A/N: First off, thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed the last chapter: Darklight, lakergirl08, RavynJensen, Mari...
Loralee X5-214
Thanks for that little bit of info about the whole vamps-not-having-brains thingy...but since I already started off with the story...I'm gonna have trouble changing things, so you'll just have to keep your imagination running... :-) And about Angel...I'll try putting him in the story, but I'm more of a Spike/Buffy fan, so just keep an eye out for Angel coz' he might just pop up to help the gang...:-)
Jessika:
I guess you didn't read the A/N at the end of the chap...I got carried away with the story and stuff...forgot that Spike didn't have a reflection! hehehe...:-)
AND ON WITH THE FIC! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!
Fire and Blood
By: human28
Chapter FourNight fell almost unexpectedly, and as the darkness covered everything in blackness, the two X5s surveyed their surroundings with feline vision. Meaning, they could see in the dark. They watched as their fellow transgenics (X6s, X8, and believe it or not, the X7) rode off into the distance with strict orders from Max to 'lay low'. They had taken the command to heart, and made plans to relocate to Canada.
"I can't believe we didn't just go with them," Max murmured beside him.
Alec raised an eyebrow. "I've just tasted freedom, Max. Call me selfish, but I don't want to waste it looking after a bunch of children. They may be transgenics, but hey, still children."
"I hate to say this, but you're right." Max sighed and looked around. "We have absolutely no place to stay, you know that? It's not like we can go back to the motel we slept in last night. The cops may be poking around there ever since the stunt our little X6s pulled the other day."
"What'd I say? Children," Alec tutted disapprovingly before heading towards a nearby gasoline station. They went inside the small shop and went through the food section. And yes, they actually paid for it. As Alec diligently ignored the flirtatious smiles he was receiving from the chubby blonde behind the counter, he thumbed through the magazine rack. And that was when all blood drained from his face.
"Hey Alec, are you alright?" Max asked from beside him. Her eyes followed his gaze and that was when all blood drained from her face. "Oh no, Joshua." She snatched the New World Weekly magazine from Alec's hand and gave the cover a good look. Yup, it was definitely their doggy-friend.
Joshua was a transhuman with too much canine DNA in his cocktail. He lived in the basement along with the other nomalies. But no one knew he was down there, except for Max and Alec. He claimed himself to be the son of 'Sandman', also known as Eric Sandeman, founder of Manticore. And unlike every other transgenic in the facility, his neck was bare of any markings. He had no barcode. He said that it was because of being the 'first'. Joshua was the first one Sandeman ever created.
The two X5s had stumbled upon him during one of their 'punishment' duties. And Max had been secretly visiting him at night, going through the lose brick in her cell wall. If Alec was up to it, he accompanied her. But he had to say, he did not like it down there. It gave him the creeps.
"Well, he's not captured." Max whispered in a low tone. Alec nodded. The article said nothing about the incarceration of the 'freak'. But it did talk a lot about sea monsters and alien hybrids, blah, blah, woof, woof. Alec rolled his eyes. Sometimes, ordinaries were so strange.
They paid for their food and exited the store. As they made their way down the empty sidewalk, they passed by a cemetery. One that Alec was familiar with. He stopped dead in his tracks, as a car exploded in his head.
Max frowned. "Hey, you alright?"
Alec didn't hear her. All he heard was her scream.
All he saw was the angry, disappointed look on her innocent, beautiful face…
…the sting of her hand as she hit him across his face…
"Rachel!"And then he was running.
"Alec!"
He didn't turn around even as Max called out from behind him. He blurred through the cemetery gates and into the graveyard that held the first woman he had ever loved. He had seen it. Seen her lifeless body on the news. Manticore made him watch it. Manticore made him suffer.
Manticore tortured his already wounded soul.
He reached her gravesite within seconds.
Rachel
Beloved Daughter
January 15, 2002
October 21, 2019
It wasn't until he felt Max's warm embrace that he broke.
Neither of them noticed the shadow that silently watched them.
…
Unlike the other X5s whose cells were on the same floor, she, Alec, and the other '09 clones 'lived' in a different floor. They were isolated from the rest, in case they would try escaping like their twins. Apparently, Manticore wasn't taking any chances…after all, it could be genetic.
Fortunately for them, it wasn't. And after spending some time in Psychological Operations for some testing, poking, and prodding, they were finally cleared for their solo missions. She could still remember the day Alec was called for debriefing. He had been so damned cocky about it. Being the first one sent on a long-term mission.
Max had been a bit bitter towards him for a while, not taking pleasure of the fact that her only friend in Manticore would be gone for more than a few days. But she had been patient. She waited for him to come 'home'. The day that he had been designated to arrive finally came, and Max waited in the shadows as she watched the black SUV pull into the vicinity.
Her heart practically broke to see her best friend be dragged brutally into Psy Ops. To see the pain and guilt that laced his handsome face. To see the tears that she had never seen before flow down those beautiful hazel-green eyes of his.
To see the emptiness on his face the day he was released from Psy Ops.
It took her weeks to get the 'Alec' in X5-494 to resurface.
"Are you sure, you're alright?" Max asked as she watched him stare off into the distance.
He turned around and arched an eyebrow. "I'm always alright, Maxie." At her worried look, he smiled and gently kissed the top of her head. "Thanks, though."
"No problem." She grinned and hit him playfully on the shoulder. "But I swear, if you ever run off again, I am so going to kick your ass" her grin vanished. "Did you see that?"
Alec frowned. "See what?"
"See me." A new, unfamiliar British voice replied bluntly. The two X5s spun around to see a guy with bleached blonde hair walk into the clearing. And he was holding a shock wand.
Max did not like the look on his face.
…
While Sunnydale's Hellmouth was the most active in the entire universe, Seattle's Hellmouth was probably one of the most docile. Not that Buffy actually minded. After all her years of kicking vampire ass and defending the whole of humanity, it was actually good to get a break. But there were times when the Slayer within her craved for a little more action.
"I never thought that I would actually say this, but maybe we should call it a night, B." Faith yawned. "I mean, it's already twelve thirty a.m., and we only dusted about three vampires. And they weren't much of a fight, either."
"You could say that again," Buffy shook her head. "I almost wish that we'd have some major apocalypse to deal with…"
A loud shout cut through the night's silence.
They exchanged a glance. Faith tutted disapprovingly. "Never wish on a Hellmouth, B. Wasn't it you who told me that? Talk about bad luck…"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "It's just a coincidence, Faith. Come on, let's go check it out. I think it came from over there." She gestured towards the far side of the cemetery where most of the mausoleums and crypts stood. The wealthy part of the graveyard. The shouts grew louder, but they weren't one of fear. They were one of anger. The two Slayers crept towards the source of the noise and hid behind a marble burial chamber before peering around the edge.
Both Slayers received the biggest shock of their lives.
…
Out of the many demons and fellow vampires that he had encountered in his life, he had never met anyone like them. It was strange how much power and strength emerged from them, not to mention the look of deadness in their eyes. They acted upon pure instinct, they fought with utmost control, and their moves were flawless. It was as if they had been fighting since the day they were born. It was as if it was bred into them.
"Who sent you?" the girl asked. It was a simple question. But considering the fact that he was held in a chokehold and slammed against the tree with the guy glaring daggers at him, it was pretty damn difficult to answer it.
"Are you sure he's not just a hair stylist? Maybe he uses the shock wand for perms…"
"Shut up, Alec!"
"I was kidding Max!" Alec rolled his eyes, and tightened his grip on Spike's throat. "Seriously though, who do you work for? FBI? NSA?"
"A man by the name of Ames White," Spike said, grateful that he had no need for oxygen. It was too bad that he wasn't immune to pain. "A friend of yours?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Who does he work for?"
"I honestly have no idea," Spike said, going for the truth. He was dead either way, anyway. 'Alec' made it clear that he was going to break his neck if he did anything they disliked. It was a pity that vampires don't survive beheadings. "He thought I was some transgenic. So he captured me, and when he found out that I wasn't, he ordered me to capture you two…but not without putting me on a leash." He sighed. The Powers that Be were not going to be happy with him. If he just went straight to Buffy from the very beginning, he could've avoided all of this.
"What?"
"He planted a mini-bomb on my brainstem." Spike told them. "It's going to explode in twenty-four hours. So you can just release me. I'm going to die anyway."
Alec arched an eyebrow and dropped him. The vampire landed on his feet soundlessly. With a mirthless smile, he turned to leave. He barely stepped forward when they stopped him.
"If you tell us more about White, then we'll help you with the explosive." Max said.
Spike laughed incredulously. "You may be transgenics – whatever that is—but what makes you think that I would trust you with a bomb? More or less, a bomb lodged on my brainstem?"
"Well then, let us enlighten you about transgenics," Alec drawled. "We are genetically engineered supersoldiers highly trained in different fields…so yeah, I guess you could trust us with a bomb." He paused and smirked. "We have guests." He motioned towards the mausoleum. Spike followed his gaze and he froze.
The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, clutching his stomach in agony.
The Slayer had arrived.
…
To be continued……
A/N: SO sorry to leave you hanging like that…so here's a little sneak peek for chapter five…
Sneak Peek:
"You know that, Buffy. You don't love me."