Disclaimer

A/N: This chapter was to show Alec that what he sees isn't necessarily the truth which will be key in later chapters. And I hope you guys liked Mole too. I loved writing him even if he was a little out of character.

Part 7

Her words lingered in his mind and for a second he thought he might have gone too far. A low sigh escaped his lips as he searched for something to say.

Coming up empty he raised the bourbon to his lips and downed the remaining amber liquid satisfied at the numbness it brought. The door to the stairs closing brought him crashing back to earth and he went after her.

At the base of the Needle he watched her straddle a black-chrome Ninja driving off into the night and jumping on his own bike he went after her determined to find out where she was going. He rationalized it in his own mind as quid pro quo. She knew where he lived. It was only fair that the knowledge was reciprocated.

She zigzagged expertly through traffic and even he was finding it difficult to keep up without losing track of her but staying far enough to not alert her of his following. He used all of his Manticore training as he sped after her through the busy Seattle streets, now more curious than ever on her destination. Asha momentarily completely forgotten.

He couldn't help but be puzzled when she stopped outside Terminal City. Ditching his bike he followed her in, careful to not make his presence known. She walked with a grace about her he hadn't ever noticed before; it was delicate and feminine yet held strength and power in its stride.

With a quick check over his shoulder he turned back round ready to follow her when a pair of small yet remarkably strong hands gripped him and threw him into a concrete wall.

He felt the all too familiar pressure of a forearm digging into his throat cutting off his air supply and he gasped in surprise trying to draw in his denied air.

"Alec what the fuck are you doing following me?" the irritated voice snapped.

Max released him when his head began turning a worrisome shade of purple and Alec took greedy gulping breaths, "You followed me first," he shot back once his breath had returned to a more normal state. His hand massaged his jugular defensively and he frowned at her expression.

"Oh that's real mature!" she exclaimed pivoting on her heel and walking away from him. She seemed to be doing that a lot he noted.

"Would you stop leaving in the middle of a conversation?" he said annoyed and re-adjusting his clothes to a presentable state.

"Would you stop following me?" she shot back not even looking at him.

"Can you stop answering my questions with questions? And you seemed fine to follow me so I returned the favor," he deadpanned and flicked a piece of imaginary fluff off his jacket.

Max rolled her eyes, "For the last fucking time. I DID NOT follow you. I heard your roommates screaming and I thought I'd drop in," she shrugged innocently and pushed a door open.

Following her inside he kept his attention on her not even noticing that they now had an audience, "For an X5 that has spent the whole of her life in a government facility saying yes sir's you sure do swear a lot," he pointed out.

Alec jumped in surprise when a decidedly male gruff voice answered and spinning round he came to face with what could only be described as a human lizard, "It's called freedom of speech."

******

"Otto I want to know what happened and I want to know it now. Thousands of mutant freaks escaping was not in the original plan and I want to know who the hell played this message! You understand?" he yelled throwing documents and files to the ground in his anger.

The operative nodded a quick 'yes sir' and quickly left his superior's office. The man inside paced back and forth. His face was marred in a permanent frown and he scowled angrily.

Whoever projected that message to all those freaks was going to have hell to pay when he found them.

*****

Alec stared unblinkingly at the anomaly in front of him. He swallowed hoarsely and regained his composure but still never letting his sight deviate from its current subject.

"This another of your boyfriend's? I mean, sure I know you want to bring them home to meet the parents but what is this? The third since last night?"

Max grinned and hugged the 'lizard guy' who didn't return the gesture but didn't deny it either, simply choosing to stand, "What can I say, they just keep following me home mum. I can't just leave 'em out there to starve!"

"Someday you'll have to explain to me how Mole let's you close enough to touch him let alone hug him," A pale misshapen man asked from a computer chair.

"Dix, jealous?" said a third voice and Alec didn't know where to look any more. At the moment he was surrounded, by what as a kid he'd feared more than life itself, what Sam's stories had been based on to scare them; nomlies. Seeing her clone hug one was slightly… screwed for lack of a better word.

452 laughed both at Joshua's comment and Alec's complete lack of knowledge on what to do on the situation, "Your boy sure ain't much of a talker."

Alec turned and almost hugged the person he found himself facing. She must have been another X5, her figure was identical to Max's but her eyes were blue and her hair was chestnut brown and straight, falling some below her shoulders.

"I guess he ain't one for new faces," Max suggested greeting the other X5, "That just hurts Maxie poo!"

452 glared at Mole and he grinned with false innocence.

********

She watched her sister intently work at her motorcycle. Her face had slight grease smudges and her hands were nearly completely black. But the transgenic barely noticed working away tightening this and that and adjusting here and there.

452 looked over to find Jondy's face contorted in disgust and she rolled her eyes, "It's just grease. Get over it."

The X5's face only screwed up more and she emphasized with her tongue and a decidedly 'bleah' face, "It's disgusting. It gets all stuck in you nails and it smells," she defended, "Why didn't you just use gloves?"

"Oh no Jondy!" she exclaimed with pretend shock and wiped her hands on the side of her jeans, "I'm a genetically engineered soldier bread from birth to kill efficiently and happily! I couldn't possibly get a little motor oil on my hands! I might break a nail. And would you look at that. My jeans! They're all dirty!" she said mockingly and pretending she was about to cry.

Max grinned watching her sister's face seethe and smoke begin to spout from both her ears. Everyone else in the room, that had been previously occupied with other things, unconsciously gave them more room.

******

Max and Alec sat side by side on the curb outside his apartment. Neither moved or said anything as neither knew what to say or do.

It was Alec who broke the silence first. His face turned to face hers but she still looked up straight ahead to the top of the Needle much like he did when he was deep in thought. She still had a slight grin on her face from her victory and the smile reached her eyes highlighting them with life and the will to be alive.

"I've never seen anyone fight like that," he admitted and she turned at the sincerity of his voice, "Don't get me wrong I could hand anybody their ass but I guess I missed a few tricks from the second decade."

She smiled and rolled her eyes before her face turned once again somber, "Yeah, well there's a lot you don't know about me. People who don't know shouldn't make assumptions."

She stood again and brushed the dust off the seat of her pants, "I better get going."

"Will I see you again?" he said a bit too hoping.

"Well. A few hours ago you said, and I quote 'I do NOT like MAX! In fact I can't even stand her. She's a self-centered, sarcastic bitch that represents everything I've always hated about Manticore' but now . . . I dunno, something's changed," she grinned cockily, "Yeah. You haven't gotten rid of me."

*******