Titans Ch 04 Prometheus

Everything was dark and cold. For an impossible amount of time, Alex drifted in nothingness, alone without even his thoughts for company. Slowly, so very slowly, sensation began to return. He could feel the tips of his fingers and toes, then his arms and legs. The feeling spread inwards, moving up his body, until eventually it reached his head and his eyes flickered open.

It was still dark and cold, but Alex felt soft sheets around his naked body. A gentle swaying motion rocked him back and forth, in what he realised was a bed. He was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling in a small, wooden room.

"Where am I?" he asked out loud, his voice coming out as a dry whisper.

"In one of the elven wagons, the downstairs bedroom," Vanessa's voice drifted out of the shadows.

Alex looked over at the vampire, where she perched uncomfortably in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall. Despite the darkness, he could make out every detail of the expression on her face. Lined with worry, but with a subtle hope shining through.

"Three days' travel south-east of the temple," she continued, "We managed to get away just before the first remnants of the Wildling army reached the pass."

"Three days..." he muttered, rolling over onto his back again and staring blankly into space, "Is everyone okay?"

Vanessa chuckled slightly.

"Anna had a bet with Liz you'd ask that before asking what happened. Everyone is physically fine, aside from Anna's injuries which are recovering well. As for what happened, you might want to try running your tongue over your teeth. Gently."

Blinking in confusion, Alex did as she suggested. His tongue didn't move far before running into an elongated canine tooth. He had fangs.

"I wasn't even sure it would work," Vanessa said softly as he lay there in shock, "But you were dying, and fast. I had to try something."

"You... turned me?"

"I did," she nodded, "It was either that or start digging a grave."

"Thank you, I guess," he said with a small smile.

"How do you feel? Hungry at all?" she asked, watching him cautiously.

Alex took a moment, examining how he felt. He didn't feel much of anything at all.

"Not particularly," he shook his head, "Just cold."

"Strange," she muttered to herself, "I was ravenous when I woke up."

"Maybe it's different because I wasn't exactly human to begin with?" he suggested, sitting up in the bed, "Where are the others?"

"I'll go fetch them," she smiled weakly, drifting towards the door, "Don't go anywhere just yet."

The door opened just a crack as Vanessa slipped out, but the small amount of light was painful to Alex's eyes. He screwed them shut until he heard it close again, then looked down at himself. Aside from being pale and cold, and lacking a pulse, he seemed in remarkably good condition. A perfectly healthy corpse. He ran his tongue over his new fangs again. They were going to take a bit of getting used to. The rocking motion stopped, and he heard many sets of footsteps from the central common room.

"But we agreed you'd go in last," came a loud voice from outside the door. Elizabeth, he recognised. "It's too risky with your blood," she was saying.

"Fuck that, fuck you, and fuck him especially!" was the shouted reply that could only be from Anna.

Before anyone else could say anything in argument, the door suddenly burst open, flooding the room with light. Alex flinched, instinctively hissing at the painful rays, and no sooner had he recovered than Anna strode across the room and punched him square in the jaw, knocking his head to one side.

"You fucking FUCKER!" she screamed, tears already streaming down her face, "You absolute BASTARD! Why would you do something so fucking stupid?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," he growled, rubbing his jaw. He'd bitten down on his cheek with the unexpected punch, which had hurt a surprising amount. It didn't seem to be bleeding at least, and a probing tongue couldn't even find a wound.

"You could have got in there with me," she said in something in between a snarl and a sob, "There was enough time."

She stomped with her good leg like an angry child, flailing as she wildly gesticulated. Her right arm now had a bandaged stump at the wrist where her hand had been.

"There might not have been. I made a call, chose the certainty of one of us surviving over the risk of neither," he said sternly.

More figures appeared in the doorway. Elizabeth placed a hand on Anna's chest to hold her back, but joined her in glaring angrily at Alex. Behind them, Talia loitered nervously, her eyes red and tired. Meanwhile, Vanessa was watching him like a hawk. A tear dripped off Anna's chin and splashed onto the floor.

"We nearly lost you," Elizabeth accused, her voice shaking, "Can you imagine what it was like, hearing that explosion and knowing you were in it? I've seen pieces of butcher's meat with more life in them than when we found you."

"I'm sorry," he said, averting his gaze, "I had to do everything I could, even at my own expense, and I'd do it again in an instant. For any of you."

"Oh sure," grumbled Vanessa, "Just forget I'm even in the room."

"If you weren't on the list before, you are now," he said, his eyes snapping up again and boring into hers, "You saved me, and I won't forget that."

She met his stare for a moment, then turned her head away, swallowing heavily.

"Can I...?" Talia said, looking at Vanessa as she took a half step towards him.

"...I think he's safe. Maybe."

Despite the uncertainty of the response, Talia took it with enthusiasm, practically leaping onto the bed and throwing her arms around Alex. She squeezed him tightly, nuzzling into his neck. He gently held her in return, feeling a little self conscious about his cold flesh.

"I'm so happy you're still with us," she sniffled, "Don't worry about the other two, they were just scared. We all were."

"It's okay, I deserve a bit of a telling off after that. I'm sorry for scaring you."

He kissed the top of Talia's head, feeling the subtle tingle of the elven matchmaker magic. She gave a happy little gasp, pulling back to give him a dazzling smile despite the shimmer of tears in her eyes.

"We're still a match," she whispered, "I didn't even dare to hope."

She darted forwards, kissing Alex passionately on the lips, and he responded happily. Their tongues danced with each other, the elf teasingly licking his new fangs to show her acceptance. The bed shifted slightly as Elizabeth sat down next to them.

"It wasn't fair," she murmured, laying her head on his shoulder, "You were meant to be invincible. I never thought I'd see you like that."

Talia withdrew, running her fingers through her friend and lover's ginger hair, then guiding her head upwards. Alex quickly got the idea and kissed her too. A shorter one, but no less loving than the kiss with Talia.

The bed sank even more as the heavier form of Anna joined the group. Her face was shining and damp, and without a word she leaned in and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was wet, and salty. A fresh wave of tears burst forth.

"Don't you fucking dare leave me like that again," she growled.

Alex simply reached out an arm to draw her in, pulling all three women into his embrace. For the first time since he had woken up, he felt warm. From his shoulder, Elizabeth drew in a shuddering breath as tension drained from her body. She looked up and over to the room's other occupant.

"Do you want to get in here, Ness? You've more than earned it."

"You don't have to kiss him if you don't want to," Anna chuckled in between sniffles.

Vanessa took a hesitant step towards the group hug, her eyes wide in shock and confusion.

"That shouldn't be possible," she murmured, seemingly to herself.

"What shouldn't be possible?" Alex asked, his brow furrowing.

Vanessa took another slow step forwards, then another, then extended her hand. Reaching in between Talia and Elizabeth, she gently lay her palm on Alex's bare chest.

"Your heart is beating," she said in awe.

Alex looked down, and sure enough there was a tiny movement of Vanessa's fingers, in time with an unseen rhythm. His skin was flushed with a rosy glow. He no longer looked like a corpse.

"I'm alive," he whispered.

*****

Alex cradled his badly seared hand to his chest, grateful he'd been cautious rather than just stepping out of the wagon into the sunlight.

"Okay, definitely still a vampire then," he grimaced. As if the fangs and red irises didn't give it away.

It had been a terrifying experience, watching his skin burst into flames, leaving a blackened and puckered scorch mark behind. Alex watched curiously as it started to shrink before his eyes, the injury healing at a visible rate. He tried to ignore Daine gripping the handle of his axe and muttering to himself from across the room.

"I suspect what you are is something entirely new, Captain Murray," said Thrak, also examining his burnt hand, "The place you are from does not have vampires, and we can count the number of mech pilots in this world on one hand. To the best of my knowledge, there has never before been a nonhuman with the vampire curse."

"I don't understand," Vanessa muttered in the background. She had been following Alex around since he woke up, observing him like a naturalist. It was a little unnerving.

"You've been saying that a lot," Alex pointed out, flexing his fingers. The injury was almost entirely gone already.

"That's because it doesn't make sense! You're a newborn vampire, but you aren't even slightly feral. You have fangs, but you don't feel the hunger. You're vulnerable to sunlight, but your heart is beating. You're healing like I do when I'm full of Anna's bloo..." she trailed off, her eyes going wide. With a blur of movement, she was suddenly next to Alex, inhaling deeply through her nose.

"No, that can't be it. It doesn't work like that. That's so damn stupid!"

"You're rambling, Ness," said Elizabeth, listening in from the porch area where she sat watching Anna tow them along using Alex's mech. The progress was a little slower now there was only one mech pulling two wagons, but it was still at least faster and more comfortable than the horses.

"I get more alive when I've got Anna's blood inside me," Vanessa circled him slowly, face screwed up in frustration, "Your blood is the exact same as hers, and you're full of it. But you can't be feeding off yourself! We're parasites, we can't make more blood without stealing it."

Frowning, Alex lifted his hand up to his mouth and pricked his thumb with one of his fangs. A tiny red droplet welled up, then quickly stopped as the hole sealed itself up.

"Well I seem to have plenty, and I don't know where else it could be coming from if not from me. It can't be just a closed loop though, surely? I have to be taking in something from somewhere."

Talia suddenly appeared in front of him, holding out a small condensed bar of fruit and nuts from the pantry. His stomach growled, Daine's axe hand twitching and Vanessa tensing as it did.

"What happens if you eat, Vanessa?" the elf asked.

"It tastes like nothing, and then I have to throw it up later," she said, glancing between them.

Talia gestured again with the snack bar.

"Worth a try, maybe?"

Alex carefully plucked it from her fingers, and everyone collectively held their breath as he inserted it into his mouth and took a small bite. It was awkward to chew now his fangs were getting in the way, but he managed, then swallowed.

"Tastes fine," he shrugged, "I think I'm starting to feel hungry now, and not for blood."

"Fascinating," Thrak mumbled, "It appears that you are, somehow, alive while still being afflicted with the vampires' curse. Gelb, what do you make of this?"

The tiny gnome had been watching him cautiously along with the others, but took a step back as all eyes turned to him. He looked a little scared, and sad. He tugged nervously at his fluffy white sideburns.

"I don't like it," he squeaked, shaking his head.

"What's wrong, my friend?" Thrak asked, kneeling down to be closer in height to his diminutive companion.

"As soon as I saw you again, the magic told me something," he said to Alex, taking another step back as though afraid of reprisal, "But it wasn't good."

Alex tried to give a reassuring smile, the effect spoiled somewhat by his red eyes and fangs.

"You can just tell me, Gelb. I'd rather know in advance if there's a nasty side effect I need to be watching out for."

The gnome breathed a shaky sigh, his eyes glazing over as he reached out with his power.

"To be cured of this curse, you must say goodbye forever to one who loves you."

The wagon stopped moving as the mech halted in its tracks. Elizabeth and Talia looked at each other with wide eyes, then at Anna as she jumped down and stepped over the sitting redhead in the doorway. He should have known she was listening in, given she knew his mech's capabilities almost as well as he did.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Pintsize?" she said, her voice vibrating with restrained emotion.

"I don't know," Gelb squeaked, trying to shrink into himself, "I didn't want to say it."

"If one of us has to die, it should be me," Anna said, gritting her teeth, as determined as Alex had ever seen her.

"Anna, stop," he said sternly and held up a hand, "He didn't say that. Goodbye doesn't necessarily mean death, and it's only if I want to be cured, right? I'm fine. I'll miss the sunlight, but I'm not going to sacrifice anyone for the sake of a tan."

The tension in the air was so thick that Alex could almost feel it on his skin. Anna looked furious, Talia seemed like she was about to cry, while Elizabeth was staring at the floor, quietly thinking. Gelb nervously cleared his throat.

"The exact words are an interpretation of the intent of the magic," he said with a forced smile, "Translating it into spoken language gives uncertainty. He could easily be correct."

"Well there we go," Alex said softly, looking to each of his three partners in turn, "Nobody is saying goodbye to anyone."

"Right," said Anna after a long pause, still tense, "I'd better get us moving again then."

She turned to leave, stepping over Elizabeth again and climbing back into Alex's mech. As the caravan rumbled into motion again, Alex took a seat and tried to project a relaxed atmosphere while he finished eating the fruit and nuts. He felt alive, and healthy, and there was nothing to worry about until they reached their destination and had to figure out how to kill an empress. Somehow though, he didn't feel any more at ease.

*****

The night was beautiful, and held no secrets for Alex's newly enhanced night vision. The shifting purple tendrils of slipspace that covered the night sky on this world were as vibrant as fireworks, and even the deepest shadows did little more than leech some colour from the plant life. At the tops of the trees he could pick out the verdant green of individual leaves as they rustled in the breeze, illuminated by the moon as clearly as in daylight.

Alex wandered aimlessly, letting his thoughts meander as much as his feet did. The close attention from his three partners and Vanessa was understandable, and he appreciated it, but made it hard to decompress. He had to work hard to convince them to let him out of their sight, but now they had relented he wasn't fully sure it was worth it.

Atlas was always going to be a huge challenge, and they had known going into it there was a risk they wouldn't all come out the other side, but Alex kept replaying the closing moments of the fight in his head, over and over. The sound of Anna's mech being crushed like a can was branded across his synapses. The sight of her stoically staring down her death to save Talia felt like it was tattooed on the inside of his eyelids. He knew she would have died happy, having done her duty, but he also knew that he would have died inside if she did.

There was a faint crunch of leaves from the direction of the wagons. Footsteps approaching Alex from behind. He turned and sighed, already knowing who he would see.

"I thought I said I wanted to be alone, Lieutenant."

"Well I was never much fucking good at following orders I didn't like," said Anna, coming into view. She looked tired, and sad. Her long blonde hair was slightly windswept and bedraggled, and she hadn't bothered fixing it.

"What if I were to order you to never try and sacrifice yourself like that again?" he asked, a little frustration creeping into his voice despite his best intentions.

"Then I'd call you a fucking hypocrite, and an idiot," Anna snorted, also starting to get angry again, "I know it all worked out okay this time, but you need to remember you're the more valuable one. You should have fucking left me."

That hit Alex's heart like a bolt of frozen lightning. Fear and anger bubbled up, mixing with some internal darkness that had been lurking since he woke up this morning.

"I am NOT more valuable than you," he growled, storming closer.

"Yes you fucking are!" she shouted, meeting his gaze as they glared at each other from a handspan apart, "I don't even mean your fucking rank. Do you have

any idea

what it would have done to Talia and Elizabeth if you hadn't survived?"

"Do you have any idea what it would have done to

me

if

you

hadn't survived?" he snarled, grabbing Anna by both shoulders and shaking her.

Anna's eyes narrowed and Alex suddenly felt his legs hooked out from underneath him. They both crashed to the ground, Anna twisting so she landed on top. She pounded on his chest with the stump of her wrist as her remaining hand grabbed the side of his head.

"Don't be so fucking selfish," she hissed, gripping his face, "You're not the only one whose feelings matter."

The darkness rose up inside Alex again. A bestial urge to fight back. To own. To dominate. He rolled over, taking Anna with him and coming out on top. He grabbed both her wrists with his hands and pinned them to the ground. She struggled hard against him, but he easily overpowered her.

"Oh shit," she gasped, "You're stronger than you used to be."

"I won't let you go," he said firmly and angrily, "Any of you."

"Fuck your god complex. You can't make that promise."

She smashed her head forward, forehead cracking into his nose. He grunted in pain and flinched backwards, Anna took the opportunity to scramble out from under him and crawl quickly away. She didn't get far before he recovered and launched himself at her. He grabbed her good arm and bent it behind her back, kneeling across her calves to pin her legs in place. His nose had already healed. He hunched over and growled in her ear.

"Fuck," she whimpered, her eyes going wide.

Alex paused. Anna was flushed and panting, and not just with exertion. Her ass was subtly rubbing back into his crotch. She noticed him stop, and chuckled slightly.

"I did say you'd have to try a lot fucking harder to find the limits of what I can get off to," she purred, "You're fucking terrifying now, you know? Vanessa's freaky sometimes, but you look like a proper monster with those teeth and eyes and muscles. I love it."

"This discussion isn't over," he snarled, twisting her arm. He felt himself growing hard against the constant grinding.

"Is that what we're calling it?" she laughed humorlessly, "Whatever, I've said my piece. Now put me in my fucking place, you beast."

Alex felt a low growl building in his chest, and suppressed it as much as he could.

"Your leg?"

"Will be fine, as long as you don't try and break it again. I fucking swear, if you don't stop stalling and start using me like a cheap sex toy then I'll break it myself."

The growl leapt forward again, heedless of Alex's attempts to stop it. He gave up on restraining himself and moved quickly off to one side, holding Anna's arm in place with one hand and roughly pulling her pants down with the other, bunching them up around her knees. She spread her legs as much as she could, revealing her already wet pussy. He lashed out, spanking her hard and leaving a handprint on one cheek.