It was a small gym in the middle of Terminal City, and Alec had been alone there for hours, beating the old dusty punching bag until he wore a hole in it. It was as if that one threadbare section of the bag had been his exact target.

Alec, on the other hand was a mess. His hair was matted to his scalp. His muscles were taught and sweaty – he had lost the shirt hours before and stood straight in front of Max like a soldier, with jeans and boxing gloves and nothing else as his uniform.

"Alec!"

"You called me a liar, Max," he said, his voice nearly cracking with emotion, not breaking his workout as he explained. "I'm not a liar." He spun the bag so the hole faced the other direction, and started in on the punching again.

Max's eyes started to water.

Alec stopped striking the bag for a moment, and looked to her again. "You said I'm bitter and angry, and that I don't care about anyone but myself."

"I know, Alec, I know what I said." Max folded her arms.

Alec pressed his lips together and tilted his head in frustration. She wasn't even sorry. He turned back to the bag and began punching it again, really hard.

"Alec!" Max shouted over the punching, but he didn't stop. "Alec!" she called again. Again, he didn't stop. Max stepped behind the bag and held it between them. He still kept punching.

It was only after she hugged the bag to her body that he flinched and prevented himself from completing the punch.

"Damn it, Max!" he yelled. He turned and walked a couple of steps away from her, then turned to face her again. He wasn't about to hit the bag if it meant he'd be fighting her through it.

"You said I was ugly, Max." Alec had to look away as he said this.

Max's eyes enlarged with guilt, more tears making their way to her ducts. She had said the thing he had feared the most.

He continued, "Yes, I admit I have done some pretty despicable things in the name of Manticore, and on top of that, I'm apparently also a lying, bitter, angry, and selfish person."

Max let slip a stream of tears. "I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean it."

"Is that because you realized you do the same things? Lying, taking your frustrations out on others because you're bitter and angry? You spend all your time being selfish, trying to save everyone."

Max's face scrunched up, crying more.

"But I think you're like me. Are you like me, Max? A liar like me? Are you ugly?"

"Yes," she answered simply, leaving.