"You fell in love with a storm. Did you really think you would get out unscathed?"

Nikita Gill

T.C. …

Alec looked out over his corner of Terminal City as shades from midnight blue to brightest yellow faded across the horizon. His enhanced eyes counted a myriad of reds, oranges, pinks, purples, and blues.

Blue. Alec felt blue. He wondered how much longer he'd be paying Max back for fouling up the cure to the virus separating her and Logan.

"Blessing in disguise," he muttered. Now he understood the phrase he'd learned in Common Usage Vocabulary back at Manticore.

Heavy footfalls caught Alec's attention a half mile away. From the way he scuffed the toe of his shoes Alec knew Joshua even at a distance.

"Hey, Joshua," the blond transgenic called quietly to the dogman.

"Hey, Alec." With a huff, the dogman sat down on the cement edge of the rooftop six stories above the pavement.

"What are you doin' up here?" Joshua asked.

"Sentry duty, Big Fella. Keeping T.C. safe," Alec shrugged.

"Oh, keeping safe. Okay." The big Nomalie nodded, satisfied. He looked out at the melting sunset, a comfortable silence between them.

"What else you doin' up here?"

Alec blinked in confusion. Sentry duty seemed pretty self-explanatory.

"Uh, watching the sunset?"

What else is there to do, Alec wondered silently.

"Joshua likes to come up here to think." Nodding, he turned to Alec. It dawned on the younger transgenic where the conversation was headed.

"Thinking, that's good." By his mental calculations, sentry duty lasted another three hours, forty-seven minutes and sixteen seconds. Too long for a philosophical conversation.

"What is Alec thinking about?" Joshua kept on topic; a true dog with a bone.

"You know me, Josh. I'm not thinkin' of much of anything." Alec's full mouth quirked into his characteristic smirk.

"Ah, but X-5's always thinking, always curious. Too much cat DNA," he snickered.

"Ha, ha, hadn't heard that one before," the transgenic muttered dryly. Cat jokes were a dime a dozen among the Manticore alumni. Joshua almost howled with laughter.

"What's on your mind, Josh?" Alec asked, trying to have patience.

"Max looking for you. Big call from Logan." Joshua easily helped the smaller X-5 to his feet, slapping him heartily on the back.

"Great! Robo-boy," Alec muttered darkly.

H.Q. …

Alec took his place at Max's side as she sat down at the computer and webcam. He schooled his features, playing both her second-in-command and pseudo-boyfriend.

"Hey, Logan, what's the deal?"

Alec wondered if the Normal noticed how forced her voice sounded.

"A source says that Seattle P.D. is using stealth tech from China to camouflage at least one hover drone. They weren't able to get me the schematics but did say the camo hid the hover drone's heat signature and sounds from the motor. It also has FLIR; Forward-Looking InfaRed, which picks up heat signatures."

Alec watched Logan's light eyes scanning Max, a certain wistfulness in his expression.

"Great! How are we supposed to find them, with our noses?" Max turned to glare at both Mole and Alec when they snickered.

"What!? Maybe Dogman would be good for something after all." Mole shrugged. Everyone turned when a growl that vibrated throughout the room, making the hair on their arms and neck raise.

"Damn it, Mole!" Max hissed as the Nomalie glared back at Joshua.

"Quit it, you two. We've got enough problems." She smacked Mole on the back of the head. Joshua's growl lessened but his snarling expression did not.

"Sorry, Logan. Can your source dig up anything else?" Max returned to business.

"He said he'd try but they're keeping this locked down." Logan leaned back in his wheelchair with a heavy sigh.

Hmm. If his source can't produce the schematics maybe I can lift a copy, Alec thought. It would take greasing the palms of a few informants to find out who'd manufactured the hover drone camouflage but protecting T.C. and the Manticore refugees trumped the cost.

Good thing I always keep a stash for a rainy day, he gloated inwardly. He listened as Logan gave Max an update on news from outside T.C.; trivial stuff really, anything to keep Max on the line. Alec bored of it almost immediately but said nothing. No need to hear Max bitch for the next week about anything he said about or to Logan. He didn't need her breathing down his neck for any reason if he wanted to steal those schematics solo.

Those with the keenest eyes and ears stood guard duty around the clock. The usual group of anti-transgenics occupied the gate but most of the guards' attention centered overhead. Most reports of possible sightings occurred at night; objects blotting out light sources overhead, etc. Each report offered a new bit of information into the hover drone's patterns.

A few days after Logan's hover drone news Alec stepped out onto the roof of one of the tallest buildings, his automatic rifle slung across his shoulder.

"So, when are you plannin' on stealing the schematics?"

Alec stopped dead in his tracks.

"Wha-?" he began, gobsmacked.

"I saw the wheels turning after Logan told us." She used her index finger to circle his face.

"Better work on your bluffing skills. I was fishing and now I know." Max moved her hand to her jutted out hip.

"Whatever," Alec grumbled, angry at himself for such a rookie mistake.

"Well, when's the heist goin' down?"

Alec debated for a moment on whether or not to tell the truth.

Ah, hell. If I don't tell her she'll bitch until I tell her, he thought.

"In a few days. As soon as my source sets things up." He watched Max's reaction; approval or rejection.

You are SO pussy whipped, Alec told himself. This love-hate thing between us sucks.

"When's that? We need to know so we can plan, gather supplies." Arms crossed, Max looked Alec in the eye.

"Uh, there is no US or WE. This is a solo op. I'm going." No ifs, ands or buts.

"The camo hover drones are OUR problem - plural." With an index finger to Alec's chest, she made her point.

"This is a one-man job."

"And I'm the woman to do it!" She looked up at him, glaring, her head tilted straight back to meet his eyes. The glow of the security light lit up her face. Her eyes searched his as their breath mingled in the chilly air. Impulsively, Alec took her face in both hands and pressed his lips to hers, his eyes closed.

When she pulled away Max shoved him. Alec saw fear on her face in the split second before she walked away.

"Damn it!" he swore viciously, asking himself why. As if transgenic life and a fake relationship didn't complicate his existence enough.