Alec swung his head around and looked at Max, his guilty expression almost -- but not quite -- concealed. Then he blinked innocently, nonchalantly picked up his glass of Scotch, and took a sip, enjoying the burn of the alcohol before clearing his throat and casually asking, “Whatdaya mean?” But of course he knew exactly what Max meant. He might be a bastard at times (at least according to her standards), but he was hardly dense.
Max nodded in the direction of the blonde cocktail waitress Alec had been staring at. Her tits barely concealed by her low cut frilly top (in fact, part of a nipple was showing), the brazen girl had been making eyes at him all evening. Taking a drink of her beer, Max forced a brief smile and said, “It’s all right. I know what you need, Alec. I know what it feels like. Just because I haven’t been in the mood lately doesn’t mean you have to go without.”
“Aw come on Maxie,” Alec said lightly (although in all honesty he was hurt she’d give him away so easily). “I was just lookin’. Window shoppin’, so to speak. I’d never--”
“We’re not married, Alec. We’re not anything really. You’re free to be with whomever you want.” She shrugged. “So am I, for that matter.”
Alec’s brows drew down, the pretty blonde forgotten as he realized what Max was saying ... that she was dead serious ... that this wasn’t just hypothetical. “What kind of jerk do you think I am?” he asked, his voice tight. “What happened to you ... I know it’s gonna take time ... maybe a long time ... before you’re--” He searched for the right words and had trouble finding them. “--interested in that kind of thing again ... interested in me.”
“You’re the kind of jerk who needs a good fuck on a regular basis,” Max said bluntly. “And you’re not going to get it from me -- maybe not ever again. So, you might as well move on.” She glanced at the waitress again. “With her if you want to.”
“Max,” Alec said, trying to keep his exasperation at bay, “like I said, give it time. However long it takes, I’m willin’ to wait. Hell, I love you. Doesn’t that mean anything to you? Do you really think I’d cheat on you with that girl just ‘cause I’m horny?”
“Yes,” Max said bluntly. “It’s your nature, Alec. It always has been. I always knew we wouldn’t last ... that one day you’d have an affair or a one-night-stand.” She shrugged again. “Don’t worry about it, though. You’ve got my permission. And don’t worry about my feelings either because, frankly, I really don’t care.” Max’s attention was on the big-breasted cocktail waitress again, but the lighthearted words were at odds with the pain in her eyes. The bimbo was looking toward them, a wink at Alec indicating definite interest.
The X5 shook his head no, then deliberately turned back at Max. “Yes, you do care,” he said, his voice low and solid, as full of conviction as he could make it. “You do care about me, and don’t try’n deny it ‘cause I’m the empath around here.”
Now it was Max’s turn to glance away, her cheeks flushing.
“Aha!” Alec said triumphantly. “You no more want me to fuck that girl than I want you to ... to ...” He stopped.
“To what?”
“To go back to Logan.”
“Alec,” Max said, her eyes flaming with anger because that was the only emotion strong enough to overcome her fear of losing him (or so Alec told himself). “You’re not going to stay celibate. I know that. You know that. We might as well get it over with. Do you want me to ask her for you?”
“She’ll think you want a threesome,” Alec said lightly. “And no, I don’t want you makin’ a date for me with some other woman. I’m perfectly happy with the one I have right now.”
“You need to have sex.”
“I’ve got a hand, Max. It’s not a problem.” He reached out and covered her fingers with his. “It’s. Not. A. Problem.”
“Every female in this bar noticed you as soon as you walked in,” she said quietly. “You could have your pick.”
“And every male noticed you,” Alec countered. He nodded toward the pool table on the far side of the room. “The dude in the cowboy hat isn’t half bad lookin’. How would you feel if I was tryin’ to fix you up with him?”
“I don’t want to be fixed up.”
“And neither do I. We’ve got time, Max. All the time in the world. No one is after us. No one knows where we are ... where we’re goin’--”
“Even we don’t know where we’re going,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, there’s that,” Alec admitted. “I’m just sayin’ that we can start fresh now, Max ... make lives for ourselves any way we want to. And hey,” he winked, “there’ll come a time when you won’t be able to resist me any more. I guarantee it.”
“We’re not free so long as I have this thing in my head,” she said sadly, referring to the deactivated Reds implant that was identical to the ones in the heads of the Y soldiers. “I can always be tracked. And as for being with you ...”
“Max,” Alec said bluntly, “you were raped. I get it. I was there. And don’t think I don’t blame myself for not protectin’ you.”
“I don’t need your protection.”
“True, but it’s a guy thing. Call me proud, but I don’t like bein’ helpless while the woman I love is fucked by a gang of used-to-be-human bad asses.” His voice dropped and he leaned closer to her over the table. “And don’t think what happened to you doesn’t affect me, ‘cause it does. I’m never gonna totally forgive myself for not stoppin’ those Y soldiers ... for bein’ with Joshua while they--”
“You were trying to save my life,” Max said, her eyes holding his so he’d know she was speaking the truth. “I’ve never blamed you, Alec. I was just so damn glad they didn’t kill you.”
It was the most Max and he had ever said to each other about that horrible night a month ago when Manticore’s new series soldiers had invaded their home looking to kill Joshua. The two X5s had been brutalized ... Max raped ... Alec nearly getting a bullet in the head. But they’d survived. Joshua had survived. And now--
“What are we going to do?” Max whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she clutched Alec’s hand.
Alec’s jaw twitched. “We’re gonna be just fine,” he said firmly. “We’re gonna take care of each other, and -- although I can’t believe I’m sayin’ this (one corner of his lip lifted in a resigned smirk) -- sex hasn’t got anything to do with it.”
The blonde waitress came up to take away his empty Scotch glass. “You want anything else from me?” the girl asked, the double meaning clear as her hand brushed Alec’s arm.
Alec didn’t even look at her, his eyes remaining steadfastly fixed on his mate. “No,” he said simply. But then he did glance up and flashed the disappointed girl his trademark smile -- a consolation prize. “But thanks for askin’.”
*****
She went straight to the fly of his pants in the parking lot, pushing him back against his bike where it was parked in the shadows, hands fumbling ... shaking ... her desperation making Alec feel like crying. She was on her knees, her fingers trying to free him from his jeans when he firmly grabbed her shoulders and huskily said, “Stop.” He reached down then and tilted her chin up so she had to look at him. “Not like this, Max,” he said softly. “Never like this again. You’re not my whore. When we fuck, we’ll fuck together or not at all. Get it?”
“Got it,” Max said in a small voice before her expression hardened and she climbed back to her feet, her pride returning.
“You don’t hafta prove anything to me, or satisfy me,” he added as she turned toward her own Ninja motorcycle. “Just like I hope I don’t hafta prove anything to you ... not any more.”
She looked back at him then, head cocked to one side, the old Max back in town. “I’m not so sure about that, pretty boy,” she said.
Alec did a double take, not understanding.
“In my book, you’re still my soldier,” she said firmly. “And you still owe me for a few things.”
And Alec got it. This was Max’s defense mechanism ... her way of regaining control ... and he was more than willing to play along. He grinned. “Yes, sir,” he said. “You’re in charge, sir. And I’m indebted to you.”
“Do we have an understanding?” Max said, her features softening as he took her in his arms, her playfulness running out as quickly as it had begun.
“Completely,” Alec murmured against the top of her head as he hugged her.
His cell phone rang.
With a soft curse Alec took the cell out and double-checked the number while Max watched him, all the fear back in her eyes in a way that made the X5 feel like hitting something.
“Who is it?” Max asked.
Alec frowned. “Don’t recognize the number.”
The phone chirped again. He shrugged, and pressed “receive.” “Hello.”
Alec. It’s Logan. Is Max with you?
Alec’s eyes widened and he answered before thinking. “Yeah. But I don’t know if--”
Thank God. Now, I know this is asking a lot but for once just shut up and listen. I’ve got to see her. It’s a matter of life and death. Hers. That implant in her head ... the one from the Reds ... It’s going to kill her if we don’t get it out.
Alec’s voice deepened. “What the hell are you talkin’ about?”
“Who is it?” Max demanded.
Alec jerked away before she could grab the phone. “She doesn’t want to talk to you,” he said without thinking whether that was actually true or not. After all, he still didn’t know all the details about why Max and Logan had broken up. But he wasn’t taking any chances. Max talking to her ex wasn’t on his agenda today -- not with all of their other troubles.
I need to talk to Max. Alec ... let me talk to her. This has nothing to do with you, or the two of you together. It’s her life that’s at stake. Don’t be a selfish jealous ass.
Alec blinked at the stinging words. Then he clenched his jaw and roughly handed the cell phone to Max. “It’s Logan,” he growled, his displeasure evident. “For you.”
*****
He was acting petulant. Alec knew he was. He also knew it wasn’t attractive and annoyed the hell out of Max. But he couldn’t help it.
“Tell me again why we’re still trusting Logan?” Alec asked as he and Max rode up the private elevator to the top floor of the San Francisco office building where Logan Cale, aka “Eyes Only,” currently resided.
Hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans and jacket collar turned up in back to cover his bar code (old habit), the X5 was extremely uncomfortable with this situation, shown by the way he was rocking back and forth on his heels, his nervousness not quite under control. Of course the man has yet another penthouse apartment, Alec thought snidely as the doors opened on a plushly furnished living room that, in a quick perusal, revealed original artwork on the walls, polished parquet floors, and soft mood music from an undoubtedly expensive sound system (a pop-remake tune that bothered Alec for no real reason). He could smell something cooking as well ... probably a gourmet meal for the ex-girlfriend. There would be wine ...
“Because he’s our friend,” Max said simply, her voice low and tinged with anger as she exited the elevator first.
They’d pretty much had an all-out fight the day before -- he and Max -- while stopped at a roadside rest on their way to San Francisco. He’d demanded to know what the real deal was with Logan and her, and she’d pretty much declined to elaborate, thereby making Alec all the more suspicious and sullen. He’d even thought about leaving ... letting her go back to her old boyfriend if she wanted.
But then he’d remembered what had happened at the farm in the Canadian woods. And he’d also seen the way Max was looking at him when she thought he didn’t notice, her eyes filled with worry and maybe even a touch of fear. She doesn’t want me to go. If she did I’d sense it.
So, he’d stayed. And now here they were, face-to-face with the old boyfriend and the old memories.
“Max,” Logan said, his face lighting up with a big smile as he crossed the room and enveloped her in a hug, the exo-skeleton servos whirring softly -- a sound that brought Alec back to Seattle, 2021 in a way that was rather startling. Then, with Max still in his arms, Logan looked over her shoulder at his other guest. “Alec,” he said, his tone far more reserved as he acknowledged the X5 with a small nod. To Max, “I didn’t realize the two of you had hooked up again -- not until Sam Carr told me the other day.”
“And now you know,” Alec said lightly, his own smile bright, cheerful, and mockingly false. “Long time no see, buddy.” He stepped forward, taking his right hand out of his pocket to offer a shake.
Logan accepted, and Alec made sure his own grip was firm, confident, and that the look in his eyes conveyed “Max is mine now.”
“So,” Logan said, ushering them over to a couch that looked like it had cost more than the two X5s together had made in six months at their menial jobs up in Canada, “when did this happen ... the couple thing?”
“Awhile back,” Max said, kicking off her shoes and curling her feet up on the plush cushions like she’d done it a thousand times before, making herself at home in a way that set Alec’s teeth on edge.
As for himself, Alec strolled over to an armchair and sat down, but his own feet stayed firmly on the floor, elbows on knees and hands clasped as he leaned forward. “She finally realized what she was missin’ and came lookin’ for me,” he added.
“It was just before Terminal City disbanded,” Max clarified. “I knew I needed help with my people and Alec was the logical choice.”
“So,” Logan said, his blue eyes a bit too bright behind the lenses of his glasses as he took a seat on the couch beside Max, “the two of you are business partners then?”
“Among other things,” Alec said before Max could answer. He shot her a look, daring her to deny the truth ... the intimacy ... of their relationship.
“Look,” Max said carefully, her expression warning her “business partner” to keep his mouth shut, “Alec and me are together, okay?
“Congratulations,” Logan said simply. “I’m glad you’re happy, Max, and that you’ve found someone whom you’re compatible with.”
Even though the words were polite, the jealousy behind them made Alec’s senses quicken and he raised his chin a fraction, eyes narrowing slightly. “What’s this about Max needin’ to get the implant out of her head?” the X5 said curtly, steering the conversation to safer waters.
Logan leaned back against the couch cushions. “You know Sam Carr has continued working on and off with Manticore,” he said. “Helping Lydecker out in Gillette now and then with the medical needs of the transhumans and transgenics.”
“No, I didn’t know that,” Max said. “But it makes sense. Sam’s a good man. He was always willing to help us out.”
Alec nodded. He’d been patched up a time or two by the good Doc as well.
“Sam contacted me two days ago,” Logan said. “Apparently he’s been working some with the new Y series soldiers at Manticore.”
Alec bristled at that, his lips pressing into a thin line. He took a deep breath, about to launch into a diatribe about Manticore’s new “superboys” and their penchant for committing atrocities, but Max’s warning look silenced him before the words poured out.
“We know about the Y’s,” she said easily, as if they were just a topic of conversation and that several of them hadn’t recently gang raped her.
“They use Red implant technology to achieve their strength,” Logan said, “along with blood transfusions and gene therapy.” He eyed Alec. “They’re true humans, though,” he added. “No animal hybrids.”
“Old news,” Alec said, his voice carefully expressionless. “Get to the point.”
“Their implants are breaking down,” Logan said, doing just that. “Killing them.”
Alec smiled, the expression genuine this time, and Logan looked at him oddly.
“Go on,” Max prompted, leaning toward Logan, her brown eyes intense.
“Sam got hold of the analysis of the implants,” Logan continued. “It’s something inherent in the alloy. They’re correcting it by changing the formula. However, your implant is one of the old ones, Max. Sooner or later it’s going to break apart in your brain. In fact, it might have started already. You’ve had it in your head what? Six or seven years?”
“Almost seven,” Max said. “And if it was gonna break up, why hasn’t it done it before now? I mean those Y soldiers have only had them in their heads a short time, right?”
“Something to do with the drugs they’re taking to prevent rejection of the gene therapy,” Logan said. “It exacerbated the breakdown process. But Sam thinks your own implant is probably doing the same thing as theirs, just more slowly. It needs to be taken out, Max.”
“Can’t be done,” Max said. “We looked into it before. Remember, Logan?”
“Manticore’s got new technology,” Logan said. “Sam will help. We’ll get you there and get it done.”
“No,” Alec said. “She’s not goin’ back there. Manticore has no real use for X-series soldiers any more, not with their pet Y’s in the pipeline. She’d be in danger.”
“Manticore always has a use for X5-452,” Logan said with a little smile. “She’s the Messiah, remember?”
“An unneeded Messiah,” Max corrected him. “Yeah, my blood’s still special but no one’s made a big deal out of it lately.”
“Lydecker will help you,” Logan said levelly. “You know he will. But at the very least let Sam check out your implant ... see if it’s breaking down or not. You don’t have to go to Manticore for that. He’s got access to medical facilities right here in San Francisco. I’ve already contacted him and he’s waiting to see you.”
Alec didn’t like the way Logan said that ... the way he was taking charge. However, if Max’s life was at stake, how could he argue?
“Alec?” Max said, at last looking to him. “What do you think?”
I think Logan’s makin’ another play for you, he wanted to say. However, out loud he replied, “Go for it. Get the doc to check you over and if you need fixin’, then get it fixed.”
Max nodded at him, her brown eyes showing affection in a way they hadn’t for awhile. “Do it,” she said to Logan, but still looking at Alec. “Tell Sam he can do the checkup.”
“Done,” Logan said. “And in the meantime ... I hope the two of you like Chicken cordon bleu.”
*****
Alec watched Sam Carr’s face as he viewed the MRI images spilling across the screen -- intricate detailed pictures of the implant in Max’s head -- and knew the news wasn’t going to be good.
“What?” the X5 asked quietly as the big machine clicked loudly and continued taking photos of his mate’s supine body as she lay quietly inside the confining space.
Sam was staring intently at an image of Max’s skull, then he sighed heavily and looked at Alec. “It’s worse than I thought,” he said quietly. “Has she been having any headaches?”
“Yeah,” Alec said. “But we thought it was ‘cause we’ve been rationing the tryptophan.” He smiled ruefully. “No more free supply from Manticore now that we’re on the bad kids’ list.”
“That implant is in at least eight pieces,” Sam said, pointing with his finger to a scan that clearly showed several white points at various locations near Max’s brain stem. “All one of them has to do it move down just a bit and she’ll be paralyzed, if not outright killed.”
“She needs surgery then?” Alec said, steeling himself for the worst.
“Immediately,” Sam said. “As in today.”
“Can you do it?”
“No. I’m not a neurosurgeon. We need to get her back to Manticore, Alec.” He held up his hand as the X5 started to protest. “I know you don’t like it, but it’s really her only chance. They’ve removed these things before from the Y soldiers. Their doctors have experience.” His brown eyes weren’t unsympathetic. “I’ll talk to Lydecker for you,” he said. “The Colonel’s always had a soft spot in his heart for 452. I’m thinking that, no matter how pissed at the two of you he is, he’s going to want to help her.”
“Why would Manticore spend money and time on an obsolete soldier?” Alec had to ask. “Me and Max ... we’ve been pretty much kicked to the curb.”
“Because Max carries his dead wife’s genetics,” Sam said. “Plus there’s her special blood factors. She’s Sandeman’s golden child, and -- plague or no plague -- that still means something.”
“And if it was me?” Alec had to ask, the look in his eyes cynical.
Sam shook his head and shrugged. “They’d probably let you die,” he said bluntly. “But this is Max. Not you.” He reached for the phone. “I’ll do what I can. In the meantime, you need to stay out of the way.”
“I’m goin’ with her back to Manticore,” Alec said firmly.
“Do you really think it will help Max if you’re killed or made a prisoner?” Sam asked. “Getting one of you in and back out intact is going to be hard enough. What you need to do is stay here. I’ll keep updated on her condition. When she’s ... repaired ... I’m thinking Lydecker will set her free and then you two can be together again.”
“How long?” Alec asked, not liking this one bit but realist enough to know he was pretty much helpless.
Sam’s lips pressed into a line. “Weeks,” he finally said. “This kind of surgery ... she’ll probably be in a coma for quite awhile. In fact, the surgeons will probably induce one to limit brain swelling.”
“We need to tell her,” Alec said quietly, watching as the metal slab Max was lying on slowly backed out of the MRI. The gown covering her voluptuous figure wasn’t exactly revealing, but it showed off every curve. With her long dark hair cascading over the side of the table she’d never looked more beautiful to him, or more vulnerable, and he found himself blinking back tears.
*****
“No,” Max said softly -- in a way reacting just as Alec thought she would. “Just ... let me die. I don’t want to go through this.” Sitting on the side of the gurney with her bare legs dangling she looked like a pouting little girl.
“Max,” Alec said. “You’ve gotta try. Give yourself a chance. It’s not in our kind to just give up.”
“What if they do to me what they did to Zack!” she asked hotly. “What if they turn me into a zombie?”
“I won’t let that happen,” Sam Carr said.
“You can’t stop them!” Max argued. “If Manticore wants to play with my body they will, and I’m not going to just serve myself up to them on a platter.”
“What did Lydecker say?” Alec asked the doctor.
“He’s on his way,” Sam replied. “He’s very ... concerned. Like I told you, Max has always been special to him.”
“I won’t go,” Max said, shaking her head adamantly. Then she winced, and pressed a hand to the back of her neck.
Alec’s eyes narrowed, and he almost went to her, but stopped himself. Max didn’t want pity any more than he did. “What about me?” he had to ask.
“You’ll be free, once I’m dead,” Max said, trying to sound nonchalant.
“I’ve already tried the whole ‘free’ route,” Alec said. “It’s over rated. I wanna be with you, Max. I want us to be together for a lot more years.”
“We don’t always get what we want, Alec,” she said quietly, the smile on her lips rueful.
“Please, let them fix you,” Alec implored. Chick flick moments weren’t usually for him, but he had this awful feeling he might never have a chance to say this to Max again ... what he really felt. “I love you. I’ll wait for you. I promise. If they let me I’ll come with you but--”
“No!” Sam said. “Alec, you need to stay away from Manticore.”
Both X5s swung their head to stare at the doctor. “Like I said, Max is special,” Sam offered by way of an explanation. “Lydecker will protect her. Alec ... you’re--”
“I know what I am,” Alec said levelly, the look in his eyes hard. “But Max needs me with her.”
“They’ll never let you go again,” Sam said.
“And they won’t want to keep Max, too?” Alec prompted.
Sam shrugged. “We’ll worry about that later. At least she’ll be alive. But there’s no need for you to put your own life and freedom in jeopardy. Like I said, I’ll keep you updated. When Max is recovered,” he looked at her, “we’ll worry about getting her out.”
“This plan sucks,” Alec said.
“I know,” Sam said. “But at least Max will have a chance.”
“I’m not going,” Max said firmly.
“Yes,” Alec said. “You are.”
“You can’t make me.”
“Yes,” Alec said, his voice catching as he moved closer to her. “I can.” With one swift move, his arms were around Max in a vice-like grip, holding her helpless and allowing Sam to plunge the needle into her biceps -- a plan the two of them had come up with before their conversation with Max had ever started. (Alec wasn’t stupid, or naive. He’d known full well that 452 probably wasn’t going to let herself be taken back to Manticore willingly.)
“Hey!” Max snarled, struggling. “Why you--” She began to go limp in her arms and Alec shifted his grip, cradling her against his chest.
“I’m sorry, Maxie,” he whispered in her ear. “But I can’t lose you, not like this. You’re gonna be okay. I won’t let them do anything to you. I promise.”
“I hate you,” Max murmured, her voice barely audible. “Fuck you to hell ...” Her eyes fluttered closed.
Alec stifled a sob as he kissed her gently on the lips.
Sam Carr was breathing hard, the needle still in his hand, as the X5 -- still looking at Max’s now placid face -- lay his mate down on the gurney. “The Colonel will be here in two hours,” the doctor said. “I’ll make sure she stays sedated. He was eying Alec as the X5 stroked Max’s hair. “You need to get out of here, son. I have no way to protect you if he wants to take you back as well.”
“Just ... take care of her, doc,” Alec said as he forced himself to step back and away from Max. He glanced over at the other man. “I won’t be far, and I’ll be in touch.”
Sam nodded. “Go,” he said emphatically.
Alec leaned down and kissed Max one last time on the forehead. “Sweet dreams,” he said softly. “And please don’t really hate me.” Then he stood up, squared his shoulders, and made himself walk out of the lab without looking back.
*****
Alec spent the rest of the day taking care of details, to keep his mind off of things if nothing else. His first move was to rent a storage locker where he stowed Max’s Ninja and some of his own gear as well, then he headed to Chinatown where -- after several hours of fruitless searching -- he finally found a source for some tryptophan, his aching head and shaking hands not entirely attributable to his worry over Max.
Only at dusk did he let himself dial Sam Carr’s phone.
They took her about an hour ago, the doctor’s voice said on the line. She’s in good hands, Alec. Manticore has the best neurosurgeons on the planet on staff.
“When will I know if she’s all right?” he asked.
Surgery is planned for tomorrow morning. Call me tomorrow night. I ought to have information by then.
A whole day. He had to wait a whole day. Alec didn’t like it, but he was by nature a patient kind of animal. In the meantime ... His eyes went to a nearby bar. He sure could use a drink.
He was on his third Scotch and he’d turned down three ladies (including the pretty bartender) when his cell phone rang. Checking the number, Alec belched softly and scowled. What the hell does Logan want?
*****
“Max is back at Manticore,” Alec said to Logan’s back when he spotted the man on the other side of the big warehouse’s fifth floor storage room. He glanced up at the high rafters where large ceiling fans were slowly spinning, their soft “whir” muting the sound of traffic outside. “Why meet here, by the way? Why not at your fancy pad?”
“I know she’s back at Manticore,” Logan Cale said easily. Turning around, he regarded the X5, blue eyes sparkling behind his spectacles and an uncharacteristically triumphant smile on his face. “I’ll be leaving for there in about an hour.”
“You’re going to Manticore?” Alec said, jealousy gripping his heart. “Why?”
“Because I still love Max,” Logan said, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his canvas jacket. “And when she wakes up I’ll be at her side ready to resume my rightful place in her life.”
“Max loves me,” Alec reminded him. “Or doesn’t that matter?”
“No,” Logan said. “It doesn’t matter. Not any more. Because you’ll be long gone by the time she regains consciousness. From what I understand she hasn’t been too pleased with you lately anyway. The break won’t be difficult, and like I said, I’ll be there to ease her emotional pain.”
Logan hadn’t answered him as to why he’d asked to meet him here on the docks, in an out-of-the-way warehouse. Alec figured it was for security reasons, but now his eyes narrowed with suspicion. “The only way that’ll happen is if I’m dead,” he pointed out.
“That’s a given,” Logan said far too easily.
Once more, Alec looked around the room. There were a lot of shadows ... places he couldn’t see ... places where men could be hiding. “You don’t have a gun.”
“I don’t need a gun, Alec,” Logan said. “In fact, I don’t need to get my hands dirty at all on this one. There are plenty of other people in the world besides me who want you permanently gone.” Eyes Only was still smiling.
Alec stiffened at the sound of a rifle being cocked, then he slowly turned around to see Y-13 step out from around a pile of crates. Behind him were three of his men, also armed. Instinctively, Alec reached for his own Sig Sauer where it was tucked in the back waistband of his jeans beneath his leather jacket. However, he knew the second his fingers closed on the cold grip that he wasn’t going to be able to get out of this one. The odds were too grim.
Still, he had to try.
He wanted to kill Logan -- badly. But the guy wasn’t armed and his soldier training dictated he take out the biggest threat first. Firing as he dove for cover, Alec was rewarded by seeing two of his shots hit the big bald Y soldier square in the chest. For you, Max, he silently thought even as he rolled for more shelter. However, Y-13 was apparently wearing body armor because he no more than staggered back. Then he was moving forward, firing the rifle again and again, pinning the X-5 down ... trapping him, his men moving in from the sides.
“Wait!” Alec yelled, thinking fast and desperate enough to try anything. “What if I surrender?”
“Then we make it quick,” Y-13 shouted.
Alec tossed his gun out then slowly stood, hands in the air. If only he could get close enough ...
However, the rifle was now leveled at his chest. “You want the honors?” Y-13 asked, speaking to Logan who was standing off to one side watching.
“You bet I do,” Eyes Only said, stepping forward and catching the Glock 65 pistol the Y soldier tossed to him. “Goodbye, Alec,” he said, leveling the gun at the X5. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this opportunity” -- and then he pulled the trigger three times.
Coward, was all Alec could think as the bullets impacted his body, sending him reeling backwards, the breath ripped from his lungs and his heart pounding wildly, trying valiantly to beat even though torn by a slug.
The warehouse’s fifth floor was surrounded by ceiling-high multi-paned windows, all of them fragile with the wear of time and decay. 494’s back hit the middle of a section--
--and the glass gave way.
Pain wasn’t really a factor. Alec’s brain had already shut that down after the initial bullet wounds. However, he still had a brief few seconds of consciousness to realize with absolute horror that he was in free fall, flailing arms and legs and a scream rising in his throat before the final crushing impact with the top of a car parked far below wiped out his world.
*****
We don’t have the time and resources for this. It’s a waste. I say prep him for organ harvest and be done with it.
Not yet. The X5s have amazing recuperative abilities. Give him a chance.
We need the bed space and the equipment for our newer soldiers. His series are considered obsolete anyway. I don’t understand why you’re even bothering with this hybrid.
I don’t owe you an explanation! I’m in charge of this base, and whether this Unit lives or dies is totally up to me. I have my reasons.
Yes, sir.
Now, carry on with 494’s treatment.
But we need the respirator in--
I don’t care. 494 keeps breathing, and his heart keeps beating until I say otherwise. Understood?
Yes, sir.
There was the sound of a door closing, and Alec’s mind drifted away again, back to the warm, safe, bright, happy place where he’d been for what seemed like the longest time. The voices he’d just heard were an aberration ... nothing to worry about ... soon gone. Usually he couldn’t hear anything at all. He couldn’t see or smell or feel either -- a blessing he supposed. Nor could he move, not that he was inclined to. In fact, if it weren’t for the occasional voices that penetrated his otherwise perfect isolation, and the random thoughts floating around in his head, he’d have called this death. And -- surprise of surprises -- it wasn’t all that bad.
But maybe I really am dead, he mused, his mind focusing more than it had in quite a long time, the sensation of “knowing” oddly akin to pain. Maybe I’m a ghost ... a spirit ... like one of those things my other-time/other-place brother Sam chases. Or maybe I’m--
The beeps on the heart monitor that was hooked to X5-494 as he lay limp and unfeeling on the hospital bed suddenly increased twofold.
--trapped for the rest of my life in a fucking paralyzed body that can never function again!
