The X-Project

Lil and Lex find each other in the gym and discuss the past month's revelations.


If there was one thing she was going to miss - other than the people she'd grown accustomed to over the eight months she'd lived in the mansion - it was the gym. The full set of weights, the range of machines; it was a Brick's heaven.

And she was going back to the bench in the garage.

Shaking off the gloom, Lil started another series of bicep curls with the fifty pounders. The immanent downgrade meant she'd just have to enjoy what was in front of her for now.

Lex shook his head as he walked into the gym, it'd been a long training session, he was almost tempted to say it was too long. It was true that his control of his electrokinesis was improving, but some of the things Scott expected of him were just down right ludicrous. He shook the sweat off his brow, and headed towards the free-weights. He thought a strong work out might allow him time to think on what he'd done.

He passed Lil without noticing her at first, simply picking up that another of the blonds was lifting at an unusual hour. Then he noticed the weight the woman was lifting, and instantly knew who it was. For a brief moment he wondered if it would be better to retreat like a dog with its tail between its legs, but only for a brief moment.

"Hey. Long time," he paused not knowing what else to say, and decided that he should probably express sympathy, "Sorry to hear about your team."

"Yeah," the giantess replied absently then lifted her head. The stern look of concentration faltered briefly, revealing her surprise before the stoic mask slipped back into place. "Yeah, thanks. Five good people in the ground for no reason we can figure out. And two more still in the hospital not able to give us any clues. Been a rocky month for everyone."

"Sounds like war," he replied, lost in thought, "well, if you need a spotter for bench or something I'll be here." He thought about trying to provoke some deeper conversation but decided against it. Keep Quiet, and you'll stay out of trouble, he thought, feeling more than a little sad. He hated leaving wounds open, even airing them out was probably for the best.

"War usually has a reason. This was just pointless murder," Lil returned, a deep sadness in her own eyes and an anger in her voice thought neither were directed at him. "I don't know how much you know about what happened but one of the injured was my husband. That's why I didn't come back."

"I can respect that," he said simply. It wasn't his place to judge her, or her relationship, and if this brought them closer together then at least some good would have come out of it.

She made a little noise, a dry laugh mixed with disbelief then put the weights aside. "I wasn't asking for your respect, Lex. Things went bad between us but you know what I learned in the last month? It was absolutely pointless. We were both juvenile and I have a lot bigger shit to worry about now."

"That, at least, I can agree with. In the past month I've realized that everything I learned, my entire life, serves little purpose outside the military." He shrugged as he spoke, "As for what your dealing with, I honestly hope it works out for you." He forced a smile onto his face as he took a step towards the weights. Squats felt like a good place to start.

"He's finally coming home on Monday so I'm here to collect my things and say my goodbyes." Long fingers ran over the top of the equipment she'd just discarded and she lifted her gaze to finally meet his squarely. "There are a lotta good people here who are very good at what they do. If you let them, they'll help you find whatever you're looking for like they helped me."

"I'll keep that in mind." He said, turning back long enough nod. He walked away, wondering if he'd ever fit in there. Everyone has baggage, he thought he remembered someone saying, and if that were the case then he might just have a chance.