Author: Restive Nature (aka Bavite)
Rated: NC-17
Disclaimer: All characters within this fiction are the property of Cameron/ Eglee. I just like to play with them.
Timeline: Six weeks after FN.
Pairing M/A
Summary: An unexpected accident causes Max to think about the future in a new way.
Chapter Ten
Among Friends?
Max’s eyes widened as the voice greeted her. But to her relief, it was just Dix. "Oh hey," she offered lamely. The grin on his cheerful face broadened. And then she realized he was sort of waiting for an answer, but before she could speak, he seemed to answer himself.
"Couldn’t sleep, huh?" he nodded. "I guess you’re taking a break from the All-Nighter."
She nearly choked on her own saliva when he made that little proclamation. Until it hit her that Dix was gazing at her without the slightest hint of embarrassment or amusement. It obviously meant something else. Max kept her gaze level as she tried to remember what Dix was referring to, but was unable to access the right information. As near as she could figure, by the name alone, it was probably some kind of bar. She vaguely remembered before the accident that there were plans to construct one. She hadn’t been enthusiastic about it back then, but Alec had reminded her that everyone deserved some place where they could relax and blow off steam. She had finally approved, on the condition that they kept a carefully rotating schedule of visitors. That way, defenses were never abandoned. Alec had looked at her strangely. She wasn’t sure then if it was because she’d actually came right out and put their militaristic needs before their humanity or that she’d questioned their own rational, that the transgenics would have done that anyway. She’d shrugged it off then and she didn’t have much choice to do so now. But Dix was waiting.
She gestured down to the desk. "Just wanted to get things a little more organized," she smiled. And was rewarded with a laugh. But it didn’t take much to keep Dix amused.
"You keep organizing the way you normally do and it’ll give Jiminy an aneurysm," he noted. Max simply nodded, again no clue as to whom he was referring. But another thought struck at him. "Oh, and when you see him, tell him that we found some more filing cabinets for him." Okay, so maybe a secretary of some sort?
"Yeah, I can do that," Max bit her lip. Hopefully she’d get a clue as to which he was before she blundered into him. She decided she’d better put a kibosh on this conversation. "So what are you doing up?"
"Same thing as every night for the last week," he shrugged. "One of these nights, I’ll figure out the right code and then we’ll be in the money." Max’s eyes narrowed. Code? Money? Damn it! Where they planning some sort of heist? She tried to tell herself that she needed to slow down. Words could be deceiving. They all had their own brand of slang. What irked her though was that she wasn’t familiar with it, still. "And with all those kids breathing down my neck to finish, I’d really like to crack it."
"Which kids were those?" Max asked slowly, trying her best to simply look absented minded. To that effect, she tried shuffling through some more papers, unable to meet Dix’s face. But to her relief, he didn’t take it the wrong way.
"The ones in the test group," he answered companionably. "They keep switching around. Which is good I figure. We can get a broader range of answers as to who we should be catering to. But of course, the X-8’s are a lot more advanced than norm’s. I figure if they like the game and can figure it out, then it should be challenging enough for the ordinaries." Things suddenly clicked for Max then. Codes, kids, test group. Dix was doing what he did best, working with computers and most likely developing some game software to market and sell. She remembered that Joshua had mentioned some of the businesses that the Transgenics had opened. This was perhaps another?
"That’s the truth," she offered softly in response to his assertion. Of course, the only contact she’d had with ordinary kids in her life had been the foster siblings she’d sometimes ended up with. Aside from that, she really had no idea how to handle kids. She was glad that Dix seemed to be getting along with them. Of course, Manticore kids were a lot more grown up than your average ordinary adult was. She smiled softly as she realized that here, they were finally kind of getting the chance to be kid-like again. Playing computer games, interacting with each other and not having to worry constantly about live ordinance drills and mission specs.
"So, did you want to go get some coffee?" Dix asked politely, albeit somewhat nervously. Max’s head shot up again. Coffee? That in and of itself was simple. But going meant she’d end up somewhere with other people to interact with. People she most likely wouldn’t remember. But the look of slight disappointment on his face swayed her more than she’d have liked. What was the harm of one cup of coffee? She’d been able to bluff her way through the majority of things today. A quick cup of Java shouldn’t hurt.
"Yeah," she answered gruffly. "Um, maybe just one cup." His face lit up and he stepped back out of the office, waiting for her. Max felt slightly miserable as she realized just how much over the time that passed that Dix hadn’t seemed to shake that need for approval from his superiors. Especially from the transgenics. The whole lot of them seemed to have come a long way from their initial segregation of transgenics and transhumans. That would be interesting to see in the coming days. How much they’d been able to unite against the initial common threat, and if those bonds still held today.
On the walk, Max encouraged Dix to keep talking about the computer code he was working on. She had a basic knowledge of computers, they all did. But it was Dix’s specialty and his passion. A few nods and occasional grunt from her were all it took to keep him rambling on. She tried as subtly as possible to let him guide their walk, since she had no idea where he was going. Her only blunder came when he turned a corner abruptly and she kept walking straight ahead. She realized the movement only a step or two later and twisted her body around to catch up with him. He’d given her an amused look, one that spoke of a familiarity with her miss-step.
"Sorry," she apologized. "Just thinking about stuff to do tomorrow." He nodded, though his grin told her that he didn’t quite believe her. But he didn’t call her on that little lie. It was true in the past that she’d occasionally grow absent-minded. But she usually was able to track things better that it didn’t show. ‘But they were just humoring me’ Max recalled. ‘Always thinking of Alec when I should be working.’ She smiled again. A ready-made excuse to use that was definitely believable. Mostly because it was true.
They arrived finally and Max was surprised to find that instead of the bar she’d expected it was more like a gentleman’s club. Situated right next to the bakery. But while the bakery had closed at five that evening, the club was still going strong. She and Dix stepped inside and her ears where momentarily overwhelmed by the dull roar of conversation, the clacking of the balls striking each other on the pool tables, the slight buzz radiating from the television set in the corner. Some patrons glanced up and greeted Max warmly. She gave them a sickly smile and a small wave, although she felt like smacking herself in the head.
The All-Nighter wasn’t a bar, obviously. More like the common room where those with DNA that caused abnormal sleeping patterns gathered, hence the name. She followed Dix into one of the backrooms, feeling as if the bottom of her stomach had dropped away. Like she had dropped down the rabbit hole and was still falling. She tried to force her attention back to the present, but her mind was still adrift as she heard Dix greet another person. They were in a kitchen now and Max could smell the inviting aroma of the coffee brewed, waiting for whoever wanted a cup. She was relieved suddenly to see that it was Tina that Dix was talking to. She was standing at the stove, stirring something in a pot. As they chatted, Dix opened a cupboard and pulled down two mugs. Tina glanced back and forth between the pair, finally giving Max an assessing stare. Max shifted uncomfortably and glanced down at the floor.
"Hey Max," her voice was low and nonchalant as she continued stirring. "I was making up a batch of my famous hot chocolate. Did you want some?" At the question, she tilted the pan in the other woman’s direction and Max could see the light brown liquid swirling around as she stirred in some cream. The bitter smell of chocolate and the creamy sweet scent of caramel wafted to her nose. And as suddenly as the scents reached her, it was precisely what she was craving.
"Yeah, that sounds good," she agreed, throwing an apologetic look to Dix. He simply shrugged and filled one cup. He nudged the other towards Tina who acknowledged the movement with a small nod. Dix smiled again at the women and carried his cup out to the common room, believing that he was leaving them to their womanly bonding. ‘I’m friends with Tine?’ was what Max inferred from the body language. ‘Or at least friendly to her.’
The silence between them grew to uncomfortable proportions, for Max at least. She raced through what knowledge she could access of Tina. She was a physical therapist of sorts. Worked with Doc. Was a few inches taller than she, Max. And had light features to compliment her dirty blonde hair. That was it. What the hell could Max talk to her about without coming off looking a complete moron? But finally Tina took pity on her.
"Did Joshua do any more painting today?" she asked, her tone more than a little clinical sounding. Max shook her head.
"No. The painting was supposed to be a surprise," she sighed. "After we got back to his place, we talked, mostly."
"Just general talking?"
"Yeah," Max hedged, recognizing Tina’s slight inquisition. "Just stuff in general."
"Did he talk about White?"
"Hey, doesn’t that go against the Hippocratic oath or something?" Max demanded, keeping her tone light. "You know, talking about your patient behind their back?"
"That oath is to first do no harm," Tina smiled as she removed the spoon from the liquid and set it on the counter. "And I wasn’t asking for specifics of what he said, just the topic. And lastly, honey, you know better than anyone does, I ain’t a licensed doctor. So none of that applies to me."
"Yeah, I guess," Max returned the smile. Tina turned and poured out the steaming hot chocolate, wiping the edge of the pan with a cloth before returning it to the stove. She picked up the mugs, handing one to Max and led the way out of the kitchen. Max had another moment of panic when she realized that Tina had chosen to sit with a group of people she wasn’t familiar with. She glanced about for Dix, but found him on the far end of the room, engrossed in a discussion with a mix of transgenics and transhumans. And from the looks of it, they were every bit the computer geek that Dix was.
Max swallowed heavily as she took in the room of smiling, laughing people. Was there anywhere that she belonged? Was there anyone who would invite her over? Did she have friends here? They’d been friendly enough when she walked in. But the longer she stood there, the more foolish she felt. She snorted mentally as she toyed with the rim of her cup. She had to start somewhere with them. And if she could brazen things out with Alec, she could certainly do so with people who didn’t know her as intimately.
Chapter Eleven
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