Chapter 1
"Girl, I can't remember the last time you just kicked back and relaxed at Crash," OC said, leaning back in her seat.
Max sighed. It had been a while, but life was crappy.
"Tell me about it. I don't even recognize the regulars here any more."
"Hell, if the regulars were regulars, then I wouldn't be seeing the fine specimen of ass over there."
Max smiled. "Help yourself."
"Don't mind if I do," OC said as she left.
Max sighed even heavier. She couldn't help it- she felt angry at OC. First night out in god knew how long. And she was on her own. Max knew that if she really wanted OC here, she only had to ask. But that would mean admitting how desperate she was; desperate to be with someone who actually wanted to be with her, rather than with her out of necessity like the transgenics.
"Penny for your thoughts," Alec said, plopping in OC's abandoned chair.
"You expecting change?"
Alec chuckled.
"What you doing out here? Don't you have the night shift command post?" Max said, instantly becoming alert and ready to box Alec's head in.
"Chill, Max, I have tomorrows shift."
Max visibly relaxed.
"What you need in a good lay," Alec said, raising suggestive eyebrows.
"May be," Max replied, chugging down the remainder of her beer.
Alec nearly stumbled out of his chair, causing a Max to explode with laughter, spraying him as beer flew out her nose.
"Gee, thanks Max. First night out in several weeks- and you ruin my chances of getting laid by spraying me with snot."
For some reason, Max found this hysterical. Knots that she did not even know existed were kneaded away by her laughter.
"You find this funny?" Alec said through gritted teeth, anger evident. When Max replied with another burst of laughter, he stalked off.
Staring after Alec as he left, guilt racked her frame. OC had unconsciously ruined her one night out. And she had turned right around and ruined Alec's one night out. The guy was an ass, but there was no logic in being childish and ruining his too.
Grabbing her coat, she nodded to OC and headed out after Alec. "Alec!" Max called after him.
"Get lost."
"Hey, I came out here to apologize," Max said, catching up to Alec, easily matching his long stride. "But if you want to begin the night an ass- and end it as an even bigger ass, no skin off my nose."
Alec just continued to walk.
"I never knew the legendary Alec and his ass ever got put off by a little spilt beer."
"If you're trying to help, you're not," Alec said harshly and a sheepish grin spread across his face. "Besides, I spilled beer down my pants."
Looking down at Alec's pants, Max burst into laughter- beer stained the crotch of his pants.
Alec glared at Max for a moment, before laughing himself. Sitting on the curb together, they shared a whisky bottle that materialized from Alec's coat pocket.
"What do you miss the most about our old life?" Max surprised Alec by asking.
"Which one?" Alec asked warily.
Smiling grimly, Max nodded. There was life at Manitcore, at Seattle and now TC: all startling different, but yet all alike. Fighting for survival topped life's agenda in each.
"You know something," Max said after taking a swing of the whisky. "We're never actually in the future. We're always in the past."
"Really?" Alec asked, humoring Max.
"Yeah," Max said slowly. "Like just now, you're thinking about what I just said- which is in the past."
Alec blinked, considering what Max just said. Chuckling, he leaned back on his elbows comfortably and shook his head.
Silence reined as they passed the whisky bottle on and off between them. And Max did not even like whiskey. But the shock of the comfortable silence numbed Max's taste buds. It was like all those times when Alec had been an ass had not happened. Maybe TC and the transgenics had changed him.
Heck, it's changed me too, Max thought. I doubt I will ever be as independent as before. I couldn't even stand sitting in Crash on my own.
Max absently played with a small stone, tossing it in her hand, letting her thoughts take shape. And the realization hit her like a cold bucket of water- she relied on the transgenics in TC, just as much as they relied on her.
Suddenly, the bond she shared with the transgenics grew stronger. She did not feel obliged to stay with them because of guilt and responsibility, but because she wanted to.
After the initial shock, the realization brought a new sense of calm and belonging to Max. Sighing, as if a great weight had been taken off her chest, she sank back onto the sidewalk beside Alec.
"You're different from the rest of them," Alec said, breaking the silence.
Max chuckled. "In that I'm probably the only one crazy enough to be sitting on the sidewalk drinking with you."
Alec smiled. "Well, that and."
Their eyes met for a second and Alec's voice caught at what he saw. He stared into its dark depths, nearly losing himself. Well, he thought while mentally shrugging, I knew it was going to happen at some point.
A/N: Right, the first chapter in what I hope to be a story made for expansion. I'm playing with the devil in writing this right now- I've got exams in a couple weeks. Don't know about you, but I always get the best ideas during exam periods. But, I will update. I've got the next three chapters written, so I'll up load them weekly, with out fail.
Oh, and I do crit-for-crit. So, you review me, I'll review you and we'll all come out on top.
"Girl, I can't remember the last time you just kicked back and relaxed at Crash," OC said, leaning back in her seat.
Max sighed. It had been a while, but life was crappy.
"Tell me about it. I don't even recognize the regulars here any more."
"Hell, if the regulars were regulars, then I wouldn't be seeing the fine specimen of ass over there."
Max smiled. "Help yourself."
"Don't mind if I do," OC said as she left.
Max sighed even heavier. She couldn't help it- she felt angry at OC. First night out in god knew how long. And she was on her own. Max knew that if she really wanted OC here, she only had to ask. But that would mean admitting how desperate she was; desperate to be with someone who actually wanted to be with her, rather than with her out of necessity like the transgenics.
"Penny for your thoughts," Alec said, plopping in OC's abandoned chair.
"You expecting change?"
Alec chuckled.
"What you doing out here? Don't you have the night shift command post?" Max said, instantly becoming alert and ready to box Alec's head in.
"Chill, Max, I have tomorrows shift."
Max visibly relaxed.
"What you need in a good lay," Alec said, raising suggestive eyebrows.
"May be," Max replied, chugging down the remainder of her beer.
Alec nearly stumbled out of his chair, causing a Max to explode with laughter, spraying him as beer flew out her nose.
"Gee, thanks Max. First night out in several weeks- and you ruin my chances of getting laid by spraying me with snot."
For some reason, Max found this hysterical. Knots that she did not even know existed were kneaded away by her laughter.
"You find this funny?" Alec said through gritted teeth, anger evident. When Max replied with another burst of laughter, he stalked off.
Staring after Alec as he left, guilt racked her frame. OC had unconsciously ruined her one night out. And she had turned right around and ruined Alec's one night out. The guy was an ass, but there was no logic in being childish and ruining his too.
Grabbing her coat, she nodded to OC and headed out after Alec. "Alec!" Max called after him.
"Get lost."
"Hey, I came out here to apologize," Max said, catching up to Alec, easily matching his long stride. "But if you want to begin the night an ass- and end it as an even bigger ass, no skin off my nose."
Alec just continued to walk.
"I never knew the legendary Alec and his ass ever got put off by a little spilt beer."
"If you're trying to help, you're not," Alec said harshly and a sheepish grin spread across his face. "Besides, I spilled beer down my pants."
Looking down at Alec's pants, Max burst into laughter- beer stained the crotch of his pants.
Alec glared at Max for a moment, before laughing himself. Sitting on the curb together, they shared a whisky bottle that materialized from Alec's coat pocket.
"What do you miss the most about our old life?" Max surprised Alec by asking.
"Which one?" Alec asked warily.
Smiling grimly, Max nodded. There was life at Manitcore, at Seattle and now TC: all startling different, but yet all alike. Fighting for survival topped life's agenda in each.
"You know something," Max said after taking a swing of the whisky. "We're never actually in the future. We're always in the past."
"Really?" Alec asked, humoring Max.
"Yeah," Max said slowly. "Like just now, you're thinking about what I just said- which is in the past."
Alec blinked, considering what Max just said. Chuckling, he leaned back on his elbows comfortably and shook his head.
Silence reined as they passed the whisky bottle on and off between them. And Max did not even like whiskey. But the shock of the comfortable silence numbed Max's taste buds. It was like all those times when Alec had been an ass had not happened. Maybe TC and the transgenics had changed him.
Heck, it's changed me too, Max thought. I doubt I will ever be as independent as before. I couldn't even stand sitting in Crash on my own.
Max absently played with a small stone, tossing it in her hand, letting her thoughts take shape. And the realization hit her like a cold bucket of water- she relied on the transgenics in TC, just as much as they relied on her.
Suddenly, the bond she shared with the transgenics grew stronger. She did not feel obliged to stay with them because of guilt and responsibility, but because she wanted to.
After the initial shock, the realization brought a new sense of calm and belonging to Max. Sighing, as if a great weight had been taken off her chest, she sank back onto the sidewalk beside Alec.
"You're different from the rest of them," Alec said, breaking the silence.
Max chuckled. "In that I'm probably the only one crazy enough to be sitting on the sidewalk drinking with you."
Alec smiled. "Well, that and."
Their eyes met for a second and Alec's voice caught at what he saw. He stared into its dark depths, nearly losing himself. Well, he thought while mentally shrugging, I knew it was going to happen at some point.
A/N: Right, the first chapter in what I hope to be a story made for expansion. I'm playing with the devil in writing this right now- I've got exams in a couple weeks. Don't know about you, but I always get the best ideas during exam periods. But, I will update. I've got the next three chapters written, so I'll up load them weekly, with out fail.
Oh, and I do crit-for-crit. So, you review me, I'll review you and we'll all come out on top.