a/n: Sorry that its been awhile. All I can say is I needed to be in a dark enough mood to really get this out, and well, it found me finally, so here it is. I'm putting my own disclaimer to this chapter. The whole thing involves two characters- Ben and Logan. I realize some only read this for Max and Alec, so I wanted to put that warning in there for those only interested in the MA. What can I say! If you haven't gotten the 'vibe' yet (which would be my fault for bad writing!) this is definitely my darkest story, so unfortunately the fluffy moments will be few and far between.

all that having been said, I hope you enjoy this one! Sometimes the darker creepies just fascinate me. Call this a product of that.

Chapter 10

Ben watched as the man leaned dangerously close to the edge of the Space Needle, carelessly looking for something…or someone.

"Looking for Max?" Ben greeted the man. He enjoyed watching the man almost slip and fall into oblivion out of surprise. He realized that it wasn't out of revenge that he would have enjoyed watching him die. It would have been justice, and as a soldier, Ben could only admire seeing laws carry themselves out. It was simple, really. Cause and effect. You stand by the edge of the highest place in the city, you shouldn't be surprised when you slip and plummet to the mercy of gravity, which no man holds control over.

"You shouldn't stand so close to the edge, Logan Cale," he mock-warned the man. Really, he was criticizing Logan's stupidity. "You might fall to your death. And that would be really horrible for the citizens of Seattle, wouldn't it, Logan? Or should I say 'Eyes Only'?"

The surprised look Logan was giving him was priceless. But Ben began to question his own comment and current persona. He was first and foremost on a mission. He had already made a mistake by referring to the man with his full name, something Alec would never do.

Ben recalled from the short file on Logan that he and Alec were on a first name basis, and more so for Max. To Max, there was a time when he was 'boyfriend'. Though obviously, Alec had found a way to change that.

Ben wondered if Logan knew that in his absence, Alec had grown much closer to his beloved Max.

Ben tried to piece together how he should be acting while trying to figure out what Logan was doing standing on top of the Space Needle.

"Where's Max?" Logan asked him, interrupting his thoughts.

Ben was good at reading people and Logan was no exception. The man had a fear apparent in his eyes, despite the demanding manner he was speaking to Ben in. But the fear wasn't directed at Ben. Is he afraid of heights? Ben wondered. So the man did have some awareness concerning his limitations.

But the realization only lowered his opinion of the man. Not only was it a foolish decision to come out in the open and stand on the ledge of the tallest place in Seattle, but the guy was scared on top of it. Fear has a purpose normally. It's a primal emotion, and when used appropriately is advantageous and helps your safety. It forces further thought and focus. But a fear of heights was not rational. It was unjustified fear.

Once Ben got around the realization that Logan was afraid of heights, he brought his attention to the current situation. He replayed in his mind Logan's last question. Where's Max… A smirk spread across Ben's face. So Logan was facing his fears to fulfill some irrational need to see Max. That's cute¸ Ben thought to himself. The realization went beyond the man's statement. Ben could tell just by the changed attitude of the man as he spoke Max's name. It seemed Alec and Logan had an unspoken competition between the two of them. But Logan obviously wasn't privy to the fact that he lost. He should expect it, Ben criticized the man in his mind. Being dead and all.

Not to mention Logan's inferiority to any transgenic. Though Ben had never actually met his twin, he had spent the last few weeks studying Alec. He had learned everything about Alec until he himself could hardly distinguish between Alec's personality and thoughts and his own.

Language precedes thought. If that statement is really true after all, then becoming Alec was slowly starting to change Ben. In order to process information like Alec, he had to speak like Alec, completely forget his own vocabulary. Within his mind, Ben immediately shoved his own thoughts, judgments, and assumptions into a dark corner. He no longer referred to himself as Ben. That broken soldier would only reappear in meetings with the director. From now on, there was only Alec.

As he focused on his training, he tried to become Alec. He contemplated how Alec would handle this situation- how he should handle the situation. Here was Logan- an inferior predator to his girl, an ally in the fight against Manticore, an innocent fool who tossed his own life's value away in careless decisions like coming out here in the first place.

Ben easily morphed into Alec as he replied to Logan. It was easy to be cold, cocky, and sarcastic with Logan. He was a sad excuse of a man, after all. Alec wondered if the idiot even knew the repercussions of his actions in revealing himself.

"You know, you're looking pretty damn good for a dead guy, Logan," Alec commented to him. "Of course, you're still not as good-looking as me." Alec ended the comment with a proud smirk.

"Answer the question, Alec," Logan demanded calmly, though his face was revealing his annoyance.

Alec was amused by Logan's reactions. He thinks of us as equals, Alec realized. Interesting. Since they were far from being comparable on the same level. Alec grinned with his amusement before continuing. Logan had the capability of self-reflection. That was one of the human traits passed onto the transgenics. But it seemed it was one that Logan wasn't taking advantage of very well. If he were, he might realize that even though his overall demeanor remained calm and in control, to Alec he may as well be putty. Alec could take advantage of the man's irrational decisions and apparent truths, and especially pride, to whatever end he wished.

For the time being, Alec reasoned that the impression he wanted to get through Logan's thick head was that his decisions were foolish. Once that was taken care of, he wanted to hear from the man himself what his plans were. Right now, Ben needed to gain Max's trust and find Lydecker. Since Logan was presumed to have died at the exact time of Lydecker's disappearance, and that proved to be false, Ben needed to know everything about Logan there was to know. For that to happen, Alec needed to insult Logan into defending his actions with his so-called reasoning.

"So I take it you finally gave up on being Seattle's savior, then? Gives you more time to obsess over Max, is that right?" Alec continued to respond to the predatory feeling he held concerning Max, in hopes of stirring a revealing response out of Logan.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Logan asked him. "You know that I've been a little too preoccupied to continue following the underground informant net." Logan eyed Alec questioningly. "And I'm not going to discuss Max with you until you tell me where she is."

Alec almost laughed at Logan's continuing demands. "You'll have to forgive me for questioning you here, Logan. Considering that last I checked you were dead!"

This time Logan's eyes held suspicion. "But I sent you that message…" he trailed as he continued to question Alec with his eyes.

Shit. So Logan had sent Alec some kind of message. That definitely wouldn't have been mentioned in Ben's briefing for the mission. Considering that Renfro thinks you're dead! Alec decided to withhold any further revealing information until he found out more about his current situation. Before I get made!

"I know about the message, Logan! Why do you think I'm so upset to see you here?"

Logan continued to stare in confusion.

"You're supposed to be dead. Do you realize that with you standing here out in the open, anyone could see you? Anyone. Think about it. How much do you value your life, Logan?"

Logan remained silent, processing Alec's words, while Alec continued in hopes that if he didn't give Logan a chance to supply his own answer, Alec would be able to spoon-feed him one. "Because the only thing keeping your body warm at night is the fact that everyone thinks you're dead."

The words seemed to have given Logan renewed trust in Alec, and his suspicions faded into annoyance at Alec's words. "This isn't exactly Times Square," Logan defended his intelligence and decision to come to the place.

Alec continued to mock Logan and his decisions. He knew that if he kept it up, soon Logan would reveal his reasoning for coming, perhaps even tip Ben to Lydecker's location. "Oh, that's right. It's the 'high place'. Just what the hell were you getting at there, 'eyesonly4u'? And by the way, that screen name is pure…genius. I mean, it's not like Manticore would be searching for 'EyesOnly' contacting Max! What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about Max, you asshole! Something that you obviously haven't been doing lately. She's in danger! Or didn't you notice that in between your sudden vacation?"

There it was. That smug look again. Ben wanted to rip it right off his face that suddenly seemed far too close for comfort.

But Alec didn't. Or wouldn't, at least. Alec didn't understand what he meant by that comment, though. Logan knew something that he didn't. And this time, he wasn't going to give Logan the opportunity to question him again. "What do you mean by that, Logan? Cuz I think if you'd ask Max, she'd say that I've been doing a lot more than thinking about her."

Logan narrowed his eyes at Alec. "I can guess what you meant by that last comment, but I'm not going to, because right now, I'm just concerned about Max. Where is she?"

"What are you gonna do, Logan? Swoop in and save her? From…well, now that I think of it, you never did specify who you're trying to protect her from." Alec hoped the comment would impress upon Logan the need to tell him more about the situation.

"I knew you wouldn't understand the message," Logan complained at Alec's expense. Alec took it as an insult at his own deducting skills, but didn't react, since Logan continued. "Where the hell have you been for the past few weeks?"

"So now you're spying on me?" Alec asked him. "Did you ever think to call me? Or send me some cute IM?"

"I still have a few contacts," Logan admitted. "You haven't been seen in Seattle for about two weeks now, according to my sources. And since you're withholding information about Max, I have to wonder what exactly is going on."

Alec again held back the urge to laugh at Logan's shortcomings. The man's apparent jealousy of Alec was clouding his judgment. Or maybe it was just his blind attachment to Max that Alec was currently threatening with his own relationship to her.

He continued to dodge Logan's insecurities and stick to finding out what Logan knew. "That's what I'm trying to figure out, Logan! But you're making it difficult with all your accusations. Like I said, last I checked you were dead as far as anyone is concerned, which brings me to my question. What are you doing here?"

"I gave you that warning so you'd stay closer to Max," Logan complained.

Alec gave him a cocky grin. "Well, you've got nothing to worry about there, Logan."

Logan opened his mouth, momentarily shocked, while searching Alec's eyes for the hidden meaning to that comment. Alec stood staring at him, his eyes daring Logan to say something. Or do something, Alec thought with a smirk. If Logan somehow managed to put one over on Alec and ended up punching the transgenic in the mouth hard enough to draw blood or at least spit, there was a chance that the DNA still lingering from his kiss with Max (which was just as strong as the potent scent of hers that still touched his senses as he concerned the possibility) would kill the man.

But Logan's death would serve no purpose in this moment. Alec shook the challenging look out of his eyes as he knew it conflicted with finding out the information that Ben needed.

After another brief moment, Logan seemed to again fool himself into believing that he and Max still somehow had a solid relationship and that Alec was nothing but a trouble-making smart-ass as he rolled his eyes but ignored the comment otherwise. "I got word that you had disappeared…"

Alec nodded. Finally, Logan was filling him in on a few things. He mocked being touched by Logan's meddling. "That's cute of you to worry, Logan."

"I got word that you had disappeared," Logan repeated, ignoring Alec's comment. "Right before I got word that it was happening soon- now. Any day now is what my informant told me."

Now Alec was truly curious. "What is happening now?"

"Max is in danger," Logan said simply.

Alec found himself annoyed at Logan's continued withholding of information. "Been established," he remarked, indicating for Logan to say something more.

"Why do you think I told her to meet me at the 'high place'? Why do you think I mentioned the 'blue lady'?" Logan asked him with a face that read 'duh'.

Images of a beautiful woman dressed in blue danced across Ben's mind. He quickly suppressed them. Alec didn't need Ben's distant memories to distract himself. He continued to try and get more out of Logan. "How should I know? The truth is I don't bother wasting time in trying to figure out your bizarre logic, Logan."

"Ben," he answered simply.

Panic shot through Ben for a split-second as the fear that somehow he had failed made his heart stricken. He still was facing Logan as Alec, with a smart-ass grin and nonchalant attitude of not caring as he processed it. He repeated the name in his mind, exactly how Logan had said it. And suddenly, a calmness came over him, along with confusion. Logan hadn't spoken the name in a manner of address. He had only been answering his own question. Logan had brought up the 'blue lady' because of Ben.

"What did you say?" Alec asked him, hoping his brief moment of self-doubt had only come across as confusion in what Logan was telling him.

"Ben," Logan repeated.

"What does Max's dead brother have to do with any of this? He's dead, remember?"

"Well, look at me. 'Dead' doesn't exactly mean what it used to these days, now does it."

It wasn't a question. Logan had used it as a statement. He knows that Ben is alive? "Do you wish he were dead?" Alec blurted, a darkness sliding over the twinkle in his eyes for a split-second.

Logan looked appalled by the question."I don't believe in wishing," he dodged the question.

"You sound like Lydecker," Alec commented. He was pleased with such a good opportunity to bring the man into the conversation. "Is he the reason you're here?"

"I'm here because of Max. Ben is headed here, Alec. You should have let Max read that message about the blue lady. It was meant as a warning."

Alec didn't appreciate being criticized by Mr. Self-Righteous. Not to mention it didn't add up that Logan knew about something from Ben's distant memories that even Ben himself couldn't recall in his current state. "What do you know about the high place and the blue lady?"

"I've gotten several Manticore reports over the years, as you probably noticed on my computer." The comment had a jealous hint to it. So Logan didn't enjoy the fact that Alec had access to his computer and his former girlfriend.

Ben took a wild guess that Logan had never been up front with Alec unless it was absolutely necessary, which in Logan's mind meant the few fleeting moments where he accepted the fact that he alone couldn't save Max.

"Manticore reports…" Alec commented, "Yeah, I noticed a few. Actually, several. That you failed to ever mention. To me or Max." Alec could guess at his secrets. When you have secrets of your own, it's not hard to see when others share them as well.

"I knew that she would think of Ben when she heard those words. Consider it a warning, for yourself as well. Your twin brother is alive and coming for Max."

Ben almost laughed out loud in spite of the cover he was trying to keep. "You make him sound like some psycho killer."

"He is," Logan stated matter-of-factly.

You should talk! Logan's words disturbed Ben not only because of what he was agreeing to, but also because of the manner in which he said it. So Logan really believes that Ben is a psycho killer, without question. Ben's a psycho killer. The grass is green. It's all the same to him.

"Didn't Max tell you?" Logan asked as his suspicions seemed to come back. "You were arrested for his murders, remember? I gave you an alibi…" He trailed as he searched Alec's eyes for recognition.

Alec nodded. "Of course I remember. And thanks, Logan. I appreciated that. It's just that, from what Max has told me about Ben...I can't see him murdering her."

Logan frowned at Alec. "Don't be naïve, Alec. I know that Max likes to believe the best in everyone, but even she knew that there was no way to reason with him. You read the reports."

Alec swallowed. Logan's words were condescending and disturbing. Max knew there was no way to reason with Ben? What reports? Ben hadn't realized that his own lacking memory could end up being the fatal error in his mission.

"You act like you knew him," Alec said to Logan accusingly. "I'll keep your words in mind, Logan. But Max's word means more to me."

"You really don't think that Ben would kill Max? Not even if he was ordered to? Come on, Alec! Ben never let go of Manticore. He was insane. I wouldn't place my trust in that. Max didn't either. He's coming for her. I need to see her, tell her what's going on."

Ben tried to maintain the façade of Alec, which was growing more difficult as the conversation went on. In spite of his mission, he felt like if he didn't walk away to have a moment to recollect himself, he was going to give himself away. 'I wouldn't place my trust in that. Max didn't either', Logan's words rang in his head until he forced them out. He had to hold it together long enough to escape without leaving any room for further suspicion or doubt.

"I'll tell Max, Logan. You can't risk being seen by the wrong person," Alec finally offered.

"Do you think I've been spotted?" Logan asked.

"Not yet," Alec reassured him. "But the longer you're out of hiding, the greater the risk."

Logan stood still, quietly contemplating his options. Clearly, he'd really wanted to see Max tonight.

"So, when am I gonna hear from you again?" Alec asked.

The comment seemed to break Logan's thoughts, as he looked up and took a glance around himself, taking in the breathtaking view as he stood on top of the city, before facing Alec again. "I don't know," he answered honestly.

He then faced Alec with eyes that held a sense of urgency in them. "Tell Max that I'm not gonna give up, Alec. Tell her… that I'm here for her if she'll only wait for me."

Alec nodded in surprise but no longer was mocking the man. He'd already gotten the information he needed, and he wanted to end on a good note with the man. "I will, Logan," Alec answered sincerely.

Ben knew that Alec really would pass along that information, even though Logan's clinging false hope didn't matter anymore.

But Logan was talking to Ben. And Ben certainly had no desire in playing messenger or prolonging Logan's denial about Max and who she belonged with.

Ben decided that the only real control he had for the time being was over information. He had no hesitation in using that control, either. If Max really wanted or needed to hear that Logan was still desperately holding out for a future together with her, he would tell her. But the truth was, she didn't need to hear it. She'd already moved on.

a/n: thanks so much to everyone for reading. as always, reviews are appreciated