How They Came To Be
Written by: Addie Price
Summary: They weren't always a team.
Words: 1,548
Note: I'm not a big fan of Bill's character and therefore this chapter was more difficult to write than the others' were. So I apologize in advance for this chapter! I still hope you guys enjoy it!
Disclaimer: ALPHAS is the property of SyFy Broadcasting Company and its associates. I am in no way affiliated with SyFy nor do I own any of the characters depicted in this story.
BILL HARKEN
"You'll never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice."
Nina had been working alone with Rosen for a full year before the second member was added to their team, though at this point they could hardly be called a team. They were just Nina and Dr. Rosen, working together to control the one Alpha ability between them.
Bill Harken found Dr. Rosen himself. A former FBI Agent, he still had contacts at the Bureau, could still pull some strings to find someone, anyone to help him control the ability he still didn't quite understand. He was mostly in control of himself, but if he let his emotions run wild, he found he had a strength he couldn't control.
And that made him a danger to others and himself.
He searched out Dr. Rosen, knowing that if anyone could help him, it would be him. The office building where Rosen worked wasn't exactly what he expected (tucked behind a bowling alley, of all places) but he still walked up the stairs to their offices and knocked loudly on the door before entering cautiously, his gun pressed up against the small of his back.
"Hello?" He stepped inside the space, eyes trained on any slight movement. As a former FBI Agent, Harken was trained for situations like this. And paranoia ran rampant through his mind.
"Is there anybody here?"
He walked slowly through the office, his hand at his back, ready to pull out his firearm if necessary. Careful to avoid making any loud sounds, Bill opened a second door to a small room. A woman sat at the desk, carefully painting her fingernails.
Bill cleared his throat. The woman's head snapped up from her work, eyes blazing as she leapt to her feet, fear and confusion in her expression.
Later on, Nina would claim that Bill startled her, that she couldn't help what she did in reaction to his sudden presence. "Who are you? Get out of here!" She Pushed. She threw all her fear and confusion at him and Pushed him to walk out of her office and out of the building, past his car and down the road.
As soon as the man was gone, Nina rushed to Dr. Rosen's office, panic clear on her face. "Dr. Rosen!" She opened the door without knocking, startling the doctor with her sudden appearance.
He regained his composure quickly, though. "Yes, what is it, Nina?"
"There was a man here."
Rosen got to his feet. "What? When?"
"Just now. I- I messed up, Dr. Rosen. He came into his office and I panicked. I Pushed him."
The doctor circled his desk, coming over to meet Nina and placing a gentle hand on her arm. "What did you tell him to do, Nina?"
"Nothing dangerous. I just told him to leave. So he left."
"Did you tell him where to go?"
She shook her head. "No."
Rosen moved to grab his jacket from the coat rack in his office. "Well, we better go find him. He may be an Alpha who needs our help."
It didn't take them long to find the man, walking aimlessly through the streets of New York. Rosen and Nina parked their van and follow him on foot, waiting for the effects of Nina's Push to wear off.
"How hard did you Push him?" Rosen asked as they walked behind the man on the street, keeping a careful distance.
"Harder than I would normally Push someone. He startled me; it was just a reflex."
"How long do you think it'll last?"
"Only a couple more minutes."
And, sure enough, a few minutes after Nina's words, the man came out of her Push, dazed and confused. He looked around for a moment, trying to figure out what had happened to him. It was a look Nina had seen all too often.
Rosen walked up to the man, cautious of his reaction when he found out what had happened.
"Excuse me, sir?" The man turned, surprised to have someone addressing him.
"Yeah?"
Rosen smiled and put out his hand. "I'm Dr. Lee Rosen. I believe you were looking for me?"
The man nodded, taking the doctor's hand. "Yeah, Doc. My name's Bill Harken. I need…" He trailed off, looking past Rosen to the woman standing behind him. He pushed past the doctor and towards her, anger blazing in his eyes. He felt his heart begin to pump faster as it prepared for a rush of adrenaline from his anger.
"That girl did something to me!" He shouted, stalking towards her. "What did you do?"
Nina stumbled backwards as the man came at her, fear apparent in her eyes. "I didn't do anything!" She held back her emotions, afraid of what would happen if she Pushed him again.
Rosen moved quickly, grabbing Bill's arm to stop him from attacking Nina. "Bill! Stop!" He moved in front of the agent, placing himself between Bill and Nina, hands up in surrender. "I need you to take a deep breath and calm down." Bill's breathing slowed, but only slightly, his nostrils still flaring with every breath he took. "Good. Now, keep breathing deeply. Slow your heart rate. Don't let your emotions get control of you."
It took a few moments, but Bill began to calm down. His breathing became more regular and he relaxed his fists at his side.
"Very good," Rosen said, leading Bill back to their office building. Nina trailed slightly behind him, waving off strangers who tried to ask her what had happened. She only had to Push one very annoying and persistant man, but only enough to redirect his curiosity to a watch store.
"How long have you been aware of your ability, Bill?" Rosen's question served more than just one purpose. Not only could he learn about how long this man had had his ability, but he could also learn approximately how much in control of himself he was.
Bill shrugged. "I think it's always been there, but I've only known about it for a couple of months now."
Rosen nodded. "Describe to me exactly what you know about it."
"I- I don't know, Doc. When I get angry or scared, it's strange. All of a sudden, I can do things I never thought I'd ever be able to do. I can lift half a ton, I can run faster than should be possible. It's like an adrenaline high, but so much more.."
Rosen nodded again, turning into the drive for their offices. "Ah, yes. You're a Hyper-adrenal."
"A what?"
"You can flood your mind with adrenaline, which feeds into your fight or flight response. It gives you the ability of super strength or speed, depending on which response you decide to follow."
"So, if I choose the fight response, I get super strength. And if I choose flight, super speed?"
"Precisely."
Bill remained silent for a few minutes as they walked into the office building and up to Rosen's office. Bill sat on the chair across from Rosen's desk and Rosen took his seat behind it. Nina hovered in the doorway, ready to deal with any repercussions that might come from their discussion.
"You are an Alpha, Bill. A part of your brain is more developed than what is normal for people. This gives you the ability you have, your Hyper-adrenalism. It is what makes it possible for you to have super strength or speed.
"But you have to be careful about your ability. Every Alpha ability has a downside. I'm guessing yours is that you can't keep up your adrenaline spike for long."
Bill nodded. "The longest I've ever gone is seven minutes. I get too tired to keep going after that."
"I suspected as much."
Bill looked at Nina, leaning against the door frame. "What's your ability?"
Rosen answered for her, knowing that she was still a little on edge. "Nina has the ability of Hyper Induction. She can Push people to do what she wants them to."
The agent turned to him. "Is that what she did to me?"
Rosen nodded. "Yes."
"You startled me," Nina said, moving into the room. "I didn't mean to Push you, but all of a sudden there you were, in my office. I got scared."
"I understand. I've accidentally used my.." he faltered for a moment, tuning to look at Dr. Rosen for confirmation. "Alpha ability?" Rosen nodded. Bill looked back at Nina. "Alpha ability before, too."
Rosen stood to move towards Bill, taking a chair next to him. "Bill, I can help you to control your ability. I can train you."
Bill looked at him, eyes grateful. "That'd be great, Doc. Thanks."
And so Bill Harken became the second member of Dr. Rosen's Alpha Team.
