Part Seven - All Too Familiar

MAX

I stretched my cramped and aching muscles and looked around. Biggs looked tired. "Hey, want me to drive? You look like you could use some sleep."

He smiled gratefully. "Hell, yeah! Thanks." He pulled over and hopped out of the driver's seat. I slid into place and he came around to the other side. Then he stopped.

"What is it, Biggs?" I peered at him, wondering at his hesitation. He seemed preoccupied. "Biggs?" I asked again.

"I dunno, Max. I can't shake this feeling that we're walking into a trap. I've had this strange sensation all day. Like, I dunno, butterflies in my stomach." He shrugged sheepishly.

"Well, the guys are meeting us soon enough. We should be there in an hour or so. Let's hope our luck holds." I beckoned him into the van.

Biggs climbed in and settled on his side, staring blankly out the window. I'd grown accustomed to Biggs' cheerful chatter, and seeing him so silent and brooding was disconcerting. I sighed and started the engine.

We drove in silence. The scenery didn't change much and the lack of verbal stimulation left me to my thoughts. I replayed my conversation with Alec in my head. If only I could have convinced him I was serious. I wouldn't be in this situation at all. But rather than blame him like I would have done in the past, I put the blame where it belonged. On my own stupid self.

I was berating myself mentally for my mistreatment of Alec when Biggs spoke up. "We're here, Max. Make a left on Stokes and head up about three blocks. We're supposed to meet Alec at the docks, Pier 27."

I followed his directions until we were a short distance from our intended destination. Biggs told me to stop. We pulled up in front of an old building with crumbling rust-colored paint. It looked deserted. Biggs handed me a gun and gave me a look.

"Max, I know you hate guns. But trust me; this is one time you can't afford to be caught off guard."

I nodded at him. "I don't promise to use it, but I'll carry it if it makes you happy."

"It does."

He stepped out of the van and taking my cue from him, I crept to the side of the building. We inched along to the entrance. Biggs carefully opened the door and we silently entered. A quick visual sweep of the room confirmed that it was empty.

"Max," Biggs' voice was so low only a transgenic in extremely close range would have caught it. "We wait here. Our rendezvous is three buildings down. I want to make sure we weren't followed. I don't want to compromise Alec and the others' location."

We sat in silence, weapons at the ready should the need arise. Time moved slowly and my legs were cramping. I shifted my weight from one leg to another and accidentally knocked over a crate.

"Shit!" I hissed, hoping no one detected the sound of the crate crashing to the ground as it echoed in the empty building.

Biggs looked at me, alarmed. Suddenly the reason for his reaction hit me. Voices carried from outside and the sound of footsteps running in our direction.

The door to our hiding place was thrown open and Biggs pulled me to my feet. We took off running for the back exit. We'd been followed and now we were being chased. Great going Max! You idiot!

We ran down the alley weaving between buildings and discarded debris. Following his lead, I watched as Biggs turned into a nearby building and closed the door securely behind us. We stopped to catch our breath. We had been running long and hard, even for transgenics, and we needed the moment to compose ourselves. But that was not to be.

BIGGS

Raising my head, I swallowed hard and shivered. Oh fuck, what have I gotten us into! Directly in front of us, not 50 meters from where we were standing, was a group of 12 Familiars. We seemed to have crashed a religious gathering of some sort.

I saw a young boy laid out on a stone slab in the center of the room. A woman, most likely the High Priestess, was dressed in a cloaked robe and was holding a dagger over the child's chest. She was reading from what looked like an old scroll, chanting loudly. Suddenly, she plunged the knife downward and the squirming child stilled. Max was unable to hold back her scream. Dammit Max!

At that, the Familiars turned toward us. I reached for the door hoping to make a quick getaway but before I was able to move, it opened.

Ames White stood in all his revolting glory. We were surrounded and outnumbered. Alec, where the hell are you? I thought as Max and I stood back to back for the second time in as many days.

"452, Fancy meeting you here." He took a step toward Max

"Cut the crap, Ames. What took you so long?" she taunted.

"I had a thing." He replied.

"Yeah, right. Who'd you off now? Cuz aint that your thing?" White glowered at Max. She continued. "I have to say I'm insulted. I thought I was important to you, Amesie!"

"All in good time, 452. You can't outrun me this time."

" Ames , I've been running for a long time. It's something I'm really good at. I think I can manage. You haven't succeeded yet; what makes you think you will now?

"Come on, 452. You're only making this harder on us both. Once I kill you, you can stop running and I won't have to waste any more of my valuable time and resources.

"Amesie, this definitely is a waste of time. But bring it on, asshole. You know I'm gonna kick you ass. Again."

"Don't worry, this isn't gonna hurt. But, with any luck, it'll kill you." Ames said, taking another step forward and standing directly in front of Max. I noticed that she wasn't armed.

Dammit Max, where's the gun I gave you? She'd be toast if I didn't do something. I picked up a discarded brick and raised my arm to hit White.

I tapped him on the shoulder. "Think again, fuckwit. Let's find out how high your pain threshold really is."

He tossed me like I was weightless and I hit the wall with a sickening crack. Ouch, you son of a bitch!

"What happened to your trusty side-kick, 452? Has he tired of you? Maybe 494 has more intelligence than I originally credited to him."

Max kicked White several times. He grabbed her foot and flipped her over. She landed on her feet, arms raised and ready. They circled each other.

While Max and White played cat and mouse, I was holding my own, just barely, against three large and very angry Familiars.

Punch, kick, roll, drop, sweep. Over and over again, I lashed out at them. I was taking a severe beating and knew I couldn't hold up for long. I concentrated on getting my hits in and steering clear of as many blows as I possibly could.

Over the sound of my ribs cracking, I heard bits of conversation coming from White and Max.

"You think you transgenic scum are special? You're no better than animals."

"I shoulda cancelled your sorry ass when I had the chance, Ames . But we can fix that."

Then the sound of flesh hitting flesh assaulted my senses. Max was in control and I didn't have to worry for now.

I sent a karate chop at the neck of one of the Familiars I was fighting. He went down, cold. The second of the three launched himself with a running jump. I caught him mid-air and flipped him. He landed on his head. Don't have to worry about him anymore. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, deeply relieved that I was down to my final adversary.

He caught me off guard. I had taken a second to check on Max and left myself vulnerable. Dammit, Biggs! Get a grip on yourself! Do you wanna die! I went down hard, dislocating my left shoulder. At least I'm right handed

I regained my balance and blurred at my final opponent. He never saw it coming. One kick to his kidney and by reflex he bent forward. I whacked him hard on the back and he went down on his stomach. I stepped on his leg, crunching bone as I went, repeating the action on his other leg. He was down for the count.

I silently stepped toward White. He was so intent on Max that my approach caught him off his game. Grabbing him in a lock hold, we struggled. White somehow managed to extract a knife and stabbed me in the thigh. I hissed. Dammit that cut deep! Aleeeeeeeeeec! Where the fuck are you? In a fit of rage, I bashed White's head into a wall and then threw him across the room. White slumped to the floor, unconscious. I pulled my weapon and emptied the clip into the surrounding Familiars, taking down the majority of the group. That's much better

Wincing hard and clutching my leg, I turned in time to see two Familiars jump from behind Max one restraining her around the waist and the other wrapping his legs around her neck; they fell to the ground. The priestess advanced, knife drawn and poised to strike. It looked like Max was done for. I had to act fast.

Fighting the urge to black out from the intense pain, I blurred to White's side and retrieved his gun. Mine was out of ammo and I was desperate. The two Familiars were holding Max upright. Somehow she'd managed to rise to her feet fighting their restraints. Max head-butted one and managed to slip out of his grasp. I raised White's gun, now mine, and shot the Familiar on the left.

There were two of them left. The Priestess, who was advancing steadily towards Max and the other who I saw was raising his weapon and pointing it at Max's head. Max kicked out at the Priestess but missed. The Priestess picked Max up and slammed her hard against the floor, knocking her out. The other Familiar advanced, eager to take a shot. Before I could do anything, the Familiar shot Max. It missed her her heart, just barely. She took the slug in the upper arm.

Not to be deterred, the Familiar cocked his gun again. Blood was pouring out of my wounded thigh and I could barely see straight, but I focused on Max, down and unconscious. I took a deep breath and blurred to the other side of the room. Before he knew what was happening I had wrapped my arm around his neck, effectively breaking it with a satisfying 'snap'.

I whirled just in time to grab the Priestess by the hand, crushing the bones of her wrist. I turned her hand and stabbed her with her own knife.

It was over. They were all dead or unconscious. We had to get out. We needed medical attention and somewhere safe to lay low.

My heart was pounding and my chest was tight. Max was so still. Her body lay in a heap on the floor between the two now dead Familiars. The Priestess was at her feet, arm still outstretched, the knife just out of reach. The priestess had thrown Max as if she were a ragdoll.

I raced to her side and pulled her to me, checking for signs of life. Her pulse was steady. I let our a ragged breath I hadn't realized I was holding and leaned down to nuzzle her hair, my hands skimming lightly across her skin, assessing the damage. I brushed the hair from her face and pressed a light kiss to her forehead.

"Max. You're gonna be ok. We're gonna get you outta here. It's gonna be ok. Open your eyes. Please, Max." I begged, close to tears. Soldiers don't cry? – Fuck that

Max moaned as she slowly regained consciousness. The small smile she gave me couldn't hide the pain in her eyes. She winced as I helped her into a sitting position.

In the barest whisper, she said, "Hey, you know me. I'm made of tougher stuff."

I lowered my head to hers and brushed her lips lightly with mine. The need to feel was overwhelming. I was numb with cold fear and shock and I wanted to revel in her warmth. Max smiled at me sadly, raised her bruised fingers to my lips, and shook her head.

I looked away, ashamed at my actions. I'd just made what could have been interpreted as 'a move' on Max. Max was my friend, my best friend's girl. It's not that I'm in love with her but I do care about her. She's off limits. I'm not stupid. It didn't mean anything. I hope she knows that. Good going, idiot. Great way to ruin a new friendship.

Max touched my cheek, turning my face to her. "Biggs, it's ok. I understand. We both almost died today. It's natural to reach out and touch, feel. To make sure you're still alive. You saved my life and for that I'll always be grateful."

"I know." I whispered. "I'm sorry. It didn't mean…"

She shushed me as she put her arms around me. I leaned into her and rested my chin on her hair for a moment, breathing deeply to calm my frazzled nerves. I was a supersoldier yet here I was falling apart. I hated not being in control. I took a deep breath and composed myself. I rose to my feet, pulling Max gently up.

Max stepped away from me, almost as if she sensed my need for distance. I dismissed my emotional display as a moment of weakness and slipped back into soldier mode, all thoughts on the mission.

"We need to move out now. Grab their weapons; I'll get the scroll. It might be important. Maybe we can get someone in TC to translate it for us. I'd like to know what the Conclave's been up to and why they're so desperate to get their hands on you."

The image of the Familiar shooting Max resurfaced. I didn't think he missed her heart by accident. I had a strange feeling there was more to the puzzle of 452 and the Familiars.

I looked around for my bag. In the scuffle with the Familiars, I'd tossed it. I moved toward the large stone altar and picked up the scroll. I placed it in my bag and headed for the door.

We exited the building and squinted. The sun was high in the afternoon sky and the heat was a welcome change to the icy fear that had gripped me earlier.

"I don't do guns." I spun around as Max tossed me the weapons. "But I'm rethinking my policy." She tucked a 9mm into the waistband of her jeans. I smiled ruefully. Where Alec and I had failed, the Familiars had succeeded. Max was finally packing heat with full intent to use it.

TBC

Part Eight

Please review! Fuel for the fire…