Chapter 22: Related

"It's actually a combination; this one unlocks the top lock," Angel grabbed a silver key as he explained to Alice. He then picked up an adjacent key, "and this one does the middle," he pointed out the next key on the ring, "and that one does the third lock."

"Thanks Angel," the brunette said relieved as she and Claire walked to the stairs. The survivors all got up to follow them, apparently in their eyes, taking Luther out had put her in charge. It was a burden she didn't want, and one she knew that without the slightest hesitation she would dismiss if it meant better things for Claire.

The prisoner's eyes lit up as he watched Alice walk in, keys in hand. "So, which was it? Please tell me you beat him senseless," he said to the brunette, his deep voice echoing off the walls. He couldn't take his attention off the object of his freedom.

Alice placed a key into the first lock and before turning she replied with a grin, "I beat him senseless."

Chris let out a snicker, "I'd have paid good money to see that."

The old-world reference made Alice faintly nostalgic, but she undid the second lock and beamed. "With the mood Luther's gonna be in when he finally wakes up – you may just get a repeat performance."

A silence settled in as the woman placed a key into the final slot and turned it. The survivors took a step back as she opened the door, and Chris walked out a free man. He took a look around meeting every face, and reading the expressions he found there. Alice was on Cloud Nine; Bennett, Kim Young, and Wendell shied away from him; Angel stiffened; Crystal smiled like a school girl; and the final figure looked at him with indifference.

"Claire?"

To Alice, it was no surprise that Chris knew her lover's name, Crystal or one of the other's could've easily told him, but the way he said it put her on guard.

The redhead spoke with trepidation, "What?"

He took unsteady steps towards her and said, "Claire it's me." When he stood face to face with her, he brought his hand up to brush Claire's jaw. "It's Chris." At the touch, the redhead grabbed his hand, twisted his arm behind his back and forced him into a shoulder lock.

She put pressure on his wrist and growled into his ear, "I don't know you."

Chris was at her mercy, in his position he could do nothing without getting at least a dislocated shoulder. "Claire, I'm your brother – remember?"

Alice had no way of knowing if what he said was the truth, for all she could tell it was just another one of his attempts at manipulation.

"What the hell's happened to you?" He questioned the redhead, and Alice decided it was time to step in.

She came up behind the two, and put her empty hand on the small of Claire's back; the redhead leaned slightly into the touch and looked at Alice as the taller woman spoke.

"It's ok, let him go." Claire didn't hesitate in releasing Chris's wrist and pushing him away. The brunette directed a comment to Chris as he rolled his shoulder to work out the kinks. "She's suffered from some kind of memory loss. If you really are her brother-" Alice said with warning, then looked at Claire to finish softly, "it'll come back."

The brunette didn't dwell on the new development, but pushed for the reason she freed Chris in the first place. "So let's hear it, what's your way out?"

"It's at the south-gate entrance; let's take a walk," he responded and the survivors cleared out of his way as he marched to the door.

Figures he wouldn't give me a straight answer, Alice thought, as she followed him out with Claire and the others behind her. She wasn't quite sure if she liked the fact that Chris knew exactly where he was going; it made her wonder if perhaps he really was an inmate.

They emerged into the afternoon light and found themselves in a heavily barricaded courtyard; the rotting undead became frenzied at the presence of the group. Alice eyed the gate wearily as Chris approached a garage door and put his back to a wall, leaning smugly as he began his boast.

"Behind door number one – is a UPV, urban pacification vehicle. The prison kept in case of a serious riot. Sixteen wheels, steel plates, water cannon, seats twenty…basically, ten tons of fun." Chris walked over to the gate holding the fiends at bay, and they crowded it even more. He said directly, "drive right over 'em."

Angel walked over to the garage door and said, "It's locked."

Alice held up the key ring and lifted an eyebrow, but Angel shook his head. "We'll have to cut through it," he responded. "Hold on, I'll be back in a second." The solider took off and Alice assumed he was going to get a torch to cut the metal.

Mere seconds passed and a slightly dazed Luther walked into the courtyard. Alice tensed up but he didn't confront her, didn't even look her way, but he did look at Chris.

"Hey Luther," Alice called to him.

The black man turned to face her and she could see a small line of blood originating from a gash at the corner of his eye. Alice fought hard not to smile and tossed him his key ring; certain that she wouldn't need it again, but knowing how to get it back in case she did. He caught it skillfully, but had to stagger out of the way upon Angel's return.

The soldier carted in a large olive-colored oxygen tank on a two-wheel dolly. He set up the acetylene torch no problem, and within minutes was cutting through the lock holding the door in place.

Alice wondered if Claire was thinking about her encounter with the undead welder; at the sight of Angel's thick leather gloves the brunette couldn't help but remember it. But the redhead didn't show any signs that it affected her at all; she was too focused on her supposed family member.

The ex-project analyzed them both, and the similarities started to add up. The way they carried themselves, the matching green eyes, they even approached thinking of Luther the same way. There was no doubt in her mind that the two were related, but she didn't quite know what that meant.

Angel shut the valve to the oxygen, extinguishing the flame, and then lifted his goggles as Chris walked past him to raise the door. The freed man pulled up on the handle and revealed the black vehicle inside the garage. It was just like he had described; massive wheels, sturdy exterior, and a swiveling cannon perched on top. A true thing of beauty, that was until Alice saw the greased engine hanging from the ceiling by thick chains.

Would it kill for just one thing to go right? Alice questioned herself then she turned to Angel, "you got a fix for this?"

"I can put it back in, but it may take about a week," he said despairingly.

"I can help," Chris offered much to Alice's surprise. "We'll have it done in two days."

There was a collective sigh among the rest of the survivors as they dissipated from the area. Bennett and Kim Yong left first, followed by Luther, but Wendell stayed behind as the actress approached Alice and Claire.

"Well that's a disappointment," Crystal said to the pilot.

Alice nodded, even though she knew that what they had now was better than the nothing they had before.

"Oh," Crystal continued, "I don't know if you two were told, but our running water reaches the shower-block. So anytime you ladies want you can have a shower."

Alice immediately became excited. "Are you serious?"

"The water's cold," the actress responded, "but yes. Well, I've got to go make lunch." With that Crystal followed Wendell out, leaving Claire and Alice alone as the two guys collected the various tools they would need to reassemble the engine.

Forgetting that they were impossibly surrounded by the undead, trapped inside a concrete complex with at least one hostile stranger, and the generally depressing mood of being one of the few people that remained after the utter decimation of humanity – Alice let her optimism rekindle with the thought of cleanliness only a shower could provide.

"Things are beginning to look up," Alice stated, but Claire was still pensive at her side.

"Alice…can we talk?"

That's never a good sign...