"Dix" Alec stuck his head out the door and gestured to the transgenic.
Dix stood quickly, and followed him into the room.
"What do you need?"
"I need you to contact Max. you have her cell number, right?"
"Yeah, of course. What do I tell her?"
"That the teams found evidence of recent occupation. Tim was probably there, but they moved him after Shay escaped. It might help Logan track troop movements."
Dix heard the pause before Alec spoke Logan's name, and the contempt in his voice as he said it. He slowly met his leader's gaze.
"you could call her yourself" he said quietly, then quickly looked down, scared that he had gone too far. It wasn't his place to tell Alec to do anything. he should be satisfied, no, grateful, just to be included.
"I told you to do it" Alec snapped, turning away from him to face the window. Dix nodded, then turned to the door. He had blown it. Just great.
Alec heard Dix open the door. "Hey" he commented. Dix stopped, and turned to him.
"If I call, Logan won't help us. And we do need his help."
"I'll call her right now. Anything else to tell her?"
an image of a room, completely white, blinding, flashed in front of his eyes. Then, another image, him holding Max in his arms, leaning down and capturing her lips with his. "No" he told Dix. "Nothing else."
"Done" Dix left the room, and Alec went back to staring out the window. He could just about see the space needle from here.
Ray threw a tennis ball against the wall. It rebounded off the ground, and bounced back into his waiting hand. He threw it again, not even concentrating on it, but catching it. He had had lots of practice in the past few days. There was nothing else to do. The only people he saw were doctors, people in white coats that talked to him and looked at him funny when he answered their questions. A few times, his father had entered the room. Ray had nothing to say to him, and his father went away again. He didn't know what to do. He threw the ball again, hard, and it flew back into his waiting hand.
"Was it bad?" Storm asked Shay as they sat in the parking lot.
"I don't really remember" Shay told him, shrugging.
Storm nodded. "I'm sorry, man." He told him.
"Huh?" Shay looked up. "What?"
"I should have stayed with you, if I was there, we could have stopped them."
"Don't be an idiot." Shay told him. "If you hadn't gone after Max, then they might have got her. They might have released the virus."
"Yeah, I guess."
"idiot."
"Don't call me that" Storm told him, pushing him lightly.
"You are. Christ, who do you think you are, Alec? He's the one that feels guilty about everything. Max too. There ain't that much blame to go around."
Storm shoved him off the crate. "Moron" he responded.
the black room. it was one of those things that Alec had tried so hard to put out of his mind. He thought that he had succeeded. He hadn't thought about it for a few months. Not really, anyway. The worst thing was opening his eyes and realising that he couldn't see. That he was completely blind and that no matter where he looked, everything was completely black. It had been like being back in that room, and he had been frightened. Alec shook his head. Christ, he was becoming pathetic. He grabbed his jacket off the chair, and went looking for Shay and Storm. Dix had said that they were in the lot, talking, and he remembered the last thing he had said to them on the mission, that they would have a drink together after the mission. It was time to keep that deal.
He walked into the lot, and caught sight of both of them, play fighting. He laughed out loud as he heard Shay call Storm an idiot, taunting him, and Storm's retaliatory comment about Shay's parentage. They both turned to look at him, then they laughed, too. "Your mother was a goat?" Alec repeated, grinning.
"Best thing about being a transgenic?" Storm commented. "there are always insults, readily available."
"Let's go get a drink" Alec told them. "My shout"
"Do you have anything yet?" Max asked, leaning over Logan's shoulder.
"Not yet" he replied, distracted, as he fast forwarded through some surveillance tape. "Got this through the informant net. One of the hover-drones from that area."
"Must have been one that Storm and Mole missed." She commented.
"What?" he turned to look at her, his legs brushing up against her.
"Oh, umm, Storm and Mole have been using the drones as target practice. Doesn't matter"
"Hmm" Logan commented. "Nothing here. I have some other contacts I can try, but most of them I won't be able to reach until morning. You're not going to try to head back to TC are you? There's a lot of movement out there."
Max shook her head. "Nah, I thought I'd stay here, keep working on this. we need to know fast, Logan."
"I'm working on it" he told her, turning back to the screen. "Listen, why don't you get some rest? I have a few more files to go through, and if my contact comes through, there will be several more coming through later. We may as well do this in shifts."
Max nodded, accepting the logic. She stretched out on the couch, and closed her eyes. Although she didn't need much sleep, she still needed some, and the last few days, she hadn't really gotten any. There had been so much work to do, and when there wasn't, she had spent a lot of time with Alec in the hospital, wanting to be there when he woke up. She smiled slightly, thinking about the night before, waking up to Alec's arms around her.
Two hours later.
Logan watched her openly, the way she curled around a pillow, resting her head on the arm of the couch, smiling the way that had always driven him insane. He had missed her more than he had thought possible, and the possibility that she was with Alec, cuddling up to him at night the way she was holding that pillow, was more than he could stand. She moved slightly, getting comfortable, and Logan turned quickly back to his computer, skimming through footage. This was interesting. There was the familiar base, and a car. It was only there for a second, before the drone moved over another building, obscuring the shot. He continued watching the file to see if there was anything else there.
"Anything?" Max whispered, and he turned around, pressing pause on the screen. Max stood behind him, rubbing her neck. "Not so far" he told her, hitting delete.
"Couch not too comfortable huh?" he asked.
"Nah, I slept here a few times, when I was watching Joshua. Each time I swore I would get him a new couch. I never did. Guess I'm paying for it now, huh?"
"Karma, huh?" Logan commented, moving behind her and rubbing her neck. "Take my bed if you want, it's a lot more comfortable than the couch."
"What do you need?"
"I need you to contact Max. you have her cell number, right?"
"Yeah, of course. What do I tell her?"
"That the teams found evidence of recent occupation. Tim was probably there, but they moved him after Shay escaped. It might help Logan track troop movements."
Dix heard the pause before Alec spoke Logan's name, and the contempt in his voice as he said it. He slowly met his leader's gaze.
"you could call her yourself" he said quietly, then quickly looked down, scared that he had gone too far. It wasn't his place to tell Alec to do anything. he should be satisfied, no, grateful, just to be included.
"I told you to do it" Alec snapped, turning away from him to face the window. Dix nodded, then turned to the door. He had blown it. Just great.
Alec heard Dix open the door. "Hey" he commented. Dix stopped, and turned to him.
"If I call, Logan won't help us. And we do need his help."
"I'll call her right now. Anything else to tell her?"
an image of a room, completely white, blinding, flashed in front of his eyes. Then, another image, him holding Max in his arms, leaning down and capturing her lips with his. "No" he told Dix. "Nothing else."
"Done" Dix left the room, and Alec went back to staring out the window. He could just about see the space needle from here.
Ray threw a tennis ball against the wall. It rebounded off the ground, and bounced back into his waiting hand. He threw it again, not even concentrating on it, but catching it. He had had lots of practice in the past few days. There was nothing else to do. The only people he saw were doctors, people in white coats that talked to him and looked at him funny when he answered their questions. A few times, his father had entered the room. Ray had nothing to say to him, and his father went away again. He didn't know what to do. He threw the ball again, hard, and it flew back into his waiting hand.
"Was it bad?" Storm asked Shay as they sat in the parking lot.
"I don't really remember" Shay told him, shrugging.
Storm nodded. "I'm sorry, man." He told him.
"Huh?" Shay looked up. "What?"
"I should have stayed with you, if I was there, we could have stopped them."
"Don't be an idiot." Shay told him. "If you hadn't gone after Max, then they might have got her. They might have released the virus."
"Yeah, I guess."
"idiot."
"Don't call me that" Storm told him, pushing him lightly.
"You are. Christ, who do you think you are, Alec? He's the one that feels guilty about everything. Max too. There ain't that much blame to go around."
Storm shoved him off the crate. "Moron" he responded.
the black room. it was one of those things that Alec had tried so hard to put out of his mind. He thought that he had succeeded. He hadn't thought about it for a few months. Not really, anyway. The worst thing was opening his eyes and realising that he couldn't see. That he was completely blind and that no matter where he looked, everything was completely black. It had been like being back in that room, and he had been frightened. Alec shook his head. Christ, he was becoming pathetic. He grabbed his jacket off the chair, and went looking for Shay and Storm. Dix had said that they were in the lot, talking, and he remembered the last thing he had said to them on the mission, that they would have a drink together after the mission. It was time to keep that deal.
He walked into the lot, and caught sight of both of them, play fighting. He laughed out loud as he heard Shay call Storm an idiot, taunting him, and Storm's retaliatory comment about Shay's parentage. They both turned to look at him, then they laughed, too. "Your mother was a goat?" Alec repeated, grinning.
"Best thing about being a transgenic?" Storm commented. "there are always insults, readily available."
"Let's go get a drink" Alec told them. "My shout"
"Do you have anything yet?" Max asked, leaning over Logan's shoulder.
"Not yet" he replied, distracted, as he fast forwarded through some surveillance tape. "Got this through the informant net. One of the hover-drones from that area."
"Must have been one that Storm and Mole missed." She commented.
"What?" he turned to look at her, his legs brushing up against her.
"Oh, umm, Storm and Mole have been using the drones as target practice. Doesn't matter"
"Hmm" Logan commented. "Nothing here. I have some other contacts I can try, but most of them I won't be able to reach until morning. You're not going to try to head back to TC are you? There's a lot of movement out there."
Max shook her head. "Nah, I thought I'd stay here, keep working on this. we need to know fast, Logan."
"I'm working on it" he told her, turning back to the screen. "Listen, why don't you get some rest? I have a few more files to go through, and if my contact comes through, there will be several more coming through later. We may as well do this in shifts."
Max nodded, accepting the logic. She stretched out on the couch, and closed her eyes. Although she didn't need much sleep, she still needed some, and the last few days, she hadn't really gotten any. There had been so much work to do, and when there wasn't, she had spent a lot of time with Alec in the hospital, wanting to be there when he woke up. She smiled slightly, thinking about the night before, waking up to Alec's arms around her.
Two hours later.
Logan watched her openly, the way she curled around a pillow, resting her head on the arm of the couch, smiling the way that had always driven him insane. He had missed her more than he had thought possible, and the possibility that she was with Alec, cuddling up to him at night the way she was holding that pillow, was more than he could stand. She moved slightly, getting comfortable, and Logan turned quickly back to his computer, skimming through footage. This was interesting. There was the familiar base, and a car. It was only there for a second, before the drone moved over another building, obscuring the shot. He continued watching the file to see if there was anything else there.
"Anything?" Max whispered, and he turned around, pressing pause on the screen. Max stood behind him, rubbing her neck. "Not so far" he told her, hitting delete.
"Couch not too comfortable huh?" he asked.
"Nah, I slept here a few times, when I was watching Joshua. Each time I swore I would get him a new couch. I never did. Guess I'm paying for it now, huh?"
"Karma, huh?" Logan commented, moving behind her and rubbing her neck. "Take my bed if you want, it's a lot more comfortable than the couch."