Losing

No one really spoke, the crowd just dissipated gradually as they returned to their duties trying to organise a temporarily shaken TC. Max remained unable to move staring blankly at the now blank screens, she only snapped back to reality when Dix began to replace them each with the images they had previously held.

"What that's it? there's no more?" Max seemed to have been hoping that they would suddenly flick on again to give her the answers she was desperately seeking but they wouldn't. Biggs looked at her, she was not taking this as well as he had thought. He moved to her gingerly putting a hand on her arm as Joshua appeared behind clearly sharing her distress.

"He's probably fine, this is Alec we're talking about, 494, he always..." he trailed off seeing his words were not helping in fact Max was beginning to shake very slightly. She mumbled an excuse and slipped past them all and into her office. As her lock clicked into place she felt the tears threatening to escape blurring her vision. Outside Biggs had watched her retreating form not sure what to do but he didn't have long to think about it as Gem having heard about the unexpected return came to get him. Gem and Biggs may have started off on the wrong foot when the forced breeding partners were brought together again. But now they were at the least close friends and with a baby to look after between them, they found themselves quite closely bonded. She wanted to take him away so he could rest but he was worried about Max. Only when Joshua assured him he'd handle it did he comply.

Max was at her desk with her head on one hand, fingers holding back her loose hair. She was staring into nothingness , bouncing her foot in a mix of nerves and irritation.

"That idiot....that absolute moron..." she growled to herself, but her angry words were hollow. In his situation she probably would have done the same thing. What irritated her more than Alec's attempts at heroism, more than his effective attempts at being centre of attention, was that there was nothing she could do for him. It was too soon to presume him dead, but with practically the entire world against you, you never know. He could very well turn up within the next twenty four hours meaning any search party would be needlessly put in danger. Despite the logic in the safety of the masses out weighing that of the few, she was certain that if she asked for volunteers to find Alec or even rescue him she'd get them, no problem. Alec was respected even loved among the transgenic populace, he was one of the few transgenics who could get through to Mole. There was so much uncertainty, so many questions left unanswered. Had he escaped and was now making his way back? Had he been captured and is somewhere awaiting transportation so a lab could tear him apart? Was he already dead perishing in the flames if not at the hands of their enemy? All she could do now was wait. She hated being so helpless. Many of their operations had been to rescue fugitive trangenics, Alec and Biggs had often played a large part in such operations. But now that it was Alec's turn to run she couldn't do a thing for him.

Joshua came to stand beside her, half searching for comfort, half hoping to provide it. Max looked quite lost unable to focus on anything other than Alec's disappearance. She'd missed him enough when he was heading the operations at their secondary base but now she was more desperate to see him than ever. She needed to see his cocky smirk, she needed to hear him tell her he was 'always alright' whether it was true or not, she wanted him to appear at her door with even the lamest excuse to see her on his lips. Deep in her stomach she felt a horrible fear growing, a fear that she'd lost her chance to tell him...anything and everything she wanted to say. That she was sorry, that never once had she regretted stopping his head from exploding despite what she'd said.

"Come on Max, " she urged herself "Get a hold of yourself." Right now she had to be the strong one, she had to stop being selfish, she was not the only one hurting here. Morale would be low and the risks of a follow up attack would be high.

"Max?" Joshua's low fragile voice reached her and she turned to him with a small smile, the effect which she intended it to have on her anxious friend was cancelled out by the tear that ran unchecked down her paled face. He whined softly as she brought him in to a hug

"It's alright Big Fella." she whispered "It has to be."

-----

The unusual quantities of activity in the streets of Terminal City was what struck Logan first as he emerged from the transfer tunnel. Buildings were being cleared of debris at an astonishing rate as transgenics moved salvageable furniture between them. As he walked through the quod he noticed a team dressed in black op. gear equipping themselves for some kind of away mission. Then on passing the infirmary he saw it's staff move around between rooms in a frenzy of activity. When he finally reached HQ he found it brimming with transgenics, all awaiting something. What the hell was going on? and where the hell was Max?

Suddenly Mole and two of his fellow lizard-looking comrades merged from the back up to their eyeballs in weaponry.

"Alright, scum bags!" Mole called over the collective "You know the drill. We'll be on high alter for the next 48 hours, overlook nothing. Now get to work." With that and with due military fashion the mass of soldiers collected their equipment and moved out.

As much as he hated approaching the lizard man Logan needed more urgently than ever to find Max and he'd rather not have to phone Alec to be told she was with him.

"Mole!"

"Oh Sh...Logan." Mole answered grimly pushing past the unwanted visitor to pick up some papers from Luke.

"Where's Max?" Mole grunted but didn't look up, instead he headed over to Dix and his team to get a status report.

"Anything?"

"Not yet."

"MOLE!!" Logan practically shouted making his irritation evident. Not only was he completely out of the loop on what was going on around him but now he was being blatantly ignored.

"Shut your hole meat sock! here's an idea why don't you go look for her and stop wasting my time!" Logan scowled but complied ambling up the stairs that led to the offices. He purposefully walked by Alec's but stole a quick glance through the window confused to find dark and bare. Max chose this moment to burst out from her office in deep thought over the papers she held in her grasp. She only just stopped herself from ramming straight into the stunned cyber journalist. Coming face to face with Logan , Max blanked.

"Logan?" she spoke with an amount of barely disguised distaste in her tone.

"Glad you still remember me." She didn't appreciate his tone and right now he was the last thing she wanted to deal with.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you!"

"Well now is a bad time." she said shortly hoping he'd be smart and back off, come back another day or just back off.

"Yeah, has something happened? What's going on? Do you need me to do anything?" His replied quickly not hiding how desperate it sounded, Max cringed.

"Thanks, but its nothing we can't handle." Max made a move to get around him but he purposely blocked her escape route. Max looked up at him impeaching him with her eyes.

"Max!" Mole called to her from below immediately capturing all her attention as she turned to him with hopeful eyes. "White left no guard detachment at the sight of the Beta base..." Her hope faltered

"Great. Give the guys the go ahead..." She hesitated before asking quietly "Anything else?" Mole simply shock his head. Logan looked as if were about to explode.

"Max? What's happening? What aren't you telling me?!" Max sighed and walked back into her office and waited for him to close the door before she began. She closed her eyes and pinched her nose as she tried to organise her thoughts. She didn't want to talk about it she had enough to deal with without having to qualify everything for him, explain things to him that he had no need to know...it was always so arduous.

"About 5 months ago we established a secret secondary base away from Terminal City..."

"What?"

"Then 7 hours ago they were forced to abandon it because an insider exposed it to White who burnt it to the ground...

"Why didn't I know about this? 5 months!?! Jesus Max." Logan was outraged, steaming in fact. Max glared at him standing defiantly with her hand on her hips.

"Since when do I have to run things by you? The less people who knew about the base, the less likely it would be exposed and the less you know safer you would be!"

"I'm Eye's Only for gods sake! I think I can handle a little top secret information."

"What is your problem?! I've got a crisis on my hands and all you're worried about is that I withheld a minor detail from you!!"

"Minor detail?! How do you describe a another base as a minor detail? You're always hiding things from me. After all we've been through you're still holding back. After everything I've sacrificed for you, for your "Family" this is how you repay me?!" Max almost reminded him of all the things she'd done for him, all the times she'd been in mortal danger for his cause, but she didn't want this, she didn't want a fight.

"Did you come here for a reason Logan." she spoke in a restrained voice. Logans gaze bore into her.

"Yes. I'm selling my apartment. I'm taking Eye's Only to the Canadian boarder to start it up again." Logan wasn't entirely sure what he wanted her reaction to be, but it certainly wasn't the clean and easy response she gave.

"Okay." The word sat in the air for a long moment, a moment that seemed to sign an unspoken agreement. There was nothing left.

"I'm going tomorrow." Max nodded,

"If you need anything..." Logan nodded, then he left stopping briefly to wish her well and then he was gone. Max slumped into her chair suddenly loosing faith in her legs. She marvelled at how her life could change so significantly in such a short time.

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A/N: I know, I know. Less Logan, more Alec but it had to be done. More to come soon. xxx