Logan leaned against the wall and glared. Alec had challenged him, had been about to strike him, and he had reacted. Self defence, right? So why had everyone sided with Alec? Him and Sketchy had never been close, so he understood Sketch going to Alec's defence, but Max? she knew what Alec was like, it's not like he hadn't had to listen to her complain about him, constantly, for hours on end. And now, she was sitting in an alley beside him, her arm around his shoulder, and her other hand on his leg.

It was enough to make him sick. He pounded the wall in frustration.

Alec heard a noise and looked up. He saw Logan standing there watching him, and groaned. Taking a deep breath, he stood slowly. Max moved beside up beside him. "You okay?" she asked. Alec stared pointedly at Logan. "I'm fine." He told her. "I'll see you tomorrow at work, okay?"

"Want a ride home?" she offered, unsure about letting him leave by himself.

"Nah, I'm alright" he smiled at her, almost his old trademark smile. "Later" he walked quickly to the end of the alley, and turned the corner, before slowing down. His smile turned to a grimace.

In the alley, Max turned to Logan. He gestured inside Crash, and headed back inside. "Hope you're gonna yell at him" Sketch commented.

"Maybe tomorrow" she commented, turning away from Crash. "Ready to go home?" she asked Cindy, who grinned back at her.



Max's beeper went off for the third time in ten minutes. For the third time, she ignored it. "break it" Cindy advised.

"Max" Logan's voice. She turned towards the entrance to Jam Pony, to see Logan standing there, holding up a cell phone. "I was hoping to talk to you in Crash last night" he told her.

"Something came up" she told him.

"Really, like what?" he stared at her intently.

"Its, uh, look, its complicated. I had to help out a friend. It was really important."

"Alec?" he asked her, suspiciously. Max took a deep breath, and nodded towards the locker area. Logan followed her. She leaned against the locker and looked at him, making a decision. She could trust him. "Remember last year, when I asked you to get some Tryptophan for me, when my suppliers ran out? Well, my supplies are running low. I need to get some more. Can you help?"

Logan looked anxiously at her. "Are you feeling okay?" he reached his hand out towards her, stopping before he touched her. Max looked down.

"It's not for you, is it?" Logan asked, all of the pieces falling into place for him. "Alec."

"He got sick last night. That's why he was so weak at Crash."

"Why I was able to take him down" Logan filled in the blanks.

"Can you help me?" Max asked him. "I need some Tryptophan. Can you get hold of any?"

"I don't know" he told her. Probably, he could. He had people who owed him a few favours. But he needed these people on his side, there was information he needed that only they could provide. Since Max and Alec hadn't completed the mission for him the other night, he was going to need to call in those favours. "I'll see what I can do"

"Thanks. I appreciate it" Max told him.

Alec swerved through traffic and slammed on his brakes as he entered Jam Pony. A couple of metres into the place, his brakes worked enough to bring him to a halt. "Not inside!" Normal yelled at him across the counter. "Sorry" Alec smiled at his boss. "4th run of the day though, and only 10am. ya gotta be impressed with that, huh?"

"Yeah, maybe you can teach your degenerate friends how to work" Normal growled at him, then smiled, unable to stay mad at him for long.

Alec glanced over in the direction Normal was looking in. And saw Logan talking to Max. he sighed, and shoved his bike against the wall. At least he was feeling better today.

"Logan. Out in daylight, I see." He commented, turning the combination on his locker slowly, praying that Logan would react, hoping for a reason to attack him.

"How's the hand, Alec?" Logan replied sweetly. "If its still shaking I can help you open that locker" Alec turned slowly. Logan took a step back, seeing the look in his eye, the look of someone who had killed before, and wasn't afraid to do it again. Then he grinned. Max wouldn't let Alec touch him. hell, he had taken Alec himself the night before. He was still weak. "Careful, boy" Logan taunted, "Just relax. Imagine if you got sick in front of all these people. Imagine what they would say."

Alec shrugged. He really didn't feel that bad. Logan opened his mouth again, and Alec reacted. His hand went around Logan's throat, and he drove him back against the opposite lockers, lifting him a foot off the ground. There was a loud noise as Logan's body connected with the locker, followed by the softer sound of Logan gasping, his throat struggling for air around Alec's hand.

"Alec! Stop!" Max reached for him, touching him lightly on the arm to gain his attention. Alec's arm snapped out, catching her, shoving her back into his locker.

He looked over at her, still holding Logan against the locker. He glanced back at Logan, and opened his hand. Logan fell to the floor, his hand going to his throat as he struggled to get air. Alec turned his attention back to Max, who had regained her feet and was moving towards Alec, a highly pissed off expression on her face.

"What the hell is your problem?" She glared at him.

"You betrayed me" Alec said, his voice cold. "What?" she asked him, her anger subsiding for the moment, to be replaced by confusion.

"Stay away from me." Alec told her, turning away, glancing at Logan as he did so. "And you" he commented. "Talk to me again, and I will show you everything I learnt at Manticore."

He stormed off, grabbing his bike, ignoring his co-workers, who were trying to figure out what was going on.

"What the hell was that?" Logan asked, still rubbing his throat. Max looked at him, then looked away again. What had just happened? Okay, so Logan had said something stupid to Alec. But, it was no more stupid than Alec's comment to him, and Alec had started it. They didn't like each other, that much was clear, but they had always put up with each other, limiting themselves to sarcastic comments. And Alec's last comment to her. That she had betrayed him? what did that mean? She hadn't done anything. all she had done was. Damnit. She turned and slammed her hand against the locker.

Alec started to run, moving through the woods like he was a part of them. He had thrown his bike away at the entrance to the woods, and had started to run. Running, not blurring. Running took up more energy. It was unnatural, and therefore more draining. He leapt over a ditch, and forced himself to sprint up a small hill. At the top, he collapsed, breathing hard. In a few seconds, he had recovered, and he sat up, leaning back against a tree. In front of him, an old abandoned complex. On a map, it was described as a VA hospital. In reality, it was his home.



Max had searched everywhere. His apartment, Crash, Joshua's, even the Space Needle. She couldn't find Alec anywhere. She headed back to Crash, and sat down at their table, grabbing a beer. "No luck?" Cindy asked, already knowing the answer. Max shook her head.

"He'll be a'ight, jus' need ta chill somewhere for a time."

"Yeah" Sketchy agreed. "He'll turn up at work, tomorrow, smiling as if nothing had happened."

"I don't think so." Max replied. "He thinks I let him down, by telling Logan that he was sick"

"But, you were doing it to help, to get him the pills he needs. Why would that be such a big deal?" Sketch asked. Personally, he thought that Alec would forgive Max anything, once he had had the chance to calm down. By tomorrow, he would see them at Crash, playing pool, pretending they were only friends.

"If I understood Alec in the slightest, do you think I'd be here, trying to figure out where he would be?" Max asked, frustrated.

"Whenever I'm upset" Sketchy said thoughtfully, taking another drink, "I go to this park that my dad used to take me to when I was young. Makes me feel better, you know?"

"Alec didn't have a father. And there was definitely no park at Manticore." Max sighed, then her eyes widened. "Manticore" she stated.