It's not long before the upbeat waitress returns with the sodas for the humans and the waters for the transgenics. They say their thanks. She goes off to wait on others; there's about 10 other patrons and one other waitress. Sketchy and Cindy both take sips of their drinks, in an attempt to determine if they're safe. Max and Alec do the same with their waters. Everything seems to check out.
Max discreetly looks at the map and tries to figure out where they should go from here. Shortly after, they all put their change together and pay. Most lost their appetite, except for Sketchy, who orders cheese fries to go. As they leave, the waitress gives them a smile before calling to them. "Have a good night!" They all nod and return the smile.
"Glad to be out of there." Max says with a sigh as they exit. "Hey, say what you want about the outdated decor, but they have awesome cheesy fries." Sketchy remarks before popping another in his mouth. Max eyes them and her stomach convinces her to take one. She nods her approval, along with an "Mhmm." Hunger makes everything taste better. Cindy and Alec share looks before following Max's example. "Hey! If you wanted some you guys should've got another order. We could always go back." Sketchy protests. Max shakes her head. "I don't know about anyone else but I've had enough of the 1950's for one decade." Cindy and Alec agree, while taking turns snatching fries.
They walk along, with Max in the lead. She puts her heads behind her head and deeply breathes in the crisp night air. It's the best thing about this creepy town, as far as she's concerned. It's much fresher than the city and lacks the lingering gunpowder that drifted in the air around Manticore.
"Uh, Max?" Alec questions as he catches up to her, after consuming a good portion of fries. Being jolted back to their situation irritates Max, as does the sound of Alec's voice. "What?" She responds harshly. Alec raises an eyebrow at her sudden attitude. "Where, exactly, are we going?" Max shrugs,"Just thought we'd take a walk around town. Nothing better to do, until morning since I don't sleep. You can take them back with you, if you're wanting to turn in." She offers, more civil this time.
Alec shakes his head. "Nah, I'm not tired yet. Isn't it odd to you that everything else is empty and dark around here?" His question is brimming with skepticism. Max takes a look around at the shops they pass on their way. "Not really. After the Pulse, a lot of these places likely closed down. Lots of places everywhere closed their doors for business. Besides, it's late at night and most of these places are specialty shops, which are often closed at this hour." Max informs. Alec takes a look around. "Yeah, I guess so." Meanwhile, Cindy and Sketchy are fighting over the last of the fries. Max and Alec overhear the occasional quip and chuckle to themselves. Humans.
There's a moment of silence that passes before Alec pops up with an idea. "Hey, we could take this down time to do some recon; just get to know our surroundings, the town." Max thinks a minute, looking up at the stars. Usually Alec is more than happy to slack off during free time. This town must put him more on edge than he's let on. He's probably trying to hurry up and leave. Max thinks she agrees. As much as she likes this rare moment of fresh air and the quietness of this town, it has given her an uneasy vibe. She nods. "Okay. I memorized the map back at the diner. There's no private schools around here but there's a library."
"A library?" Alec asks, incredulously. "A massive library." Max adds. Understanding brightens Alec's face like a lightbulb has flicked on overhead. He nods. "You do know what that is, don't you? I mean I know you hardly ever read, I'm assuming you can." Max teases. Alec pretends to look offended. "I will have you know I read. I own plenty of fine literature, thank you very much." He volleys back.
Max rolls her eyes. "Playboy doesn't count."
"...There's articles." Alec inputs.
Cindy overhears the conversation and rolls her eyes. "And I'm sure you buy them just for those." She glares at Alec, while Max laughs. "So, where we headin' to', Sugar?" She directs her question to Max.
"The library up ahead, just gonna look around."
"Need some bedtime reading?" Cindy asks, catching up. Nearby, Sketchy passes a waste bin and pitches the carton, which had held the cheese fries.
Max shakes her head. In a low voice she replies, "We think that might be where the Familiars are at now. It looks like the most likely place in town."
Sketchy pipes up, "Wait a minute, you're saying they're in there and we're going to just walk up to them?" He looks at Max like she's lost her mind.
"No, I'm saying they could be in there and we're going to quietly look around, while they should be sleeping." Considering she found that book of ancient writings next to a bed, she assumes they sleep.
"Wait, won't there be guards patrolling?" Alec injects.
"I'm not sure. Last time they had a single, ordinary sheriff as their security detail," Max replies.
"But they might've stepped their game since you crashed the party last time." Cindy adds. Max thinks for a second. "True, but we've gotta figure out if this is their new location or not and, besides spying around at night, I don't know of a better way to find out." The group goes silent. By this time, they've stopped walking. "Look, I get it if you two wanna go back to the hotel. This could be extremely dangerous and I couldn't live with myself, if either of you got hurt...or worse." Max gulps. She can barely live with the guilt she already carries around now.
Sketchy and Cindy share looks, trying to decide what's best. "Yeah, we might just get in the way," Sketchy comments. He's usually looking for excitement but this is a little too extreme. He doesn't want to die here tonight. Cindy nods after a moment. Max turns to her transgenic companion. She jerks her head toward Cindy and Sketchy's direction. "You go back with them for safety. I don't trust this place, especially at night." With almost the whole town being closed and it still recovering from the Pulse, there were hardly any streetlights on. Alec could see and fight far better than their human friends. As soon as the words left her mouth, he shook his head in defiance of her order. He's gotten better at this whole "defying orders" thing, much to Max's current annoyance. "Nuh uh. No way. You out here alone? Remember that thing I said about Logan telling me to look out for you? I don't want to be the one to break it to him that the woman he's madly in love with is dead or captured by the enemy because I stupidly listened to her and allowed her to wander off alone, into what is possibly Familiar territory." He crosses his arms and stares her down. Cindy and Sketchy are currently watching from the sidelines. Sketchy thinking they could use popcorn at a time like this.
Max shoots Alec an intense stare of her own. "Well, I'm not letting them travel back there and wait in the hotel alone. So, I guess the recon plan is cancelled. We'll have to try again tomorrow." Alec stubbornly shakes his head again and Max is close to smacking him, at this point. "No. You take them back and guard them and I'll go check it out. ...I don't have people waiting on me, who love me, unlike you."
In that moment, Max feels like someone punched her in the stomach, knocking the wind from her. She's about to protest, but he cuts her off. "You've spent years out in the world, building relationships with people: Logan, Cindy, Sketchy, for examples. You're the leader of Terminal City, the one who keeps everyone together and maintains order. Without you, they'd be a total mess and we both know it. To sum it up, you're more important than me, Max." Max speaks up, "People would miss you, Alec!" Alec shakes his head solemnly and looks down at the ground. "Not like they would you. They'd miss you a whole lot more. You're Cindy's best friend and I don't have anyone in love with me, Max, that's just the reality of it. You have a life out here that you've taken years to make for yourself. I've haven't had the time to do that. I'm not the leader of TC, who everyone looks up to. I'm just a guy in the background, expendable, and always have been. If something happens to me, they'll be less fallout." Cindy and Sketchy are stunned silent and their chests are heavy with Alec's candid words, a rarity. Max's eyes are misty, as she gazes up at her fellow transgenic. She realizes how much she truly has, which he's never had. "Now, don't let loose the dams. I've accepted it. This isn't a pity party. This is why you should take them back and I'll go survey the library."
The library was in view now, at least for a transgenic with better eyesight. Speechless, Max turns towards Sketchy and Cindy and starts to leave. Before she does, however, she turns back rapidly and hugs Alec. "For the record, I care about you and I'd miss you a hell of lot more than I'm willing to admit, idiot. So, you better come back, or I'll find you and kick your ass." She mumbles into his ear. He has to fight a smile at that. Max lets him go and takes one last look at him. He nods reassuringly, giving her permission to leave him there. Cindy and Sketchy speak up before they leave. "We couldn't help but overhear your speech and, we'd like to clarify, that we care about and would miss you, man." Cindy nods her head, "Also, you'd be letting my boo down by not coming back, and if that happens, the first chance I get, I'm personally laying the smack down on your ass - hyped up DNA or not." Cindy smiles and winks, with her arms folded in front of her. "Gotcha." Alec replies, a small but bright smile of his own. It's terrifying as hell, but feels good to be so cared about.
Max and the others finally start walking in the opposite direction, to leave and go back to the hotel. Alec sighs with relief that the emotional moment is over and he can get to work on the mission. He walks cautiously toward the towering, artful building. He looks quickly in every alley that he passes along the way. His ears are straining to hear, even the slightest noise. So far, the coast is clear. Wind rushes by and sends a chill up his spine. Admittedly, it's a bit lonely out here but he's done plenty of solo missions before… just never in a place this eerie and seemingly void of all life. As he stands in front of the library, he sizes it up and down. It's definitely an impressively massive building; a lot of places for highly evolved humans to hide, though there's no signs of any. As he passes the main doors and many windows, he makes sure to do his best to stay of sight. Dark clothing had been a good choice and he mentally pats himself on the back for being prepared.
Max, Cindy, and Sketchy are quickly moving through the streets. Max is caught up in her worry, while Cindy and Sketchy quietly tag along, taking in the scenes around them. It's a beautiful town, and if it'd been daylight and there'd been people bustling around, it'd be pleasant. In her worry and somewhat anger, Max is walking briskly and Cindy and Sketchy are struggling to catch up. Due to the quick pace, it's not long before they see the hotel come into view. As they approach it, Max gets a very bad vibe that draws her from her mind. She puts up a hand to stop Sketch and OC. They see it and halt where they stand. Max puts a finger her lips and points for them to go hide behind the standing sign outside of small shop. She carefully steps toward the building. She turns her head slightly and can overhear the sound of talking.
"Yeah, a group that contained at least a couple of those transgenic scum booked a room here earlier today," the clerk could be overheard saying to someone on her cell phone. She says their greeting and goodbye before hanging up. She's walking towards Max's direction before Max can move away.
"Hold it right there, filth!" The woman shouts, a gun in her hand trained on Max's back. Max puts her hands up and slowly turns to face the woman. "I guess this means our stay's been cut short and we won't be getting our money back. Oh, and by the way, I'm gonna tell all my friends to book elsewhere cause your customer service sucks." Max bites back, glaring daggers at the Familiar. There's silence between them. "So, are you gonna shoot me or what?" Max asks, tired of waiting in silence. The woman smiles deviously, her red lips stretching across her face. "You're not the target here, but your friends over there are." She points across the street with her head. Max turns around and, for the second time tonight, her breath is knocked from her. Her eyes widen. Five Familiars surround her friends. Forgetting about the woman and the gun, she races toward them with all the transgenic speed she has, but she's too late. By the time she gets there, two of the Familiars have taken her friends and three stand ready for a fight. With the help of her anger, she manages to take down two. The other one takes off, and when Max glances behind her, the clerk is gone too. She's left alone in the middle of an empty street in the silent town. Tears sting her eyes. She kicks down the shop sign that failed to protect her friends, while feeling it was really her who had failed them.
Alec is making progress as he walks around the building, memorizing every detail while still searching for any elusive signs of their enemy. He wishes he had a comm, so that he could check in with Max and their friends. He imagines they're already safe in the hotel room, probably cozied up in bed. Cindy and Sketchy asleep and Max reading a book, waiting for him. He fights a small smile for the second time that night.
He starts to think that maybe they got it wrong. It just looks like an old library. There's no footprints, no noises, no signs at all that anyone's been here in a very long time. Then, he hears it. He hears the slam of a door and sees one near him close. His heart rate instantly increases and his eyes dilate even more, trying to zoom in on the entrance. He reaches behind his back and, without a sound, draws the gun he always keeps with him. Glancing swiftly all around, he approaches the door within seconds. He glances behind before peering in the small window next to the door. He sees nothing, at first. Then, his eyes catch the glimmering reflection of light bouncing off another pair of eyes inside.
Alec dashes away from the building, intent on going back to Max and telling her what he saw, that there are likely Familiars here, but he's stopped. As he stands near the steps leading up to the library, about fifty Familiars surround him. Some have guns, some are in a fight stance. Alec knows when he's grossly outnumbered. So, he does what he can. He lowers his gun, carefully, and puts his hands up in surrender. He waits with a fast heartbeat and baited breath for them to move in for capture. He's done it numerous times before to targets who had surrendered. He knows the drill… except this isn't a drill. This is very real and dangerous situation. He's at their mercy now, which seems to be non-existent. In a sigh, he finally lets out the breath he'd been holding, as they circle around him like vultures. With the strength of multiple Familiars, he's slammed to the concrete and grunts in pain as his knees crash into unforgiving ground. His hands are bound. The library door swings open by the power of a Familiar woman's mind. Alec is dragged into the library before the door slams shut. In his mind, he silently asks Max to forgive him.