Can't Take the Heat
Can't Take the Heat
Chapter 4
Chapter Wordcount: 903
The rest of the early evening was spent introducing the new X5 to the locals and familiarizing her with the city. By nightfall she had just about everything committed to memory.
Max was just about to leave for one of her late night money runs, stealing, busting drug dealers, whatever happened to be tonight’s catch.
She pulled up on her black Ninja beside Rayce.
“I guess you and…Chase, have some catching up to do…his apartments up there,” she pointed with a smile.
Rayce glanced and nodded, “You’ve done good Maxie.”
Max’s grin disappeared. “Thank you,” she whispered, smiling again.
Rayce just nodded once with her own grin at her protégé and watched as Max drove off.
***
She made her way up an old broken down escalator into the upper levels of the old mall, finding the apartment Chase had converted from a store.
She knocked on the makeshift door; Alec opened it and grinned when he saw Rayce leaning against the wall.
“Hey you.”
“Hey yourself,” he smiled, letting her enter.
She looked around…couch, bed, TV, stereo and an ample supply of alcohol.
“Yep…just how I would have pictured it.”
“Shut up,” he laughed, pouring her a drink.
“It’s nice…considering what you guys are working with.”
Alec nodded, “Well what kinda super soldiers would we be if we couldn’t adapt?” he grinned.
Rayce just gave him a look and took a sip from the drink he offered her, leaning back against his couch.
They both just stood in silence for a minute before Alec put down his drink, “Come on.”
They went a couple shops down to an old store that actually had a window to the outside, although the glass was long gone, leaving behind a makeshift balcony.
“It’s not much to look at…but one of the best views in the city.”
Rayce just smiled and sat down on the edge, patting the spot beside her, which Alec took with a smile.
They sat in silence a few minutes until Rayce broke it with a sigh.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Alec turned surprised, “For what?”
Rayce swallowed hard and looked at Alec, “I heard…about the mission you went rogue on. They wouldn’t tell me much, just that you disobeyed a direct order and were being disciplined, which I knew was a damn lie, I knew exactly what they were doing to you, and I tried to get you out, I knew you and your damned stubborn self would fight them.”
Alec swallowed hard and looked out over the three-story drop.
“I’m sorry Chase, you know I would have done anything to protect you from that,” she whispered.
He nodded, trying to force back his emotions.
“I know you would have.”
Rayce bit her lip. “It wasn’t until I went on my mission that I had access to a computer and figured out what happened…you loved her didn’t you?”
Alec’s eyes watered unwillingly remembering Rachel and he glanced at Rayce with a forced smile and nodded, “Yea, I did.”
Rayce offered her own smile and ran her hand over his back.
He smiled and chuckled softly.
“Don’t you dare try shutting down on me.”
“I’m not…you’re the only one I never have with, it’s just…” he sighed. “I went back…a couple years later, she was in a coma…I saw her a couple days before she died.”
Rayce nodded before reaching up and running her fingers thru his messy hair.
“Sorry babe,” she whispered.
He nodded and looked over at her, “I know…I know you, you would have fought everything…tried to help.”
“I did fight. Why the hell do you think they sent me on a mission three thousand miles away? They were trying to get me off base, so I would stop causing trouble trying to get you back on active duty, trying to get you out of their clutches. I was asking too many questions, trying to hard to help you. They decided to get rid of me before they released you, so I couldn’t undo whatever brainwashing they did on you.”
Alec smirked and nodded, “I shoulda known.”
Rayce just smiled.
Alec chuckled softly, breaking the short silence.
“What?” Rayce asked with a grin.
“I still can’t believe I never realized you were a part of Max’s unit. You told me about your crew that broke out…I knew her unit broke out, it was the only one that ever had…I can’t believe it didn’t dawn on me.”
Rayce just smiled, “Well, looks like you guys have had your hands full, too busy trying to survive to worry about the past,” she said, looking out over the broken Terminal City, blue and red lights still glowing around the perimeter fence.
Alec sighed, “Yea, we sure stepped in it this time haven’t we?”
Rayce smirked. “We’ll survive, figure it out…it’s what we were built to do.”
Alec nodded and sighed again.
He then threw his arm over her shoulders and pulled her into him, resting his chin in her hair.
“I missed you,” he whispered.
She smiled. “I missed you too,” she said, burying her face in his chest, and purring quietly.
Alec grinned, a soft chuckle bubbling up in his chest and making Rayce look at him.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he grinned, “I just always loved that little part of your cat DNA.”
Rayce smirked and continued to purr quietly, leaning against his chest again.
“It always calmed me down,” he said quietly.
Previous: Chapter Three | Next: Chapter Five
Chapter 4
Chapter Wordcount: 903
The rest of the early evening was spent introducing the new X5 to the locals and familiarizing her with the city. By nightfall she had just about everything committed to memory.
Max was just about to leave for one of her late night money runs, stealing, busting drug dealers, whatever happened to be tonight’s catch.
She pulled up on her black Ninja beside Rayce.
“I guess you and…Chase, have some catching up to do…his apartments up there,” she pointed with a smile.
Rayce glanced and nodded, “You’ve done good Maxie.”
Max’s grin disappeared. “Thank you,” she whispered, smiling again.
Rayce just nodded once with her own grin at her protégé and watched as Max drove off.
***
She made her way up an old broken down escalator into the upper levels of the old mall, finding the apartment Chase had converted from a store.
She knocked on the makeshift door; Alec opened it and grinned when he saw Rayce leaning against the wall.
“Hey you.”
“Hey yourself,” he smiled, letting her enter.
She looked around…couch, bed, TV, stereo and an ample supply of alcohol.
“Yep…just how I would have pictured it.”
“Shut up,” he laughed, pouring her a drink.
“It’s nice…considering what you guys are working with.”
Alec nodded, “Well what kinda super soldiers would we be if we couldn’t adapt?” he grinned.
Rayce just gave him a look and took a sip from the drink he offered her, leaning back against his couch.
They both just stood in silence for a minute before Alec put down his drink, “Come on.”
They went a couple shops down to an old store that actually had a window to the outside, although the glass was long gone, leaving behind a makeshift balcony.
“It’s not much to look at…but one of the best views in the city.”
Rayce just smiled and sat down on the edge, patting the spot beside her, which Alec took with a smile.
They sat in silence a few minutes until Rayce broke it with a sigh.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Alec turned surprised, “For what?”
Rayce swallowed hard and looked at Alec, “I heard…about the mission you went rogue on. They wouldn’t tell me much, just that you disobeyed a direct order and were being disciplined, which I knew was a damn lie, I knew exactly what they were doing to you, and I tried to get you out, I knew you and your damned stubborn self would fight them.”
Alec swallowed hard and looked out over the three-story drop.
“I’m sorry Chase, you know I would have done anything to protect you from that,” she whispered.
He nodded, trying to force back his emotions.
“I know you would have.”
Rayce bit her lip. “It wasn’t until I went on my mission that I had access to a computer and figured out what happened…you loved her didn’t you?”
Alec’s eyes watered unwillingly remembering Rachel and he glanced at Rayce with a forced smile and nodded, “Yea, I did.”
Rayce offered her own smile and ran her hand over his back.
He smiled and chuckled softly.
“Don’t you dare try shutting down on me.”
“I’m not…you’re the only one I never have with, it’s just…” he sighed. “I went back…a couple years later, she was in a coma…I saw her a couple days before she died.”
Rayce nodded before reaching up and running her fingers thru his messy hair.
“Sorry babe,” she whispered.
He nodded and looked over at her, “I know…I know you, you would have fought everything…tried to help.”
“I did fight. Why the hell do you think they sent me on a mission three thousand miles away? They were trying to get me off base, so I would stop causing trouble trying to get you back on active duty, trying to get you out of their clutches. I was asking too many questions, trying to hard to help you. They decided to get rid of me before they released you, so I couldn’t undo whatever brainwashing they did on you.”
Alec smirked and nodded, “I shoulda known.”
Rayce just smiled.
Alec chuckled softly, breaking the short silence.
“What?” Rayce asked with a grin.
“I still can’t believe I never realized you were a part of Max’s unit. You told me about your crew that broke out…I knew her unit broke out, it was the only one that ever had…I can’t believe it didn’t dawn on me.”
Rayce just smiled, “Well, looks like you guys have had your hands full, too busy trying to survive to worry about the past,” she said, looking out over the broken Terminal City, blue and red lights still glowing around the perimeter fence.
Alec sighed, “Yea, we sure stepped in it this time haven’t we?”
Rayce smirked. “We’ll survive, figure it out…it’s what we were built to do.”
Alec nodded and sighed again.
He then threw his arm over her shoulders and pulled her into him, resting his chin in her hair.
“I missed you,” he whispered.
She smiled. “I missed you too,” she said, burying her face in his chest, and purring quietly.
Alec grinned, a soft chuckle bubbling up in his chest and making Rayce look at him.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he grinned, “I just always loved that little part of your cat DNA.”
Rayce smirked and continued to purr quietly, leaning against his chest again.
“It always calmed me down,” he said quietly.
Previous: Chapter Three | Next: Chapter Five