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Chapter 20
Out With the Old

Photo courtesy of JRA Unlimited

The baby's tiny cry was just about the sweetest sound Alec had ever heard in his life. The bluish tinge quickly dissipating and replaced by a healthier pink, the infant's face screwed up and she mewed like a kitten.

A big grin split Lydecker's face and he beamed at Alec. "Congratulations. You're a father -- again."

"Alec?" Max's weak voice rose above the baby's little cries. "Is she all right?"

"Ten fingers and ten toes, Maxie," Alec said, biting his lip with worry even as his heart pounded with joy. He took hold of his mate's hand and kissed her fingers. "You did good. She'll be fine," he said, his voice deep and husky with emotion. But even as he said the words he was looking at Lydecker. Much as he hated to admit it, the former Manticore colonel knew far more about X5's then he did.

"She's breathing okay for now," Lydecker said. "But she still needs an incubator."

"She's so small," Alec whispered, taking the baby from the other man so Lydecker could finish up with Max, deliver the placenta and hopefully control the bleeding. His little girl was no larger than one of his hands.

"She's strong," Lydecker said. "A good set of lungs even though she's premie. We saved lots of X5's who were delivered early like this." He glanced at Max. "Sometimes the surrogate mothers tried to run, became hysterical, and we had to force labor. We once salvaged a fetus that was only five months along."

The cave was quieter now, the storm having pretty much passed. However, the tide was still high. Alec coughed deeply and held his aching left side. He knew what he was going to have to do, what Max and the baby were going to go through. They had to get out of this cave.

"You shouldn't try," Lydecker said, reading Alec's mind. "Those rip tides are vicious. Not to mention the water's too cold for that baby to survive. I'll go and bring back help, maybe find that doctor of yours. The rope's still in place. I'll manage."

Alec looked down at his daughter as she squirmed in the warmth of his big hands. She was going to die if they didn't get her out of here soon. He opened his mouth to agree with Lydecker when a sudden splashing made them all look to the black water.

The big wet shaggy head that emerged from the sea was just about the last person on earth Alec expected. Shaking himself like the dog he mostly was, and splattering them all in the process, Joshua sneezed loudly and announced, "We've been searching for you. Found rope. Followed." Looking miserable, he sneezed again and rolled his eyes. "Max and Alec okay?"

"Max and me will live," Alec said quickly. "But she needs help." He held out the newborn for Joshua to see.

The dog-man's eyes grew wide. "How we get baby out of here?" he practically wailed. "Water too cold. Current's a bitch."

But Alec had a thought. "Joshua, go back to the supply caves and get one of those air tight food storage boxes, the ones with the snap lids. Bring a couple of blankets too. We'll put her in there and float her out. It won't take long."

Which is exactly what they did. Half an hour later Max and the newborn were in Lydecker's speedboat (that had miraculously survived the storm although it had been badly beached) headed for the mainland hospital with the colonel at the wheel. More than anything in the world Alec wanted to go with them. But the island was a mess, their village destroyed, people were hurt ... some missing.

He was needed here.

*****

Mole, with Dix and Luke's help, had taken charge and was organizing search parties as well as clean-up crews. Dr. Makari, unfortunately, had already been found -- crushed to death beneath a large tree that had uprooted near the infirmary. Alec's heart sank when he saw the sheet shrouded body of the colony's medic lying on a table in the mess hall, the one surviving Quonset hut. The other buildings -- barracks, armory, storage facility -- had all been either blown off their foundations or crushed beneath the falling tree canopy.

Thankfully, however, a great many of Chimera's supplies were stored in the caverns where the women and children had taken shelter. It would be a lot of work, but at least they had the ability to start over.

Alec, having seen Max off on the beach, slogged into the flooded village, assessing what needed to be done that wasn't already being taken care of. He was just about ready to call a meeting of his key people when Mole motioned him over to where he was directing operations from a raised wooden platform that used to hold a water tank.

"How many missing?" Alec asked, his breath catching in his throat as he held his injured side. The walk up from the beach, not to mention his recent swim, had made his internal injuries start hurting all over again.

"Five missing, three confirmed dead," Mole said bluntly, chewing viciously on the stub of his cigar. Reptile eyes fixed Alec with a piercing stare. "We gotta talk."

"'Bout what?" Alec asked absently, counting heads as he looked around the busy compound. O.C. with Brac had gone back to the supply caves for now, but it looked as if his personal quarters had survived partially intact. Maybe they could salvage some of their things.

"'Bout who's gonna be in charge around here from now on?"

Alec's head swiveled around and he stared at the lizard-man, the shock of that statement immediately putting him on the defensive, "You got somethin' to say, Mole, spit it out."

Dix and Luke had stopped sorting through the debris and silently aligned themselves behind Mole. In back of those three, several dozen more transhumans began to gather along with a few X3's and 4's.

"It ain't you any longer, Alec," Mole said, his scaly chin elevating a fraction. "We're tired of catering to you upper level X's. We've been stuck here on this island for over a year while you guys go galavantin' off all around the world, livin' in luxury, spendin' what's supposed to be the community's money on yourselves."

Alec shook his head slightly, not quite believing his ears. Where had this come from? He opened his mouth, not certain what was going to come out, but Mole wasn't finished.

The lizard-man gestured to the remains of what had been the beginning of their pharmaceutical plant. "We only need shit like that because of you egotistical X5s. Why should the rest of us waste our time on a bunch of arrogant bastards who live high while the rest of us grovel on this stinkin' rock in the sea."

"You weren't callin' it a stinkin' rock when I created this place for us," Alec said quietly. "For all of us."

"Well," Mole said, his reptilian eyes still challenging. "That was then. This is now. Things change."

While the heated conversation had been building in intensity, a number of X5's and X6's had slowly approached to stand just behind Alec, showing their support. But Alec knew it was just that -- show. Recent casualties exempted, there were a total of 18 X5's on Chimera (including Max) a few second generation X5 children like Maxine and Brac, 23 X6's, and two X8's.

There were over 200 transhumans, any one of whom could out-muscle an X series soldier in one-on-one combat. And the X3's and X4's seemed inclined to join with their more animalistic brethren.

"You're staging a mutiny," Alec said quietly.

"A gold star for the bright boy. Go to the head of the class."

Alec glanced at Dix, who at least had the decency to look guilty. And Luke ... the little gray mutant seemed to be about to cry. But still they stood with Mole.

"Do the rest of you feel this way?" Alec shouted to the growing crowd. A lot of heads began to nod, and behind him he felt his fellow X series shift. Things could get real ugly, real fast, unless he did something to defuse this situation.

"The money's mine," Alec said firmly, wanting to get that fact clarified. "It's gonna be pretty hard livin' here without any cash in the bank."

"It ain't yours any more" Mole replied.

Alec felt a chill race down his spine. "What do you mean?"

Mole smiled and patted Dix on the shoulder. "I think if you check your precious offshore bank account, 494, you'll find that all the passwords have been changed."

"Why you ungrateful bunch of--" Alec had finally had it, and so had his temper. And, unlike Mole, he didn't feel like smiling. Balling hands into fists and assuming a fighting stance, he tensed for a physical confrontation, internal injuries or not. Behind him his men, led by Ryan, also leaped into position. The transhumans instantly picked up whatever they could lay hands on to use as weapons -- broken beams, tree limbs, pieces of chain ...

"Alec!" a new voice shouted through the angry murmurs of the simmering crowd. "Alec, don't!" Joshua shouldered his way to the front and crossed the open space between the two groups.

"You with them, or with us, Big Fella?" Alec asked quietly, his hazel-green eyes seeking the dog-man's blue ones.

Joshua hung his head. "Joshua has to stay with downstairs people," he said. "It's where I belong, Alec." He looked over his shoulder at Mole. "But Joshua won't fight his friend." He turned to Alec. "You have to leave," he said, his words heavy with worry. Taking hold of Alec's shoulders with his hands he squeezed hard and gave him a push backwards, toward the beach. "You and your kind have got to leave."

"Or what?" Alec asked nastily, rearing his head back with indignation at what he saw as a friend's betrayal. "This is my home too, Josh."

"Or you'll all be killed."