Oh God, they were at it again, Alec thought as he passed Ames and Max's apartment. It was a good thing that Ray-Ray was already out. The blond transgenic shrugged. At least it was clear who she choose as a mate, so all the X5s who were sniffing around her before all the Heat – White thing happened stopped to do so. One more thing he didn't have to worry about.
Max had definitely a thing for older guys, he pondered as he walked toward HQ. Granted that Ames was probably older than Logan because of all his genetic make up. He wondered if they would stay forever young, well not forever but a good amount of time, or if they would die young like a moth consumed by the flames. He shook the thoughts away as he entered HQ.
Giving a few nods on his way up, he was about to open the door of his – so called – office when he heard Mole calling him.
"Alec!"
Figured the lizard guy wouldn't stop nagging him the minute he set foot in HQ. Probably about his cigars and weapons.
"Yeah, Mole?" he said not turning around.
"Jacky R here wants a word with you."
Jacky R was a very bulky, all in muscles no brain X5. But what he lacked in brain, he had in cruelty. Especially in combat. It was because of his said cruelty that he had earned the name Jacky R, like Jack the Ripper. And as the latter, it was never a good thing to hear from him.
A cold shudder ran through Alec's spine and he braced himself for what would happen next.
"Yes Jacky?"
"What's the familiar still doing here? And alive?" This was bound to happen. When Ray it didn't cause any problem : he was an easy kid, and no one really knew what he was, or rather who he was before his father came along.
The problem was White : White was the bad guy in any transgenic life a few weeks ago.
"He's just here for his kid. They'll leave when it's safe for them to leave. Meanwhile they're under my protection." He didn't know if it was a good idea to put the White under his protection. For one thing, the old man wouldn't appreciate, and the second thing was that it was so tense in TC since White arrived that some transgenic could overlook the order and the warning he just gave and kill White.
"When it's safe for them?" roared Jacky. "But is it still safe for us here?" The silent nods of some transgenic in the room unnerved Alec. This wasn't good.
Alec took a step forward. He was the leader here and he wasn't going to let his authority challenged in front of everyone in HQ. He had enough things to face without thinking about people who would try to challenge him.
He was eye to eye with Jacky.
"Shut up Jacky!" And those three words contained enough venom to kill if it were possible. "His father made all of us, so if he wants to see his son, he'll see his son. He won't do anything to put any of us in danger."
"That's just because his kid is here now. What will happen when he'll leave? Do you think he'll still be 'loyal' to you just because he got a roll in the hay with the 09er? And that he'll become a goody-two-shoes?"
Oh, so this was about Max after all. Alec relaxed a bit. Though it wasn't good news either that Jacky wanted to kill White because she choose him.
"It is none of your business who I'm in bed with." Max said loud enough for all to hear. "Jacky." She added as an after thought as if he didn't deserve to be named. "And if you have anything to say about my choice, at least tell it to my face."
She had arrived a few minutes after Alec, right on time to hear Jacky R's comment.
She felt dirty as she felt his eyes on her body. Only one person had the right to do that now.
"That man that you're so worried about risked his life for mine more times than many of you here ever did. Not that you would risk our lives for an 09er, right? After all, we, 09ers, are traitors! We are capable of no good, right?"
Those who thought so had the decency to look away. Except Jacky.
"Lookie, we have our very own martyr!" he commented.
"Alec already told you shut up!" Max snapped before reporting her attention to all the transgenic present. "I'm sick and tired of you all looking down on me like I'm dirt." Her eyes were back on Jacky. "You got a problem with me? Well we're going to solve this. Once and for all."
"Max!" Alec intervened. She couldn't possibly suggest a challenge.
"Ouh! You want to fight me? I'm scared!" Jacky mocked.
"I don't think that's a good idea Max."
"Shut up."
Jacky smiled. If he didn't have her, no one would. And especially not a familiar. Plus he would have the pleasure to kill her himself. That'd teach the bitch a lesson. She was an 09er, she was beneath him, yet she got to give him orders and look down on him. No one looked down on Jacky R. No one. No 09er was going to command him no matter that she had no junk DNA and all that. Screw all this, he was going to kill her.
"When?"
"In a hour." Alec cut in before Max could answer.
"Can't wait babe!"
Jacky continued to smirk as he exited HQ with his crowd in tow.
Max gritted her teeth.
When they were out of sight, she turned to face Alec.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence Alec!"
"Max! Even I would like to be warned before fighting someone like Jacky R!" The minute he said it, he knew he should have chosen his words better.
"Oh! So now you want me to back down on this fight coz I'm just a girl, I can't fight? Right?"
He ran his hand tired in his hair. "Not what I said. But like it or not, you could die. And you're important here Max."
"Because of some tattoo thing…"
"No. Because I care about you. Many people here care about you."
The sincerity in his eyes made her pause.
"You're important here too. I know this was bound to happen. The fact that it's Jack doesn't surprise me either. When I made the decision to let White come here, I made a mistake. It's up to me to fix this."
"Fix what?"
Well, thought Alec, the last piece of the puzzle arrived and he knew that Ames wasn't going to be very happy about the turn of events.
"Are you crazy?" White's reaction was predictable. No man could stand by and watch his woman getting kick around by some bully.
"It's my fight!" Max exclaimed. Ames wasn't even listen to her, he turned to Alec, who raised his arms in a mock surrender.
"And you," pointed Ames, "I would have thought that you would be clever enough to stop her from doing something stupid like that!"
"Hey! I'm here remember!" she protested. Max whacked both man on their heads.
"And it's not as if I could do anything about it. It's not even about you two being together that he's angry about. It's the fact that he's not the one she chose." Said Alec.
"It's my fight!" she repeated. More calmly this time.
"I'll have to agree with her on that."
Ames threw him an icy glare that the blond transgenic just shrugged off! "It's not my fault!" He added in his defense.
"You're not going to really fight him right?"
Max narrowed her eyes on Ames. Alec was glad that he wasn't the only one she looked with those eyes. "Excuse me?"
Alec sighed. "Max he's just trying to help you." He tried. This was no business of his. But he tried anyway.
"He doesn't need you to talk Alec." The brunette murmured icily.
The main thing about Max that he hated the most – and that he admired the most too – was her stubborness. As far as the dark blond X5 was concerned, she was plagued by it. Ames was built the same way, and it was at moments like this that he could almost understans the attraction between the two.
"Besides, it's time."
The moment he said those words, Ames' demeanor changed all together. The familiarlooked at Max and nodded his assent, finally accepting the situation.
"Alec, ask Gem to get Ray and to keep him with her."
The X5 gave her a brief nod and left thme alone.
"I'm coming with you." Ames stated.
"Are you sure?" she asked. It wasn't that she didn't want him to be there. She did. The problem was she ddin't feel at ease about what was going to happen. It was her first challenge. She didn't count those she had with her units back at Manticore. Challenges were all about animal instinct, about determining who was the strongest one, the alpha. There was nothing huma in it. Though since she broke out into the worls, she kept wondering if anyone still knew the definition of humanity.
"The least I could do when you put your life on the line, is to be there for you." Ames merely explained.
The news of the upcoming fight between Max and Jacky R was known to every transgenic in TC's vicinity, so it wasn't a surprise that almost every transgenic had gathered at the outskirts of TC near the beach, where they burned the dead, where all challenges took place. It seemed that in this area the air was cold, that it sucked all the life around. She felt a chill running down her spine as she approached Jacky.
"You came!" Jacky commented. "Shame, I made the bet that you would send one of your boy toys over here!" he said gesturing to Ames and Alec.
"Less talk and more actions Jacky. Let's get this over with. Or are you afraid of girl?" she was proud that her voice didn't waver though she wasn't sure if she was going to live throught this day. One thing for sure : if she was going down, she would do it with dignity, fighting, like Zack would have done it.
Jacky smirked and blurred toward her. The fight was on. She jumped up to avoid him but he caught her feet and brought her down with all his strength. He was not losing this fight! He pumped his fists into her gut, and her face until all you could see of her face was the blood from her broken nose.
He smiled. It was easier than he thought. She was nothing but a mosquito. And he was going to squash her, right in front of the familiar. And when he'll be done with her, he would kill 494, and the little familiar right in front of White. Yeah. He leaned into her and murmured : "Smell your blood? That's the smell of my victory. And when I'm done with you, I'll kill that little piece of shit of familiar right in front of his father."
Anger and rage flashed in Max's eyes and she ceased his head and bit his ear.
"You bitch!" She didn't let go as he tried to get up. When she finally let go, she had a piece of his right ear in her mouth.
Alec was relieved when he saw that she was steady on her feet. Jacky took a few steps back and nursed his ear with his hand. He was angrier that ever. Rushing toward her again, she surprised him by letting herself fall on the ground with her hands to support herself. She had to be quick and effective. Jacky couldn't slow down. She grabbed his feets in a foot lock, and Jacky fell face first first on the sand. Quickly, she knocked him on the head and got up. She didn't hesitate. Her hands on his head, she snapped his neck. All she could think of once she realized she was alive was that all the people she loved were safe.
And then she felt a moisture in her crotch. Funny, she thought, she wasn't hurt there. That was her last thought before she collasped.
"Max!" yelled both Alec and Ames. The familiar got to her first and he immediatly ran toward the infirmary with Max in his arms.
Ames almost didn't recognize the emotion that he felt as he ran toward the grey building. It was fear. The attraction between the two of them, he could understand. The concern he felt for her life, he could bare. They had lived thigns that made worst enemies bond. But the fear, the fear for her life. That was new. He thought he had long ago let all weakening emotions in his youth. Apparently not. He feared for her life. And he knew he would do anything to save her.
How could someone so strong and lethal, be so small and vulnerable in his arms.
"Help here! She's hurt!" Cat recognized the voice of the familiar. She was the chief medic in TC and had yet to have an encounter with the infamous White. She put aside her feelings as she saw the precious burden in his arms.
"Put her here." She said nodding to a bed. "What happened?" Her question directed to Alec who was right behind Ames.
"She killed Jacky, but then she collapsed." Alec answered.
"Ok."
"She's bleeding, in the crotch." Added Ames.
Cat frowned.
"Okay." She looked at her leader and Alec nodded silently.
"Come on Ames. Let get Ray. I think it's going to take time here."
The familiar was reluctant at first.
"I'll take good care of her. I already patched her up a number of times before you came here. She'll be fine with me."
White finally nodded and followed Alec out.
Two long hours. He had been waiting alone in the rain, outside the infirmary. He couldn't stay with Alec and Ray, so he left the confort of their apartment and headed straight to the grey building.
"Come on in." Said Cat.
Silence followed his entry in the building.
"You want some coffee? Max brought me some real one last week."
"If she okay?"
"She'll fine. But she needs her rest."
Ames raised his head and looked at the medic in the eye. "You hate me. But I'm your best chance to survive the upcoming war."
"That's what I heard. You must not even remember me..."
"Oh, I do remember you. Sector 6. A year ago. You were with another X5."
"He was my mate." Cat cut in.
"They are always someone's mate, someone's daughter, father, son, lover...Have you ever thought of that when you worked for Manticore."
"It's not the same..." she intervened.
"No. I killed him because he was a threat for me. You killed because you were ordered to." Ames retaliated. "I understand your anger and don't worry, I won't kill any transgenic. If I do I'll be hunted by both sides and I don't thik my mate will appreciate either!"
Silence.
"She's pregnant. She almost lost the child. Probably because of Jacky's pounding."
