Chapter Seventeen – Out With It

"Out with it."

"Out with it?" Max asked, distracted on the lawn chair on their balcony, while typing up paperwork for Terminal City. She was almost becoming the freak show leader and as scary as that was, to Alec it was a comforting thought. He knew that when the time came she'd need someone at her side, someone with further training and recognised by everyone at Manticore. For most it was still hard to trust an 09er. Annoyingly enough transgenics seemed to be keen on him taking that place.

It was mostly strategy and battle situations training that she missed out on; by age eight every transgenic was a black belt in a dozen martial arts and had completed almost all hand to hand combat and personal discipline. It was experience in leading a transgenic army that she lacked, how her kind had grown up. No one blamed her for this deficiency, she hadn't been there.

All the same Alec was sure she would have flunked strategy, Max just went in head first and as exciting and amusing sometimes as that was, Manticore wasn't big on that kind of thing.

"Yes."

"Out with what exactly?"

"Everything you haven't been telling me."

Max's fingers stopped, they hovered over the keyboard and a beat later closed the laptop and put it down. She waited; his words could mean anything. She wasn't sure what he wanted, what answers he was looking for, so she waited.

She wasn't saying anything, Alec mused, just staring at him. Unsure if that was a good sign or not he took his chances, "When are we going back to Seattle?"

"Two days."

She was letting him ask the questions, "When are we pulling the robbery?"

"Tomorrow night."

"Are we taking everything?"

"No."

"Whose credit card was charged when we went shopping?" Max smiled at that one knowing her answer would irk and amuse him at the same time, "Some bad guy."

"Why?"

"Retail therapy."

"Figures," Alec scoffed.

"Wait," brows furrowing he paused, "If we didn't pay for your shopping, then," Alec looked at Max, "five-hundred-and-ten-thousand plus sixty-seven grand is five-hundred-and-seventy-seven grand," a confused broad grin was on his face, "we're fourteen k over."

Alec paused smirking slightly. He'd figured that she wouldn't steal absolutely everything for obvious and not so obvious reasons, the main one; there was no way they could carry out that much money. What he hadn't realised what that they didn't need to steal any money off him, and yet here they were, planning to break into the vault still. The blonde was going to let her have her mystery on that for now, the way he figured it she wouldn't tell him much more. Why? Because for whatever she had cooked up he obviously had to be in the dark for the majority of it.

Alec was curious, but he could handle waiting another 24 hours.

He paused, for a second everything was quiet, only a second, "So what are you going to take from him that he's never going to get back?" Alec had never pondered the fact that there was something else, other than money, which she could use for her revenge; the loot had been the logical conclusion. Alec's eyes brimmed with realisation, and it had been exactly what she'd wanted him to think.

"That, grasshopper, is the million dollar question, isn't it?"

Grinning she grabbed the computer again and went back to whatever she had been doing leaving Alec in disbelieving limbo. His mouth was partly open and he watched her, waiting, refusing to believe she was leaving it at that. A sound that could have been a fraction of a syllable escaped his lips recapturing her attention, "What?"

"Oh you can't be serious?" he reprimanded.

"Of what?"

Alec laughed neurotically sarcastic, "Tell me!"

"What?"

"Out with it! I want to know," he continued.

"Out with what!"

Glaring, Alec used his fingers to gesture, "What do you think? I want 'the million dollar answer' and stop playing stupid."

Max sighed, "I am not playing around Alec I'm working."

"What are you working on then?" This was ridiculous. He sounded like an eight year old, and the sad thing was that he realised this. His theory was, even eight year olds were right sometimes.

The look he received could perhaps only have been described as 'the OC'. Cindy had certain looks that had become a trademark and in all honesty were very efficient, this one was the one that was supposed to make the other person realise something obvious.

Alec miffed, "I don't care if I'm being a child."

"I'm organising a meeting with Tommy Blade."

After dressing herself and having composed her speech Max had joined Alec at the schematics and blueprints of the Casino and Hotel. They'd studied them for several minutes, running through all the possible ways it could go sideways and ways to recover. They'd examined the security, identification mechanics and the location of every camera, and in consequence, all the blind spots.

Now Alec knew how they would break in, he just didn't know the diversions, the times, the roles or even more importantly for what secondary purpose. Sure their main goal was to get lots of money, but Max had a second agenda. The X5 wasn't so sure he wanted to be in the dark about that.

Her last answer, he was sure, was a big clue.

And then it clicked.

"What!" Alec almost shrieked, recognising this however, he cleared his throat before speaking again, "Tommy Blade?"

"Yes."

"As in the most notorious mafia boss in America?"

"Yes."

Alec's voice rose with every question.

"As in the most wanted father of organised criminality?"

"YES."

"The guy on top of Logan's list of bad guys who he's been desperately trying to catch since he started? In fact the guy on top of the FBI, CIA and national guard's list of bad guys!"

"Yes Alec!"

"YOU WANT TO MEET WITH HIM!"

"Yes Goddamit!"

"Are you serious?" he whispered quietly leaning closer.

Sending a pointed look his way Max sighed, "Yes I'm serious."

"Kudos."

The pair fell in silence. Max could not have looked more confused or perturbed. She just hadn't been expecting that answer at all. I mean, kudos? And that was exactly what she repeated, "Kudos?"

Grinning Alec bit his lip lightly, unwittingly drawing her attention. He was close, too close if someone asked her. How was she supposed to pay attention when all she could concentrate on was the fact that in that moment he lacked complete respect for personal boundaries? He was still sitting on the other chair but right on the edge of it, his torso hanging forward stretching as close as possible. His face couldn't have been further than a foot away and Alec was looking at her. Right in the eyes, unwavering.

"Can I come?"

"Absolutely not."

Later On…

Quiet was not a word Alec would ever use to describe himself when in company of friends. Especially when that company was Max. He often lacked control over his vocal chords; in fact it was a bit like word vomit. Max, on the other hand was different. She just wasn't chatty, most things you had to drag out of her at risk of bodily harm and death threats, well for him anyway, for Cindy it simply just took time. The only time she spoke more than two sentences in a row to him was if she was reprimanding him or if she was ranting.

Today though, it went beyond quiet. Max had not said a word on the elevator, or through the lobby. Not a word to him. Standing in silence Alec tapped his foot waiting. Exactly for what he wasn't entirely sure but Max was waiting so he did too. His fireball companion was already fuming and he was not going to risk more than he already had in convincing her to bring him along. He was almost glad she was pissed, he'd almost started to worry about her she'd been so pleasant. By her standards anyway.

Tackling him into a fountain didn't really count. What bothered him was that was where his memory stopped. He'd pieced everything back together, well at least he thought. They'd gone to a club, he remembered that, but everything was a little hazy, he couldn't remember when they'd left. And then it jumped to her tackling him. That meant either of two things; he'd pissed her off or she was saving him from gunfire.

Obviously he'd pissed her off.

"Shit."

"Charming language," Max mocked knowing she was being hypocritical.

Alec didn't even take notice instead turning to her and grabbing her around the shoulders, "The car is gone!"

Unable to save herself a little smirk she nodded as his face crumbled, "I just remembered, we got out of that club and it was gone." Max was certain he'd be less upset if someone had told him Christmas was cancelled, "I've lost two cars in 3 days. This can't be happening."

"Relax Romeo," she reassured the panicky X5, "We've got new wheels."

As if on cue the Valet pulled up in front of them. As Alec looked momentarily distracted Max held out her hand, "Pepito… keys, now."

"Can't I take her for a spin first?" Max was conscious of Alec somewhere in the background making ooh ahh noises but she didn't take her eyes off of Alehandro, "You've already gone for a spin, it doesn't take fifteen minutes to get a car. So hand em over Pepi."

Dramatically sighing Pepito dropped them into her waiting hand, "Ok, ok but just cos it's you."

"It's cos you know I can kick your ass," Max corrected getting into the car, noticing Alec was already buckled in with a gigantic smile. A raise of the eyebrow was her only reaction. Starting the ignition she revved the engine a couple of times and took off. Left on the sidewalk Alehandro dug his hands in his pockets and kicked an imaginary pebble, "Yeah well me and you both know you're not your average girl."

Max tried to ignore Alec's still beaming smile. Not to mention that fact that he was looking at her with that smile which meant she had made him happy which was very wrong in the Max code of treating Alec. There was absolutely nothing about making him happy. She was miserable so he had to be miserable. As soon as she thought that her mind had an unconscious spasm and she froze, well not really, but she did put on the breaks really hard. The car being what it was stopped almost instantaneously achieving two things, stalling and almost giving both X5's whiplash.

Alec opened his squinting eyes and looked towards her. Max's mouth was partly ajar, eyes wider than usual.

"Max?"

Snapping out of it Max stole a glance at him and looking quickly away, turned the car on put it in first and took off again. Without a word. Her silent wishes for him to drop it were irrational and it was confirmed when Alec asked, "What the hell was that?"

"Nothing I saw a squirrel."

"In Las Vegas?" his disbelief was evident however it was tinged with curiosity and amusement, "If you can't drive a stick I can drive."

"Alec I can drive a stick."

"Ok."

Alec tapped his fingers on his legs to a beat in his head, more to fill the sudden silence, no longer comfortable, which pervaded the car between them. It proved to be more infuriatingly impossible to quench his curiosity than either of them had expected and unable to contain his inquisitiveness Alec spoke up again, "Honestly what the hell happened? You looked like you'd had an aneurysm or seen divine light or a ghost or whatever!"

Max simmered at his rather on spot description of what she'd felt like. She needed a little time without him to figure this out, to figure everything out. To think about all that had happened in the last two weeks and especially on this trip. Perhaps she had to ponder her whole life in general. Either way she needed time. Something that right now she didn't have.

She was driving to meet Tommy Blade, Alec beside her and god knows exactly how he'd managed to convince her, she wasn't too sure herself. Not to mention they were on a tight schedule. They'd bummed around too much. Breaking into a casino vault was a little harder than your average B&E.

"Something like that," she whispered, turning to look at him for a moment and see the confusion furrow his brow.