White dropped the file on his desk. Seven more transgenics had been
captured trying to get into Seattle. For some reason, they were trying to
join their fellow freaks in Terminal City. maybe they all had a wish to die
together, for this could not end any other way.
A knock came at his door, and he looked up, not saying anything. if they
entered, he would talk to them. If they didn't, well, it couldn't be that
important.
The door opened. A tall woman in a white lab coat entered, and moved
towards the couch, throwing herself down on it.
"Like to sit down?" White offered sarcastically.
"Your son" she told him "Is a complete enigma. Does he talk to you?"
"Not really" White replied, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "He hasn't really spoken to me since we rescued him."
"He seems confused." The doctor told him. "The transgenics, they got to him somehow. Hypnosis, maybe. He knows that he is one of us, a familiar, and he wants to be with us, but when I mention the transgenic leader, 494, I feel absolute respect and loyalty from him."
"494 isn't the leader. 452 is." White corrected.
"Nevertheless, it is 494's name that he reacts to. He thinks of him as 'Alec'"
"Yes, the human name he gave himself. Do you think they hypnotised him to have that reaction? It would explain a lot. What he was doing at the Site with the transgenics, for example."
The doctor nodded.
"I'll keep working with him. if they hypnotised him, then maybe they trusted him, spoke in front of him. he may give us some information."
he tried to concentrate on his breathing, tried to forget that everything he saw was white, so white that it hurt his eyes to look at the wall. Or, through the wall, because he really wasn't sure where the wall began and the white ended. There were voices coming from somewhere. He didn't recognise them, but he did recognise two words they were saying. Words he had heard many times before. Duty. Mission. Words that had been drilled into him at Manticore. He knew he was dreaming, but could he be dreaming of Manticore? He couldn't remember anything like that there. The voices stopped, and if it were possible, the room got even brighter. He started to scream as the light became physically painful. But he couldn't hear himself.
Alec rolled over, reaching for Max in his sleep. She moved closer to him, smiling as his strong arms tightened around her. She stroked his arm lightly, watching him smile. Max closed her eyes again, and tried to think. Something felt wrong. Not being here, not being with Alec, that felt good, safe. But something else. She had a strange feeling that she didn't like. She sighed, and nudged Alec.
"Hmm?" he muttered, refusing to open his eyes.
"You awake?"
"No" his arms tightened slightly around her.
"I keep thinking about what that team found. The white room? what do you think it means?"
Alec stiffened, opening his eyes. "I don't want to think about that. I don't know."
"Why? I asked Dix if he knew what it was, and he made some stupid comment"
"Can we talk about something else?" Alec asked, leaning over to kiss her neck.
"Why?" she asked, sitting up. Alec sighed, and closed his eyes again.
"Why not?" he responded, trying to keep his tone light. Max glared at him.
"Why won't you answer my question?" her voice grew angry. "There could be something here. The way you all react when I mention it, you know something that could help, and you're not sharing. I want to know why."
Alec reached his hand towards her, running a finger down her arm. "I don't know anything. okay? Can we drop it?"
"Tell me" it sounded almost like an order. Well, Alec thought to himself, at least he was on familiar ground. He was used to Max being pissed off with him. he watched her closely.
"Damnit, you all expect me to lead you, yet when I ask for information, you don't give it." She pulled away from him, moving off the bed and going to stand by the window. She stared out over the city, her city, and frowned.
Alec sighed. Yep, emotional blackmail. It did the trick every time. "It wasn't so much that room, as the kind of memories it brought up." Max turned to look at him.
"In Psy Ops, they had this room. it was part of the experiments they did, later became part of re-indoctrination. The room was completely black. Being in there, it was like you were drowning. Or like you just didn't exist. There was nothing there. Guys used to scream, for hours on end, just to hear their own voices, remind themselves that they existed.
Max was silent for a minute. It sounded to her like Alec was speaking from first hand knowledge. "Was. Dix. ever put in that room?" she asked, slowly
"I don't know. maybe. Not the kind of thing you talk about down at the bar with your friends"
she nodded, turning back to look at him. Alec was staring at the ceiling, his face thoughtful. She felt a stab of guilt. "Hey, how's the leg?" she asked suddenly. Alec shook his head slightly, and glanced over at her.
"Fine, why?" he asked, a faint smile on his face.
"Well, neither of us have done any training in a few days. Think you can handle a little light sparring?"
"bring it on" he grinned, laughing as he caught a shirt that she threw at him. Max smiled.
"Now, remember, if you need to rest, or anything, its okay" Max told him, settling into a fighting pose. Alec looked at her, his eyebrows raised.
"You know, because you're still, uh, hurt, and all"
Yep, he thought, that was definitely sarcastic. He smiled at her. "Gonna keep delaying the inevitable?"
"Have to make you feel better about yourself" she taunted. "At least this way, you can say the fight went longer than a few seconds"
"Bring it on" he commented, faking a high roundhouse to her head. Max fell for it, moving back slightly, putting herself slightly off balance. Alec spun, lifting his foot in a side kick that would have sent her flying back several feet, had he not pulled it at the last second.
"Don't play games, Alec. If you can hit me, do it. I will" she commented, illustrating this by dropping to the ground, sweeping his foot out from under him. Alec fell to the ground, then flipped himself back to his feet. He shook his head, and grinned. Fine, if that was what she wanted. He started to focus on the fight, reacting to her moves, taking a few shots when he could, but mostly just letting his body react to what was happening. The fight got faster, the kicks getting harder, neither of them thinking any more about holding back. Max moved in towards him to block a strike, and floored him with a body rip to his side. Alec bent over, and as she moved to finish him off, he grabbed her arm and flipped her to the ground. "Point to me" he commented. She shrugged. "Best of ten, right?" she asked. He nodded, reaching a hand down to help her up.
"Round two?" he asked.
Logan leaned against the wall, watching. He had meant to interrupt them after the first round, but something made him hold back, wanting to see what would happen. In all honesty, he wanted to see Max kick Alec's ass, which he was sure would happen. Alec just wasn't that good a fighter. He watched them square off again, and laughed slightly as Alec wore a kick to the head. His expression quickly turned to disgust as Alec grabbed her leg, and sent her back down to the ground. If he hurt her. But Max was moving, flipping her lower body off the ground somehow, wrapping her legs around Alec's neck, and pulling him to the ground also. Alec fell on top of Max, pinning her arms above her head. Logan's expression turned angry. This was no longer fighting. This was becoming something else.
"Hey" he called, stepping into the lot. Max and Alec both paused, and looked over to him. "Oh, good" Alec commented, not moving. "Alec" Max admonished, trying to push him aside. He refused to move, enjoying the expression on Logan's face at seeing him lying on top of Max. Alec shifted position slightly, so that he was more firmly on top of Max.
"Logan" he commented. "We're kind of in the middle of something"
Logan's face dropped, and he took a step forward. "Alec!" Max warned, shoving him to the side, so that she could stand up.
Alec rolled onto his back, grinning, but trying to hide it. This was going to be so much fun.
"Like to sit down?" White offered sarcastically.
"Your son" she told him "Is a complete enigma. Does he talk to you?"
"Not really" White replied, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "He hasn't really spoken to me since we rescued him."
"He seems confused." The doctor told him. "The transgenics, they got to him somehow. Hypnosis, maybe. He knows that he is one of us, a familiar, and he wants to be with us, but when I mention the transgenic leader, 494, I feel absolute respect and loyalty from him."
"494 isn't the leader. 452 is." White corrected.
"Nevertheless, it is 494's name that he reacts to. He thinks of him as 'Alec'"
"Yes, the human name he gave himself. Do you think they hypnotised him to have that reaction? It would explain a lot. What he was doing at the Site with the transgenics, for example."
The doctor nodded.
"I'll keep working with him. if they hypnotised him, then maybe they trusted him, spoke in front of him. he may give us some information."
he tried to concentrate on his breathing, tried to forget that everything he saw was white, so white that it hurt his eyes to look at the wall. Or, through the wall, because he really wasn't sure where the wall began and the white ended. There were voices coming from somewhere. He didn't recognise them, but he did recognise two words they were saying. Words he had heard many times before. Duty. Mission. Words that had been drilled into him at Manticore. He knew he was dreaming, but could he be dreaming of Manticore? He couldn't remember anything like that there. The voices stopped, and if it were possible, the room got even brighter. He started to scream as the light became physically painful. But he couldn't hear himself.
Alec rolled over, reaching for Max in his sleep. She moved closer to him, smiling as his strong arms tightened around her. She stroked his arm lightly, watching him smile. Max closed her eyes again, and tried to think. Something felt wrong. Not being here, not being with Alec, that felt good, safe. But something else. She had a strange feeling that she didn't like. She sighed, and nudged Alec.
"Hmm?" he muttered, refusing to open his eyes.
"You awake?"
"No" his arms tightened slightly around her.
"I keep thinking about what that team found. The white room? what do you think it means?"
Alec stiffened, opening his eyes. "I don't want to think about that. I don't know."
"Why? I asked Dix if he knew what it was, and he made some stupid comment"
"Can we talk about something else?" Alec asked, leaning over to kiss her neck.
"Why?" she asked, sitting up. Alec sighed, and closed his eyes again.
"Why not?" he responded, trying to keep his tone light. Max glared at him.
"Why won't you answer my question?" her voice grew angry. "There could be something here. The way you all react when I mention it, you know something that could help, and you're not sharing. I want to know why."
Alec reached his hand towards her, running a finger down her arm. "I don't know anything. okay? Can we drop it?"
"Tell me" it sounded almost like an order. Well, Alec thought to himself, at least he was on familiar ground. He was used to Max being pissed off with him. he watched her closely.
"Damnit, you all expect me to lead you, yet when I ask for information, you don't give it." She pulled away from him, moving off the bed and going to stand by the window. She stared out over the city, her city, and frowned.
Alec sighed. Yep, emotional blackmail. It did the trick every time. "It wasn't so much that room, as the kind of memories it brought up." Max turned to look at him.
"In Psy Ops, they had this room. it was part of the experiments they did, later became part of re-indoctrination. The room was completely black. Being in there, it was like you were drowning. Or like you just didn't exist. There was nothing there. Guys used to scream, for hours on end, just to hear their own voices, remind themselves that they existed.
Max was silent for a minute. It sounded to her like Alec was speaking from first hand knowledge. "Was. Dix. ever put in that room?" she asked, slowly
"I don't know. maybe. Not the kind of thing you talk about down at the bar with your friends"
she nodded, turning back to look at him. Alec was staring at the ceiling, his face thoughtful. She felt a stab of guilt. "Hey, how's the leg?" she asked suddenly. Alec shook his head slightly, and glanced over at her.
"Fine, why?" he asked, a faint smile on his face.
"Well, neither of us have done any training in a few days. Think you can handle a little light sparring?"
"bring it on" he grinned, laughing as he caught a shirt that she threw at him. Max smiled.
"Now, remember, if you need to rest, or anything, its okay" Max told him, settling into a fighting pose. Alec looked at her, his eyebrows raised.
"You know, because you're still, uh, hurt, and all"
Yep, he thought, that was definitely sarcastic. He smiled at her. "Gonna keep delaying the inevitable?"
"Have to make you feel better about yourself" she taunted. "At least this way, you can say the fight went longer than a few seconds"
"Bring it on" he commented, faking a high roundhouse to her head. Max fell for it, moving back slightly, putting herself slightly off balance. Alec spun, lifting his foot in a side kick that would have sent her flying back several feet, had he not pulled it at the last second.
"Don't play games, Alec. If you can hit me, do it. I will" she commented, illustrating this by dropping to the ground, sweeping his foot out from under him. Alec fell to the ground, then flipped himself back to his feet. He shook his head, and grinned. Fine, if that was what she wanted. He started to focus on the fight, reacting to her moves, taking a few shots when he could, but mostly just letting his body react to what was happening. The fight got faster, the kicks getting harder, neither of them thinking any more about holding back. Max moved in towards him to block a strike, and floored him with a body rip to his side. Alec bent over, and as she moved to finish him off, he grabbed her arm and flipped her to the ground. "Point to me" he commented. She shrugged. "Best of ten, right?" she asked. He nodded, reaching a hand down to help her up.
"Round two?" he asked.
Logan leaned against the wall, watching. He had meant to interrupt them after the first round, but something made him hold back, wanting to see what would happen. In all honesty, he wanted to see Max kick Alec's ass, which he was sure would happen. Alec just wasn't that good a fighter. He watched them square off again, and laughed slightly as Alec wore a kick to the head. His expression quickly turned to disgust as Alec grabbed her leg, and sent her back down to the ground. If he hurt her. But Max was moving, flipping her lower body off the ground somehow, wrapping her legs around Alec's neck, and pulling him to the ground also. Alec fell on top of Max, pinning her arms above her head. Logan's expression turned angry. This was no longer fighting. This was becoming something else.
"Hey" he called, stepping into the lot. Max and Alec both paused, and looked over to him. "Oh, good" Alec commented, not moving. "Alec" Max admonished, trying to push him aside. He refused to move, enjoying the expression on Logan's face at seeing him lying on top of Max. Alec shifted position slightly, so that he was more firmly on top of Max.
"Logan" he commented. "We're kind of in the middle of something"
Logan's face dropped, and he took a step forward. "Alec!" Max warned, shoving him to the side, so that she could stand up.
Alec rolled onto his back, grinning, but trying to hide it. This was going to be so much fun.