3 Alex to the Rescue

"Fool".

Alex wasn't one to speak his thoughts, but the scene before him basically prompted him to. The guy from the hallway earlier had found his way to the nearest military base and had tried to sneak in, without success. Surprisingly enough he had managed to knock out four men on his way. He could have a bit of credit for that at least. Now however, he was being held by two Blackwatch troopers just outside the entrance to the facility. His lower lip was slit and bleeding after a punch from the trooper that had spotted him. He was shouting about some Rebecca and that they would pay for what they'd done. Yea, like they would give a crap about what he had to say. All they cared about was their bills and their booze. Pathetic.

Alex watched silently from where he was perched on a nearby rooftop. With his enhanced senses, he could see and hear every detail of the meeting. Why he was here? He'd heard radiochatter. Something had been disturbing the line that Blackwatch and the military communicated through during the last two days, and just a while ago, the main base had announced that they had found someone that could help. Someone new in town. He knew this because he had a radio in his possession. Stolen from one of the many bodies he'd left behind. Together with the experience he had, it was quite useful when planning infiltration or stealth attacks. Not that he'd done much of those recently...

"I'm gonna kill you!" he heard the guy shout at them. He actually managed to get loose from the ones holding him, and threw himself over the commander that questioned him. Alex expected to see him getting thrown right back, but the commander went completely limp under the guy. He then turned to the two troopers, but as he threw himself forward, one trooper caught his wrists and the other reached for his own belt. Something in his hand reflected the low hanging sun, and Alex quickly recognized the object as a dagger. The guy grunted in pain when it was shoved into his side. The trooper released his wrists and he fell to his knees, pressing a hand against the newly inflicted wound. Alex sighed audibly. Wasn't Blackwatch the ones who were supposed to protect the citizens?

Now knowing that the show was over, he stood up from his crouched position. For now, there wasn't anything left to do in this part of the city. He took a step forward, and the roof disappeared from under his feet.

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[Desmond's P.O.V.]

He still wasn't sure how he did it. With only so much strength left and people shoving him away from them, he'd been sure he would collapse at any moment. But in some miraculous way he had managed to stumble back to the hideout. He didn't doubt a second that Lucy would be pissed at him, but he'd had his reasons. Not only had he heard the radiochatter, but he was also pissed at her too. That alone was enough reason to run away. Not necessarily to just get a moment away from her, but also the utterly ridiculous reason that he wanted to defy her. Bend the rules, break the laws, and get that rush. Ever since he ran away from the farm so long ago, it was always a thrill whenever he did something that wasn't allowed. It was incredibly childish, but he couldn't exactly help it. It was a bit of a guilty pleasure.

With a great deal of struggle and pain, he managed to push the heavy door open and staggered into the basement. Lucy and Shaun had obviously occupied themselves quite well with setting up tables, chairs and makeshift beds. Light in the form of three good old oil lamps were placed on each table. Lucy was at his side in a flash. He leaned against her, ignoring the constant blabber in his ear as she tried to convince him about how stupid and irresponsible he was. He just groaned for an answer. He already knew that it was stupid. Reckless even. Though, you would think Lucy would be at least a little grateful that he'd tried. Didn't she care about Rebecca? Weren't they like BFF's? Why didn't she support his attempt to do something good for once? Why was everything he ever did wrong to her? Why couldn't he just be enough?

His thoughts came to a sudden stop when his gut wrenched, and he gagged. Pain scorched through his body, and he felt pearls of sweat form on his forehead. His vision was getting blurry, and the room was rocking him uncomfortably. What-...? Blood loss, he realized and leaned heavily against the table Lucy had dragged him to. Shaky legs gave in under his weight, and the floor hit him hard in the back of his head. Faint voices echoed through his ears, but he couldn't make out words. 'Help', he screamed internally, only hoping that he actually said the words out loud. 'I don't want to die...'

Not yet...

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[Dana's P.O.V.]

The times Alex ever came for a visit he'd always been out for information. Ever since the time-... She shuddered when she thought back upon it. Since he had saved her from Blackwatch, he had only came over to her hideout to get more information about his points of interests. Not even once did he question how she was doing. It didn't really bother her though - Alex was Alex, after all.

Today though, he'd come over twice. Twice in one day, and not to get information, but to just ... stay. As much as it confused Dana, she was more than happy to have him here. They rarely got any time to talk these days. It was with caution, but she straddled over to the couch where he was slumped and sat down beside him, putting a little more than an inch between them. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and legs stretched out in front of the sofa. His head was tilted back, eyes closed and his chest heaved in a deep breath. She flinched as she wasn't prepared for him to tilt his head toward her and open his eyes to look at her. She could've sworn he was sleeping.

"What?". Alex's voice was tired, annoyed even, and his gaze was hard. It frightened her... To have his anger pointed at her. He seemed to have noticed this, because he looked away and sighed deeply. She couldn't figure out what was going on in his mind, but he sat with his head hanging, staring at his shoes for a long moment. When he looked up at her again, his eyes mirrored ... something close enough to guilt. She cracked a smile at him. Dana wasn't sure what exactly she wanted to say at that moment, but the silence were ripping at her patience. Eventually, she put her mind to the only thing she could come up with - the thing that she was actually interested in knowing.

"What's going on out there?" she asked, eyebrows slightly furrowed. His expression shifted to one of annoyance and he gave off a quiet snort.

"Shit. That's what's going on..." he muttered. She didn't doubt that in the slightest. She constantly heard people screaming outside, and whenever she looked out, there was chaos allover the streets. Plain and utter chaos. Not exactly in the immediate area around the block, but she could see smoke rising from some of the buildings, and hear screams from the people out on the streets.

His eyes shifted to stare at his feet again and Dana could see the anger build up inside him. Alex had been out there, and she could only guess how much he'd been through - the horrible things he'd seen. His hands clenched into fists, and the next words he spoke were filled to the brim with venom; "Blackwatch hurt someone".

This shocked Dana, and she stared at him like he was a man gone mad. Blackwatch? But they were hired to protect the people!They only shot the infected. Only the ones with symptoms. She couldn't help the words from slipping out between her lips; "But he- He was infected, right?". He must've heard the fear in her voice, for he looked up at her with a concerned expression. Or was he just concerned about the Blackwatch murdering people? His answer to the question made her blood turn cold.

"No. He wasn't"

"What?! Why would they shoot someone healthy?!"

"Stab. And cause he was being a dick". The lack of concern he showed made her want to slap him then and there, but she had a feeling there was something more to it. She didn't have to wait long before he let out another sigh and resumed his explanation. "He'd knocked out four troopers and were wailing about some Rebecca" he said, clearly uninterested in the reason behind it. Dana didn't say anything at first, hoping that he would continue on his own. Her better judgment knew that he wouldn't though. Alex had never been one for talking. Neither small talk nor something serious as this. He simply wasn't a social person. Dana was intrigued by this 'Rebecca' person however, and she wanted to know more details about the person screaming at a Blackwatch soldier. She knew Alex would quickly grow tired if she were to question him though. He was a very good example of the term 'fight-or-flight'.

She got up from the couch and walked across the room, up to a desk that was shoved into the corner. Stacks of papers and magazines were lined up along the wall, and there was a few pens and pencils scattered among them. In the center was Dana's laptop. She sat down in the chair and opened the lid. The screen immediately lit up. She almost gagged at the sight of what she last had researched. A - more or less - man with a face that looked like melted tar, bloodshot eyes empty of any expression. Swollen, darkened lumps of skin covered his neck and shoulders. Thick strands of saliva dripping from its mouth. 'It'...? Since when had she ever started calling him an it? She had to believe he was still a human and could be saved.

Dana quickly closed the article and swallowed a gag. She was over her head with relief to have gotten something else to research. Her fingers danced over the keyboard as she dug into Gentek's most secret files. She thought for a second that they would have to improve their online security systems. The one they had was trash. Anyone with enough skill could easily get their hands and eyes on these files. They were basically public. At least in Dana's mind. She realized she had learned quite a lot through her days, and as a matter of fact, she was hacking through the walls of New York City's possibly most complex security system. Whoops...Guess they aren't that public after all.

After a bit of digging, she found an encrypted audio file - "CRANE-HV0646-1". Clearly something of interest when it was so highly protected. "Alex, I think you want to hear this" she called out, her eyes still glued on the screen. She swiftly decoded the file and opened it.

"Alert all points! Possible High-Value target! Requesting backup to the Red Zone!"

A short break...

"Red Crown, this is Delta-5. Subject Crane has been captured and secured."

"Delta-5, assemble and report immediately. Subject is to be prepared for transport. And be quick with this one. Another failure and you're out Sergeant!"

"Rodger Sir. Delta-5 out."

Dana almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a silent grunt in her ear. Alex had shifted from the couch to stand behind her without as much as a sound. It was eerie how he was able to be so quiet. She sometimes caught herself wondering if he even breathed anymore. Of course he did, he was human ... right...? She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind and focused on her brother. He had a scowl on his face - which, by the way, seemed to be the only expression he was truly capable of - and his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. She saw the twitch in his muscles right before he turned, and she was quickly on her feet and reached out to grab his arm.

"Alex" she demanded. He stopped dead in his tracks when she touched him and whipped his head around to look at her with a glare that could kill. Suddenly hesitant, she let go of him. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably, and she contemplated long and hard if she dared say anything more to him. Her lips parted slightly, but before she could utter a word, he was already on his way out. "Be careful..." she whispered just as the door closed behind him. Something had happened to him out there. Dana and Alex might not have been very close before all this chaos, but he had never been ...scary. It was something she admitted with a heavy heart. She was frightened of her own brother.

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[Alex's P.O.V.]

It wasn't hard to get the information he needed to proceed with his more or less self-assigned task. Or, at least, it shouldn't have been. It would've been a piece of cake if he'd been in his right mindset. His sister's frightened expression kept flashing before his eyes, distracting him from reality. He'd scared her, and he didn't know if she'd forgive him. For what he'd done or for what he was about to do. He already knew what her thoughts was about killing and hurting. Her reaction when he admitted that the guy wasn't infected had proven him right - definite distaste. The reason that the guy had been at the base at all hadn't been clear to Alex until now though. The conversation from the audio file wasn't unfamiliar to him. He'd heard it over the radio before, but he hadn't paid any mind until Dana had pointed it out as valuable information. He could only hope that she'd trust him after this...

His plan was simple. Get in, get the girl, get out. Though, with his thoughts swarming all over the place, he was distracted enough to accidentally bump into a marine outside the base he was about to infiltrate. The soldier's harsh tone and smug face plucked a nerve in him, and Alex had to clench his fists at his sides to resist the urge to punch right back when the soldier pushed him away. As politely as he could possibly muster - which wasn't especially polite at all - he apologized with a tense nod. He was relieved to see the soldier continue on with his patrol, hesitantly as it was. He barely managed to suppress a groan of annoyance when the commander called out to his men to "gather 'round". It was a short briefing, but informational enough for Alex to piece together where the 'subject' was being held. He was pointed out together with two other marines to relieve the watch inside. 'Smooth', he thought. Finally, something was going according to plan.

"'Avn't seen yer face befo'. Ye new 'ere?" one of the soldiers said suddenly when they were walking through a hallway inside the facility. His bright green eyes studied Alex with great interest. It was not that he wasn't used to being inspected or interrogated, but something with that gaze made him uncomfortable. He pushed back the urge to squirm, and settled with giving a slight nod.

"Fresh outta college" he lied and kept his gaze focused ahead - he didn't feel any need to make eye contact anytime soon.

The man gave an acknowledging grunt before plowing on, "Yer nat from 'ere then. What school did ye study at? Must've been harsh getting sent into the chaos first thing, eh?".

"Med-school. Though I always wanted to be a soldier. Do my duty n' save the world". He shrugged and the marine nodded thoughtfully.

"Yer a good lad, son" he said softly, giving a light tap with his palm on Alex's shoulder. Once again, he had to fight the urge to squirm. He wouldn't realize until much later how true those words were to him. Or rather, how true they would become.