NC-17 version of this chapter located on Gumboot Mafia and on my web page.
Part 4
She tried to contain her smile when she saw him making his way over to their table for breakfast.
He'd been away on a mission for the past two weeks, and the thought crossed her mind more than once on whether or not she'd ever see him again. The missions to foreign war-torn countries were always uncertain.
They both knew that better than anyone.
As their table stared straight ahead, having already finished this morning's puzzle, she felt his eyes on her.
She moved her eyes in his direction and sure enough he was looking back her way and slowly, so not to draw attention, signing something to her.
Roof; tonight; 0200
Max blinked twice in affirmation.
***
"If you got to take the Blackbird, how come it took you forever to get back from Kazmekastan?"
"Come on, Maxie, you know that overthrowing a government and setting up a new regime doesn't happen in a day."
Max rolled her eyes in fake annoyance. "Go on." She huffed ordering him to get back to his story.
"So anyways, Sergeant Clipper drops us off in this really slummy area and considering the state of the rest of the town that's saying a lot. He gives us each the equivalent of about twenty dollars and tells us to have fun. Of course I'm thinking what the hell does he expect us to do or buy? The shops only sell things like pig snouts and sheep turd."
Max laughed and Alec smiled and squeezed her closer enjoying the sound and feel of her back in his arms.
"But the second we walked maybe five feet from the jeeps, a bunch of women came out of no where. Some were even way younger than us. They were pulling on our clothes, saying all these things they'd do for us and to us. It was the funniest thing to see 786 and 311 turn so red. I thought I was going to have smack 208 because he just couldn't stop laughing."
"Well who were these girls? What were they saying that was so funny?" Max asked.
"They were hookers, Max. Apparently Sergeant Clipper feels we're at that age where we deserve some off hours during our away missions." He laughed. "It would have been nice if we had gotten some kind of briefing before being dropped off in the middle of.that." Alec laughed again. "I thought 303 was going to faint when one of the girls cupped him and stuck her tongue in his ear."
"Knowing Manticore they probably were watching from a distance just to see how you guys responded to certain 'stimuli."
"Probably." He conceded. "Well the boys caught on pretty quick." He nodded. "Oh and then this one lady, Lola, pulls me and 631 towards her "room." After she shoves 631 through the curtain she grabs me and 786 and pulls us in too. She puts on this weird music and starts dancing and next thing I know she's taking off her shirt." Alec paused. "You okay?" He asked upon feeling how stiff Max had become all of a sudden.
"Fine." She answered curtly. "So did you have fun with this Lola lady?"
Alec waved his hand in front of his face. "Nah, I left those two blockheads alone with her and walked back to the base."
Max's stunned eyes looked up at him, but he was still staring up at the stars and didn't notice her expression.
"786 and 631 thought I was crazy but for some reason she just didn't do anything for me."
"Well what exactly did you want her to do that she couldn't?" She asked slyly.
Alec looked down at her then. There was a glimmer in his eye as he replied in a husky voice. "I wanted her to turn into you."
She smiled at him before kissing him thoroughly. She looked at him in surprise when she felt him push her away.
Alec sat up and reached into his fatigues and pulled something out.
"What's that?"
Alec smirked as he moved it out of her reach. When she pouted he handed it to her with a delighted smile.
Max unrolled the papers to reveal two bills each with the number 100 printed on them.
"That's 200 Kazrupee." Alec said.
She immediately knew what it was. Although the value of the bills in her hand was only the equivalent of about twenty U.S. dollars, it was as if he'd handed her black diamonds.
The concept of souvenirs was just as foreign as the currency in her hand, but she instinctively knew how special it was that he thought of her enough while away to bring something back from his trip and the fact that it was something that proved that he hadn't spent any of the money, the Sergeant had given them for recreation caused a deluge of happiness to pour through her.
Max threw her arms around him with such force that they both fell backwards. Laughing along with him, she hugged him fiercely. When she pulled away and noted their position of her on top of him, she held up the money in front of his face.
"I think I should earn this." She said sensuously.
***
A week later, Max sat alone from the same spot on the roof looking off in the distance remembering every moment the two had spent seven days ago.
She hadn't seen him since. And she was getting worried because she didn't know where he was.
There was always time between when you found out you were being sent on a mission and the actually deployment. So if he was on a mission, he would have had time to tell her he was going first. She'd already been by the infirmary and he hadn't been there either.
So where was he?
Max knew she'd have to ask someone. Thing was, she had to be nonchalant about. She pondered away to avoid suspicion for a while longer before coming up with a plan.
"631"
The dark haired boy turned around and regarded her curiously.
"You're in Block 14, correct?"
"Yes."
"Did you happen to see my handbook in there?"
"No. Why would your handbook be in our barracks, 452?" Max noted the amusement that sparked in 631's eyes at the idea that a female lost her handbook in the male barracks.
"I gave mine to 494 to copy the notes he missed while away on a mission. He hasn't returned it and I haven't seen him to ask him about it." Max answered. She almost laughed at the disappointment in 631's face at how innocent her reason had been. If he only knew.
"I'll look but you might want to get a new one because 494 won't be around for a long time."
Max's stomach dropped but her voice was calm when she asked. "Why's that?"
"They came for him in the middle of the night a week ago." 631 told her. Max's heart clenched at his morbid expression. "Psych ops." He added softly.
It was hard, but she managed to force her tears back down. Then she nodded curtly before quickly turning and hurrying away.
TBC
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