Disclaimer: Not mine except new characters.

A/N: My first attempt.

Who Loves The Teacher?

Chapter Sixty-six: Business as Usual

Next morning Alec woke to a commotion coming from the corridor outside his apartment. Issy was still asleep and he lay for a while trying to work out what was happening. Gradually he realised it was Max and Ben arguing, but he couldn't quite hear what they were saying.

'Max it's 5:30 and if Alec's anything like me, he won't want to be

disturbed this early.'

'So it's 5:30 but I need to see him before the morning meeting and run through some things.'

'But Max morning meeting isn't until 9:00 you could leave it until 7:30.'

By this time Alec had got up, pulled on some combat pants and opened the door. "Look if you are going to fight can you do it in your apartment, some of us want our sleep," he complained.

Max grabbed his arm, "if you want this settled then you're coming too," she insisted as she pulled him along the corridor to her apartment.

Alec looked at Ben who shrugged.

Alec pulled his arm, "Max I don't know what your fetish is, but I'm not up for it."

She looked at him in disgust and with her free hand hit him, "I'm so not going there," she replied as she dragged him into the apartment with Ben close behind.

As Ben closed the door Alec wondered what was going on, "come on Max what the hell do you want?"

"It was your idea that we should be in here," she snapped.

Alec thought, he had suggested that she and Ben argue behind closed doors, but he didn't remember volunteering to be referee, "look if you've got problems," he looked between them, "I'm probably the wrong one to mediate."

Ben laughed, "that's a good one. It's not a problem between Max and me but Max and you."

Alec was confused; there was no Max and him, "what are you talking about?" Alec ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Max, "is someone going to enlighten me about why I've been kidnapped in the middle of the night."

Max rolled her eyes, "for a start it's not the middle of the night, just early morning."

Alec gave her a sideward's glance, "it may not be the middle of the night for you, but it sure as hell is for me."

Ignoring his comment she continued, "and secondly we need to talk about the meeting and me impersonating Sam."

Alec was still confused after being woken up, "why do you need to impersonate Sam at the morning meeting?"

Max looked back annoyed, "I don't."

Ben interrupted, "since you've got your own way Max, I'm going back to bed. Just try to finish this before breakfast."

Max looked annoyed but this time at Ben, "fine, I'll see you later." Turning back to Alec, "Sam said she was meeting Peter and Fritz during the morning meeting, so how do you suggest I manage to be in two places at once?"

Alec pondered, "you can't. But you can open and close the meeting, slipping out to see them in between," he suggested.

"So work me through it and you can go back to bed," she instructed.

Alec quickly sketched out the plan and went back to bed.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Alec went to his office half an hour before the meeting, to try and sort out his desk. Leafing through the paperwork he found some old orders which were due. Ringing the suppliers he found that they were expecting to deliver the next day, he agreed to meet in the usual place at 1:00.

He thought about the hostages. Was there any reason for keeping them? The High Priest had given some information, thinking Max and he were dead; he didn't think they'd get anything else. The High Priestess hadn't said anything coherent. The Phallux were just prisoners of this war. Resources were scarce in TC at the best of times and they were feeding seven people unnecessarily; time to hand them over to Clemente, but secretly. Should he tell Max before the meeting, or during? Before, Max didn't like surprises.

He left his office and went to Max's expecting to find her alone. He was about to open the door, when he stopped and knocked.

Max answered the door laughing, behind her was Jondy.

"Er, sorry. I was hoping to catch you alone," he stammered.

"That's alright I was just leaving," replied Jondy, giving him the once over.

Alec felt uncomfortable, Jondy laughed again and Max was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

When Jondy had gone and he'd closed the door he asked. "What was all that about?"

"We were just talking about your near miss with Sam," Max replied still grinning.

"That was not funny," he replied with a pained expression from the memory.

"It was so," she replied still grinning. "What was it you wanted anyway?"

"The hostages."

"You want the hostages?" Max was puzzled.

"No. Unless you think any will reveal something more?"

"No."

"Then we need to get them out of here."

"Agreed."

"Tomorrow we've got a supply run."

"That's news to me."

"Yeah, I set it up before I went down. Anyways if we take them out and get the dealers to drop them on Clemente, maybe he can lock them up on some charge."

"It's a plan we can work on. When do you want to announce?"

"At the meeting, just before you disappear, should keep us talking a while. Hopefully nobody will notice how long you're gone."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Issy went to find Alec before the meeting. "Anything I need to know before we go in?" she asked. "You seemed pre-occupied at breakfast."

"Can you help keep everyone's mind focused on the meeting, not who's there?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Max needs to be two places at once."

"No problem."

They were deliberately a couple of minutes late for the meeting to give the others time to get settled.

"Glad you decided to join us," Max commented sarcastically.

"Well if you do get me up at 5:30, what do you expect?" Alec retorted making Max blush. The innuendo not lost on the others; the males sniggered while some of the females blushed.

"I was going to welcome you back to the team," she responded. "Now I'm not so sure."

"Well I'm glad you're back Princess, the last few meetings have been very dull," countered Mole. "Be nice to get a bit more support here."

"What feeling out numbered Mole?" Jondy posed with a flutter of her eyelashes.

Alec looked at his friends round the table and thought is this what I really want. A thought popped into his head, 'maybe not but it'll do until the mess is sorted.'

He looked at Issy, who smiled back.

"Well, I would say it's nice to be back, but the state of my desk says it'll take a week to find out if any important dates had been missed." He looked at them seriously to see who flinched first.

"Sorry man," Biggs began. "Couldn't make head on tail of your filing system, so when someone rang we just dealt with that."

"Yeah, well you missed one who doesn't ring," he accused.

"That's unfair," Max complained, "You keep too much information in your head. We need to learn from the experience not beat each other up over it."

"It mightn't have been perfectly filed but it was no where near as bad as now," Alec complained.

Luke looked guilty, "sorry Alec before Biggs got back we needed something, and I, sorta messed things up. I didn't know how to put it right so left it. We all thought you'd be back sooner."

Alec felt guilty at upsetting his friends. "Ok but it's going to take me the best part of the day to sort."

"So what you're saying is, there's a do not disturb sign on your door for the rest of the day," Max responded. "But until then we've got two major issues to discuss; first the supply run tomorrow and secondly what to do with the hostages."

As they started discussing the issues there was a knock on the door. "Excuse me Max that detective wants a word."

Max made her excuses and left. "Thanks Dalton, don't tell anyone it was a ruse."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Max made her way to the bar changing her jacket on the way. Calmly she tried to imagine how Sam would walk into the meeting and how she would start the conversation.

She went straight to the bar and ordered a drink, hoping they wouldn't ask about cigarettes. After getting the drink she scanned the bar's interior, few people came in at this time. There were a couple of transhumans in the corner and some X6s having a game of pool. She saw Peter and Fritz sat at a table watching her.

'Here goes nothing,' she thought as she walked over.

"Wondered how long it would take you to join us Max," Peter emphasized her name.

Max looked surprised. "So what makes you think I'm Max?" she replied nonchalantly.

"Because Sam would have walked over smoking," replied Fritz.

"And Sam's in med bay after her heat incident with the prize punk," Peter added.

"I presume you mean Alec," Max rebuked. "While I'm here you use his name or I'll start calling you Dumb and Dumber." They looked at each other then her. "Anyways how do you know about what happened with Sam?"

"One of the med tecs was talking about it at breakfast," he replied, "seems your friend turned tail and ran."

"Yeah well I don't blame Alec. Ok so my ruse won't work, but I'm still here to talk if you want this gig."

"All ears," they replied.

"Alec explained to me Sam's suggestion," she stated. "I'm all in favour, so you'll leave with the NorBAC team after lunch. The boat will take you to Canada, then you'll continue on protective services while they develop the vaccine. They'll come back here for trials then return to Canada to organise manufacture and supply. Are you happy shadowing them throughout?"

"What do we do in the event of a threat?" Peter asked.

"Depends on the origin, familiars whatever force is necessary, ordinaries non-lethal and transgenics to be sent here."

"So we can eliminate familiars?"

"As a last resort."

"Ok, when do we meet them?"

"At lunch, see you in the canteen at 13:00," she finished and left.

"Shows what missing ten years training messes up," Peter turned to Fritz.

"Let's get ready and tell the girls we're leaving without them," Fritz replied.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Max re-entered the meeting to hear Alec talking. "So it's agreed Biggs, Jondy and Mitch will meet the suppliers with me. We'll have the familiars chained in the warehouse with six guards."

"Who are you thinking of for guard detail?" Max asked.

"I was thinking about Rob, Zane, Seth, Judd, Raven and Tori, any objections."

"Why not Ben and me?"

"The fewer people who know about you and Ben the better," he replied, "at the moment White thinks you and I are dead, so let's work with the illusion."

"So why will you be there?"

"The supplier doesn't trust anyone else," he replied. "That's why he won't ring me."

"So if he's so paranoid why do we go to him?"

"He's reliable, even for the difficult stuff. This order includes tryptophan."

"Oh! Ok." Max decided to finish the meeting with news of NorBAC. "After lunch today the NorBAC team will be leaving with an escort. The boat will need fueling for a trip to Canada and back. Leaving with the NorBAC team will be Psyche, Peter and Fritz. I want four volunteers to crew the boat."

"How about Jondy, Zane, Greg and me?" offered Biggs?

Max looked at Alec, who shrugged, "ok we discuss details at 12:30, then lunch at 13:00 to meet the others. I'd like you there Alec," she added.

"Sure."

"Any other business?" Max asked. Nobody volunteered an answer. "Ok we'll close now, see the volunteers at 12:30 the rest of you at 16:00 update."

As everyone left Alec turned to Max and said, "that went well. How was it with Peter and Fritz?"

"The ruse was wasted; some med tec had been mouthing over breakfast."

"So they knew about Sam?"

She nodded, "but at least they listened and agreed, although they have real issues about you."

"Yeah that was the downside of being CO; I had them sent to the pit a few times." He grinned, "but sometimes it would be fun watching their disbelieving faces."

"I hope they did something to warrant the punishment."

"Yeah, I'm not a cold heartless bastard. Usually it was to do with injuring someone and insubordination."

"Insubordination to you, I suppose," Max glanced at him.

"Yeah, they once did it when Renfro was around; she had them sent to psy-ops for evaluation. Took me a week of careful persuasion to get that changed to a week in solitary."

"Why would you do that?"

"They might be totally pains in the ass, but they're good at their job, if they're assigned with the right team. Besides enough of us had been terminated, one way or another, with their attitudes psy-ops would've had them terminated as defective."

"Thought you could persuade Issy to do anything you wanted," Max mused. "As head of psy-ops she could have over-ruled any decision."

"It was after she'd done her forget-me stuff, so I didn't realise that," he replied sadly.

"And they don't know?"

"What, let them think I cared; I couldn't do that," he replied shocked. "I thought I was going to have to sell my body to win that one; lucky for me that Renfro wanted pure X5s on the breeding program and you were back in her clutches."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

At 12:30 Jondy, Biggs, Zane and Greg joined Max and Alec in Max's office.

"Right let's get down to business," Max started. "NorBAC are leaving today and we have an escort in the form of Peter and Fritz going with them."

Biggs raised his eyebrows, "is that wise? They don't care much for TC and its leaders; will they carry out the assignment?"

"They've agreed to be bodyguards until the vaccine is distributed and I trust them to do that," Max replied.

Biggs looked at Alec, "and you trust them?"

Alec felt uncomfortable at being put on the spot, "they're good at their job, so yeah I trust them to complete the mission. What happens afterwards is anyone's guess."

Greg looked at Alec, "so I guess you and these guys don't get on?"

Alec smiled, "you could say that."

"Ok back to the matter in hand," Max snapped. "I want you to take them to Canada in the boat; Lydecker has arranged transport from the border, so I want you back before nightfall."

"No problems sis," remarked Zane.

"Well let's go and introduce everyone," Max finished.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

When they got to the canteen the NorBAC team were busy eating and chatting, but Peter and Fritz had not arrived. Grabbing some food Max and her colleagues went to join them.

"So you ready for the off?" Max asked.

"Yeah, the sooner we get there the sooner we'll be back," Dr Reynolds replied. "No Issy today?"

"She's busy," Alec responded.

"Ah, the joys of being with a professional woman," Dr Reynolds replied.

Alec bristled but held his tongue.

"We have an escort for you, they will act as bodyguards until we're ready to distribute the vaccine," Max explained.

"Do you think we'll need one?" Dr Reynolds asked. "I mean with Mina and Psyche with us, would anyone dare attack?"

"Peter and Fritz are both highly trained and have been on several successful missions," Alec replied. "If you need a bodyguard they will perform the role admirably."

"What the great 494 praising us?" Peter sneered. "I don't believe it."

"Personally I might think you're the biggest prats to come out of Manticore," Alec replied coldly. "But your mission results speak for themselves and I'm talking about that."

"Feelings mutual," replied Fritz.

Max could feel the animosity between them. "I thought I said we use names not designations here," she interrupted coldly. "Just as well you're not going on the boat trip," she grinned at Alec.

"Yep, I bet Biggs is regretting his decision to volunteer for that," he grinned back.

"So we leave after lunch, then what?" asked Dr Reynolds.

"Biggs and his crew will take you to Canada in the boat, then Lydecker has arranged transport to Toronto for you. When you've completed we'll set up the return route," Max instructed.

"I'll miss being here," Dr Reynolds replied, "it's been fun."

"Yeah, well just look after our people and they'll look after you," Max finished as everyone got ready to leave.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

A/N: So I got 66 done, hopefully it will break the block on finishing. I've also finished my Supernatural fic, which will be posted in the next few days. Hope you'll try it and leave feedback.

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