Summary: When Max found out why he was sent to her cell, she hated Manticore even more. Starts at the beginning of Designate This. For clarity, this is not a ML fic.

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters obviously do not belong to me. I am writing this purely for non-profit entertainment. No infringement intended, so don't sue me!

A/N: Gosh! From the number of reviews and hits I got for the first chapter, I think I better continue this story! Thank you all out there for reading and reviewing.

W1cked angel – First one to review! Thanks! Hehe! Do you expect any less from Manticore?

Bryn (anon) – Ah…the million dollar question! You'll see which one he is…soon. Thanks for reviewing.

Kungfuchick – I am not sure about many more chapters. I was kind of hoping for this to be a short story (but somehow I don't think it's gonna happen)! Hehe! Thanks for reviewing.

Lola (anon) – Thanks for your review. Update is here! Enjoy!

Mel11 – Thanks for your review. Glad you liked the start. Yep, I've got some ideas but not sure if its great /

Iridescent Twilight – Hey, why suspicious! Think of it as a nice straightforward story (winks). Don't worry about the pairing. I have refrained from putting in the pairing just in case what happened in 'Remember' happens here. Thanks for reviewing.

Lotamoxie – Thanks for reading and reviewing this! Ah! The title could be deceptive too. Maybe Ben has turned. Maybe it is actually Alec. Maybe Renfro is deceiving both of them! So many possibilities.

X5859 – Glad you liked the start. Hopefully your find the rest of the story to your liking. Maybe he is Alec undercover, but maybe he is Ben curious about where his siblings were. Lol! Thanks for your review.

Gamegirl452 – Thanks for reviewing. Nah! I am not telling (grins!), you'll find out not too long into the story anyway!

Alana84 – But they are not biological siblings…Ah, cannot tell you more. Must keep you guessing (winks)! Thanks for reviewing.

Angelofdarkness78 – I have some ideas, just need to arrange them into a sensible story! Sigh! I am sure you know how hard it is! Thanks for your review.

Acb (anon) – Yeah, the plot is so obvious isn't it! Lol! But the problem is, there is just so much you can do with Designate This before it gets old. Glad you like the plot. Thanks for reviewing.

Alexceasar – Thanks for your review. Good thing it's all the same to you, so long as he is Jensen! My thoughts exactly!

Lin (anon) – Thanks for reviewing. I am afraid I can't let that cat out of the bag yet. Read on and tell me what you think!

Black Rose9 – Thanks for reviewing. I am not sure I could bring Lydecker back. I could try! Hope it doesn't put you off reading.

HoneyX5-452 – (Grins) Sorry, hun! Didn't mean to cause problems! Thanks for your review.

Christie (anon) – Not to worry about it not being completed. I am not in the habit of leaving my stories unfinished. It bugs me too! Thanks for reviewing

Lady marauder (anon) – Ah, the million dollar question again. (grins) We'll have to see which one is he. Thanks for your review.

Pookie vampires – Thanks. I loved your review; it made me laugh so hard. Calm down, sweetie! No freaking out! It is all good! Lol! But you still have to read on to find out (grins), because I am not telling just yet!

L80Bug (anon) - Thanks for your review. Erm...can't tell you what the pairing is! Read on and tell me what you think!


Deception - Chapter 2

(by elle6778)

"We have been paired up as breeding partners," he said. His eyes never wavered from hers as he informed her of the purpose of his visit.

Staring at him in shock, she asked, "What do you mean? Breeding partners?"

"That's what I said. Breeding partners. We are to copulate every night until you get pregnant," he said tonelessly.

Max recoiled visibly from the way Ben spoke and said, "That's sick! And don't say copulate. It makes us sound as if we are animals or something," She grimaced. She could not believe Manticore would do this. Wait. Actually it sounded just like the thing Manticore would do to try to wreck her life further. Her hatred for Manticore grew.

"Max, we've got our orders. You really don't want to defy Manticore," he said in a harder tone. Max could see a small frown starting to form on his face.

She could not believe what she was hearing. Her face clearly showed her aversion as she said, "Ben, you are my brother! It would be incest! No amount of reindoctrination would make it alright for you to have sex with me,"

"Max…" he started.

"NO! No, Ben!" Max said vehemently, guessing that he was going to try to talk her into it. Her eyes were starting to flash as her anger took hold. She cursed Manticore for the sick game they were playing. Was there no limit to their cruelty? Out loud, she said, "Why? Why must they do this?"

"I was told that we were paired up based on genetic compatibility. It was no random coincidence that I am here with you. Our compatibility meant that there is a higher probability of a successful offspring," he explained flatly. His monotonous replies and his acceptance of Manticore's orders began to send warning bells ringing in her head.

Max wondered why he appeared so unaffected all this. She gave him an assessing look. Her suspicions of his loyalties trickled back into her mind. Just how far did Manticore go with his indoctrination?

Clearing his throat self-consciously under her appraisal, he turned away and said to the wall, "Look, Max. What do you want me to do? They are going to find out if we don't do as they say. You know that," He looked uncomfortable.

Max detected a slight hint of frustration in his voice and she cooled down slightly as she realised that contrary to what she thought, he was not completely unaffected.

"But Ben, can't you just tell them we did it? Lie to them," Max practically begged. She stood up and started to pace the length of the cell.

He let out his breath in a loud swoosh and buried his face in his hand. After a moment, he looked up at her and said in a resigned tone, "Fine. We'll do that,"

They sat there in silence, deep in their own thoughts until the guards came back to let him out.


Hallway

As he walked down the hallway back to his cell, escorted by the guards, he let his mind wander back to the day he was briefed on this mission.

(FLASHBACK)

Renfro was sitting behind her desk when he entered the room.

Without any preliminaries, she said, "You have been assigned to X5-452 as her breeding partner. Your mission objective is to copulate with X5-452 every night until she gets pregnant. Any questions?" she asked, raising one eyebrow at the look of surprise on his face.

"Ma'am, what if X5-452 refuse to copulate with me?" he asked, quickly masking his emotions again. Knowing Renfro, she would probably somehow try to use any emotion he exhibits against him.

"I am sure you could charm her into it. However, in the case that your charms fail to work, you are authorized to employ whatever means available to you to achieve the objective. Understood?" Renfro answered with a small smile.

"Yes, ma'am!" He took it that she meant that he could do whatever he wanted with her; even force her. He was not comfortable at the idea of having to force someone to have sex with him but he kept his face impassive.

"Remember, you cannot afford to fail this mission. Unless you want to be sent back for reindoctrination," Renfro said, pinning him with her gaze.

"Yes, ma'am!" he answered, staring straight ahead. He forced him not to flinch at the thought of another session in reindoctrination. He just got out and he did not wish to ever enter that place again.

(END FLASHBACK)

The door to his cell clanked open, startling him out of his thoughts. He entered his cell and sat down on the bed, his mind whirring with thoughts of how to get out of Manticore's assignment for him. Manticore was sure to find out soon if she turned out not pregnant week after week. He has done many things that he was not proud of, killed many times, but he absolutely refused to force himself on her. This probably meant that it was more than likely he would be sent for more testing to determine why he could not impregnate a female. No doubt it would be viewed as a failure in Manticore's eyes.

He knew it was just another assignment, hence he did not understand why he was feeling so bothered about it. It bothered him to lie to her, and it bothered him to see the pain in her eyes when she recalled what she supposedly did to him. He had given in to temptation and comforted her. That, at least, was no lie.

He sighed, closing his eyes. Hoping that sleep would claim him so that he could stop thinking about his dilemma.


Training Grounds

The next morning, he stood in line with the rest of the transgenics. A quick scan around told him that he did not know anyone else there, apart from Max who was standing next to him.

Renfro started from one end of the line, asking each breeding pair the status of their mission. When she finally got to him, she asked, "Report?"

He hesitated, wondering if he should tell go for the truth or lie. He noted the suspicious look on Renfro's face at their silence. Making up his mind, he said, "Successful copulation with X5-452, ma'am," he paused, and then decided that if he was going to lie, he might as well make it sound good. He continued, "Twice,"

Renfro raised her eyebrows in surprise and turned to Max, "Really? Excellent! 452, what would your boyfriend say?

Max remained silent.

Boyfriend, huh? A small detail she neglected to bring up last night. No wonder she was reluctant. So it's not just the incest thing, he thought to himself. He refrained from glancing over at her to see her reaction to Renfro's words.


Max's Manticore Cell

It has been two weeks since Ben entered her cell for the first time. She smiled as she thought about him. She was glad that he was alive. Indoctrinated, yes. But still very much alive.

Although initially Max felt a slight discomfort which bordered on distrust around him, that soon faded as the Ben that she used to remember occasionally resurfaced. She would often only catch a quick glimpse of it but that was enough to reassure her that the Ben she knew was still in there somewhere.

One thing she noticed was the change in him as an adult. The last time they were together before the unfortunate incident in the wood, she did not have a chance to talk to him much. She was too wrapped up in trying to persuade him to stop killing. The way he spoke about the killings, the blue lady and Manticore was nothing like the way he spoke to her now. He seemed a lot calmer and on more than one occasion, Max could even detect a hint of mischievousness in him. At first she found his calmness just a bit unnerving after all those killings he had carried out. But Manticore seemed to have cured whatever it was that brought on his psychosis. The tortured look was gone from his eyes, and in its place, an easygoing, likeable character remained. On some occasions, Max could have even sworn that Ben was actually flirting with her. She had dismissed it, thinking that it was probably just the way he said things.

She smiled as her thoughts remained on Ben. Her brother had definitely grown up. She noticed before, but she did not have time to dwell on it. Ben grew up into a very attractive male. Max has no doubt that he has his share of females trailing after him. Not that she would be one of them. He was her brother after all. Ben had jokingly said that she was probably the envy of many females in Manticore, being his breeding partner and all. Max grinned as she thought about it. All the time they were to spend supposedly 'breeding' was spent on them getting to know each other. Max was pleasantly surprised when she found that they had a lot in common.

They had the same sense of sarcastic humour, they both liked fast vehicles and they shared the same taste in things like music and food. The only thing Ben adamantly refused to talk about was the specifics of what he did in the last ten years. Max still did not know if it was due to Manticore's reindoctrination or the fact that he had developed a feeling of remorse for what he did.

Max was not bothered by Ben's reticence. As far as she was concerned, her brother was back and he was alive. And that was enough for her.


Night after night, the same pattern repeated. He would visit her in her cell and they would sit together discussing inconsequential topics. What they liked, what they disliked. He found that they actually have quite a lot in common, which surprised him. After a couple of weeks, he realized that he actually looked forward to the visits.

He frowned as he thought about his mission. Renfro was beginning to give him a hard time for not achieving any results. He had told Renfro that it would take time. She appeared to have taken his words at face value, but with Renfro, one could never be too sure.

As he entered her cell tonight, he knew that something was off. He waited until the guards' footsteps faded before he approached the bed. He pulled her blanket off the bunk, confirming his suspicions. 452 somehow had found a way out. He sat cross-legged on the bed, hoping that she would return. For both their sakes.

She emerged from under the bed an hour later.

"Forget we had a date?" he asked with a smile, which he hoped masked the suspicion in his eyes.

Oblivious to his thoughts, Max grinned and said, "Nah, just lost track of time," She stuffed the block back in its place and sat on the bed facing him.

"So, want to tell me what you have been up to?" he asked, a curious look on his face.

She gave him a considering look, not sure how far Manticore managed to brainwash him. She noted the familiar curious look on his face. He had always questioned everything, even when they were kids. Smiling, she answered, "I met this nice guy downstairs. His name is Joshua…" She proceeded to tell him about Joshua and Sandeman.

"So, this Joshua…He's got a thing for you, is it?" he asked nonchalantly. He was just making conversation. He really did not need to know. He refused to acknowledge the small twinge of jealousy within him at her words. She was meant to be his sister and he should treat her as such. But he knew inside that he was lying to himself. His recent thoughts about her were anything but brotherly.

Max laughed and shook her head in denial, "No! Of course not. Anyway, our DNA is a bit incompatible. Think of him as another brother,"

He smiled as he gave her a considering look and pressed on with the subject, curious to see where it would lead, "So, do you treat every male you come across as a brother?" he said with a teasing note.

"Of course not! Just some. You know, Zack, Zane, Krit, Joshua, you…" she started, ticking off the names on her fingers. Then her voice trailed off as she caught the look in his eyes. She noticed that the look in his eyes was far from a brotherly look. She quickly broke the eye contact.

The corner of his lips lifted as he noted the slight blush on her cheeks. Suppressing a smile at her actions, he said, "Really, Max? You really think of me as a brother?"

Flustered, she answered, "What are you talking about? Of course I think of you as a brother. We grew up together!"

"Erm, Max, I know we didn't stay long enough to get to the biology lessons. But technically, I am no more your brother than Zack, Zane or Joshua. Krit, on the other hand, is your biological brother. That's different," he pointed out unnecessarily.

Max rolled her eyes, "I know, Ben. You don't have to point it out that way,"

"So, hypothetically speaking, if Zack, Zane or even I decided that we wanted to be more than your brother, what would you say?" he asked with a straight face.

"I would say you are…" she was about to say 'crazy', but given what he had just been through, she thought the better of it and said, "…I would say that you are desperate," she said with an uncomfortable laugh.

"Oh, come on, Max. Don't sell yourself short. Look at you; Manticore made you one hot chick. Any red-blooded male would be more than happy to take you on," he said it in a teasing tone, but he meant every word he said.

"Must you make it sound like a sparring exercise?" she frowned at his words. She still could not get used to the way Ben behaved as an adult, not counting the time he was killing. He was so different from what she used to know.

"Don't change the topic, Max. So?" he pressed.

"So, what?" Max hedged, growing increasingly uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. It sounded as if Ben was interested in her. She did not know how to deal with the idea.

"Let's make it simpler, okay. Say I was to tell you that I think you are hot and that I want to be…intimate, with you. What do you say?" He pinned her with his questioning gaze.

Max could not tell if he was serious or not. His expression was not giving anything away. She sighed and answered irritably, "I would say no. What else could I say!"

Raising his eyebrows, he asked, "You don't find me the teensiest bit attractive? I think you just crushed my self confidence, Max," He adopted a mournful look.

"Of course you are attractive. Manticore made us all that way," Max said in exasperation. Surely Ben knew how good he looked.

"But not attractive at all to you," he said flatly.

"Not 'that' way, no," Max said resolutely.

Arching a disbelieving eyebrow, he said, "Fine,"

"Fine," Max echoed.

They both fell into an uncomfortable silence. After a moment, they looked up at each other and burst into laughter, breaking the tension.


Training Grounds

After the usual round of questioning from Renfro with regards to their breeding activities, they were sent out to the mats for a sparring session.

Max was in the middle of blocking a punch form Ben when a sudden commotion at the other end of the grounds caught her attention. Distracted, she did not see the punch Ben aimed at her midsection. The blow hit her hard, knocking the wind out of her, bringing her attention back to the fight.

She looked up to glare Ben but he was looking in the direction she was drawn to a moment ago. She blinked disbelievingly as she took in the sight before her.

The guards and a few female transgenics were attempting to pry away three male transgenics away from a female transgenic. Even at that distance, Max could see that the female transgenic appeared to be fawning all over the three males. She must be in heat, Max thought.

Turning to Ben she said, "It's obvious she is in heat, but what are those guys doing?"

Startled out of his observation of the scene of chaos, he stared at her questioning look in surprise before asking, "Erm…Max, you are kidding right? You don't know?"

Rolling her eyes, Max retorted, "Would I be asking if I did?"

Clearing his throat in obvious discomfort, he answered, "When a female goes into heat, she secretes pheromones. Pretty much like cats, the males could detect it. And it drives them to copul-…erm…have sexual intercourse," he corrected, knowing how much Max hated that word.

"Oh," and that was all Max said before turning back to see the female transgenic being dragged off the training grounds.

She hoped that she would not go into heat before she managed to find a way to escape, otherwise Renfro might get her wish after all.

t.b.c


A/N: Getting more suspicious or do you have a good idea who it is now! (Grins) Write me a review and tell me what you think this time.