his feet but he collapsed back down again as his legs gave way.
Erin glared up at her captor as he pinned her down.
"We've decided to start on the hands this time" the man said conversationally as he held her down easily. His breath made her want to vomit. "And this time, he's going to watch."
Jake growled and struggled to stand again. Giving up, he tried to crawl to her but was shoved back by the other man.
"Jake, close your eyes and don't say anything." Erin tore her eyes away from her captor and met Jake's petrified gaze. She pleaded with him with her eyes and Jake shrank back against the wall, his hands balled into fists but he didn't close his eyes.
She knew that he was plotting their deaths just like she was. Something else they shared in common. If they held a grudge against someone, they would always have it. If either of them got out of here alive, they would make sure that these men died. The fact that both Erin and Jake weren't even teenagers yet didn't matter to either of them. They'd kill them in their sleep if they had to.
The man above her laughed "Isn't that heroic of her?" He smirked at his friend "The sister trying to protect her brother."
Erin spat in his face. It ran down his chin as the man stopped laughing abruptly, the laughter turning into a snarl as he hit her with his free hand.
Erin felt something warm and sticky trickle down her chin and blinked back tears as her vision swam.
He reached up and pried her fingers apart from the balled fists they'd been in. When he grabbed one finger, he bent it back the wrong way. It snapped and Erin shut her eyes, biting her lip until it bled to stop herself from screaming.
She wasn't going to cry, Erin decided then and there. They would not see her cry. Jake wouldn't see her cry. She had to be strong for him, she had to protect him the best she could and if that was doing what they wanted- so be it. Her jaw clamped shut as they broke another finger. She wouldn't scream. She wouldn't make a sound. Their laughter made her feel sick.
"Demon!" "Monster!" "The Destroyer walks!" Yells, cries, screams of pain, of agony.
She smiled at their pathetic attempts to stop her. She had defeated their army already- their blood covered her leather clad body and dripped from her fingertips. Her long dark hair swayed in the smoky breeze and her golden bracelets jangled as she walked.
Another man was unfortunate to block her path and she took him out with a twist of her hands and soon he joined his fellow villagers in the mass of bodies she had left in her wake. They couldn't stop her, she wasn't human.
Erin didn't make it easy for them. She struggled, kicked and scratched but she couldn't get away, couldn't get free. She wondered if they would get bored of her and kill her tonight. Not for the first time, she wished that they would.
Dimly, over the pain and pounding of her heart in her ears, she heard Jake call out her name.
"Erin!"
Erin sat up gasping and dripping in sweat as Alec held her in his arms, muttering reassurances in her ear as he rocked her back and forth.
Erin pulled away and closed her eyes, running a shaking hand through her hair as she fought to control her breathing and chase the images away. She didn't know what was worse- the memories of torture or the weirder stuff of killing people in a time long gone. They both made her shudder and squeeze her eyes shut, trying to make the images go away.
"Nightmare?" Alec's voice caused her to open her eyes.
Erin met his eyes, nodded and looked away, wrapping arms around herself.
"Memories?" Alec rubbed his eyes as Erin opened hers again.
She nodded again, not wanting to talk about the other weirder stuff because it would just seem ridiculous.
Alec sighed and pulled her to him, sitting her in his lap as he stroked her hair. "You want to talk about it?"
Erin shook her head and laid it against his bare shoulder, her hands on his as they rested on her stomach.
"You sure?" Alec nuzzled her neck before lifting his head to read her hands.
"They were braking my fingers" Erin balled her hands into fists tightly and Alec stopped moving. "They were making Jake watch."
"Oh, Erin" Alec turned her around so her legs were on either side of his waist and tilted her chin up so she would look at him "It's okay. They can't hurt you now."
Erin blinked up at him and forced herself to relax. She rested her forehead against his. Just touching him like this was enough to calm her down.
"It's okay" he repeated, smiling reassuringly, the worry still in his eyes.
Her breathing slowed as her tiredness disappeared with the last of her dream. Erin smiled up at him and ran her fingers through his hair "It is now."
The mood suddenly changed, becoming charged with something else.
The worry disappeared and Alec smiled slowly in the way that made her shiver before lowering his mouth to hers as his hands began to make her squirm. He chuckled against her mouth as he rolled them over, Erin's hands on the back of his head, keeping his mouth on hers. He pulled back, his hands cupping her face as he looked down at her. "No one can hurt you. You're mine." he said quietly, as if convincing himself that this was real.
Erin smiled again, "Yeah, I am." Her finger traced his lips as she looked up at him "And you're mine." Alec smiled in that same feral way before kissing her again.
The abandoned building overlooked Terminal City. Its façade was crumbling and the inside wasn't any better. White paced in what had been the front room of the house. Backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards. Maps littered a nearby table and weapons were stacked against a wall. He was surrounded by activity as the Phalanx prepared, looking unemotional as always but White felt like nothing was being done.
Backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards. The ringing of a cell phone caused all activity to stop. White flipped it open "Yes?" he practically snarled into the phone. He nodded once "Understood." He flipped the phone shut and put it in a pocket before smiling over at Thula. "He's here. We've got one shot at this."
Thula smiled and slipped on her helmet over her long red hair "Let's move out."
In the house, the 40 or so Phalanx grabbed their weapons as White went to meet their… guest.
Max walked down an alley, heading towards the cafeteria in need of a caffeine boost.
She hummed a tuneless song as she walked slowly through the back alleys of TC. She'd come this way to avoid people stopping her as she thought. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts right now and if taking the most extreme route to the mess half was the way she could get it- so be it.
Max was faced with a dilemma caused by her own stubbornness and logic. As usual, it involved a man. Not any man, Zack.
Blonde haired, blue eyed, drop dead gorgeous looks and the body... damn. The guy had a great body. A slow smile spread across Max's face at the thought. He also knew how to flaunt it without really trying. For instance, Max would be in her office, going through paperwork when he'd walk in...
*Flashback*
"Hey Maxie" Zack pushed the door open, closed it with a foot and threw himself onto the couch looking very much like he belonged there.
"Hey" Max refused to look up and focused on the numbers in front of her.
Silence settled for a few minutes but Max couldn't seem to concentrate. She could feel his eyes on her as he sprawled lazily on the couch in a very cat-like manner.
Max chewed on the end on her pencil in a vain attempt to focus on something else other than the man patiently watching her. How could she forget how patient he was? He used to be her CO!!! He could stay unmoving in the same position, watching, waiting for well over 24 hours!!
Sighing, Max threw the pencil on her desk and looked up at Zack. "What?!"
He had the gall to look confused. "Huh?"
Max gritted her teeth "Why are you sat there watching me? Why are you even in here? Shouldn't you be working on the guard rotations or something?"
Zack smirked at her. He actually smirked- at her!
"I finished them."
"And what? You decided to come bug me instead?!"
Two eyebrows joined the smirk. "I bug you, do I Maxie? Now, how could I be possibly bugging you? I haven't made a sound. I haven't spoken to you, I haven't fidgeted. So, how could I possibly bug you?"
"Cut the crap!" Max leant back and put booted feet up onto the desk. "You're WATCHING me!"
Zack simply shrugged, the smirk disappearing as he said sincerely "I like watching you."
Max rolled her eyes "Uh huh. Real fascinating. Look, I REALLY need to get this paperwork done so could you at least keep the Max-watching down to a bare minimum?"
Zack shrugged and relaxed even more into the sofa that now sported some silver duct tape. Erin had got bored one day and decided to try to keep the stuffing in.
Max leant back, pushing the chair onto it's two back legs as she rubbed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was greeted with the glimpse of a well toned, tanned stomach.
Max's chair crashed back onto its other two legs and Zack glanced at her as he stopped stretching, his t-shirt hiding his skin from view.
"Problem Max?"
Max shook her head, her mouth suddenly too dry to form words.
Zack shrugged again, stood up and stretched some more, Max watching in fascination as he worked the kinks out of his back, arms and neck. Max idly wondered at that moment if Zack would mind if she suddenly jumped him and they did it there on the desk. The thought had no sooner entered her mind when she realised that she was thinking these thoughts about Zack. Uh oh. Not good. Bad thoughts. Bad, bad thoughts.
Max licked her lips and blinked, dark eyes moving up to meet pale blue. Zack smiled lazily. A slow sexy smile that said he probably knew what she was thinking and he definitely wouldn't mind at all.
Max diverted her gaze, preying that the heat she suddenly felt on her face wasn't visible and knowing it was futile.
The office suddenly seemed too small and intimate, the air suddenly too hot.
"What d'you want, Zack?" Max asked quietly. Her voice came out low and seductive. Oops. Hadn't meant that to happen. Her gaze swung around to meet his.
Zack was still smiling and his voice came out just as low. "You know what I want, Max." He took a slow step towards the desk that emphasised his feline DNA, his muscles working smoothly.
Max opened her mouth, her brain trying to come up with some sort of coherent answer when the door opened and Dix walked in.
"You have those numbers yet, Max?"
He looked at Max, Zack and then back to Max again and smiled shyly "Oops, sorry. Did I interrupt something?"
Max shook her head and smiled at the transgenic, relieved and disappointed at the same time "No Dix, you didn't interrupt anything. I'll have the numbers done in 10 minutes."
The anomalie bobbed his head and left, shutting the door softly behind him.
Max turned back to Zack and raised her eyebrows, waiting for some smart ass remark.
Zack simply grinned and walked to the door "See you later Maxie."
*End Flashback*
So Max's problem was that she was scared. Simple as that. She knew that Zack wanted her, she knew that she wanted him. The problem was that she didn't know if she was able to love him. Really love him. The people Max cared about had a knack for dying around her. But then, that hadn't happened in a while so maybe it wouldn't happen again? Max forced herself to push those thoughts aside. Definitely NOT good to dwell on those things.
Max's problem was that she was not used to opening up to people. She hadn't even really done it with Logan either but look where that relationship got her.
Max shook her head. She couldn't believe that she'd actually thought that she loved him. It wasn't love- nowhere near it. With Logan, Max felt like she owed him. Well, now she didn't, not after the way he's been treating everyone lately. And Zack?
Well, Max definitely felt more for Zack than she did Logan. Sure, she felt like she owed him, but they all did when he'd protected them at Manticore. Hell, the man had given his heart for her! But Max felt more than that.
A blur of movement in her peripheral vision made Max freeze and look around her. She couldn't see anyone. Max strained her hearing but heard nothing. Strange. Max continued to walk down the alley, only half a block away from the mess hall.
A stone pinged against a dumpster behind her on her left and Max spun around to see nothing. Max scanned the alley while dropping into a fighting stance. No one there.
That was when she heard movement behind her. She turned, wondering who the hell it was and how could they move that fast.
Max spun around, caught the glimpse of dark hair and the blur of a fist before darkness swallowed her vision.
White opened the door of the lab and smiled as 452's body was carried in over her kidnapper's shoulder. "I take it you didn't have much trouble?" White closed the door behind him and followed.
Max was laid out on a metal table as her kidnapper shook his head.
"And no one saw you?"
White got a dirty look in return and he backed up a step, swallowing slightly.
"Okay, okay, stupid question. I apologise. I was just worried about this going wrong."
He looked down at the X5 as her kidnapper secured her to the table. "It's just that 452 always has an ability for getting away."
White looked back up "The Conclave has requested your presence. They want you to return to them immediately now that we have the freak. You will be briefed when you get there."
He nodded and strode out of the room, passed the Phalanx who bowed their heads respectfully and into the tunnel that led out of TC.
White smiled and looked down at his unconscious captive "No escape now, 452."
Several hours later
Erin hummed silently to herself as she walked through Terminal City on her way to the warehouse. She was in a good mood. Alec had planned to meet her later after he'd sorted out something to do with defences with Zack so she was on her way to do some skating on the new ramp. It had become quiet popular with the X6s and a few of the X7s. She and Dalton were teaching them to skate- Dalton more than Erin but that was to be expected. The younger transgenics were still getting used to her. It helped that they now thought that she was Alec's mate. Even Jez had stopped giving her dirty looks when she passed.
"I still don't like it!" the angry voice stopped Erin in her tracks. It was coming from an alley to her left.
Something told Erin that she should stop so she flattened herself against a wall.
"It's just not right! He's alpha for God's sake!" it was a woman's voice, raised in anger.
"Which gives him the right to choose whoever he likes, Rain." Erin recognised Brin's voice now. "And Manticore didn't put religion in the mix so stop saying that."
"But you've seen her! She isn't one of us! She's an Ordinary!" Rain seemed to be trying to keep her voice down and failing miserably.
Erin's face paled. They were talking about her and Alec.
"She doesn't belong with him, she shouldn't even be here!"
"Rain" Brin sounded as calm and collected as ever "He's allowed to be with her. Erin's okay- she's helped us more than once. I don't even know why you're making such a big deal about this. You already have a mate."
"He is our SIC, Brin. He should be with one of us- a transgenic. It's the principle of the thing."
"It doesn't matter. He's taken her as his mate- simple as that. There's nothing you can do about it. Besides, Erin makes him happy."
"I still don't like it" Rain grumbled and Erin moved away quickly, carrying on down the street like she'd heard nothing.
Her face wore a bland mask. Inside, her insides were boiling with anger. So, some people didn't like the fact that Alec had chosen her? Well, bully for them. Erin paused in her stride. But what if they were right? What if she was being selfish? She wasn't one of them. She didn't really know what they had all been through- only what she'd seen. Maybe Alec belonged with one of his own kind- someone who'd been through it all too? Erin continued on her journey, Alec cared about her. It was his choice and he'd chosen to be with Erin, not someone else. So why did Erin feel guilty?
A sharp pain in her left temple was the first thing that told Max she was alive. The second was the fact that she could feel her body and it felt in tact though she couldn't seem to move anything below her neck.
Max forced her eyes open and gasped at the pain that filled her head as soon as the light hit her eyes.
'What the fuck was I hit with? a Mack truck?!'
Max concentrated on opening her eyes slowly this time, allowing her eyes to get used to the light bit by bit.
When she got her eyes open, she groaned as someone moved into view.
"Long time no see, 452" White smirked down at her "I think it's time we had a little talk."
"Hey Erin, you seen Max around?" Zack spotted Erin in the cafeteria. "I haven't seen her for hours."
Erin shook her head and continued to stare at her coffee. "Been here for awhile."
Zack frowned and sat down opposite her. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing" Erin signed, sitting back in her seat.
"Riight" Zack folded his arms and leant forward on the table top, an amused look on his face. "And how long you been sitting here?"
"Um" Erin looked down at her watch "About an hour? This is my second cup."
She took a large gulp of coffee. "I'm fine dude, really. Just thinking is all."
"Is it painful?"
Erin gave him the one fingered salute and Zack smirked.
"C'mon. Tell me what's wrong."
"You don't need to hear my problems, Soldier Boy. I told you- I'm fine."
"Of course you are. Let me guess, this is one of those girly things, right? Where you get a bunch of your girlfriends sat down doing each others nails while you take the piss outta us mere mortals, right?"
Erin looked at Zack, thoroughly outraged. "I'll have you know- I'm not a girly-girl!"
Then she looked kind of sheepish "But if Cindy and the others got involved, it would probably turn into one of those situations."
"Figured as much" Zack sighed and sat back "No one seems to need my help anymore."
"Aww, poor Zack- not needed to come save anybody's arse" Erin pulled a face and Zack mock scowled at her.
"So, you haven't seen Max at all?"
Erin shook her head and then frowned. "It's not like Max to go wandering off without telling someone where she is… you think something's wrong?"
"I don't know… I've just got this feeling" Zack trailed off before standing up. "I'm gonna go look for her."
Erin finished her coffee and followed him "I'll help."
"Hey guys" Alec walked into the mess hall as they reached the exit. "What's going on?"
"Zack's worried about Max- we're gonna go look for her" Erin told him as he kissed her on the cheek, running his cheek along hers in a very feline greeting.
Alec pulled back "Both of you? It's probably nothin'. Max wanders off all the time."
"Yeah, but she usually tells someone so we know where to reach her" Zack was already moving out the door with Erin following.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was wrong.
Alec followed. "She's probably fine, but d'you want me to round some people up to help out?"
"No, not yet. If we can't find her after the first sweep, then we'll start to panic" Zack thought for a second "I think we should split up, cover more ground."
Alec nodded "I'll take HQ and the surrounding sectors."
"I'll take the perimeter sectors." Zack nodded "Erin, you take the rest."
Erin nodded and went to walk off. She'd taken no more than 3 steps before she stopped, her eyes wide.
She held out her hand to see that she was shaking.
Zack and Alec looked at her in confusion. Her gaze went to Alec who was already moving towards her. He was talking to her but his voice didn't sound right- too slow, too far away and she couldn't make out what he was saying.
Suddenly a wave of pain hit her and she clutched her stomach as the shaking grew worse, causing her to stumble. She felt hands grabbing her and that was when she fell.
"What d'you want White and how the hell did you knock me out?" Max took in her surroundings as she spoke.
The room- what she could see was pretty large. Cupboards and sinks were along the wall to her right and directly in front of her. On the wall in front of her, in the left corner was a metal door. The wall on her left was made of glass and she could see into another room. In that other room was weapons- lots of weapons and soldiers- probably some of the muscle queens they'd faced at Jam Pony and a hell of a lot more. On the counters in the room she was in were microscopes, files and medical equipment. She was in a lab.
Max looked down at what she could see of her body. She was strapped down to a metal table. Straps held her wrists and ankles down while two more straps went across her stomach and chest. Overkill much? Well, not really. It was pretty much just enough kill but Max felt she had the right to be pissed.
"Actually, I wasn't even there at your capture" White walked around the table, his eyes on her face. "Only one person was and he took you out with a single hit."
"Do I get to meet this muscle queen or what?" Max followed him with her gaze.
"He left for more orders and he isn't a muscle queen. He isn't even a soldier though I'm sure if Manticore had ever got a hold of him, they'd have loved to see how he worked." White chuckled "Oh, yes, they definitely would've wanted to get their hands on him- something even better than their top of the range X5s."
"Whatever, so the guy who managed to knock me out ain't here. What's the point of you bringing me here? You know you won't get anythin' out of me" Max strained against the straps holding her down but they wouldn't budge.
"Oh, but I think this time I will" White smiled and removed something from a counter.
"Not likely" Max scoffed though internally, she wasn't so confident.
"I've been planning this for awhile now, 452. The only reason why I haven't been able to get what I want from you is because I never had the time. But, I've been planning the ways to get information out of you." The smile on his face was pure evil.
Max glared up at White "Is there a point to me being tied up or are you just intending to babble at me?"
He chuckled and moved closer. "So eager for your death, 452? So eager to hear your own screams? It doesn't matter how loud you scream- your friends won't be able to hear you here. These rooms are soundproof."
"You had to take me out of Seattle to stop them finding you and kicking your ass!" Max glared, continuing to tug against her restraints.
"Oh, but we haven't even left Terminal City. We're underneath it." White took great delight in seeing the confusion and shock on Max's face that she was took stunned to hide.
"Yeah, when Sandeman bought his labs, he secretly had several rooms and tunnels built. The only other people who knew about them were myself and a few of his now deceased work colleagues. That's how we got passed the police and your pathetic attempts of security. There's a tunnel that leads passed the perimeter fence and into an alley a block away from here. For all his stupidity, the one thing Sandeman did well was plan ahead."
Max snorted "Makes you wonder why he had a son of a bitch like you for a son. If he'd planned ahead, he'd have kept his dick in his pants."
"Now now 452, that's no way to talk to a family member."
"You're no family of mine and I'll never tell you anything" Max spat at him and then held back a scream as her body convulsed on the table.
White pulled back the taser and leant forward. "Payback's a bitch, ain't it 452?" He smiled "Feel free to scream."
Next Chapter: Helpless…
"The first battle approaches. Lines will blur and shades of grey colour hearts and heads. A warrior will come into play. Choose your battles and when all is done, know if you have an enemy or ally. Ask what is needed."
A/N: See! *points* an actual plot!!! *grins stupidly* Okay, I will NOT be answering any questions about the preview. *wise voice* All will be revealed in… *counts* four chapters.
I finally got round to changing the rating to an R. I said I would earlier but I kinda forgot about it :P Anyway the reason for it's change in rating is because it discusses rape and torture. However, I'd like you're opinions on this. Do you think it should go back down to a PG-13 or stay R just to be on the safe side?
Marty: A frying pan would NOT suit Zack! *pokes with cattle prod* You're REALLY cruel!
You know there's peeps out there that talk like them dude *stares* I wonder who I know talks like that? Hmm?
Of course they're allowed to ask questions! How the hell would they find out anything if they didn't ask?!
Yes, Alec seems to growl a lot but that's the whole feline DNA thing *shakes head*
And no, the whole smelling her thing was again, his enhanced senses. Erin does not stink.
MaxCat452: *shrugs* it's been awhile since I was fourteen dude. I'm 19. I'm sure you're very mature J Anyways, I figured that Dalton would be smart and mature thanks to the whole genetically enhanced thing.
Goldstranger: Glad you like my *cough* little *cough* fic. I can't believe you read it all in one go! Man, I bet your arse was numb! Lol. Everything about Erin's past will come out in the sequel which isn't very long away now. Yeah, I always kinda thought of Zack as the more patient type. Hope you keep reading.
Messymissy: Of course there's gonna be trouble :P It wouldn't be much of a story if everything went smoothly now, would it? Hehe. I think I'll focus more on the rest of Max's family either in the sequel or in the last part of the trilogy. Man, I've got SO much to include in this trilogy.
Elin: Yep, Skye and Dylan know what happened to Erin and Alec only knows what she told him in the last chapter. Everything will come out in the sequel… with some surprises.
Riley: Ooh risking internet privileges! Lol you rebel!
Mirella: Hehe, so far Uni's okay. I put this under the R rating because of the references to rape and torture. That and the upcoming violence. But I'm not sure if I should hange it back to PG-13 or not. What do you think?
