A/N: Inspired by a recent Starz showing of Chocolat, I give you. my new
fic. Tada!
A blond newscaster stands in front of a tall chain link fence. Behind it, an area is lighted. Thousands of makeshift candles burn as party lights, and music plays faintly in the background. "Here at Terminal City, a siege has been going against the transgenics for exactly a month. Tonight, candles burn all over, and the transgenic flag remains flying high. Who knows what these things are doing, but investigators are--"
The blond was muted as the TV went blank. Mole laughed. "Oh, yeah, we're just all out to get them. It's part of our master plan."
"Fucking paranoid," agreed a passing feline nomalie.
Max and Alec laughed. As Mole wandered off after the woman, calling to her about organizing cleanup, Alec turned to Max. "This was a good idea."
"I know," Max smirked.
Alec stuck his tongue out at her and then they were silent for a minute. Max spoke almost silently. "We've lasted a month."
Alec nodded. "And no one has died since they started. You did good, Max. You made the right choice."
Max stared at Alec, slightly startled by his sincerity. "Thanks."
He grinned. "Now, if we had gotten a real band."
They both glanced over at their odd music collection. A young X6 named Brad stood in front of a large table, on which was a stereo that had been fixed up. Piled up on the table with it were at least a hundred CDs that had been gotten from various sources. Scarily enough, Max had found that Normal had a pretty big collection of good CDs that he had willingly lent Alec. In front of the boy was a microphone that had been put together by the mechanic group, and assorted junked speakers has been fixed and put all over the area. Everyone who had shown up during the past month was there, and Max and Alec had taken on quite a job- recording everyone who was living in Terminal City. Camps had been fixed up, but it was a general agreement that something a bit more stable should be put together.
Alec was holding a clipboard, tallying people as they entered: Woman, men, teenage girls, teenage guys, elementary-school age boys and girls, and an every increasing number of toddlers and babies. Max, of course, had made it her duty to make a school-like attendance list. Having her own clipboard, she recorded everyone's designation and their 'normal' name. If they didn't have a name, Max gave them one. Five hours ago it had been easy, but now she was running out. They had almost every animal, tool, and weather phenomenon; at least four of every George, Sarah, Emily, and Michael. Now Max was getting slightly desperate and was giving out nicknames.
A blond girl of 14 and a brunette of the same age approached the podium, giggling. "Hey, girls." Alec said with a grin.
The two giggled again. "Hi."
Max shook her head, smiling to herself. "You two have names yet?"
"X6-480." The blond offered.
"X6-243." The other answered.
Alec shook his head. "No, that's designation. We want that too, but do you have real names yet?"
The blond looked down, blushing. She whispered something even Max couldn't make out. "What?"
She looked up. "Portia."
Max nodded and wrote that down. She turned to the brunette. "You?"
"Nerissa."
Alec snorted. "You two girls break into the Shakespeare?"
They giggled and nodded. Max coughed. "You guys can go."
They nodded and rushed off.
Max turned to Alec with a grin. "That's the twelfth group of girls you've sent away giggling this hour."
He smirked. "It's not my fault if they all love me, Max."
Max raised an eyebrow appraisingly. She stepped back and looked him up and down, taking in his tight jeans and loose white T-shirt. The T-shirt was one that a bunch of girls had decided to make for the crowd, but only thirty or so had been made before they got bored. "Cause transgenics kick ass, that's why." The motto was written in blue pen. Max's eyes continued their way up. To Alec's full lips, his perfect nose, and his astonishing mind-boggling eyes. His spiked hair, which Max just wanted to run her fingers through.
Alec chuckled and spun around, holding his arms out like a model on the catwalk. "Like the view, Max?"
Max made a face at him in an attempt to hide her blush, trying not to jump him. "Well, Alec, I gotta tell you. I'm afraid I just don't see why our little giggly friends want damaged goods." She reached out to his face to show her point. Her finger touched a scar on his cheek from a recent fight and a few fast-fading cuts and bruises along his arms. He caught her hand as it fell back to her sides. He lifted his own hand and touched the light mark on the side of her neck.
"You're getting looks too, Maxie."
Max's head almost seemed to tilt towards Alec's hand by itself. He stared at her and the hand still holding Max's let go. Alec wrapped it around her waist and pulled her close. Max looked up at him, getting lost in his eyes.
Someone coughed. "Hey, guys?"
Max pulled away so fast that papers on the table fluttered. "Hey, Dix."
"Listen, we've got an issue. We've got the senator on the vid phone, convinced we're about to blow up Seattle."
Alec bit his lip, causing Max's stomach to flip dangerously. "So?"
"Max, go talk to him." Alec put a hand on the small of her back, pushing her. "I can handle names and tallies."
She hesitated. "-But-"
He pushed her again. "I'm a big boy, Max. Go."
She wandered off after Dix, muttering. Her voice was loud as a normal one with X5 hearing, and Alec's eyebrows shot up as he listened about how the senator could go do something. rude. And creative. Very, very creative.
He paused, watcher her leather clad body sway. 'Huh,' he thought to himself, searching for a word to describe the image Max had put into his head. 'Kinky.'
A blond newscaster stands in front of a tall chain link fence. Behind it, an area is lighted. Thousands of makeshift candles burn as party lights, and music plays faintly in the background. "Here at Terminal City, a siege has been going against the transgenics for exactly a month. Tonight, candles burn all over, and the transgenic flag remains flying high. Who knows what these things are doing, but investigators are--"
The blond was muted as the TV went blank. Mole laughed. "Oh, yeah, we're just all out to get them. It's part of our master plan."
"Fucking paranoid," agreed a passing feline nomalie.
Max and Alec laughed. As Mole wandered off after the woman, calling to her about organizing cleanup, Alec turned to Max. "This was a good idea."
"I know," Max smirked.
Alec stuck his tongue out at her and then they were silent for a minute. Max spoke almost silently. "We've lasted a month."
Alec nodded. "And no one has died since they started. You did good, Max. You made the right choice."
Max stared at Alec, slightly startled by his sincerity. "Thanks."
He grinned. "Now, if we had gotten a real band."
They both glanced over at their odd music collection. A young X6 named Brad stood in front of a large table, on which was a stereo that had been fixed up. Piled up on the table with it were at least a hundred CDs that had been gotten from various sources. Scarily enough, Max had found that Normal had a pretty big collection of good CDs that he had willingly lent Alec. In front of the boy was a microphone that had been put together by the mechanic group, and assorted junked speakers has been fixed and put all over the area. Everyone who had shown up during the past month was there, and Max and Alec had taken on quite a job- recording everyone who was living in Terminal City. Camps had been fixed up, but it was a general agreement that something a bit more stable should be put together.
Alec was holding a clipboard, tallying people as they entered: Woman, men, teenage girls, teenage guys, elementary-school age boys and girls, and an every increasing number of toddlers and babies. Max, of course, had made it her duty to make a school-like attendance list. Having her own clipboard, she recorded everyone's designation and their 'normal' name. If they didn't have a name, Max gave them one. Five hours ago it had been easy, but now she was running out. They had almost every animal, tool, and weather phenomenon; at least four of every George, Sarah, Emily, and Michael. Now Max was getting slightly desperate and was giving out nicknames.
A blond girl of 14 and a brunette of the same age approached the podium, giggling. "Hey, girls." Alec said with a grin.
The two giggled again. "Hi."
Max shook her head, smiling to herself. "You two have names yet?"
"X6-480." The blond offered.
"X6-243." The other answered.
Alec shook his head. "No, that's designation. We want that too, but do you have real names yet?"
The blond looked down, blushing. She whispered something even Max couldn't make out. "What?"
She looked up. "Portia."
Max nodded and wrote that down. She turned to the brunette. "You?"
"Nerissa."
Alec snorted. "You two girls break into the Shakespeare?"
They giggled and nodded. Max coughed. "You guys can go."
They nodded and rushed off.
Max turned to Alec with a grin. "That's the twelfth group of girls you've sent away giggling this hour."
He smirked. "It's not my fault if they all love me, Max."
Max raised an eyebrow appraisingly. She stepped back and looked him up and down, taking in his tight jeans and loose white T-shirt. The T-shirt was one that a bunch of girls had decided to make for the crowd, but only thirty or so had been made before they got bored. "Cause transgenics kick ass, that's why." The motto was written in blue pen. Max's eyes continued their way up. To Alec's full lips, his perfect nose, and his astonishing mind-boggling eyes. His spiked hair, which Max just wanted to run her fingers through.
Alec chuckled and spun around, holding his arms out like a model on the catwalk. "Like the view, Max?"
Max made a face at him in an attempt to hide her blush, trying not to jump him. "Well, Alec, I gotta tell you. I'm afraid I just don't see why our little giggly friends want damaged goods." She reached out to his face to show her point. Her finger touched a scar on his cheek from a recent fight and a few fast-fading cuts and bruises along his arms. He caught her hand as it fell back to her sides. He lifted his own hand and touched the light mark on the side of her neck.
"You're getting looks too, Maxie."
Max's head almost seemed to tilt towards Alec's hand by itself. He stared at her and the hand still holding Max's let go. Alec wrapped it around her waist and pulled her close. Max looked up at him, getting lost in his eyes.
Someone coughed. "Hey, guys?"
Max pulled away so fast that papers on the table fluttered. "Hey, Dix."
"Listen, we've got an issue. We've got the senator on the vid phone, convinced we're about to blow up Seattle."
Alec bit his lip, causing Max's stomach to flip dangerously. "So?"
"Max, go talk to him." Alec put a hand on the small of her back, pushing her. "I can handle names and tallies."
She hesitated. "-But-"
He pushed her again. "I'm a big boy, Max. Go."
She wandered off after Dix, muttering. Her voice was loud as a normal one with X5 hearing, and Alec's eyebrows shot up as he listened about how the senator could go do something. rude. And creative. Very, very creative.
He paused, watcher her leather clad body sway. 'Huh,' he thought to himself, searching for a word to describe the image Max had put into his head. 'Kinky.'