Chapter 3

How Jondy got her groove back

Over the next week Max settled into life at the base. At Alec's insistence she'd accepted an apartment in the Commanders building and spent her time reacquainting herself with her life and family. Practically all transgenics were housed somewhere on the base. It was a part of the deal Alec had managed to strike with the UN, not everyone had been happy at first but regular assaults by several rogue states had convinced most. Max soon discovered that not everyone was involved with the taskforce; in fact most were being encouraged to seek other employment. Since transgenics had not been recognized as citizens of the USA they had to run the base as self sufficient as possible.

The day after her debrief Max was pleasantly surprised to find Syl and Krit sitting opposite her at breakfast. It had been a tearful reunion and Syl had told her all about the business she and Krit were running on site. TranSecurity delivered high-end security systems to all those that could afford them. It got started after Krit had been caught on a surveillance tape stealing from a casino vault. The owner tracked them down and instead of having them arrested he'd hired them. They had gotten a message to TC and offered their services, supporting the cause with technology, arms and money. Syl immediately proceeded to offer her baby sis a job, saying she could use her skills to test their systems. Max smiled at the idea but she had told them she wanted to think about it and talk to Alec about it. Both sibs had raised their eyebrows at this, expecting her to want to discuss it with Logan instead but wisely refrained from comment.

She hadn't seen any others yet, although Krit had assured them all her sibs were here. Zack, Jondy and Zane had taken up service in the taskforce and they were deployed out at the moment. Another thing she had done was sign up for training, it helped her maintain control over the memories she needed to keep locked away. That was where she was headed now. The week's worth of extensive training had brought her back up to par but she felt she needed to push herself harder. She needed the adrenaline release that the sparring sessions brought her, it helped to keep her instincts on a short leash. She had moved up in the ranks though, every time she let her instincts take over during a fight, however briefly her alpha shone through and her opponent backed down.

Alec however had refused to fight her, claiming a busy schedule. He called on that bust schedule a lot, nearly every time she had tried to talk to him over the last week he had blown her off. Max moved over to the sparring ground to watch the X6's train, and to watch their trainer more closely. Alec was diligent in his responsibilities towards the younger transgenics and he taught the most advanced classes of hand to hand combat himself. Max had heard about this at breakfast this morning and decided on the spot to go over and watch.

The weather was decent so the training was held outside, Max moved over to the bleachers and sat down to watch. She could see Ralph training across the filed near the wall. As she was about to look away Ralph leaped up against the wall and landed on her opponents neck, effectively bringing him down. She then moved in for the kill and stopped an inch off his face and beamed a huge grin at Max as she got up. Alec was beside them in a heartbeat. Max could hear him ask Ralph where she got that move, and Ralph did was point across the field. All motion stopped when the entire class looked over where Max was sitting. Max smiled a little sheepishly at them, but her smile went to a full grin when she realized Alec was looking at her with a new respect in his eyes.

He turned back to Ralph and asked her to perform the jump again for the entire class, against him. This seemed to make Ralph more than a little nervous but as the true soldier she was she sucked it up and moved into the starting position. She threw a couple of punches and kicks at him first, since surprise was a big element in the success of her move. To Max in became clear Alec was waiting for her to make her move she purred loudly as a distraction. It worked. Alec turned his head slightly and Ralph used the opportunity to jump him, she managed to bring him down but he worked himself free before she could get a punch in.

Ralph jumped up and beamed her megawatt smile again. Alec had to grin too but he shot a glare at Max anyway. Max just smiled sweetly, before Alec could come over and berate her she moved off the bleachers and headed towards the obstacle courses. The ones she had done as a child had been replaced with more difficult ones, higher walls to scale and smaller beams to navigate across. She moved over to the one Mole had told her about, one that was reserved to test squad leaders. Moving to the starting area Max removed her jacket and sweater, leaving her clad in her tank top and shorts. Stretching her muscles a little to warm up a little she waved at the camera and signaled her intentions to run the course unaccompanied. Running it alone had inherent risks, hence the camera. She would be expected to signal her return as well, that way if she didn't someone would come looking for her.

The time to beat on this course was 26 minutes and 40 seconds set by Alec under the old regime. It was the longest course available and the only one that required more than just running, along the way she would also have to crack a safe, pick a lock and navigate a minefield. Max knew that to get anywhere close she would have to let her instincts take over, but she needed to know how she would measure up. Looking around one last time before releasing, she could sense a presence closing in on her. Whirling around to face her unwanted audience she saw Alec sauntering over at a leisurely pace. Looking closer she could sense his nonchalance was feigned. In this state she was more aware of him than ever before, she knew that he was the alpha male she needed. Now she needed to prove she was worthy of him. But her human self didn't want to give in, because if she started feeling safe she would let her memories come out and those needed to remain buried.

Max had been conflicted all week and her thoughts were still troubling her as she watched him getting closer. Watching his broad shoulders, his narrow hips, his…. STOP she berated herself for letting go and took a firm hand on her emotions.

"You know Maxie, if you want to set a time here you'll need this."

Looking down at his hand Max could see the gun he was holding at her, without thinking she shuddered and took a step back. Guns still frightened her to no end. She managed to overcome her fear to save herself but she wasn't ready to accept them back in her life. Swallowing she looked at his face to see his response to her shudder. Looking in his eyes she could tell this was a test, she never told him why she hated guns but he had seemed surprised at her having used them during her escape. When her human side was in control she wouldn't touch them but the animal and training in her recognized it as a tool and accepted it as such.

With a nod she accepted the gun and took it front his hand. In a fluent motion she checked the magazine, slid it back and tucked the gun at the small of her back. She moved to the starting line, took a moment to focus herself and broke out in a blur for the first obstacle. She was determined to push herself to the limit on this run. A smile started to grace her face and she overcame various obstacles on the first section. The adrenaline was rushing through her system and it was spurring her on to greater heights. She loved using her skills; it made her feel free and alive now that she was free to do so. Soon she came up to the staging area that held the safe. Before a failed attempt would send a small shock through the contender but that feature had long since been disabled.

In command Mole reported to Alec on her progress, it being closely watched by everyone there with bets being placed on her performance. One person however didn't participate but did watch the screen closely. He still didn't recognize the woman moving in front of his eyes, she was too far removed from the runaway that had so desperately wanted to be normal. He was so sure he could shape to pass for normal but then Alec had come along, an alpha male that wouldn't make excuses for his DNA.

As Max opened the safe and munched on the chocolate she found inside Logan started pacing his office. He desperately wanted the woman back that had needed him, that had done whatever he asked. This on didn't seem to need him at all and he didn't like that, he didn't like it one bit. Since the others were too busy cheering Max on, no one noticed when Logan crept out of command holding her laptop clutched at his chest.

Back at the obstacle course Max had arrived at the second staging area, she was feeling the strain she was putting on her body. Blurring was meant for short bursts of extra energy not for endurance. She needed to take a couple of breaths to pass by the locking mechanism. When she pulled back the lock pick she could hear the last tumbler moving back in the closed position and cursed under her breath. Moving it back in, she steadied her hand and pushed the last tumbler out of the way. She opened the door and moved on in a blur trying to make up the lost time at the door. The hardest part was still coming up ahead.

Moving to the edge of the minefield she stood still and closed her eyes. Sniffing the air she made a mental map of the area in front of her and smiled to herself. Mole had placed the dummy mines and he had done so smoking, she took two steps forward and sniffed again. Taking another two steps she repeated the process until she was on the other side. In Command everyone looked at each other in amazement, no one with feline DNA had ever navigated the minefield this fast. Only the canines had ever managed to do what Max had just done.

Having recovered from her trip across Max felt a new wave of energy and bolted away. She leaped the wall placed in her way and grabbed a branch on the other side to vault across the large mud puddle behind the wall. There she halted in shock, the last staging area was a firing range. Max slowly walked up to the range and was surprised to see Alec already there. She took one look at the dummies at the end of the range and felt the gun pressing at the small of her back. She realized that she couldn't do it, shaking her head she started backing away.

Alec was behind her in a single leap and Max bumped into him on her last step. Alec brought his head down to her ear and whispered. "You can do it Maxie, I know you can."

Max shook her head and lowered it in defeat she couldn't face a gun. Pleased that she hadn't pulled away from him, he was determined to help her so he put his hands on her waist and slowly so as not to startle her he pulled the gun from her waistband. Holding it in one hand he put his other hand back on Max's waist and let her to the range. Still standing behind her he circled his arms around her and brought the gun in front of her.

"Trust me Maxie, you can do this. Guns can't hurt you if you know what to do."

Eva had known what to do, and she still was killed by one Max silently argued with Alec but she made sure not to say it. She still wouldn't look up and Alec was wondering whether he should let her, but then his resolve hardened not talking about it won't help her. She'll either face her demons or she'll have to tell me why.

Max slowly raised one hand to the gun and then another. As soon as her fingers touched the gun Alec let go of it. When she was holding it her training took over and she went into her firing stance. Aiming for the dummy she fired a shot and was dismayed to see it go high. She compensated for the difference in height and weight she had the last time she had fired a gun at the range and tried again. The results were better but not as good as she had been. Alec moved his hands to her waist and changed her stance a little, and unconsciously rubbed circles with his thumbs. Max felt calmer and fired three rounds in succession. Those were all in the targets kill zone, Max lowered the gun and softly spoke two words Alec never expected to hear.

"Thank you."

Alec stepped back and let Max walk over to the cleaning table; expertly she took the gun apart and cleaned all the pieces before assembling it back together. Then she looked at her hands and quickly handed the gun back to Alec. On their way back she unconsciously rubbed her hands over the spots Alec had touched her before.

Later that night

Max pulled herself together and headed for her apartment, her muscles protesting with every step. She had spent the afternoon at the school with the X8's. Their game of hide-and-seek, with some interesting new rules added for fun had left her drained of energy. X5's had an amazing stamina but she had gone to the limit that morning and then had pushed herself again in the game. Pulling her sore body up the stairs she could hear whirring behind her door. Her initial response was to head back down the stairs, not wanting anymore drama today. But then she changed her mind. That was her apartment up there and she wanted to make good use of her bathroom. When Alec had showed her around he had teased her that she had the only room on that floor with a bath but Max had been eternally grateful and she was determined to make use of it.

Opening her door her senses were assaulted with the vision of Logan pacing the room dressed in a dinner jacket. The whirring of his exo-skeleton grated at her ears and she took a seat waiting for the man to explain himself. Logan turned to face her and started speaking.

"Max, I'm glad you're here. You can change in the bedroom, but you'll have to hurry. Our reservation is in 30 minutes already."

Max's brain needed another moment to process. "What? Look Logan, I'm grateful but I'm really tired, can we do this another time." Like never she thought.

"Come on Max, I want to celebrate your return. It's a wonderful little Italian place, you'll love it."

"Logan, we're not welcome in the world out there, how could I go to a restaurant." mmm, she thought to herself, something else we could use around here.

Logan chuckled softly to himself, he had thought of everything. "But Max they would never need to know you aren't normal. The dress even covers your barcode so you can wear you hair up."

Max sighed. He would never understand "Logan why would I want to pretend to be normal? I want to be accepted for who I am, and I thought you did."

Alec chose that moment to barge right in. "Max, you soaking already? I wanted …." his voice faltered at the sight of Logan standing over his woman. "Logan, here you are. We thought we'd lost you when you didn't show up at command all afternoon."

"Well, you're about to lose me again. Max and I are going out for dinner, so if you'll excuse us."

Alec wanted to ask Max if it was true, but didn't. He already knew the answer before she spoke. Max had always chosen the old man over him before. Why would things be any different now? Max kept her mouth shut, she didn't want to embarrass Logan in front of Alec but she really wasn't going anywhere but in her bath tonight. Alec didn't wait any longer; he turned and closed the door behind him. While walking to his quarters he berated himself for letting himself believe she was going to choose him.

Logan turned his attention back to the girl sitting in front of him and smiled knowing she would come with him now. Why else would she not have disputed him in front of Alec? The Max he knew always did as he asked.

"Why don't you get dressed now, I'll see if I can push back our reservation a little so you can get ready."

"Logan, I'm not going to a restaurant. Not tonight, not if I have to pretend to be normal."

Changing his tactics he nodded in acquiescence. "All right then we'll do this some other time. Will you at least come with me to the gate to sign me out for the night?"

"Sure Logan, I will."

Letting her lead the way, Logan followed her down the stairs to his car, as she got in to accompany him to the gate the came up behind her and stuck a syringe in her arm. Before she could react he had emptied it into her and waited for her protests to become sluggish. When she passed out he put her on the backseat and draped a blanket over her. He then got into the car and drove away from the base into the night.

Alec arrived at his quarters and opened the door to an expecting Joshua.

"Where is little fella? Is she coming later?"

"No Josh, Max isn't coming she decided to spend the evening with Logan."

"No Max rather be here, but she feels grateful to Logan. "Joshua tried to reassure his friend. But Alec didn't believe him. Joshua shrugged his shoulders and went to grab the Mac 'n cheese he'd made.

As they were wolfing down the food the alarm sounded throughout the building. Alec grabbed his jacket and flew to command with Joshua right on his heels.

What's going on?" Alec barked as he entered mission control. Dix turned and answered in a flat tone.

"Alpha squad has broken radio silence," then his voice grew louder as worry seeped in, "It's Jondy, they were ambushed on their way back to base and Biggs and two members of Delta squad, Jim and Donna, have been captured. They managed to follow them but they're holding him in a heavily populated area. She's asking permission to break cover and move in."

"Negative, I don't want the general public to know we're still here. I'm coming over to observe the situation. Have Delta squad secure the perimeter. I don't want them transporting him to a secondary location. The remaining members of Alpha squad are to keep a visual on the location and begin scouting."

"Alec headed out of mission control, outside he was met by Chat who handed him his gear and they both got into the retrieval van and drove off at high speed. While underway, Alec kept appraised of the information and listened to Jondy reporting the situation. As she was SiC of Alpha squad she was now in command and she handled the situation with ease. Alec was still amazed at the long way she and the other 'niners' had come since they had showed up at TC. Max has every reason to be proud of her siblings, they had done everything to prove themselves worthy of joining the task force.

As Jondy finished her report on the layout of the building the second radio dedicated to Delta squad crackled. "Zack here, we've got a large group of vehicles entering the location. They don't look hostile, it …. It looks like a party."

Jondy broke in on the other radio. "It's the Ruskies all right, they're throwing a party. Sir with your permission we could use them as cover to scout the inside of the building."

"Permission granted, but low numbers and no contact."

On the scene, Jondy signaled Zane closer and dropped her gear. Moving in behind the last car she overpowered one of the girls and knocked her unconscious. She proceeded to strip the girl of her clothes and quickly put them on herself. Rummaging through the girls purse she took her makeup and did her face in the outside mirror of a parked car.

Meanwhile Zane had swiped the sunglasses of a passerby and put them on. He dropped all his gear but kept the clothes. They matched the dress code of a bodyguards close enough to pass a casual inspection. Stepping out of the shadows, Zane kept his radio to monitor all transmissions and checked Jondy's appearance. Jondy was stunning, with her flaming red hair and pale complexion she looked angelic but Zane knew she was nothing like an angel inside. Life had been hard on Jondy, but she had come out of it stronger. Now with the excessive makeup and the short skirt she looked the part of a working girl. But Jondy couldn't lose her regal features, which is why he posed as a bodyguard. Most of the high-class companions had them these days, life being tough on the working girl.

Nodding at him they made their way to the front door, Jondy didn't speak any Russian but her looks spoke a universal language and she was granted access without a question asked. Inside she looked for a good vantage point and Zane immediately began his report on the possible locations.

Jondy turned towards her friend and whispered in his ear so the others would hear as well. "With a good distraction I think we can get them out without a shot fired. There is a fire exit out the back but it can only be opened from the inside without tripping the alarm."

Alec had arrived at the scene and Chat parked the van in a shadowy alley around the corner, one by one the others from Alpha squad came to the van to pick up civilian clothes and moved into the club. Alec was the last one to come in. Before he entered he ordered Jondy to begin her distraction at his entrance. In response Zane quickly spoke.

"You'll have 3 minutes and 30 seconds to locate and secure them, anymore and Biggs will be very unhappy with the delay."

Unable to ask for an explanation because he reached the door, Alec frowned. He wondered what kind of a distraction they had in mind. As he entered the main room the first sounds of an old song drifted over and Alec's eyes went big and flew to the stage. There she was, Jondy was posed on the stage with a long coat hiding everything but her face from view.

The man began singing and Alec was stunned to see Jondy start moving to the beat of You can leave your hat on by Joe Cocker. Before he could do anything else, Zane was by his side and whispered "Remember 3 minutes and 30 seconds or Biggs'll be mighty pissed."

That got him out of his daze and he noticed all attention was flowing to the stage, no one was paying attention to the members of alpha squad making their way to the back rooms searching them systematically. Alec grinned at Jondy's creative solution, her performance wouldn't cause any suspicion and no one would remember it to have been the distraction when the prisoners were discovered missing. It was something he could've thought off but he wasn't sure how Biggs would take it when he'd hear about it later.

Alec kept his eyes on the stage making sure no harm came to Jondy while he waited for the report that everyone ha vacated the building. Jondy was having fun on stage meanwhile, showing off her flexibility but keeping the coat clutched on front of her. Occasionally she would peep out a bare leg and that was enough to get the crowd going. At two miutes she dropped the coat to her shoulders holding in closed over her breasts. As she was wearinga tube top her audience still thought she was naked underneath her jacket. She was convinced no one would be able to describe her face on the morning. All were to busy to find out what else was underneath the coat.

At three minutes she was getting a little anxious to get off stage. She had no intention of showing them anymore but she knew she needed to keep their attention till everyone was out safely. Jondy wasn't bothered by false modesty but she knew Biggs wouldn't appreciate it and she didn't want to give him anymore reasons to be mad at her. They worked together fine but as soon as work was over they fought, a lot.

Alec heard the all clear report and moved in to get Jondy off stage, but he was intercepted by Zane who bounded past him and climbed the stage with indignant rage plastered on his face.

"I pay big money for you, don't go showing the merchandise top others."

Wit that he threw Jondy over his shoulder and walked out of the room before anyone could stop him. Jondy couldn't stop laughing hanging over hi shoulders. Zane didn't stop till he reached the retrieval van and they both burst out laughing again.

"I didn't think people would fall for that again, but I guess it works as good on Italians as it does on Russians."

Behind her back Alec came up and tapped her shoulder, "As much as I enjoyed the display of womanly wiles I think you better change before Biggs sees that outfit." He grinned and added "Although if I tell him about it, he might decide to want a private showing."

Jondy blushed deeply at that, it was no secret she was attracted to her CO but she was embarrassed because it was obvious to her that he didn't feel the same way about her. Back on base, the three were taken immediately to the clinic and placed under observation. They had been shot with tazers and some sort of tranquilizer. Jondy settled in for her wait in a chair she had placed next to Biggs bed.

TBC

A/N: Ok my muse was bugging me all weekend you I wrote this in one go. Now I'm very curious what's going on with Biggs and Jondy, but the focus of this story lies with Max. I'm thinking of making a parallel story focusing on the adventures of Alpha squad, any one else curious?