Chapter 6
AN: I'm giving you two chapters for the price of one since you had to wait so long for me to update. Please review! It makes me happy to read reviews and definitely motivates me to finish this story. Plus, honestly, I could use some happiness in my life right now.
Colin glanced at the computer, noticing that it had completed the transfer and disconnected his phone before shutting the laptop down. Shoving the phone into his jacket pocket he grabbed the key to the room, put his sunglasses on, and left.
He walked confidently to a nearby run down diner he'd found on his search of the area the day before then stopped short of entering. Looking in through dirt-stained windows, he cursed. Ames White was inside showing a picture to the old waitress behind the counter. Colin narrowed his eyes, trying to make out who the picture was of.
"Hey, buddy, you going in or out? I want my breakfast!"
Colin moved out of the way to let the guy in the flannel shirt and trucker hat by then quickly walked down the street, ducking into an alley, which gave him a perfect view of the diner's entrance.
He took off his sunglasses and watched from the shadows as White and some of his men exited the diner. White spoke to a few of them, sending them off scampering, before turning to the one hovering nearby.
"Otto, we must find this girl. She's posing as a government agent in order to help the transgenics. She might be accompanied by another."
Colin shook his head. "We're posing just as much as you are…which is to say, not at all," he thought. "And no shit, she's being accompanied. You think we'd send her anywhere alone after your shitty cult kidnapped the kid?"
"Sir, is this girl a transgenic?" Otto asked.
"She's a mutant. That's bad enough," Ames told him, scanning the area for suspicious characters.
Colin ducked further into the shadows and closed his eyes. If anything were likely to give him away it would be his eyes, doing their reflective cat thing in the dark. He waited until he heard Ames White walk down the street, talking into his cell phone before opening his eyes and slipping his sunglasses back on.
Watching as a group of people rushing to work made their way down the street in the direction of his alley, he waited until they were passing by before slipping out and moving with them. Time to get to work and check a new sector. Ames White could wait only because Tegan was safe in Terminal City.
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Max looked around HQ from the door of her office, spotting Mole with a cigar in his mouth listening to something Luke was saying. She walked over, a piece of paper in her hand.
Shoving the paper at Mole, she asked, "That look right?"
He looked it over and nodded. "Seems about right. Alec approve it?"
"He hasn't seen it. He's babysitting and right now, him and Tegan are with Logan trying to fix his computer. As soon as they come here, I'll show him."
Mole shrugged, watching Max closely. "You're enjoying this whole babysitting thing too much. What're you really up to?"
She blinked innocently. "I have no clue what you're talking about," she told him, ruining the whole innocent act with a devilish grin before she turned away.
"Yell if you see him, will you?" she called out as she reached her office door.
She settled herself in the chair behind her desk, setting the list carefully to the side. Glancing at the stack of papers awaiting her attention, she groaned and leaned back in her chair. She didn't know how long she stared at the ceiling before she heard the footsteps directly outside her office.
"You okay there, Maxie?"
She looked at the doorway where Alec was now standing. He looked concerned.
"Yeah, just could use a break."
He nodded hesitantly. "Mole said you needed to see me?"
"Oh, the supply list. You need to approve it," she told him, absently waving a hand towards where it lay on her desk.
He walked over, picking it up and looking it over. "Seems right. Mole saw it?"
"Yeah, he said the same thing. How's it going with Tegan?"
Alec looked at her carefully, pausing before saying, "Good. She got some map from her cousin that she wants to work on. We just got back from Logan's. Tegan said the computer's fried and needs a new hard drive. Logan's pissed. Even moreso now because he overheard Tegan tell me that she's the one who created the Pride Corporation's online security."
Max's eyes widened. "Shit. I'll go talk to him."
With a nod, Alec said, "Please do. If he tries to hurt Tegan, I'm gonna have to restrain him and he might end up hurt."
Max looked at him weird, thinking about how Logan would have to be pretty dumb to try to hurt Tegan when he knew about her martial arts training. "Uh, yeah, okay. Everything else okay?"
"I guess. Tegan has some ideas for improvements she wants to run by you."
Max looked at all the paperwork then at Alec. She knew his desk had the bare minimal on it as she'd taken most of his work when she'd assigned him to babysitting Tegan. "You handle it, Alec. I trust you to make the right decisions…just don't screw up."
He smirked. "When have I ever screwed up?"
Max rolled her eyes as he backed out of her office and went to collect Tegan, who he'd left with Dix.
"C'mon, Tegan. You can work on your map in my office and we'll go over whatever improvements you think we should make while we're in there."
She nodded, standing and picking up her laptop, which she'd set down carefully when she'd joined Dix. Following Alec, she looked around some more.
She'd noticed in her few previous trips to HQ that the main room where Dix seemed to spend most of his time was pretty much Central Command. It looked like the offices of Max and Alec, along with what looked like a very basic conference room, were fairly recent additions.
Alec's office was pretty messy, she noticed. Much like his apartment. There were maps stuck haphazardly on all available wall space. A few books were on the floor. There was a very small pile of files on his desk along with a pen, stapler, tape dispenser, and a coffee cup.
Tegan picked up the coffee cup, looking inside and making a face at what looked like a solid black mass. Placing it back down, she shook her head and placed her computer down on an empty and reasonably clean corner of the desk.
"Close the door," Alec told her, already behind his desk and looking at the files.
She stuck her tongue out at him but did as he said. As she closed the door she found a chair, which had been hidden behind the previously open door. Dragging it over to the desk, she sat down, opened her laptop, turned it on, and went to work.
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Alec closed the last file and looked at Tegan. Her fingers had been clicking away at her computer nearly nonstop since she had sat down. Her eyes were so focused on the screen it almost looked like she was being hypnotized.
He stood and she took no notice of it. With a frown, he walked to stand behind her. He watched as she keyed in code with a speed that surprised him. He watched for another twenty minutes when she suddenly stopped.
Looking over he shoulder at him, she raised her eyebrows. "Want to see if it works?"
Without waiting for an answer, she pressed a few buttons and he was looking at a map of Seattle. "It's not done yet," she told him. "Just what information my cousin has collected so far and, of course, what I have on TC. Plus the sewer systems and basic street maps."
He bent down until his head was nearly resting on her shoulder. "So basically, you're creating the map of all maps of Seattle and we aren't gonna need these anymore," he said, waving with one hand at the maps on his walls.
She nodded once. "That's what I'm doing."
"We'd better not show Logan. He'll get even more mad because he didn't think of it."
Tegan made a face. "I kinda don't care. He annoys me…trying to make it seem like I didn't know what I was talking about regarding his computer. His hard drive is totally fried!"
"Hey, I know," Alec told her in a soothing voice, bringing one hand up to rub the tension out of her neck.
She dropped her head forward and purred very softly but Alec heard it and grinned.
"You know what's great about you, Tegan?"
"Aside from the fact that I'm a genius?"
"I know when I'm pleasing you because you purr."
She turned her head so she could see him out of the corner of her eyes and said, "And you want to please me?"
"Uh huh," he breathed into her ear.
"Know what would really really make me happy?"
"What?" Alec asked, his voice getting husky.
"Being able to explore Seattle. Or riding my bike. Can we?" she asked in a bright voice, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
He groaned. "We can ride your bike within TC. No leaving."
She crinkled up her nose but nodded, standing. "Well, let's go! I might even let you drive."
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Mole marched into Max's office fifteen minutes later. "Max, I need you outside. Now."
Max shot him an irritated glare but inside she was happy for the distraction.
"What's up?" she asked as she stood and followed the large transhuman outside to where a surprisingly large crowd of transgenics lined the street.
"We having a parade or something?"
Mole glared at her then nodded up the street where an engine could be heard. Max watched, arms crossed over her chest as Alec and Tegan came flying down the street.
"Wow, that thing is FAST! I'm gonna haveta get her to work on my baby."
Mole scowled. "They're distracting everybody!"
With a sigh, Max looked around. "The guards still on duty?"
"…yes."
"Then how 'bout we let these guys have some fun? Morale is getting low around here after all."
Mole grunted and walked away, leaving Max to watch as Alec and Tegan rode by again. Tegan was driving now with Alec holding on tightly to her waist. They were both grinning in delight and Max had to smile at their obvious happiness.
She glanced to her left at the X5 standing there. It was Grady, a good friend to both her and Alec and one of the officers in TC.
"What do you think?" she asked him.
Grady grinned at her. "The girl will be his by the end of the week. He'll get bored within a month."
Max laughed, shaking her head. "Betcha that won't happen."
"How much?"
"My share of any profit in the jewelry Alec and I stole two weeks ago."
"You're on," he told her, shaking her hand.
"What do I get if I win?" Max asked, curious.
"You won't win but hot water for any baths you feel like taking for a month."
Max closed her eyes, imagining it. With a smile, she told him, "You're gonna lose."
