a/n: Thanks all for reading and for your comments/advice. I'm always open to hear what you think.

more of Alec and Max and... oh, yea! back to the plot...


Chapter 5

Alec was surprised at the sight. He was expecting to find Max working, typing away at the computer, or maybe not even there, but out trying to do something.

But we're trapped in a corner, he realized. And perhaps Logan was as well. Why else would the man contact Alec?

Logan's request had come to Alec as a surprise. It seemed the man, wherever he was, trusted Alec to take care of the woman he loved.

Alec smiled at the differences between himself and Logan. Taking care of Maxie meant something different to Alec than it did to Logan. Surely, Cale's idea meant protecting her by withholding information from her and making decisions without her knowledge or input. Why else would he have so many hidden and secret files?

Alec wanted to protect her just as much. But keeping things from Max was not something he wanted or worked to do. Alec's way of protecting Max meant helping her. She needed to find Logan because she loved him. So Alec would help.

He didn't like the idea of leaving Max, either, just as she seemed to feel about the plan. But he trusted her to take care of herself. His real reasons for not wanting to separate were selfish, really. He just didn't want her absence for a week.

You're totally whipped, he scolded himself. But he didn't feel like it. Max wasn't using him, after all. They were working together on this. He was free to walk away at any moment. It was just that he didn't want to leave her to deal with all of it on her own.

Alec couldn't help but grin at the sight of Max resting. He didn't often see her sleep. Well, maybe that was because she didn't sleep often.

He leaned over her, not really thinking about what he was doing. He was glad that she finally was getting some rest, and it made him want some as well. He crept beside her and laid down, preparing to sleep.

Max, in her sleepy state, welcomed his presence by molding her body perfectly into his arms.

Alec didn't take the time to wonder or pick apart her instinctive response. He only closed his eyes and fell asleep with a smile.

-----

"Alec?" Max asked softly as she woke up. How long has he been here? She realized he'd been sleeping, too.

Alec instantly blinked awake. "Max," he answered in a deep but gentle voice.

His stare was unnerving. There was a look in his eyes that made her feel all too vulnerable.

"I know you," she heard him say in a deep and intense voice.

"What?" she asked, sending him a fearful look without thinking to hold it back.

"I said, I owe you," he repeated, giving her a questioning look. "Geez! You'd think your senses would be better after a good night's sleep!" he joked kindly with a smile.

"I mean, I ditched you last night to hang out with the crew," he continued, explaining, "and I take it, you had your own plan for the evening."

She stared at him confused. Did he know she'd been thinking of him? And remembering their most intimate moment?

He noticed how tense she suddenly became. Not at all like her body instinctively reacted. It seemed she was fighting her instincts. Why would you do that, Maxie?, he thought but didn't ask. It only made him more concerned. Why would she be so restless when she'd finally taken some time to rejuvenate herself?

"I mean, I caught your broadcast," he finished. "It was you, right?" He didn't know why he was asking. He knew it was her. But she seemed to be less open suddenly. It made him feel slightly uncomfortable even though he was right where he wanted to be at the moment.

Max looked a bit better hearing what he meant. But she still seemed off to him. Alec wondered if hearing Logan's voice again could have affected her this much. He didn't want it to, but he figured that to be the reason for her attitude.

"Oh, right," she answered, "…dumb idea, huh?" She looked up at him knowing what she was doing and didn't like it. She was looking to him for comfort again. Why did the sight of him calm her so much? She didn't like the attachment she had to him. It made her feel all the more vulnerable.

Instead of returning with some smart comment, or even just an honest opinion, he only responded with that intense stare again. The look in his eyes…she didn't want to accept what his eyes were offering her.

"What are you looking at?" she snapped.

The comment seemed to remind him of his own vulnerability. She only realized he'd been holding her when she felt the absence of his arm around her as he backed away.

"Well, maybe you didn't get enough beauty sleep after all. Cuz that's one hell of an ugly greeting to give to someone that-"

"Invaded my space?" she interrupted him, not wanting to hear the answer.

Oh, he thought, wondering if he'd been invading her space when he'd been working almost nonstop at Logan's of all places just to help find some answers for her. Part of him wanted to be straight with her and ask her just what the hell was suddenly bothering her so much. But something about her rejecting mood only brought out a sarcastic response. "Aww, Maxie. I'm sorry. Did I step inside your bubble?"

Max was relieved to find the look that she'd woken up to was now gone from his eyes. In its place was the usual mischievous golden specks in his intense green eyes. She was also relieved that her own moment of emptiness at the release of his touch was gone, habitually responding to his changed attitude.

"Why the hell did you sneak up on me like that?" she asked him.

She wanted to say more, but only gave him a look before staring at her watch to see how much time had gone by while she slept.

"How'd you even get in here? I locked and bolted the door just so I wouldn't be interrupted," she complained.

"Max…you're asking a transgenic how I got around something as simple as a lock?"

"Well, I guess I know how you got in, what I'd like to know is why. You knew it was me in here. Didn't that bolted lock give you a clue to stay out?"

"Oh, my bad, Maxie. You'll have to forgive me for breaking and entering into the place that I've been a slave to for the past few weeks!" he snapped without thinking. Just great, he thought sarcastically. That'll do it, Alec. Show her how much of an effect she has on you. Just what you want her to realize.

She bit her lip. She knew her anger and rude comments were unjustified. But she couldn't help her own nature.

"Don't put this on me!" she argued, "You could have left at any time!"

Great. Now I've done it. I opened my big mouth and now I have to come clean. He'd been hoping for Max's usual response of either a slap upside the head or some insult or accusation of her own. Instead came her other standard response. Denial. He had no choice but to try and justify his statements. As if she would listen. He knew she wouldn't, but he was already trapped. He had to say more.

"And leave you, what… completely alone to deal with this?" he asked her honestly, not understanding where she was coming from.

"Are you questioning my capability here, Alec? Because I don't need your help, okay! I don't need anything from you." Her words were cold. She didn't mean them, she knew it. But she had to say them. As much for herself as for him.

"What I'm questioning…are your intentions," he blurted.

"What does that mean?" she asked angrily.

"You get all your feathers ruffled because, what… you woke up to my presence? Do you realize that you knew I was here all along? Come on, Maxie. You're a transgenic. You sensed I was here. If it really bothered you this much, you would have woken up."

Max was confused. Where was his denial? Why wasn't he running? He's just like me, isn't he?

"You act like you know me," she retorted rudely, contradicting what she knew to be true.

Alec looked up to the ceiling and let out some sort of annoyed grunt before facing her again. "Whatever, Max. I came here to see what was going on. Remember, we were working together. And you did that broadcast. I wanted to see if I could help, since that's what people do when they work together. But I guess you're fine! So I'll just be on my merry way, then."

His words affected her more than he knew, but she was glad they'd finally come. "Good," was her only lame reply.

He turned to stare at her, this one questioning her. She didn't like it. He knew that this was all bullshit. But thankfully, he didn't call her out on it anymore. He must have known she needed her space. Because he does know me, the thought slipped in her mind, even though she wanted to run from it.

"Well, I'll be at work. Call me if your superpowers are down, or…you know, if you need a rebound," he replied coldly.

Max wanted to call him an asshole, or slap him, but he'd already left and closed the door behind him, and she wasn't one to chase after him.

Damnit! Max scolded herself. Why did she have to do that? "I think too much," she decided, before realizing she needed to get out herself. This apartment felt too weird to her sometimes. Waking up to Alec in Logan's apartment was really unsettling, and she needed to get away from it.

Maybe I'll go to work, too, she thought with a shrug. She would be late but, whatever, nothing new.

-------

Renfro found it difficult to formulate thoughts or plans in her current state. Her head was pounding, and she found her arms still hurt. This time, it seemed, the pain would last longer. Her body was starting to develop a permanent bruise, it appeared, from the procedure.

Where the hell is it? The horrifying question kept taunting her, driving her into near madness. If she couldn't figure out what happened…

It was ironic, really. She knew this. How many times had she tampered with their memories? Even when they forced themselves to forget, there were ways to regain them. To take them, rip them right out of their heads. How they must have felt, to have no control over their actions, bodies, or minds. She'd used them as much as she possibly could. Memories are the thing that people hold onto, what a soldier holds onto. It was what made them have an identity.

Renfro hated it. She'd wanted a way to control their minds. It was the one limitation to her otherwise boundless control over them. If she could find a way to take their memories, then they would truly be soldiers.

Damn it!, she thought, realizing what was happening to her. They aren't people! They're soldiers. They're mine. A thought worried her more than anything else at the moment. What have I done? Regret was not something Renfro normally accepted or even considered. There was no such thing as a mistake in her eyes. Sure, there were flaws, trial and error that could be corrected so it would never happen again.

It seemed to Renfro that infecting her human DNA with that of her transgenic creation was slowly filtering its way through more than her bloodstream. Why else would she be starting to actually consider how they were taking everything she'd done…their…feelings. The word disgusted her, as well as her thoughts.

But then, it remained. It wasn't a question that could easily go away. She was trying her hardest to find the answer. It was like someone was trying to teach her a lesson.

Renfro couldn't accept that. If that were true, it would mean she didn't have control of everything. She controlled them, all of it, the entire operation. Yet she found herself slipping over the one thing she shouldn't even have to try to have control over- her mind.

Where the hell is it?! she asked again, in spite of the pain she was in and the fact that asking it again would do nothing to find the answer. I want those weeks back, she thought painfully. Why wasn't it working? It was the same technique she'd used on her soldiers to take their memories. But it seemed to do nothing for herself, at least for the time being.

452 was special. Renfro even remembered why. It was her gene sequence. It was what they'd been looking for. Renfro watched her death in her mind yet again, the haunting memory that she'd been reliving in her nightmares and whenever she laid down on the table for another attempt at getting more back.

Renfro recalled when she'd been awoken. She had been dead, she knew this. But she couldn't remember what happened.

After probing, one memory finally returned. But instead of offering her some peace of mind, it only provided more questions. That's the bad part of trusting no one and not leaving a paper trail. Her memory was not something she planned on escaping her.

Certain files offered some clues. But there was something bigger. She recalled her words to 452, her last words, the one glimpse of her last moments of life that were brought back to her through her own pain and self-manipulation.

"You're the one we've been looking for!…Find Sandeman."

"Madame…" one of her staff called through the door, helping her to momentarily escape her troubling thoughts. Renfro, coming to her senses, gathered that he'd been knocking for some time now.

"Ye..yes," Renfro stammered before regaining control of her senses. "Come in." She only then noticed her hand had been shaking uncontrollably. As she stared at it, shocked that the muscle spasm had happened without her noticing anything at all, she focused to stop it and regain full control of her body. The shaking stopped just as the door opened.

The man staring at her looked confused.

She ignored his judgmental stare. It was out of line, and he knew it. It wasn't like he would dare to question her. "Report," she ordered. She swallowed as she prepared herself for the news, trying to ignore the beating going on at her right temple.

"The project is successful. Do you want to go on to part 2 with 493 as planned?"

Renfro glared at him but otherwise kept her composure. "Do I ever refrain from the plan?" She continued, as it was rhetorical. "Where is she?"

"Pardon?" he asked, not sure what she was referring to.

"Eclipsa, for Godsakes!" she answered, quickly growing impatient.

"In the cell you prepared," he replied.

"Renfro, are you all right?" He asked out of command.

"If I wanted your sentiments, I would take them without asking," she dismissed his concern while reminding him of his rank.

"What is the status on Lydecker?" she asked.

"Still MIA," he reported.

She nodded. "Well, go on, take to 493," she said, dismissing him.

When he was gone, she held her head in agony. She blamed her situation entirely on 452. If that bitch had been any less self-righteous, Renfro wouldn't be experiencing this pain right now. If 452 could have just accepted the demise of Eyes Only, she would not have to go through with this. Renfro worried, something she hated doing. She worried that this was making her weak, slowly wearing her down. She would need to be examined soon to see how much more her body, and worse, her mind, would be able to sustain.

She had finally found progress, it seemed, regaining her memory of the moment just before her death. This alone made her want to continue, despite her body's rejection of the procedures. But she still didn't have anything conclusive. So many questions still remained. The last successful procedure had happened weeks ago. Every other time since had failed. Just having that word enter her thoughts made her sick. She despised any feeling of weakness.

I'll just have to keep doing it until it triggers something else, she decided, knowing how self-destructive yet gratifying and necessary the procedure was. She could either allow her memory to 'possibly' come back 'in time' over a natural process, as her doctor advised, or she could take matters into her own hands. Waiting for some miracle just wasn't something Elizabeth Renfro could believe or accept. No, she reaffirmed, I have to keep doing it. Each time she again laid on that table, her mind seemed to come that much closer to freeing itself from some of the chains that were holding down her memories

Renfro cursed to no one, as she was standing in a room alone. Her body couldn't take much more of this. She was not as young as she had once been. She had to find out everything she'd lost. And she had to move quickly with her projects. There was no telling when her own weakness would inhibit her from finishing something that clearly was worth dying for.

Renfro remembered the plan, after being informed of it all. Her doctors had come through, just as instructed. The flashback came to her when she had been regaining her surroundings and memory.

The worst of it was her own secretive nature and self-pride. She knew her weakness- she knew everything, of course that included whatever flaws remained. She couldn't tell them she didn't remember everything. To the doctors, it was an attempt to somehow retract 656's memories. There was a theory that transferring the DNA would also transfer some of the brain fluids, and perhaps, since they were connected, her memories.

Renfro had to admit, the possibility did intrigue her. It was just an excuse, but maybe not. Maybe it was more than that. She took a moment to wonder what memories 656 might have transferred. Probably some pathetic attachment to that husband of hers, Renfro guessed. The thought killed any inspiration or excitement the idea might have provided.

Renfro finally found the pounding getting slighter, more tolerable. She had full control again, despite her body's shortcomings. She opened the folder in front of her, finally ready to really examine its contents.

Her eyes lit up with pleasure as she read the file over. Her lips curved into a twisted smile, something she hadn't found the strength or state of mind to do since she'd escaped the room last. It was a success. This was sooner than she'd expected.

She opened her lips to show a full-toothed grin as she picked up the phone to make the call, hardly containing herself. For the second time that day, she found it difficult to hold in her emotions, but this time due to happiness instead of pain.

"It's done," she spoke into the phone, speaking in French. Her beaming smile was only interrupted to continue speaking. "You know what this means." She paused. "The 2nd part isn't complete yet, but it's only a matter of time. It's been done before. I'll contact you when it's ready."


a/n: yea, I don't know French, my bad, so just bare with me that the conversation is actually in English