Chapter 11

Max smiled into Alec's twinkling hazel eyes before moving her hips to the beat while they enjoyed each other's company on the dance floor.

"So that boyfriend thing really stuck, didn't it?" he joked casually to her while they moved rhythmically to the music. Of course he remembered how things had been when he left, but he really wasn't expecting to come back to such an open and carefree Max. She was acting like they'd just seen each other yesterday.

Max shrugged playfully toward him as her feet moved. "Don't know why everyone fell for it!" she said with a grin. It was true that no one doubted even for a second that the two were suddenly a pair. "If they only knew!" she teased him, playfully pretending to be oblivious to the fact that there were sparks every time the two transgenics were together.

"Yeah," he went along with her mock-denial of their obvious attraction and chemistry. "I mean, you're not even my type." It sounded so unnatural to come out of his mouth, even though he was clearly not being serious. Slender, curvaceous, long flowing brown hair, that fiery spirit... so not my type! he joked again in his mind. Though it was true that in the past he went for women that were less of a challenge.

But after Max, he was completely uninterested in anyone, or anything really, except her. His life had willingly become completely wrapped around hers, and that truth brought him nothing but happiness.

Max opened her mouth to protest his rejection of her being his 'type' with a twinkling smile still shining in her brown eyes as her gaze settled on him. "I know!" she continued. "Completely different backgrounds. Not to mention, I usually go for guys that are cuter."

Alec laughed at that comment. If Max's attraction and draw toward him was only skin-deep, she definitely would have admitted her feelings to him sooner. To be honest, Max usually went for the tragic hero type. Clearly, she was just trying to tease him some more. He decided to give her some of her own medicine. "And I usually go for the slim, buxom blondes," he commented casually, appreciating the quiet fire that flashed in her eyes at the comment.

Max rolled her eyes before pulling him closer to dance against him. "Yep," she finished, "don't know why everyone thinks we go so well together."

The truth was, they fit together so well that sometimes it scared both of them. Neither had met a person before that was so right for them. Funny, how they'd been 'paired off' by Manticore. But it seemed that for once, the dark place where they'd grown up had actually proven right.

Alec and Max were similar enough to understand each other better than anyone ever could, but they were different enough to bring excitement and surprise to their lives. Alec reminded Max of a part of her that she had once fought accepting. He'd shown her that she didn't have to be 'normal', and in fact, her unique spirit was what made her so special to him. And Max had shown Alec that there was more to him than just a cocky smart-ass soldier, and that was not only okay, but it was part of what made him beautiful in her eyes.

As both considered just how right they really were for each other, they lost themselves in each other and the music. Their bodies intermingled as they stepped to the beat.

Max knew that after tonight, it was back to the grind, searching for Logan and trying to deal with Manticore.

But just for tonight, the only thing that really existed to her was she and Alec and the magic they could elicit together on the dance floor.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Ben didn't know what to think as he approached the penthouse. The questions flooding his mind were dizzying. It was difficult for him to think straight when he didn't have a sound reality to come back to. After all, his was all a big lie, designed for some purpose. And even that he wasn't sure of. Renfro couldn't possibly just want to keep an eye out on Max. The woman was dark and never satisfied. There was no way that she only wanted to watch Max and end Lydecker's life.

He cautiously peered into the windows while hidden in the darkness. The place was dark and appeared empty. Which only meant that Max wasn't there.

Ben breathed a heavy sigh. He was quickly losing the motivation to continue with his mission. The information he'd received from Logan had been disturbing at best.

The only thing he was entirely sure of was that he needed to see Max. Beautiful, innocent Maxie.

Immediately, a memory flashed across his mind. He was a child, holding onto a shaking Max as she had another one of her seizures. "It's okay, Max," he whispered into her ear, his voice holding so much innocence. He held out a tiny photograph of a beautiful woman wearing blue. The Blue Lady in the photo was glowing, a bright light irradiating from her. "The Blue Lady will protect us," he told his sister while she was in her most fragile state.

It seemed the warmth from the lady in the photograph spread onto Max. She gave him a tiny grin before shutting her eyes. And not an instant later, she stopped her seizing.

The vibrating of Ben's untraceable government issued cell phone brought him back to reality. He took a moment to calm down and force his voice to sound emotionless before he answered the call.

"493," was her simple greeting, if you could call it that.

"Madame Director," he replied appropriately. He had to focus not to let on his frustration or anger with the woman. Controlling his urges was proving to be the hardest part of his mission, including the increasing one to end the woman's miserable life. Maybe I was a psycho, the thought crept into his mind as he briefly pictured the woman's demise and the satisfaction that a death shouldn't bring him but would.

"You haven't reported back!" she complained.

He realized with the momentary pause that she was expecting some sort of reply. "I've been a bit preoccupied with carrying out the mission," he excused his failure to contact her.

"Well what a fortunate coincidence this is for us, isn't it 493? Your first moment of free time happens to be just when I decided to call you."

Ben frowned, thankful that she couldn't see his expression at the moment. The bitch is doubting me, he realized. But another realization came to him. Even though he was a soldier desired to do a good job, he didn't care. Failure to meet this woman's vague expectations didn't phase him in the slightest.

"So let's take advantage of it," she continued. "Tell me what's going on. I want a complete report right now."

Ben rolled his eyes. He didn't want to tell her anything. "There's not much to report," he told her, well aware that the comment would infuriate the control freak.

"Do I have to repeat myself?" she asked him, showing again the weakness of her impatience.

"I have a lead on Lydecker," he told her, if only to satisfy her incessant need to know everything. She was power-hungry, and he knew it would give her immeasurable satisfaction to know that she was closing in on her self-proclaimed enemy.

It was amusing to Ben, her hatred of the man. It seemed she wanted him dead just because he was an annoyance. Surely, there were more important goals or avenues to focus on, but the woman was fast becoming obsessed with ending the man's life.

"What did you find out?" she immediately asked, her tone sounding borderline desperate.

"Nothing," he bit out at her. "I have a lead. That I'm working on."

He could almost hear the scowl that must have been spread across her ugly face right then. "Well when will you know more?" she demanded.

"If I were designed to predict the future, I could certainly tell you that," he replied with cold sarcasm. "But I can tell you that I will report back as soon as I find out anything concrete."

"Is Max your lead?" she demanded.

Max was certainly not a subject he wanted to get into with her. "No," he told her truthfully.

"I expect a much more complete report the next time I speak with you, which better be soon!" she spat into the phone.

Ben was thankful that the call was coming to end. Next, she'd probably light into him about contacting her sooner. But what her next statement actually was ended up being a complete surprise to him.

"Oh, and before I let you go, I wanted to inform you of a change of plans. I have a modification to your mission."

He swallowed his anxiety. Just when he thought his situation was as bad as it could get, and she was throwing a change of plans at him. Any modification from Renfro couldn't possibly be good.

"Yes," he answered obediently.

"You have a target to assassinate," she told him.

Ben remained silent. Apparently, the rushed feeling of ending someone's life wasn't new to him. He'd murdered before.

A thought crossed his mind, bittersweet with its hope. Maybe his murders had only been the work of Manticore, fulfilling the plans of a mission.

"You are to eliminate 452," she told him.

Ben swallowed, processing what she was asking him to do. "Madame, I thought the objective was to eliminate Lydecker and discover what 452 knows. How am I to complete that objective if she's dead?"

"We have ways of retrieving the memories of the deceased," she told him matter-of-factly, as though picking apart the brain of the dead was just as normal as brushing your teeth in the morning. "Besides, she's not telling you anything about Lydecker, so she's useless to us."

"So I am to bring her body back?" he managed to say into the phone.

"That's correct, 493. Completely intact!" she emphasized the command.

"But dead," he repeated, the words sending a horrid rush down his spine. He could barely bring himself to speak of Max being dead. How the hell was he supposed to actually kill her?

"Is that going to be a problem?" she asked him. It sounded like part of her wanted him to fail. He wondered if she had completely lost her mind, if this was all just a game to her, like playing with little green plastic toy soldiers. Only he wasn't a toy. He was a person… wasn't he? Even though he was born in a lab, he felt human enough, with his desires, attachments, and weaknesses. He wasn't all soldier, as much as it was pounded into his head during training.

"Not at all," he answered, his voice void of any emotion.

"Good," she replied. "Report to me when it's done. Retrieval of 452's lifeless body is now a priority of this mission. We'll deal with Lydecker once the task is completed."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ben walked into the place cautiously. It was difficult to walk with the confidence and ease of 'Alec' when in truth, he was more troubled than he could ever remember being.

Of course, there was a good chance that he had, in fact, been more disturbed at one time than he was now, or perhaps 'disturbing' was a more appropriate word. He was a murderer. Even Max, who'd once placed all her fears onto him, could not bring herself to trust him.

At one time, he'd been the comforting hand that she turned to.

But it seemed that now, he was nothing more than a haunting burden to her that elicited fear instead of comfort.

He hadn't been blind to the terrified expression on her confused face when she'd thought she was staring at her dead murderous brother, Ben instead of her cocky, carefree lover-

"Alec!" someone called to him, as though right on cue, interrupting his thoughts.

Ben's eyes rolled in annoyance before putting on a grin as he turned. He looked the somewhat goofy-looking, scrawny man up and down once before meeting his tipsy stare. In the guy's altered state, he didn't even notice the unrecognizing stare that Ben was giving him.

"Good to see you came back for a few more!" The guy patted Ben on the back in a friendly gesture. "I know Max probably missed you the most, but I gotta admit, man, it just hasn't been the same!"

Ben forced an appreciative grin at the guy. He seemed decent and friendly enough, but Ben wondered if that was only thanks to the alcohol coursing through his system. "Thanks, man," Ben replied. "Speaking of Max, have you… seen her lately?"

"Dude! You were just dancing with her no less than twenty minutes ago! Man, my fuzzy memorish ways must be rubbing off on you. How many have you had tonight?"

Ben's hazel eyes flashed with surprise. Alec is back in town? He was only just starting to get a grasp on all the implications that came with Max seeing him again, her previously deceased, and apparently psychotic, brother Ben. He could only guess at her reaction thanks to Logan's words, but something in her frightened stare during that brief moment when she actually recognized him told Ben that it wouldn't be welcomed news. And if what the drunken guy in front of him was saying was true, there was a good chance that Max already knew the truth.

Ben stared at the goofy guy once with eyes of worry before recovering with a carefree stare and smirk. He was about to tell the guy that he'd just forgotten, but before he could, the man went on. "Oh, man, it doesn't matter! We're all still having a good time." He cupped a hand over his mouth as he called over to a friend. "O.C.! Get over here, Golden Boy is back for round 2! And bring a pitcher!"

Ben smirked at being called 'Golden Boy'. The guy's reaction along with his new nickname really made him wonder. It was like they worshipped the guy! Renfro had described him as nothing more than a cocky, self-serving rogue soldier.

"Pretty Boy here without his girl?" a dark-skinned woman asked as she came over, a pitcher in hand just as requested.

Ben felt her attitude like it was radiating from her in waves. She was clearly a force to be reckoned with. It reminded him of Max's feistiness.

Already, several women had sent him longing and appreciative glances throughout the room (that he'd chosen to ignore, which was easy since he didn't care about matters so trivial), but this one… She appeared completely disinterested. Despite calling him 'Pretty Boy', she didn't seem to hold any attraction toward him whatsoever.

"She doesn't have me on a leash," he replied curtly. He was fast growing tired of everyone making such a big deal about 'Max and Alec'. He could guess that their lives were less than thrilling, but couldn't they find something else to preoccupy their vacant minds with than the 'Golden Couple'? He wondered if that was really how they referred to the pair.

His question was answered with the guy's next drunken ramblings. "We have here the pants of the Beautiful Couple."

Ugh, 'beautiful couple'? It was even cheesier than 'Golden Couple' would be.

"Shut up, foo! You make my homegirl sound more like a homemaker!" She then turned her attention back on Ben. "And boy, you must be trippin' if you think she don't have yo ass by a leash. I don't care if homegirl hasn't bought you doggie tags yet- yo ass is owned." She rolled her eyes before mumbling more. "Goin' to Canada for a damn week just to chase after some lead. You been a slave to that penthouse for a good month now."

Ben didn't think before grabbing her arm to seek more. She'd perked his interests. It seemed that she was a good friend of Max's. One who apparently knew something about Alec and his absence that Ben didn't.

She eyed his hand before giving him a defensive look that clearly read 'back off'. Ben quickly released his grip. "Sorry," he apologized. "It's just… what did you mean by that?"

The girl laughed. "Come on, Alec! Don't get me wrong, I'd die fa the girl, too. You just surprised me, I guess. That comment. Talkin' about not bein' completely into her. What's yo ass doin' here without her, anyway?"

Ben swallowed. He couldn't exactly tell her he was only there to find Max. Because according to her, he'd just been in there earlier with Max. As he tried to come up with an answer, the woman let him off the hook.

"Ah, fa' get it," she said as she sipped her drink. "I ain't neva seen Max so happy before. All glowin' and shit." Her expression made it seem she was actually grateful to him.

She stood up to leave the table. "When you get home, tell my girl I said 'hey', and I don't care what activities ya'll do tonight. She betta be at work tomorrow! Since her Pretty Boy stole her company from her sista tonight."

With that, she withdrew from the table, leaving Ben completely speechless. What was with everyone? Ben knew the power that rested in charm, but this was beyond that. These people, including Max, seemed to have fallen under the spell of Alec.

Ben had a curiosity burning within him to stare upon his twin, face-to-face. He wanted to see for himself what exactly Alec really was all about. He had conflicting views of the guy. Between Renfro's hatred, Max's companionship, and these admirers, he didn't know what to think.

Whatever the truth really was, it seemed most assuredly certain that no matter whether he was a good person or soldier or not, people definitely liked and were drawn to Alec. Ben just didn't understand it. Being twined, it would make sense that they ought to share similar characteristics. Renfro, too, had brought up the similarities in their DNA.

If that was true, either Alec was just waiting idly to one day also become a disturbing psycho, or somehow he was stronger than Ben. Alec had found a way to move beyond the madness tugging at his mind.

Family was important to Ben. At least, he felt a true connection to the word. He couldn't quite remember what it really meant to him. But he was fairly certain that his siblings were everything to him.

A blonde-haired young soldier motioned for Ben to follow the instructions.

"I don't want to separate," Ben protested.

But his brother wouldn't listen. "This is the only way, Ben!" he argued with his younger brother. "Just do it! That's an order, soldier!"

Ben closed his mouth obediently. There was really no point in arguing with his brother. Zack was far too headstrong and logical to listen to his weak desires to stay together. Besides, he was right. Ben was a soldier. He would be fine. He was perfectly capable of surviving.

And he wasn't really alone. Ben's hand reached into his pocket to hold onto her picture, the beautiful woman, the Blue Lady. She was with him and she would watch over him in the new world he was about to face.

"Alec, are you really gonna take off?"

The words brought Ben out of his hazy memories. "Am I a decent guy?" Ben blurted to the man. He couldn't shake his increasing curiosity to finally meet 494. He didn't feel any kinship for someone he'd never met before, but he still wanted to see what he was really like.

What do I care if he's decent? Ben suddenly questioned himself.

The image of the beautiful woman dressed in blue danced through Ben's mind, giving him his answer.

The Blue Lady would want him to be good, he decided amidst all of his confusion.

The man shrugged, as though considering the question. "You know that I think you are. Dude, what's with all the self-reflection? You're in a bar! We aren't supposed to think here!"

Ben laughed. "Yeah, you're right. Just one more question, then I'm out of here."

"All right," the guy accepted. "Shoot."

"Ever heard of the Blue Lady?"

The puzzled look Ben was getting in response told him his answer. "There used to be this weird music group. The Blue Man, or something. But I've never heard of a Blue Lady. Is that some kind of new entertainer?"

Ben sighed at his words. It seemed that he had no choice but to talk with Max to discover his own past.

But Max was the last person he wanted to see right then. For several reasons. Not the least of all being that she was now his target.