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A Max/Alec fic.
Chapter Thirteen.
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Disclaimer: See previous chapters ...
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A/N: Wanted to get this one out quickly, I confess I'm trying to entice my old readers back.
I hope you guys are still liking this story.
As always, please read and review, I live for feedback!
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They'd been settled in to Terminal City for a few months now, and things were running smoothly. They pulled a big heist every now and then to keep everyone in food and clothing, but for the most part, they managed to keep on the down-low.
Logan had done a decent job of keeping his nose out of her business, but Max had a feeling that wouldn't last very long.
They were on a weapons run one night - weapons they'd actually bought this time, from an overseas dealer - when things turned for the worse. Max had been feeling off lately, and even though Alec had tried to convince her to leave this mission to him and stay home to get some rest, she'd gone anyway, assuring him she would be fine. No bug had ever kept her down, and she wasn't about to start.
She, Alec, Mole, and a couple X7s went on the run, Mole being the driver. The world still wasn't aware of the transgenics living among them, but Mole wasn't content to just sit at home and let everyone else do all the hard work. He'd stay out of sight, but he had to do something.
Max and the other Xs went to meet the dealer, passing over the money and loading up the truck. It was all going great until a massive, bright light shone on them from trucks speeding in from side-road, and Max immediately dropped to a defensive stance, holding her fists up.
Alec and the others mimicked her motions, pulling out their guns and making a defensive circle.
The cars stopped, boxing them in, and a bunch of men came pouring out of the vehicles.
"And here I thought it would be more difficult to find you, 452," one of the men spoke. He was the only one not dressed in combat gear, instead bearing a cheap, back suit. "I mean, your reputation precedes you."
Max turned her nose up at the man, glaring at him. "Well, I can't say the same for you. Care to make some introductions?"
He pretended to consider it for a moment before shaking his head. "You can just call me White. Now, are you gonna come quietly, or are we gonna have some fun?"
Max smirked, sharing a look with Alec before tilting her head. "I'm a fun-loving girl. Let's see how that works out."
White nodded, and before he could signal to his men to fire, the transgenics broke out and blurred around, shooting at anything that moved.
Mole revved up the truck, charging at the tiny cars and SUVs in his way. White's men tried to shoot at him, but he was in an armored vehicle, and their bullets barely made a scratch. Max made her way through the crowd of men, knocking out as many as she could and tossing their guns aside.
White watched the scene unfolding, following her movements. She was good ... even without a weapon. But, that would be her downfall. He stayed out of the fray, simply watching and learning, until one of them made their way to him. He rolled his eyes, batting them away before pulling out his gun and emptying a few rounds into its gut, smirking as it fell to the ground.
"Archer!" Max cried, watching the X7 hit the ground as blood pooled around him. She clenched her jaw in anger, making her way over to the man who called himself White.
White smiled, waiting for her to blur around him and try to take him from behind. He'd watched her movements, and he was a quick study after all. He turned quickly, facing her surprised face, before squeezing the trigger once more. The bullet penetrated her abdomen, making her body jolt in shock.
He heard a roar from another transgenic, and before he could turn around he was being thrown in the air, smacking down on the roof of a car.
Alec hurriedly grabbed Max, looking down at the fallen X7. He motioned to the other X7 called Bungle to carry their fallen comrade back to the truck. Mole pulled the truck around to block the heavy fire of bullets coming at them. Once everyone was loaded into the back of the truck, Alec shut the door and felt the vehicle jerk into motion, speeding away from the bloodbath.
He looked down at the woman in his arms, feeling her tremble and shake. He pressed his hand against her wound, trying to slow the bleeding.
"Ah!" Max cried out unwillingly, the pain unbelievable. She'd been shot before, but this felt different. Worse.
"Come on, Max, you're gonna be fine. Mole is gunning it, we'll be back at TC in no time," he told her. "Just hold on, okay?"
Max tried to focus on the sound of his voice, but she could feel a part of herself slipping away.
"Dammit, Mole, step on it!" Alec shouted out, whipping his head around him desperately. They didn't have any tools with them for him to even begin to try patching her up, and even if they did, he'd probably end up doing more damage than good. "Bungle, call ahead, tell Doc to be ready for us," he ordered, and the X7 quickly pulled out his phone, complying with Alec's demands.
Alec pulled Max even closer, brushing hair off of her clammy forehead while his other hand maintained the pressure on her abdomen. "You'll be fine," he promised. "I won't let anything happen to you, Maxie."
She stared at his face, trying to form words, but it took all of her energy just to remain conscious. Finally, she couldn't hold on any longer.
"Max!" Alec hollered, shaking her body a little, but there was no response.
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Max had been in the "operating room" for over an hour, and Alec tried to make himself believe that that was a good thing. If they'd been unable to save her, he supposed he wouldn't have had to wait so long to hear something.
He went over in his mind again and again, trying to figure out how it had happened. They had thought the contact had been solid, Logan had used him before when getting weapons for the S1W ... Logan. Alec gritted his teeth, thinking of all the ways he was gonna make the ordinary pay for what he'd done, even if it had been a mistake. He just needed to hit something.
Another half hour passed before the doors opened and Doc came out. Alec pounced forward, trying to peer into the room. "What happened? Is she okay?"
Doc nodded. "We managed to stop the bleeding and get her heart pumping again," she told Alec, rushing passed the shocked expression on his face at the knowledge that her heart had stopped beating at all. "She'll have to stay under for at least 24 hours while her body recuperates, and take it easy for at least a couple weeks, but after that, she should be fine."
Alec sighed in relief, moving to lean against the wall. "Can I see her?"
Doc worried her lip, looking back into the room.
Alec stood back up, his back straight and the little hairs on the back of his neck standing up. "What? What is it?"
Doc sighed, looking down. "There's something else we discovered while we were patching her up," she began, unsure of how to word it.
Alec felt his heart rate increase, worried for Max. "What is it?" he repeated.
"It seems that Max was ... she was about four and half months pregnant," Doc informed him.
Alec blinked several times, swallowing the lump in his throat. Max was pregnant? We had a child ...? "Wait, what do you mean was?" he asked, dreading the answer.
Doc looked at him with sad eyes, telling him, "The wound was too severe, we weren't able to save the baby."
Alec felt a little spurt of pain shoot through his heart, thinking of the life that was lost. "Does ... did she know?"
Doc shook her head. "Honestly, I don't know. She hasn't been to see me about it, and I've heard about most of the pregnant transgenics, even the ones who haven't been to see me. It's possible she didn't know."
Alec nodded slowly, thinking over the conversation he'd had with Max before they'd left on the mission. She hadn't been feeling well, not for a while, but she had refused to stay home and get better. If I'd known ... Alec lamented, internally, looking through the door to see them moving Max's gurney to a recovery room.
"When can I see her?" he asked again, blinking back the tears that were threatening to form in his eyes.
Doc watched him trying to keep his composure, feeling sorry for the X5. "I'll let you know when she's awake," she told him. "She needs all the rest she can get, so I'd prefer if you waited."
Alec nodded, knowing that he had some things to take care of before he saw her. "Call me the second she wakes up."
Doc nodded, watching him leave and wondering who he was going to take out his anger on.
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Logan paced around his apartment, waiting to hear back from Max's team. They should have finished the run and made it back to Terminal City by now, and he was more than a little annoyed that no one had called him to let him know they'd returned. He longed for the old days when Max would come over to flaunt her success, and they would share a meal he'd cooked, and he'd pull out his good wine for her. He figured that once he gave her enough space, and she realized just how much she missed the good stuff, she'd come running back to him and they could forget all about the Manticore stuff and move together. Sure, he had Asha now, but she was more of a placeholder. S1W was small-fry compared to all that Eyes Only could do with Max's help.
He heard someone coming through the front door of his apartment and smiled, thinking Max had finally come to her senses. "So, you made it back alright?" he asked, hearing the creak of the walking divide around his legs. Logan was thoroughly surprised to see Alec standing before him, decked out in his combat-wear, instead of Max. "Oh, it's you," he spoke. "Where's Max?"
Alec gritted his teeth, glaring at the Ordinary. "Back at TC, in Intensive Care because of you."
Logan's eyes widened, thinking of Max getting hurt. "What? How did it happen?"
"You tell me," Alec continued, stalking closer to him. "Clearly your dealer wasn't as secure as you let us believe."
Logan shook his head. "No way, I've been using him for over a year."
Alec nodded. "Exactly. He must know who you are, and he sold us out to the highest bidder. Which just so happens to be someone who wants Max's head on a stick."
Logan opened his mouth to reply, but before he could get a sound out Alec clocked him across the jaw, sending him flying back. Logan cried out in pain, struggling to get up.
Alec was on him in a second, poised over him with his fist raised. "She was pregnant, you bastard." With no one around to hold him back, Alec vented his frustrations on the arrogant, pathetic Ordinary.
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End of chapter thirteen.
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Until next time ...!