Disclaimer: I do NOT own Dark Angel.

Chapter Two - Max

"Boo!" called OC from the bathroom. "Ya sure ya don't wanna come with?"

I smiled to myself. OC was my best friend in the whole world. She knew what I was and didn't care. When she'd found out that I'm a Transgenic, the only thing she did was ask me to open more jars for her. She was always including me in things and always trying to drag me out to some club.

"It's gonna be one hell of a party yo missin'." she announced as she emerged, looking ready to take over whatever dance floor she found.

"I'm sure, OC." I gave her my best smile. It always worked.

"Aiight Boo!" OC smiled as she grabbed her bag and headed out the door. "Don't wait up!"

See! Told you that smile always works.

I slowly counted to one hundred, trying to calm my breathing down. Tonight was going to be a very interesting night.

Logan had called by earlier. Some new and improved piece of technology that 'Eyes Only' desperately needed to keep up the good fight. That didn't go down too well with Alec!

Yes, who'd have thought! Me and Alec, friends! He'd come by to drop off the small stereo OC had demanded he build for us and been forced to stay while she 'thoroughly tested' it.

I had to give him credit for that. Instead of moaning and complaining like I thought he would, he was up on his feet swaying alongside OC.

FLASHBACK

"Delivery!" called Alec as he waltzed through the front door.

"ALEC!" squealed OC, dragging me through from the kitchen area. "Is it ready?!"

Alec bowed gallantly and held a small box out in front of him. "Ma' lady!"

OC tore through the box and almost drooled at the tiny stereo. "It's so damn cute!" she squealed again. "It's a bit small, isn't it?" I couldn't help but ask.

"It's portable, powerful and, did I happen to mention, built from scratch?!" boasted Alec.

"It's untested, is what it is!" announced OC.

Alec placed the tiny stereo on the counter and pushed two buttons. There was a small flickering of lights on the front and a hatch popped open on the top.

"It's ready when you are!"

OC grabbed her favourite CD and almost threw it at Alec, she was just so excited about this. It was the first stereo we'd ever had. Alec, sensing her excitement, quickly loaded the CD and stepped back to the other side of the living room.

"Something you're not telling us, A…"

The music blasted out of the stereo and almost knocked me off my feet. OC started bouncing around like a lunatic, her feet crashing down exactly where Alec had originally been standing. I glanced over at him and we shared a knowing grin.

"You da MAN, Alec! You da MAN!"

She reached out to me to join her but I shook my head. I didn't know ANYBODY who could keep up with her when she was in that sta…

"Of course!" announced Alec as OC pleaded with him to dance with her.

OC dipped and swayed in time with the music. My jaw almost smashed through the floor as Alec moved in perfect time with OC. His hand resting on her hip as he dipped her back and swung her around had my pulse racing and, rather shockingly, slight dampness in my panties.

Alec's head suddenly snapped up and his eyes locked with mine. He inhaled deeply, smirked and winked at me as he dipped OC again. Soon enough, he was pulling OC to her feet again and casually walking toward the bathroom. "Back in a minute."

The second the bathroom door closed behind him, OC swooned at how sexy he could dance. "I swear, Boo! Ya boy's gonna flip me one day!"

I couldn't help but smile, then laugh to quickly cover up the fact that I'd been smiling in the first place.

"Hey Max!" Logan beamed as he walked through the front door. "Oh, Hi OC." he added as he spotted her holding on to the counter for dear life. "You okay, OC?"

"Sorry bout that." smirked Alec as he reappeared beside OC. That wicked smirk of his firmly in place and his eyes locked with mine. "You just smell so good, I got a little carried away."

I had to force a laugh to fight back the blush. OC wasn't even bothering to hide her blush. She simply patted Alec's chest and kissed his cheek. "Ya too smooth Hot Boy!"

Alec simply shrugged and smirked.

"Max." said Logan stepping directly in front of me. "We need to talk." he glanced back at Alec, who was joking around with OC. "In private."

Alec's head snapped up and his eyes locked with mine again. I shook my head slightly, letting him know that I was okay with it. "Sure, Logan."

The second he finished telling me his plan, I regretted ever listening. He wanted me to steal some prototype circuit board from one of the most secure company's in the city AND, he was trying to convince me that it was only a one man job!

"Are you INSANE?!"

Logan's head almost came off as Alec's fist connected with it. OC was glaring at Logan from the doorway. She and Alec had obviously been listening in and knew exactly how serious Logan's 'simple' request was.

Alec saw me moving to help Logan to his feet and blocked me, mouthing the word 'virus' at me. I stopped and let OC help Logan up instead.

"What the hell was that for?!" demanded Logan.

"What d' ya think it was for Fool!" snapped OC.

My eyes were drawn from the birth of Logan and OC's argument to the strange pacing Alec was doing across the living room area. Before I knew it, I was pacing next to him and joining in the rant, our voices too quiet for the others to hear.

"Fucking idiot!" he hissed.

"He doesn't understand!" I replied.

"Yes he does! He just doesn't give a shit" he hissed again.

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

"Reaper Technology! Only a fucking idiot would try raiding them!" he snapped.

"Do I look like an idiot?" I demanded.

Alec paused in his pacing, looked me right in the eye, sighed and started pacing again.

"Of course not!" he sighed.

"You were worried I might take the job?" I asked.

"OF COURSE! You'd get killed if they caught you!" he replied without hesitation.

"Then relax! I know how dangerous that place is. I wasn't…"

"No. You don't!" Alec interrupted me.

"Okay, spill." I said, keeping my voice quiet.

Alec sighed heavily. It was only too obvious that he didn't want to tell me but no longer had a choice about it. He always pulled the cutest faces when he was mentally arguing with himself. Wait… did I just say that?!

"You escaped long before we found out about them. In fact, they told us that it was because of your escape that they were made in the first place."

I didn't bother asking who. The pain on his face had already told me. A pained long we all wore when we thought back to our youth.

"A new company was contacted. They were the latest and greatest in advanced genetics. We never saw what they helped Manticore create. All I ever heard was that they were designed to hunt down any more runaways. They called them Reapers."

"Reaper Technology." I said. Alec nodded and went to speak again but I had one more question. "Why didn't they send them…"

"After your unit?" asked Alec. It was my turn to nod. Alec nodded too. "You were gone years before they were created. By the time they were ready, your trail was already cold. Manticore burned anything you ever touched and mind fucked anyone who remembered you. There was nothing for them to go on. They had to be kept on a tight leash. Too vicious. Too dangerous. They were a pack. Five males, one female. The males only obeyed the female and she only obeyed her handler. They were excellent at what they did though. Not one foot was put out of line, not one escape attempt, nothing."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, confused, concerned and more than a little curious. "What does this have to do with…"

"When Manticore went down, the Reapers fell back on their primary orders." stated Alec before I could even finish my question. "They NEVER belonged to Manticore, Max. They were on loan! Reaper Technology IS the handler, Max! That's where the Reapers ARE!"

END OF FLASHBACK

Just thinking back to that made my skin crawl. Logan's jaw had dropped open and I couldn't decide if OC was going to punch him or faint.

I was glad OC had gone out tonight. There was a lot of thinking I needed to do and it wasn't something she could help me with, even though she would have tried her hardest, bless her.

No, today had opened my eyes to a lot of things.

I couldn't believe I was saying this, but, Alec was right! Logan truly did believe that I could do anything. I thought back over the past year, missions Logan had sent me on, tried to send me on and bitched at me for refusing (Reaper Technology NOT being one of them) and some simple facts rang true in all of them.

One: The mission always came first! It didn't seem to bother Logan how dangerous it would be or how hurt I got, as long as I completed the mission.

Two: Alec did care about something other than himself. I was shocked as I realised just how many times he had risked everything for the sake or safety of someone else, whether he knew them or not.

Three: Original Cindy always had my back! And after meeting Alec and Joshua, she had theirs too. She never acted that way for Logan. OC was an extremely good judge of character. Maybe that should have been a clue!

Four: Everyone in Terminal City looked to Alec before they carried out my orders. All it took was a nod of his head and they would do what I'd been asking instantly.

Five: Alec never tried to take over command of Terminal City. Whenever I asked him about it, he would simply smile, or shrug, and tell me he had my back.

Six: For some strange reason, Alec has been camped outside my bedroom window every night for the last three weeks. He never knocked or did anything to alarm me. It was as though he was standing guard, keeping me safe from the world.

I had to admit, fact six had been letting me sleep better at night, longer too. I felt more refreshed and ready to take on the challenges of life after a good nights sleep.

That realisation led me to another.

Seven: I have feelings for Alec! How long or how deep were questions I couldn't answer yet but, maybe tonight I could get those answers.

I picked up his distinct scent as I was stripping for bed. He was there, right outside my window, hidden in freezing dark, like every night for the last three weeks.

Yes, tonight I would have my answers.

I walked over to my bedroom window, scanned slightly to see if I could find his hiding place. There was no sign of him, not that there would be, so I chose the easy option. I opened the window, leaned on the inside of the window frame and deliberately smirked as I asked…

"Are you coming in or not?"

To be continued...