The Action Man Series

X’s Dream

Authors Note: This chapter is rated PG-13

Chapter 4

The freezing water chilled him as he swam toward the glacier, the current trying to slow him down and push him back. After a few minutes of determined swimming, Alex reached the glacier. He climbed up the ice wall and stood up, the cold water running down his soaked clothes.

First order of business…warmer clothes.

Alex jogged up to building. There was a door…but was there a guard? Alex shrugged and walked in, feeling immediate heavenly warmth. Then a not-so-heavenly voice. "Who the heck are YOU?!"

Alex turned and saw a buff man, a little taller than him and obviously stronger. "Hey," Alex said casually. The man had two guns; an M-16 and a 9-mili meter. Both were strapped around the guy.

Okay, he’s armed and dangerous.

The man looked suspiciously at Alex and asked, "Who are you? Are you—," he was cut off when Alex slid forward and punched him on the lower jaw. The man stepped back, a little stunned.

But then he shrugged and picked up Alex, crushed his back. Alex started to choke and felt bones starting to crunch. He struggled and squirmed but it wasn’t any use. The man was…to… strong…

Alex started to see stars and then it occurred to him that his legs were close to…

POW!

Alex’s knee went straight up into the other man’s groin, releasing Alex almost instantly. Alex fell to the ground and breathed in air. I’ve been losing a lot a air lately, he thought. Then he got to his feet to see that-

Bam! The man’s fist smashed into Alex’s nose, sending Alex flying back. Alex hit the dirt and rolled away from his enemies’ hard tackle. Alex got to his feet and kicked the guy in the ribs. Then ripped the guys rifle away and smashed the rifle-butt into the man’s head.

He went limp and his brain shut down. "That outta hold you for awhile," Alex said and started down the only hallway. It led to one elevator. "Pretty simple," he thought. The walls were white with no design whatsoever.

Alex pressed the button and he heard the low volume of gears grinding inside.

Ding!

The door opened and there was…

-

Fidget flew back from the explosion. "AAHH," she screamed as she flew. She hit a tree head-on but somehow; it didn’t knock her out. It just hurt real bad. She got to her feet and looked at the helicopter flying toward her. She could see Dr. X in the pilot’s seat.

He started firing machine guns at her and she screamed and started running off. Run Fidget. You can do it. Run. Alex? Just run. She ran as the sound of Alex’s voice in her head motivating her. Then the helicopter fired another missile and it flew right through her stomach, ripping her insides apart. She fell to the ground, her body spilt in half at the waistline. The pain…

She opened her eyes and saw her own legs on the ground a few feet away. "AAHH," she screamed in pure horror. Then machine gun bullets ripped into her legs and a trail of dirt kicking up started toward. She screamed again as the bullets approached her. She started to crawl with her arms when the bullets ripped into her…

"AAAAHHHH! AAHH! SHIT…," she stopped, gasping for air and then added, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOIN’ ON??!!"

Fidget jerked her body up, cold sweat covering her. She frantically looked around her, her adrenaline rush keeping her keen senses on full alert. She was in the back seat of the convertible. The skies above her dark and vast. No stars in the night sky. Then she realized that she was looking at the ceiling of the convertible. They had to put the top up because it had started raining.

She looked out a window and saw the rain pouring down hard. She sighed. That was a nasty nightmare. She lay back down and closed her eyes, hoping that no more nightmares would come as she drifted into another dream of…Alex.

-

Alex gasped, shock covering his face. Then his face went from shock to anger. Then back to shock. "How the…what the…" He couldn’t say anything.

Dr. X looked at him and said, "Good evening Mr. Man. Hope you are…enjoying the Council’s company." He looked Alex up and down and added, "I see that they’ve already showed their hospitality."

Alex blinked. It was the old Dr. X, the first one that Alex had fought. His old, gray skin was beginning to rot. His left eye gleamed red with an implant. "Well, I’ll be seeing you Mr. Man. Right now, I don’t think that a confrontation would be wise."

Huh?

Dr. X seemed to read Alex’s mind. He sighed and continued, "I honestly need to get back to my plans, none of which involve you anymore. I have…other responsibilities." Dr. X pushed past Alex and rolled down the hallway. His lower body still on the extended wheels that were like a built-in wheelchair.

Alex thought quick, remembering Brandon’s comments about him and X. "Dr. X, what if I told you that…I think that we should allies." X stopped and turned, his head looking at Alex. "Go on," he replied.

"First you get me some warm clothes and a place where I can warm up, and I’ll tell you things that you would wish I hadn’t. About me…," Alex paused, got X’s face with a mean look and said, "and you."

X wheeled back a few feet, getting away from Alex. He doubted that Alex Man knew something he didn’t, but if he did, it might be worth hearing. After all, if he did give Alex some clothes he might be able to slip a trilibug…

"Okay then Mr. Man," X said. "Follow me and I’ll suit your needs as long as you keep your end of the bargain. And after that, you’re back outside and on your own."

Alex nodded. "Deal."

X hesitated, thinking, and then said, "Follow me." He wheeled back outside and they traveled several hundred yards in the cold snow. The weather was definitely picking up. Winds reaching at least twenty miles-per-hour and dumping a lot of snow.

X approached a huge wall of snow and stopped in front of it. He looked at it for a few seconds and then reached out with his hand and hit the snow in a few different places, all close to each other. Suddenly, the huge wall of snow wasn’t snow.

It was a ship, about fifty yards long and…Alex just blinked. It was bigger than his last airship that used to belong to Tempest. Dr. X’s hand punched in a few more numbers on what Alex could now see was a number pad. Oh; that’s what he was hitting when he de-activated the cloak.

A door opened up and X wheeled himself into the ship.

This is taking to long, Alex thought. I gotta go help Grey and Ricky.

Dr. X led his way through the ship. He eventually came to a spare room that was obviously a guestroom. X wheeled himself over to the dresser drawer and opened a drawer. Alex tensed up, thinking X was gonna pull out a trilibug.

Instead he pulled out a whole winter wardrobe for Alex and handed it over to Alex. "There," he said. "Now, about this information of yours. What is it about?"

"It’s about our fighting."

X visibly tensed up too. Something wasn’t right here; Mr. Man must be planning something.

"We were pawns Dr. X. We were used to test me; to see if I was a threat to the Council."

Dr. X spun around and said, "That is nonsense. I am member 1 of the Council of Thirteen. I am also their founder. I know everything about the Council and—," Dr. X stopped when he noticed Alex shaking his head.

"That’s what they want you to think. We were pawns. They knew that I had the AMP Factor and were worried that, if found out about their plans, would interfere and mess them up." Alex paused, enjoying the look of confusion on his nemesis’s face. "Brandon is member 1. He took your place because…well I don’t know why, but all they needed you was so you could test me."

Alex waited for an answer.

"I…I suppose that means that I could’ve…started the revolution a long time ago. All those times I called in to headquarters to see if you were available, I wasn’t doing that, I was asking for…orders." Dr. X’s face went from realization to grim anger as he continued to think out loud.

Alex added, "I bet that since they think I’m dead and the only real threat is gone, they don’t need you anymore. And since you no so much, I bet they need to…dispose of you."

Dr. X whirled around and smashed his rotting hand into the wall. "THOSE FOOLS will NOT use me like that. Revenge is in order Mr. Man. Since the truth has come out, it seems that you and me are now allies. Lets go get ready."

Alex nodded and X led the way out of the room. X explained on the way, "I keep a full supply of trilibugs here, Mr. Man." He added, "And…," he opened double doors and entered a room, "a full inventory of weapons for all my needs."

Alex’s eyebrows rised. The room was full of guns on the walls and guns scattered about on the floor and shelves upon shelves of them… "Whoa," he commented. There were also knives and other various weapons, but mainly guns.

"Strap up, Mr. Man," Dr. X said. "This is a day that neither of us will forget, I believe."

Alex nodded. Mainly because of this room.

Alex changed into the wardrobe of clothes that X had provided (he made sure that there weren’t any surprises hidden in them either, a.k.a. trilibug). Then he started strapping up. He put holsters around his waist and right leg. He strapped another one around his torso and a knife around his right shin. This is war, he thought, smiling.

"Mr. Man, I recommend this gun," Dr. X said, tossing the BSU at him. "The security in that building is more than you could imagine."

Alex nodded and then asked, "Why can’t you just enter in the codes?"

X stopped and replied, "Because once they see through the security cameras that we have arrived, they will send the actual security systems."

A grim look appeared on Alex’s face. I hope that Ricky and Grey are all right, he thought as he started filling his holsters with guns.

-

The door to the room opened.

I jerked my head to the left, toward the door, and gasped in fear. Panic surrounded me and I almost bathed in it. "Oh, uh, hi guys," I said shakily. This wasn’t looking good. "Uh, ho-o-o-w ya’ doin’?" My hands, which were in shackles, started shaking. I was chained to a wall.

It was Asazi and…Brandon?! "Brandon," I said in surprise. "How are you doing, I mean, uh, haven’t seen for—

"Shut up you pathetic worm," he said, sneering as he said ‘you’.

I quickly nodded my head, my bangs flying everywhere. "O-o-kay, uh, sh-sha-sha-sure." I knew that what he said was true; I was a pathetic worm. A pathetic, cowardly worm. I could’ve saved Grey during the capture.

I could’ve pushed him away from the blow that nearly killed him. But instead I hid behind a tree, watching in utter panic as Fidget flew away. I didn’t even help her. I was a fool; a cowardly, pathetic, fool (and worm if Brandon says so).

"Since Alex is already dead and Grey will be dying shortly, I’ve been wondering what to do to you, Ricky. You were a good person to me…half the time. When Alex and I were going to work together-," he took a bite into an apple he had, then gulped it down and continued, "-but THAT was because you wanted PROMOTION!"

"YOU ARE A SELF-CENTERED FOOL!"

I nodded in agreement, half because I was scared and half because I really did agree. I glanced at Asazi and she smiled, standing on one leg, with her hand on her hip. "So, Ricky, I’ve decided that since you did care for me a little bit, you can live for another hour."

I blinked. I was expecting death. I was so scared that I was shaking and wetting myself…and now I’d have to do it for another hour. "Oh, u-u-uh that’s-s-s gre-ea-ea-eat!" I winced. I sounded like Tony Tiger.

Brandon’s face became pure evil. "Oh. You must think this is a game or a Master Vision joke huh? You must really think you’re great if you’re MOCKING ME!" Brandon turned to Asazi and said, "Give him a slow death. Grey’s death." Then he left the room. On his way out, just before he left, he glared at me and left.

"Well then," Asazi said once he was gone. "I hope you are having fun." She opened a window and strolled over to the other one. "I wish pretty boy would’ve been better," she said as she opened the second window.

Then she headed for the exit and just before she left, she looked at me and smiled. It almost warmed my insides. Almost. She said, "Oops!" Then jogged over to me and released the chains. I could’ve attacked her.

I could’ve at least tried to escape. But I was too scared of her. Too much of a fool.

She leaned down close to my face, just inches from my lips and said, "Say hi to Alex for me."

And she left.

And she left me to die as the cold snow blew in from outside. I would freeze in about an hour. I would die in about two.