Alec 4 Tali

Alec walked through the hectic streets of Seattle towards Jam Pony. Three months he had spent in his apartment. If it wasn’t for Max insisting he eat he would have died from starvation. He would have happily let death take him, take him to her.

Tali.

He could finally bring himself to say her name. Three months since the funeral, he had finally said her name to Crit yesterday when he had brought his pay check. The transgenic siblings of his love had opted to stay in Seattle, feeling safety in numbers. The were all now working at either Jam Pony or Crash. Crit had come by to give him the pay check and to see how he was doing. The conversation had inevitably turned to Tali. Crit missed her almost as much as Alec did.

But Crit could never comprehend how Alec was feeling. Like half of his entire being had been cruelly ripped away in a heartless turn of fate.

Alec turned into Jam Pony, the entire place going silent and still as people registered his presence. Those looks pierced Alec’s skin as he punched in his time card. They burned him as he crossed to the desk. They seared him as he entered Normal’s office.

“What the fire truck do you want?!” Normal screeched not looking up from his paperwork.

“To work” Alec said gently.

Normal's head jolted up in surprise at the voice that had just spoken. “Are you sure you’re ready to come back? Because I know how much it hurts to loose someone that means a lot to you so if you want to take some more time off that’s fine with me.”

“I have to do something. If I sit at home alone wallowing for much longer I’ll never pick myself up. I need to work.”

“Alrighty then. Excellent. My golden boy’s back on his feet. Wonderful!” Normal gushed as he took Alec by the shoulder and led him from the room. The whole place ground to a standstill. Joshua looked around at the still workplace. He walked over to Alec.

“You can ride with me, yeah?” Joshua said clapping Alec on the shoulder heartily. “And then Crash tonight.”

Alec smiled at Dog Boy. “Thanks Josh. That sounds great.”

“Hot run. 59th and Viaduct.” Normal handed Alec a package. Normal noticed all the statuesque employees. “What am I paying you reprobates for, to stand around gawping? No! I don’t think so! Move!! Go!! Bip, Bip, Bip. These packages aren’t going to sprout little legs and deliver themselves! Not a country club buddy!”

“Thank God some things never change” Alec thought to himself.

_____________________________________________________________________

Two months later

Alec rummaged through the bottom of his closet looking for his other boots. Damn Zane’s dog, thing loved to eat Alec’s shoes, it was sweet though. Like the ones at Manticore but sappy. Alec glanced at his watch. He was going to be late for dinner at Logan’s place if he didn’t hurry. The one night all the transgenics were all going to be there and he was going to be late, all because Zane had move in with him. Alec rummaged further into the closet and felt icy cold grip his heart as he came across something he had forgotten about.

Tali’s backpack.

Alec picked it up gently, carrying it as if it were made of glass. Alec carried it over to his bed and laid it down gently. He sat and looked at it, his heart pounding. It was still green. It was still studded with those pins. It was still stained with her blood.

Alec undid the clasps of the backpack with trembling hands. He pulled it open and gently pulled out the contents one by one.

Her hairbrush still contained a few strands of her hair. Her perfume was half gone and still smelled of lemon. Her Mp3 player. Her half finished copy of My Sisters Keeper still had the crumpled bus ticket from that day marking her place. Her sketchpad still held 1000 or more drawings of him and her together when they were happy, drawings of her siblings punctuating the mass of her musings of their time together. Her set of keys. Her purse. Her sector pass showing her smile.

As Alec went through her personal items memories of her and that morning played through his head.

Tali kissing him, them swaying to each others rhythm...... Tali’s moans and gasps as he kissed her neck, she swayed and moved beneath him, her claws digging into his back...... her holding on to him so tight, her seizure shook her tiny frame...... watching her sleep beside him, dreaming of eternity together...... her throwing him through the bus window......her tears as Joshua held her........her blood pouring over his hands as he fought to save her..........the funeral, watching as she was lowered slowly into the ground, his dreams shattering, his heart breaking.

“Alec, we’re going to be very unfashionably late. I’m sorry Kavi chewed up your boot’s but it can’t possibly take you 20 minutes to find another pair. What are you doing?” Zane asked, noticing Alec sitting there looking at the sketchpad. Zane crossed the room and sat opposite Alec on the other side of the backpack. “What is this?” Zane asked curiously. There wasn’t much that came between Alec and his stomach.

“It was Tali’s. The backpack. Logan gave it to me after the funeral and I put it at the back of the closet and forgot about it. I just found it.”

“What do you want to do? Because if you want to stay here tonight, they’ll understand why.” Zane said gently.

“No. I want to go to dinner. And I want to bring this with me. You’re all her siblings. She didn’t just mean something to me she meant something to all of us. You all deserve to see this as much as I do.” Alec said slowly replacing Tali’s things into her backpack.

_____________________________________________________________________

“Sorry we’re late guys” Zane said as he and Alec walked into Logan’s sitting room where all the friends were gathered, each holding a glass of wine. Max, Jondy, Crit, Sil, Joshua, Brin, Gem, Dalton, Logan, Sketchy and Original Cindy all looked at Alec and Zane questioningly.

“I found something you all might want to see. Well, the transgenics anyway.” Alec said placing Tali’s backpack gently on the coffee table. “It was Tali’s. She had it with her when she died.”

Max looked from Alec to the backpack and to Zane. Zane caught her eye and shook his head, trying to tell her not to argue with what Alec wanted. Max ignored her brother.

“Alec....” She began.

“Don’t argue with me Max. I wasn’t the only one who knew her and I’m not the only one who lost her. You all lost a sister that day. Another sister. If Zack were here then he would be agreeing with me. You all need to see this.”

Max relented. She and Crit moved forward and started looking through the backpack, passing it’s contents around as if they were the crown jewels. One by one the transgenics looked at each one of their sisters belongings, each sibling remembering their own memories of their sister.

Beep.

Beep

Beep

“Excuse me” Alec said, answering his phone and leaving the room. He sought refuge in Logan’s bedroom.

“Yeah” Alec answered.

“494?” a female voice answered.

Alec’s heart froze. “Who wants to know?”

“SX63 wants to know if X5 494 can talk freely”.

Alec couldn’t move. “He can. How are you?” he asked. “What are you going by now?”

“Lee. As in L-E-E. I’m good. You?”

“Alec. I‘ve been worse. No offence, Lee, but why are you calling?”

“I know about Shakes.”

Alec panicked as Tali’s sibling given name was uttered. “I’m sorry about your sister.”

“Don’t be. She’s not dead.”

“What?”

“She is alive.”

Alec dropped the phone as he hit the floor, his knees having given out from under him at the hope of Tali being alive.

_____________________________________________________________________

Alec opened his eyes slowly, taking in his surroundings. He was still in Logan’s room, laying on the bed with an ice pack being pressed to his head by Max. He sat bolt upright and started frantically searching his surroundings for his phone.

“Looking for this?” Max asked holding up his phone. “Don’t worry, it still works.” She said as Alec hysterically checked his phone. “What happened?”

“Nothing.” Alec mumbled, looking tense.

“Transgenics don’t just pass out for no apparent reason. What happened to you?”

“Nothing. Just get off my case ok?!” Alec yelled leaving the room suddenly.

“Alec, what’s wrong? Where are you going?” Sil called after Alec as he left Logan’s apartment hastily.

As the transgenics looked after the blur that had been Alec, Alec reached the street and frantically searched his last called numbers. Damn it, private number. Alec put his phone into his pocket and raced back to his apartment, knowing exactly what to do now.
_____________________________________________________________________

Alec burst through the front door of his apartment, taking the door off it’s hinges. He rushed through his apartment gathering a bag and the pure essentials. Some clothes, his sector pass, money. He zipped up the bag and raced downstairs to his parked motorcycle. He threw the bag onto the back and jumped on, racing towards Jam Pony.

Alec raced through to Normal’s office.

“What are you doing here?” Normal asked as Alec burst through his door.

“I need you to trace a call for me. It’s a private number and I have to know where it came from.” Alec said, thrusting his phone at Normal. “I know Jam Pony has the technology to do that, I've seen you do it with prank callers. I don’t need an exact location, I just need to know roughly where it was from.”

Normal took the phone from Alec and plugged it into the computer. He entered his trace program and scrolled down the list of calls to Alec’s phone. “This was installed by the police to all workplaces with transgenic employees. It’s to try and avoid transgenic abuse. Which one?” Normal said looking at the screen.

Alec pointed to the last call made to his phone.

“Alrighty then. Give it a few minutes. Are you going somewhere?” Normal asked Alec, spotting the bag on Alec’s motorcycle.

“Yeah, I’m going where ever that call came from.” Alec said distractedly.

“Well, you’re going to New York. Manhattan to be precise. To this address.” Normal said, writing down the address on a post it and handing it to Alec with his phone and a wad of cash. “So you can get there and back. I know you wouldn’t be doing this unless it was important and I want it to be as easy for you to get there as possible. So here’s a package that’s going to Manhattan“ Normal explained, handing Alec a package with a Manhattan delivery address that matched the address on the post it.

Alec pocketed the cash and phone. “Thanks. Do me a favour? Don’t tell them where I’ve gone. I’ll phone when I get there and just before I leave to come back. That’s it. I won’t answer calls so don’t try. Thanks Normal. When I get back you’ll understand just how much this means to me.”

Alec left Jam Pony and Seattle without a look back.

_____________________________________________________________________

“I can’t tell you where he’s gone!” Normal gasped as Crit pinned him against the wall.

Crit growled at him. “See, now I think you can. I think that you know exactly where Alec is, he just made you swear not to tell us. He won’t answer his phone and his bike and clothes are missing. Tell us.”

It had been 2 days since anyone had heard anything from Alec and all the transgenics were worried about him. He had taken Tali’s backpack with him.

“I swore to him I wouldn’t! He said he would phone when he got where he was going!” Normal gasped, looking around for some kind of saviour.

“Put him down!” a calm voice from the door yelled.

Crit dropped Normal, who landed in a heap at Crit’s feet coughing and spluttering. Crit and all the transgenics spun to see who was commanding their brother. All the transgenics froze at the sight before them.

Zack.

“What are you doing here?” Max asked cautiously, fearing for Logan’s safety.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to attack Logan again. Let’s just say that a clever little hacker we all know turned up and messed with a few wires in my head.” Zack said, smiling at Jondy. She smiled back at him, then looked sheepishly at her siblings

“Well, I couldn’t just leave him there if I could do something about it, could I? And I didn’t want to get your hopes up when I wasn’t sure if it would even work. That’s why I didn’t tell you.” She explained. “I did it on the way here for the funeral.”

“Where is 494?” Zack asked.

“He knows” Crit answered his CO, pointing at Normal.

Zack walked over to Normal and put him on his feet, so that they were eye level with each other. “Tell us where he’s gone.” Zack said calmly.

“I can’t. I promised him I wouldn’t. He’s going to check in when he gets there. He’ll phone” Normal pleaded.

“Is he safe? Is he ok? Normal, you don’t have to give us an actual address, just a rough idea of where he’s gone.” Sil appealed.

“He’s safe. As far as I could tell, he’s ok.”

“What do you mean, as far as you could tell?” Zane quizzed.

“He seemed distracted. He wanted to know where a specific call made to his phone came from. He’s ... he’s...” Normal faltered.

“Where?!” Crit advanced on Normal.

“Whoa, hold up, and back off.” Original Cindy moved through the crowd towards Normal. “Just tell us that my boi is aight and which city he’s in. That’s it, aight?” She comforted Normal

Normal gasped in relief at a defender. “He’s gone to New York, to Manhattan. I don’t know why or who he’s looking for. I just know that it’s important to him to do this”

“What do we do now?” Max asked.

“We wait and pray he knows what he’s doing.” Original Cindy replied.

_____________________________________________________________________

Manhattan, New York.

Alec pulled up outside the house, apprehensive of what he might or might not find. It was a nice house. Victorian, early 1900’s Alec guessed. He rung Normal.

“Hey, it’s me. Just checking in. I’m ok. I’ll call again when I’m on my way back. Bye.” He switched his phone off and dismounted the bike. He slowly took a few tentative steps towards the house and then froze in his tracks as he saw through the window. Alec’s knees had turned to jelly and he was convinced that he was hallucinating.

There was Tali, sitting at a computer typing. She was listening to rock music, swaying slowly to the rhythm. She looked so different. Her markings and barcode were gone from her skin. Her eyes and hair were brown. Her hair had been cut to above her shoulders. She looked human. He didn’t like it. It couldn’t be her, it just couldn’t. But in a way it was. It was still the way she moved, the way she formed her mouth to sing along to the music, the way she held herself. She still tucked her hair behind her left ear. Alec began to move towards the house. He had to speak to her, he had to touch her, just brush his hand against hers. To know if she was real.

“I think we should talk before you talk to her, 494” a male voice said, behind Alec.

Alec spun to see Lydecker standing behind him with a young female blonde Alec recognised standing beside him.

“I think that would be a good idea. Right Lee? Because I think I need a hell of a lot explaining.” Alec said furiously.

“Right. Let’s go get some coffee. I know a place.” Lee the blonde answered guiltily, smiling at Alec.

_____________________________________________________________________

“Beth, sorry, Tali did die. And, yes, you did bury her. But there’s part of her DNA you were never told about. I have been living here with Lee for the past year playing happy families with her. Then I see an announcement of Beth’s funeral on Eye’s Only and I knew then that she never told you.” Lydecker began to explain.

“Told me what?” Alec demanded.

“She doesn’t stay dead.” Lee answered. “She has a kind of fake death. She can be dead for up to a month and still be revived.”

“When I saw the funeral announcement, I knew what had happened. So we came to Seattle and ...” Lydecker faltered.

“You dug her up didn’t you? Then you brought her here and what? Persuaded her to play happy families?” Alec accused.

“It’s not like that!” Lee interjected.

“Really?” Alec said cynically.

“She doesn’t remember. She doesn’t remember anything. Nothing before she woke up here in New York. What were we supposed to do? Freak her out? Cause her to run? Because if she had run she would be right back in the hands of the ones who did this to her.” Lee reasoned.

“What are you talking about?” Alec spat.

“The breeding cult took her from Manticore and brainwashed her. They used her as an assassin. But her mind was too powerful and she started to loose it. Break free from it. Remember things. That’s when she went looking for you. But they put something in her, a device in her abdomen. It’s the reason she bled to death on you. It was like a time bomb. It ate through her like acid.” Lee explained.

Alec stared into his coffee trying to comprehend what he was being told. He had always known that Tali was a special transgenic, that there were only 4 of her unit left, that she was the most powerful entity on earth. But yet he couldn’t quite believe what he was being told.

“Why didn’t you just leave her dead? Why did you chose to save her? Was it her power or was it just you getting one up on the enemy?” Alec accused Lydecker.

“No, it’s because she’s my daughter. Every transgenic had to begin as a human embryo with donor human parents. I am her donor father. Her donor mother was, is my wife.” Lydecker enlightened Alec.

Alec looked at him, trying to figure out if he was joking. He wasn’t.

“Alright, it’s been nearly six months since she died. You could have continued happy families without my interference. Why call me now?” Alec said, looking at them suspiciously.

“Her memory’s coming back.” Lee said. “With all transgenics there is always a trigger for memory restoration, something that pulls all the memories forward. It’s the first thing they remember.” Lee paused. “You. Her trigger is you. She keeps dreaming about you, drawing pictures of you. She has what she thinks is a recurring nightmare. It’s not, it’s the memory of her death. She needs you now.”

Alec pondered this proposition. “If she recovers her memory, will she still love me the way she did before?”

“Yes. Her emotions won’t change.” Lydecker reassured.

“Alright. I’ll do it. But I want to know something in return.” Alec bargained.

Lydecker and Lee looked at each other. “What?” Lee asked cautiously.

“Where are my children? As she was dying, she told me that we had a boy and a girl and you had them. Where are they?”

Lydecker looked sad. “She never had any children. Because of the chemical experiments performed on her when she was younger her reproductive system is irreparably damaged. She never has and never will produce children.”

“But then why...?”

“The brain washing altered her mental state.” Lydecker looked heartbroken.

“Your wife wanted a daughter called Beth didn’t she?” Alec asked quietly.

“Yes. Even in death I wanted her to have every thing she ever wanted. If Beth wanted something that badly, wouldn’t you do anything to give it to her?”

“Yes. I would give her anything and I would do anything to have her back.”

“Let’s go then” Lee said.

_____________________________________________________________________

“Beth! Visitor!” Lee called as soon as Alec was settled in the kitchen. She and Lydecker shut themselves in the study, leaving the lovers to have a moment.

His heart was pounding and it ached with longing for her. He could barely breathe. The rest of the world disappeared as she came into his field of vision. He could smell her hot lemony scent as she filled the room with her presence.

“Who are you?” She said, looking at Alec with suspicion.

“My name’s Alec. I’m not sure if you remember me or ...” Alec trailed off as she started to seize, her diminutive frame convulsing manically. Alec darted forward, catching her just before she hit the ground. “Help!” Alec yelled as he cradled her close to him, his old habits with her falling back into second nature.

He looked down at her, his heart breaking with what he saw. This wasn’t a seizure. It was her memories resurfacing. Tears streamed down her face and a scream escaped her lips as the medications Lydecker had put her on wore off, her body forcing her back into being a transgenic. Her markings splashed her skin and her barcode revealed itself on the back of her neck.

Lydecker crashed into the kitchen as she started to regain consciousness. She looked up at him and Alec and Lee, all standing above her, looking down worriedly. She shakily got to her feet.

“You lied to me.” She said, looking at Lydecker and Lee. “You fed me a load of pills to keep me under control. Muscle suppressants, genetic suppressants, serotonin pills. You lied to me.” She accused.

“It’s not like that, we were trying to give you a normal life. Maybe our methods were a little off but we were trying to protect you.” Lee pleaded.

“Protect me? Normal life? News flash, Lee, the wrong thing done for the right reasons is still the wrong thing!” she yelled at Lee and Lydecker. She turned to Alec. “I want to go to Seattle. Now. I want to go home.”

“Alright. Go get your stuff and we’ll go. Ok?” Alec reassured her.

She nodded and ran from the room, her bare feet silent as she crossed the hall and ascended the stairs to her room. Alec looked at Lee.

“Go, Alec. Take her to them and let them deal with her. We’ll follow in a few weeks, when she’s cooled off a bit.” Lee said. Lydecker looked like his world had crumbled. He was loosing his daughter again.

“I’ll take care of her, I promise.” Alec guaranteed. “She’ll be fi...” Alec faltered as a crash came from the stairs.

Alec was the first to get to her. She was convulsing wildly, blood pouring from her head where she had hit it on the banister as she fell.

“She needs serotonin.” Alec said to Lydecker.

“We don’t have any, she took the last one this morning. And we have to go all the way to Seattle to get it. It‘s illegal in all cities except Seattle!” Lee cried.

“Then we need to take her to Seattle. I need a phone. I have a contact who can get us there fast.” Alec said determinedly

“She might not have that long” Lydecker said, passing Alec the phone.

“I am not losing her again!” Alec said as he punched in the number for Logan.

Alec looked down at Tali, willing her to be ok as he waited for what seemed to be an eternity for Logan to pick up.

Fear clutched at Alec’s heart. He couldn’t take loosing her again.

“Hello?” Logan answered.

“Logan? It’s Alec. I need your help.”