Sweat trickled down Eliann's face. Workout's helped her sort things out, put them in perspective. Whenever something troubled her, she came to the gym, every member a Familiar. She ran straight to the wall at top speed. Planting one foot firmly on the wall about two feet up, she pushed against the wall. Her feet swung backward over her head in a back flip. She landed with her feet shoulder with apart in a perfect stance.
Her arms swung down then back up and she went into a back-handspring. She landed and spun 180 degrees to face the waist high dummy. She then proceeded to perform a series of kicks, thrashing at the dummy.
It didn't help. Emotions ran through her and collided with each other. She couldn't come to one conclusion. She liked Alec, far greater than she should. But her society, her family instructed her to hate him.
Somehow, she had to stop thinking of him as amazing and start hating him again. How could she force herself to do that? After having been denied so many things, her heart deserved to indulge itself. Frustration took hold and Eliann delivered one kick sending the dummy across the room.
The super sensitive hearing she had been born with kicked in as she heard someone approaching behind her. Effortlessly, she dodged the fist directed at her face. She spun and kicked her attacker directly in the head.
Ames White laughed, snapping his head back to her. "You're in excellent form."
"Fenistole, Ames." She looked over his body clad in a tank top and loose pants. "So are you."
His eyes darted to the dummy, and he smirked. "Is something bothering you?"
She raised her chin defensively. "Of course not."
"Oh really?" He began walking a circle around her. "Sources of mine tell me you're getting close to 494."
"That is part of my mission."
"Yes, it is." Something in Ames' voice reminded Eliann of a snake. How fitting. "But I can't help think that maybe by getting close, you're starting to have feelings form him."
Eliann didn't respond, her gaze just following his slow walk.
"Falling for a transgenic," Ames continued. "That's pathetic. Transgenics are below us, they're even below humans." He came to a stop in front of her. "You're just like your mother, impure enough to fall for a human or a transgenic." Taking a step closer to her, he smiled sinfully. "You're whole family line is impure filth."
With that, Eliann unleashed all her anger on the man in front of her. Leaping into the air, she let fly a kick to his head and a kick to his stomach. Ames staggered back with a sneer on his face.
"My family is more pure than yours will ever be." She struck his face, and when he bent over, she kneed him in the gut. She grabbed his hair and pulled his head back to look at her. "And might I remind you that you fell in love with your wife." Swiftly, she yanked his head down causing his body to rotate and flip.
The moment he hit the floor, his leg jutted out knocking Eliann's legs out from underneath her. When her back met concrete, her neck felt one powerful hand. "At least my wife was my mate."
Eliann struggled momentarily, then she kicked her leg far enough to reach his head. Ames fell foreword over Eliann's head. Performing a back roll, she straddled Ames and looked down at him. She effortlessly backhanded him. "You're making poor excuses, Ames. I thought you were better than that."
He answered her with a punch to the face. She got off of him to take a split second break. He kipped up into a fighting stance. She met his stance.
Their eyes locked in a serious staring contest. Neither budged. Moments passed and finally, Ames relaxed. "Very good, Eliann. We had to make sure you were worthy being that this is the first thing the council has asked of you."
"Understood." Eliann appeared composed again.
"One word of advice before I go. Never underestimate him. Fenistole." Ames walked away.
Eliann stood looking around the empty gym. Involuntarily, she wrapped her arms around herself. "I won't. Fenistole."
Eliann waited outside Jam Pony. Few messengers even noticed her. Since her fight with Ames, her resolve in the Society began to dwindle. Doubts had always been in her mind but that fight triggered depletion in her beliefs. She looked foreword to spending some time with Alec.
Transgenics weren't supposed to be like him. They weren't supposed to be attractive, fun and excellent kissers. She had always been told transgenics were cold and unfeeling, monsters of their own emotionlessness.
The object of her affection appeared, strolling out of Jam Pony. Her breath caught at the sight of him. Loose fitting jeans covered his legs and he wore his trade mark leather jacket over a black t-shirt. His bag had been slung over his shoulder and across his chest. Eliann had never been so captivated by such a beautiful man.
He ran a hand through his hair causing it to stick out in places. He searched for her in the cluttered street and saw her. His eyes met hers as she lounged with her back against brick wall about twelve feet away from him.
Leisurely, she walked towards him and smiled. "Hey, Alec."
He matched her smile. "Well, hello there beautiful. Thanks for waiting for me."
"My pleasure, handsome. Do you really want to go to lunch?"
Alec eyed her. "What else did you have in mind?"
Linking arms with him, she directed them to their destination. "It's a surprise."
"The Arcade?"
Eliann smiled and grabbed his hand. "Come on. It's a lot of fun." She pulled him
into the arcade.
Bringing him to one game, she pointed to the top high score. It read EMS. "That's me. Think you can beat that?"
Alec read the points. 75,823,900 on Mortal Kombat. Never having played it, Alec didn't doubt that he could. Being a transgenic helped out with a variety of things.
He smiled placing his hands on the controls. "You're on, although, I'd like you to know that I've never played this before." Alec began playing but, like a true transgenic, he never missed a beat. Every match belonged to him, every opponent dead in less than thirty seconds. Eliann's attention wasn't on the game, however. She focused all of her super human attention on him and his movements. She noticed his jaw set firmly in concentration, his eyes like a predator hunting his prey.
She placed herself right behind him, close enough to peer over his shoulder. She could smell him. He wore some type of unbelievably good smelling cologne, and, of course, the smell that was uniquely him.
Sighing slightly made her breath tickle his neck. He raised his shoulder and smiled. "Trying to distract me?"
"What if I am?"
"It won't work, I'm not easily distractible." He never stopped playing. Concentration
and multitasking came naturally thanks to Manticore DNA recoding.
Eliann continued to pear over his shoulder but didn't distract him. She decided to let him play the game and do his best. When he lost his final match, he entered ALC into the top scores. The top ten scores came up with Alec five points behind Eliann and taking up the spot underneath hers. Eliann figured it would turn out this way, after all, transgenics were not as good as the Familiars. Instantly, she shot those thoughts out of her head. She focused on Alec and reminded herself that Alec meant something to her and she wouldn't think of him as beneath her.
Noticing his brow crease in confusion, she had to direct his attention away from the game. To Alec, a human had just beaten him in a game of skill.
"Come on, Alec. I've got another surprise."
He arched an eyebrow. "I hope it involves us running naked."
A coy smile crossed her face and she linked arms with him. "Maybe later." Out of the arcade, they rounded the corner to find a booth selling carmel apples.
Alec smiled. "Carmel apples! I love carmel apples."
"I thought you might." Picking up two apples, she handed the man behind the booth some money. Then she turned to Alec handing him an apple. "Here, my thanks for the ice cream."
He smiled softly at her. "Thank you."
Eliann could feel her knees wobble with his gaze. "Your welcome."
"I hate to say it, but I ought to be heading back. Normal loves me and all but I don't want to push it."
She nodded absently. "I'll walk you back."
Without realization, Eliann's hand fell into Alec's and they walked to JamPony neither removing their hands.
Rain poured over Seatle in the thick night. It only added to Eliann's mood. Gazing out the window at the falling rain, Eliann's heart ached. She wanted to love him. Fuck wanted, she already did. What she really wanted more than anything was to curse her heritage, curse her family and her mission. She couldn't leave herself out, either. She despised the need inside her to be loyal to the Society.
Eliann's thoughts were broken by a knock on her door. She crossed her small living room to the front door. Who greeted her on the other side was hardly someone she was happy to see.
"Ames," she said flatly.
"Eliann, fenistole." He brushed by her disregarding any politeness.
She sighed closing the door after him. "Please, come in," she said sarcastically.
He roamed around her apartment inspecting all her belongings which weren't many. "I came to check on your progress with 494." He didn't bother looking at her.
Her body tensed but she hoped she gave of an air of not caring. "I'm getting closer to him."
He glanced at her with a smirk. "Closer. Have you fallen for him yet?"
"No," her voice was hard. She looked at him through squinted eyes. "I'm not like you."
He glared at her. "Watch what you say. I'm still you're superior despite prior circumstances." Assertive steps carried him closer to her until he stood mere inches away. His eyes bore into hers as he searched for something.
Eliann guessed that he didn't find whatever he was looking for because his gaze eased. Nausea filled her stomach as Ames placed his hand under her chin. She willed herself still, to ignore the urge to vomit.
"Do keep in mind what will happen to you should you fail to terminate 494. I wouldn't want to see anything happen to such a pretty young woman." He paused still holding her chin before leaving her apartment.
The door slammed shut and a shiver ran down her spine. Images of the tortures performed on those Familiars who failed their missions raced through her mind. And the shame brought with such failure... Fear sank deep in Eliann's mind. Her heart-rate sped up and her breathing quickened. She couldn't let that happen. She wanted more than anything to be with Alec. She needed to run, to hide, to find somewhere safe. An idea presented itself to her. In an instant, she grabbed her keys and was gone.
Her arms swung down then back up and she went into a back-handspring. She landed and spun 180 degrees to face the waist high dummy. She then proceeded to perform a series of kicks, thrashing at the dummy.
It didn't help. Emotions ran through her and collided with each other. She couldn't come to one conclusion. She liked Alec, far greater than she should. But her society, her family instructed her to hate him.
Somehow, she had to stop thinking of him as amazing and start hating him again. How could she force herself to do that? After having been denied so many things, her heart deserved to indulge itself. Frustration took hold and Eliann delivered one kick sending the dummy across the room.
The super sensitive hearing she had been born with kicked in as she heard someone approaching behind her. Effortlessly, she dodged the fist directed at her face. She spun and kicked her attacker directly in the head.
Ames White laughed, snapping his head back to her. "You're in excellent form."
"Fenistole, Ames." She looked over his body clad in a tank top and loose pants. "So are you."
His eyes darted to the dummy, and he smirked. "Is something bothering you?"
She raised her chin defensively. "Of course not."
"Oh really?" He began walking a circle around her. "Sources of mine tell me you're getting close to 494."
"That is part of my mission."
"Yes, it is." Something in Ames' voice reminded Eliann of a snake. How fitting. "But I can't help think that maybe by getting close, you're starting to have feelings form him."
Eliann didn't respond, her gaze just following his slow walk.
"Falling for a transgenic," Ames continued. "That's pathetic. Transgenics are below us, they're even below humans." He came to a stop in front of her. "You're just like your mother, impure enough to fall for a human or a transgenic." Taking a step closer to her, he smiled sinfully. "You're whole family line is impure filth."
With that, Eliann unleashed all her anger on the man in front of her. Leaping into the air, she let fly a kick to his head and a kick to his stomach. Ames staggered back with a sneer on his face.
"My family is more pure than yours will ever be." She struck his face, and when he bent over, she kneed him in the gut. She grabbed his hair and pulled his head back to look at her. "And might I remind you that you fell in love with your wife." Swiftly, she yanked his head down causing his body to rotate and flip.
The moment he hit the floor, his leg jutted out knocking Eliann's legs out from underneath her. When her back met concrete, her neck felt one powerful hand. "At least my wife was my mate."
Eliann struggled momentarily, then she kicked her leg far enough to reach his head. Ames fell foreword over Eliann's head. Performing a back roll, she straddled Ames and looked down at him. She effortlessly backhanded him. "You're making poor excuses, Ames. I thought you were better than that."
He answered her with a punch to the face. She got off of him to take a split second break. He kipped up into a fighting stance. She met his stance.
Their eyes locked in a serious staring contest. Neither budged. Moments passed and finally, Ames relaxed. "Very good, Eliann. We had to make sure you were worthy being that this is the first thing the council has asked of you."
"Understood." Eliann appeared composed again.
"One word of advice before I go. Never underestimate him. Fenistole." Ames walked away.
Eliann stood looking around the empty gym. Involuntarily, she wrapped her arms around herself. "I won't. Fenistole."
Eliann waited outside Jam Pony. Few messengers even noticed her. Since her fight with Ames, her resolve in the Society began to dwindle. Doubts had always been in her mind but that fight triggered depletion in her beliefs. She looked foreword to spending some time with Alec.
Transgenics weren't supposed to be like him. They weren't supposed to be attractive, fun and excellent kissers. She had always been told transgenics were cold and unfeeling, monsters of their own emotionlessness.
The object of her affection appeared, strolling out of Jam Pony. Her breath caught at the sight of him. Loose fitting jeans covered his legs and he wore his trade mark leather jacket over a black t-shirt. His bag had been slung over his shoulder and across his chest. Eliann had never been so captivated by such a beautiful man.
He ran a hand through his hair causing it to stick out in places. He searched for her in the cluttered street and saw her. His eyes met hers as she lounged with her back against brick wall about twelve feet away from him.
Leisurely, she walked towards him and smiled. "Hey, Alec."
He matched her smile. "Well, hello there beautiful. Thanks for waiting for me."
"My pleasure, handsome. Do you really want to go to lunch?"
Alec eyed her. "What else did you have in mind?"
Linking arms with him, she directed them to their destination. "It's a surprise."
"The Arcade?"
Eliann smiled and grabbed his hand. "Come on. It's a lot of fun." She pulled him
into the arcade.
Bringing him to one game, she pointed to the top high score. It read EMS. "That's me. Think you can beat that?"
Alec read the points. 75,823,900 on Mortal Kombat. Never having played it, Alec didn't doubt that he could. Being a transgenic helped out with a variety of things.
He smiled placing his hands on the controls. "You're on, although, I'd like you to know that I've never played this before." Alec began playing but, like a true transgenic, he never missed a beat. Every match belonged to him, every opponent dead in less than thirty seconds. Eliann's attention wasn't on the game, however. She focused all of her super human attention on him and his movements. She noticed his jaw set firmly in concentration, his eyes like a predator hunting his prey.
She placed herself right behind him, close enough to peer over his shoulder. She could smell him. He wore some type of unbelievably good smelling cologne, and, of course, the smell that was uniquely him.
Sighing slightly made her breath tickle his neck. He raised his shoulder and smiled. "Trying to distract me?"
"What if I am?"
"It won't work, I'm not easily distractible." He never stopped playing. Concentration
and multitasking came naturally thanks to Manticore DNA recoding.
Eliann continued to pear over his shoulder but didn't distract him. She decided to let him play the game and do his best. When he lost his final match, he entered ALC into the top scores. The top ten scores came up with Alec five points behind Eliann and taking up the spot underneath hers. Eliann figured it would turn out this way, after all, transgenics were not as good as the Familiars. Instantly, she shot those thoughts out of her head. She focused on Alec and reminded herself that Alec meant something to her and she wouldn't think of him as beneath her.
Noticing his brow crease in confusion, she had to direct his attention away from the game. To Alec, a human had just beaten him in a game of skill.
"Come on, Alec. I've got another surprise."
He arched an eyebrow. "I hope it involves us running naked."
A coy smile crossed her face and she linked arms with him. "Maybe later." Out of the arcade, they rounded the corner to find a booth selling carmel apples.
Alec smiled. "Carmel apples! I love carmel apples."
"I thought you might." Picking up two apples, she handed the man behind the booth some money. Then she turned to Alec handing him an apple. "Here, my thanks for the ice cream."
He smiled softly at her. "Thank you."
Eliann could feel her knees wobble with his gaze. "Your welcome."
"I hate to say it, but I ought to be heading back. Normal loves me and all but I don't want to push it."
She nodded absently. "I'll walk you back."
Without realization, Eliann's hand fell into Alec's and they walked to JamPony neither removing their hands.
Rain poured over Seatle in the thick night. It only added to Eliann's mood. Gazing out the window at the falling rain, Eliann's heart ached. She wanted to love him. Fuck wanted, she already did. What she really wanted more than anything was to curse her heritage, curse her family and her mission. She couldn't leave herself out, either. She despised the need inside her to be loyal to the Society.
Eliann's thoughts were broken by a knock on her door. She crossed her small living room to the front door. Who greeted her on the other side was hardly someone she was happy to see.
"Ames," she said flatly.
"Eliann, fenistole." He brushed by her disregarding any politeness.
She sighed closing the door after him. "Please, come in," she said sarcastically.
He roamed around her apartment inspecting all her belongings which weren't many. "I came to check on your progress with 494." He didn't bother looking at her.
Her body tensed but she hoped she gave of an air of not caring. "I'm getting closer to him."
He glanced at her with a smirk. "Closer. Have you fallen for him yet?"
"No," her voice was hard. She looked at him through squinted eyes. "I'm not like you."
He glared at her. "Watch what you say. I'm still you're superior despite prior circumstances." Assertive steps carried him closer to her until he stood mere inches away. His eyes bore into hers as he searched for something.
Eliann guessed that he didn't find whatever he was looking for because his gaze eased. Nausea filled her stomach as Ames placed his hand under her chin. She willed herself still, to ignore the urge to vomit.
"Do keep in mind what will happen to you should you fail to terminate 494. I wouldn't want to see anything happen to such a pretty young woman." He paused still holding her chin before leaving her apartment.
The door slammed shut and a shiver ran down her spine. Images of the tortures performed on those Familiars who failed their missions raced through her mind. And the shame brought with such failure... Fear sank deep in Eliann's mind. Her heart-rate sped up and her breathing quickened. She couldn't let that happen. She wanted more than anything to be with Alec. She needed to run, to hide, to find somewhere safe. An idea presented itself to her. In an instant, she grabbed her keys and was gone.