Max sighed as Logan's hands worked some of the kinks out of her neck. She
bent her head down, giving him more room. it was weird, his hands were kind
of rough. Not what she expected. She had always pictured Logan as being so
gentle, and Alec as being the rough one. Alec had never been rough with her
so far, but then, she had never asked him for a neck rub. She smiled
slightly, making a mental note to ask him to do just that, merely for
comparison, of course.
Logan saw her smile, and grinned himself. This was going to be a lot easier than he thought. "Go on" he told her, "Take my bed, I'll wake you in a few hours"
Max sighed. "I'm awake now, I'll never go back to sleep. Why don't I take over for a while?"
Logan nodded. "Help yourself"
she pulled away from him and sat at the computer, opening the next file.
Alec was quietly getting drunk. He was leaning against a wall, watching Shay and Storm try to figure out how to play pool. They were learning pretty quick. Storm sunk two balls with one shot, and turned to grin at Alec. Alec raised his bottle to him, then took another mouthful. The game ended, Storm sinking the final shot, and the two came back over to join him.
"When I was on the outside" Shay started talking slowly, "I went into this house, to find different clothes. I found this room, think it belonged to a kid my age. There was so much stuff in it. Games, Toys, books. I wanted to stay there"
Storm nodded. "When we first escaped, I spent hours watching tv, days even, just flicking back and forward between channels. The stories they have, they're pretty amazing. Humans can't be that bad if they create stories like that."
"What about you?" Shay asked Alec. "What was the best thing for you about being among the humans?"
Alec shrugged, taking another mouthful. "Don't know"
"alcohol" Storm commented for him.
"music" Alec replied, glaring at Storm.
"Seriously?" Shay stared at him. "Music?"
"Yeah"
"To play, or to listen to?" Storm asked.
"Both. There was a piano at Joshua's, played it a few times. It was alright. So, Storm, reckon you can beat me?" he nodded towards the pool table.
Nothing. 6 hours of searching through drone tapes, and nothing. Max sighed, standing up. She picked up her cell phone, and dialled the number Dix had given her. He answered on the second ring.
"find anything?" he asked her.
"No. none of the tapes show anything. figure anything out at your end?"
"No. nothing here. You coming back soon?" Max heard something in his tone, but she couldn't figure out what it was. It was like he wanted to say something, but didn't dare to.
"Looks like it. Seen Alec this morning?" she asked casually.
Dix laughed. "No, not likely. He went out with Storm and Shay last night, playing pool or something. So, you're coming back soon? Its just, I need to alert the guards if you're coming through."
Max grinned, shaking her head. Okay, that was definitely a hint. "Yeah, tell them I'll be back in an hour or so."
"Will do."
Max hung up, and turned to Logan, who was lying on the couch, half asleep. "You're going back?" he asked.
"Yeah. There's so much to do there."
"Other people can handle it." He told her, standing up and crossing the room to her.
"I know, but I've taken on the responsibility, I have to see it through. Do you have any other contacts you could try for information?"
he shrugged. "I have this one contact, high up in border control. If they moved the kid by truck, they had to go through some check points. There may be records."
"Can you check?" she asked, hopefully.
"Yeah, I'll see what I can do. If you come back tonight, I may have something."
Max nodded. "Okay. Tonight. About midnight?"
"I'll be waiting." Logan told her, smiling.
Max walked slowly into Alec's apartment, and crossed to the bedroom. she stood there for a moment, enjoying the view of Alec, lying on his back, wearing nothing but boxers, his arm thrown over his head. "Hey" she whispered softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. Alec muttered something, and shifted closer to her on the bed.
"Alec?" she tried again, touching his leg gently. His eyes snapped open and he turned to face her. "Hey, what time is it?" he asked
"not sure. Early." Alec closed his eyes again. "I thought you were going to stay there. Thought you weren't coming back til later."
"Had things to do here" she told him, placing her hand on his stomach. Why did he doubt her? She had made her choice, had left Logan for him, and still he didn't trust her.
Without opening his eyes, Alec reached down and covered her hand with his to hold it in place.
"Did you find anything?" he asked
"No. nothing. I got your message about the debrief." Her tone held something, almost accusatory. Alec smiled. "Logan, and me, we're not that close, you know. I didn't want him to answer the phone."
"Really?" Max smiled, moving her hand slightly, causing Alec to breath in sharply. "You two could just get on, you know, bury the hatchet" Alec smiled, having a nice mental image of exactly where he could bury it. Very deeply.
"What?" she asked him.
"He hates me. I kind of stole his girlfriend from him." Alec stroked her hand with his thumb.
"really" she commented
"Yeah, he wasn't treating her right." Alec muttered "Don't take this the wrong way, please, but can we not talk about him while we're on my bed? it's kind of. weird." Disgusting. Revolting, were the words that came to his mind, but he was too smart to say that out loud. No way would she let him get away with that.
"So, we should change the subject?" she asked him, smiling
"Or not talk at all" he sat up and shifted position so that he was behind her. Moving her hair to one side, he kissed her neck lightly. Max smiled, and leaned back into him, running her hand up his leg. He wrapped his arms around her, moving them under her shirt. Her grip tightened on his leg, and she turned her head to face him. her lips met his as he leaned back down onto the bed, pulling her with him.
"Two" Mole counted, grinning at Storm. It was almost lunchtime, and the two were sitting on top of a building, a couple of sandwiches and a box of ammo between them.
"nah, only partial points. You only clipped the damn thing" he replied, tracking the out of control disk and shooting it down. "I'm claiming partial credit for that one."
Mole shrugged. "there's a lot less of them about now"
"that's cause we took most of them out" Storm replied, reloading. "Listen, man, we kind of have a favour to ask of you"
"We?" Mole lay his rifle down, and looked over at Storm.
"Me and Shay. We want to get hold of something. Kind of like a present. How's your black market going?"
"Depends what you're after."
"A piano" Mole shrugged. "Can't exactly slip that in your pocket. May take some time. It'll cost ya. Who's it for?"
"Alec."
"Tomorrow okay?"
Storm grinned. "How much we talking, here?"
"Forget it. Alec wants a toy, he gets it. Saved my ass a few times."
"Yeah, mine too." Storm picked up his rifle again, and scanned the area.
Logan saw her smile, and grinned himself. This was going to be a lot easier than he thought. "Go on" he told her, "Take my bed, I'll wake you in a few hours"
Max sighed. "I'm awake now, I'll never go back to sleep. Why don't I take over for a while?"
Logan nodded. "Help yourself"
she pulled away from him and sat at the computer, opening the next file.
Alec was quietly getting drunk. He was leaning against a wall, watching Shay and Storm try to figure out how to play pool. They were learning pretty quick. Storm sunk two balls with one shot, and turned to grin at Alec. Alec raised his bottle to him, then took another mouthful. The game ended, Storm sinking the final shot, and the two came back over to join him.
"When I was on the outside" Shay started talking slowly, "I went into this house, to find different clothes. I found this room, think it belonged to a kid my age. There was so much stuff in it. Games, Toys, books. I wanted to stay there"
Storm nodded. "When we first escaped, I spent hours watching tv, days even, just flicking back and forward between channels. The stories they have, they're pretty amazing. Humans can't be that bad if they create stories like that."
"What about you?" Shay asked Alec. "What was the best thing for you about being among the humans?"
Alec shrugged, taking another mouthful. "Don't know"
"alcohol" Storm commented for him.
"music" Alec replied, glaring at Storm.
"Seriously?" Shay stared at him. "Music?"
"Yeah"
"To play, or to listen to?" Storm asked.
"Both. There was a piano at Joshua's, played it a few times. It was alright. So, Storm, reckon you can beat me?" he nodded towards the pool table.
Nothing. 6 hours of searching through drone tapes, and nothing. Max sighed, standing up. She picked up her cell phone, and dialled the number Dix had given her. He answered on the second ring.
"find anything?" he asked her.
"No. none of the tapes show anything. figure anything out at your end?"
"No. nothing here. You coming back soon?" Max heard something in his tone, but she couldn't figure out what it was. It was like he wanted to say something, but didn't dare to.
"Looks like it. Seen Alec this morning?" she asked casually.
Dix laughed. "No, not likely. He went out with Storm and Shay last night, playing pool or something. So, you're coming back soon? Its just, I need to alert the guards if you're coming through."
Max grinned, shaking her head. Okay, that was definitely a hint. "Yeah, tell them I'll be back in an hour or so."
"Will do."
Max hung up, and turned to Logan, who was lying on the couch, half asleep. "You're going back?" he asked.
"Yeah. There's so much to do there."
"Other people can handle it." He told her, standing up and crossing the room to her.
"I know, but I've taken on the responsibility, I have to see it through. Do you have any other contacts you could try for information?"
he shrugged. "I have this one contact, high up in border control. If they moved the kid by truck, they had to go through some check points. There may be records."
"Can you check?" she asked, hopefully.
"Yeah, I'll see what I can do. If you come back tonight, I may have something."
Max nodded. "Okay. Tonight. About midnight?"
"I'll be waiting." Logan told her, smiling.
Max walked slowly into Alec's apartment, and crossed to the bedroom. she stood there for a moment, enjoying the view of Alec, lying on his back, wearing nothing but boxers, his arm thrown over his head. "Hey" she whispered softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. Alec muttered something, and shifted closer to her on the bed.
"Alec?" she tried again, touching his leg gently. His eyes snapped open and he turned to face her. "Hey, what time is it?" he asked
"not sure. Early." Alec closed his eyes again. "I thought you were going to stay there. Thought you weren't coming back til later."
"Had things to do here" she told him, placing her hand on his stomach. Why did he doubt her? She had made her choice, had left Logan for him, and still he didn't trust her.
Without opening his eyes, Alec reached down and covered her hand with his to hold it in place.
"Did you find anything?" he asked
"No. nothing. I got your message about the debrief." Her tone held something, almost accusatory. Alec smiled. "Logan, and me, we're not that close, you know. I didn't want him to answer the phone."
"Really?" Max smiled, moving her hand slightly, causing Alec to breath in sharply. "You two could just get on, you know, bury the hatchet" Alec smiled, having a nice mental image of exactly where he could bury it. Very deeply.
"What?" she asked him.
"He hates me. I kind of stole his girlfriend from him." Alec stroked her hand with his thumb.
"really" she commented
"Yeah, he wasn't treating her right." Alec muttered "Don't take this the wrong way, please, but can we not talk about him while we're on my bed? it's kind of. weird." Disgusting. Revolting, were the words that came to his mind, but he was too smart to say that out loud. No way would she let him get away with that.
"So, we should change the subject?" she asked him, smiling
"Or not talk at all" he sat up and shifted position so that he was behind her. Moving her hair to one side, he kissed her neck lightly. Max smiled, and leaned back into him, running her hand up his leg. He wrapped his arms around her, moving them under her shirt. Her grip tightened on his leg, and she turned her head to face him. her lips met his as he leaned back down onto the bed, pulling her with him.
"Two" Mole counted, grinning at Storm. It was almost lunchtime, and the two were sitting on top of a building, a couple of sandwiches and a box of ammo between them.
"nah, only partial points. You only clipped the damn thing" he replied, tracking the out of control disk and shooting it down. "I'm claiming partial credit for that one."
Mole shrugged. "there's a lot less of them about now"
"that's cause we took most of them out" Storm replied, reloading. "Listen, man, we kind of have a favour to ask of you"
"We?" Mole lay his rifle down, and looked over at Storm.
"Me and Shay. We want to get hold of something. Kind of like a present. How's your black market going?"
"Depends what you're after."
"A piano" Mole shrugged. "Can't exactly slip that in your pocket. May take some time. It'll cost ya. Who's it for?"
"Alec."
"Tomorrow okay?"
Storm grinned. "How much we talking, here?"
"Forget it. Alec wants a toy, he gets it. Saved my ass a few times."
"Yeah, mine too." Storm picked up his rifle again, and scanned the area.