Summary: When the life of crime dwindles to sleepless, coffee stained nights, Max knows that Devin is thinking too hard. But this time, his teammate might actually have his head screwed on right.

Character Dynamics: Max, Devin

Time: Before the Originals…

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Before Max Tennyson had the chance to flick his wrist and manipulate the inner workings of the lock to his office door, a reporter ( loosened tie, gelled hair, and cheap cologne ) pounced. Devin Levin liberated his partner by asking the journalist when his press pass had expired. It would have been a good sign in, had Devin not been holding the updated case file the reporter had attempted to get a scoop on. In the shelter of Max's office, the two scrutinized the scarce profiles of their star system's latest criminals and tech dealers. Alongside few other representatives in their battalion, they governed over several quadrants under the Plumber's authorization. With such a considerable amount of the cosmos to cover, detailed précis' were hard to document.

Often paired together for their intergalactic assignments, each young man had astonished the head chief of their department with their still-ascending success. True, months previous Max had been intimidated by Devin. He had only been experienced with human cops and civilian specialists beforehand when working with the Bellwood PD. Recalling the time Devin had first absorbed metal from their space craft in his presence during a training simulation, a faint smile had cracked his visage. At the time, he had simply assumed Devin was human like him. He looked human enough, anyways. Admittedly, Max was slightly jealous of his friend's rugged charm. His profession was too demanding to ponder over petty things like appearance, however. After the revelation, he awoke to the sterile scent of the medical bay with an IV leaking into his veins. A youth of twenty-three, his reaction time was exceptionally quick. He had been unable to recover from watching the raw elements mold over his partner, nevertheless, and took a harsh blast to the head from a replicated ray gun.

"I think we're close to a breakthrough, Max."

Glancing up from the strewn documents, he noted that his partner was pacing. It was a habitual practice when a gut feeling took over loose ends in a case. Patrolling and working to the point of sleep deprivation with someone made one realize such habits. "What's your guess?"

"Ragnarok." Max preserved his musings upon watching his dark eyes harden at the name. His tone of voice had been cool and collected, but his keen sense of nonverbal communication screamed otherwise. "I don't know how he ties in exactly with all those burnt out bodies, but he's able to contain raw energy and every con man we've stuffed into a body bag lately has been to an overdose on pure power."

Chewing on this idea, Max shakes his head. "You think that Ragnarok is absorbing raw energy and then killing off low life con artists with it? Not to mention, he's nebula hopping. Someone in his position wouldn't go that out of the way just to take the life of an unnamed."

The obsidian pigment of his teammates eyes suddenly cloud over. His rasp, so soft that Max strains to comprehend it, seems to scrape his throat raw. "You don't know what it's like to taste that kind of power, Max. I swear, it's better than anything that Verdona babe could ever offer you."

At the mention of the woman he'd been able to latch onto as of lately, he's tempted to shuffle the criminal documents to divert Devin's attention away from the rush of blood to his cheeks. He decides that it's unnecessary, however, when he notices that Devin seems to be smothered in thought.

"How can that kind of power connect Ragnarok to all those other con men?"

Drifting out of his reverie, the young man turns to gather the records. "With the amount of raw power I'm guessing that he's absorbing, there are many who would go dimension hopping for that kind of energy."

Devin kept a good attitude, but Max knew when to allow a man distance. He let him go.

Long after the metallic hiss of the office door closed Max off from his partner, the young combatant's words were still fresh in his mind. Relaxing into the only, and rather stiff, chair the room supplied, every weary muscle in his body sighed in ecstasy. "Dimension hopping…" letting his eyelids sooth his tired vision, he released a chuckle into the otherwise vacant space. "God forbid that no one figures that out."

A/N: So, this was rather different for me. I've attempted the dialogue for Max before, but never for a version as young as this. As for Devin, there really isn't much to work off of, so if this may seem rather odd to you then all apologies. Anyways, I gave this a go. A review would be greatly appreciated since this feels so out of my element.

For those of you who caught my allusion, kudos to you!