Chapter 2
The dark depths of the cold barrel stared down at Alec and Max.
"Officer," Max said, her muscles tensing like an elastic band. Mentally, she patted herself on the back for not jumping at the sight of the gun barrel. "What can I do for you?"
Another pat for keeping her voice calm and steady.
"I wanna see ID," he said, his two-handed grip on the gun tightening. Max had to force herself not to stare at the twitching trigger finger, but at his face. She could not bring herself to meet his eye.
"Of course," Max said, reaching for her pocket.
"Don't move!"
Max raised her hands above her head. And the fact she did not look at his trigger finger gave her scant confidence.
"Well, how do you want us to show you them, then?" Alec asked in a sarcastic tone.
Officer looked panicked at that. Max took pity on him and was about to tell him to take it from her pocket. But he regained the situation.
"Stand up and turn around- hands on your head," he barked. "Slowly."
Not glancing at Alec, Max prayed he would just do what the officer said; she didn't want trouble tonight.
"That's it," the officer said, and motioned with his gun to the wall on their left. Bad move. If either transgenic wanted to, the gun would be knocked from his grip, and he would be flat on his face the moment he pointed the gun away. But neither took the opportunity. "Turn around and up against the wall."
Doing as she was told, Max gasped as she felt cool metal against the back of her neck. Scolding herself, she heard the officer gasp slightly too as the gun barrel parted her hair to reveal her bar code.
"This is Officer Keith," said a shaky voice behind her into the radio. "I need back-up."
Shit.
"I've got the leader- 452."
Double shit.
Taking a deep breath, knowing that the next twitch of the trigger finger could send a bullet into the base of her skull, she spun around, knocking the gun from his hand.
"Sorry," she murmured as she heard the sound of skull against brick. Catching the officer as he fell, she gently set him on the ground.
Alec dropped the brick beside the officer, but Max did not look up from the officers' face. After checking his pulse, she cupped his cheek- alive.
So unfair, Max thought sadly. She wondered if life were different- and she were normal- whether they would have been friends. Whether they would have been hanging at Crash talking and shooting pool.
It was times like these that she thought none of it was worth it. She itched to give the order to 'escape and evade' at TC. The people who hated- no, feared- her for being a transgenic made her feel her efforts were worthless.
The despair that swept through her washed over her and disappeared, just as the tear washed over her cheek and disappeared onto the ground.
Standing, she did not look at Alec as she said: "We need to leave."
"Max?"
Max simply shook her head and set off at a jog that quickly progressed into a run. Hearing Alec's footsteps behind her, she took an intricate route through Seattle's back streets to arrive back at TC.
****
"Quiet night?" Max asked Mole. She had not stopped running till she was through the secret passage and into what had become the control center of TC.
"As quiet, as quiet gets."
Max smiled slightly in relief.
"You ready to go off and smoke these god-awful cigars I picked-up for you?" Max said, tossing Mole the box of cigars.
"Girl, go to bed." Mole said, the cigar bud wagging in his mouth. "You look like you need it."
"Actually," Max said, stifling a yawn while waving her hand towards the tanks outside the fence, "What I really need is for those metal cans out there to explode from amount of ammo they got packed in them and heat me some bathwater."
"About the only thing they'd be good for," Mole mumbled while lighting a new cigar.
"Amen."
****
"Josh," Alec said, motioning for Joshua to come closer.
"How your night out? Getting busy?" A look of longing appeared in Joshua's eyes, causing Alec to concentrate on Joshua's painting rather than the look in Joshua's eye. He expected Joshua to whine like a puppy who was desperate to get out to do its business. But he did not.
Joshua's strong, Alec thought. "It's Max."
"Getting busy with Little Fella?" Joshua asked, adding a spot of paint to his painting, not looking the least bit surprised by it.
Alec laughed, some of the tension in his shoulders going. "Actually, she wants to see you."
"I've a painting for her."
"She's in her room, Josh."
****
"What's up, Big Fella?" Max asked from her bed. She was still too tense to even think of relaxing and going to sleep, despite how tired she felt.
"I brought you a painting," Joshua said, holding it up.
"It's beautiful," Max said, a gentle smile creeping across her face. "What is it?"
"You." Joshua pointed to a graceful, brown curve in the middle of the painting that was surrounded by indefinable shapes and colors.
Getting out of bed, she hugged Joshua. Not only because of the gift, but because she needed a hug,
"It can go over there," Max said, finally letting go of Joshua. She pointed to the space opposite her bed where she could look at it while lying in bed.
Placing it on the nail that was already there, they stood back to admire it.
"Alec said you wanted to see me," Joshua said, looking down at Max.
Max blinked, not remembering asking for Joshua. She then smiled and lent against Joshua, hugging him, feeling much better. "Yeah, I guess I did need to see you."
TBC
A/N: Right, now you know Max, and Max knows you. Introductions finished. Now here comes the juicy stuff.
The dark depths of the cold barrel stared down at Alec and Max.
"Officer," Max said, her muscles tensing like an elastic band. Mentally, she patted herself on the back for not jumping at the sight of the gun barrel. "What can I do for you?"
Another pat for keeping her voice calm and steady.
"I wanna see ID," he said, his two-handed grip on the gun tightening. Max had to force herself not to stare at the twitching trigger finger, but at his face. She could not bring herself to meet his eye.
"Of course," Max said, reaching for her pocket.
"Don't move!"
Max raised her hands above her head. And the fact she did not look at his trigger finger gave her scant confidence.
"Well, how do you want us to show you them, then?" Alec asked in a sarcastic tone.
Officer looked panicked at that. Max took pity on him and was about to tell him to take it from her pocket. But he regained the situation.
"Stand up and turn around- hands on your head," he barked. "Slowly."
Not glancing at Alec, Max prayed he would just do what the officer said; she didn't want trouble tonight.
"That's it," the officer said, and motioned with his gun to the wall on their left. Bad move. If either transgenic wanted to, the gun would be knocked from his grip, and he would be flat on his face the moment he pointed the gun away. But neither took the opportunity. "Turn around and up against the wall."
Doing as she was told, Max gasped as she felt cool metal against the back of her neck. Scolding herself, she heard the officer gasp slightly too as the gun barrel parted her hair to reveal her bar code.
"This is Officer Keith," said a shaky voice behind her into the radio. "I need back-up."
Shit.
"I've got the leader- 452."
Double shit.
Taking a deep breath, knowing that the next twitch of the trigger finger could send a bullet into the base of her skull, she spun around, knocking the gun from his hand.
"Sorry," she murmured as she heard the sound of skull against brick. Catching the officer as he fell, she gently set him on the ground.
Alec dropped the brick beside the officer, but Max did not look up from the officers' face. After checking his pulse, she cupped his cheek- alive.
So unfair, Max thought sadly. She wondered if life were different- and she were normal- whether they would have been friends. Whether they would have been hanging at Crash talking and shooting pool.
It was times like these that she thought none of it was worth it. She itched to give the order to 'escape and evade' at TC. The people who hated- no, feared- her for being a transgenic made her feel her efforts were worthless.
The despair that swept through her washed over her and disappeared, just as the tear washed over her cheek and disappeared onto the ground.
Standing, she did not look at Alec as she said: "We need to leave."
"Max?"
Max simply shook her head and set off at a jog that quickly progressed into a run. Hearing Alec's footsteps behind her, she took an intricate route through Seattle's back streets to arrive back at TC.
****
"Quiet night?" Max asked Mole. She had not stopped running till she was through the secret passage and into what had become the control center of TC.
"As quiet, as quiet gets."
Max smiled slightly in relief.
"You ready to go off and smoke these god-awful cigars I picked-up for you?" Max said, tossing Mole the box of cigars.
"Girl, go to bed." Mole said, the cigar bud wagging in his mouth. "You look like you need it."
"Actually," Max said, stifling a yawn while waving her hand towards the tanks outside the fence, "What I really need is for those metal cans out there to explode from amount of ammo they got packed in them and heat me some bathwater."
"About the only thing they'd be good for," Mole mumbled while lighting a new cigar.
"Amen."
****
"Josh," Alec said, motioning for Joshua to come closer.
"How your night out? Getting busy?" A look of longing appeared in Joshua's eyes, causing Alec to concentrate on Joshua's painting rather than the look in Joshua's eye. He expected Joshua to whine like a puppy who was desperate to get out to do its business. But he did not.
Joshua's strong, Alec thought. "It's Max."
"Getting busy with Little Fella?" Joshua asked, adding a spot of paint to his painting, not looking the least bit surprised by it.
Alec laughed, some of the tension in his shoulders going. "Actually, she wants to see you."
"I've a painting for her."
"She's in her room, Josh."
****
"What's up, Big Fella?" Max asked from her bed. She was still too tense to even think of relaxing and going to sleep, despite how tired she felt.
"I brought you a painting," Joshua said, holding it up.
"It's beautiful," Max said, a gentle smile creeping across her face. "What is it?"
"You." Joshua pointed to a graceful, brown curve in the middle of the painting that was surrounded by indefinable shapes and colors.
Getting out of bed, she hugged Joshua. Not only because of the gift, but because she needed a hug,
"It can go over there," Max said, finally letting go of Joshua. She pointed to the space opposite her bed where she could look at it while lying in bed.
Placing it on the nail that was already there, they stood back to admire it.
"Alec said you wanted to see me," Joshua said, looking down at Max.
Max blinked, not remembering asking for Joshua. She then smiled and lent against Joshua, hugging him, feeling much better. "Yeah, I guess I did need to see you."
TBC
A/N: Right, now you know Max, and Max knows you. Introductions finished. Now here comes the juicy stuff.