This fic takes place after Freak Nation and may or may not be a one-shot. Teen for swearing.

Is a cage ever big enough that it ceases to be a cage? Alec doubted it. The fences and guards surrounding Terminal City, coupled with the knowledge of the government’s latest travel and employment restrictions, made his skin itch. He needed to get out. The farce of a treaty that Max and Mole signed didn’t mean jack. If a thing looked like a cage, smelled like a cage, and operated like a cage…it sure hell was one.

Slinging a tattered green pack over his shoulder, Alec blurred towards the center of operations, or the ‘Heart’ as most transgentics called it now, of Terminal City. He’d made his decision. He was going to leave, but for once he’d say goodbye first.

“Max, hey Maxie,” he called loudly through the heavily populated shop. Damn, but the place was a zoo lately. X5s along with every other kind of freak were bustling from one task to the next as if they worked for Pentagon during Doomsday. It reminded him of an ops gone bad. These people needed to get their shit straight fast, or they’d better bolt. His fist clenched with the reflexive need to hit something when he turned and spotted Joshua, “You seen Max around, Big Fella.” He asked.

“Max with Logan, swim in papers. Max head hurt. Law make head hurt.” Joshua pointed towards a small office a few paces to the left, where Logan and Max were huddled over a table loaded with books. Alec grimaced. “All the more reason to jet,” he mumbled witnessing Logan rub Max’s neck with gloved hands.

“Where—“ Joshua started to ask, but Alec cut him off with a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t strain your brain, Big Fella, no worries. I’ll talk to you later. Right now I need to see Max, thanks.” He smiled at the man/beast and left. One goodbye was enough, he thought; besides Joshua, you never knew with Joshua, he might cry or something if he found out Alec was leaving for good.

Giving the door a quick tap before entering the office, Alec hid a smile catching Logan flash his hand off of Max. Sauvé, the guy was Sauvé. Still, he couldn’t blame him. Logan loved Max. Max loved Logan. A virus tailored to kill Logan kept them apart. She was its bitch, its trigger finger. And if that didn’t make things screwed enough, she’d dragged Alec into the mess. Max, his hot ‘pretend’ girlfriend, drove him crazy on one too many levels. She was the one he’d miss.

Just to be a prick, he glared at Logan until the man had the decency to cough. Then he smiled sweetly at Max, “Hey babe, do you have a second. We need to talk.”

“Um…we were,” Max cast uncertain eyes at Logan.

“Just finishing up,” Logan added, briskly snapping a thick pile of papers into his arms before escaping out the door, face flaming.

And they were alone. And suddenly all his rehearsed speeches escaped him. Because looking at her, the last thing he wanted to do was leave. “What do ya want?” She asked none too patiently. Angry, no doubt, that he’d chased off Logan. But instead of answering, he memorized her face. When her eyes flickered to his pack, he looked away. Instantly, she read the situation. “No. You are not bailing.” She said.

“Max, this isn’t working and you know it. The city’s a trap. It’s one step above Manicore. We have no freedom here. We can’t feed ourselves. We can’t go past the fences without clearance. They dictate what jobs we can have, where and when we can work. And I saw that last list. Interesting how all the approved jobs are military operations or hazardous material handling. I’m not waiting around for them to tag me or put me in their database of known freaks. You should be encouraging everyone here to get out while they can.”

“And hiding’s better?” She asked, stepping into his space. “Always looking over your shoulder, waiting to get caught?” She lowered her voice. “Never being able to be yourself. At least here we’re together. At least here we can be ourselves. In time, they’ll see.”

“See what? That we’re people just like everybody else? Right, that’s Logan talking. All it’s going to take is one screw up Max. One transgen to cross the line and start killing.” Frustrated by the denial already forming on her lips, Alec sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “You know, it won’t even take that. Open your eyes. We’re living weapons. Who trusts a hand grenade? The person holding the pin, that’s who. They’ll always want control.”

“That doesn’t mean we have to give it to them. Hiding’s no better. It a trap too, the kind you can’t escape from. I say we stay here. Buy some time. Let ‘Eyes Only’ win over the public. Do the hazards and the military bitch. Show them what good soldiers we are and always protect our own. You’re right, we need to be ready to evacuate. Plan to fight. Steal some insurance, if necessary. You go if you have to Alec, but think about it first; because we need you…I need you.” She placed her hand on his upper arm, her eyes imploring as if she could sway him with the weight of her conviction.

But she did mean it, and damn if it didn’t surprise the hell out of him. He expected her to call him a coward, an opportunistic lowlife who could get the f-out if he wanted. He hadn’t expected her to listen or to half-agree. And never would he have even dreamt of hearing the words ‘I need you’ from her, in reference to him. “That’s pretty low, Maxie, even for you.” He half-smiled at his own folly and dropped his pack between them. His reward--her all out grin.

“Yeah, well, you should know. I fight dirty.” She cocked an eyebrow, a slight nod to the boys, a silent reminder of the time she’d laid him flat with a kick to the groin.

He winced. In place of an apology, she set her lips in a sexy, innocent pout. She closed space. He was acutely aware of her, the wicked way she started to play with a strand of his hair taunting him, as if he were a child or a toy. She’d been touching him a lot lately, probably an unconscious response to having to be so careful with Logan. “Does it still hurt?” She purred, definitely pushing it, completely unaware that he wrote the book on that game.

“No.” He answered, his voice husky and soft, his eyes predatory and dark. “Lucky you, there was no permanent damage.” He leaned in, his breathe catching her ear, “So if you need me...”

And wasn’t she slow to throw the punch even an X3 could side step?