by Unknown
The Dog pressed into his touch with a soft sigh. Liam instinctively started scratching its scalp, between the dreads, the way Alex had done for him when Liam's blond locks had started pulling, making his head and neck sore.
Dogs didn't smile, either, but this one did. Alex's beautiful smile spread over its face. Liam flashed back in a wonderful, terrible rush to a day when he'd been on the floor and Alex on the couch behind him, when Alex had been massaging his scalp with his long, nimble fingers. He'd let his head drop back into Alex's lap, and Alex had given him exactly that smile, upside-down, warm as a sunbeam.
"Alex," said Liam, as though he could make it true if he kept saying Alex's name. "Alex, Alex, oh, god." He grabbed his twin and pulled Alex down onto him, not to grapple this time. He wrapped his arms tight around Alex, sliding a hand into his hair, cradling the nape of his neck above the line of the collar. He buried his face in the crook of Alex's shoulder.
Under the harsh smell of the oils Liam had spread and the distinct odor of the latex cat suit Alex wore, Liam found Alex's scent. He breathed in, deep and greedy. He pressed hungry kisses to Alex's neck, and Alex made a high, needy sound. Alex shuddered and seemed to panic, nosing all over Liam. His claws dragged like nails on a chalkboard as he backed up to rub his cheek against Liam's chest, then on one of Liam's biceps, before he skittered back up and pushed his face in against Liam's throat.
"I'm here. I'm here." Liam stroked Alex's hair, his mind whirling. He'd always assumed that the Dogs had killed his twin. He'd always assumed that the Dogs were a new hybrid species, not modified humans.
It meant that whichever corporation he was after had sunk to a depth of depravity Liam hadn't even imagined. They'd used humans as test subjects; they'd used his Alex as a human guinea pig. But it also meant that Alex was alive and in his arms, and in that moment Liam couldn't be anything but pathetically grateful. "Oh, god." He held Alex so tight it must have hurt, but Alex just relaxed over him, boneless and trusting Liam to take care of him.
"We have to get out of here, Alex," Liam said hoarsely. "They're not taking you again."
*~*~*
April frowned as she checked her Dog's vitals. Then she picked up her cell phone, one of the untraceables that they only used for one job and then disposed. If anyone looked hard enough, they would find that the phone was tied to a name that couldn't be tracked back to Universal.
She dialed the other untraceable number she had been given for the night. After two rings, Cameron picked up the phone. "What is it?"
"It's Forty-Eight. Are you watching his readings?" She bit her lip, glancing again at the portable control panel. She'd handled two Dogs before, and these vital signs worried her.
"I have been. They look normal to me," Cameron replied. "Steady pulse and heart rate. A slight surge in hormone levels."
"And lowered adrenaline," said April. "Does it look to you like he's fighting?"
"Maybe he's already taken care of our little problem," said Cameron. "You know he's more than capable."
April shook her head in frustration. "Adrenaline and heart rate always stay heightened for at least twenty minutes after combat unless the handler cools them down sooner. His vitals dropped off five minutes ago, and he still hasn't come back to the car." She toyed with the phone, glancing at the glove compartment where the standard handler's firearm was kept. "I want to go in and check on him." She'd never been in combat before, but with a gun and the Dog she might be able to take on a single man who didn't have any of a Dog's physical modifications.
"Don't," said Cameron. "This one has killed twenty-eight of our Dogs and handlers, more than any of the other Slayers. He's dangerous."
"Yes, sir." April shook her head a second time and reached for the heater to turn it up. Then she picked up her coffee to sip at it. The liquid had gone lukewarm, but it was still warmer than the air outside.
A shape moved over the lawn outside the factory. April recognized it as a Dog's form and let out a sigh of relief. "Never mind. I've got a visual on Forty-Eight. I'll check in again once he's—"
The window next to her shattered.
*~*~*
Liam cut off the woman's scream with a sharp blow to the head using the butt of his gun. She slumped in the driver's seat of the car. For a minute Liam thought wildly of taking the black Audi and driving as far and fast as he could with Alex.
Then Alex pressed his cheek to Liam's shoulder. Liam took a deep, shuddering breath and remembered that the car would have a tracking device and would give even the police a reason to chase them down if they thought it had been stolen. "No, we can't," he said aloud. "Not in the car." He turned his gun around and hesitated. Disposing of the handler might give them a longer window before another Dog team came after them, but somehow with Alex there, even with an Alex who'd been made into a killing machine, Liam's heart clenched at the idea of murdering the woman in cold blood.
Alex lifted his head. Liam turned to meet his eyes. "Liam," Alex said insistently. He took a step away from the car.
Liam felt a surge of irrational jealousy toward this woman Alex would protect. All Dogs were fiercely loyal to their handlers, though, so even the fact that Alex would leave with Liam meant they'd already conquered one of their greatest potential obstacles.
"Right." Liam exhaled. "We'll go."
Instead of shooting the woman, he reached through the window. Careful not to cut his arm on the glass, he grabbed the cell phone she'd dropped onto her lap. It was a black Samsung like the ones Liam's contact gave him and probably just as untraceable. Liam had suspected for a long time that his contact either worked or had once been employed at the corporation manufacturing the Dogs. The sight of the phone confirmed it for him.
He opened the back of the phone and ripped out the battery and everything else inside. Then he dropped it on the ground and shot at the screen, twice. Sparks flew; the phone was as dead as he could make it. He turned quickly back to Alex, almost afraid that he would have disappeared. Alex smiled at him again, like a glorious sunrise after Liam had been living so long in the dark.
Liam fumbled to stuff his gun back into his belt as he went to Alex. He took Alex's face between his hands and just stared at Alex's smile for a minute, then kissed him hard. Alex melted against him with a shiver. They both tasted like sweat and Liam's salty tears, but Alex's kiss hadn't changed. Liam pressed his mouth to Alex's over and over until they were both panting; Alex kept moving to touch him but couldn't, his claws lifted and straining like fingers at Liam's sides.
"Jesus, what did they do to you," Liam whispered, his breath fogging between them. He rested his forehead against Alex's for a second as Alex made a soft sound. "Come on."
He went to take Alex's hand, touched the metal briefly, and flinched away. Pain spiked through Liam at the reminder that his Alex had become a creature designed in a laboratory, crafted to kill. Liam led the way around the factory to the dock. Alex followed at his heels. It didn't escape Liam that Alex moved differently now. In the past, their strides had ever been so long and fluid, like that a cat stalking its prey.
Liam tried not to think too hard about it as they picked their way down to the boat.
The river would help mask their scent, as it had concealed the phone Liam had picked up on the bridge. Any other Dogs tracking them would have to search along the banks downriver to find where they'd disembarked. That would take precious time that Liam could use to get Alex to safety.
Liam gripped Alex's arm at the elbow to steady him as he climbed into the boat. But with his oddly feline grace, Alex found his footing without effort.
That stung. It served as yet another reminder that Alex had been drastically changed by the people who'd stolen him from Liam. For a moment Liam turned away, blinking against the tears. He took a deep breath. The air carried a bitter hint of oil and dead fish.
He couldn't look away from Alex for long. When he looked back, Alex gazed at him with dark, solemn eyes and offered out his forearm, above the sharp claws
that now served as his hands.
"No, I'm all right," Liam said gruffly. His fingers flexed. He wanted to touch Alex so much that he ached, deep in the center of his chest. At the same time, he didn't want it to be real. He didn't want to have to imagine everything that had been done to Alex, didn't want to envision Alex afraid and in pain and crying for him.
He hated himself for failing his twin.
Liam untied the frayed length of rope from the dock post. He wobbled only once as he climbed into the boat after Alex. The plank seats faced each other so that their long legs brushed. Liam glanced up and saw that Alex had withdrawn his arm, wrapping it around himself as he stared at Liam. Alex looked hurt, bewildered, and Liam knew he had to be aching just as much. Maybe more, because the Dogs needed human contact to thrive. That was the reason they had handlers at all, as Liam's contact had explained.
Alex's ink-dark hair had fallen over one of his eyes. "I'm sorry." Liam's voice cracked as he reached out to tuck the lock of hair behind Alex's ear. All of his defenses had fallen in the face of Alex's expression. "I'm so sorry. I'm being stupid. You know how I am."
"Liam," said Alex. He pressed into the touch and the arm he'd curled around himself slowly relaxed.
"I love you," said Liam. "I love you, Alex."
"Mm." Alex made a contented noise. The hurt in his eyes had been banished, whether by Liam's fingers or words or both. Without warning, he slipped into the well between the seats, kneeling there so he could rest his cheek on Liam's thigh. He rubbed his face against the leg he'd claimed with a happy murmur.
Liam gazed down at him, almost stricken by the matching happiness that threatened to well up in him. He hadn't felt this way in four years. He'd never expected to feel it again. It overwhelmed him.
He didn't speak. He just reached for the oars, trying to jostle Alex as little as he could. The waves lapped at the bottom of the boat and rocked it, but not unpleasantly. And with Alex curled against his legs, Liam didn't even feel the chill of the autumn night.
*~*~*
Taking Alex to the safest place Liam knew meant going back to the apartment. He didn't call his contact because he didn't know what he'd say. The man hadn't exactly lied to him, all those years ago, but Liam wondered whether he'd known Alex was alive. Even if he hadn't, the news that Liam had a live Dog with him wouldn't go over well.
For all Liam knew, his contact might set another Slayer on them. Liam wasn't going to let that happen.
Alex whined plaintively if Liam stayed out of contact too long, so Liam kept a hand low on Alex's back to lead him. The heavy metal foot-claws would echo too loudly on the fire escape, so Liam risked taking Alex in through a service entrance. He hustled Alex to the stairwell without being sighted. Neighbors in this part of town tended to be incurious, regardless, but a Dog's unique appearance might draw even their attention.
"Here. In here." Liam went ahead to open the door for Alex, then closed it behind them.
Alex stepped into the center of the room with a faint clink of his metal feet on the floor. He squinted when Liam flicked on the light, and then he looked curiously around. The curiosity was so consummately Alex that Liam's breathing quickened. "Sorry," he said. "I know it's not much." Alex loved dark, rich colors, whereas the apartment provided only washed-out shades of gray.
"Mm." Alex shook his head and made a soft sound Liam identified as dissent. He lifted his head to sniff as he explored the single room with its tiny attached bathroom that was barely more than a cupboard with a toilet.
Liam slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans and watched Alex. They hadn't taken away what made Alex essentially Alex, but at the same time, some of his motions were obviously canine. The way he leaned in to pick up the scent of the filing cabinet, for instance, or the way he raised his head again sharply at the screech of car tires on the street outside.
The thought of whatever had been done to Alex made Liam sick. They'd taken away his words, his voice, except for that small part that still remembered how to say Liam's name.
Even so, Liam couldn't help breaking into a helpless grin when Alex turned and smiled at him. "Oof." He fielded an armful of enthusiastic Alex, and swept him up into his arms, mindful of the claws. Alex yipped and laughed, nuzzling at Liam's shoulder where it showed at the cutoff sleeve of Liam's vest and tank top. Liam had been able to lift Alex since they'd been seventeen, but it was easier now since he'd built himself up for the hunt. He smiled down at Alex. Alex's laugh hadn't changed at all, was just as bright and not the least bit self-conscious.
Liam set Alex gently on his feet, kissing just above the faint birthmark on his chin. He could almost pretend that Alex had never been stolen from him, the last four years fading into a hazy nightmare as Alex kissed him warmly awake.
Then faint voices sounded in the hallway outside the apartment, and Alex changed. His hind claws dragged on the floor as he whirled around, his lips already curving into a snarl.
"Alex, don't!" Liam grabbed Alex around his slim waist and hauled him back, away from the door. Alex lashed out with a loud growl, but Liam pulled Alex against his chest. He could feel Alex's frantic heartbeat in sync with his own fluttering one. "No, we're not attacking anybody," said Liam, his face pressed into Alex's hair. "Alex, no."
Gradually, the panicked beat of Alex's heart calmed. His breathing grew more even as Liam took deliberate, deep breaths. Liam had always soothed Alex this way when he woke up after a nightmare. "That's better," Liam said, his voice slightly rough.
Alex craned his head back, and his wide, guileless eyes fixed on Liam's.
"It's okay," Liam reassured him, spreading his fingers over the flat plane of Alex's stomach. "We're all right."
He led Alex to the bed so they could sit down. The mattress springs creaked quietly under their weight. Above them the light bulb flickered and came back on, a regular occurrence in this apartment. Alex's eyes snapped up to it and he bared his teeth briefly.
"No, Alex." Liam put an arm around Alex's waist and pulled him close so that their hips touched. Alex released a soft huff of breath and let his head drop onto Liam's shoulder. "That's it," Liam whispered. He repeated, "We're all right." He had to convince himself as much as Alex. "Let's just… here."
Unwinding his arm from around Alex, Liam reached for the envelope under his pillow. He'd never noticed before how scuffed and torn it had become over the years. He saw it now that he had Alex beside him in full living color, more brilliant than anything in Liam's dingy apartment. "I never wanted to admit it, but I was always as sentimental as you were," Liam murmured.
He shook the photos out onto his lap. "Ah," Alex breathed out softly. The picture of them on the day they'd moved into their old place was still at the top of the pile.
"You remember that?" Liam managed a smile as Alex leaned in with interest. "Our place. It was a little nicer than this one."
Alex let out a noise that might have been a laugh. He touched the photo with one claw daintily, as though it would be destroyed if he wasn't careful. Liam realized with a pang that it might be under those blades of steel.
"And this." Liam tipped the envelope and set it aside, hastily catching the earbud before it could roll onto the floor. He held it up between his fingers so that Alex could see. "It sounds stupid," Liam said quietly, gazing at that half of the headphones Alex had always shared with him. "It kept me going, all that time while you were gone." Without thinking, he offered it to Alex, but then pulled it back when Alex's claws lifted and twitched uselessly. He concealed his pain by slipping the earbud into one of his pockets and shifting the photos off to the side, onto his faded, formerly white sheets.
He looked up at Alex.
Alex was watching Liam with his head tipped slightly to the side, like their old Retriever mix Tucker gazing at them from under the kitchen table. The mental analogy made Liam shudder; he bit his lip and looked down at the metal claws again. The bare overhead light glinted harshly off them, in sharp contrast to the soft, pale skin of
Alex's face. Liam touched every wickedly curved talon. It was hard to reconcile these weapons that could gut a man at a stroke with his gentle twin, who'd never harmed a soul in his life.
"Liam," Alex said softly.
Liam glanced up quickly. His name was the only word Alex seemed able to say, and despite everything, the sound of it, sweet and familiar, warmed Liam. "Sorry," said Liam. His voice rasped in his throat, hoarse with emotion. "I can't—can't believe they took even that away from you… from me."
"Liam." Alex repeated his name, even more quietly. The claws twitched in a reflexive little movement.
Even though he'd seen firsthand, too many times, what a Dog's claws could do, Liam couldn't fear them now. He let Alex touch his cheek, a brush of cold metal that made another tear fall from his eye. He was crying. He hadn't realized it before.
"It doesn't matter." Liam reached up to take Alex's hand. "I have you back. Nothing else—god." He pressed his face against Alex's metal palm. His shoulders were shaking. Alex said his name a third time and Liam made a low, broken sound. He groped at the claws, Alex's wrist, as if he could change what had happened through the simple power of touch.
There was a metallic click, close to his ear. "Liam," Alex said, sounding breathless.
"What—" Liam opened his eyes, startled. At the side of the hand, where the thumb claw met the wrist, there was a gap that hadn't been there before. Through it, Liam could see skin. Human skin. "These—do these come off?" Liam asked urgently.
Alex was wide-eyed, and then he broke into a smile.
"Oh my god." When he looked, Liam saw that he'd inadvertently turned a tiny key just below the thumb. There were more in a ring around Alex's wrist: two circles of them, small enough that he would've thought them just part of the hand's construction. "Alex, can I?" Liam's voice shook.
"Liam." That was a definite yes written in Alex's tone, in the smile that reached his eyes and lit them so beautifully, the way Liam loved.
Liam unlatched all the keys one by one, his hands trembling with trepidation and excitement. Alex's other hand kept moving toward it as though he wanted to help, but of course he couldn't, not with the claws that had been made to gouge and tear. "They made it so you couldn't take them off," Liam said fiercely under his breath. "Motherfuckers." Alex growled defiant agreement.