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: I know I have taken forever to complete this chapter. :smiles sheepishly:. Anyway, here it is now and I hope that you'll enjoy it.

Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 16

(by elle6778)

As Alec bent down closer to the unconscious Ivanov, he snuck a discreet look at Max, who was in a hushed conference with Seth at the door. Their voices were low, out of range of his transgenic hearing.

But he was not overly bothered by it.

Alec smirked. From what he had seen so far of those two, Seth must be giving Max a telling off for her heat. He wondered why the other transgenic bothered with the lecture. It was not as if Max could help herself.

The image of Max's heated eyes burning into his as she wrapped her legs around his hips flashed through his mind. He tensed involuntarily at the memory.

Get your head back in the game, soldier, he scolded himself sternly as he squeezed his eyes shut.

When he opened his eyes, he caught sight of Max and Seth.

Unbidden and unwanted, like a gruesome scene he could not tear his eyes away from, an image of Seth and Max appeared in his mind. He blinked, but the image remained. Seth and Max writhing against each other, their naked limbs tangled together and sweaty.

Something surged in him. Something he could not quite understand. His stomach roiled in protest and rubbed his eyes, desperate for it to go away.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down. It alarmed him how much that image shook him. It was disconcerting.

Well, he had better things to do than to think about Max and her love-life. It had nothing to do with him, anyway. And if the two of them wanted to risk getting caught by Manticore for fraternising, who was he to butt in?

His priority was his assignment, and that was all he was going to think about until he completed it. Which should not be long now.

Knowing that he had very little time to achieve what he had come for, Alec searched the room until his eyes fell on some wires. That would do, he thought as he went for the black coil.

In seconds, he had Ivanov's wrists and ankles bound tight.

Hefting the Russian's body onto his shoulders like a sack, Alec stood up and headed towards the two other transgenics.

Max stared, astonished at Seth's blunt revelation. There was no way Manticore did not recognise their own operatives.

"What do you mean, you pretended to be 354? HOW can you pretend to be him without Manticore finding out?" she hissed softly, her eyes flicking to Alec to make sure that he was still occupied with Ivanov. "You're running the risk of being caught, Seth!"

"And this reaction is precisely why I didn't tell you," Seth retorted just as softly, but there was no mistaking the determination in his eyes. "I'm telling you now because you need to know to avoid making a blunder."

Max's eyes flashed accusingly. "So, you kept this from us just like that?" she hissed.

Seth did not reply.

Her head spun, and she held up a hand against a column. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "How the hell did you get in there, anyway? Why wasn't anyone suspicious?"

"354 is supposed to be out on a long-term undercover mission. The same for 453. And I'm sure they won't find out."

She rolled her eyes and snorted. "And how did Alec find out then? What's going to happen when he reports back that he had help from X5-354 and X5-453? Manticore's not that stupid, Seth."

He shook his head. Confidently, Seth said, "He'd have no reason to share the glory of capturing Ivanov with us. Let him take Ivanov back to Manticore. We should just drop out of the weapons mission. Unitech would agree that it's too risky."

Something about the entire situation bugged her, prodding her to question Seth further even as her head continued to throb painfully. "Don't you get it, Seth? Manticore already KNOWS about us. How could they not?"

"No, they don't. They know about X5-453 and X5-354. As far as they're concerned, X5-452 and X5-353 don't exist."

What did he mean? She felt like they were not even having the same conversation. Max sighed wearily as she rubbed her forehead. "Seth, you're not making any sense here."

Seth was obviously reluctant to tell her, but thankfully, he relented. "X5-354 and X5-453 are our clones. Or twins. Or whatever you want to call them. We look exactly the same. Without extensive tests, no one would know."

Her jaw dropped. "Clones?" she uttered disbelievingly. Manticore cloned them?

Seth looked away.

Then something occurred to her. 494. Alec's designation.

"Alec's 494," she stated flatly.

Ben's face flashed across her eyes.

From Seth's side profile, Max could see the muscle in his jaw ticking, but he remained silent. She had no doubt that he knew what she was going to ask next. Because he already knew the answer to the question.

"Alec is Ben's twin, isn't he?" she asked calmly. Inside, her mind whirred with the implications of that fact. No, don't think about it now, Max, she told herself sternly.

Keeping her eyes on Seth, her expression hardened. "What else are you not telling us, Seth? How could you not tell me at least that? When are you going to tell us anything?"

Seth stared at her wordlessly, his entire body tense. And then, stonily, he replied, "Maybe one day, Max. This is not the right time."

Her eyes flashed in irritation. "When is the right time, Seth?" she asked tersely.

Silence was all she got from him.

Max shook her head slowly, weary of arguing with Seth. "Seth, I don't know what you're doing, or even why you're pretending to be 354. But you've got to come clean with us."

"I-" he started, and then abruptly stopped as he glanced to his right.

Alec was walking towards them with Ivanov slumped over his shoulders.

That was what Ben would look like if he had lived, Max thought sadly, her eyes suddenly stinging. She shook herself inwardly. No, it would do her no good to think about that now.

Unaware of the tension between them, Alec just raised his eyebrows. "Don't let me interrupt. You two better make the most of this before we get back to Manticore," he drawled, flicking a meaningful look at them.

Max opened her mouth but Seth beat her to it. "We won't be going back with you," he stated blandly.

Holding her breath, she glanced quickly at Alec to gauge his reaction to Seth's words. Would Alec suspect anything?

If he was surprised, he did not show it. Instead, Alec shrugged casually. "Well, I've got what I came for, so I'm going to head back."

Seth nodded curtly, more tense than how Max would expect him to be. What was his problem?

Max locked eyes with Alec, and for a second, she thought that she detected some reluctance in his expression. Then she blinked and all she could see was his smirk as made his way towards the door, his steps steady and sure even though he was weighed down with Ivanov's prone body.

She shook her head inwardly. A figment of her imagination, that was all. He had no reason to be reluctant to leave. Her arm tingled as he brushed past her to get through the door. She flushed suddenly, reminded of their previous encounters.

Then he paused and looked back over his shoulders at her.

"Guess I'd be seeing you back in Manticore someday, huh?" he asked quietly.

She was about to come up with some flippant reply, but something stopped her. The air seemed thick with something Max could not quite put her finger on. She guessed, in a way, it was because she knew that she would not be seeing him anymore now that he got his hands on Ivanov.

Well, not unless Unitech insisted on sending her back out to get Ivanov from Manticore. But somehow, knowing what she knew now, she did not think that that was likely.

She replied softly, "I guess."

He stared at her for a beat, and then nodded.

She watched his shrinking form as he moved further away from her until he finally turned the corner and disappeared.

"Come on, Max," Seth called out urgently.

Startled, she looked at him questioningly. "What?"

"We need to pick up something I found earlier," Seth said, grabbing her hand.

Frowning in confusion, Max asked, "What do you mean?"

"You'll see soon," he replied cryptically.

Alec headed straight for the garage. The bike was no good to him right now considering the state Ivanov was in. Anyway, he was sure that Seth would not give his bike up so easily. What he needed was a car.

His lips curved into a smile when he spotted a sleek red convertible parked at one end of the garage. It was exactly what he was looking for.

Breaking into it took him less than a minute. Then, tossing Ivanov carelessly into the trunk, he hot-wired it and drove off.

The drive to Manticore was short. Before long, he pulled up at the gates and hopped out of the car.

The usual verification of his identity followed. Then the guard on duty looked up from the screen and waved him over.

Renfro, Alec thought apprehensively. She must have discovered that he had left the compound again before reporting to her. Damn! He had hoped to get back before she found out.

"X5-494. You have orders to report to Director Renfro immediately," the guard told him.

Alec nodded, his apprehension growing.

Then he shook himself inwardly. Renfro wanted info on the weapons and he had Ivanov in the trunk. There was nothing for him to worry about. Ivanov would not be able to hold anything back once Psy-Ops got their hands on him.

He let himself breath easier.

The gates swung open just as Alec stepped back into the car. As he drove past, he wondered how 511 was faring. Hopefully Renfro had not decided to take her anger out on him.

A twinge of regret assailed him. Perhaps he should not have left 511 there. But considering the circumstances, it was the only thing he could do. If he had stayed behind, both of them would get nowhere.

Alec parked the car in front of the Command Centre.

Retrieving Ivanov out of the trunk, Alec hefted the still unconscious man over his shoulders. The knock-out gas would remain in the man's system for at least another couple of hours, so there was more than ample time to make sure that Ivanov was secured.

Two X6s on duty at the entrance to the Command Centre snapped a salute at him as he passed.

"Sir!" they chorused in unison.

Alec nodded in acknowledgement. Lowering Ivanov to the stone pavement, he said, "Process this subject and get him into a holding cell, will you? Book him under the name Andrei Ivanov. Job reference is W93845."

One of the X6s stepped forward and pulled Ivanov up to his feet. "The holding cell in Block B, sir?"

"That'll do," Alec agreed.

The other X6 called out just as he stepped into the building. "Sir? Director Renfro wants you to report to her."

Alec restrained from groaning out loud. Had Renfro decided to tell everyone to pass the message on to him? The guards first, and now this X6.

Giving the X6 a brief nod, Alec continued further into the building, heading towards Renfro's office.

Max sat stiffly behind Seth, her arms gripping his jacket tightly.

It was unfortunate that they were on a bike. She wanted to grill him further, but at the speed they were going, there was no chance of that happening. It was as if Seth was deliberately trying to avoid talking to her by racing down the road at a breakneck speed. And as far as she knew, they had no reason to rush back to Unitech.

She rolled her eyes. Well, maybe there was. The weapons prototype on her back was one good reason. It had been pure luck that Seth had stumbled upon it when he and Alec had split up to look for her.

So now, Manticore had Ivanov and Unitech had the prototype. It a strange way, it all seemed to have worked out pretty well.

They reached the headquarters an hour later and Seth rode into a dark alleyway. The building was surrounded by a tall wall. With a click of a remote, one of the wall panels lifted up. That was the access they usually used which bypassed the Unitech IT department and led them straight to the secret underground passage.

When she swung herself off the bike, a sudden wave of dizziness swept over her, making her stagger unsteadily. Damn, she must have sustained more injury than she realised. Or perhaps it was the combination of everything; the hormone inhibitors, the tranquilisers, her injuries and the shock of Seth's revelations.

A strong arm went around her.

Her vision blurred, and she blinked rapidly to clear it.

"We need to get you to the infirmary," he said urgently. A heavy sigh followed. "The trip took too long," he added irritably.

Her eyes widened. Seth had been speeding like mad so that he could get her back faster? She gave him a small smile. "It's okay, Seth. I'm fine." She was not lying. Now that she was on firm ground again, she felt a little better. And she had questions for him, she thought resolutely.

"The hell you are," he snapped, taking the rucksack containing the prototype from her. "Let's go."

She dug her feet into the ground. "Wait. We need to talk."

"Later, Max," he brushed off carelessly as he opened the side door to let her in.

Her eyes narrowed. His stubbornness was really beginning to bug her. "No, Seth. I want to know what's up with the whole deal about Manticore and Alec and the clones."

Grabbing her arm to pull her along with him down the underground passage, he expelled a heavy breath. "Max, I've told you what you need to know. From now on, you'll have no contact with Alec or Manticore. So it doesn't matter anymore."

She gritted her teeth. "That's not the point, Seth. And what do you mean I will have no contact with Manticore? What about you?"

"I'm doing what I have to do," he replied stiffly, averting his eyes.

"And what's that, Seth? What is it that you're doing in Manticore?" she asked, pulling herself away from him.

He shook his head and reached out for her. "Come on, Max. You need to get those wounds treated."

Stepping away from his grasp, she glared at him. "How long have you been in there?"

Seth stared at her for a moment, and then he turned and walked down the corridor, leaving her question unanswered.

Max gaped, rooted to the spot. He had the nerve to just walk away without answering her?

Scowling, she rushed after him. If he thought that it would be that easy to escape, he had better think again.

"How long have you known about the clones? How long have you known that Alec and Ben are twins?" she persisted, her voice raised in agitation.

"I don't want to talk about it," Seth snapped without looking back at her.

Her eyes narrowed. "What else are you hiding from us, Seth?"

He lengthened his steps.

Gritting her teeth, Max followed suit. Her temper flaring, she grabbed his jacket and spun him around.

He stared at her stonily, his jaw tight. Nothing but dead silence came from him.

Her fists balled at her sides. "Answer me, Seth!" she yelled. "What have you got to hide, huh? What's so bad that you can't just tell us? What did you do?"

His eyes flickered, and then a faraway look entered them. Then to Max's surprise, a hint of anguish swept over his expression. And then regret.

Anguish? Regret? At what? For what?

She shoved him in the chest, but it was as if he did not even feel it.

"Seth?" she yelled.

Startled, he stiffened abruptly. And then he looked down at her, his expression a mix of anger and something else she could not quite place.

His voice was low when he spoke. "Drop it, Max. I mean it," he warned in an alarmingly dangerous tone.

Her eyes widened. For a moment, she was speechless.

She had never seen him this way before. Seth was always calm and collected. Uptight? Yes. Bossy? Yes. But he had never used this tone on her, or any of them for that matter.

She ventured gingerly, "Seth? Are you okay?" Her eyes searched his, looking for some clue as to what was bothering him.

Seth's throat bobbed as he swallowed. Then his expression evened out. "I'm fine," he replied tonelessly. Then he continued, "Check yourself into the infirmary. You need to get yourself stitched up. I'll drop the prototype off at the lab."

Spinning around, he strode away from her without a backward glance.

Shocked at his reaction, she watched his retreating back until he turned the corner and disappeared from her sight.

Alec stepped into Renfro's office. He hoped that with Ivanov's capture, Renfro would overlook his earlier disobedience. A part of him felt doubtful, but his expression gave away nothing. He guessed that he had Manticore's relentless training to thank for it.

Renfro looked up from her desk.

"You disobeyed a direct order, 494," she went straight to the point.

"Ma'am, I needed to make a move on the target. Any delay would jeopardise the mission," he explained levelly.

She looked at him assessingly. "You obtained further intel?"

"Yes, ma'am. The target, Andrei Ivanov, is now secured in Block B."

Renfro nodded, her eyes not leaving him. "Excellent, 494," she said crisply. "You're confident that we'll have the information we require on the weapons system?"

"Ivanov is the mastermind. He would be able to tell us what we need to know."

The corner of Renfro's lips lifted. "Good." Then she stepped out away from her desk to stand in front of him, her expression questioning.

Alec forced himself to stare right ahead, keeping his expression blank.

"Tell me, 494. What do you know about 453?"

He blinked at the suddenness of the question. 453? So, 511 had told Renfro about Max. But how much had 511 told her?

Better keep it short and sweet. "She appears to be on an undercover mission, ma'am."

Renfro's eyebrow arched. "Really? And how do you know this?"

There was no way of hiding it now. So what if he had met another undercover X5 during a mission? Anyway, apart from the fraternising, he did not think that Max had done anything wrong. He would be in bigger trouble if he lied to Renfro.

"X5-453 was present as an agent for the opposition, ma'am. We crossed path during the mission."

"In Seattle?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"In the last few weeks?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Interesting," Renfro remarked thoughtfully. Then she walked back to her desk and sat down.

Alec fought the urge to look at her. Renfro's responses were not exactly encouraging. But something was wrong. She was too calm, too collected. And if she already knew about Max, what was the point of asking him? Was it simply just because she wanted to verify what 511 had told her?

"Interesting," she repeated softly. Then her expression became stony. "Now, can you explain the phone call I had received from 453 three days ago?"

His heart began to beat louder. A phone call from Max? "Ma'am?"

"I received a report from 453 three days ago. She was nowhere near Seattle. But according to you and 511, she was in Seattle. Is that correct?"

Alec hesitated for a moment before he replied, "Yes, ma'am."

"So, since 453 cannot possible be in two places at the same time, one of you must be lying."

Alec sucked in a sharp breath. "511 and I are positive that it was 453," he insisted. What was going on here? Was it possible that it was someone else that they had met, and not 453? It was simply not possible. Or maybe Seth had given him the wrong designation. But why would he do that?

"I'm afraid that I'm finding it difficult to accept your explanation, 494."

It was the truth, Alec wanted to shout, but he kept his mouth shut. Renfro would not take this lightly. Firstly, he had disobeyed a direct order, which was by itself, punishable. Now she was of the impression that he was lying to her.

He had no doubt that Renfro was not going to take this lightly. But what else could he tell her? It was not as if he was lying to her.

"So, what really happened out there, 494?"

Alec inhaled slowly and then released his breath. He was going to have to stand his ground. "The encounter with 453 did occur. She was after the same thing, the weapon design. We met her on more than one occasion."

Renfro's eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you insist on lying to me, I have no choice but to make sure that your insubordination never happens again."

Psy-Ops. That was what Renfro meant, Alec thought apprehensively.

"You will return to your cell and remain there until you're escorted to reindoctrination tomorrow morning. Is that clear, 494?" Renfro barked.

His words were heavy, leaden. "Yes, ma'am."

Max rolled over for what seemed like the hundredth time. The infirmary beds were obviously not designed for comfort. She wanted to leave, but the doctor had threatened to get Zack in to handcuff her to the bed if her feet so much as touched the floor.

But she was bored. She had been lying there for almost a day and she had had enough of it.

"Max!"

Recognising the voice, she turned around. Her face broke into a grin when she saw her sister. Pushing Seth to the back of her mind, she pushed herself up.

"Tinga! You're back," she exclaimed happily.

"Hey, take it easy, sis," Tinga advised as she bent down. They met in a hug.

"Been too long, Max. I missed you," Tinga murmured into the side of her head.

Max pulled back. "You alright?" she asked, concerned. "Is Eva and Zane back?"

Tinga nodded and then looked away uncomfortably.

"What happened?" Max asked quietly, sensing that something was bothering Tinga. She scanned her from head to toe, and then froze.

Max's eyes widened as she continued to stare at Tinga's midsection. What she felt, could it really be that? "Tinga? Are you…"

Tinga looked away uncomfortably.

Max laid a hand on Tinga's arm, a concerned frown on her face.

When Tinga brought her eyes up to Max, her expression was resolute. "Yes, Max. I'm pregnant."

Stunned, Max did not speak. Tinga had been away for almost eight months on her undercover mission. And now she looked about six months pregnant. What happened and why she did not tell them about it earlier? She could not have possibly missed all the signs.

Tinga sighed heavily. "Look, it's a long story."

"Why, Tinga? How did this happen?"

Tinga's lips tilted in a lopsided smile. "The usual way."

"Heat?"

"Well, there's that too."

"Who is the father?"

"Someone I met during my mission."

"The guy you were watching over?"

Tinga shook her head. "No. Charlie lives next door to my apartment." She shrugged. "One thing led to another."

Max gestured in the space between them. "Does he know…"

"No. He doesn't know I'm a transgenic." Tinga looked away, her expression turning anguished. "He must be hurt that I left the way I did. And worried," she added softly.

"Tinga…" Max said, her expression sympathetic. Tinga obviously missed Charlie. "Are you going back there?"

Tinga raised her eyes. "I wanted to stay there. But Eva thinks it is too dangerous. None of us had had any children, and certainly not with an Ordinary, so we don't know what to expect. She said that once I had the baby, I might be able to go back. But by then, Charlie would have given up on me," she finished sadly.

"I don't think that'll be the case. How could he forget the mother of his kid?"

"I don't know, Max," Tinga said, and then took a deep breath. "Enough about me. How are you feeling? You've been beaten up pretty badly."

Max grinned. "Part of the job description. I guess I can't complain."

"I'm surprised that Seth went with you, though. I thought he pretty much work solo nowadays."

"Yeah, that's right," Max said thoughtfully.

She wanted to tell Tinga about Manticore and the clones. And Ben being Alec's twin. But Tinga had her own problems at the moment. Bringing up Ben would just cause more pain and sadness to her.

Perhaps she should wait until she found out more.

A twinkle entered Tinga's eyes. "So what is this I've been hearing about Alec?"

"Alec?" Max parroted dumbly. How did Tinga find out?

"Zane told me about Alec, your new nemesis in that weapons mission of yours." Her expression turned mischievous. "Zane thinks there's something going on between you two."

"What? No!" Max protested loudly. "Where's Zane? I'm gonna kick his ass."

Tinga laughed. "I'm just teasing you, Max." Then she looked thoughtful. "But I'm finding your reaction…interesting."

Max scowled. "It's not like that," she muttered. Lydecker and Seth obviously had not told anyone about Alec's position as a Manticore soldier, otherwise Tinga would not be so light-hearted about it.

Grinning, Tinga stood up. "Well, I'm here if you want to talk."

When Tinga shut the door behind her, Max leaned back and groaned.

It was not long before the sound of the footsteps of a guard reached him.

Renfro did not waste any time, he thought in disgust. But at least he managed to catch some sleep.

He had spent the whole night running through the possible scenarios which might explain the situation. But in the end, he came up with nothing. Max could not possible be in two places at the same time, unless she was lying to Renfro.

No, Renfro would know because of the call tracing. So that could not be it. He must have missed something.

The door clanked open and the guard stepped in. "Come with me, 494."

Alec nodded and followed him out of the cell.

One after another, his feet moved mechanically in a steady beat down the hallway. Outwardly, he appeared calm, but inside, his thoughts were a confused mass.

Psy-ops.

Had it just been less than a year since he had last been there? It sure felt longer than that. Alec frowned. Now that he thought about it, he could not remember what he had been sent there for. But that was expected. After all, that was the whole purpose of those sessions. No one remembered much after that.

He guessed that once this session was over, he would have no recollection of the entire mission.

Including Max.

His heart gave an odd thump and a lump appeared in his throat. He would never find out what was going on with the entire situation about Max, or 453. Had she been lying to him about her identity? But how was that possible? Or perhaps Renfro had been the one messing with his mind.

No. He needed to make sure he remembered this time. But what could he do? Their destination was close. They were already in the psy-ops area.

How was he supposed to make sure that he remembered?

The guard beside him stopped and pushed open the door on their left.

"Wait here. Someone will be with you in about fifteen minutes," the guard said before he backed out and shut the door.

Alec looked around the sterile space. The atmosphere was oppressive, a testament of all the pain and torture which had occurred there in the past. He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Then he looked around thoughtfully. Maybe there was something he could use here to leave him some clues, some reminder of the past few weeks. He glanced at the camera mounted in the corner of the room. It was off. But as soon as the session began, he had no doubt that it would be switched on.

That meant that he needed to be quick.

He made a beeline towards the nearest cupboard and started to open the doors.

Surgical equipment, masks, gloves, pliers.

Alec shut the door with an expression of distaste on his face. No. Nothing useful in there. He opened another one.

Files, reams of printing paper, ink cartridges and miscellaneous stationery.

No, nothing there either, he thought, a little annoyed. Then he opened the next cupboard.

A frown marred his expression. This one seemed to be filled with all sorts of junk. He spotted a watch and a make-up kit amongst the pile of objects. Then his eyes were drawn to a silver object.

Reaching in, he pulled out a voice recorder. It looked familiar, he thought as he stared at it. He had seen it somewhere before, but it was definitely not part of Manticore's standard issue equipment.

Where had he seen it before?

He turned it around in his hand. Even the diagonal scratch at the corner seemed familiar. He pressed on the record button, and the recorder started to hum.

A glance at the clock on the wall told him that he had six minutes left.

Alec smirked.

Six minutes were more than enough.

t.b.c.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know what you think of it.