Why hello there once again. Well, I don't have much to say at the moment - I just want to reinstate the fact that Dark Angel and Max, Logan, Bling, OC and company belong to Cameron and Eglee. This is the same for ALL chapters. Yet, may I reinstate that Eve, Leo and other Red-induced characters are MINE. (Take that, Cameron!)

Also, there is a certain word in this one, so if you are one of those people who are easily offended by words that begin with 'f' and end in 'uck', I suggest you skip that line, hmm? But guess what? People do happen to say that in real life, so it's going into my story to enhance the character. Deal.

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Chapter 17

Leo's POV

The atmosphere in this penthouse can only be described as tense. It's a very interesting situation, laughable almost. Eve is in heat, there is no doubting it, the pheromones were just practically dripping off her, I would know. I can still feel the slight primal pull of the hormones even though the smell has dissipated. While I'm standing looking out the windows, occasional flashes of Eve in my head, her father stands behind me, naive and confused and her quasi (over protective) uncle stands behind me glaring. I hate cliches, but if looks could kill...

When I first was assigned this mission I was excited. I had been on the outside before, but supervised and the time was limited. I was actually being granted full access to the world, no sergeant screaming, no freaks starving in the basement, and no limits. The possibilities were endless. But then I came back down to Earth. I had an assignment, a mission, and I was required to complete it. I was confident that I could accomplish the objective, I really had no doubt, but I just flat out didn't want too. This attitude wasn't a new concept, I have always hated Manticore, but the idea of that degree of rebellion was fairly new. I completed the objectives, one after another, most of them flawlessly and then I would get my alpha male role reinstated among the troops and a rare proverbial pat on the back by one of my human superiors. It was routine, and I didn't have a problem with that. I didn't mind the objectives, I didn't mind the physical exertions, I like exercise. It was the treatment of my siblings and I.

Violence as punishment was routine to us. Ever since out training began we were struck down for being bad, out of place, unusual and independent. So we adapted like good little soldiers and learned to lessen the blows a bit. It was our life and it was what we knew. How could we miss kindness and caring if we didn't know of its existence? I suppose that Manticore's original strategy was just that. But it backfired; at least it did with the X5 and us. We knew about kindness and caring and all of that from each other. I knew from the beginning I was leader of my troops, the CO, the alpha male of the pack. So naturally, according to my basic animal instincts I was to mimic my elders behavior to learn how to fulfill my duties to the group. I once almost struck Zoe as punishment, but stopped myself short of her cheek. I knew that this is the way they punish, but that was them. That was when I had an epiphany. I wasn't able to bring myself to model my behavior after them because they were humans and X8 was not. We look alike and speak and behave similarly, but they are homo sapien. I am homo chimeris. Sometimes I am in awe at Manticore and sometimes I scoff at the foolishness. How could they not anticipate the basic animal instincts to surface, to actually come to a conscious level? Another thing they missed, when the elder alpha male becomes too old and no longer superior, a new alpha male will take it's place. A little violence is always involved, but it's for the betterment of the species. Well, Manticore is getting old, and we are young and strong. We are superior, and we don't think they benefit our species anymore. It is time for the face-off. I have found potential allies in this odd little group. I can't deny that they may actually be helpful to this mission, the final mission... Take Down Manticore.

Eve's POV

God it's hot in here. This heat is more intense than I thought it would be. I expected to be... Well, in a certain state, but not this badly. I mean, I only have a small percentage of feline in me, it should not be this... bothersome. And I have so much energy. I want to leap to the floor and do push ups, hundreds of them, then bound into the bathroom and do fifty pull ups, but it still won't be enough. Jesus, what is wrong with me? I know it's pheromones, I know it's my body, my genes and my instinct, but I don't want this. It makes me so mad at my body, it's like it's betraying me and I can't do a damn thing about it. I never drank alcohol or did drugs (Save for one beer when I was fourteen and a few sips of wine throughout life.) because I didn't like the idea of losing control of my body. I knew that I wasn't nearly as susuptable to basic drugs as much as other kids, but just the idea of having little or no control over my actions scared me. Dad wasn't the one to tell me that I had half immunity to alcohol, it was actually Zack. He mentioned it after I confessed my consumption of that one beer. Zack hadn't been mad or disappointed in any way I could detect, he just smiled lightly and patted my back, probably happy to hear I had learned my own lesson. Now in this situation I can't refuse the offer, I can't "just say no" to this. I'm trapped in my own body and I'm terrified.

"You gotta be pulling my leg, sugah! He just was chillin there in the middle of the living room? Not trying to run or nothin?"

"Yeah, it was the weirdest thing. His eyes were all wide and Eve and him were just staring at each other."

"So what'd you do with 'em?"

"Zack and I tied him back up, which won't last long, and then Zack discovered Eve was in heat." Max and Original both glance over at me, gauging my behavior, I can tell. Cindy shakes her head slightly and turns back to Max to keep catching up. Just then I register that they were talking about Leo and I. Leo... Leo. I feel a rush of lightening through my body and suppress it, shoving it down mentally. But somehow it struggles through my mind's grip and floats to the surface. Leo. God, he's beautiful. He is so... strong, I could see his muscles working through his shirt while we fought. Another bolt of lightening throws me. That was the most... exhilarating fight of my life, hands down. His hands... His arms, his biceps, his golden hair falling across his eyes, his brown-golden eyes piercing into me. A memory flashes onto my vision. I had entered the guestroom, his psych files in my hand. He was tied to the bed. I felt dominant and superior, totally in control of the situation. As I had walked towards him, he eyed my every move, he watched my eyes, then his gaze swept over my body... More lightening streaks itself through my body and I can't stand it. I can practically see my inhibitions sliding out the window and the far wall. I just can't sit here all still and inactive like this. Well, save for my fingers drumming silently on my thigh and my stocking clad foot tapping the hard surface of the floor.

Suddenly I leap up from my sitting position and drop to the ground, furiously engrossed in push-ups. The women's conversation stops completely, and I can feel their eyes locked on my activities and me. Out of the corner of my eye I catch Max bite her lip. She is weak. I am superior. I and I alone am the alpha female. Alpha female... I shudder under my own thoughts. This heat is bringing up and surfacing more and more animal instincts, taking away my humanity. I won't let it. I force myself to speed up my exercise, grunting slightly with each flex of my muscles.

I feel a hand on my back and I jump up with a startled sound in my throat and settle into a defensive position immediately. Max stumbles back a few steps then assumes a more relaxed stance. She's faking, I can see it in her eyes, she's stressed, remorseful. I let my fists lower and rub my face, frustrated.

"Eve, how 'bout you take a cold shower? It really helps, I would know. Plus it'll take some of that flush off your cheeks. Come on." She starts to lead me to the small run-down bathroom on the other side of the apartment. I slowly step inside onto the tile floor and look at myself in the mirror. My cheeks are bright pink, my skin glossy from sweat and my lips are swollen. I turn on the water and splash some of the refreshingly cold water on my face. That felt good. Max hands me a towel and shuts the door. I turn on the shower water, ignoring the hot water handle and take off my t-shirt, sighing as the cool Seattle air touches my skin. I have an exercise tank on underneath and pull at the hem of that, but stop as I hear muffled voices through the door.

"This is whack, Max. How we gonna restrain Baby Boo? I couldn't even handle you and we both know that she's more butch than you'll ever be."

"I have no idea. I guess we'll have to slip her a sedative and lock her up. It should take the edge off a bit, bring her down to a more manageable level." Alarms go off in my head and I try to shush them. I know that it's for my own good. I have to submit to this or else I will do horrible things that I'll never forgive myself for, it's what has to be done, period point blank. But... I won't get to see Leo. I want to see Leo. He looks good, smells good, fights well, and I bet he tastes good. Oh God. I tell my mind to shut up even as I am reaching for the doorknob. I leave my discarded t-shirt where it lays; it's hot anyway. I want to stop myself, but I just feel myself giving in. So I do what my body has been screaming at me to do for the past few hours. I throw open the door and shoot out of that damn stuffy apartment and haul my ass over to my house.

Leo's POV

I've been going over possible successful scenarios in my mind for the past two hours for destroying Manticore, and I'm sad to say that many of them include the help of Eve and her family. I am so reluctant to have them help me, and I'm not sure why. Maybe I don't want to show weakness, maybe it's the psychological conditioning from Manticore burning into our brains that these people are evil, that they are traitors, snakes, rats, weasels, and other undesirable animals. I don't know, I've always liked snakes, but that's just me.

It's been practically silent in here since Eve and her mother left. Logan has been at his computers this whole time, doing work on something important it seems and Zack has just been watching me or reading. Whenever I catch his eye he just glares at me until one of us looks away. Please, someone pull that Manticore - issued pole out of his ass. It's been so quiet it's making me uncomfortable.

I've already walked around the apartment, giving myself a tour of the place in my mind. I easily identified all the rooms by the smell and appearance. The large one with the small bathroom and that smelt of Logan and Max and candle wax was the master bedroom. The guest bedroom I already knew well. In the living room the couch smelled masculine and of Zack, his makeshift bed after I kicked him out of the guestroom. When I had come upon Eve's room, I walked right in, ignoring any proper manners I was supposed to have in this sort of situation.

Her walls were a green color, sort of pine green, and her furniture was uncharistically fancy, in a dark walnut. Her room smelled exactly like her, and I surprised myself by relishing in it for awhile. I detected a faint hint of chocolate coming from her closet, which I thought odd. Her floor was pretty clean, and everything seemed to be dusted, the militant side of me approving of the cleanliness. I was about to go over and sit on her comfortable-looking king sized bed when I was discovered.

Zack had stood in the doorway, absolutely fuming. "I know you think you are some sort of badass hot shot, and, why shouldn't you? But this room is off limits to you, especially in these circumstances." He snapped, glaring with a renewed ferocity. So I allowed him a bit of superiority and walked out without incident, listening to his footsteps right behind me as I walked down the hall to the living room.

So now here I am, bored out of my mind in front of the television indulging in the "simple kind of life". I idly skip through the channels, the remote in hand, letting my awareness dull a fraction. I see a commercial that catches my attention and stop clicking the remote's buttons.

"New cologne for women, "Need", by Jane Willow Incorporated. This scent sparks the desire deep inside you, attracting the males from across the room, you scent sparking their need." The throaty feminine voice tells me, trying to sound arousing. I chuckle lightly at the irony and resume changing channels. If women wanted that, they could just skip on down the street to their local Manticore and get themselves a synthetic pheromone injection once a week. I suppress a shudder at the last thought. The synthetic pheromone was Manticore's latest toy, using it to spark the flame in any female they chose. A week before I left on this mission they had tested it's effects on a thirteen year old X9. I can't wait to get their blood on my hands, they just keep getting more and more fucked up minds to work for them.

Another twenty minutes or so pass when I hear a motorcycle charge down the street at top speed and screech to a halt in front of the building. I walk over to the windows facing the south and look down. There is the Ninja that belongs to Max, but there is no sign of the woman. Logan and Zack both join me at my side to observe this. I find it strange that she didn't park it in the parking garage, maybe there is some sort of emergency, and I smile to myself. Maybe she lost Eve.

"I wonder what's going on, I hope nothing has happened." Says Logan to Zack. Zack merely grunts in response, but it's fairly simple to spot the worried look on his face.

Then the explanation hits me, full force. The opened windowpane at my feet sends me a strong, distinct scent of a female in heat. Full fledged, peaked heat. I breathe it in deeply, gathering the information subconsciously. Young, teenager, definitely female, a bit nervous, it was Eve. I glance over at Zack, gauging his expression. He hasn't detected it yet, he still wears an uncertain stony expression, and Logan isn't paying me any attention.

The scent is getting stronger, and my whole body is starting to tense up and hum, despite my efforts to suppress the reaction. All my senses suddenly swell in ability, then focus on just one thing... One person, who I can only just barely hear bounding up the stairs, three floors down... Two floors down... One floor below me. She will be here any moment, at the door, and I am ready for her, for Eve, my mate. I shake my head violently, trying to banish the aggressive instincts.

I can hear her breathing outside the door. Maybe she's trying to force herself to turn back, and it's all I can do to keep myself from swinging the door pen and pulling her inside. A heat spreads through my body and I feel my muscles tighten and flex, ready to be displayed to her. I can practically see my inhibitions sliding out the window, I hate not being in control of my body. Zack and Logan still haven't noticed my strange behavior, or the fact that I am standing still as a statue ten feet from the front door, staring it down like it's a rabid dog... God, those two are pathetic.

Eve's POV

Just turn back. Just turn back. Just turn back and go to Cindy's apartment.

That's all I have to do, just turn around and walk back down the stairs that I have just bounded up to get here. I can ride the Ninja that I stole from Max back to Original's crib, take that tempting cold shower, and let them drug me to sleep for a few hours.

But I can... God I can smell him. It's Leo, and I have no idea how I know, I just do. He's so close, just a matter a feet from me. All that is holding us apart is a scrap of cherry oak hinged to the wall. He's waiting for me and I can feel it, feel his anticipation of my arrival, feel his tension. My muscles are all flexed and my stomach pulled back, and my chest out. I assumed this position automatically about a few minutes ago, it must be instinct slowly, no, quickly swallowing me up.

I reach out and the steel doorknob is cool in my moist palm, and I sigh in spite of myself. I pick up a sharp intake of breath on the other side - He heard me. This heat is just amazing, I never could have possible imagined this sort of feeling, no matter how detailed Max described it.

I bite my lip hard, turning the knob, already picturing Leo in my mind's eye. But my hormones know no patience and I hop back a step and kick, hard. The door slams open and a hinge at the top bends and snaps out of place. I take a bold step forward.

There he is. I can feel my body tingle in joy of finally finding a mate. I faintly register in the back of my mind that my father and Zack are over by the window, still as stone in shock. Ha! The weaklings...

But Leo is not weak, in any way that my mind dares to register. His muscles are all flexed and tense like mine, shiny with mild sweat on his tanned skin, his blonde hair in his dark-gold eyes, fixed on me, staring at me. I let his eyes sweep over me hungrily, as I do the exact same to him. His gray tee shirt is slightly tight, and I shudder as the observation hits me. He licks his lips carefully, and I find myself doing the same as I focus my enhanced vision on that one action.

Nothing exists outside this ten feet between us, this unbelievably unbearable distance. Dad and Zack disappeared from my awareness long ago. I'm sure they are still to shocked to move. Leo takes a bold, aggressive step forward. There is an electrical storm going on inside my body, and I'm burning and singed and loving every instant of it.

Alpha male...

Leo...

Then, in a second of genetically enhanced power and speed we both rush forward, meeting in the middle, chests touching and heaving with anticipation, yet our arms hang at our sides, and we make no further moves. I breathe in deeply, taking in his scent. He does this also and my stomach quivers. I stand as still as possible as he leans down and rests his nose against my neck, just under my ear, and inhales deeply. I feel my eyes roll back into my head in ecstasy and I press myself against his strong body, not caring anymore about inhibitions or shame, I can't even remember the definitions of those words...

I rip his head from my neck and attack his mouth with mine aggressively, and he growls and returns the action. I claw at his back, trying desperately to get him closer, while he seems to be trying to do the same thing, with his arms wrapped possessively around my waist and pressing me against him to the point of pain. But I don't care, it's just another demonstration of his power, and he's attacking my mouth and I love it. Screw personal space.

His tongue forces itself into my mouth (Meeting little resistance.) All I can do is groan deep from my chest, something I wasn't aware I was capable of, and try to match his power with my own. Our lips and tongues duel and wrestle, his sliding against mine and I feel my identity being pulled from me and being replaced by another, more animal one.

Oh God......

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Well then! I hope that mom doesn't come across this particular chapter... Or any of her friends... actually one of them is begging for the title and website for my story to read it, and I'm thinking I'm gonna have to lie a bit, hm? Well, now that another chapter is out - you know what that means - REVIEWS! I know that I'm not worthy - but I did finally give you some Leo/Eve action! What of Zack and Logan? Max? How will they stop the two human-shaped hormones? Tune in next time...