Won't Back Down: Won't Back Down

by Unknown

  They ate by the dumpster. Alex wolfed his share down ravenously, which worried Liam. He fed Alex the last of the jerky, his own share, one piece at a time. He then spent a few more minutes caressing Alex's cheeks, giving him the physical attention he needed until Alex's eyes were half-lidded. If he'd been a cat, Alex would have been purring.

  "Better?" Liam asked. He smiled at Alex's contentment despite their situation.

  "Mm." Alex dipped his head, making the noise Liam had come to recognize as agreement. Liam stashed the plastic wrappings from their meal in the dumpster, and they slipped off through another narrow byway between buildings.

  Liam was taking a roundabout course to the river. There they could find another boat, or the rowboat they'd used last night, and throw any pursuers off the trail. The path he'd decided on would take them on only one main road, just for a minute or two. The side streets here were mainly deserted, so Liam wasn't concerned that they'd be spotted on those.

  But as they walked by more abandoned storefronts, Liam caught a glimpse of a car out of the corner of his eye. He didn't look back, but glanced at Alex, who had his face lifted so he could sniff at the shop windows. "We're fine," said Liam under his breath. "We're fine. Shh, no."

  A man hurrying by on the other side of the street had caught Alex's attention. He started to growl again. "No, come on." Liam gripped Alex's arm, not hard enough to hurt him but tightly enough to encourage him along. He welcomed the excuse to rush anyway; he'd seen the car a second time, in the reflection in a lone, undamaged window. It was cruising slowly along the street, a black sedan, more expensive than the neighborhood's residents would be able to buy unless they dealt drugs. Even the dealers wouldn't be stupid enough to bring a car like that here unless they wanted it keyed, hubcaps stolen, and tires slashed.

  Alex whined quietly. "I'm sorry, Alex, we'll stop soon," Liam whispered the promise.

  He cut into another alley, one he wasn't as familiar with. It had to lead into a better part of town, but it was an option preferable to staying on the road. Liam glanced at Alex and reached up to slide his fingers through Alex's hair to keep him sated for now.

  Alex had picked up on his nerves, though. The middle of his forehead wrinkled and he broke into a trot, skittering a little on the broken pavement underfoot. "Shit," said Liam quietly.

  The alley opened onto another street parallel to the one they'd been on. Another car sat to the left, this one a powder blue sedan that started up to a creeping pace as soon as they came into view. Liam had no doubts now that whichever company had lost Alex had sent these cars to retrieve him. "Over my dead body," Liam muttered. "Alex, come on!"

  He bolted across the road, keeping his hold on Alex to make sure he stayed by Liam's side. He needn't have bothered; Alex pressed in close to him, whining in agitation.

  They were brought up short by a wooden fence, brown in some places, green and black with rot in others. Alex didn't pause, just scrabbled his way up, his claws digging in easily to the soft wood. He let out a short anxious sound like a bark, peering back at Liam before he leaped down to the other side with a clatter. Liam jumped for the top, grabbed onto it regardless of the splinters that cut into his skin, and hefted himself over. He landed in the empty lot beyond with a thud.

  Liam halted to catch his breath and to stroke Alex's face all over. Alex crowded him, trying to inhale the scent at Liam's throat. "We need help," said Liam, his fingers curling into the back of the coat Alex wore. "Ah, fuck."

  He hadn't wanted to explain to his contact why a Slayer had a Dog with him, but Liam couldn't think of any other way out. His contact seemed to have eyes all over the city, seemed to know all the places they could take shelter. Still clutching Alex close with one arm, he dug for his phone. When he pulled it out, Alex looked up sharply and snarled.

  "Hey. Hey, I have to." Liam rubbed Alex's back as he turned the cell on. "No other choice." He pressed the call button. It took three endless rings before his contact picked up.

  "Mr. Kernon. You took a live Dog?" his contact asked him. "They're all over, after you both—"

  "Never mind that. We need a safe destination, now," Liam snapped into the phone and rattled off his location.

  "There's a parking garage. Cut to the right, down the next side street, hop the fence at the end and you'll see a stairwell on your left," said his contact. "Take it down to the lower level."

  That couldn't be their final haven; Liam knew they weren't far enough ahead of their pursuers to go to ground yet. "There's another exit?" he asked tersely. He glanced at Alex, who gave him an expectant look. The claws on Alex's feet rasped quietly on the sidewalk as he shifted his weight, ready to go when Liam gave the signal.

  "Yes, there is. Go now. They'll be close behind," the man warned him.

  Liam jabbed the button to hang up the call and dropped the cell into one of his pockets. "Come on." His fingers closed around the metal that sheathed Alex's wrist. Alex broke into a fluid lope beside him as they veered out of the alley onto the sidewalk. They ran past store fronts, some boarded over with plywood, some with windows abandoned and shattered by looters or squatters. "The next right, Alex," said Liam.

  Alex made a sound of affirmation, somewhere between a bark and a yes. The claws of his right foot dug in for greater purchase when they reached the street, barely more than an alley, and Alex pivoted on that foot, launching himself in the new direction. Liam had seen Dogs execute such neat turns before, but now he had the opportunity to appreciate it. Alex in flight was a thing of fierce beauty, the metal of his claws glinting in the sun, his long hair windblown.

  Steadying his rapid breaths, Liam kept pace with Alex. His feet thudded one after the other on the asphalt, his boots making heavy sounds in time with the steel click of Alex's claws. "There, the fence," Liam told Alex when he saw it. "We have to go over." This one had to be about seven feet tall, a head again above Liam's or Alex's height, but chain link instead of rotting wood. It wouldn't be a problem to climb.

  Liam still cradled Alex's hips and gave him a boost as Alex pulled himself up to the top. His claws fit through the chain links, rasping on the metal. Alex straddled the top bar of the fence and turned back to reach for Liam with an inquisitive tilt of his head.

  This time Liam clasped Alex's wrist without hesitation. He hooked his feet into the links, letting Alex brace him as he walked his way up. "Thanks, Alex."

  "Liam." Alex's lips tipped up in a smile.

  Liam jumped down to land with a grunt in the alley on the other side. Once he'd straightened up, he turned and lifted his arms to catch Alex, setting him down gently on the ground. "Parking garage now," Liam said. He worried his lip as he looked down the long alley. "It'll be fine."

  Cautiously, he led Alex, pressing close to the wall of the building to their left, which had to be the parking garage. In daylight there weren't many shadows to lurk in, but the last thing they'd need would be for some ordinary person to spot a Dog pacing through the city in plain sight. Liam tried to keep Alex behind him, hiding the claws that would mark him as unusual.

  The door they were looking for was painted a dull red with a gray eight flaking off of it. Liam held it open and set a hand on the small of Alex's back to usher him through. He took one last glance around, and then ducked in after Alex.

  They had entered a narrow stairwell that stank of mildew. The concrete floor was marred with old gray patches of chewing gum and other, less easily identifiable stains. Alex coughed and shook his head, his brow creasing at the smell. "I know," Liam murmured. "We won't be here long. We're going down."

  He hoped they wouldn't have to linger for more than a few minutes, anyway. The stairway leading down darkened all the way to the first landing, where light barely trickled in from the thick glass window in the door. Alex paused and whined uneasily.

  "Shh, shh." Liam wrapped his arms around Alex, letting Alex push his face into the curve of his throat. "I'll be here. I'll go first."

  Alex let out another soft, plaintive
whine, a huff of warm breath on Liam's skin.

  "Just stick close," Liam reassured him. He rested one hand on the hilt of his knife, and the other held Alex's arm to his waist. They couldn't walk side by side down the narrow steps, so Alex pressed close to Liam's back.

  They reached another reinforced steel door at the bottom of the stairs. This one didn't have a window, and it had been painted dark gray. Liam didn't like that. He released his knife to reach for the handle, reassuring himself by squeezing Alex's arm.

  As soon as he'd pulled the door open a crack, Alex made a noise somewhere between a whimper and a growl. "Ah, fuck!" Liam tried to slam the door shut, but a clawed hand had already been jammed into it. "Fuck, fuck!" The Dog on the other side was snarling furiously. It threw its weight against the door and knocked Liam back. He flung his weight against the door a second later, but a foot shot through and almost caught him on the shin.

  They couldn't run, or they'd be caught at a disadvantage on the stairs.

  "Liam!" Alex snarled urgently.

  "No, Jesus, we don't know how many—" Liam started to shout, but was cut off when the Dog's claws swiped at him. "All right, all right, I'll be behind you!"

  He didn't know how he understood what Alex intended. But they'd always been able to pick up on each other's thoughts without exchanging a word. Liam yanked the door open, crushing himself between it and the wall. Alex hit the other Dog with a clash of steel and a feral scream.

  Liam whipped around the door and into the lowest level of the garage. He drew his gun as he went.

  The vast basement of the garage was lit by a flickering fluorescent light set in the ceiling. Alex was on the floor in a snarling, spitting ball with the other Dog, though it was more like a fight between felines than canines. Liam couldn't shoot at them because then he'd risk hitting Alex.

  The handler had come for Liam, though. Liam dropped and rolled just in time for the bullets to pass over him. They made loud cracking sounds when they hit something in the distant dark. The man, more heavyset than Liam with graying hair, tackled him to the ground. "Shit," Liam grunted. This handler had a better grasp of hand to hand combat. He'd dropped his gun to draw a wickedly curved, serrated knife instead. All the other handlers had relied solely on their firearms.

  Scrabbling for his own knife, Liam tried to jerk his knee up into the handler's groin. The man rolled off of him before Liam could get in the shot. Liam rose into a wary crouch, and the man copied the move. They circled around each other, every footstep reverberating as if they were in a deep cave or canyon.

  Alex struck the handler with another scream, knocking him down.

  The other Dog came after Alex, but Liam was ready. He yanked his gun out and shot three times in succession, at the Dog's legs. The Dog yelped and fell back to the floor. With a glance to make sure Alex was all right, Liam sprinted to the Dog. It writhed in pain on the concrete. This one was female, with long blond hair and pale blue eyes. "Goddammit," Liam swore under his breath. "Who's out there looking for you?"

  She swiped a claw at him as he crouched down, but Liam jumped back and avoided it. He grabbed the Dog by the hair and gave her a solid blow to the temple. Her eyes closed, her head dropping to the concrete.

  Liam looked quickly for Alex, who was just pushing the handler off of him. "Dead?" Liam asked him, a little breathless from his fight.

  Alex shook his head solemnly, rising to his feet.

  "All right. Good. I don't know." Liam didn't know what to think about any of the Dogs or their handlers anymore. He shook his head in response. "We have to get out of here."

  Alex walked slowly to his side, his head lifted as though he'd scented something else. Liam scanned the basement for any other threats, but he couldn't see twenty feet or so beyond their pool of light. "I don't know where the other exit is. Fuck," Liam cursed.

  He put a defensive hand on Alex's arm for a moment. Then he shoved his knife back into his belt and pulled out the black phone. No wonder Alex had reacted so badly to it, if Liam's contact had sent them right into an ambush. Liam called the only number listed, and next to him, Alex drew in a breath. "Come on," Liam whispered, leading Alex into one of the dark patches of the basement so they wouldn't be so easily sighted.

  His contact picked up after just one ring. "Mr. Kernon."

  "You led us into a trap," said Liam viciously.

  "Did I?" his contact asked and then stated more calmly, "The Dogs have tracking devices in their collars, as I would have told you if you'd been patient earlier."

  Liam gritted his teeth, shooting a quick look at the dark strip of the collar around Alex's neck. They would have to take that off as soon as they could. He'd been a fool to leave it on at all, even though he'd seen no sign, felt no sign, that it contained any kind of electronics. But then, a major genetic engineering corporation could buy the best, the finest, and the smallest.

  "You don't think that would've been worth mentioning from the beginning?” Liam demanded. His mind whirled with half-formed fears and suspicions; he didn't understand why his contact would keep such crucial information from him. “Whose side are you really on?"

  "My own, Mr. Kernon." The voice echoed through the level's empty spaces in a way it shouldn't have through the phone. Alex started to growl under his breath as Liam lowered the phone. A human shape materialized from the shadows. It walked forward, finally becoming more visible under the next dim fluorescent light. Liam took a step backward, instinctively holding up an arm to shield Alex.

  The man lifted a black cell phone that matched Liam's in a mock salute. "And Universal's, of course. And that was a very impressive performance, by the way."

  "Cameron Doyle." Liam gritted his teeth. He'd been so stupid never to realize. The man spoke on the news every other week; he had such a distinctive voice. But over the phone he sounded different enough that Liam hadn't ever noticed. "It was you all along."

  "Of course it was." The man tucked the phone into the breast pocket of his suit. "You had to know your contact was affiliated with the Canis Project."

  "I thought so," Liam said, feeling sick at heart and in the pit of his stomach. He'd failed Alex again, trusting his contact and bringing them down here. He shot a quick look at Alex, agonized. Alex had gone quiet but tense, bent slightly forward with his eyes fixed on Doyle. "I didn't think it would be you." Liam spat the last word like a curse.

  "It was easier than letting another person in on the Interfector Project," Doyle replied.

  "Interfector?" asked Liam.

  Doyle smiled at him. "From the Latin, like Canis. Killer, assassin, murderer—"

  Liam felt like throwing up. Everything had been a lie—for four years. Doyle had let him believe that Alex was dead, had let him kill others who had been innocents like Alex, had been steering Liam like a pawn on a chessboard all along. "—Slayer," he filled in before Doyle could finish. "Oh, Jesus." He grasped Alex's arm when Alex held it out to him. He didn't need the physical support, but Alex's touch at least held the nausea at bay.

  "Yes," said Doyle. "The Dog candidates weren't selected at random. They were selected because they had a strong natural tie to another young man or woman. You, in Forty-Eight's case."

  "His name is Alex," Liam growled through his teeth.

  "Alex, then. You see, I wanted to develop not only a new breed, but also a new type of handler for them," said Doyle. "Someone who would have a certain amount of combat experience along with that natural connection to their Dog. We didn't intend that they should need so much physical affection, you know. Not initially." He continued to walk slowly toward them.

  Liam took another wary step backward, pulling Alex partway behind him. "Liam," Alex murmured. He pressed forward, against Liam's arm.

  "No," said Liam without averting his eyes from Doyle. "I don't want you near him ever again."

  "Remarkable that he'd regain his verbal abilities," Doyle commented. "Your twin really is one of the finest Dogs our labs have ever produced."

  "O
h, fuck you," Liam snapped as fury overpowered his shock. "Do you think I give a shit? You think I'll be impressed that you stole him and cut him apart and made him into exactly what you wanted? He was fucking perfect before you ever took him, you son of a bitch." His voice rose until he screamed the last phrase, all the grief and rage rising up to the surface.

  Then he stood, panting, trembling with the overflow of emotion. He turned with a shuddering sigh into Alex's lips, pressed to his cheek to soothe him. With his forehead resting against Alex's, eyes shut, Liam said in a more level tone of voice, "You're looking to recruit us."

  Doyle had waited patiently through his outburst, almost as though he'd been expecting it. Possibly he'd gone through this with other Slayers and Dogs before Liam and Alex. Now Doyle replied, "Yes. At a generous pay rate, including living expenses and a bonus for each completed job. A normal life, outside of work."

  For just an instant, Liam considered it. He envisioned living with Alex in another apartment like their old one, filled with music and kisses and all the things that mattered to them. They might be able to see their mother for the first time in four years. They might be able to meet her new husband, their stepfather, have them over for dinner every once in a while. In that instant, Liam could see himself at the stove, chuckling and turning for a kiss as Alex slipped his arms around Liam from behind.

  Completed job, along with Alex's soft whine, brought Liam back down to earth. "No." Liam lifted his head. "No, we're not killing for you anymore."

  "Be reasonable, Mr. Kernon," said Doyle. "Alex is made for it. In a way, so are you."

  "No," said Liam, low, tensing as Doyle started to approach them again. A growl rose from deep in Alex's throat. "Stay away from us."

  "Why? He's not fond of me, but he won't attack." Doyle moved closer, one step at a time. Liam tracked his every movement; beside him, Alex's growl continued to rise in volume, a warning. "He knows my scent, Liam. He's programmed to know it. Even if I kill you right now, he won't be able—"