Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.
A/N: Thanks for all your support and reviews! Made me feel a little better about continuing this story now. There'll be some clues as to what had happened in the past in this chapter, but as usual, there'll be a couple more questions hanging in the air.
Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 2
(by elle6778)
She froze; her defences automatically went on the alert.
And then relaxed when she realised who was there. It was the man she had seen earlier cosying up to the waitress. He was partially hidden by the shadows but with her enhanced eyesight, she had no trouble recognising him.
"Lost?" he asked with a smile as he stepped into the light.
He's quite cute, Max thought. He filled his suit nicely, not like most other rich men. And he has the face to go with it. Hazel eyes, she noted. Nice. A colour she was partial to. She could get used to those eyes, she thought. Nice smile too.
Then realising what just went through her mind, she blinked rapidly. What was she thinking? Hell, what did he just asked her? Right, time to come up with some feasible excuse. Forcing her face to compose a ditzy smile, she improvised, "I'm just looking for our host. Have you seen Mr Davies?"
He stepped closer to her.
Max suddenly felt a little self-conscious. She could not help but notice how nice he smelled. Stifling a groan, she scolded herself, okay, get your head back in the game, girl!
He shook his head. "Not recently. The last time I saw him, he was in the main hall. You could look there."
Max's hand flew to her head, playing the role of the scatterbrained female. "Oh, why didn't I think of that?"
His eyes narrowed just a fraction, but Max noticed it. Oops! Was she laying it on too thick?Damn, she knew there was a reason why she hated these sorts of things. And for some reason, she felt more flustered than usual right now.
She gave him a bright smile, hoping that it would throw off his suspicions. "It's a good party, isn't it? Very well organised," she said. A snort came from her comms, obviously from Zane. Because Zane loved to irritate her like that. A scowl made its way to her face before she could stop it.
"Are you alright?" the guy asked, looking a little puzzled.
He was probably wondering why she looked so irritated, Max thought. Nodding, careful to keep it natural, she replied, "Yes. I'm just a little tired. It's kinda late."
He raised his eyebrows. "It's not that late," he pointed out.
Shit! "I had a long day. And I need my sleep," she said, this time unable to keep the edge off her voice.
He smirked knowingly, as if he knew how flustered she felt. Like he knew how his good looks were affecting her, Max thought in irritation. "I see. So that must be how you keep yourself looking good," he said, tilting his head to one side.
Her eyes widened. Was that a compliment? "Um, yeah, I guess," she mumbled. If only he knew how little sleep she needed, he would not be making that comment. But she guessed that most Ordinaries would not take the news that she was a genetically enhanced soldier too well. Too bad. This guy was cute, but she knew that it was better for her to stick with someone of her own kind.
Someone like Seth.
Zane's voice came across her comms. "Just walk away, Max. We're running late."
Max gave the man a small smile. "Well, I think I'd better go. It's nice to meet you," she said as she turned to leave.
Her departure was cut short when she felt a set of strong fingers clamping down on her forearm, making her tense reflexively at the suddenness of his move. A surge of adrenaline coursed through her. Had she been made? Was he actually an undercover guard?
When she slowly turned to look back over her shoulders, he abruptly released his hold.
He was wearing an apologetic look, almost sheepish, in fact. "Sorry," he said, nodding at her arm. "I was thinking maybe we can talk later, if we see each other later tonight?"
She turned to face him fully, uncomfortably aware of the imprint of his fingers on her right arm. When his words registered, her eyes narrowed. The waitress was not enough for him so he was hitting on her now? Her opinion of him went down a notch. If he was not so cute, she would punch him.
"So?" he prompted when she did not answer, studying with an expectant look.
"Um, sure," she agreed noncommittally, knowing that no such thing will happen if their night went according to plan. And anyway, the guy could always go back to the waitress.
"I'll see you later, then." Just as he was about to turn away, he asked, "What's your name?"
"I-" Max started to say, but halted when she saw Zane walking their way.
It did not take him long to reach her side. "Sweetheart, did you find him?" he asked, sliding an arm around her waist, subtly pulling her away from the other man. "Our host?" Zane prompted pointedly when she did not reply.
"No, I think I'm in the wrong part of the house," she said, injecting what she hoped to be the correct amount of bewilderment in her voice. What was Zane doing here anyway? And doesn't he know that his fingers are tickling her ribs, she thought irritably.
The man interjected. "I told her earlier that Mr Davies might be in the main hall." She noticed that he seemed colder now that Zane has arrived. Must be the possessive male thing, she thought, suppressing the urge to snort.
Zane gave him a curt but polite nod. Taking his hand off her waist, he shook the other man's hand. "Thank you for your help. Let's go, sweetie," he said, taking her hand in his to lead her back down the hallway.
When they were out of earshot of the man, Zane let go of her hand. "I thought you might have needed some help back there."
Max rolled her eyes. "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Especially with some Ordinary."
"Fine. So, you got it?"
Max nodded and pointed to her hair. "In the barrette. Take it and get it out of here. I need to move on to the next phase."
Zane lifted his hands to her hair, sliding the pen drive out of her barrette and quickly pocketed it. "I'll wait for you in here," he said when they arrived at the main hall.
Shaking her head, careful to keep her voice low so that no one could hear them, Max said softly, "No. Just go, okay? I can handle it by myself."
"I don't like it, Max," he said with an anxious frown.
Max bristled at his words. Zane was really overprotective sometimes. It had not always been like that. Back when they still were in Manticore, he had not shown it much. It had only been like this since they had been taken out of Manticore that one fateful day.
"Well, tough. I'm not having you standing there looking on protectively as I carry out my mission. So, go," she hissed, irritated.
Eva's voice came through both their comms. "We need to move, guys. The party's going to be over before we know it. Zane, get back here with the stuff. Don't forget you need to plant the transmitters."
Grumbling under his breath, Zane relented. "Fine. I'm on it," he said. Throwing Max a concerned look, he said, "Take care, okay?" he advised as he went towards the exit.
Max nodded and said, "I'll see you outside."
Then she made her way to Mr Davies.
Too bad she was already taken. Or else, who knows? He might have gotten lucky, 494 thought as he watched her retreating back. She was even prettier up close. Unique. Not the sorts of looks one got to see everyday. But he guessed that there would be no chat over champagne later tonight for them.
494 shrugged. He needed to work on the mission anyway. So it was just as well.
He waited until the girl's footsteps had faded before he moved.
His steps were quiet, his movements as stealthy as a wary feline. The only thing he could hear was the sound of his clothes rubbing together.
When he finally arrived at his destination, 494 let his eyes adjust to the darkness in the alcove before he pulled out a cigar case from his pocket. Opening it, he pulled out what looked like an ordinary cigar. He twisted it, revealing a slim metallic stick about the size of a nail file. It was a universal decoder Manticore had designed and then issued to its soldiers as standard.
He pointed the decoder at the panel on the door and pressed a small button at its side. A beam of light came out of the end, going through the panel, manipulating the security chip inside the locked door.
He did not have to wait long. Within a few seconds, a small blip sounded and the door swung open.
When he stepped in, he froze. A quick scan around the room told him that he was alone. Something was not quite right, but he could not seem put his finger on it. He decided to let his senses take over.
Deep breaths, focus…
He paused mid-breath.
Was it just his imagination or he could smell the girl's scent in the room? He sniffed, catching a faint whiff of citrus and flowers.
Impossible. She can't possibly have got in here. She's a guest after all, 494 told himself. It must just be the lingering scent she had left on him when they talked a little while ago.
But she was coming down the stairs when he bumped into her. What could she be doing up there anyway?
He shook his head to clear it. What did it matter anyway? As long as whatever she was doing did not affect his mission, he did not care. Right now, he needed to concentrate only on one thing and it was not some stranger, however attractive she might be.
He went to the main terminal.
Flicking a small tab on his watch, he released a rectangular jack. He pulled that out, uncoiling a thin fibre-optic line from the inside of his watch.
Finding the slot he needed at the side of the terminal, he plugged the jack in and pressed a button on his watch. The face of his watch began to glow yellow. He waited another couple of minute before the light turned green and then faded out, signalling the completing of the download.
He pressed the tab on his watch again, and the line with its jack retracted back into his watch. As he did that, he noticed the time to be 2309 hours. The party was due to end at midnight, so he would have to wait till then to carry out the next part of his mission.
Now he would just have to go back down undetected and mingle.
Max suppressed the urge to make a face to the back of Davies's head. It did not take her long to persuade him to show her his 'private' designs. Max was pretty sure that her idea of 'private' and his was completely different.
She had gushed on about how she admired one of his latest developments, a small taser-like weapon specifically designed for self-defence, disguised as a ring. He had preened and stood as proud a peacock as she swallowed the urge to gag right in front of his face. Without him noticing, she had also dropped some sedative into his flute of champagne when she leaned over under the pretence of brushing some lint off his shoulder.
Predictably, he had been more than willing to show her where he worked, an office upstairs. It was also the place where he accessed the hidden room to his prototypes, but he did not know that Max knew that.
He was still holding the spiked champagne in one of his hands when he entered the code to his office on the panel. Max's eyes took in the sequence. 9248, she noted, just in case she would need it. It never hurt to be prepared, that was what Zack always reminded her.
When they stepped into the office, the door swung shut. Max only had about two seconds to note that no expenses were spared when it came to the interior decoration of the room before he turned and placed a hand behind her head, staring into her eyes. Max gritted her teeth and smiled, forcing herself not to smack his hand away.
"You're gorgeous, you know that?" he said, a waft of alcohol from his breath reaching her nostrils, to her disgust.
"And you're a genius," she gushed admiringly, batting her eyelashes.
He laughed, a nasal sound which grated on her nerves. She forced herself to smile, wondering if her jaw was going to crack soon under the strain.
Just as Max began to wonder if he had consumed enough of the champagne for the sedatives to work, he staggered back a little. Shaking his head, he laughed a little.
"Must have had too much of these," he said, blinking to clear his eyes.
Max wore a concerned expression. "Mr Davies, are you alright? Shall I get someone?"
He held up his hand. "No. No. I'll just sit for a while," he slurred as he made his way to his chair. "I'm afraid I'll have to show you my designs some other time. You head back to the party, alright? I'll join you later."
"Okay," Max said as she watched his eyelids droop.
When he slouched lower and slumped onto his desk, Max expelled a relieved sigh. "Finally," she muttered. "Davies is down," she announced triumphantly. "Yippee."
Zane's voice came over the comms. "Sleazy bastard," he growled, his disgust evident.
"Yeah," she agreed. Looking around the room, she went on, "Okay, I'm going to plant the bugs now."
"Are the transmitters in place?" Eva asked through the comms. "We need it to link back to Unitech."
"I'm on it now," Zane replied.
"Okay, let's get this over with," Max said as she took off one of her shoes.
Detaching the sole of her heels, she removed the three small audio and visual bugs from the hidden compartment. Making her way across the room, she planted one so that it faced Davies's desk. Another bug went on the wall opposite the large painting which she guessed was the entrance to the hidden room. The last one made its way to the opposite side of the room.
"All done. I'm getting out now," she said as she left the room.
"There are guards around. The area's not secure yet. I'm still holding on to the transmitter," Zane whispered over the comms.
Max saw her chance. Grinning, she remarked, "What can I say? Amateurs!"
"I'd like to watch you plant a transmitter right in front of the guards," he hissed, obviously irritated.
A groan came through the comms. "The mission, kids. The mission!" Eva reminded them in a long-suffering tone.
Sobering up, Max said, "I'll handle the guards. Where are you?"
"Head to the entrance."
494 looked at his watch. The crowd was thinning, he noted with approval. Now it was time to complete the second part of his mission.
One of the guests he had spoken to told him that Davies's had gone up to his office with a girl.
He frowned. The girl would be a complication. Nothing he could not handle, he was sure. But a complication nonetheless. He had hoped to catch Davies alone.
As he reached the room he was looking for, 494 looked left and right to make sure that no one was in the vicinity. Satisfied that he was alone, 494 used the decoder again to gain access
When he heard the soft blip signalling warning him that the door was about to open, he reached for his H-K semiautomatic and flipped the safety off.
Silently he slid in sideways through the open door.
And halted abruptly when he saw his target slumped over the desk, obviously asleep.
The scent of citrus and flowers hung in the air. What the hell? He frowned and shook his head. What was his imagination doing to him today? Or maybe the girl who had come up with Davies was the one who caught his attention. That was feasible. After all, she had been looking for him earlier.
Back on the mission, he told himself. The girl was definitely not there anymore, so it did not matter.
Now, time to do what he came here to do.
It was too easy, he thought as he studied Davies's unconscious form. And in a way, it was better, not having to see the fear in the guy's eyes when he realised what was going to happen to him.
494 raised his gun and aimed it at Davies's head.
A loud hiss from the gun and a muffled pop was the only sound in the room as the bullet hit Davies square in the head.
Max flirted with the guards while Zane dropped the transmitter behind a row of potted plant which looked as if they had not been moved in a while. She wanted to grin. They were doing this right under the guards' noses and they did not even suspect anything.
When Zane cleared his throat, signalling that he was done, Max smiled sweetly at the grinning guards and said her goodbyes.
They waited for a few minutes while the valet went to get their car. It was a sleek pre-Pulse two-seater Porsche, which they had managed to borrow off Krit. Max rolled her eyes as she remembered the fuss her younger brother had made when they asked for it. Anyone would think that they were asking to borrow his life or something. It was just a mode of transportation.
When the car finally arrived, she got into the passengers' seat while Zane got into the drivers' seat. Max did not realise how tense she was until they got out of the gated compound and drove to the bottom of the hill.
"I'm glad that's over," she said as she took off her shoes and wriggled her toes.
Zane threw her a sideways glance. "That depends on what's in the pen drive. For all you know, we might need to go back," he pointed out as he turned into the highway.
Max groaned. "I hope Jondy or Syl will be back by then. I'll happily hand over this mission to them."
Zane grinned. "You didn't do too badly."
Max rounded her eyes. "Is that a compliment? From you?"
He snorted. "You wish. That just means that I'm very relieved that you didn't mess it up."
Max made a face. "Like I'd ever messed up before. Just in case you didn't know, Unitech has never complained about my performance in the last ten years."
"Yeah, for Breaking and Entering, that sort of thing. Easy stuff," Zane said dismissively.
She bristled indignantly. "That's not all I do. I specialise in Stealth. What about you, huh? If I recall correctly, six years ago you had to have extra coaching for failing Strategies. Hah! How about that?"
He glared at her. "I was thirteen years old at that time. And I didn't get any sleep the night before because Jondy had gone into heat and got us all worked up," he defended himself.
Max smirked. "So what? We're supposed to be able to function on very little sleep. So that's no excuse."
"I have you know that I'd never failed anything again after that time," Zane pointed out irritably. "And you, of all people, should understand how your heat affects us. Want a reminder?"
Max glared at him, knowing what he was about to say. "Hey, I-"
Eva's voice came over the comms, cutting short Max's retort. "Guys, we've a problem," she said, her voice tight.
Their bickering forgotten, Max exchanged a worried glance with Zane. "What problem?" she asked cautiously.
"You'll see when you get back to HQ," was all Eva said.
t.b.c.
A/N: That's the second chapter done. Hope you liked it. Please review – it'll make my day!