Private Corporation, Part Five.
In the end, Max couldn't believe just how easy getting away had been. She pitied Mitch, knowing that his carelessness wouldn't go down well. But, if he wanted to fall asleep... Max shrugged.
The hotel they'd pulled up in was dark, dusty and stank of mould. Ignoring the sarcastic look Max gave him, Mitch had stretched out on the bed and shut his eyes.
"Please tell me you're kidding," Max said, shuddering at the moth and god-only-knows-what eaten sheets and blankets. But mitch was snoring. Ok, Max thought. He wants to sleep, he can go for his life. I'm leaving.
She had no intention of quitting this little "mission" she'd been put on. She wanted to see the look on Michaela's face when their files disappeared - again.
She didn't want to go to Logan's, for all she kne, Mitch hadn't really been asleep, just pretending. She didn't want to put him in danger. Then it hit her - Joshua's. She hadn't been around for a couple of days, and he might start to worry. And at least she didn't have to worry about him needing to be protected. He looked after himslef pretty damn well.
She crept quietly up the steps, peering in the window to see if Joshua was awake. he was. Max tapped on the window, and he looked up. Seeing who it was, he smiled and came over to unlock the door.
"Hey, Big Fella," Max said quietly as she went in. "How've you been?"
"Little Fella gone," Joshua said, looking at her with worry. "Joshua scared. Think Max leave. Where?"
"I got myself into a bit of trouble," Max said with a careless shrug of her shoulders. "Nothing major, but I won't be around much next week."
"Little Fella really gone then."
"Oh, no," Max prtoested. "I'm just going to be really busy. Hey - what's that?" she added, hearing something from outside. "Can you hear it?"
Apparently, Joshua could. He went quietly over to the window, which was open, and put his arm out. Max watched in amazement as he grabbed something, and dragged it back in through the window.
It was Alec. Max felt relieved and really, really pissed off as she surveyed him. He looked up from the floor where he'd been dumped and said weakly, "I can explain this."
"I'm sure you can," Max said sarcastically. "Why the Hell are you eavesdropping?" Temper getting the better of her, as it always did with Alec, she kicked him smartly.
"I'm not eavesdropping," Alec said painfully. He held out a hand to be helped up. Max just galred. "Seriously, I was hiding. In the bushes."
"Uh huh," Max said disbelievingly. "You were hiding, out the front of joshua's house, by an open window. Alec, I expected you to be able to lie a bit better than that."
"Ok, then, if you must know." Alec stood up, wincing and rubbing his ribs were they'd hit the sill, and his leg which had connected with Max's foot. "I need to hide. There are these people after me, say I owe them money. Not to say it isn't true, though. So, I need a place to lie low for a whiole, so that I don't end up dead."
"What a shame," Max said with mock sympathy. "Why would anyone want to kill you? Where were you thinking of staying?"
"Not with you," Alec returned. Then his eyes widened. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be sick?" Max rolled her eyes. "Anyway, do you reckon you could put a good word in for me with Logan?"
"No, I can't," Max said. "And no I'm not sick, but I'm not telling you the details either."
"Aw, come on Max, you can trust me." Max laughed. "Or not, I guess." Alec sat in Joshua's chair. "Well, then, make sure no one sells me for spare parts when I'm dead."
"Max," Joshua broke in gently, "Alec stay here. Help Joshua. Not be lonely." He smiled and Max smiled back. She nodded.
"How come you never smile at me like that?" Alec asked.
"Because I like Joshua. He said you can stay here. No, shut up-" Max held up a hand as he protested. "I don't want to hear it. You should be damn happy."
"Ok, ok. Thankyou, Fid - Joshua," he corrected hastily as Max's eyes narrowed. "Now," he said to Max, "why aren't you sick?"
Max sighed. "As usual," she began, "it's all Manticore's fault."
Alec actually listened to her explanation, even though it went for nearly half an hour. When she finished he looked at her seriously for a minute.
"Why don't you just quit?" he asked. "You managed to get away from them once."
"You would think of that," Max snapped unnecessarily. "I promised I'd help them, and if I don't help them, they know where I live. Just because I'm planning to double cross them doesn't mean-"
"Wait, wait." Alec broke in. "You are planning to double cross them. Are you really Max or some kind of alien?"
"Shut up," Max said, losing patience. "There is no way I'm letting them have those files. I'll just... steal them back and return them."
"Little Fella be busy then. Not see Joshua much." Joshua pointed at another chair, and Alec took the hint and moved. Joshua sat down.
"No," Max protested. "I'll always have time to come see you. Really."
"Yeah, she will Old Boy. I'm going to help." Alec stated this coolly, and Max stared at him.
"You're going to help?" she asked, not believing him.
He shrugged. "Sure. But I'm not meeting your new friends. And I expect time off. And-" he broke off as Max hugged him. "What the-"
"Thankyou," Max said sincerely. "I needed help."
Alec sighed. "Once again, I am in danger because of Manticore."
"What else is new?" Max asked.
"Max stay now. Like Alec. Sleep," Joshua said from his chair where he was reading.
"Ok," Max said. She sat on the floor, just as bullets sprayed through the open window.
A/N: Review button's right down there folks...
In the end, Max couldn't believe just how easy getting away had been. She pitied Mitch, knowing that his carelessness wouldn't go down well. But, if he wanted to fall asleep... Max shrugged.
The hotel they'd pulled up in was dark, dusty and stank of mould. Ignoring the sarcastic look Max gave him, Mitch had stretched out on the bed and shut his eyes.
"Please tell me you're kidding," Max said, shuddering at the moth and god-only-knows-what eaten sheets and blankets. But mitch was snoring. Ok, Max thought. He wants to sleep, he can go for his life. I'm leaving.
She had no intention of quitting this little "mission" she'd been put on. She wanted to see the look on Michaela's face when their files disappeared - again.
She didn't want to go to Logan's, for all she kne, Mitch hadn't really been asleep, just pretending. She didn't want to put him in danger. Then it hit her - Joshua's. She hadn't been around for a couple of days, and he might start to worry. And at least she didn't have to worry about him needing to be protected. He looked after himslef pretty damn well.
She crept quietly up the steps, peering in the window to see if Joshua was awake. he was. Max tapped on the window, and he looked up. Seeing who it was, he smiled and came over to unlock the door.
"Hey, Big Fella," Max said quietly as she went in. "How've you been?"
"Little Fella gone," Joshua said, looking at her with worry. "Joshua scared. Think Max leave. Where?"
"I got myself into a bit of trouble," Max said with a careless shrug of her shoulders. "Nothing major, but I won't be around much next week."
"Little Fella really gone then."
"Oh, no," Max prtoested. "I'm just going to be really busy. Hey - what's that?" she added, hearing something from outside. "Can you hear it?"
Apparently, Joshua could. He went quietly over to the window, which was open, and put his arm out. Max watched in amazement as he grabbed something, and dragged it back in through the window.
It was Alec. Max felt relieved and really, really pissed off as she surveyed him. He looked up from the floor where he'd been dumped and said weakly, "I can explain this."
"I'm sure you can," Max said sarcastically. "Why the Hell are you eavesdropping?" Temper getting the better of her, as it always did with Alec, she kicked him smartly.
"I'm not eavesdropping," Alec said painfully. He held out a hand to be helped up. Max just galred. "Seriously, I was hiding. In the bushes."
"Uh huh," Max said disbelievingly. "You were hiding, out the front of joshua's house, by an open window. Alec, I expected you to be able to lie a bit better than that."
"Ok, then, if you must know." Alec stood up, wincing and rubbing his ribs were they'd hit the sill, and his leg which had connected with Max's foot. "I need to hide. There are these people after me, say I owe them money. Not to say it isn't true, though. So, I need a place to lie low for a whiole, so that I don't end up dead."
"What a shame," Max said with mock sympathy. "Why would anyone want to kill you? Where were you thinking of staying?"
"Not with you," Alec returned. Then his eyes widened. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be sick?" Max rolled her eyes. "Anyway, do you reckon you could put a good word in for me with Logan?"
"No, I can't," Max said. "And no I'm not sick, but I'm not telling you the details either."
"Aw, come on Max, you can trust me." Max laughed. "Or not, I guess." Alec sat in Joshua's chair. "Well, then, make sure no one sells me for spare parts when I'm dead."
"Max," Joshua broke in gently, "Alec stay here. Help Joshua. Not be lonely." He smiled and Max smiled back. She nodded.
"How come you never smile at me like that?" Alec asked.
"Because I like Joshua. He said you can stay here. No, shut up-" Max held up a hand as he protested. "I don't want to hear it. You should be damn happy."
"Ok, ok. Thankyou, Fid - Joshua," he corrected hastily as Max's eyes narrowed. "Now," he said to Max, "why aren't you sick?"
Max sighed. "As usual," she began, "it's all Manticore's fault."
Alec actually listened to her explanation, even though it went for nearly half an hour. When she finished he looked at her seriously for a minute.
"Why don't you just quit?" he asked. "You managed to get away from them once."
"You would think of that," Max snapped unnecessarily. "I promised I'd help them, and if I don't help them, they know where I live. Just because I'm planning to double cross them doesn't mean-"
"Wait, wait." Alec broke in. "You are planning to double cross them. Are you really Max or some kind of alien?"
"Shut up," Max said, losing patience. "There is no way I'm letting them have those files. I'll just... steal them back and return them."
"Little Fella be busy then. Not see Joshua much." Joshua pointed at another chair, and Alec took the hint and moved. Joshua sat down.
"No," Max protested. "I'll always have time to come see you. Really."
"Yeah, she will Old Boy. I'm going to help." Alec stated this coolly, and Max stared at him.
"You're going to help?" she asked, not believing him.
He shrugged. "Sure. But I'm not meeting your new friends. And I expect time off. And-" he broke off as Max hugged him. "What the-"
"Thankyou," Max said sincerely. "I needed help."
Alec sighed. "Once again, I am in danger because of Manticore."
"What else is new?" Max asked.
"Max stay now. Like Alec. Sleep," Joshua said from his chair where he was reading.
"Ok," Max said. She sat on the floor, just as bullets sprayed through the open window.
A/N: Review button's right down there folks...