Disclaimer: I'm tired and I got nothing!
BRAINIACLady slipped into the back room of the arcade and stared at the transgenics scrambling on the floor.
"What are you doing here?" Max demanded after getting over the initial shock of being confronted with cult heiress. She was dressed normally with her symbolic tattoos winding up her arm on display.
"Well the S1W was caught, which means Asha was caught which means you would be here. How is my reasoning holding up?" Lady asked leaning against the wall.
Max stared at her.
"Oh, what? Like it's some big secret? Asha's in the S1W. And they got arrested here last night," Alec jumped in, grinning at his girlfriend.
"Yeah, so what's that got to do with you?" Max rounded on the smirking transgenic.
"My number's in the book," Alec said, turning his attention back to the ground.
"Oh, sure. You and the S1W, fightin' the power," Max snapped sarcastically.
"Who said anything about the S1W? Asha asked for my number one night at Crash," Alec said.
"She asked?" Max raised an eyebrow.
"Or maybe I offered it to her. I don't know--it was during that whole mermaid thing. I was feelin' kinda lonely," Alex corrected her.
"You offered?" Lady crossed her arms.
Alec looked from one woman to the other, "I'm not gonna win here am I?"
Lady shook her head and glared at Alec, "Well maybe I should give my cellular number to Calvin?"
Alec laughed, "Sketchy? You wouldn't?"
"Try me," Her tone was flat and serious. Alec balked under her gazed and tried puppy dogs eyes on her.
"Consider your ass saved. Here's her backpack," Max interrupted. She thrust it into his chest harshly.
Alec flipped through the pages despite Lady's incredulous expression. He'd make it up to her later by stealing something shiny. Lady was trying to be cranky but was finding it hard to maintain as she watched Alec's face grow serious.
"Okay, question… have you ever pretended to write down a guy's phone number?" Alec demanded. Lady giggled and Max smiled. Alec narrowed his eyes as Lady tried to disguise her smirk.
"What's this? Asha likes poetry?"
That got the female's attention. Asha was many things but most definitely not a poetic character. She was a tough as nails, intelligent woman but not really literacy orientated.
"It's none of your business," Max retorted, trying to feign disinterest.
"Hey, get a load of this. 'Oh, love, let me raise you softer than moonbeams...' Kinda makes you wonder who she's writing to," Alec chuckled and looked at the pair.
"Could be anyone," Max dismissed but her lips were pursed. Alec made eye contact with Lady and smirked. He was enjoying putting Max on edge like this. They got up and began walking towards the door.
Alec couldn't resist riling Max up some more, "You're right, it could be about anyone, but, uh, here's an interesting fact. Logan's name is in her book."
"They work together," Max argued but doubt crept across her face.
"Yeah, I'm sure they do," Alec mumbled shooting a triumphant look over towards Lady. She shook her head to discourage him. Lady hated it when Max was cranky because she always took it out on the people around her.
"They do, Smart Ass. That's why I'm here." Anger began seeping into her tone.
"Oh, because they work together?" Alec persisted.
"No, because I don't want Logan's name to end up in some police file," Max protested slipping through the arcade.
Alec was really enjoying himself and continued to push Max's buttons, "With Asha's."
"With the S1W," Max retorted. Her face was flushed and she looked like contained fury. Lady loved Alec but Isis knew the boy had a penchant for trouble.
"Oh, okay, right, right. Now, Logan used to be your thing," Alec deliberately altered his face so it looked sincere.
"We weren't even like that," Max objected. Lady and Alec rolled their eyes. If they heard Max profess that her and Logan weren't like 'that' one more time someone was going to scream.
"So when Logan asks you to go get his poetess friend Asha out of jail, you jump at the cha…" Alec was stopped by Max snatching the poetry book and shoving it into Asha's bag.
"You may want to leave it," Lady suggested quietly to Alec.
Alec ignored her advice, "We weren't designed to be chumps, Max."
Max finally snapped, "People were arrested here last night. Do you even get that? People risking their lives for something more important than themselves. They were rounded up because some snitch turned them in. One guy was wounded."
Alec wasn't paying attention. His gaze had slipped to one of the arcade games and his brow furrowed, "Max!"
"So forget the cheap shots, because even if that were true, it wouldn't matter, 'cause it's not about me," Max ploughed on!
"Max!" Alec cried to get her attention.
"What?"
Alec walked over and leant on the game giving it a significant look.
"Oh Goddess," Lady sighed when she saw what Alec was referring to.
The top score was 452, 000 with MAX and a little heart. Lady couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. She was the first to accept a conspiracy theory. In fact she used to be part of one with the cult of Isis but this was pushing things too far.
"Or maybe it is about you." Alec didn't even joke as he reached up and pulled down a sweatshirt. It was massive and a few candy bars fell out.
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Lady was clutching Alec's cell phone to her ear and talking to Almira.
"I'm sorry to call. Since I was shunned I have no right to call but I need information," Lady said.
"Anything! I do not care what the queen said," Almira's voice was hushed and Lady knew that last statement was not true. In fact she could almost hear Almira resisting the urge to take it back.
"You have heard about the S1W arresting," Lady assumed.
"Of course. Do you want information?"
"Anything you can give me. Ring or message me on this number," Lady asked.
"I can do that," Almira promised, "What is the situation like?"
"It's getting more and more complicated," Lady admitted, "These transgenicss are not making life easy."
"I meant with Alec," Almira prodded. She was grinning on the other end of the phone.
"I haven't really seen him," Lady lied.
"Whose phone are you using?" Almira chirped victoriously.
"It does not mean anything," Lady swore.
"Liar! We all know why you left, Tsarina told me and besides I have not heard you quote for the longest time. It means you finally are growing up!"
"I have to go," Lady decided. Almira was right, naturally but she did not want this getting back to her mother. She may have been shunned but the queen after all was her mother and did not want her baby girl with unsuitable men.
Almira said her goodbyes and Lady snapped the cell phone shut just as Max and Alec came out of the arcade.
Alec slipped an arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "what did my little informant discover?"
"Nothing." It was a simple answer but it came out giggly and coy. Lady wanted to hit her self in the head with her palm. She was not used to acting like a typical teenager with rampant emotions.
Max coughed loudly, "He's close by here!"
"Cool," Alec stated and pulled one of the candy bars out of his jacket.
"You are not really going to eat his chocolate are you?" Lady wrinkled her nose with disgust.
"Yeah why not?" Alec was genuinely confused.
"Well it could be poisoned candy," Max answered though she really thought this was unlikely. It was just tacky to eat the suspect's food.
"I'll risk it," Alec decided breaking through the packaging.
"I won't kiss you!" Lady threatened, clearly on Max's side again.
"And I'm defeated again by women," Alec groaned and out it back into the pocket of his jumper.
The sky was grey and the cold wind bit into their skin. Lady's hair kept getting in her face so she scooped it up into a ponytail. It was getting longer and was starting to annoy her but Alec seemed to like her long dark hair. It made her want to keep it that way.
Later on they were creeping down the apartment buildings hallways.
"Keep your voice down. Don't knock, either," Alec instructed going into Soldier mode.
"Why?" Max wanted to know.
"'Cause you lose the element of surprise," Alec explained.
"What surprise? That kid said he's expecting us," Max observed.
"Yeah, but it could be a trap," Alec pointed out.
"Please. I think we can handle him," Max scoffed.
"Whoa. "We"?" Alec paused.
"I'll help," Lady offered.
"How?" Max faced the younger woman.
"I can fight and use this," She reached her arm behind her and under her jacket. She pulled a long knife out.
"Back sheath," She elucidated, "Not as good as my sword but it will do the trick." Alec stared at his girlfriend in surprise. He had noticed she was standing remarkably upright all day but he thought it was just one of those odd things she did like using correct grammar and having symbolic tattoos. But of course she had a huge knife.
"I don't like this," Alec butted in dragging his attention away from the knife, "There could be an X series in there and you could get hurt."
"Nobody asked you two to tag along," Max hissed, finding sensitive Alec a little hard to deal with.
"That's right. You were supposed to come alone," A large man snapped, opening the door.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Brain was handcuffed to a seat blindfolded in an abandoned building his head darting around nervously. Logan was examining a map and Alec and Max were holding a discussion in the corner. Lady was standing near Brain examining him.
"Stop watching me," Brain commanded abruptly.
Lady started, "How did you know I was here?" She had been very quiet as she watched the big man. He was actually quite young now that she looked closer but she was finding it hard to memorize his face. It just got a bit fuzzy when it came to details.
"There was a 72 percent possibility that you would come and stare and trying and analyse me. Probably something to do with your upbringing and your instinctual attempt to help people," Brain concluded.
"That was unusual," Lady confessed.
"I honestly didn't expect you though. The chances of you hanging around Max are less than half. You must be hear because of the other transgenic," Brain said referring to Alec.
Lady blushed, "Why does everybody say that?"
"Did you know there's a 86.4 percent chance that he and Max are attracted to each other," Brain informed Lady.
"Are you trying to annoy me?" Lady growled.
"There's only a 16 percent chance that you would hit me just for saying something offensive which is the lowest percent in the room. The man over by the table is a 24 percent, Alec is a 64 percent and Max is 78 percent likely to," Brain surmised.
"Hmm you do know her well," Lady concluded and felt a smile growing on her lips.
"Besides the likelihood of Alec sleeping with Max is 15 percent" Brain tried to make amends with Lady who was finding it harder and harder to hate him. She began suspecting that he wasn't involved with this S1W business at all really.
"Thanks," Lady mumbled to him.
Brain smiled at her briefly before turning his attention to escaping from the bonds and helping Max, "Okay, this is totally unnecessary."
"So this is the guy who turned them in? " Logan sounded like he couldn't quite believe it. Not only did Brain not look dangerous but his very aura was unthreatening.
"Looks like." Max winced knowing how ridiculous it was.
"Says he admits he knew the raid was going down," Alec interjected.
"Although, according to him, only to a 73 percent certainty," Max trailed off puzzled.
"Hello? Okay, these things are a little tight. I don't know if I mentioned it, but I bruise easily. Look, I'm trying to help you, Max!" Brain called.
"Maybe we should let him go?" Lady suggested hesitantly.
"You know him?" Logan turned to Max. Max shook her head.
"I think he's got a little thing for Max," Alec smirked.
Logan didn't even blink an eye at that news, "Well, we'll have to deal with him and his "little thing" later. They're moving the S1W to a federal facility in about an hour, and there's an opportunity to intercept on Highway 153. "
"Oh, that's a bad idea," Brain advised. Lady looked at him interested.
Logan continued as if never interrupted, "There's a railroad grade crossing in serious disrepair along the route. It's about a mile from the Somerset Poultry Farm."
"If you're thinking about the train track, think again," Brain was frustrated that they weren't listening to them.
"What is this?" Logan asked finally paying attention. Max indicated with a shrug that she had no idea what Brain was talking about.
""Okay, I need you to shut up," Logan finally snapped. Lady guessed that maybe Alec's previous comment about Brains infatuation with Max had actually hit a nerve.
"County roads in the area allow unacceptable delivery rates of backup sector personnel. I mean, the probability of subsequent apprehension is--is--is like," Brain proceeded to rant but paused when Logan stormed over and pulled the blindfold away from his eyes.
Brain looked around before saying doubtfully, "3157 Mercer Street! Is this your idea of a secret meeting place, huh?"
Logan shoved the blindfold into Brains mouth as a make shift gag.
"Hey!" Lady complained. She didn't think Brain deserved this rough treatment.
"I can't think with all the noise he keeps making," Logan replied.
"But he's just trying to help," Lady disputed.
"But he's not!" Logan retorted. Lady glared at him but Logan had thirty years of surviving his family's heartfelt angry fierce looks. Lady's weak glower just bounced of him.
"Eyes Only?" Brain muttered awed. Lady shot her eyes up to Logan's face bewildered. Logan looked concerned from the woman to Brain and then walked back to Max and Alec who were hitting each other.
"Crossing'll be deserted. Bus'll come to a complete stop. It should be easy in, easy out. What's that?" Logan asked spying a book. Lady saw the book of poetry and fought the urge to grin. Alec was such a juvenile sometimes.
"Nothing," Max assured quickly.
"Poetry," Alec defied. He was practically beaming.
"It's nothing! Stay with what's-his-name and we'll do the rest," Max ordered.
"So what's his name?" Logan realised he hadn't even thought to ask this earlier.
"Be careful," Logan said softly as they walked towards the door.
Alec ruffled Brain's hair on the way out while still irritating Max, ""Be careful." That cost him."
"I'll do this alone if I have to," Max stated exasperated.
"I'm on board," Alec amended.
"Look, the only way it'll work is if you break an egg! You hear me, Max? Break an egg!" Brain cried.
"Need a sword?" Lady offered.
"You stay here and watch Brian," Alec told her.
"Brain!" Lady corrected.
"Whatever," And then he was gone.
Lady bit her lip at his curt good bye.
"Don't worry. He just worries about you which is 89 percent out of character for him," Brain comforted the girl.
Lady who had his back to him said gruffly, "I do not care." There was no way he could see her face that she was upset.
"Well there is a 95.7 percent chance that you do," Brain told her.
"I don't stand a chance with you do I?" Lady surrendered.
"I just know some things," Brain admitted. Surprisingly Lady never thought to ask how he knew these things. The question didn't register in her mind.
Logan was watching the map and Brain observed him. "Now him. There's an 83 percent chance that he will be able to say anything more than 'be careful' when she leaves him."
"Emotionally incapable?" Lady assumed.
"No! He has too many words and not enough time," Brain said. He looked a bit disgruntled as he stared at Logan. He loved Max but knew that she cared too deeply for Logan. Besides his own gift was a curse in moments like this because he knew just how likely it was that Max would love him.
"That is kind of sweet. At least he says be careful. Alec just says stay!" Lady pouted and felt silly. She was an adult woman and she was pouting.
"Being mature doesn't mean you can't pout," Brain stated.
"It is like having you inside my head," Lady gasped.
"I get that sometimes," Brain lied. He never got that from anyone. He never got any attention really. Maybe she wouldn't be talking to him if she didn't have an insatiable curiosity to know why people did what but he didn't mind. He would take what he could get!
"I get the responsibility drill sometimes," Lady divulged, "Making sacrifices to do your job. Sometimes you can't any more."
Brain understood. He had sacrificed his being acknowledged to be good at his job but he could never make the decision for it to stop.
"Sometimes you have to accept it," He enigmatically told Lady who nodded.
"By the way. You and Alec have a dead even 50/50 chance of working out," Brain surmised.
Lady's face fell, "They are not good odds."
"No it's excellent it means that you are in charge of your relationship and it all comes down to you and him and decisions the pair of you make."
"Thanks I'll keep that in mind," Lady promised.
After that Lady went and talked to Logan about the possible candidate for who sold S1W to the cops. Then Max, Alec and the S1W burst into the building.
"How'd it go, Max?" Logan asked.
"Kinda weird, actually. Hold on."
Max stalked up to Brain and Lady, worried they might hit him, hurried after them.
"How'd you know?" Max planted her hands on her hips and eyeballed the man.
"Know what?" Brain was obviously disorientated.
"Break an egg." Alec snapped.
"And the cops, and the train..." Max persisted.
"No."
"Then what are you mad about?" Brain asked.
Lady wondered what was going on so she asked, "What are you both talking about?"
"Just tell us how you knew," Max ignored her question.
"How do you think I knew? I'm an X-series, just like you!" Brain statement was met with a snort from Alec and a furious look from Max. Lady blinked a few times. Brain was a transgenic?
Alec moved around to look at his neck, "Huh. Yep." That meant he had a found a barcode.
"Then what are you?" Max demanded.
"What am I?" Brain wondered what she was talking about.
"Yeah, she means you don't exactly look like a soldier there, big guy," Alec grinned slyly.
"Oh, and you two do?" Brain retorted. Lady bit down a giggle and Logan reluctantly nodded his head. They both looked like people out of swimsuit magazines. Neither appeared deadly or for that matter super intelligent. They were just too good-looking and casual to fit the military stereotype.
"I'm an I.T. concentrate. A battle processor. I'm basically a general, his staff, two database groups, and five logistical support teams, all rolled into one stealth package," Brain concluded.
"Stealth. Yeah." Alec laughed sarcastically.
"People look away. They don't remember me. There, are you happy?" Every word of that sounded like it hurt and Lady knew what he meant by sacrifices.
"Yeah, that still doesn't explain your psychic ability," Alec changed tact.
"Psychic? Please. I combine near-absolute data knowledge with fast Fourier neural nets for heuristics," Brain said.
"Heuristics?" Alec asked.
"Predictions using probability algorithms that are stored in my… Look, are you sure you want to hear this?" Brain wanted to know.
"Whatever you call it, you can tell the future." Max was getting excited.
"I can see our future. Yours and mine. That's why I'm here, Max." He looked at the transgenic with such longing.
"You getting the feeling that, uh, Puffy here's got something else on his mind than betraying the S1W?" Alec asked with a grin.
"I never thought he did," Lady said.
"Oh, but I didn't betray the S1W. It was one of them."
"Come on. You have to be kidding."
"It would make sense," Lady determined.
Alec began nodding his head, "The info they had would have been gotten by an insider."
"Come with me," Max pulled Brain to his feet.
Alec lingered with Lady. He sensed her cold mood.
"How are you?" He would try casual first.
"Fine," Lady said with a false bright smile.
"You're mad at me," Alec alleged warily. He approached this carefully. If had been any other girl he would have tried charming flattery but Lady would most probably see right through it and stab him. Though that sounded more like something Max would do.
"No!" Her smile had too much teeth and seemed vicious.
Alec winced, "Why?" He almost didn't want to know.
"Why do you keep doing this protective thing with me. I'm not a delicate flower. I can handle anything that isn't genetically enhanced." Lady finally gave in and told her what was worrying her.
"You're angry because I want to keep you safe?" Alec clarified in disbelief.
It sounded stupid being said by him out loud but she nodded defiantly, her teeth clenched.
"Ok let's see if I can explain this," Alec searched for words and found his mind going over some broken memories. They were fragmented and mere flashes but he saw a girl with dark hair like Lady's. He couldn't really remember her. Probably just a pretty girl he had seen on a mission once. He knew that mission. It had gone badly and he had been injured. A car blast had knocked him unconscious and try as they might Manticore couldn't resurrect his memories.
"Alec?' Lady prompted.
Alec snapped out of his reflective mood, "I just don't want to lose you if I could have stopped it. I don't want to be your controller or master, you could have stayed with Duke for that but I want you to be safe," Alec finished. It was the longest most serious thing he had said recently.
Lady's expression softened, "Really?"
"Yeah, can't have my girlfriend getting her butt kicked helping me," Alec said back to his carefree exterior but secretly relieved that she hadn't stormed off on him.
"So I'm your girlfriend," Lady concluded, liking how it sounded.
"Yeah god help you," Alec joked.
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The S1W was restless and cranky. Max and Brain had been gone for a long time. "If she's supposed to be on our side, then why's she protecting him?" One asked.
"She's not protecting him," Logan defended.
"Then where is he?" The guy pressed.
"Why don't we just concentrate on getting you guys out of town?" Logan defused the situation.
"And why don't you call me when you get there. You've got my number, right?" Alec was just kidding as Lady was sitting bored on a chair having one of those rare moments where she looked very cute. Her green eyes were half shut.
Asha didn't get a chance to answer as another member of the S1W spoke up, "Who's he working for? That's what I wanna know."
"He's not working for anyone. He saved your asses, if you wanna know the truth." Max had strolled in with Brain.
"Yeah? Is that what he says?" The S1W guy asked obnoxiously. Lady looked up tired and wished she had the energy to hit that guy.
"That's what I say. You're blaming the wrong guy." Max declared.
Brain's eyes began darting around nervously, "I think…I think… I think sector police will approach in a scatter "Y" formation. Alpha team in the stairwell, bravo in the elevator. Chances are dead even a third team will stake out the roof."
The room erupted into chaos. Asha spun to Max, "What is he talking about?"
"He turned us in again!" the member was hysterical.
"Shut up!" Max commanded.
"Egress through a fire stairwell. Fifty-four steps up to the second floor. There's an exhaust fan behind a four-foot grate in the west hallway. Use it. It's your only way out." Brain churned the information out.
"When? When's this happening?" Max asked urgently.
"Now!"
Max gasped, "Go! Do what he says! Get out of here!"
Lady and Alec followed the rest of the S1W. Lady knew he was staying by her side to make sure some over-enthused panic deranged S1W member didn't knock her down.
They made it into fresh air and Max and Logan came out after them. Logan talked to Asha while Max looked around for Brain. He was nowhere in sight.
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Lady was angrily pacing the hall in the Isis castle. It was the first time she had been back since her exile and the place didn't feel very welcoming. Her mother had demanded her presence right in the middle of the S1W conundrum just when Brain had been captured.
"I shouldn't be here!" She snapped to her mother.
"Why? Because you are out helping little transgenics?" Her mother said coldly.
"That's what we do!" Lady rejoined.
"That is," Her mother corrected, "I did not raise you talk like the common people on the streets."
"Snobbery, mother?" Lady cynically rounded on her mother, "How conventional and expected."
"Do not use that tone with me." The queen drew herself to her feet and glared at her insolent daughter.
"What's the prob here?" Lady deliberately used slang.
"The 'prob' is that despite being shunned you think you have access to our resources. Almira was discovered using the computers and we found the recorded phone call," The queen yelled.
Lady winced. That meant she had heard everything that had been said with Alec.
"It does not work like that!" Her mother thundered. Lady took a step back. The queen was terrifying when she wanted to be.
"You know what, Mother? I do not really care. I have friends out there. Peopled I can help and that I care about so if you do not like it you can go to hell!" Lady cried and stalked out of the room.
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"I can't believe he is dead," Lady murmured. She was standing outside his apartment with Alec.
"I can't believe you told your mom to go to hell. She's scary," Alec shuddered with the memories.
"Focus Alec," Lady pleaded with him.
"In fact I can't believe you said hell," Alec said.
"Alec!"
"Sorry," He mumbled pulling her into his arms, "I just hate getting sad over people's death. It just sucks all our energy."
"So why are we here?"
"Oh I'm finding us a bigger apartment," Alec grinned.
Lady's jaw dropped. "You are not serious? You are really just going to take his apartment."
Alec nodded, "And you can tell your crazy mother you're living in my old unit."
"We can not take a dead mans home!" Lady protested.
"Why not. It's not like he's using it," Alec shrugged.
"It's unethical!" Lady decreed but Alec was already walking up to some man with a trolley.
Lady followed him into the house, arguing with him the whole way. When she realised he wasn't going to listen to her she sent a silent prayer to Isis, asking for him not to be damned for being so immoral.
They walked inside to be confronted with about 6 TVs all blaring an Eyes Only broadcast.
"I don't know how he stood it. All that noise, I mean." Alec picked up the remotes and muted the majority of the TVs. Lady stepped delicately into the room and prayed again for Brain.
"All around us, the battle rages--a battle between good and evil in the fight for men's souls. There are victories and defeats, and over the years the two sides have..." Logan was saying on the set.
"Why are you here?" Max kept her eyes on the screen.
"Never a welcoming word with you, is there, Max?" Alec tried to delay the moment when he would tell her he was taking the apartment.
"Well?" Max prodded, not fooled for an instance.
A man slid into the room and Alec gestured that he should wait till he told Max what was happening.
Logan was still speaking, "The courageous among us are not discouraged. The courageous among us do not give up..."
"Maybe, uh...maybe I wanted to come by and make sure you were okay. Did you ever think of that?" Alec attempted. Lady groaned inwardly at his pathetic stall tactics.
"The courageous among us are called more often than others to sacrifice. A great and fearless warrior in this battle died today..." Brains face appeared on the screen.
Alec forgot his original intent to stare at the TV too, "Great and fearless warrior?"
"It doesn't matter what they say. I just want people to see him," Max stated and cast a quick glanced over her shoulder.
"Overlooked in his lifetime by all of us... I ask that you look at him now." Logan trailed off.
"Why are you here?" Max's voice was soft.
"Like I said," Alec began.
Max cut him off, "You sold his TVs, didn't you?" She didn't sound surprise. Lady who didn't know that opened her mouth to say something but Logan said something that distracted her.
"See him as he should be seen: in death a hero, as in life a friend," Logan begged. Lady felt tears welling up. Brain had been a good person who deserved a better life.
"No, not all of them. I'm gonna keep one for myself," Alec explained himself.
"You're moving in?" Max finally came around to the issue on hand.
"Well, Max, it's not like he needs the place anymore," Alec sounded defensive. He clicked his fingers and the men came in and began removing the TVs leaving only the large centre one. Lady moved round to sit next to Max and Alec was forced to stare at the TV.
He stood in contemplative silence for a moment then said, "You know, I never really noticed, but...he's actually kind of magnificent."
A tear ran down Max's cheek, "Yeah. He was."
AN: I'm looking forward to the next chapter because it will be interesting and fun. Please review. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
MD666