AN- Okay people will probably hate me for this chapter and Alec's odd behaviour but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remember that I am a M/A shipper so have Fayth in me and I will make it all better… in time.
Thank you to so many for reviewing. Many new names and my old faithfuls who I adore. Thank you so very much for making me feel better.
Chapter 7- Watch this left.
When Max had first met Alec he had been a sensible and almost sedate young man—despite his sarcasm. It was only once he had learned to cut loose and finally feel that he could belong, did he turn into the lovable scamp that she adored. But she had never seen him look so much like an overenthusiastic puppy as he did at this moment.
He bounded towards her, his eyes lighting with glee and impish mischief. "Max, Max, Max, Max, Max."
"Alec," she hedged with a grin. "Nice to know that after ten years you still know my name."
"I'd know it in my sleep," he said huskily making her shiver and then he recalled his news. "Oh. But, Maxie, guess what?"
Her eyes lit up, "You've found one of the others?"
Alec started, "What? No! There's a state-wide elimination tournament in two weeks!"
Max froze. It wasn't the casual brushing off of her hope that he had found one of the others that made her blood run cold… although it did grate harshly on her heart; but his gleeful exuberance at this tournament.
"State-wide?"
"Yes!"
"As in all over Seattle… all over Washington?"
"Yes!"
"All fight clubs and bars would hear about this?"
"Yes!"
"Posters, flyers, leaflets, boards with contenders advertised all over Seattle?"
"Yes, Max!" Alec's voice was showing irritation.
"Billboards proclaiming that Monty-Cora is going to be there?"
Alex smirked, "Well, yeah. People will want to see me there."
"Oh, I don't doubt that," Max said. "Like Lydecker or maybe Agent White."
Alec rolled his eyes, "Oh, you are not still on that are you?"
Max's mouth set in a harsh line. Of course she was still on that. She had seen the camp, had seen Lydecker and Ames White. Why wasn't Alec taking her seriously on this? "What happened to laying low, Alec?"
"What happened to having some fun, Max? I don't remember you being this stuffy back at old M!"
Max's lips tightened, "Because back at 'old 'M'' they weren't hunting us down to shoot us!"
Alec rolled his eyes again making Max itch to smack him.
"Come on, Max, this is a great opportunity for me."
"Yeah, to get yourself killed! This isn't a game, Alec. We agreed that we lay low."
Alec stared at her in dismay. This was great news, why couldn't she see how important this was to him? He had been denied fun for so long in Manticore and now he had the opportunity to cut loose, do something fun Max was trying to drag him down. Okay, so she had seen some dinky little camp with some soldiers who wanted to round them up. But if they had had no success at catching the '09ers then what joy would they have with fully grown fully trained Special Ops? None. Max was making a big deal out of this through some long forgotten fear left over from her '09er days. There were two of them for Manticore's sake; there was no way that they would ever be caught. She was being too rigid; didn't she want them to have a life?
"No!" he said sharply, disappointment at her dismay making his voice more abrupt than normal. "You agreed to lay low. Face it, Max, they don't care about us anymore. We haven't seen hide nor hair or anyone from Manticore. Your little conspiracy theory is just stopping us from having the life that we deserve."
Max shook her head in disbelief, "What dream world are you living in, Alec? It's time to wake up. The '09ers…"
"Here we go," he muttered under his breath and ignored her icy voice.
"The '09ers were missing for ten years and no one ever stopped searching for them. Ten years, Alec. It hasn't even been ten weeks. Dammit, do you even trust me at all? They. Will. Be. Looking. For. Us. To take us back. To lock us up. Reindoctrination and Psy-Ops. Have you forgotten what it's like there? Or maybe you've convinced yourself that it was all a dream and that this is your real life. Huh, Alec?"
"How the hell could I forget Psy-Ops, Max? It's your brothers' fault that I was in there in the first place."
Low blow and he knew it.
He raked his hands through his hair ignoring the hurt look on Max's face and feeling like a jerk because of it.
"Look, Maxie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. But you have to admit that we haven't seen a thing of Manticore at all since the escape."
"You haven't," she pointed out. "I saw the camp. I saw Lydecker and White. I saw the guns and the tracking and I heard their plans. You haven't got your head out of the ring long enough to even see me!"
"I like the ring," he stated.
His previous words suddenly rang through her.
"Okay, Max, I tell you what. Why don't you come to the ring tonight? I'll have a word with Helen about not publishing my fights and you can make sure that there are no military around to come and take me away, okay? If you are still uncomfortable after that, well, I'll quit the ring."
Max swallowed, "You never had any intention of quitting the ring, did you?" she said with sudden clarity.
Alec scratched his head and her heart sank.
"Did you?"
"You're overreacting, Max."
"Right," she laughed humourlessly before looking up at him. "You know, Alec. There was a time when you would never have questioned my judgement. When you did as I asked because you respected me and my choices."
"You're judgement is impaired by the circumstances," he said quietly. "You are too close to the situation to be impartial. It's too… too familiar to the '09er escape."
With that final slap Max turned on her heel and walked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.
-
Max's bike had been a balm to her soul and as she roared down the night-time streets she let the hum of the engine and the rush of air past her face soothe her soul, even if her temper remained.
How the hell could he say that?
He had known her for ten year. Ten damn years and it seemed that he had no more idea about her than he had when he had first waltzed into her room and called her a damn '09er.
Stupid damn male. Didn't he know how different the two situations were?
One was children fleeing from abuse and the other was adults fleeing destruction of their home.
In one they were equipped and knew that there was an outside world. They knew how to get by and blend in. They were looked for but there were so many more of them to make capture remote. They could hide, they could escape. They had training. They were safe as long as they were sensible.
The children in '09 had no comprehension of what was on the outside of Manticore. No idea what world lay out there for them but knew that they had to go. They had seen their family torn asunder and to pieces by those who had supposed to have protected them. Blood was burned into their memories and wounds deeper than would ever heal had been brandished into their souls. They were scared, both of what lay behind and what lay ahead. They had been hunted with dogs and guns and knew that each breath could be the last, aware that no one would mourn them.
The icy cold had burned and they knew that their old team-mates would be set upon them intent on ripping them to shreds.
They knew that it was the last time that they would see their family and that, if caught, it would mean death.
To Max's horror, tears were slipping down her face to sting in the wind.
It seemed she hadn't ever gotten over that day. But how could she?
How could she ever forget the shatter of glass as they fell to the cold ground? How could she forget the drone of helicopters and buzz of snow-machines? How could she forget Seth's screams or Jondy's raspy breath by her side? How could she forget the baying of hounds at her feet or the scrunch of marching feet on snow?
The pain of the ice.
She felt her feet slide out from under her as she hit a slippery patch of ice but before she could right herself her sensitive toes registered cracks in the ice and suddenly she was plunged into icy water.
FEARPAINCOLD
Can't breathe her mind blanked as the cold current washed around her, tugging her along. Max let her training take over, almost thankful to Lydecker for the times he had made her sit in the tank. She had the best time and could hold her breath for almost five minutes. She kicked out against the current with the strong legs and pushed herself up the surface.
She was going to die.
FEARPAINCOLD
She kicked harder as her outstretched hands made contact with something glasslike above her head. It was the ice that she had fallen through. Her eyes opened and she could see through the ice as clear as if it were a window and she spied the stars in the sky.
Turning on her back she dug her little fingernails into the ice and used them to crab crawl across the surface back to the hole that she had fallen through, all the time the current was pushing her and her exhausted muscles longed for her to just give up and give in.
She was going to die.
PAINCOLDFEARNOFEARSOTIRED
The stinging cold started to numb her hands and she held on desperately fighting the current and slowly edging back to the only opening in the ice. Just as she thought that her lungs would give in her fingers found the edge of the hole and she grabbed the ice with both hands, the sharp edged sheets slicing her delicate fingers.
A screech of tires brought Max back to herself as she realised that she was wavering all over the road.
She righted herself and drove off the road and down an alleyway near to her.
Max switched off the engine and got off her bike, knowing that if she stayed on it she would have an accident and do damage to more than her fragile psyche.
Tears tracked her cheeks in her anger at Alec and at the memories that should have stayed hidden.
She leaned back against the wall and slammed her head back, feeling satisfaction at the hard stone behind her. Something to ground herself against.
Why was Alec being like this, couldn't he see that she had nothing but his best interests at heart?
Didn't he know that it had hurt so much to let him in and that he was tearing that trust to pieces?
She dashed tears from her eyes in her rage. She hated him! Hated him! Loved him. Stupid idiot.
Stupid, foolish idiot.
She was the ultimate fool. Max sniffed. She knew that letting people in hurt, had hurt time and again and yet she had gone ahead and let Alec in all the way. He possessed her heart, her soul and her body.
And it just wasn't enough.
He didn't trust her anymore.
That was the most damning thing; the one that let her know that somehow she had lost her way. She had always maintained the respect of her men in one form or another and they may have hated her but, by Manticore, they trusted her.
"Stupid!"
"'ere now, that ain't a nice thing ta be calling out."
Max's head spun to see who had spoken. The man was familiar. In fact, it was the same blond man who had tried to beat up Sketchy. What was his name again?
"What was your name? Fred?"
"Eddie, British Eddie," he smirked.
"Right, well, Eddie. I'm having a crappy day so do yourself a favour and piss off, okay?"
"Now, now. It would do for me ta leave you here all by your lonesome, now, would it, pet? A beautiful young girl like yerself. Not wiv me being a gentlemen and all."
"A gentlemen? I doubt that."
British Eddie's piercings glinted in the streetlight. "That 'urts, really it does."
"Tell it to someone who cares okay?" Max was suddenly really annoyed and in no humour to talk to someone who had issues with himself. No one sane would voluntarily do that to themselves, she thought as she stared at the nails in his head.
His two companions suddenly stepped out of the shadows looking menacing and dumb as only minions could.
Eddie smirked, "Now precious, I want to talk to ya about that bike of yours, you're in our turf and therefore whatever belongs ta you belongs ta us. Now hand the metal over and we're done."
Max looked down at the Ninja and then back up at Eddie, her hair half covering her face. "You want my bike? Come and get it."
Eddie was no fool and snapped his fingers, "Tuck, Bird, get the bike."
"Uh, Eddie?"
"Whot?"
The small greasy man looked askance at Max. "This is the girl that creamed us last time."
Eddie blinked and looked her up and down, "The bird that messed wiv our pony-boy?"
"One and the same," Max smirked. "Please don't mind me."
Tuck stared down at Bird and shrugged, "That's fine. Besides don't we have something to do?"
"Oh, you're not running scared of the little chit, are ya? Bloody poufs!"
Max didn't give warning and lashed out with her fists.
"Should've run when you had the chance," she mocked as Bird was slammed against the dumpster and fell in an undignified heap to the floor.
"Oy bitch!" yelled the taller of the two and Max turned as he picked up a nearby bin and threw it at her. She ducked, letting the grey metal slam into the wall with a heavy metallic twang.
She came up from her position and rammed her hip between Tuck's legs, thrusting him over her hip.
He fell on top of Bird with a grunt and his head cracked back against the pavement as Max let him fall.
Max turned to Eddie who stared at her with an unpleasant grin on his already unpleasant face.
"Well, well, not every day that you see a sweet little thing like you that can lift a big old lug like Tuck. Somin' tells me, princess, that you ain't as human as you look."
Max swallowed and stood straight. "Appearances may be deceiving," she said. "After all you look like an ignorant, metal faced asshole and yet… no, that's right."
Eddie glowered, "I know what you are, sweet."
"I doubt that."
Eddie smirked, "Well, I doubt your doubt. See, we've 'ad a few dealings wiv a certain company who was into, shall we say, human improvements. They offered us technology that could've made us a handsome fortune, had the kit and caboodle not gone up in smoke a few days later."
Max carefully schooled her features so that she didn't betray anything of what she was thinking. "What kind of technology?"
"Interested now?" Eddie mocked and looked down to where his cronies were groaning and trying to get up off the floor. "Simply put, precious, parts that grow once they've been sliced and diced. Comes from some animal DNA if you're hot on the subject. Useful when you're surrounded by sharp metal all day long." He pointed to his chin where the razor-sharp spikes protruded.
Max stepped back away from the two bodies as they got to their feet, "Why are you telling me this?"
"Just so's you know I know what you are, and that there are a few people that would pay a pretty penny to get a hold o' you, love."
"If you truly know what I am then I think you're an ass for dropping the hints when I could twist off your head like a ketchup bottle."
Eddie held up his hands with a wry laugh, "I'm just saying that we find ourselves at the self-same point, love. You want no trouble and neither do we. You stay out of our turf and I don't call my nice little friends in on ya."
Max smiled, "Although it was nice doing business with you fellas, my mom always told that I should never leave loose ends."
Eddie suddenly looked scared, "Now, now no need to get nasty."
"Then don't threaten me, Eddie, I don't play well with others," she had a thought, "But, I guess we can hang well this once if you do a favour for me in the meantime."
"What?"
"If you do hear of others like me, I wanna know about it."
"Watch your back, you mean?" Eddie rubbed his chin thoughtfully and winced as he cut himself, "What's in it for us?"
"You get not to die today," Max filled in with another grin.
"That's a fair trade, Eddie," Bird said.
"Shut up you nit," Eddie glared down at the greasy git and then back at Max, "Got yourself a deal, sweetheart."
"Don't call me that," Max grimaced, "And I'll consider laying off your turf as a personal favour."
Eddie bowed, "At your service, Ma'am." And with that he and his two bruisers walked back into the shadows and away.
Max sank back against the stone wall and tapped her head slightly against the brickwork.
Okay, so that was interesting. Apparently Manticore had a little more going on that she was aware of, she wondered what possible technology would entice Steelheads, because even though Eddie's remarks about regeneration were useful it was doubtful that they would have the power over the metal-studded fiends that they did.
Something else to ponder.
But she was almost thankful to Eddie. For a few minutes he had made her forget about Alec and the issues that waited for her when she got back.
She sighed as she picked up the Ninja and headed back for home.
-
Alec was waiting on the sofa when she waked in and he glanced up with a pensive expression.
He'd had a lot of time to think about what had happened before and he was so frustrated at himself and at Max. She seemed to want them to live in Manticore's shadow all the time and to be timid and afraid and all Alec wanted to do was to forget that the place had ever existed. He loved fighting in the ring as it was a place to work out his frustrations, to exhibit his talents and… oh yeah, to get money. Max was acting like his using his skills was a travesty and betrayal to the ethos of freedom her fuzzy '09er family had instilled in her. Caution he could understand but this never ending fear of being caught was beyond what he could reasonably understand. But whilst he had sat here he recalled her saying once that she had been in Psy Ops more than a couple of times. He had been in twice and that was more than enough.
He had finally decided that that was the reason for her actions; she was terrified of being put back in Psy Ops. She needed him to reassure her and take care and understand her, maybe she also needed to feel useful. After all she had been CO and now all she was doing was delivering packages. Maybe a heist would make her feel better. From the blabbing of one of his fellow fighters he knew of somewhere that was perfectly safe and boasted a cash incentive that would also serve as making Max feel useful again. With that in mind he stood up and smiled hesitantly. "Max."
Max pursed her lips and just looked back, not saying a word. She leaned against the doorframe and stuck her hands deep in her jeans pockets.
"Maxie?" he repeated.
"What do you want, Alec?"
He stood up and walked over to her, staring down at her up-turned face.
"I'm sorry, Maxie. I didn't mean to hurt you. You know that I love you."
Max bit her lip and let her gaze fall away from his earnest expression. She didn't need to see that right now, not while she was still hurt and annoyed at him.
Alec sighed and pinched her chin, forcing her eyes up to his again, "Maxie, I love you."
"Doesn't stop you from being an ass though, does it?"
He smirked, "Does anything?"
Max didn't want to be amused. She didn't want to laugh and smile at his eager boyish expression or enchanting smile. She rolled her eyes and Alec sighed.
"Look Max, what I said was out of order, okay, I know that. It's just that I love the fight club and I want to be par of this tournament. I understand that there are security risks involved and it'll take planning and sneakiness. But I want to do it."
Max stared at him. He was serious she could see it in his eyes. This was something that he wanted to do.
She sighed, "Fine, go fight."
Alec grinned and tucked her into his arms, "Thank you, Maxie!"
"Just don't expect me to be happy about it!" she stated firmly.
He bit his lip, "There is just one thing."
"How'd I guess?" she said, her voice flat. "What is it?"
"The entry fee is fifteen grand."
"Fifteen grand?" her jaw dropped. "We don't have that kind of money."
He held up a finger, "Not yet. But there is a heist that could pick us up an easy twenty grand."
She folded her arms over her chest. "I'm listening."
Alec smirked.
His plan was a simple one. There was a particular item that was worth a lot of money. Her job was to steal it, sell it and use the money to get Alec into the fight where he could easily triple it.
It was simple, effective and easy. Hell, it was what they had been bred to do and yet… And yet Max had a bad feeling about it.
Not the sinking of the stomach feeling, as if it was about to go wrong, but the aching feeling that made her uneasy with why she was doing it.
It was a feeling that she didn't want to examine too closely.
Max waited outside the factory where the goods were held and she kept her head down, letting her naturally dark hair make her part of the shadows.
She looked through her hooded eyes to the darkened windows where a small light flickered.
She knew that it was a single candle lit at least ten feet away from the window and that it heralded the presence of one guard.
Max shuddered in her darkened spot as a small breeze blew cold air down her neck. She had been waiting for an hour for the single light to flicker and die and the symbolism was not lost on her at all.
Finally the dark overtook the room and Max slid from her hiding place to walk across the street.
The painting that was housed in the factory was a particular print that had been lost just after the Pulse. It was of some early sketches of a character of a children's book that Max remembered reading sometime back in Manticore. She had even named one of the trainers after a character called Filtch.
Now she had to steal the sketch and hand it over to one of Alec's contacts. Who knew what he wanted with the cartoon, or why the only surviving picture was locked in a factory this far out of town. All Alec said was that it used to be a military base and once the pulse destroyed the outpost, it was handed over to an eccentric collector who housed his most private wares here.
Because that was a sensible option, she thought sarcastically as she headed around to the back of the building and stared dispassionately at the bins.
There was a security camera just above her turned towards the car park and one pointing her way.
Max snapped the gum that was in her mouth and then pulled it out with a sucking 'pop'. Taking careful aim, Max threw the sticky wad and it sailed towards the camera, landing with a slap against the lens.
Max let loose a smirk and faced the wall of the opposite building. With a quick run she let her cat-like grace help her run half-way up the wall and the she flipped so that she landed on the roof.
Easy.
Keeping low, in case anyone was watching, she slipped across the roof until she got to the sky-light.
Unwrapping the length of rope from around her waist, Max looked around for something to fasten the ends to. Spotting a metal plate on the far corner of the roof, she tied the rope around it and handed out rope until she got to the sky-light. The rough hemp was comforting under her fingertips as she recalled hundreds of hours in drills and training learning how to do this until it was second nature.
She flipped open the sky-light and dropped the rope down, letting her hands slide down the length until she was dangling in mid-air over the large room.
Slithering down, Max let her feet drop to the floor as she crouched, listening in case there was someone else around.
Thankfully the place was as empty as Alec promised and she quickly made her way over to the office she had seen on the blueprints.
The office was small and filled with books and bits of paper. Several safes littered the floor and Max was glad that she had time before anyone else was due in.
She ducked to the floor and laid her ear against a grey safe and twirled the lock, clockwise and counter clockwise, listening for the clink of gears sliding into place and unlocking the combination.
The safe spun open and she peered inside; a few pieces of paper and a box of what looked like diamonds. Max pursed her lips but decided against stealing the ostentatious gems; diamonds were too easily traced these days anyway.
She slammed the door shut and made her way to the next safe, a smaller blue safe. She repeated the procedure of breaking the combination and the door swung open to show several paintings, but not the one that she wanted.
She slammed the door shut in irritation and moved to the next safe which held money, making Max's eyes light up as she shoved bills into her pocket.
She reached for the combination lock on the next safe when a sound from downstairs made her freeze. She clearly heard steps coming up to the room where she was hiding and she looked around for somewhere to hide.
In one corner was a small cupboard, presumably for the water heater, and Max slid inside, closing the door and peering through the slats in the door.
The door to the office opened and a hand slid over the wall to switch on the lights.
Max could see a hand and a sleeve but the wooden slats in the door made it hard for her to see anything else until the person walked further into the room.
As she saw who it was, Max's heart froze and her stomach sank to her shoes as her blood pounded through her body. Oh God, oh god, this isn't happening, Max thought desperately as she cringed in terror. There was no way that her luck was that bad. No way at all.
She squeezed her eyes shut in the vain hopes that it was an apparition or a hallucination but when she dared to open them again she could see clearly.
Standing there in the room with her was Colonel Donald Lydecker.
He had always been the bane of her existence; the monster in her closet that made it impossible for her to sleep. And if she did sleep and nightmares found her, his was the face of the monsters that lay in her head. His was the voice that scratched away at her conscience and her confidence and his was the presence that haunted her.
He was her own personal demon, sitting on her shoulder in lieu of an angel.
And he was here right now standing in front of her trailing his fingers over the paperwork on the desk.
Max's heart hit her ribs with a thud so loud she thought that he should hear it and she raised trembling hands to the slats in the door in front of her, hoping that he couldn't see her.
Colonel Lydecker stood in the office waiting as he surveyed his surroundings.
He had finally managed to elude that little shit White and arranged a meeting that would be advantageous to his cause. He was fed up of having the man on his back all the time and, to be honest, he would be so glad when it was no longer necessary to have the 'supervision' of the obsequious little squirt.
He looked up when he heard footsteps and stepped behind the door and drew his gun in his hand, waiting for the shadow to come in the room.
"Cut the crap, Deck," growled the voice. "If I wanted to be shot, I'd tell the boss what I really thought of his budget plans."
Lydecker smiled and holstered his gun again holding out his hand as the black man came into view. "That's what I like about you, McGinnis, always willing to be the honest man."
McGinnis smiled as he headed into the room, "Nice place you chose for a rendezvous."
"The owner is a friend of mine, he was happy to take the place off the military for a discount, provided we could keep certain elements of the place, of course."
"Of course," McGinnis paused. "So, tell me what this is all about."
Lydecker sat on the edge of the desk and stared up at the broad man. "What, no chit-chat?" he said.
McGinnis laughed, "The only time that you have ever started chit-chat was when you wanted me to start a war with China for your kids. Chit -chat and you do not mix, Deck. What is it that you want this time?"
Lydecker allowed a smirk to cross his lips. "You know me so well, what I want is simple. Call off the suit."
McGinnis rolled his eyes, "Lydecker, it ain't that easy."
"I don't trust this White guy. His credentials are too whitewashed for me. No one is that clean unless they were a boy scout or are in with the big bad brass. Not even a parking violation for our friend White, a little odd for a CIA agent, don't you think?"
McGinnis shrugged, "Maybe he was a saint in a previous life? The point is that this is his show. We've messed up once too often, Deck, this is outta my hands."
"Fine," his voice turned icy. "Then I want my kids."
McGinnis rolled his eyes, "Uh, hate to tell you, Deck, but they escaped and you are supposed to be trying to find them. That is what you are supposed to be doing, unless you had forgotten?"
"Yes, my Special Ops are out and they were the best of the best. It is unlikely that we will retrieve any of them at all, especially since Renfro saw fit to ruin their trust in us by shooting at them. White is especially interested in them for reasons that don't sit well with me and I would rather have people on my team that I can trust."
"What are you saying?"
"Wyoming, Atlanta, maybe even the contingents overseas. I want a team of transgenics on this."
McGinnis' mouth dropped, "No way, Deck, you are more likely to get the Pope with a machete."
"If you knew what I knew, that wouldn't be so far-fetched," Lydecker mused and then glared at his 'friend'. "What better way to catch a transgenic than with another transgenic?"
McGinnis watched him carefully as Lydecker upped the ante. "So far our collection rate has been poor, verging on dismal. Why? Because we are thinking like humans. Transgenics are more animal than full human and the instincts of others of their kind can only help. After all you use dogs to hunt foxes don't you? Same principle."
McGinnis considered this carefully, "If, and I mean if, I can get the senator to consider this idea. How many would you need?"
"About a dozen. I'd like more but that is the bare minimum I would work with."
McGinnis stroked his chin with his thumb, "It'll take some work. But maybe I can put it to the board. I'll be in touch."
"I appreciate that," Lydecker said as McGinnis left the office. He raked a hand through his unkempt hair and smiled to the empty office. "You have no idea how much," he said to himself and followed the dark man out.
Max waited for a full ten minutes, trying to get her body to respond to her frantic demands, before she managed to move out of the closet and into the empty room.
Her heart pounded, her blood roared and her hands would not stop shaking as the conversation ran through her head again and again.
After all you use dogs to hunt foxes, don't you?
This was bad.
After all you use dogs to hunt foxes, don't you?
This was really, really bad. It was bad enough that Lydecker was close to both her and Alec. But to know that he was close to catching them was nothing to what he was planning.
Those who had been left behind would still be loyal to Manticore and would stop at nothing to get the others back. If her previous unit, back in Wyoming's, reaction to the escapees of '09 was anything to go by, they couldn't expect a warm welcome if they were caught.
And as for her, a twice escapee? She'd be lucky with Psy-Ops and reindoctrination. Disassembly and autopsy was her future.
This was really bad. She had to talk to Alec.
Her breath catching on sobs strangled in her throat, Max managed to open the last few safes and took out what was needed before creeping out the same way she had gone in, her load much, much heavier.
It seemed all downhill from there, although that could have been Max's new fatalistic view of things. The rain that had threatened all day finally graced Seattle with its dreary presence and drizzled down coating everything in a damp layer of grey.
The fence was late and tried to haggle the price with a scared, wet, haggard Max, who was eventually forced to break his nose to get him to give in. Then as she was coming home she saw a squad of militia on patrol and had to hide in an alley to avoid them. The hover drones seemed to be out in force and every shadow was an enemy, every sound was capture and by the time she got back to the apartment, Max was a wreck.
Forget the sheer years of training that she had undergone to make her the ultimate fighting machine; alone in the world without her friends or family with her worst nightmare on her tail and with only Alec, who was seeming further and further away, by her side Max was seeing death in every corner.
She used her shaking hands to fit the key in the lock and walked in to see Alec asleep on the sofa.
Sudden rage overcame her.
"Alec!" she yelled, slamming the door.
He leapt to his feet and regarded her, "What?"
She stood there and just looked at him. He had said he loved her and yet he had sent her out there on her own whilst he lay there sleeping. He said that she was important to him and he had sent her without backup or even a radio to call back if there was a problem.
Suddenly a rush of dislike for him swept through her. She threw his money at him.
"Here, twenty grand, hope it's all you dreamed."
Alec caught the money and stared at his irate girlfriend, "Maxie?"
"Do you know who I ran into whilst I was on your little errand?" she said. "Lydecker!"
"Huh," Alec shrugged.
He shrugged, like it was no big deal. Max gaped at his nonchalant attitude. "Alec?"
"So, you're here so I guess you are alive and he didn't get you. You're too professional to lead them back here. He'll think that for safety we'll skip on out and he'll leave the area. We're still okay, Max."
She slammed her mouth shut as he rode over all her fears with a cheeky grin, like that would set it all to rights.
He sauntered over, "Did he shake you up, baby?"
Shake her up? She was frozen in her incredulity. Didn't he get it? Lydecker, the epitome of all evil had been within a hands breadth of her and all he could say was that she was shook up?
Not for the first time, Max couldn't help but think of the difference between Alec's upbringing in Seattle and hers in Wyoming. The difference had never seemed so vast and suddenly all Max wanted was Pix. Pix understood, Lydecker was the same to him as he was to her. Pix knew the hell of being held under the water in the Tank to beat his own time by milliseconds. Pix knew what it was like to be taken out in the middle of the night in a thin cotton nightgown and weighted down and thrown into the lake to see if they could survive. Pix knew what it felt to see his unit taken away and dissected by the man with the power of life and death over them. Pix knew what it was to constantly have this man over his shoulder like an all-seeing god.
Lost in her mind, she didn't realise that Alec had put his arms around her and was kissing her softly on the forehead.
"I'm sorry he freaked you out, Maxie," Alec soothed. "But I'll keep you safe."
How, she thought, by falling asleep on him? She pushed him away and spoke, her voice sounding hollow to her ears "What time is your fight?"
"In an hour, you coming?" he said with a bright smile. "It oughta be fun!"
"Sure," Max forced a smile and pulled away from him. "I guess I had better go and get changed, then."
Alec waited for Max to get dressed up to come and see him fight. He was so excited he was practically bouncing; this was his big chance to show them that he was so much more than just some loser who had no feelings and no ambition. This was his chance to prove to everyone that he wasn't some degenerate who was only interested in pulling teeth.
Alec pulled on his jacket and smelled the money that Max had managed to get for him. His thoughts turned to Max as he sniffed the bills. She was acting oddly again and he had thought that the adrenaline rush of the heist would make her mellower.
She had screamed at him when she had come in and then had gone quiet.
It was bad muck for her to run into Lydecker, but what did she expect? The guy's base was in Seattle. Alec knew Max had this strange hang-up over Lydecker but he couldn't see it personally. They were stronger, fitter, faster and smarter than the Colonel, so why was she so afraid of him?
One flick of her wrist would kill the man in his tracks and no more problems. Why the hell was she so scared of a human? It didn't make sense.
Alec leaned against the doorway as he thought about it. Once upon a time Max had told him that her life had been hard on Wyoming and had told him that she was, somewhat, tormented by her peers there.
Without warning a picture he had seen a long time ago flickered into his mind. He had been on a mission with Max that she raced out of to see a man named Bill who had seemed more than just a friend to her. They had gone back to help his daughter who was ill and Bill had shown him a photo of Max as a girl.
Her hair was short and a shy smile was on her face as she stared at the camera but what Alec had remembered was that she was banged up beyond belief; slices on her clothes, bruises on her face, blood tracing down her cheek and a tired look on her face. He had asked Bill if it had been a rough mission and what was it the man had said?
Alec chuckled "Rough training day?" he gestured to the bruises on her face and neck.
"No." Bill's voice was quiet and they all looked up as Max dragged herself into the room.
Just no, but there had been so much in that one word. Then Max had come in and he had lost the train of thought in making sure that she was okay.
But now he wondered at that. Why hadn't the trainers done something to make sure that she had been all right? Why hadn't this Lydecker guy taken care of her, or maybe that was it? Maybe she was afraid of him because he didn't put a stop to it. Maybe that was it.
As Max came out of her room dressed in sparkly trousers and a slim fit tank top he opened his mouth to ask her.
"Let's go," she said abruptly as she grabbed her jacket and the moment was lost.
The place that they ended up at was bustling with people of all types. Die hard boxers, fist-fight fanatics, groupies, hard bosses and suits of all nominations.
Max watched as Alec headed round to the edge of the ring, shooting her a smile and a kiss before walking away.
She tried hard not to feel angry at him for his callous remarks back at the apartment but it was hard when he hadn't even tried to see her point of view.
She let her gaze flow around the room taking in the couples who whispered in each others ear and kissed sweetly. She felt sick and her head hurt like the dickens.
She chose a table and sat down, ordering a drink in the hopes that it would quill the uprising in her stomach.
The bell sounded loud in her ears and she looked up to see a short fat man in a striped shirt raise his hands in quest for silence.
"Let's hear it, ladies and gentlemen, for Ricky "The Ripper" Ramberg!" The crowds went crazy for a scrawny looking man with scars all over his face and body, to Max he looked like a Seattle roadmap. He grinned into the crowds with a gappy smile and she shuddered in revulsion.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce our next challenger. New to our arena, coming in at six feet and weighing in at 178 pounds, the marvellous Monty Cora!"
"Yeah," Max said as she took her drink off the waitress, "Because the name isn't enough of a give away."
She rolled her eyes and wondered at the odds of a transgenic getting drunk.
Max downed her drink and kept her eyes on the crowds ignoring the action going on in the ring. One of them needed to make sure that they weren't going to be ambushed by White and Lydecker. One of them needed to have some consideration for their safety and it looked like it was going to be her.
She heard yells and catcalls and glanced disinterestedly at the ring where Alec stood with one foot on his opponent, arms raised in the air.
It seemed he had won.
Max shrugged and let her eyes drift around the room again. There was a woman over there with a bow in her who looked familiar but as long as she wasn't looking at either Max or Alec, she'd let her carry on.
"...The titan of terror, give it up for Jim the Jackal!" The voice of the announcer echoed over the applause and Max watched as the next man walked in to the ring, only to be carried out two minutes later.
"Tommy Thunderfists!" was the next unfortunate character who didn't even last a minute before Alec laid him out.
The crowds were going wild and Max started to take an interest in what he was doing, smiling at his grin and broad muscles. He loved it up there, her really did.
Max started to feel a little bad for losing her temper at him. He didn't really get why she was feeling so bad and that wasn't his fault.
She moved to get closer and smile at him in support.
As she neared the cage she saw a blonde girl by the side of the ring with a low-cut leather bustier and big pouty lips that were pouting at Alec. At her Alec.
She waited for Alec's eyes to turn to her, he always knew when she was there, and to ignore the big breasted floozy.
Alec licked his lips and shot the girl a cocky smile, grinning widely as she flirted back, flashing her baby blues and pulling her elbows in to enhance her cleavage. Alec leered and gave a half smile and Max's heart settled in her stomach, encased in ice.
She turned on her heel and walked out, not knowing or caring when his eyes flicked up to search for her.
-
ellenemi- I was going to continue, I just wanted to know what I could do to increase interest. I love the guys and have so many ideas for what to happen. The Alec/ Normal thing is going to be HILARIOUS.
Lynsi- I am glad that I can help you through crappy days- I know what you mean. Check out the next chapter for the first sighting!
Gamegirl452- I'm glad I kept going but it is hard to keep up with. The transgenics will slowly be making their way back to each other. See next chapter for that!
Moonangel18- Nah, not mad just relived that you reviewed this one sweetheart. The guys will be back together soon!
Tiggi- Hit the button and all will be forgiven grin More OC to come too!
Geminangel- I know I love Lydek as a bad guy but damn White is cool too so I have no idea who I want to win.
Lotamoxie- I know, I'm that kind of reader too sadly, I always forget to review so I shouldn't live in a glass house… or something.
Annabelle- LOL, ooh web travel, very interesting way of threatening there. I wont abandon the series but finding ways to make it better. I guess that means we bring someone back.
m/a fan- Ye-ees sort of, actually Rafer is… you know what, wait and see but rest assured that they will reconnect. Eventually. Have Faith!
Jade- k- I think there was a world of difference between Settle and Wyoming and their upbringings and that really comes across as they have this freedom that they all wanted. To Alec it is not that different to Seattle but to Max it's precious and she guards it jealously. As for Alec and JP crew… two/three chapters time. Promise.
SGOU- No go ahead, be a pest. I love getting to know my reviewers and I can only do that if they review—just ask Chaosti. Sorry about the distance between Max ands Alec and you know it has to get worse before it gets better. Look at their history for goodness sake!
Sigma1- Uh… don't kill him, you might want him later.
BlueJean452- Oh hey don't stop reviewing either, I guess I should be less picky. Thank you for reviewing pet.
Nevanroy- LOL, so you haven't lost interest then? I must admit that I love writing PO more that SF. It must be Dek! Or Aiden… or Flex, maybe Drew.
Erak- Ooh don't stalk, its bad for your feet… or calves or something like that. Prancing is better but you get accused of all sorts of odd things. LOL. 09ers soon as well as the So unit.
Black Rose9- Okay your wish list has been dissected and considered. M/W/L- possible. SO reunion ooh see next chapter!
Moonlite Star- more action here as well as the next few chapters- definitely getting into this now.
Fangedangel- Good point, does delight in detracting reviews. This was longer, although it still feels quick. But the next one is a good 20 pages!
Ganko- Yeah he is but so are they all. Poor Maxie though, they don't have the best example for sorting out misunderstandings do they? The time will come when all will be happy again.
Angel of Darkness231- Aw bless ya. Big hugs for cheering me up sweetheart.
Aur- Me too, but the course of love never did run smooth. Rest assured that Rafer isn't a threat.
Raven- Uh, yes in one way and no in another. Rafer is no threat but Alec has that jealous tendency doesn't he? What if someone was really a threat?
Ayaren- Hey there. I think I'll pick and mix some of my favourite scenes but yeah it will basically follow the s2 timeline with minor deviations. Yah the xs will meet again… soon.
Guest Type person- You are no longer a guest type person you are family! Yes it is true that we will meet up with some X's in the next chapter- ooh ten points for guessing who? I am going to finish Coming to Terms one day—really I am. Honest.
Jynx- Rafer bad? Rafer gone. Bye Rafer.
Feenian- I'm just insecure that way. LOL. I am so glad that people are still loving this story. I have so much on that faster updates are not on the cards but hey at least I don't make you wait years between updates.
Lynn- Hey sweet, thank you for reviewing this. I won't give up and I am glad that you still enjoying it so much.
Kim- They are getting cold to each other but things will sort themselves out as far as our fave couple go. Don't worry. I won't leave you wanting.
Kristibella- Yes Logan will make a cameo and we can kill him mwah ha ha… or not, I haven't decided yet. Hope your exams went well for you and you get great grades.
Stormvind- Hmm, I wonder if I can work that scene in. It'd be fun wouldn't it? Max was never the stay home kinda gal so she would be out doing stuff wouldn't she? Bonus there for her.
Noangel- I am feeling better now thanks and I am glad that you are still loving the story. More soon.
Tina N Blair- It does seem to be going faster even at the same length- no idea why that is but we have additions in it and they should help things along. I like my Max better soon. The Max on the show was far too much of a bitch and out of order for no reason. Too whiny by far. DA is back on terrestrial TV in the UK on Thursdays.
Mely's the name- Feel free to smack both Max and Alec and tell them to shape up. It is annoying how they just won't make up… I have no control whatsoever.
Sweettweetbird06- Hey there, Glad that the stories appeal so much but the updates are as fast as I can manage at this time as I have a new job which requires lots of training. Thank you for reviewing.
Anita- WOW. I think sleep is in order poppet. You'll probably be dreaming of DA but hey, don't we all? Thank you for the compliment and I hope that you continue to think so. Even reading the parallels? Thank you so much. Its great that you like them too. Keep reading and reviewing. hugs
SGOU- Oh worry not, we will have J Alec back soon. It'll be fun. As for your reasoning….wait until next chapter and poof all questions answered. I must admit to missing that side of Alec too, it was sweet as hell and I want to get back to that as soon as possible. W/L are fun to play with I have to say – so sarcastic. Yeah I always say men suck so there ya go- my reasoning why Alec is being a prat. Sorry about your BF. Buy chocolate and read fic. The bit about being affected by the virus agent was something that occurred to me a while ago and explained why White wasn't round to see the test. Alec is being off isn't he and I wish I knew what was up with him too, it will probably come out soon. Glad that you are still having as much fun as ever- me too and maybe magic will happen next chapter for ya. Thank you sweetheart I love you. Keep Fayth and any smut you want to send is fine (I blush too much when I have to write it!)
OriginalProxy- Hey chick, hope you had a classy vacation and came back all refreshed if not bronzed. Didn't quite get the dead last's drummer bit.
Natacup82- Nah, Rafer is off limits, I have better in mind. They are very stubborn but ultimately they do love each other. TC comes up in ¾ chapters.
BlueAngel137- Well good then hugs Alec is being careless and needs a good old fashioned wake up call. Kicking White's ass—yes pleas can I do it?
Elfie- I gave details of Wyoming back in Left Behind but I haven't really said what went on in Seattle except for snippets from Chance etc. I may have to add something in there somewhere. I think that I have far more than enough characters to be getting along with right now. So no Georgia entrees. Yeah there was a commander in Georgia and other transgenics but like I said I have far more than enough right now. I don't know, I kinda like White- he crazy! Otto is cool too isn't he? We should have an international flunky day- Up the minions! Hehehe. Nah Rafer was a flyby I have someone more… dangerous in mind for our Maxie. After all what danger is a human to Alec?
Ronda TIW- Its scary how much it creeps into your everyday vocab isn't it? I must have a quote every other sentence or something, yes smootchies soon promise. Tell me if you spot more Buffy quotes- kinda like a treasure hunt. Do you want a prize?
Mae- Yeah there is a reason for that. It's called laziness. Thanks for reminding me.
Ace Roswell- Cheers pet, thank you for reviewing me!
Caboodle- More soon pet, thanks for reviewing.
NickyLatina- Hey there. Thank you for the constructive criticism. I agree with you in that the cutesy stuff is missing. But no relationship is perfect and after the initial honeymoon period aggravation sets in, especially when they have been removed to a new situation, like Max ad Alec have here. The other transgenics provided perfect foil for them but they are missing that banter. I do have a plan for why Max and Alec are acting the way that they are and you just need to trust in me and have Fayth that I will make everything right.
Electricgurl- You are easily pleased. A good plot and Alec… me too!
Mrs- Ouch, sorry bout school babe, I'd like to say it gets better but that would be lying and Lying is wrong. School sucks and work sucks harder. Ames is cute!