~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"God, Max your insane".

"Shut up"

"No wait, I’m insane for listing to you..."

"Alec I swear, if you don’t shut up..."

"Max, I don’t play bait, I don’t even no how to play bait. You should play bait."

"I’m not sending you out there to get slaughtered, just act suspicious, so they follow you." Max watched as disbelief filled the corners of his eyes. His slightly dazed expression starred back at her.

"Act suspicious, what like a Transgenic" his voice low, and slightly horse was broken by the total disbelief that had spread from his pupils into the tone of his voice.

"Keep your voice down," Max let her gaze dance over the moving crowd; relief soon smothering the feelings of doubt as their human minds grew too occupied to notice the X5’s walking among them.

"Max your plan is deeply flawed, it’s a very flawed plan." His voice slightly lower than before still rattled in both annoyance and total bewilderment. His sarcastic tone had long been destroyed by the ever-growing feelings of uncertainty.

"God, you are such a wimp" She watched as his eyes locked with hers, the uncertainty in them was both noticeable and powerful. So was the ever-bearing presence of anger.

"What am I supposed to do, act all glad that I’m going to go out there, with those very insane people, act suspicious, hope they follow me, not get my self killed in the process. So you can go rescue a Transgenic, who by the way, called me an asshole and told you to piss off" the tone of his voice was unrecognisable; the slight tremor shocked her, her mind blanked.

"Alec, I swear…" His facial features soften, and she found her own growing still. God damb it Alec...

"Look Max, I know your on this big quest to rescue every Transgenic out there, but some of them want to be left alone, and some can’t be helped…" he paused, catching her dark eyes with his own. "Max, were not your responsibility. I can understand you want to protect them from the world, but sometimes they bring it on them selves."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"The guy was attacking people for crying out loud."

"He could have been defending himself" it sounded plausible. Yet she knew it wasn’t true. But she let him out. She should be responsible.

"Well he wasn’t, why can’t you get it through your thick head"

"I let them out Alec, I have to take some responsibility over them"

"You may have let them out, but Manticore are responsible for their mistakes. Not you".

"Their mistakes, is that what you call them, the ones that didn’t turn out right." The anger came out with her uncertainty, and this time she made no attempt to soften her features. Instead she captured Alec’s gaze, and within her dark depths, she made him wince under her stare.

"I didn’t mean it like that, I’m not suggesting that..." But the damage had already been done.

"Suggesting what? What that Ben was a mistake. He didn’t deserve help. That he brought it on himself."

"Max, please I’m just saying that the Transgenic…"

The desperation in his voice only fuelled her own anger; guild should have followed as she relished every moment. But her pain was beyond reason, beyond help. And Alec knew that. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe you were the mistake, maybe Ben was the right one, and you just happened to show your head."

"That’s harsh".

When the next sentence left her lips, the pain and defeat she saw in his eyes was devastating.

"If you don’t want to do this, then keep out my way. Because as far as I’m concerned you’re a selfish bastard."

Alec blanked. No comeback formed itself. Suddenly feeling venerable against the pain echoing throughout Max’s dark eyes, he turned; knowing no words could create a solution for the silence between them. If he had known her thoughts, his betrayal would have drove him to suicide.

But the sudden stillness was shattered as terrified screams erupting through the streets.

"Hell". Alec’s raised voice broke through the frantic cries. "Max move" But his words were cut off, as his body was propelled backward with such force that any human would have been left broken on the concrete pavement. His assailant landed hard next to him. The sickening crunch of broken bones tainted the air, as the pavement slammed into ribs.

~~~~

Max pushed her way through the struggling mob, unaware she was moving towards the reason death had rain so heavily on Seattle. She had long wondered what death really looked like, but as it stood meters away from her, she couldn’t stop the tears that fell, as her hands concealed the sops threatening to penetrate her lips. Scattered remains of broken bodies lay beneath his feet. Some so savaged, they were indescribable. The thickening air was pieced through by another earth-shattering scream. She wanted to cover her ears; close off her mind to the agonising cries that hazed her vision. But her movement died along with her sanity.

Tentacles burned through her skin, touching the most submerged parts of her sub conscience.

She watched in horror as a defenceless woman was thrown through a glass-plated window. As the jagged pieces shattered, the floor became an immobile target for broken glass to rain down on.

"Max close you eyes" The smell of blood hit her nostrils. She felt sick, her whole body retorted, as the scene in front of her continued to play out with both gruelling sound, and graphical detail. Look at me...

The blackness came swiftly, almost wontedly. But unconsciousness never arrived. Instead, strong arms folded around her lower waste, dragging her backwards.

"Max, don’t move" the voice felt safe. So she complied, allowing her limbs to hang dead. With uncertainly she attempted to focus her vision, as blindness brought its own surge of fear. Her vision still blurred, revealed a hand blocking the painful images. The assaulting screams still cried through her nerves, but the carnage lay beyond reach.

"Alec" Her mouth twisted against her tongue. But the words were recognisable.

"Hold still"

"What’s going on?"

"Is she Ok".

Alec removed his hand from Max’s sensitive eyes, as the sector cop stopped, his eyes taking in Max’s pained features.

"She’s fine, just in shock".

"Theirs medical crew waiting on the other side. We think the freak took of, were going to do a quick scoop of the area once every ones out and safe. We’ll shoot it first chance we get," he left, leaving Alec alone with Max.

"Alec" Her frail voice continued to cry out to him.

"We need to get you out of here" The desperation was alien to his ears. However, Max had heard it before. He had been broken then, while apologising for Manticore’s Sins, as Rachael finally let go of life.

"Do you have your radio?" Max’s words were oddly soothing, as she found his eyes with her own.

"My back pocket. We can’t stay here; the cops will pick us up on their thermal scanners. We’ll be all over their computers."

"Call base, were need back up and a diversion, tell them there’s a dangerous Transhuman on the loose, put Mole in charge. Alec…" Feeling her flinch against his chest, Alec’s vision flickered down towards his arms holding under her legs, while her head rested within his shoulders. Realising he may have outlived his welcome, he prepared to put her down. "Alec… I can’t feel my legs." He stopped, his arms suddenly tightening their hold.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure it’s temporary," Max questioned, mimicking Alec’s own words. Its temporary, don’t panic.

"I’m sure. Were going to need to blend into the background."

"What’s the situation back at base"

"Mole’s setting up three teams, were going to have to hide out until the first two get here, the third is going after the Transhuman."

"Sounds good"

"Are you saying that the great Max. The perfect being, thinks that simple Alec did a good job"

"If I wasn’t scared of you dropping me, I’d kick your ass."

"This looks pretty good." Still supported within his arms; he gently eased her through a broken window. She clung to him, her face still resting against his shoulders. "We should be able to stay here until the teams arrive."

Unaware she was doing so; Max tightened her grip on Alec shoulders. Her vision flickered under her long lashes, assessing their surroundings.

"Your sense of hide out, is well… doll"

"Sorry Max isn’t the accommodation good enough for our fearless leader" He caught Max’s gaze, her expression was far from calm.

"White probably knows were here"

"Yeah." Drawing her further against his chest, he found himself holding her more tightly.

"What was it?"

"What

"The Transhuman, I mean... I felt it..." She hadn’t meant for her voice to sound so broken, but when the transgenic had forced itself through her mind, the violation had been both unwanted and agonising.

"They used them during Re-Indoctrination" He sounded almost as broken as she.

"Why didn’t you tell me."

"I… I couldn’t remember... I didn’t know..." His face no longer held the characteristics that had long fascinated her, instead his hazel green eyes almost bled with pain, fear, and something else she was unable to place. But it was unnatural. Alec was indestructible.

"It’s ok… it can wait."

"They were prototypes, they had to make physical contact before they were able to…" The painful memory flashed across his beautiful features, as his face tilted away from hers, no longer able to hold her gaze. But the shadows were unable to hide the pain he was trying to conceal from her.

He had so much more to protect her from, a world she had only experienced for a fraction of her life. You weren’t there you ran... you think it was tough when you were 10, a little schooling, some manoeuvres out side, you think that was tough. Well take it from me, it got a whole lot worse.... She was only now starting to grasp the truth behind those words.

"Alec…" Acting on faith, she placed her hand against his wet cheek "Let it go Alec, It doesn’t matter... Let it go" Her words were met with painfully bright hazel eyes, captured by 22 years of suppressed pain. And Max would be there for every second, and every tear that fell.

"Guess they got smarter."

"Guess so"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To be continued

*Evanescence ~ Bring me to Life ~ Fallen