"Alec!"
Max's voice rang loud from outside just as the X5 rogue in question wheeled his bicycle at top speed down the ramp inside Jam Pony. He skidded to a halt beside the lockers and dismounted, laughing wildly.
"I beat you!"
He raised his arms above his head and bounced around like that boxer – what was his name? Blocky? – did in that movie. Sketchy appeared from behind the lockers and Alec paused in his victory dance. He jabbed a thumb at his chest and grinned like the Cheshire cat. "Sketchy! I beat Maxie! And Dr. Shankar gave me a lollipop!"
"Uh, yeah Alec. That's great." As Alec continued to smile triumphantly, Sketchy squinted at him. "Man, are you feeling alright?"
Before Alec could respond, Max arrived. "The answer is no."
"Not 'no'. Yes," Alec declared. "The answer is yes. I feel fine." He held up his hands and counted off. "No more dizzies, no more blackouts, no more horking, and I beat you here." At that last comment, Max scowled up at him. He stared back at her for a moment with a thoughtful tilt to his head, the smile dropping from his face. "Don't worry Maxie," he said sincerely. "Next time I'll let you win again."
Max's scowl turned into a look of puzzlement. What does that mean?, she wondered. She wasn't sure how to respond to his words. They lacked his usual mocking sarcasm. And his good-intentioned-little-boy gaze left her dumbfounded. Falling back on her tried and true reaction d'Bitch occurred to her just when a nasal voice shouted in her ear.
"Hey! Bip, bip, bip!" Normal shouldered Sketchy aside and glared at Max. "Since your roommate has the day off, Missy Miss, there's extra work for everyone." He shoved packages at each of them in turn. "I don't pay you cretins to socialize and storks don't deliver packages! Now, move!"
Sketchy sighed, Max rolled her eyes, but Alec just stared at their bespectacled boss. He leaned in until there were only three inches between his face and Normal's. Normal cleared his throat and stared back.
"Rock Star?"
"You know what, Normal?"
"What Alec?" A bit breathless, he felt like he was drowning in Alec's eyes. The sensation was like warm liquid and started below the belt. He waited, paralyzed for Alec's next words.
"You have the hugest booger I have ever seen hanging out of your nose." Normal leaned back, blinking rapidly. Alec lifted a hand and pointed. "It's right there."
Max jerked him back before he could actually touch anything, dragging him away. "Alright, that's it. Hot run."
******
While they rode through the suburbs of Seattle, Max received a call on Alec's cell phone from Dr. Shankar. All the doctor could be absolutely sure about was that the dart did not contain any sort of tranquilizer. It would take more time to determine exactly what the chemical was doing to Alec's mind…and what it was supposed to have done to Max. She would be conferring with Dr. Carr on the results of the tests and any predictions of side effects and duration.
Max glanced to where Alec rode beside her, oblivious to her worried musings. Shankar had been able to provide Max with a few vague assurances that he'd already purged most of the toxins created by whatever was in the dart. Physically, he was perfectly healthy. And he did seem to be feeling much better. He chattered away non-stop. Something that was actually pretty normal for the guy. Max could almost pretend it was a normal day, a normal run, a normal Alec. Almost.
Usually Alec's endless chatter covered one or more of his favorite topics: money, sex, transgenics…himself. This time, however, he was all over the place. He didn't seem able to focus on any one subject.
"You know sometimes Normal smells funny. Kinda like Windex or old ladies. Oh, look at that dog Maxie. I always wanted a puppy. One with big floppy ears and long legs that run fast so that we could play fetch faster'n anyone else. And he'd be my best friend. But I guess Joshua is kinda like that, except for the whole fetching thing. And he doesn't really run much. But he's bigger than any dog I ever saw and he talks and he laughs at my jokes. So I guess that he's a better friend. Yeah, he's definitely better than any stupid old regular dog." He stopped to take a breath. "Are we there yet?"
"For the fifty-seventh time, no."
Alec nodded before continuing his babble. "There are a lot of clouds in the sky today. If you look at them long enough they make cool pictures. Like that one. It looks kinda like a watermelon…or Logan's head."
Max looked at him sharply but was saved from answering by Alec pointing to their left. "Oh, look at that fire engine Max. I can make a noise like a fire engine! Wanna hear?"
"Not really."
Alec made a face and stuck his tongue out at her. "Why are you so mean?"
"I'm only mean to annoying people," she stated matter-of-factly. Alec stared at her for a moment, before scrunching up his nose in offense.
"Hey!"
"We're here." Max stopped her bike next to a stone fence surrounding a house with a beautifully tended garden. "This looks like the sort of place that gives decent tips." She got off her bike and looked over to Alec. He stood beside her rubbing his nose vigorously. She raised one perfectly arched eyebrow at him.
"Itchy," he said by way of explanation. Grabbing the package that they needed from his bag, he shoved it at her with a smile. "Here."
She took the package from him and gave him a stern look. "Stay behind me. Don't speak. If you blow my tip, you'll regret it. Got it?" At Alec's solemn nod, she turned on her heel and marched up the steps to the mid-upper income, single-family home. A blonde woman with a modest string of pearls and well-manicured hands answered the door.
Max put on a cheery smile. "Good morning, ma'am. I have a delivery for you from Jam Pony." Holding out her clipboard and pen, Max said, "Sign here, please."
The woman signed and handed Max the clipboard. "If you'll just wait here one moment, I'll get your tip."
Max smiled wider and gushed, "Oh, thank you very much." The smile dropped from her face as the woman walked back into the house. Her mind returned to Alec and his odd, child-like behavior. At first she'd thought that the drug had caused some sort of amnesia in him, but after his initial disorientation it seemed less like he'd forgotten things and more like he was seeing everything from a different perspective. His reactions reminded her of the way Joshua had been when they'd escaped Manticore – innocent, child-like.
The realization hit Max like an iron wrecking ball. She stared harder into space, biting her lip with rapidly increasing worry. She didn't think she could live her life watching over not one but two naïve souls. Joshua at least knew how to hide. He'd spent most of his life avoiding detection in the basement at Manticore. Plus, with the way he looked, Max didn't have that hard of a time convincing him that staying inside and out of sight was the best thing to do. But, Alec looked just like a normal. What would happen if he were to wander out into the big, bad, post-pulse world without anyone to look after him? No doubt White would be able to capture him in no time at all. The thought twisted Max's stomach in knots.
Her worried musings were interrupted by an insistent tapping on her shoulder. She turned around to find Alec smiling shyly and holding out two fistfuls of freshly-picked flowers. The lilies, roses, jonquils, tulips and petunias were a riot of color in his brown hands. Dirt still clung to the roots of several stems. Max's stared drop-jawed.
"I saw these and they smelled good. And I just thought 'Maxie'll like some of those', 'cause, you know, all girls like flowers. And these are all bright and yellow and pink and…" He shrugged and asked, "Do you like them? They're kinda pretty, right? Like you."
Max was in shock. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out. Alec smiled more confidently and thrust the fragrant bouquets toward his speechless companion. She took hold of the colorful arrangements just as an outraged gasp sounded behind her. The blonde woman had arrived and was standing in her doorway on the verge of a serious conniption.
"Oh! My! God!" Her shrill voice cut through the silence. "What have you done to my beautiful garden?"
Alec shrugged in the face of her fit. "A present for Maxie."
"A present? A present?!" She sputtered for a moment. "They're not yours to give!"
Alec pre-empted her tirade with a righteous yell, "You should share!"
"I'm not sharing my prize breeds with the likes of you…you…you degenerate street urchins!"
"Well then, finders keepers losers weepers." He stuck out his tongue. Max stepped between the two and attempted to diffuse the situation. She hid the flowers behind her back.
"He's sorry, really."
"No, I'm not!" Alec shouted from behind her. "Maxie, tell her she should share."
Max whipped her head around to look at the embodiment of righteous indignation towering just behind her. "Alec, you're not helping!"
"But Max, they're not hers anymore." His hazel eyes gazed imploringly at her. "I picked them for you." She sighed in the face of his trembling pout.
"Alec, I can't keep them."
"Why?"
"Because it's wrong."
"Why?"
"Because it's stealing."
"But, you said stealing from bad guys is okay. And she," Alec pointed an accusing finger at the woman, "is really, really mean."
"Yes Alec, she is mean." The woman started to protest. Max silenced her with an icy look before continuing. "But, she's not a bad guy. She's a client. Understand?"
"No." Max sighed again. It was no use trying to explain the blonde's behavior to Alec in his present mental state. She settled for trying to end the discussion.
"Well, you'll understand when you're…older. Now," she put the flowers back in his hands, "give the flowers back and apologize." Eyes squinting with sullen resignation and lips twitching with resentment, Alec took the bunches from Max and handed them to the blonde.
"I apologize." His words were far from heartfelt.
The woman grabbed the flowers and held them to her chest. "I can tell you your apology is certainly not accepted. You should be ashamed of yourself! I will see you both fired!"
Max put a restraining hand on Alec's arm before he could answer the woman's vindictive bitterness.
"Alec, why don't you go back to the bikes and let me take care of this." He was glaring at the woman while blowing deep, angry breaths. He didn't verbally retaliate, but he didn't respond to Max either. She could feel the muscles of his arm tensing. "Alec?"
Finally he tore his fuming gaze from the nasty woman and looked down at Max. He was hurt. She could see it deep in his eyes. She tried not to think about how much his feelings affected her.
She spoke at a level that only another transgenic would be able to hear, "Wait for me, okay?"
As he stared down into her face, his breathing calmed and his body relaxed beneath her touch. "Fine," he said in a tone matching hers. He locked eyes with the woman over Max's shoulder and raised his voice. "But, mean people suck." With that, he stomped down the porch to the bikes.
Yet, the woman was not satisfied with his absence. She continued to yell at his retreating back. "Uncivilized cretin!" She hugged the flowers closer. "The Pulse would have done a good thing if it had wiped out your kind along with everything else!"
Max faced the woman once again, unfamiliar but fierce feelings of protectiveness welling up inside her. "He's right, you really do suck. That was unnecessarily harsh, lady. He's just a little boy."
"He's a grown man!"
Max huffed and flipped her hair. "Whatever." She stepped forward until they were nose to nose with only the flowers separating them. The woman's eyes widened. "But if you say one more thing to him, I'm breaking both your arms. I think that might make gardening a little less fun. Understand?" The blonde nodded. "Say 'I understand.'"
"I," she swallowed, "I understand." Max smiled and patted her on the cheek, making her jump.
"Good." Max turned on her heel and stomped down the steps without a backward glance. "You can bill Jam Pony, bitch."
When she arrived back at the bikes, she found Alec sitting on his with his head bowed. He was fidgeting with his riding gloves and grumbling to himself. Max pulled something from beneath her jacket and placed it under his nose. It was the prettiest flower from her bouquet. A large, long-stemmed white iris with the lightest blue-violet coloring the edges of its petals, its fragrance filled the air around them. Alec's head snapped up in surprise.
"Put this in my bag, will you. Don't crush it." He took the flower from her hand and did so. She mounted her bike and turned to him. "Ready?"
He shook his head with a dumbfounded expression on his face. "Max, you said we only steal from bad guys."
Max shrugged and started pedaling. "Like you said, she should share."
Alec followed after her with a huge grin on his face.
*******
Their next stop took them to a neighborhood on the very edges of the city. The houses were bordered by a huge park that included a playground for small children and a soccer field. Kids were running everywhere, their laughter echoing on the breeze. Alec looked at the park with longing, excitement practically bubbling out of him. He pulled his bike up next to where Max sat rummaging through her bag and tugged on her jacket sleeve.
"Maxie, I wanna play."
She shook her head and answered him distractedly. "No, Alec. It's not time to play. It's time to work." She didn't notice Alec's crestfallen look as she continued searching her bag.
"You sound like Logan."
Max ignored him. "Where the hell did I put the clipboard." Alec, ever helpful, looked in his own bag.
"I've got it," he cried triumphantly, pulling the item out. Max reached for it and the proverbial light bulb seemed to go off above Alec's head. He sprang off his bike and away from her, brandishing the board with attached papers above his head.
"Alec, wha—"
"I've got your clipboard! Na-na-nah boo-boo!" He ran to the field, screaming taunts at the top of his lungs.
"Alec! Give that back!"
"You gotta catch me first!" With that, Alec blurred across the field.
Max took off after him. "Alec! Alec, I'm not playing with you! Give it back now!" Alec's only response was to run faster and laugh harder. "Boy, when I catch you, I am so gonna kick your ass!"
Alec yelled over his shoulder in a sing-song voice, "Oh! Maxie said a bad word!" He reached the edge of the field and blurred into the trees beyond. Max followed behind him, giving a good chase, but never quite catching up to him. The forest beyond was rife with fallen trees and a series of hills, large and small. It could have given some of Manitcore's obstacle courses stiff competition.
The run hardly elevated the transgenics' pulses. They weren't even winded, but the brisk fall air lent a rosy glow to their cheeks. The wind sent Max's hair streaming out behind her and whipped at their clothes as it carried the sound of Alec's laughter. As pissed off as Max was, there was still a seed of exhilaration growing inside her as she chased Alec. Despite herself, she felt her generous lips turn up in a small smile. The purest laughter almost escaped her lips before she slammed it down and replaced the smile with her usual scowl.
There was a ten foot chain link fence cutting through the forest in front of them. Alec cleared it, landing with barely a sound on the other side. As Max jumped the fence, Alec was running down a shallow hill to the road that marked the edge of the woods. He was halfway across the asphalt when he turned to yell another taunt at Max.
"Come on slow-poke!"
He didn't notice the truck flying at him with unnecessary velocity, but she did. Max picked up a burst of speed that she didn't even know she had in her and took a running leap toward Alec. Her body slammed into his a mere second before the truck was on him, her momentum and weight carrying them in a ball of limbs across the road to its grassy shoulder. Max sprang to her feet, lifting Alec with her.
"Alec? Alec, are you hurt?" She ran her hands over his body while he simply stared at her with eyes as wide as saucers. Max took a few moments to make sure that he was not injured. She discovered that he didn't have a scratch on him. His heartbeat was fast for an X-5, but that was probably due to fear.
"I'm sorry I forgot to let you win again," Alec whispered. Max ignored his words and the fact that her own heart was beating much faster than normal. She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook hard.
"Don't you ever do that again! Ever!" She smacked a hand upside his head. "Don't you know that you're supposed to look both ways?" Alec nodded at her and opened his mouth as if to speak. Max cut him off, "I don't want to hear it! If you ever – ever – do that to me again, I will strangle you with my bare hands and kick your scrawny ass!" She whipped around and wrenched him down the long road toward their bikes.
TBC