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:- :Hugs everyone: Thank you for reading and reviewing. Glad you're still following the story. I know this chapter's a little late, but it's actually two chapters merged into one, so enjoy the long read:grins:
Irresistible Rivals - Chapter 19
(by elle6778)
The room had been deathly silent every since the one called Zack had left. Alec let his eyes wander around for what seemed like the hundredth time. The window was boarded up now, no doubt to prevent him from escaping.
He smirked inwardly. That was the last thing he wanted to do. They would not believe it if he told them that he much preferred being there rather than back in Manticore. Come to think of it, he might even offer his services to them.
For a fee, of course.
But first things first. He needed to be sure that they were really on the other side. Things were still unclear to him. He remembered how Zack had looked when he had asked all those questions earlier. Unsurprisingly, the guy had given him no answers, but Alec could read expressions well enough to tell that he was hiding something.
All Alec needed was for them to admit that they were not on Manticore's side and the reasons behind it.
It was not going to be easy to get any of them to talk. Not that he blamed them, really. Considering that this was the second time he had gone AWOL, it was proof enough that he himself was not too fond of Manticore. Especially after having his memories erased not once, but twice. Who knew how many other times Manticore had done it to him?
He scowled darkly. But there was no way that Max and the rest were going to believe him even if he told them the truth. What could he say? That he saw the light once he regained his memories? That he resented being told to obey orders he did not agree with and to be brainwashed as and when Manticore felt like it?
The voice recorder was the only thing which had saved him.
Alec groaned. And now Zack had it with him, he thought, feeling acutely uncomfortable.
The content of the voice recorder was not something he wanted anyone to listen to. It was too personal, especially the recording on Rachel. He knew that they would not be able to understand what it meant, but still, he did not feel comfortable with the idea.
The second recording would tell them of his suspicions. But they should have figured that out by themselves, considering that Zack's questions even before he had gotten hold of the recorder.
Alec tugged at his arms. The bonds still held fast. Then he tried to move his legs.
He exhaled in relief when his toes moved. The second shot was wearing off much quicker than the first one. His body must have gotten used to it. If Zack had realised that, he would not have left him alone like this, Alec thought in amusement.
He thought back to what he had seen of them so far. Judging by how haphazardly everything was run, he was surprised that they had managed to keep off Manticore's radar. But since when? When had they switched sides?
It must have been quite long, he deduced. Their behaviour and their interaction told him how comfortable they were with each other. And although they had exhibited some Manticore-bred traits, they were much more relaxed and less rigid in their thinking.
It was something that he wished were true for his interaction with the transgenics in Manticore. He had been the most comfortable with 511, but look where it had gotten 511 now. He had tried so many times, but there was no way to snap the other transgenic out of Manticore's brainwashing.
Alec sighed and tried to roll to his side just to be reminded again that his wrists and ankles were still bound to the posts. An uncomfortable pressure was also beginning to form in his lower regions, telling him that he had to do something about it soon.
Just then, he heard footsteps approaching.
Unconsciously, he brightened. Max, he thought. Perhaps she would be more forthcoming than Zack had been. After all, they knew each other, right?
The door opened.
His heart sank when he realised who it was.
Then, putting on a cheerful face, he greeted his visitor with a smile. "Seth." His tone contained a tinge of amusement.
Going straight to the point, Seth asked coldly, "What are you doing here, 494?"
Alec's eyebrow shot up. "It's Alec, don't you remember?"
Seth stared at him expressionlessly. And then he stepped fully into the room and shut the door behind him. Alec's eyes flicked to the door, suddenly beginning to be wary of Seth's presence. A thought suddenly occurred to him. Maybe Seth was still working for Manticore.
If so, he was so screwed.
"Fine. Alec, then. Why are you here?"
Alec shrugged. "Just visiting, really."
Seth's eyes hardened. "You're spying for Manticore."
Taken aback by the accusation, Alec tensed a little before he replied. "I could say the same for you."
The muscle under Seth's eye ticked. "This is not about me."
"Oh yeah? How about this? You tell me what I want to know, and I'll do the same," Alec challenged.
Seth glared at him. "You seemed to have forgotten that you're the prisoner here," he remarked coldly.
Alec smirked as he let his eyes wander around the room. It was comfortable compared to his accommodation back in Manticore. "Prisoner? You know, I kind of like it here. Might just decide to stay."
His scowl deepening, Seth snapped, "Enough of the evasion tactics. You're here for a reason and you're going to tell me what it is."
Alec gave him a thoughtful look. "Actually, I'm here because I miss Max's company. Fieldwork got a little boring without her around to mess things up for me."
Seth's eyes widened incredulously. "You stay away from her," he warned harshly.
Alec's smirk grew. "What? Scared that she'd pick me over you?"
Snorting, Seth retorted, "Hardly."
"I heard rumours that she's got a thing for me," he prodded casually. Oh well, fine! He was curious.
Seth's eyes flickered. "You heard wrong."
"Really? I bet that's not what you think. Max been a little distant lately?" Alec taunted. He had no idea if it was the truth, but if he could rattle Seth, why not? He was bored anyway.
Stepping close to him, Seth hissed in his face. "I'm not going to warn you again to stay away from Max. She's none of your concern. What you need to worry more is yourself right now."
Alec did not blink. "Is that a threat, 354?"
Seth stiffened.
Raising an eyebrow, Alec continued, "Or is it 353? Or maybe 355? What's your real designation, Seth?"
"You've got a vivid imagination."
"I've been told. But it's always very close to the truth," Alec said with a grin.
"Are you finding this funny?" Seth sounded as if he was about to snap.
"Hey, chill. I promise I won't tell Manticore."
"You and 511 were assigned to a mission in Portland. So why are you here in Seattle?"
Alec smirked. "I see you've done your homework."
"Answer the question, Alec," Seth rapped out icily.
Alec tossed him a challenging look. "What are you going to do if I don't?"
She walked at an unrushed pace, deep in thought. The whole thing seemed surreal. Alec being there seemed surreal. But the risk of exposure was real enough. How much had he told Manticore?
But had he told Manticore anything at all? If he had, then why was he here alone? He would have known that Unitech was heavily guarded. Manticore would not have sent him in alone to be ambushed.
Zack's question back in the Command Centre came back to mind.
What did she really think of Alec? Her lips twitched. On hindsight, although he had always been a pain in the ass, she had to admit that their previous encounters gave her a rush. It was one thing going on a regular assignment, but it was another thing going on an assignment where there was a real challenge.
Was that it, Max? All you recall was your interactions during the assignments?
She frowned. What else was there to remember?
His smirk? The way his hazel eyes twinkled? Your heat? His lips, his hands on your body? His thigh between your legs?
Max flushed. Fine, Alec was attractive. And she was human enough to be susceptible to his charms. Yes, in his own cocky way, the man was charming. And she had been spending way too much time thinking about that particular aspect of his personality.
And now she was going to see him.
Suddenly she felt awkward. For the last six hours, she had forced herself not to think about the little incident with Alec the last time she had seen him. But now that she was almost there, it all came back to her again.
She cringed inwardly. When she had seen him lying there with such a peaceful expression, she had not been able to help herself from studying him and wondering if Ben would have turned out like him. She smiled a little. Nah, she doubted that Ben would have become such a smartass if he had lived through the break-out. But what possessed her to touch Alec like that? That, in itself, was embarrassing enough. But he had been awake all that time to witness it.
A mocking voice in her head taunted her. Yeah, that's the only reason why you touched him, right?
She glowered at herself. Of course. Why else would she do that?
Because you just wanted to touch him. Just to see feel his skin. Because, admit it, Max, you've got a thing for him.
That was just the after-effects of the heat, she thought irritably. Hormones overruling brain, nothing more.
Yeah, that's why he has been on your mind, but not the other guy, right? Remember, Max? There was another X5 there at that time? But all you remember is Alec. Stop kidding yourself, Max.
Max groaned out loud. No, no, no. She did not need a reminder of his scent, his heated gaze and their frantic groping just minutes before she had to go in to see him.
"Max? Are you okay?"
Her eyes snapped up to Zack's concerned ones. And then she realised that they were already in the building and Alec's room was at the end of the hallway.
Forcing a smile onto her lips, she replied, "Yeah."
"What are you thinking?"
Max felt her cheeks warming. If Zack knew what she was thinking… "Nothing," she said in an overly bright voice, wincing as she did so.
Zack opened his mouth to speak but suddenly halted in his tracks. He held a hand up. "Wait. I hear something," he remarked, his tone belying his wariness.
Max stilled and listened. Then they exchanged a worried glance, their eyes widening in comprehension.
"Seth," they said in unison before rushing down to Alec's room.
Zack pushed the door open and Max skidded in beside him.
Seth was standing over Alec. At their abrupt entry, he straightened to look at them, his expression completely bland. Max suppressed a shiver. Seth definitely looked as if he belonged in Manticore. Her eyes flicked to Alec. Relief washed over her when she realised that Seth had not done anything to him.
"Everything alright?" Zack asked in a measured voice.
Seth nodded. "Is there a reason why it shouldn't be?"
Stepping closer to Seth, Max said carefully, "No. We just heard voices in here and got worried for a while."
"He was just telling me to behave," Alec interjected gamely. "Now why would I misbehave with you guys as such wonderful hosts?"
Max rolled her eyes at him. The guy did not seem bothered by the fact that he was being held against his will. "Can you just shut up for a minute?" she snapped at him.
"Hey, I'm just helping with the flow of conversation here," he defended himself, an affronted look on his face. "Seems like you guys need some help."
Max narrowed her eyes. "The conversation is between us three. You're not included."
"Max…" She could hear Seth calling her, but she ignored him.
Alec shook his head sadly. "I feel a little left out. We're all X5s after all. You could even say that we're family."
"Max…"
Her eyes rounded disbelievingly. "Family?" she squeaked. The image of Ben came flashing through her mind but she quickly shook it off before it took hold. "You've got to be kidding."
Blinking innocently, Alec adopted a hurt expression. "You wound me, Max."
She planted her hands on her hips. "Isn't that just too bad? Then maybe you will decide not to come spying on us, huh? And while you're at it, how about staying out of my way the next time we bump into each other in the field?"
"And I thought that you must have missed me," he said with a straight face.
"Alec…" she warned, her irritation bubbling to the surface.
"MAX!"
She snapped around to Seth. "What?" she snapped irritably. What was so important that Seth had to keep interrupting her?
"He's the prisoner," Seth pointed out meaningfully. "Watch what you say."
Her eyes flashed in indignation. "I'm not stupid, Seth. I'm not saying anything he doesn't know already. So chill, alright?" She sneaked a glance at Alec to find the guy watching their interaction with interest.
"You just can't grasp how serious this is, can you?" Seth gritted out.
Max let out a bark of laughter. "Oh, believe me, I do. And you're not helping matters either. If you'd just talk to us, then maybe all these wouldn't have happened."
"I told you I have my reasons." His tone was evasive.
"That's just a pathetic excuse, Seth."
Zack stepped in. "Seth, I think Jack was looking for you a second ago," he said, obviously trying to defuse the mounting tension in the room.
Max continued to glare at Seth. Seth was just looking back at her with a stony expression pasted on his face. After a few seconds, he broke their eye contact and turned to Zack.
"Where's Jack?"
Zack gestured to the door as he grabbed Seth's arm. "I'll walk you there."
Then they were gone, leaving her alone with Alec.
He was the first to break the silence. "Interesting relationships you've got there." Then his tone became thoughtful. "You got Zack, who's like this strong and quiet older brother. Then you got one called Zane. Now he's like the annoying kid brother. I would say that it sounds like you've got yourself a happy family."
She gaped at him, wondering how he managed to deduce all of that in the short time he was there.
He continued, "Of course, the happy family thing kind of goes straight out of the window when you add Seth into the equation. What is he to you, Max? A brother? A boy-friend?"
What? She really did not need this now. Groaning in frustration, she muttered, "Mind your own business." But her voice lacked her usual bite. His accurate assessment of her family unnerved her.
He raised his eyebrows and grinned. "I'm just curious, Max. You know what it's like in Manticore, right? Everything is so cold and impersonal. Watching you and the rest gives me warm fuzzy feelings."
She glared at him. "If you don't quit yapping, the only thing you'll feel is my boots against your ass. Get it?"
He looked pained. "Gee, Max. Did anyone ever tell you that you've got to get a grip on that violence? And why has it got to be always my ass?"
Letting out a groan of exasperation, she turned her back on him and went to the couch, bent on ignoring him. Being left alone with him was disconcerting enough without him talking non-stop. Settling down, she picked up a magazine left there by Zack. Thumbing through it, she wrinkled her nose at the contents. Cars. Bikes were better.
"Didn't know that cars are your thing," he remarked casually.
It was not, but why should she tell him? "What do you know, anyway?" she muttered, flipping to another page.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw him shrug. "Just trying to get to know you better, that's all."
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion but she did not say anything. They remained in silence as she continued to scan through the magazine. Good. At least she would have some peace now, she thought grumpily.
"How did you join this group anyway?
She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. Ignore him, Max. Just ignore him.
He continued blithely. "You guys get paid for this, right? Or did the company foot the bills for things like the car your Krit owns?"
Max froze. How did he know about Krit? How close was he to finding out who they really were? Slamming down the magazine, she got up and stalked towards him. Ignoring his smirk, she leaned down close.
"What do you know about Krit?" she bit out harshly.
He winced visibly. "Hey, is that a sore topic?"
"Cut the crap, Alec! What do you know about us?" she asked again, poking him in the chest with her finger.
"Ouch! Max, that hurts."
"It's going to hurt a hell of a lot more if you don't tell me what you know," she threatened, smacking the side of his head lightly.
He looked at her worriedly. "Do you mind asking Zack to baby-sit? I think I feel safer with him."
Glowering darkly, she ignored the shot and pressed on. "Are you going to tell me or not?"
Alec sighed wearily. "Will you even believe me if I tell you?"
"Try me."
Sobering up, he gave her an assessing look. And then, seemingly coming to a decision, he nodded slightly. "Fine. I'll tell you."
"I know for sure that you and Seth are X5s. Seth, because of Manticore. And you…" His eyes took on a strange gleam. "Well, let's just say that I have no doubt that you're an X5."
Max clamped her teeth together, knowing fully well what Alec was referring to.
Then he continued, "Zane, Zack and the other one who knocked me out? Was it Jack? Well, I'm guessing that they are X5s as well. They are too strong to be Ordinaries. Now, what I don't understand is what are you guys doing outside of Manticore? Undercover is a possibility, but Manticore never sends so many units out on the same undercover assignment. It just did not make sense. So, if you're not here on Manticore's orders, then who are you working for? Unitech?" He gave her a questioning look.
"Do I look like I'm going to give you an answer?" Max questioned blandly.
His lips twitched. "I kind of hoped that since I'm being honest, you should be too."
"We've got much more to lose than you," she said evasively.
Alec tensed visibly. "Something to lose?" And then his voice turned so soft that Max had to strain to hear it. "Let me tell you something about losing, alright? When you and Seth pulled this stunt on me, it cost me my partner. He's been sent to Psy-Ops? Do you know what that is?"
Max swallowed. "Why was he sent there?"
"The director got a call from a 453 somewhere out of Seattle. So, when 511 said that he was with 453 in Seattle, she thought he was lying. Sending him to Psy-Ops was to reindoctrinate him, to make him an obedient soldier again. Well, it worked. 511 don't remember shit about anything that happened before he was sent there, even when I tried so hard to remind him."
Max's heart constricted. She did not know. She did not realise that the lie Seth had told about her designation would have such a terrible consequence. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, but fully buried in his thoughts, the glazed look in his eyes told her that Alec was not listening.
"Then when I tried to back 511 up, she threw me in there as well," he continued flatly. "Do you know what it's like to wake up feeling completely blank? Like you remember the basic routines but nothing else? Like you're nobody, just a machine to be used?" This time there was an edge to his voice.
"Alec…" Her eyes softened at the obvious pain in his expression. Moving closer, she sat on the edge of his bed and put a hand on his chest.
His expression hardened and she pulled back her hand abruptly. He continued to speak. "I remember what happened. Thanks to a small device, I remember what happened this time and the last time." He took a deep breath. "I will not go back there," he vowed resolutely.
Her eyes widened. Alec escaped from Manticore? Her mind reeled at the information. He had had enough so he decided to run off? But why did he come here then? Why did he not just run as far as he could away from Manticore?
A twinge of suspicion nudged her. Was he telling the truth or was this some ploy to get her to talk? She wanted to believe him, but the risk on their freedom was too high.
"Why did you come here? Why remain in Seattle when you know that Manticore is going to come after you?" she voiced her thoughts.
Alec snorted. "If you were in my shoes, wouldn't you want to find out who managed to cause so much trouble and get away with it?"
She frowned. "That's it?"
Then she saw a flash of hesitation in his eyes. A moment of silence passed before he finally said. "I also want to know that if you're not 453, then who exactly are you?"
"Me?"
Looking away, he nodded. "Is it 452, or 454? Which one is it?"
Max continued to stare at him, trying to proves the information. Finding out her real identity seemed to be a weak reason to risk his own freedom. Why did he do it? She lowered her gaze to her hands.
Unless, of course, he felt…
No, don't even go there, Max, she scolded herself. She had to remain impartial and not let her attraction for him cloud her judgement.
"It's your turn."
"What?" She looked at him, startled at the suddenness of his words.
He gave her a pointed look. "I told you my story. Now it's your turn."
She inhaled deeply. "How do I know you're not lying to me?"
He shrugged. "You don't."
"Then why should I tell you anything?"
"Because you have to trust me."
"Trust you? I don't know you, Alec! How do I know if I could trust you? The last time I trusted you, you tried to take my watch from me," she pointed out, suddenly feeling irritated.
Alec groaned. "That was different. I had a mission to complete."
"For all I know, you're on a mission now."
"I'm not."
This time, it was Max's turn to groan. "Alec, I can't tell you anything. Not right now, anyway," she said in a quiet voice.
His silent gaze unnerved her, and she looked away.
"I get it. You need to talk it over with the rest." He sounded resigned.
Sneaking a peek out of the corner of her eyes, she found him leaning back against the bed with his eyes shut.
She wanted to believe him. She wanted to trust him. Instincts told her that he was telling the truth. But she would not fool herself that she was the greatest judge of character. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes wearily.
She needed Zane to talk to Alec. Zane was the most perceptive of them all when it came to these things, not that she would ever admit that to his face.
Yeah, Zane would be able to tell.
They had been silent for a while now, Alec thought with his eyes still closed. But from the sounds of her soft breathing, he knew that she was still there. He shifted a little, trying to ease the mounting discomfort he was feeling. How long had he been there? It must be close to twelve hours by now, and he was beginning to really feel it.
No, he shook himself inwardly. Better to wait for the next shift before he made his discomfort known.
Think about something else. Think about Max.
He had been watching her carefully when he had imparted his story to her. And for some reason, something told him that they were not the bad guys.
They were X5s, they were not the bad guys and they seemed to be an okay bunch.
And if his suspicions that they were some outcast group were correct, they had done well in avoiding Manticore all this time. Seth even managed to infiltrate Manticore. He guessed, like Max, Seth had adopted some other X5s designation, probably his clone's, and had been lucky enough not to be caught.
Yeah, they were good.
Alec sighed. He could do worse than to join them.
He wondered what their reaction would be if he announced that to them. Seth would probably explode. Alec's amusement lifted the corner of his lips.
But first, he needed to get them to trust him.
"What's so funny?"
His eyes still closed, he let his smile grow. So, she was looking at him, was she? Perhaps there was some truth in Zane's teasing. Perhaps he was not alone in feeling confused about his attraction.
"Alec?" she called out again.
He opened his eyes to look into a pair of suspicious brown orbs. "I'm just wondering about something, that's all."
"What?" Her voice was cautious.
"You really want to know?" he teased.
"Oh, just spit it out, will you?" she snapped impatiently.
She asked for it, he thought with some amusement. "I was wondering if you're attracted to me."
Her eyes widened as she stared at him disbelievingly. "What?" she asked weakly, her eyes flickering uncertainly.
He stifled a smirk. "You heard me," he said softly. Yes, that expression of hers definitely confirmed his suspicion.
She blinked. "What are you playing at, Alec?" she snapped irritably.
"You were the one who asked," he pointed out evenly. "Anyway, it's highly understandable if you are." Then he clarified, "Attracted to me, that is."
She bit her lips, drawing Alec's eyes to the way she was chewing the generous flesh. He swallowed hard, remembering how those lips had tasted on his tongue.
"Remember that day in the alleyway?" he asked slowly, carefully.
She looked away so that he could not see her expression. "Please don't remind me."
He smirked. "Admit it, you enjoyed it as much as I did."
She groaned. "It was just hormones, Alec. Don't mistake it for anything else."
He raised his eyebrows even though she was still looking away. "My hormones remind me of it, and I'm sure yours do to. So, what do you think? Any chance of that happening again?"
She swivelled around abruptly. "What? No! What the hell are you trying to say here, Alec?" She sounded flustered.
An insistent pressure flooded his lower region, distracting him from her question. He grimaced, wondering how long more he could hold on before he embarrassed himself. It was reaching the critical point.
Don't think about it, he told himself again.
"Alec, are you okay?" This time her voice held a note of concern.
"Max, when is the next guard rotation?" he asked tightly.
She frowned as she looked at her watch. "Not for another four hours. Why?" Then she began to look suspicious. "You're not thinking of escaping, are you?"
He let out a heartfelt groan. "Believe me, that's the last thing on my mind."
"Then why do you ask?"
"You don't want to know." He sounded tortured.
"Alec…" she came closer. Then her hand was on his forehead. "You're not ill."
"I know," he said flatly.
She bristled. "You're going to tell me what's wrong before I kick your ass."
"FINE!" he exploded, finally deciding that he just could not wait any longer. "It's been something like twelve hours since you caught me," he gritted out pointedly.
Looking confused, she asked, "So?"
"A man has needs," he bit out tightly, feeling his face warm with embarrassment.
"Needs…" she mumbled thoughtfully, and then her eyes cleared. "Oh."
He closed his eyes. "Yeah. THAT need."
"But I got to let you go…"
Alec groaned. "I promise I'll not run."
She hesitated for a moment before she said, "Fine."
She bent down to untie the ropes bonding his ankles to the bedposts. The second he felt it loosen, he tried to sit up.
"Wait," she said as she went to the head of the bed.
As she fiddled with the bonds around his wrist, Alec found himself face to face with her breasts. He gulped. Her citrus and flowers scent invaded his nostrils, making him groan as a reaction stirred within him. No, he did not need to think of certain things right now.
He felt one of his wrists coming loose just to feel it being re-tied together with the other wrist. Then she pulled him up. His arms were still bound together behind him. No doubt this was a measure to prevent him from fighting while allowing him to walk to the washroom. Maybe she would take it off later.
"Come with me," she said gruffly, obviously just as embarrassed with the situation as he was.
Nodding, he followed her out and walked down a deserted hallway. A short distance later, they turned around a corner and reached the washrooms. Gesturing to the door with a male stick figure stuck on the on it, she said, "Well, do what you have to do, but don't try anything stupid."
She was not planning to untie his hand, he noted incredulously.
With a long-suffering sigh, he said, "Max, unless you're planning to follow me in, you're gonna have to free my hands."
Her eyes dropped to his hands before they widened in understanding.
Then he smirked. "I won't object too much if you decide to help me, hands on, of course." He watched with amusement as a blush crept up her slender neck to her cheeks as she gaped wordlessly at him.
Finally finding her voice, she snapped, "You wish!"
"So let me go."
Her eyes flashing in annoyance, she went behind him. After a moment, the ropes fell off his wrists.
Without a further word, he dashed into the washroom, slamming the door behind him.
Max leaned against the wall and exhaled loudly. That must have been the most embarrassing moment she could remember experiencing in recent days.
What did Zack think he was doing, not letting Alec go before she was called in for guard duty? If Alec decided to escape now, what was she going to do? So far, from their track record, all she could say was that there were equal in skills. So it could go either way.
The sound of boots hitting the corridor around the corner alerted her to a newcomer. She frowned. It was too soon for the next shift, so who could it be? Then she heard the sound of a door opening.
"Hey!" she called out.
"Max?" Jack's surprised voice reached her.
The footsteps sped up and became louder until she saw Jack coming around the corner, a worried frown marring his forehead.
"You're okay," Jack sighed in relief. Then he looked around her. "Alec?"
She pointed her thumb to the washroom. "In there. I can't believe Zack left him so many hours like that."
"Oh."
"What are you doing here, Jack? Isn't it a little early to be taking over from me now?" she asked, wondering about his presence.
"You need to get back to Command Centre. They need you there," he told her in a low voice.
They needed her? For what? Packing? Surely they could deal with that without her. Why was she protesting anyway if it meant that she got to spend less time with Alec?
"Max?"
"Why do they need me there?"
Jack glanced pointedly at the door to the washroom. "You need to ask them when you see them."
Right then, the door opened and Alec stepped out. Max took an involuntary step back, watching him warily.
Holding his hands out in a gesture of surrender, Alec said, "I'm not going anywhere except back to the room."
She kept her eyes on him as she bent down to retrieve the ropes.
His eyes went to her hands. "There's no need for that," he said before turning around and calmly walking away from her.
Her eyes widened. "Hey!" And she chased after him with Jack cursing behind her.
But before they could reach him, Alec stopped in front of his room and pushed the door open, letting himself in. Max and Jack skidded to a stop and exchanged an uncertain glance with each other.
Jack pointed to the closed door. "He let himself back in," he stated incredulously.
Max gave the door a sceptical look, recalling what Alec had said to her earlier about escaping Manticore. If he was really escaping Manticore, then his action was understandable.
"What's with the guy?" Jack questioned more to himself than to her.
She sighed wearily. "I don't know. Just make sure he doesn't escape, and don't let him talk you into anything you won't normally do."
Jack's brow shot up. "What do you mean?"
Not in the mood to go into it, she just said, "Nevermind." Then she continued, "I'll head back to Command Centre now. I'll tell Zane to relieve you in six hours."
At Jack's nod, she left him and went back to the Command Centre.
She could not believe they were going to do this, Max thought as she paced the length of the living room of the apartment she shared with Zane and Eva. Behind her, she could hear the low voices belonging to the others. They were hidden in the bedrooms.
It was a little drastic, even for her. But she guessed that they did not have much of a choice. Zane and Eva had not been able to gather much concrete information on Seth's secrets, but they had seen enough to be suspicious that something was not right.
Which had somehow led to this crazy plan.
She inhaled sharply when a knock sounded on the door. All movements and sounds in the other rooms stopped abruptly, leaving the apartment eerily silent. Her footsteps sounded unnaturally loud as she made her way to the door.
Opening it, she came face to face with Seth.
"You wanted to see me?" Seth asked as he stepped in.
She nodded, suddenly feeling bad about deceiving Seth like this. But he had been deceiving them all this time, so she guessed in a weird way it was fair.
He sighed as he looked at her. Then to her surprise, he bent down gave her a chaste kiss on her cheek.
"Seth…" she started uncomfortably, unsure what to say. Their last encounter in Alec's room had been tense, so she was not expecting him to be like this.
He ran his hand over his cropped hair. "Look, Max. I know things have been…difficult…between us lately."
She closed her eyes briefly. "Tell me about it."
"I remember what you said to me outside Ivanov's place," he said quietly. Then he added, "Did you really mean it, or did you say it because you were angry?"
Max realised that he was referring to the day when she had told him it was over between them. Keeping in mind that the rest was within hearing distance, she said softly, "It's just not working out, Seth. I don't know how we can carry on."
He reached out and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry you feel that way," he whispered into her hair.
Her eyes stung. "Seth… Stop." She did not want him to say too much. Not when there were so many curious ears nearby. They needed to talk one day. Really talk. But not like this.
He pulled away slowly and glanced down at her. "What's wrong?"
She looked at him guiltily. "I'm sorry too, Seth," she said as she tapped her foot loudly against the timber board floor.
She watched his eyes widen in shock as Zack, Zane, Eva and Tinga rushed out of the rooms to surround them.
Seth's entire body tensed as he glanced warily around him. "What's going on here?" he asked tightly.
Zack spoke first. "You need to answer some questions."
"What?" Seth gritted out. Then he swung around to Max. "You set me up for this?"
Max gave him a pleading look. "We need to have some answers, Seth. And this place is secure."
Eva added. "We didn't want to do this, but you left us with no choice."
Seth's eyes flashed angrily. "Choice? What about me? When did I ever have a choice?"
t.b.c.
A/N: That's all for now. Please review and let me know what you think. I need the encouragement for the last lap…a couple more chapters to the end of the story, I think! Yay!