Reviews: To my 4 reviewers, thank you so very much! X5, FirstBorn, Silently Tearful and of course Shane C.

Operation Fortitude

Alec showed up at Lily's place the next morning. Well, morning for him, almost noon for the rest of the world. He was out late last night. He'd heard about this underground fighting pit, and was able to secure a spot as a contender. He made a decent amount of money too when he won. Only a couple more fights and he would have enough to settle down. Of course, having him fight against ordinaries was completely unfair, but it's not like he ever cared about rules. It was a good enough way to make quick cash. And it wasn't even completely illegal. Maybe if he could get Lily to come to the fights, she could bet on him and they would make even more money. Somehow he doubted she would be interested in watching him fight though.

He stopped by the market. Shortage or not, if you had the money to spend, you could score almost anything. This morning, he was able to get his hands on some coffee and some fresh pastries, in the croissant family. The smell was mouth-watering. He also made sure to be very generous with his spendings, so folks would remember him if he should ever need something more specific.

He made his way back to the building where he dropped off Lily a couple days ago. He climbed up the stairs and knocked on door 305.

When she opened the door, she smiled at him, but he was able to tell something was wrong. She had 2 pencils stuck in her pulled up hair and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. It was clear her attention was elsewhere. She invited him in and went right back to the couch, where she had papers scattered everywhere. He took a look around him, impressed at how nice the place was.

"You know Lily, for someone who couldn't wait to get out in the free world, you don't seem to be enjoying your freedom very much. All work and no play make Lily a very dull girl."

"What?" She looked up at him, her eyes confused, another pencil in her mouth.

"Ok, you clearly need a break." He grabbed her by the elbow, made her get up and lead her to the little kitchenette. "Here, you need time away from that evil computer of yours. I brought coffee and pastries, we are going to have a snack, and talk. You're so going to have to tell me how you got your hands on such a sweet place."

She shook her head, and seemed to really notice him for the first time. Her smile was warmer. "Right, I guess I was up all night. Let me shower and change real quick, I'll be right back."

She disappeared in the bathroom and he got to work in the kitchen. Amazed, he found out that everything was furbished in the pantry, cupboards and drawers. He set some water to boil, got cups and plates out, even found some sugar for the coffee. How did she come by this place?

By the time she emerged from the bathroom, looking more awake and in a fresh set of clothes, the kettle was whistling. She hopped on a stool by the counter and grinned at the sight of him at ease in the kitchen.

"Look at you. You seem perfectly comfortable in a kitchen, who would have known?"

He shook a spoon under her nose. "Now now Missy, be nice or I won't give you your treat."

"Oh, because there's more than the coffee and the croissants?"

He smirked and tossed a small brown paper bag at her. Inside were about half a dozen "Chocolate bars!" She looked at the colorful wrappings almost reverently. "I've never had a chocolate bar before."

Alec handed her a cup of coffee and lifted an eyebrow. "You're kidding right?"

Lily delightfully took a sip of the tasty beverage. "That's so good! No, I'm not kidding. When do you think I would have had the chance for treats? It's not like I was a soldier and had assignments of my own. The only times I was let out of Manticore was with Lydecker or Director Renfro. It's like I'm a kid, discovering everything for the first time. The only difference is, I know about stuff, I've just never experienced it for myself. That makes everything weirder and more difficult, in a way."

Alec had another sip of his own cup of coffee before answering. "I guess I never saw it like that. That place was definitely more messed up than I thought. At least for us, it was all about military training, and then being prepped out for Missions. Then we would be sent outside on assignments, but still left on our own to pretend to fit in. I never gave a thought about anyone else, what it must have been like for you guys. But in a way, isn't it even more exciting, getting to experience everything first hand like that?"

"So far it's been scarier than anything else. I haven't even been outside yet. How pathetic is that? When you called me naïve the other day, I guess you had it right. But if I treat this as an operation, give myself a purpose, it'll be easier. Working hard is what I know. You make everything look easy, but not everyone is built that way. Right now, I need to find others, I want to help, but I also have to figure out what Lydecker wants from me."

Alec put his cup back on the counter. "One thing at a time Lily. Your main focus right now should be getting a life, not a mission. You are not responsible for anyone else out there. What you do now is entirely your choice, no one else's."

"What if I choose to use my powers for good?"

He laughed. She had him there. "Well, then I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. But, as willing as I am to help you out, do not count on me to start a support group or anything. I don't want to play heroes. I still intend to lay low. Speaking of laying low, you might want to add my number to that cell phone of yours."

"Oh! The cell phone!" She had completely forgotten about the phone. She was supposed to make contact days ago. Lydecker would be furious. She ran to the table and grabbed the device. 16 missed calls. She dialed the secure number he made her memorize a long time ago. He picked up on the first ring. "Are you safe?"

"Yes, sir! I'm in the safe house." She didn't bother walking away from Alec; she knew he would hear her conversation either way.

"Were you followed, is your location secured?"

"I'm fine sir, my location is known to only one ally. Sir, what are my instructions?"

"I'm working on a lead about Renfro. I still want to know who she was working for and what she was doing to my kids. Do you know who Ames White is?"

"Yes sir. A very dangerous man."

"Good. He has been put in charge of "containing" the Manticore situation. You have to be careful and stay out of his radar. Logan and Max can help you. Were you aware of anything special or unusual concerning Max's DNA?"

She hesitated. "Sir, I overheard something right before Renfro gave the order to terminate the facility. She thought Max was the "one" and she was very eager to bring her over to someone important. I didn't get the name."

"Hum. Try to see if Max knows anything about that herself would you? Just make sure to be careful kid, there's a good chance they want you back as much as they want Max. Whether it's Manticore personnel, White's or anyone else who knew about what we did."

"Can I ask you a question sir? Why me? Why would go through so much trouble to make sure I'm safe?"

"Because you're one of mine. It doesn't matter that they took you out of my unit and sent you over to Psyops. You were still one of my kids. So I kept an eye on you and I got you back in the end. In a way, helping you now makes up for the others I wasn't able to help. Besides, I know you still care and you will help me protect the others. Isn't that right, Lily?"

She didn't how to react, she was so confused. "See? Just like the others, you thought I didn't know what you kids called yourselves. I'll be in touch soon. Be careful."

She sat down on the arm of the couch and dropped the phone on a cushion. That was a lot of information to process. Well, she had wanted answers and a purpose. She got one now.

She looked up when Alec snorted. "So, can you tell me why do I always end up with the "trouble girl"? Max back at Manticore, you here….?"

She gave him a blank look, while he tried not to laugh. Then she realized he was making fun of her and she threw a cushion at him.

"Alright. So, what do you want us to do?"

She gave him a suspicious look. "Us? I though you weren't helping?"

"Well, I can't let an innocent little thing like you loose in the streets now can I? Besides, I know where to find Max and Logan and you don't. But" He lifted a finger to keep her from walking to the door. "But, before you go out and try to save the world, you're going to at least take the afternoon off. You need to be able to find your way around this city and know where to find food and whatever else you might need. Deal?"

She got up, went to the safe, grabbed a stack of money and tossed it at him. He widened his eyes at the bills.

"Sure, we got a deal, as long as you're buying." She winked at him, put the cell phone in her back pocket and waited for him at the door.

"Alright then. Let's go."

A little shorter than usual, but hey, that's 2 chapters this week ;) reviews reviews reviews please :)