A/N: This was the hardest chapter I've had to start. Ugh, sue me. Again.

Excuse Max's weirdness. I told her she wasn't acting very 'Max'-like and she huffed and puffed, complaining that it's been a rough time for her. So, take it or leave it.

I also don't know what Biggs' story is. That is a bit weird.

So, please, don't ask what my motives are, cause I actually don't know.

&&

Alec leaped to the other side of the cage in embarrassment and shock. Max, meanwhile, was curled up in the opposite corner, trying to gather the remaining pieces of her dignity gracefully. He realised it was the weakest he'd ever seen her. She was humiliated too, which would have been bad enough if it was only because of their kissing.

The frazzled two looked down on their friends, who were inspecting the unconscious trail of bodies. Alec saw that Biggs' face was bloody and swollen, his fists clenched at his side were also dripping with a crimson liquid, and his knees were shaking with pain and possibly fear, threatening to buckle. The blonde growled, furious that he had to be stuck helpless, suspended in the air.

His eyes warily travelled from one corner of the warehouse to the next, inspecting the damage. Along with the series of knocked out Familiars, he found two of their own unconscious.

"Danny! Key!" Alec cried out to the unmoving figures.

Josie had brought Danny in after the 'battle' finished to ask for assistance in his treatment. Dale was beside her and bent over, trying to get Key to open his eyes.

Jet was quite injured himself, but, living up to his name, he raced over to the centre of the warehouse nearing the cage feet from the ground. A wicked smile played across his lips as he crouched, still running, and shot up into the air. The movement was swift and polished. In a split-second, he'd leapt from the ground to stand atop the cage.

"Hold on, guys!" he warned Max and Alec, just below his feet, before the crate crashed into the ground. Alec grunted and cursed as Max groaned.

"Couldn't have given us a lighter landing, could you, Jet?" Alec complained.

Jet simply laughed and hopped off the cage effortlessly. His tall figure bent so his face could peer through the bars that confined his friends and also share the smirk that revealed a set of sparkling, pointy teeth. It disappeared a second later. "Move back," he instructed, with a lower, more serious tone.

Alec nodded and scooted back to Max, who seemed to be in shock. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

Jet pulled out a long, sharp blade from a thin case in his pocket. At this, Alec frowned before Jet shrugged and a flashed a grin.

Jet's knife, or as Max would've preferred, sword, began to eat away at the first bar. The trapped pair waited patiently.

Minutes later, the third bar was almost broken. When the dent had almost reached the edge of the pole, his strong hands snapped it in half and pulled it out. Three more bars later, Max and Alec were crawling out on their hands and knees to freedom.

Alec sighed, stood up and brushed himself off, while Max stood behind shyly as she wrapped her slender arms around her middle.

Jet flicked his head over to the others, his shaggy black hair flopping around in response, and Alec nodded. They began to walk over to the small group, all circled around the two injured on the ground. Max followed silently.

Josie was hunched over, her head in her hands.

Max peered over Jet's shoulder and knew straight away. "No, no. No, no, no," she murmured repeatedly. She spun around and ran outside.

"Max?" the young Pax called after her.

"Go," Alec encouraged, seeing the X6 was worried.

Pax nodded and followed Max to comfort her.

Alec sighed, feeling his own eyes tearing up. "OK, everyone, let's get them into the van," he ordered.

Everyone except Josie helped carry the X7's out. Biggs and Alec were the last to get into the van because Alec had seen that Biggs was a bit distraught.

"Hey, man, you OK?" the blonde asked.

Biggs' long fingers curled into tight fists and Alec watched the muscles in his arm tense at his side. "I screwed up," he quietly confessed. His eyes became wide with guilt and shock and Alec heard the emotion, dripping from even the softest of words.

Alec took a step forward. "What happened was not your fault," he attempted to soothe his best friend but felt hollow and speechless. He wasn't expecting Biggs to take the blame and he may have handled it better if he didn't hear his small, scared voice. Alec raised his hand, pressing his palm to his face to rub away the tension. His fingertips found a soothing rhythm as they massaged his temples.

Biggs' expression and straight posture didn't change as he strode past Alec and into the van.

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The people of Terminal City were devastated upon hearing the horrible news – two dedicated, young X7's were killed in the battle against the Familiars. Most affected were the youngest of the X-series, who had all been friends with Danny and Key.

"These kids died trying to save us," Max whispered, horrified.

Alec shook his head. First Biggs, now Max. While he refused to shake off the tragedy, he knew he had a responsibility to lead the city and help everyone else move on. It should've been easier. He and countless other transgenics had lived this before – many, many times before. However, it did not get easier every time.

The only thing that did become easier was Alec's ability to be strong, and rid himself of the lingering guilt that threatened to take over. There had been causalities before, there had been tears, and there had been blame. If he couldn't stop the first two, he'd do what he could to rid of the third.

Max continued to mutter words of guilt but Alec had tuned out. She looked up at him with a look on her face – one that tore at him – she was pleading. Pleading for what? Agreement? A response? Or guidance? His best guess was the latter.

"Max, look at me," he requested, his voice soft and soothing. She complied as he continued. "You are not responsible for this. You were in a cage kissing me, remember?" At her blank expression, he noted to avoid any mood lightening. He closed his eyes, praying for the right words to come. "This guilt is gonna eat away at you, Max. And it's pointless and stupid. I've lived it and I bet you have too. We have a responsibility here and that is, to lead."

She nodded, looking less pale for the first time in a long while. Upon see the good sign, Alec sighed, relieved – and then he noticed her front teeth piercing her bottom lip.

"What is it?" he questioned, sighing again.

Now it was Max shaking her head in denial.

"Max…"

Her voice was minuscule when she responded. It reminded Alec of Biggs outside the van. "I don't feel like much of a leader. I mean, I'm meant to be making plans for this siege and instead I'm falling into White's traps, going into heat and humiliating myself with my co-leader."

Alec's gaze left her face guiltily.

"You agree," she assumed.

"No one's perfect, Max."

"I was designed to be," she countered.

"So was I. No need to get big-headed." He frowned.

"I'm scared," she admitted.

Alec swallowed hard. He was at a fork in the road. He could either confess that he was scared too, or he could be strong and encourage her to be too. Never one for wasting time over decisions, he picked both. "Me too, but we have to be strong, Max."

"How?"

"Each other."

And nothing more needed to be said.

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"Oh, Biggs," Kat sighed in relief as she saw him. She ran over and wrapped her arms around him.

His low, monotone voice objected. "I'm bleeding."

"I was so worried," she admitted as she clung tighter to his lean form and ignored his protest. He barely held on to her but she didn't mind.

He's here, he's safe, he's alive.

She repeated her new mantra over and over as her cheek pressed harder into his hard chest. Her nose yearned for his fresh, masculine scent, but was, instead, greeted with an overwhelming whiff of coppery blood, clouding over any traces of her favourite aroma.

That doesn't matter. He's alive. You have all the time in the world to smell him and hold him.

"Kat, I have to go," Biggs mumbled. His broad shoulders retreated and his arms stretched out to push her back. After pulling away, he walked off without a second glance.

Kat felt her eyes glaze over, as she stood confused, lonely and helpless in the middle of the room. Her gaze fixed upon the last spot she could remember him, she wondered what she'd done wrong.

It didn't take long for the deep breath, she'd been holding, to let go, and before she could suppress it, a sob escaped her. Like a bad case of the hiccups, they continued while her brain remained frozen and unthinking.

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"Deep breaths," Max whispered to herself reassuringly.

She'd come to a decision. No heat. No pressure about being leader of a transgenic city. No virus to prohibit the simple necessity of touching. No barriers whatsoever.

It was a selfish move admittedly, one that came from the inner desires of her heart, but Max figured she deserved it.

A shaky hand rose up to her eye level and hovered towards the door. A mere inch from the wood, her fist hesitated, but with a shake of her head, Max pushed herself on. Her hand rocked back and forth, rapping against the door repeatedly, the soft, low sound echoing through her head long after the hand had dropped. She swallowed past the nervous lump materializing in her throat. As the seconds ticked by, Max wondered if she'd come all this way for nothing. However, whilst they seemed like minutes they were only seconds and he finally answered the door.

"Maxie," he greeted after swinging the door open. His eyebrows rose expectantly, speculating the reason for her visit – and her stunningly wide eyes. "Everything alright? Not still shaken up about Danny and Key, are you?"

Alec's soothing, low voice broke her out of her weird trance. Max's eyes resumed their normal size and she grinned. "I'm fine actually. Need to talk to you," was her rushed reply. After taking a quick breath, she hurried past him into his apartment.

Confused, Alec shrugged innocently and shut the door. As he turned around to face Max, actually, her back, he asked, "So what can I do for you?"

Max spun around to meet his gaze and clapped her hands together, preparing herself. Her full lips were parted, ready to speak the words, but nerves got the better of her, and, instead, her mouth closed, lips pursed in thought.

Alec frowned at her strange reaction. His grimace turned into a smirk as he walked toward her. "Cat got your tongue, Maxie?"

Max's answer was an angry frown, her lips pulled into a pout, eyebrows knitted together. She folded her arms over her chest, emphasising more annoyance.

"Ohh, I know now. You came over here for another make-out session!" he cried with triumph. At her blush, his hazel orbs widened. I was right?! His brain couldn't absorb the concept.

She fought hard against the flush tinting her cheeks but the embarrassment of being caught – again – was too strong to diminish. She angrily dropped her head and let it hang with shame.

A low, throaty chuckle escaped Alec's mouth, because he had no other response.

"I-I…I didn't come here to 'make out'," – emphasised with a pair of flailing arms – "I came here to talk."

"So talk," he retorted smugly, mimicking her former stance as he crossed his arms over his upper body.

Max's jaw clenched in sheer irritation, her teeth grinding against one another with strength that could seriously strain the muscles in her throat – if she weren't so strong, of course.

They both knew he was winning, and he was so caught up in his victory, he didn't even think about what it meant. "Whoa, easy. No need to go all 'Incredible Hulk' on me – my apartment's actually clean."

She breathed in deeply through her nostrils, and even whilst attempting to calm herself, her upper teeth were piercing through her tongue. She hated showing him how irate he could get her, because that meant he would get exactly what he wanted, which was sadistic in Max's opinion. This was paining her and he was chuckling. God, if she weren't so infatuated with him, she would beat him to a bloody pulp. She would also ensure that he wouldn't get to see his affect on her – neither the good, nor bad.

"Water? You do look kinda hot," Alec teased and it sent her cheeks flaming again – in humiliation and fury. His smirk was widening by the minute.

Then Max decided she couldn't let him get away with his taunting. She grinned evilly back at him before stalking over in his direction.

When she'd reached him, she put her hands on his face and plunged her mouth onto his, tongue instantly forcing its way in. His large palms found their way to her back and pulled her flush against his, her familiar curves fitting into his perfectly. Her slender fingers lightly caressed his cheeks, taming the fervent kiss slightly.

They fought for dominance, fought to taste more of each other. It went on for a while, and felt like even longer, before Alec pushed her back and gulped in necessary air.

When they'd filled their lungs with oxygen, Max took a step back to him but was stopped by his hands, which he'd put up as a barrier between the two bodies that had been so close a minute earlier.

"I can't do this with you, Max," he professed. His tongue dashed out to lick his moist lips, simply so he could taste her again, the sensation of her sending a shiver down his spine.

"What?" Max marvelled, eyebrows raising somewhat.

"You heard me," he threw back.

She took two steps back, understanding he didn't want her near anymore. Her lips pursed, she pushed the question, "Can you explain further, then?"

Alec nodded and moved closer to her again, but she walked back for every step he took forward, keeping their distance far apart. "Look, Max, don't get me wrong. I think you know how I feel about you, but I don't think you know how you feel. First, you're kissing and touching and…so much more, and the next you're back to 'normal' telling me how there's nothing between us. What we've had was good, but clearly we started off all wrong."

"One, I don't know how you feel about me. Two, we haven't had anything together. And three, maybe we had a weird start, but there aren't going to be cages anymore, Alec," Max defended, even though she had no clue whom or what she was defending.

"Are you saying you want a real relationship with me?" he asked, scoffing visibly at such a suggestion.

Her lips pursed and, at her side, her hands were itching to move, maybe to hit him or to grab his face and kiss him again. Things were much simpler when they were kissing.

"My point, exactly," he attested, accompanied by a tired sigh. "What about you and Logan, Max? When did you talk to him last?"

Max grimaced. "He's been busy."

"Busy doing what? He's probably busy finding ways to save Terminal City and bring down Ames White," he countered, knowing he could very well be correct. Logan was Eyes Only and in love with Max, what else would the cyber-superhero be doing?

She shook her head, feeling too emotional to form coherent thoughts, let alone words.

"I can't rely on your feelings, Max. They're hot, then they're cold. I know we have a passionate relationship, but this is just not a good time to explore it."

"Yeah, I completely agree…" she trailed off in a whisper before running past him, storming out of the apartment in a hurry. Only after she was downstairs, did she let the tears fall.

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Kat slowly approached Biggs, who was sitting in his usual chair reading. Either he was ignoring her or she was more surreptitious than she'd anticipated – and she didn't think it was the latter.

"Biggs?" she called softly. The smallness and uncertainty in her voice showed how she almost didn't expect an answer.

To her surprise, he looked up from his book. Not surprising was the presence of the bothersome blank expression, otherwise known as the Manticore mask. His eyes gave away nothing, his mouth a thin pressed line of no emotion, stopping any chances of words escaping his lips.

Kat had rehearsed several options for approaching this conversation, and yet now that she was here, the words seemed inadequate. So she said nothing. She just stared down at him in his seat.

His piercing brown eyes held her gaze unblinkingly. He could easily see her every thought, every emotion. This being a gift Kat often gave. She could be mysterious, yet so simple and easy to understand – an open book in many ways.

His gaze took in her every feature, drinking in the emotion. Anger. Worry. Disappointment. Anticipation. Hope. And suddenly he understood that no words could explain anything.

Biggs hopped up to stand on two feet. Now, he was the one towering over her.

His long, muscular arms opened, an enticing invitation, and Kat ran into them within milliseconds. Her tears began to wet his shirt, bleeding through to touch his chest. Biggs rubbed her back soothingly and pressed his face into her soft, brown hair.

Then the words came to him. "I'm sorry."

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Max collapsed onto the couch, her legs giving out and sending her body plummeting into the spongy cushions. Beside her, Kat sighed.

"Max," was her greeting.

The raven-haired transgenic turned and smiled. "Kat."

The two were friends, sure, but had only spent the smallest of hours together. It was hardly a real friendship. Friends by default? Maybe that was the definition, Max thought.

"This is gonna seem weird. But I just need to talk to someone. Someone who won't judge. Can you be that someone?" Max asked.

Kat turned back to Max. "You don't even need to ask."

"I'm sure it's obvious that things have changed between Alec and me," she stated with a sigh. "So fast."

"It always is," Kat agreed.

"He thinks I chop and change."

"Don't you?"

"What?"

"Don't you?"

There was a pause.

Kat chuckled. "That's a yes."

"I don't even know what it is I'm feeling," she admitted.

"So sort it out. You need to if you ever expect him to pursue your relationship."

"Who said he doesn't want to pursue it?" Max asked.

Kat's head shook back and forth. "Max, Max, Max. Anyone can understand the implications of your first sentences. Plus, I'm meant to know what goes on with you two."

"Yeah, and FYI, that's creepy," she teased.

Kat laughed again, and Max joined in.

"I'm confused."

"Aren't we all?"

They both sighed.

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It had been three weeks since Max had stormed out of Alec's apartment. They'd been avoiding each other. However, this was no easy task. Being co-leaders of a busy transgenic nation required lots of teamwork, communication and, well, hours.

So it wasn't really avoiding. They spent most of their days together, in one office or another. Planning, speaking with others, catching up on anything they'd missed. They'd picked up where they'd dropped off and certainly impressed the Committee and the whole nation in their new leadership roles.

Mole, who'd been considered leader for the few weeks before, happily gave up his position, insisting that he wasn't the guy for the job. After all, the lizard man was not a people person. Max and Alec were designed and trained for the roles, so they of course shone in the ranks.

Currently, the Committee were investigating the issue of the decreasing amount of food in Terminal City. The supply was going to empty before the date they'd predicted. So, it was time for a meeting, unsurprisingly.

Alec and Max were like the public speaking tag team. When they had to present an idea to the Committee, they'd exhibit it together. Speaking in tandem.

"So, if we take a turn Northeast…" Max trailed off.

Alec finished, "We'll come out directly opposite the fruit market."

Several of the group nodded in approval.

"And, we were also considering th-"

An intruder at the door cut Max off. Logan.

She whispered his name, only loud enough for the genetically enhanced to hear. However, the cyber journalist was staring right at her face and could easily read the word on her lips.

"Max…" he called back softly. Logan took long strides to meet her at the other side of the room. When he was close enough, he spoke again. "I have the cure, Max."

&&

Buhm, buhm, buuuuuuuhhhhm. Haha.

IMHO, the real kicker is how he got it. But obviously, you don't know that.

I'm planning to wrap this up real soon, and this is when I get all the twists? Stinks, right?

Like what's with the friggin' angst? I don't know… Haha.

Review, please! Once again, I'm sick of knowing how many of you read and don't review. Harsh…

See you again soon!