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The lights came on and Max grinned as Noel sat across from him at the bar. She looked genuinely interested in what he was doing. Max always worked best with an audience. He nodded as she gave her name.

"Nice to meet you Noel. Welcome to cooking class. I'm Max." He said cracking some pasta noodles in half.

He dropped the noodles in the pot and pulled out spaghetti sauce from a cabinet.

"Boil the noodles till they are soft, it helps to add a dash of salt." He said doing just that.

The lid to the sauce came off and Max poured it into a skillet. He opened the fridge and grabbed some beef and threw it in. Before grabbing an onion and chopping it.

"Brown the neat with the sauce. The juices help make the sauce taste better. I add onion for flavor and throw in some garlic for a bit of zest." He continued.

As he worked he looked up at the girl. It wasn't everyday you just stumbled into someone's home and started making a meal. Max was not known for his shyness with strangers bit even for him it was a bit of a stretch.

"So are you new to the country?" He asked, " I haven't seen you around Haven. I've only moved in a few weeks ago."

Maxwell chuckled lightly as the girl informed him that she had cash. It showed her inexperience with matter such as this. Obviously she had not done this kind of thing before. But everyone must start somewhere he supposed. He made his way through the crowd and towards the back hallway. Two bouncers gaurdered the hall, but Tom and James were good guys. They gave Maxwell a polite nod as he led Violette past them. The hallway had a number of doors and Maxwell looked for one with the red "occupied" light off. He found one almost at once and turned to face Violette.

"I'm not interested in your cash, that's for someone else to handle. I find the currency of information far more useful." He said opening the door.

The room was decorated in the same manner as the club. A bar stood to the side of the room, a stripper pole was placed in the back near a bed. There was a seating area with a couch coffee table and a number of chairs. One wall was glass, showing the river much like the main room. It made an appealing visual, and made flooding a room easy for Poseidon if he so chose.


He gave her a hard look, callous and piercing.

"Ladies first." He said politely 

"Ambrosia."

The word tumbled into Maxwell's ear and rattled into his brain. It stuck like a missing puzzle piece and he understood what was happening. It was the last detail he needed. Her discomfort with his proximity, her approaching him at the bar, the glances she kept taking to check out the room. Violette wasn't here to hook up, she was here to score.

As the whisper faded in Maxwell's ears he slowed his dancing. He knew the world didn't revolve around him, as much as he hated to admit it, but hearing the girl talk, understanding he was being played to achieve a goal that Maxwell understood completely. He wasn't angry, it wasn't personal it was business. He just needed to adjust his mentality. He smiled but his eyes took on a colder harsher light

Ambrosia was a miracle drug for normal people. Who wouldn't want to experience the power and thrill of having mutations. The irony that the normal people of the world tended to consider mutants freaks was lost on those wanting to get their hands on it.

Of course Atlantis had the stuff. The drug trafficked out of the clubs back much like the river they were currently underneath. Maxwell could get her the drug, that would be simple enough, but what was in it for him? That and her behavior seemed a tad suspicious.

"Rumors can sometimes be true," He said slowly coming to a stop mid dance, "perhaps we should take this conversation to a more private venue. There are rooms in back."

Numerous locked clicked behind the door and it swung open. Max saw Quin gesture for him to enter. He stepped into the apartment as she apologized for the mess. His eyes scanned the living area and the stuff laying around. Max knew the look, it was much like his own place. Single and working long hours left little time to tidy up.

"No worries. Cleanliness is over rated. I prefer the lived in look." He said.

She was wearing causal clothes, much better in Max's opinion. He took a moment to look at her evidence board. It was detailed, organized, and seemed to be well worn from use. He had picked the right woman to help him with his problems. He sat on the couch and placed the file on the table. She was going to have a few things to add to the board. He smiled as she inquired about his escape the night before.

"Oh yeah I was fine. I can be pretty light on my feet when I need to be." Max replied, " Did any of your team have anything to say about spotting me? I hope you didn't get into to much trouble."

Elliot picked his side, which seemed a little unfair to Max but now was not the time for bickering. They needed to work together they were trapped in the tunnel and the five men had them where they wanted them. Elliot reached for the hatchet as Max stepped up to square off against the four men. Elliot seemed to be having difficulties and Max took an open stance to protect him from the four men on Max's side.

There was a popping noise and a cloud of smoke appeared behind Elliott. The green man finally got the hatchet free and Max saw the man's arm fly back unaware as Max gave a shout of warning. The hatchet stuck into the teleporter head and Max felt a lurch of revulsion in his gut. The loss of a mutant life was tragic, no matter the circumstances. Elliot seemed just as surprised as the teleporter and Max wanted to say something but was cut off as the four men in the door charged in rage.

The red eyed man was in the lead and Max saw the glowing eyes analyzing him. Max charged to meet him and as the man swung his axe at Max he sidestepped and grabbed the man's arm. He needed room to fight, the floor was covered with boxes but luckily the ceiling had no such restrictions. Max changed gravity on himself and the red eyed man and they flew upward into the cealing.

Max flipped mid air and landed on the sloped roof of the tunnel on his feet. It was tough terrain, the slope of the tunnel making keeping his footing difficult. The man threw a volley of blows with his hatchet that kept Max on the run. Max reached into his pack and pulled out a yoyo. A length of metal wire spread out between his hands and as the man came in Max brought the wire up and caught his elbow.

Max twisted and wrapped the wire around the man's arm, twisting and bringing it behind his back. The man cried out in surprise and released the hatchet, which started to fall to the floor below.

"Heads up." Max shouted in warning.

Music pounded in Maxwell's ears as he pulled in. His convertible revved loudly as he found a free spot to pull into. The door opened and he stepped out onto the roof of the parking garage and the frenzy of people. The structure was mostly abandoned anymore, but the local racing community had found quite the use for it.

Drift racing had become quite popular in the city over the last few years. The younger crowd enjoyed it for the thrills, the older for the mechanics, Maxwell was somewhere inbetween. He had recently started racing, finding it a pleasant distraction from the dullness of his days.

People were all around, looking at the cars, dancing to the music being played at the makeshift DJ booth, and overall enjoying the night. It was a combination club and sporting event and the atmosphere was electric.

Maxwell walked over to a table that had been erected nearby and wrote his name down to race. There were plenty of match ups ahead of him but he was excited. As he turned he heard tires screeching as two cars rounded the exit ramp and appeared on the roof. The lead car spun and crossed the finish line followed by its opponent. The crowd cheered as the racers got out and money exchanged hands.

Oh yeah Maxwell was looking forward to this.