Chapter 6: Run-time, Part 1

Creak. Twitch. Creak. Twitch. Creak.

Alex sat up on the couch, suddenly alert. Looking around, her genetically enhanced eyes checked the room in the faint light of the low burning coals. She tried to decide if it was just the old house making the creaking noises, or something else. Her ears picked up a steady creak of the walls, but there was another noise. She filtered through all the possible things that could be making it. Was it the muffling of sand? No, more like carpet against- against rubber? It was a steady shuffling. Footsteps?

She peered out the windows to the front, squinting her eyes to see the contrast between the night sky and the material things. Alex spotted a shape of smooth metal. Damn. A car.

Clink. Clink.

Metal hit the floor and Alex jumped across the room towards Jack's chair, landing on his lap.

"Ooahf," he exclaimed, sleepily.

Alex covered his nose and mouth with her blanket. His eyes popped open, believing that she was trying to suffocate him, until he realized her faced was covered too.

Hiss.

Their eyes burned and shed tears to clear the gas away. Alex dragged Jack behind her by his sleeve as she led them through the dark house towards the door. The faint light of the stars was just enough light for her hybrid eyes to see, but not his human eyes.

A figure quietly crept down the staircase. The smoke made her tear up and blurred her vision, but as he approached, she predicted his first move. She grabbed Jack's arm, pointed his hand at the intruder, and yelled over the blanket. "Fire!"

Jack moved sluggishly, not knowing about the intruder, but complied. The intruder was an arm's length away when a fireball struck him in the chest. He flew backwards, hitting the wall. The pictures clattered with the concussion. His black tech suit sparked with electricity and consumed the fireball. The intruder shook his head to clear it and then came after them again.

"It's an Alpha," she shouted, the blanket muffling most of her volume. Alex continued to drag the drowsy Jack towards the back door.

They stumbled out into the moist cold air of the night. Three more dark figures appeared from the shadows. The Alpha hybrid squad converged on them as one. Jack flung a couple fireballs out, knocking two of them back. Alex dodged a fist and wrapped the other in the blanket to inhibit his movement.

Jack ducked the third attacker and sent another barrage of red fireballs in their direction. He sprung away from the door and across the yard putting more distance between him and the attackers.

Jack concentrated on a fireball in each hand. They phased from red to orange to yellow and finally to blue. He sent them spiraling towards two of the recovering black clad hybrids. The blue fireballs hit their targets, sending the Alphas flying backwards, but they recovered just as quickly. The black suits, which covered the Alpha's entire body, continued to consume the fire.

Alex darted and dodged the squad. She flitted in between them and around them moving like liquid wind, kicking, elbowing, and jabbing with her knife. An Alpha got too close to Jack and she flicked a knife at him. The knife almost stuck in the attacker, but was pushed back out by the suit. No matter how hard she hit, she did no damage, she only knocked them down.

She had been trained as an Alpha until she was thirteen, which meant Alex could predict their next move, but they were able to see hers as well. The only difference between her and the Alphas was they wore protective suits and she did not. Since they didn't carry blades, it meant that they were trying to capture, not kill their targets. Henry must have sent them.

Jack called her name and she whipped her head around. She was met with a hard punch to her left eye that knocked her down on her back. Through blurry eyes, she saw blue spots fly and carry the Alphas back away from her. Jack ran towards her, grabbed her arm, and heaved her to her feet. Alex flew through the air from the strength of his pull. Jack hauled her towards the wheelhouse.

"What are you doing? You're going to back us into a corner," Alex said angrily as she tried to run in a straight line.

"Trust me," Jack said over his shoulder, pushing the old wooden door open.

On the other side he slammed the bar shut over the back of the door, locking it in place. The squad collectively pounded on the door, sending loud rumblings through the mostly empty building. It held surprising well for such an old rickety door.

Jack raced up the stairs hauling Alex behind him. She could feel her left eye swelling up with a flush of heat. She stumbled up the steps until she reached the flat second floor. Through an open window, the gutters on the waterwheel made regular passes.

Jack's reach produced a small flame that lit the room. He continued pulling her until they made it to the far wall. He let go of her hand and slid open a wooden slat in the wall. Sawdust and dirt puffed up at the fresh movement as the slot scraped against the wood. Jack pulled out a small black box and flipped it open.

He looked up at her, his blue eyes burned into her. "I can't beat these guys. Can you?"

She shook her head.

"I think this is our only option." He held up the small object from the box that looked like two opalescent pearls linked together by a gold infinity sign. "This is an experimental device, left from the last time I was here."

The gold device, the size of a small candy bar, glimmered under the firelight. His eyes drilled into hers. "Do you trust me?"

The door below broke open with a bang, finally giving up its old rusted hinges to the Alpha Squad behind it. Their footsteps clomped loudly as they began to climb the stairs.

Alex bit her lip. "No, but will this thing give us a chance?"

"I hope so, but it's rather serious."

"Just do it, we're out of time."

"Open your mouth," he said, holding the pearly object up.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Come on, we don't have much time."

She complied and he set one side of the object in her mouth. "Hold this in your teeth and hold very still."

He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, then clamped his teeth down on the middle of the infinity symbol.

The pearl disintegrated in her mouth leaving a metallic taste. Alex pulled away from his scratchy beard. Heat moved from her mouth down and throughout her limbs. A tingling sensation followed, flooding the deep pit of her stomach and making its way south.

The footsteps were right behind her now. Jack spun her around with an arm around her waist and pressed her against him. She felt liquid fire course through her veins, originating everywhere they were in contact.

Jack's other hand extended in front of them. Purple fireballs flew out of his palm and into each attacker in turn. Each ball was instantly half a meter in diameter and moved faster than any of the ones she had seen him make before. They hit each Alpha, hurtling them backward into the wall. The purple molten fire stuck to the suit, the electricity not able to consume it. The Alphas screamed and convulsed in pain as the smell of flesh seared the air.

Alex spotted the last squad member climbing up through the window. She threw a knife in his direction, surprised at how fast it left her hand. Instead of bouncing off the suit as before, it struck through and into the man's heart. He fell from the window, dead before he hit the ground.

The liquid fire burned inside her body, through her mind. Alex felt ready for anything. It was like a drug and her body screamed for more. She realized Jack's hand had crept up between her buttoned shirt and her tank top. He was moving in circular motions at her breast. The fire of his touch flooded through her. Her mind wanted it to stop, but her body wanted more. Her body moved of its own accord as her left hand headed for the fly on his jeans.

Alex spun around, her braid whipping over her shoulder. "What the hell did you do to me?!" she demanded, panting. Her body burned, yearning to touch him.

He stood a meter away, looking rather helpless with his pants hanging open at his waist. "I warned you."

"What's happening to us?" It sounded like a plea, weak and helpless. Blood pounded through her, exciting her body further.

"We are sharing each other's energy. It let me draw more power and overwhelm their Tech Suits."

"But why do I want you so bad?" She mentally held herself in place, trying to regain control.

"I'm not sure. It's only a prototype. It's only been tested a couple of times. I haven't seen results like this before, though."

"What do we do now?" she asked, her hand ran over her shirt, looking for something to feel.

"I say, give in." He held out a hand to her and grinned beneath his dark beard.

"You would," she spat.

He reached out and grabbed her hand gently. The fire from his touch sent tingles up her hand through her body. Alex's back arched as she stood on her tip toes, trying to fight for control. She could hold herself steady no longer. She launched her body at him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her firmly. Alex kissed him deeply, his beard scratching her smooth cheeks. Oh, how she hated that beard. Her nails tore at his blue shirt, ripping long tears down its front, which left long red scratches under his black curly chest hair. Everything about him repulsed her, but excited her. She tore the rest of his T-shirt off.

Jack worked at the buttons on her black shirt and then slid his hands up her smooth skin, pushing the white tank top up in a wrinkled mess. She moved a little side to side and then pulled her mouth away and he finished relieving her of her shirt. Alex raked her teeth across and down his shoulder towards his chest. He let out a grunt of pain as she finished with a hard bite.

Jack had enough of that and hooked both hands under her thighs, throwing her against the wall. The wooden boards pressed into her back as he pinned her with his body. Her legs clamped around his waist.

He pawed one breast while kissing her down her neck, tracing a line to the other breast. Her hands ran through his thick brown hair, and she gasped with pleasure as his tongue whipped around her nipple. Below, she felt him eager to have her, pressing hard between her legs. Alex reached down, releasing the button on her pants. Jack let out a moan of pleasure as her hands worked between him and her own zipper.

Jack wrapped an arm around her waist and a hand around the back of her neck, then spun her. Before she knew it, she was on the floor. He kissed her passionately. She clawed the arm holding him up, seductively digging her nails in. With his other hand, he yanked her pants the rest of the way off. Jack pressed on top of her, his blazing blue eyes lit that fire within her as he entered her.

He was gentle but firm as they rocked, creaking the floorboards rhythmically. She rewarded him with a hum of pleasure. Alex felt her body contract around him and that liquid fire feeling turned into a cloud of bliss. A burst of sound escaped her lungs as he moved in her. The song turned into beautiful loud note that resonated at the frequency of human blood. It was pleasing to the ear and sent tingles to every extremity. At its climax it set Jack off and they both gasped with satisfaction.