[b]Dance With The Devil..[/b]

[i]"Damn"[/i], Alec thought, impressed at how fast the meta saw through his facade. He was unsure if the man's story was real, or if it was just an attempt to mock him. Sure, it wasn't too far-fetched to presume a well-built guy like him served in the army, but the way how he talked about his past experience resembled your typical one-liner moments from those recycled Hollywood war flicks. Most former-soldiers refuse to open up to their therapist, let alone to a stranger, armed to the teeth and after their head. And 1,000 insurgents? What war was he fighting? The Crusades? As much as he disliked his smug face, Alec did see a lot of himself in Elijah though. His stern gaze of determination, his calm demeanor, his trust issues, all traits that defined the roughened former-soldier. That didn't mean Alec would refrain from bashing the meta's head to the concrete, should he keep his stubborn attitude for the duration of this convo. 

If there was something Alec learned as a kid in the 80s, is that knowing is half the battle, thanks to the G.I Joe TV series. He always performed a little analysis on his opponents before the battle transitioned to the gory parts, and this was no different. Via his penetrative vision, Alec scanned Elijah down to the bone. Turns out his abilities had a broader use than just setting fire to people, as he was burning a considerable amount of what appeared to be alcohol, therefore maintaining his sobriety. This meant that Bonnie and Clyde here had a small banquette, and one of the reasons that the woman was cowering behind the door was because she may be wasted, unless she possessed a similar power to her partner. After concluding his analysis, he tapped into his brain and turned off his vision.

Only then, did he take a glimpse of the shady figure crawling in the roof. Were the couple harboring another meta? It wouldn't be logical, because why would he hide in the roof if he was friends with the two? There was no way he was a normal human, as it was difficult to sneak up on Alec like that. Then it hit him. Alec himself received a recruitment message by some FBI talker. It seemed the Bureau was hiring metas to do their jobs. That was a piece of valuable information Alec decided to use in as a last-ditch effort to prevent blood from being spilled.

"You think the FBI have their hands full? Try again.", he said, maintaining a consistent tone throughout. He slowly opened the door to his MRAP with his right hand, his left one raised above his chest so as to tell the trigger-happy metas that he's not pulling any trick. He raised his right hand, holding his phone tightly as it displayed that said recruitment message. "I have reasons to believe the FBI are mobilizing a unit comprised of metahumans, specialized in dealing with the likes of you. One of them is already here.", Alec uttered, pointing at the roof with his index finger. He was hoping the shady figure really was a friendly, cause that would be embarrasing afterwards. "So, the way how I see it, you have three options. The first option is; come with me. Your lady friend may have information that will help me in my hunt for the TV man. I'll ask her a couple of questions and then you'll be good to go.", a half-truth spewed from the meta's mouth. Nightingale was still under the government's payroll so she was welcomed back in case of a change of heart, but he never negotiated with cold-blooded psychos like Elijah. Even if the duo agreed to get in the car, a clash between him and the A-ranked meta was inevitable.

After a brief pause, he continued listing the other options "Second option; you can go with the FBI. You'll be hooked to a straight jacket in a high-security prison so deep underground that you'll even get to touch Satan's head. I wouldn't advise it. And then you got the third option which is the one where you die." For a moment or so after he finished his sentence, all was silent. Alec looked at Elijah before darting his gaze towards the door, where the silhouette of a woman could be seen. "What's your choice?", a strong-willed Alec finally spoke after what seemed like an endless intermission.