A/N: Big surprise here, but guess who I have to thank? Yep it's that pesky Sorrow! Ok, so she's not pesky at all, but the tanks do have to go out to her for helping me revive this fic! So…hopefully you enjoy it, hopefully you still remember it! Cause god knows it took me a while to! Have fun reading :D ~Mel
_______________________________________________________________________
Chapter two - sleeping with the enemy
__________________________________________________________
He waited just inside the boundaries of TC, unnoticed by all those who passed by. White was right, they were lacking in training. He was supreme to them now and the sooner they learnt that the better. Together he and White would save the transgenic nation and he would be the hero, the soldier he was made to be.
He was in the perfect position, able to see her enter through the main doors of what seemed to be their headquarters. But there was nothing that could prepare him for that moment. Even with all the training he had administered, he was completely taken back. His heart pounded throughout his entire being, head to toes, pumping his blood to his oxygen thriving body. The pounding so loud and heavy, that all he could hear and feel was the throbbing in his ears.
He never expected seeing her again would affect him like this. He tried his hardest to push back the emotions that White had taught him to control, knowing that all they did was weaken him. But when it came to Max, all bets were off.
He continued to watch from the shadows. He caught his breath suddenly, seeing her stop and glance in his direction. He held his breath and prayed, not to the Blue Lady for she no longer ruled him. No, he prayed to his new leader, his commander and friend. Prayed that she couldn't see him. As she took to her previously chosen path (through to the headquarters of TC), Ben released his breath and thanked White for answering him.
He shifted his position slightly, obtaining a clearer view of the inside of the compound. Finally he managed to push his emotions back, gaining the composure he had trained for. All he needed now was for 494 to rear his identical head and then the games would really start. White had filled his X5 bag full of tricks and Ben was ready to unleash them on his unsuspecting twin. The only question now was 'when'?
*********************
Max couldn't help but feel she was being watched whilst she moved toward her place at the head of the table, ready to get the nightly meeting underway. She was skittish and the others could sense it. Joshua was most concerned, his eyes expressing his concern. He moved by Max's side, placing a projective arm across her shoulder.
"Little Fella ok?"
Max let herself slip into his hold, his large body becoming a wall for her to rest against.
"You know me Big Fella. Always alright."
"Little Fella starting to sound like Medium Fella."
Max spat slightly at the comment. "As if!"
She was nothing like Alec. The only thing they had in common was that they were both made in a test tube. Ok, so that wasn't entirely true, but she certainly wasn't becoming like him. If anything it was he who was becoming like her. So why was he still such a pain in the ass? She answered her own question quickly, because he's Alec.
"Speaking of, where is the great lug?"
*********************
He knew she was going to be pissed, again! But a day without Max being pissed off at him was like a day in...well he couldn't even fathom the thought. That was a burger without the filling, a pie without the…filling. Alec sighed, he was suddenly very hungry. He held his stomach and looked down. "Don't you grumble at me too, I get enough of that from her."
He wasn't far now, only another ten minutes to go. It would of course be just two minutes if he didn't have to avoid the few sector cops and military personnel still posted around Terminal City. But what could he do? Grin and bear it of course. Like any good looking trannie would do. No wonder Mole was always so crabby.
********************
Seeing the meeting was underway and likely to go for sometime, Ben thought now was as good a time as ever to browse Terminal City, get to know his surroundings. He slipped through the shadows, avoiding those where he could. That name continued to be thrown at him. 'Alec'. Ben hated it. He wanted to snap the neck of every man, women and creature who said it to him, but he had to hold back. Draw in all that anger and save it for one person. His eyes darkened and his lips curled into a satisfied grin. He took in a long steady breath.
Ben stopped suddenly, mid breath, as he felt the vibration. He removed the phone from his pocket and drew it to his ear.
"Yes Sir?"
White's voice moved through the airwaves and into Ben's mind. "I expect that your insertion was successful?"
"Yes Sir."
"Very good 493. He's on his way back in. ETA 4 minutes. You know what to do."
"Yes Sir."
The call ended. Ben returned the phone to his pocket and turned, jumping back, slightly startled.
"Hey Alec. Who were you talking to? I haven't heard you call anyone Sir in a while."
"You heard wrong." Ben couldn't help himself, he clutched either side of the young man's head and snapped it to the side, inhaling a satisfied breath as he heard the bone snap. His eyes fluttering with pleasure as he felt the vibration of the break within his hands. He took a quick look around before letting go, sure now that nobody had seen. The body slumped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Quickly Ben dragged it down the side of a building, burying it beneath the layers of trash that lines the streets.
Ben scaled the nearby wall and now stood on the rooftop, overlooking TC once more. He removed a knife from the inside of his boot and slashed in across his palm. He sucked in sharp breaths as the pain slid up his arm. He needed to regain his composure again, he needed to focus. Such impulsive attacks as he had just administered would be the end of him, they would cause him to fail. Cause him to disappoint his commander and Ben couldn't let that happen. Not again.
Ben clenched his hand closed then began to move from rooftop to rooftop, returning to his earlier position, the meeting still not over. He would watch for the rest of the night, regain himself and watch.
Then he saw him and he nearly screamed.
************************
"Hey Toby, where's Nick? He said he was on post tonight?"
"Hey Alec, he was but asked me to cover for an hour or so. He wanted to go to the big meeting which you are rather late for."
Alec patted Toby on the shoulder. "Yeah yeah, don't remind me. Talk to you later?"
"Sure thing."
The two X's nodded to one another before Alec walked off toward headquarters.
It was interesting. Transgenics weren't ones to feel the cold, at least not to any great degree. So why was it that Alec could feel shivers running down his spine?
*************************
"Are you sure Alec came in earlier?" Max turned to Nick, a fairly pissed look on her face.
"Yeah. It wasn't long before the meeting started."
"Fine, well there's nothing else to go over now. We'll just have to wait for his update next time. That is of course if he has the ability to talk by then. That's it then. You're all right to go."
General banter picked up as the attendees of the meeting began to leave. Most of them snickering at Max's anger and joking as to what kind of pain she would inflict on Alec this time. Mole strolled over her, cigar of course plastered inside his mouth.
"Max, anyone would think you enjoy this."
"Enjoy what Mole?" Max flung herself around to face him, unintimidated by their difference in size.
"Being pissed 24/7. You're actually getting these creases right…" Mole leaned over her, pointing at he forehead.
Max slapped his hand away. "Piss off Mole or I'll do more than crease your-"
"Oh and I was told I'd missed tonight's fun!" Alec waltzed into the room, his arms wide open. "But I'm here in time for the daily Max/Mole rumble."
"Think you better put your name in my place buddy." Mole moved passed him, before exiting the room. "Good Luck!"
Alec 'Pfft' a small laugh. He placed his hands in his pockets and returned his smiling gaze to Max, though her back was to him. "So what did I do this time? Cause world hunger?"
Max gathered her paperwork and kept her back to him. "If you don't know, then I can't be bothered with you."
"Max not wanting to be bothered with me? Gee. Must be Tuesday." Alec rolled his eyes. "So how did the meeting go?"
Max turned and pushed passed him. "If you bothered to turn up, you would know."
"Bothered to turn up?" Alec followed Max out the door. "Max, I just got back."
She spun to face him. "Yeah likely story Alec. If you don't want responsibility here, then don't take it. Just don't fuck around. People here depend on us and they don't need some worthless asshole screwing them over."
Alec was stunned. "I'm sorry, what did you just call me?"
"You've got transgenic hearing Alec. Use it."
Max turned to walk away, but Alec grabbed her arm. "Just hang on a second. I wasn't at the meeting because I only just got back and how dare you-"
"How dare I? You're the one who can't be bothered showing up."
"How many times do I have to say I only just got back?"
"Bullshit Alec. Nick said you came back over an hour ago."
Alec was a little confused. "Well Nick's wrong. Ask Toby, I only just got back."
"And how much have you paid Toby to lie for you? You're pathetic Alec."
"And you're a bitch." Alec then turned and walked off, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with her.
**********************
Ben watched silently as Max flung the door open and stormed outside, closely followed by the beast, 494. The seemed to be arguing, but Ben couldn't quite hear. He wanted to move closer, but was in too much danger of being seen. He tried so hard to hear, but only the occasional rise of voice could be heard. He stiffened and almost growled as he saw 494 wrap his hand around Max's arm and turn her back to face him. They were fighting as though they were lovers. Was that possible? Could 494 have brainwashed Max into- no. Max was too strong for that, but Commander White had warned him about 494, that he wasn't always as he seemed.
Ben knew 494 had turned on his own kind before, to save himself from another government agency Commander White had told him about. So what would stop him from turning on his own kind again? Commander White had explained that they were unsure whether 494 was still working for this group from the inside of Terminal City. Ben wouldn't allow that to happen.
He watched as 494 turned and left now. Max stood in the darkness, looking down at her feet. She was so beautiful. He face still blushed from her anger, her fists still wrapped in balls. Ben could sit there and watch her all night, but there were things that had to be done. Instead he turned his focus to the beast, watching him as he moved away. He slid from his place of hiding and began to follow 494. It was time to see where and how is clone lived.
*********************
Alec was pissed, majorly pissed! This one had really topped the cake for 'Max's unreasonable ways of thinking'. He would be sure to track Nick down and ring his neck. Of course he would be sure to actually check that he was right before accusing him of something, but the ringing would certainly come later.
Alec tried to release his fists, but it seemed that he had squeezed them so hard that his nails had embedded into his skin. He stopped dead for a moment and rested his head backwards. He closed his eyes, sucked in a long steady breath and counted slowly. But ten wouldn't be enough to cool him down properly, not even ten thousand would do the trick. He needed something else, someone else. He needed Elli and her place was just around the corner.
**********************
Ben stayed a good distance away across the rooftops and out of sight. Revelling in the fact that 494's anger had obviously effected his other senses. People had been calling to him from the streets, but their calls fell on deaf ears. An interesting factor that Ben would file away. 494 let the anger get the better of him and shut out the world and his surroundings.
Ben stopped suddenly, as 494 did so. He watched him take a long calming breath and felt himself doing the same. Ben was not nervous, nor scared, but the breath calmed him some what. He was obviously a little tense, having to follow the man who was identical to him left an eerie feeling in the pit of his stomach, but soon there would be just one of them.
Soon.
Ben watched as 494 moved forward again and began to round the corner. He was about to move himself when he felt a hand wrap around his waist.
"Coming to surprise me were you?"
Ben grabbed the girls wrist and flung her away from his body. He turned to face her wide eyes and cheeky grin, she obviously thought that she knew him. She thought he was the beast.
"Nice to see you too Alec. What are you doing in this part of town?"
494 didn't live in this area, he had been wondering aimlessly through the city.
"Well come on, there's no need to act all shy suddenly. I have seen you naked remember." The redhead in front of him continued to smile almost seductively and by the way she had wrapped her hand around his waist earlier…
"I came to see you." Ben caught the glint in her eye and the slight blush of her cheeks. He knew that was the right answer.
"What? Need some Elli time?" She bit her bottom lip and reach out, wrapping her fingers over Ben's waistband and pulling him closer to her. There faces were only millimetres apart and Elli trailed the contours of his face slowly with her eyes. "What's the matter? You seem really tense?"
Ben swallowed hard. "Nothing, nothing's wrong."
She drew a hand to his face and brushed his hair back, "Because you know if there is, you can tell me?" Ben shrugged. "Ok then, well just relax. Elli will make everything better."
She moved in and captured his lips with hers. Ben was frozen in place at first, but then all primal urges took over. He found his hand instinctively wrapping around her waist and drawing her closer, escalating the intensity of their kiss, the level of his hunger.
Elli broke away for a moment, "Don't you think we should take this insi-" But Ben took her again and she knew they weren't making it back to her apartment.
********************
"Hey Elli, you here?" Alec had tapped on the door for a few minutes and received no answer, so of course he entered anyway. "Elli?"
Alec roamed through the apartment, one of the largest in TC in fact. That's what he liked about Elli, she had an eye for style. And him. Alec grinned at the thought. He had made it through every room and she was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn it."
He sighed and scratched the back of his head. Looked like he was going home for a lonely night with a bottle of scotch. He sighed once more then strolled out of the apartment.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
