As Yet Untitled

Chapter 3

A/N: I know some of you think it was Alec in the first chapter, some of you Logan. I left it open so that some of you could make your own conclusions. It makes it easier when I don't tell you who it is, that way I get readers from both sides of the tracks. I know some of you may be wondering where this story is going and don't worry I'm having doubts myself. Right now, I'm trying to work out the kinks and there are many. So please forgive me if this chapter isn't up to par, because I know it isn't. Please review I appreciate them immensely. Thanks.

Max shuddered involuntarily at the sound of his voice, it grated her nerves, and made her want to tear his vocal cords out. She imagined that sight and smiled at how much she wished that she could do it for real. That thought kept her calm knowing that one day she would be able to do it for real, she took satisfaction in that.

"White, just the scumbag I wanted to see." It took a lot for her to keep her voice even, the rage that had been building up inside her threatened to break free causing her voice to waver.

"Ow 452 I'm wounded." he said putting his right hand over his heart, or where his heart should have been if he had one.

"Oh you mean that black lump of coal you call a heart? Nothing short of C4 could penetrate that." Said Max bitterly with an equal amount of sarcasm.

"What am I doing here 452?" he asked tilting his head to one side in an act of irritation.

Looking him in the eyes was a hard thing to do, she wanted to look away. Zack had always said that the eyes were the windows to the soul, they could betray everything you were thinking or feeling. But Max wouldn't give White the satisfaction, but she didn't want him to see how terrified she was inside. Life as she knew it was about to change forever and she wasn't sure where it was going to lead her.

With a deep breath Max said, "I want you to stop this, all of it, take your soldiers, leave Terminal City alone and I'll do what you want."

His eyes opened wide when what she said sunk in. "You're shitting me right? I tell these bozos to leave and you'll cooperate? My, my how times have changed."

"I've never quite understood that expression but no, I'm not shitting you. I'm doing this because of them, because they deserve a chance to be happy and by doing this I give them that chance."

"So that's it, they leave and you come willingly come with me, no guns, no killing, no feeble escape attempts?"

"What you have shit in your ears, that's what I said." Max said evenly, she felt proud of herself, here she faced the epitome of evil and her voice had yet to waver. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her humming nerves, she wanted so much to rip that smug smile that was slowly spreading across his face off, along with his vocal cords. Maybe if she ripped his head off she could nail two birds with one very bloody stone.

"They're actually letting you do this, who knew filth like you actually had brains."

Glaring at him, she replied, "They're not letting me do anything, I make my own decisions, I don't need their approval."

"And what happens when they find out about this, what happens when they come after us?"

"They won't, I've already made sure that I fully explained the situation and the consequences if they do that." except she hadn't but she hoped that they would be far away by the time the inhabitants Terminal City realized what was happening

"Well, it seems like you've thought of everything, except there's one little problem."

"And what would that be?" Max asked.

"I don't trust you." he seemed surprised as if he thought she would have already known the answer.

"The feeling's mutual." She stared at him, the flimsy wire mesh all that separated them from each other. The only way for her to get onto the other side of the fence was to unlock the padlock that kept the gate shut. The guards put the heavy chain along with an oversized padlock on the fence when the occupation had first started, it hadn't been undone since. The key to the lock was produced from some unknown place, and was inserted into the keyhole, where it was turned and the chain was lifted away.

A harsh grating sound could be heard, as the gate swung on its hinges, loud enough for all of Terminal City to hear, all she could hope was that everyone was asleep. A few transgenics kept post at specific points along the perimeter, they wouldn't move from their spots unless they heard gunfire. Many bizarre noises came from inside the border of Terminal City, most from the inhabitants themselves, she hoped that they were too far away to either hear it, or they would write it off as another weird sound.

But unfortunately things were not that simple, within a few seconds the sound of footsteps could be heard on the wet pavement. "Max?!?" Rubbing her hands over her eyes in frustration, she turned to face the questioning voice.

"Alec, just turn around and go back inside."

"Not until you tell me what the hell is going on," he said looking at her, to the open gate, then at White and back at her again.

"Alec I can't, the less you know the better."

"Max what are you doing?"

"I've decided to cooperate, because I can't handle hearing the whining and the complaining anymore, I've been trying to run a city, not a day care center." She said with as much resentment as she could assemble together, she hoped by hurting his feelings, he wouldn't try to stop her from leaving. That maybe in the end he would realize that what she was doing was for him and the others. "All I hear day in and day out are petty arguments and I'm sick of it, your supposed to be my SIC, but you join right in the whining with them. Maybe that's all you're good for, whining and complaining when things don't go your way. Now I see the only way that I can be free of you children is to leave. And I figure why not do something good while I'm at it." she saw a momentary flash of hurt in his eyes and then a spark of anger.

"You want to get out so badly, then leave, what the hell do I care, we don't need you. If you're so unhappy then just go, leave, but don't ever even think about setting foot inside this fence again, you won't be welcome." his voice was like a whip flashing out without warning.

His words had hit a nerve, and as she watched him walk away, she felt an incredible amount of guilt. But it was too late to take back any of the words she had said, and it was better this way, it only made the process of distancing herself from her old life easier. But was her old life ready to let her go? And would she let it?

A/N: I'm not so sure about the last part of this chapter I must have rewritten it about twenty times, because I was never quite satisfied with the way it came out. But this was the best that I could do without driving myself completely crazy. Please review, they make me happy. Thanks.