Disclaimer: see prologue.

Chapter Two: A Proposition

Not bothering to glance at the caller ID, Max picked up her phone and rattled off her standard reply. "Max Guevara. Can I help you?"

"Max."

Max sighed. "Alec, I'm not happy about the shadow you've given me."

"You spotted Dalton already?" Alec said incredulously.

"Yes, and I don't think having a guard to make sure I'm alright should seriously be an 18 year old."

"Max how can you say that? I told you we were the highest priority targets. Therefore I'm putting you under watch to make sure nothing happens to you."

"Pu-leese. As if you have someone following you around. I can take care of myself. I have been since before I was 9 and broke out of Manticore. I think I can handle it. Besides pal do you know whose unit was masters of escape and evade? Cause you forgot that'd be mine."

"Max, I don't care. Dalton's not going anywhere."

"He's 18! You could have least given me someone my own age."

"Well Max it's getting hard to find people who are as old as you."

"Shut up. This is not a joke."

"If it was a joke Dalton would be backtracking right about now. He stays. End of story."

Max growled into the phone. "Fine." Then sighed, "Was that all you called to do? Annoy me?"

Alec smiled at the other end of the phone. Some things never change. Max bitching at him was one. Not that he minded. You were always meanest to the people you care the most about. Alec and Max had been good friends for quite a while. "Yes your highness. I called to give you an update."

"What is it?" asked Max sitting outside the district attorney's office typing on her laptop.

"A representative for the Washington Governor was just here to see me to ask if I would allow them to post flyers asking for volunteers for the transmitters they want to implant us with."

"What'd ya tell him?"

"Well we'll put it this way, he left in a huff after we had a little chat."

Max laughed and Alec smiled at the sound of it. "Good."

Alec spoke up again. "But I think that means they are going to push harder to get that bill passed so I wanted to give you a heads up."

"Thanks." Replied Max "Any way I can convince you to get rid of Dalton for me?"

"Several Maxie," innuendo lacing Alec's voice, "but none that you would be willing to try or do, so looks like you're stuck with him."

"Okay." Came Max's easy reply.

Alec didn't trust his ears. "What?"

"I said okay." came Max's voice over the phone line.

Alec sighed. "Don't give the kid too much trouble." Knowing she was planning a way to loose her tail.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Alec." Said Max is a placating, soothing tone.

"Right." Said Alec sarcastically. "Catch you later."

Max heard the disconnect and smiled to herself. Then turned back to the e-mails she was answering before her next meeting.

In three days Max had managed to loose Dalton over 20 times. And every time she did Dalton had to call and tell Alec that Max was missing. Alec would then call Max and tell her she was being childish, causing him worry, and unnecessary trouble. Max would laugh at him. So when she showed up in his office at his request he was surprised she was on time.

"Max." he said as she opened the door. "You're here."

Max rolled her eyes. "Well did you not ask me to come here to discuss something important?" Then with annoyance permeating her voice she went on to say "Cause if I just took time out of my busy day to come down here for your amusement I'm gonna beat on your ass."

"Always the ass Max, always the ass." smirked Alec in amusement.

Max rolled her eyes again.

"You know if you keep doing that they might roll out of your head." Said Alec, then his tone turned earnest. "Now I have a proposition for you. The Governor's ball is next week and I, as a member of the city council have been asked to attend. Plus it doesn't hurt to see the dangerous Transgenics all spiffed up and looking like celebrities; helps with the public opinion. But I need an escort."

"You mean a date?" Max replied incredulously.

Alec cleared his throat. "In a manner of speaking…"

"What Alec, that charismatic charm of yours failing you in the ladies department?"

"No!" retorted Alec irritated. "But I think it would look better if the City Council member and the founder of Transgenic City and now congressional transgenic guard dog went together." Alec gave Max a glare. Then he gave that sexually laced smirk of his and said "You afraid you won't look good in a dress? I know you're getting older Max but you should cut yourself some slack."

"Whatever, whatever. I'll go. Besides it will help me hound some of the committee members on a few things I'm trying to get support on. And you're right it is good exposure."

"Good." replied Alec who then made a few marks in his planner book. After a moment he looked up at Max from behind his desk. She was still standing on the other side with that grimace she seemed to only reserve for him. "You're gonna need a dress. I'm gonna be in a tux." Alec opened a drawer and pulled out fabric swatches. He handed them to Max. "This is color of the tux, the vest, and the shirt. When you get your dress, make sure we match."

Max scoffed. "You're giving me advice on evening wear? You're got to be kidding me, like you dressed in tuxes at Manticore!"

"Let's just say I'm well versed in infiltrating the world of the rich and famous and I'm not that shabby of dancer either." Alec winked at Max.

"Whatever."

"Now," Alec turned and from another drawer withdrew a credit card. "This is for you. You've got a 5,000 dollar limit to get everything you need for the evening. I know dresses can be expensive."

Max nodded. "How bout I save us the money and have Helen make me a dress. I'll pay for it." Max said, referencing Helen, a fellow X5 with a handy way with a needle.

"You sure?"

"Yes, besides Helen will give me a discount—everyone who's any one will be at the ball and they'll want to know what I'm wearing. She'll get good business P.R."

Alec nodded in understanding and then said "Max you really need to stop losing Dalton."

Max frowned. "Alec you really need to take a hint and stop having him follow me around."

"I already told you it's a necessary precaution." Alec replied his own face beginning to glare.

"No." Max said flat out. "It is not a necessary precaution. I can take care of myself!" On the last sentence Max threw her hands up in the air with exasperation.

"Every damn time you loose him I have to send someone out to help track you down, especially since you have a scrambled cell phone. If you would carry around the cell phone I offered last time we spoke we could just trace your calls to keep tabs on you."

"The whole point of having a scrambled cell phone is so I can't be traced. I'm not carrying one that any two-time hacker could crack."

Alec took a breath to ease the tension in his chest that he always seemed to feel when he was arguing with Max over something important. He loved to make her angry over silly things to watch her get worked up, she was beautiful when her eyes where flashing with anger. It was exciting to not know what she would do next. But when he was being serious her stubbornness made him want to bash his head into a wall…or hers for that matter. "I don't have time to chase after you to see if your disappearance is a false alarm or not, and to be quite frank Max I don't think my blood pressure can handle the scare."

Max grinned at him. That infuriating grin that made him want to slap her. "Why Alec, I didn't know you cared so much." Max laughed at the expression of tightly reigned in anger on Alec's face and batted her eyelashes at him.

"You think this is funny?" Alec said in a clipped one.

"No. Why, do you?" Max said is saccharine sweet tone, her doe eyes the picture of innocence.

"Get out!" Alec shouted at her, his anger finally boiling over. "Get out of my office Max or so help God I will do something I'll regret." Max turned on her heel and sauntered out the door.

Mole and Dix greeted her from the main room.

"Did you piss princess off already, Max?" Mole said gruffly, a cloud of smoke surrounding him.

"All in a days work." Max laughed.

"I seemed to recall the days it was the other way around." Mole chuckled.

Max pulled a pair of sun glasses from her jacket pocket. Her tailored pant suit a far cry from the black jeans, tanks, and tight leather jacket that was her old stand-by. But when she tossed her curly shoulder length hair back from her face and slid her shades on, saying "Ain't payback a bitch?" Mole and Dix smiled knowing she was still the punk-ass bitch she always had been.

When Max reached the door and had her hand resting on it, to push it open when the sound of her name stopped her.

"Max…"

She turned around to face Alec. "What?"

"Remember Friday, 6 o'clock sharp." Alec's face was clear and calm, his anger already pushed aside.

Max smiled. "I'm never late, just fashionable behind schedule."

"Max….!" Alec said drawling out her name in exasperation.

"Yeah, yeah pretty boy. 6 o'clock." Max called over her shoulder as she exited what used to be her command center.

After the door clattered shut behind her Mole raised what would have been eyebrow had he had any hair and said "So what princess, you going on a date?"

Alec looked heavenward. "Hardly. We're going to the Governor's ball together."

"And that ain't a date?"

"Not when Max is your escort." Alec replied curtly to Mole. Alec turned and walked back to his office, having calls to make but he didn't miss the chuckles coming from Mole and Dix from Headquarters, both monitoring security cameras.

A/N: Well I promise the plot will really thicken up in the next chapter, can you bare with me? Reviews encourage me to write faster. Even constructive critcism helps me work and get better, So clicky, clicky.