Title: Total Recall, Chapter 11

Author: CSIphile/redwing

AN: Again…thank you, thank you all for taking the time to review. Reading them makes me so happy!

AN2: Regarding Max's POV, someone asked me if we will get it. My answer is not really. The fic is like 85% Alec POV with Max's thrown in when needed. I tend to write from just one POV, its easier that way. Some good Max stuff coming up soon though!

And man, is it tricky when writing to type 494 and 452 instead of Alec and Max…I had to like triple check to make sure I didn't screw up anywhere!

Enjoy!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 11: Frustration

"No…Logan…I…" Mole sighs and looks at the other transhuman in the room, rolling his eyes slightly. "I really don't think that's necessary, besides it's a bit dangerous for you….No, I understand, really I do, but since you can't stay here….Yeah, exactly. Can you just try and get that info for me? Dix and Luke came up empty. Yeah, hospitals- VA, mental, the regular ol' kind. West Coast first, probably. Anything…Thanks man. I'll let you know."

Softly, he hangs up the phone and looks at Joshua, sighing yet again. The dog man looks at him curiously, sniffs the air and then speaks.

"Logan worried."

"Yeah, big man. Logan's worried."

"Logan will find Max, Alec."

Standing, Mole places a hand on Joshua's shoulder, patting lightly. "I hope so, Josh, I really do."

The large lizard man walks into central command and looks around. Not much has actually changed in the seven weeks since their leaders went missing, presumably dead. TC runs along pretty well on its own, and it has for a while now; they are just there to basically solve problems that come up. Everyone, with the exception of himself and Dix, still do the same jobs they always have.

Walking to the bank of monitors, he looks at the increased police force. They've been there close to a week now, just…watching. No one from the other side has attempted to contact them, and the transgenics inside the city haven't even acknowledged the sudden sign of force outside their borders. Mole knows this is just the beginning, of something, but he isn't sure what. He just hopes if Max and Alec are alive, they can find them first. Negotiating never was part of Mole's repertoire.

He looks at the rat-man on the graveyard shift watching the system. There is always one person watching the monitors, and there has been since day one.

"Jason, how's it going? Any movement?"

"Not a thing, the pigs are just…there."

Mole nods, and eyes Jason slightly. Something didn't add up for Mole about this kid, and the rat is on his short list of suspects in Max and Alec's disappearance -- a list that only he and Dix are aware of. Carefully, they'd been doing surveillance on all their suspects, slowly eliminating them. But this one….he stays on the list. Working the graveyard, he would have been in the command area when the final discussions about the raid went down. Given his transgenic hearing, it's not outside the realm of possibility that he could have heard them. Especially with his rat DNA.

Turning to Dix's office, he closes the door and relays the conversation with Logan.

The smaller man sighs. "I knew he would help, I just didn't know where else to look."

"Not your fault, man. Hopefully Log boy can scare up something." Mole pauses and looks at the door. "Anything?"

"I might have something about our favorite transhuman." They both know he is talking about Jason, they just don't use his name for fear of being overheard. Dix grabs a piece of paper and quickly writes:

Couple of the 6's saw him before the raid near the fence. Thought he was on a phone, but they couldn't be sure, he was hidden real well in the shadows and they were in a hurry.

"Good, excellent. I'll follow up."

She is grinning evilly at him and 494 wonders what is going on in her head. They were currently doing their daily run; the two transgenics had gotten in the habit of running together, usually ahead of the pack. After her question the other day, neither had spoken of the weird vibes they got around each other.

Actually, they were not exactly weird vibes, but a comfort with each other that they can't explain, considering their limited exposure. He relaxes around her, and he can tell she does the same with him. That is most certainly not Manticore-taught behavior, because you don't get attached to anyone in here. But he has become attached to her, and in a hurry.

Again he looks, and this time she has the proverbial "cat that ate the canary" expression.

"What?" he asks, without breaking stride or a sweat.

"I heard we might be getting sent out on a mission."

That almost made him stop in his tracks. "Already?"

"Apparently the higher ups were impressed with our capture exercise results." She shrugs, but continues to grin.

"Yeah. I just…I wasn't expecting so soon after failed missions."

Again she shrugs at him.

He regards her carefully; he wants to talk to her about his misgivings about Manticore's story, but he isn't sure if she will run to their handler. So he starts slowly. "How did your debriefing go?"

"Debriefing?" She glances at him before looking back at the others. "Damn, 494, we are at least half a click ahead."

He ignores her last statement, not caring; he's fishing for information. "After the failed mission, didn't you get debriefed?"

Her expression changes swiftly to confusion. "I know I must have, but for the life of me I can't remember. Maybe they did it before I went into medical."

"Maybe."

She gives him a strange look. "Why? What's going on?"

"Nothing," he says curtly, and stares straight ahead.

"Not nothing. You're hiding something, I can tell." Her voice is hard, somewhat annoyed.

Now he stops and she does the same. "How? How can you tell, 452? I've only known you for a few weeks."

"I…we are trained in observation and you know it." She glances behind her. "We better get moving before the pack catches up."

He grabs her arm before she can start running again. "Think about it. It is really training?"

With that, he releases her arm and starts moving. After only a few seconds, he hears her footfalls on the blacktop track and then sees her fall into step with him. She doesn't say anything, but he can practically see her contemplating his words.

Olivet looks at the mission parameters and smiles. Perfect. It's a perfect way to test them.

494 watches the two X5s in the ring. They are really going at it -- blood is practically pouring from the blonde one's temple. Some of the X's had gotten together in the training room and decided to have a little boxing contest to see who was the best. The handlers didn't really care. As long as no one ended up dead, they considered it good practice. Since those with upcoming missions were excluded, that left eight males and three females to beat the hell out of each other for bragging rights.

494 has already knocked his first round opponent- a smallish male- to the ground in damn near record time. Now he's standing in the crowd, bopping and weaving in unison with the combatants in the ring, really getting into the game.

He had tried to find 452 earlier when they realized they had an uneven number (and more men than women), but the brunette was nowhere to be found. 494 can only hope she considers his words, 'cause the more he thinks about it, the more convinced he is that Manticore is pulling a fast one on them; he's just not sure what it is yet.

He is aware of her presence mere seconds before her small hand lands on his forearm, pausing his jabbing motions.

"Hey! You're here! We were short a man, so there's one more group in this round, if you wanna jump in," he tells her, enthusiastically.

"I don't think so. I've been thinking."

Her serious tone causes him to stop moving entirely and look at her face. He is about to move to a more private area when the ringleader of this event spots 452.

"HEY! 452! We need another body!" he shouts over the ropes, as the transgenics who had been fighting exit the ring.

"Not interested," she says, and turns back to her partner.

"Come ON, 452! Get your ass up here -- prove a girl can win. All the other ones are out already."

"I…" She stops and considers this for a minute. Why the hell not? "Ok, I'm in."

"Don't do this," 494 hisses at her.

"Why not? I'm just as strong as you. You've fought, why not me?"

"I just…." He pauses, 494 but can't think of a rational reason for her not to fight. It's his instinct that's trying to stop her. While he is grappling with this sudden need to protect her, 452 has pulled away from him and enters the ring.

He watches with fear in his heart and has to restrain the irrational need to help her when the male in the ring with her swipes her feet out, and she lands with a thud on the mat. She is back on her feet quickly though, and attacking her competitor, kicking him hard in the side of the head, effectively ending the match and moving on to the next round.

Again, in the second round, 494 easily dispatches his competitor. He feels good in the ring, natural. And again, 452 does the same with hers. The same happens through the third and fourth rounds, and horror washes over him when 494 realizes he is going to have to fight her.

The ringmaster's voice resounds through the expansive training room. "Well folks, we have quite a show here. 494 and 452 are going to face each other in the final round. In fifteen minutes, the show starts!"

Pushing through the crowd, 494 easily finds 452 surrounded by the other females who had already been eliminated. Without a word, he grabs her hand and yanks her away, pulling her into an alcove.

"What the hell is your problem?" she spits at him.

"You…we can't do this."

"Why not? 'Cause I'm a girl?"

"No…" He pauses. "I…I don't know why, but we can't. I don't think I can hit you."

"Of course you can, you have before."

"That's training, this…isn't. I can't try and beat you. I can't willfully hurt you."

She tilts her head at him. "Why?"

"I…I don't know!" he says, frustratedly, and throws his hands up in annoyance.

He is surprised when her warm hand touches his chest. "Then fight me. I can take it."

He nods solemnly, and watches her walk back to the other females. 494 honestly doesn't think he can do it, and yet again, he doesn't know why.

tbc………………..