Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners (Dark Angel, Fox, etc.) The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Chapters from 01 to 04 had been reposted, due the fact that now I have a Beta Reader who did the amazing job of correcting grammar errors and typos on the texts.
Thanks to Kita for the great job.
Chapter 2
The Art of Deceiving
X5–478 kept his gaze fixed on the empty street. The dark, heavy clouds were briefly illuminated by a lightning bolt crossing the sky, seconds later the reverberating sound of thunder can be heard. Raindrops started to fall over the city and the storm has just begun.
Being in Seattle was the last thing he wanted to do. The city was a permanent reminder of all the things that have gone wrong and Neil couldn't help the feeling of disappointment as his former CO and friend walked past him, no recognition on his face, not really seeing him. Consciously he knew that 494 had no clue about him or the others, not yet anyway.
And still he was hoping for a different first encounter. Even he forgot that sometimes hopes are just not enough.
He's been struggling with his memory for the last fifteen minutes and at the end he wasn't capable to remember a single time when 494 had looked so lost, so confused, so not himself.
Disappointment turned into anger, and anger made an appearance in the form of golden flecks shinning in the gray blue of his irises. His was the expression of a predator ready to attack, the signature of all the Prometheus' children.
If things had went his way, they would have left Seattle days ago, even if that would have implied sedate and kidnap Alec.
It hadn't been the case.
And his plan had not been approved.
God only knows how long it will take until they finally undo what they did on 494. Neil has always being known for his stoic and calm behavior, losing his temper only in extreme circumstances. Considering their current situation, patience will definitely be his greater ally
He arrived six days ago and his relationship with the city had clearly evolved. Although not exactly on what people may call positive terms.
He strongly disliked the city during his first two days, sincerely hated it the following three, right now he was despising it with all his force.
Of course, in return Seattle decided to mirror his feelings; it had been raining cats and dogs every single day. The city apparently had decided to fashion a weepy mood.
May used to say that things in life always seem to follow a pattern, a previous established design and no matter how hard you fight against them, there will be things in your destiny that are bounded to happen.
For every action there's always a reaction waiting to be unleash. Neil can feel that now it's only a matter of time.
His stare got lost looking at the puddles of muddy water; the street pale lights were reflected on the water surface creating small mirrors along the sidewalk. Rain has always being a contradiction in his life, his best and worst memories were related to it.
As the rain keeps falling down the number of people outside started to decrease. Less and less souls were willing to defy the power of the storm.
By now he's completely soaked, not that it really matters anyway…he's not going to get sick for spending time under the rain, at least he's not giving the damn city the satisfaction of getting him sick.
Pissed of? Hell yeah
Sick? Not in this lifetime.
He's not only an X5 but also an Elite member, he's better than the average even among their own kind. 'Better than the rest'…it was quite ironic how being 'better' became both, a blessing and a curse for them.
The sound of laughter across of the street brought Neil out of his reverie. Two kids were walking on the opposite sidewalk; jumping in every puddle they found, laughing every time theirs shoes stepped in the puddles.
A quick glance to his watch let him know that is almost ten. It's late for kids to be playing on the outside, although the same rules don't apply if you're homeless, which seems to be the case by the look of their soaked dirty clothes.
They're young, around seven and eight years old and judging for their looks probably related, maybe siblings.
The world is their playground and the rain their new toy, both things thankfully came for free for those who don't care about money.
Happiness for kids is usually based on the simple things.
In his personal experience it's not that children are always happy, the carefree life with no worries at all is more a fairytale than a reality. Children do worry and have their own issues; it is fact that shouldn't be denied, but as usual grown ups treasured their fairytales more than kids do.
Some days he really missed his childhood days when the problems they faced were not as complicated as now, when he had the ability to let go of responsibilities and forget for hours or days about them. It seems to be inevitable that as you grow up you loose that ability.
Despite everything that happened in those years, he did have a happy childhood. All of them did, even if it wasn't a normal one. After all, none of them were your average kids and normalcy was overrated.
He learned from Alec a long time ago that sometimes pretending is not as bad as people may think. Sure, it wasn't the real thing, but sometimes it felt damn close to it. And once in a while when you last expected and if you were lucky enough the lie might become true.
December 26th, 2009
'Due the amount of snow that had been falling over the city during the last five days the main roads and air terminals had been closed. It's expected that the weather conditions will remain the same for at least three more days.' A shot of a snow covered highway is shown as a background for the young correspondent covering the note.
The voice of the reporter drifted in the silent room, none of the three occupants glanced at the flat screen panel and yet all of them had been paying close attention to the news. The youngest one picked up the remote control and turned off the television; two pairs of eyes followed his movements but refrained to comment on anything.
The street in front of the house was covered completely with a white blanket. A snowman stood bravely by the front door, defying the wind and guarding the house from strangers. A pair of reading glasses had been carefully placed over its face along with an old moth-eaten top hat.
Inside of the house, two kids sat on the sofa near the window watching silently as the snowflakes kept falling down. A man in his early sixties sat on a couch near the boys, a book laid open over his lap along with his own reading glasses, which seem strangely similar to the ones on the snowman.
The old man was Peter McAllister and the boys were Alec and Neil his grandchildren, or at least the kids whom had been pretending to be his grandchildren.
The quiet atmosphere was broken by the ringing of a cell phone, the exchange between Alec and whoever was on the other side lasted no more than 20 seconds. Hazel eyes looked right into the old man's blue ones as a smile started to form on his lips.
Neil couldn't help but smile as well; it's quite entertaining to watch Alec and Peter's antics as they started planning the activities for their prolonged stay.
He was well aware of the identity of the person who called Alec. Their handler for the current mission, Colonel Ford, had probably made official the delay of their return. With air traffic transport canceled, coming back to base was pretty much off limits. An alternative route could have been used, but a pair of kids wandering alone in the city considering the weather conditions will only attract unwanted attention. The Committee decision in this cases was expected, Alec and Neil will remain in the city until further notice. They had three more days before going back, give it or take it according to the weather report.
Neil remembered Peter McAllister's priceless expression when he found out that his life lay in the experimented hands of two kids. The old man might not have been ready to admit it then, but the information the NSA provided him had been 100 accurate, at least technically speaking.
McAllister personal security was going to be handled by two experimented agents with six years of training and more than two years of experience on field operations. Technically all of those facts were correct, the agency conveniently forgot to mention the operatives' age, a really small detail.
According to the mission profile Peter McAllister was a 62 year old business man, incisive and tough, a true member of the old school. McAllister's company had provided special services to different organizations within the government, and despite his close collaboration on classified projects the man had remained true to his own values. Peter had something others lost long time ago, he still got his soul.
Three weeks ago McAllister started to receive threats against his life, due his position inside the government the matter was taking first by the Secret Service and then by the NSA, it was the latter who contacted Prometheus' Committee requesting the agency collaboration.
It wasn't the first time both organizations worked together; usually their previous interactions never exceed a three-day period and were basically focused on surveillance and retrieval support. For this assignment the rules of engagement were going to be different, for a starter the mission was expected to last three weeks.
Paul McAllister, Peter's only son, had been missing for more than 15 years. There had been some rumors about his whereabouts in different islands of the Pacific, but those had never been confirmed. The NSA used that piece of information to create the perfect cover identity for them as the offspring from the prodigal son, whom were sent by the strained father to spend the holydays with their grandfather.
For outsiders the situation could be read as Paul's attempt to re-establish contact with his own father.
As expected, the Committee granted the NSA request and placed Colonel Ford as the mission handler. In order to make the illusion complete the soldiers needed to share physical characteristics with McAllister, light brown or blond hair and light colored eyes.
X5 – 401 and X5 – 402 whom were siblings and the perfect match for the job were currently on a mission somewhere in the middle of Texas and wouldn't be able to make it on time due the exposure of their exit corridor.
X5 – 529 and X5 – 629 current mission on a children traffic affair in LA had developed a couple of branch missions and they had gone into dark approach stage a day ago without a confirmation of possible return to base.
X5 – 494 and X5 – 501 had came back from an mission during that week, Biggs dark looks didn't match for the profile but Alec's did and suddenly he X5 – 478 had found himself assigned to his first long term undercover assignment.
It was easier to pretend to be someone else for a day or maybe two; it was practically a game, one that Neil had been very good at playing in short term periods. Until then he had never needed to use the same identity for more than two days. Considering the situation, Alec requested to use their own names for the mission claiming that it would be easier for 478 to adjust into the profile.
When things became awkward, Alec had appeared and saved the moment making it look like Neil serious personality was the main reason for his brother strange behavior.
The easy going banter and spoiled attitude adopted by Alec plus the boyish looks had fitted him best as the younger sibling, the ten year old Alexander McAllister. Neil had been stuck with the older brother part due his more serious behavior, which helped to cover his lack of practice on pretending to be a carefree brat.
The mission was not designed to test their abilities as soldiers per se; after all, the physical situations they encountered were minimal. Therefore, it wasn't a physical but a mental evaluation, testing their abilities to become someone else without raising any kind of suspicious.
Later, 478 learned that in Alec's case there had been a secondary profile. The Committee was informed of the high level of performance on undercover missions displayed by Alec; still they needed to make sure that as the CO, 494, will be able to keep his emotions under control despite the circumstances without compromising the mission.
When the Committee approved and executed an evaluation, they made sure to consider all the possible scenarios, people involved with the subject, fears, weakness, every little thing that made that person tic was taken on account in order to create his or her worst nightmare.
Neil was also conscious that as members of the Elite the trials and expectations for all of them will always be higher than the average, considering that fact he really shouldn't have being surprised with the Committee actions' regarding his CO on this specific mission.
He highly doubted on his own survival if he was to be in Alec's place, the control and coldness portrayed by 494 during those days had both frightened and amazed him in equal parts.
Nevertheless, the mission prime target had been accomplished. Alexander and Neil McAllister performance as the grandchildren of Peter McAllister had passed with flying colors, every person inside McAllister's social and business circle was convinced of their relationship.
The treat against Peter's life has been removed and taken care during the first week; the additional time they spent in Aspen had been courtesy of the Committee fascination with mind games.
December 15th marked officially the beginning of Alec's evaluation. Col. Ford informed him that 401 and 402's mission had been compromised and was currently on black condition, a retrieval team was going to be send. The situation wasn't better for 529 and 629, in order to get the additional Intel needed and following direct orders from the Committee both operatives were currently inside of the children traffic ring as the last acquisition.
The following five days Alec received ten calls from Ford, and the news went from bad to worst every single time.
The early morning of December 20th Col. Ford informed him about the success of the retrieval team, confirming that 401 and 402 were back at the base, however the relief of knowing that Kevin and CC were back lasted only a couple of hours.
On December 21st the assignment and all things related to it stopped making sense for Alec, for six seconds the young CO lost control of his emotions. It was Biggs who called Alec to inform him that 529 had been severely injured and was in the ICU unit, Finn was in a profound comma and the doctors didn't think he will make it through. Nicole arrived in a worst condition, lungs collapsed, massive blood loss and severe trauma; she died that morning during the surgery.
On December 21st Neil had been the silent witness of Alec's despair; saw for the first time as fear crept into his friend and commanding officer's eyes.
Time is by definition a basis component of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the duration of them and the intervals between them, and to quantify the motions of objects.
Time can fly from your hands or take forever to advance. Neil grasped the concept as a whole by watching Alec during the McAllister assignment.
It took 6 seconds for 494 to rebuild his mask after he got Biggs' call informing him of his SIC death.
It took 30 minutes for Peter McAllister to find, comfort and reassure Alec that somehow things will be ok.
It took 96 hours for Col. Ford to make the call informing 494 that the mission had been successfully completed and both his First Lieutenant and his SIC were alive.
96 hours that Alec spent in hell with a smile in his face for the sake of the mission.
Peter McAllister was feeling grateful for being alive.
During the last weeks he had wondered if the threats to his life had been real or made up by the same people who had protected him. He couldn't help the feeling of uncertainty regarding the true intentions of the NSA. He stopped believing on the government a long time ago.
Despite the circumstances, the experience of meeting the boys at this point of his life made him realize all the things he missed. Time waits for no man and in his case it was too late for regrets regarding his lack of a relationship with his own son.
Both kids were looking at the street, watching as the snow flakes fall upon the trees. Alec's eyes were lost in the distance and Neil's were focused on Alec.
During the past three weeks Peter had learned a little bit about these soldiers kids, despite the younger faces and childish attitude their eyes don't lie. Those eyes spoke volumes if one knows how to read them.
It scared him a little how easy it had been to pretend that Alec was indeed his own blood.
During the first week, he had been under the suspicious that Neil was in charge; the kid was reserved and sober, exactly the opposite of Alec's behavior whose antics had kept him entertained on daily basis.
That impression changed in only two minutes…
December 21st
Patricia and Mark Hollister Residence
The three of them were attending a dinner at the Hollister's. After the dessert had been served Alec's phone started to ring making the boy having to excuse himself from the table.
Peter gaze followed his grandchild as he took the call, and despite the ten feet distance between them he knew that something was wrong. The boy's face had paled instantly and his eyes looked empty, void of any kind of emotion. He muttered something to the person on the line and for a second or two there was a spark of hope in his irises, after hearing the reply he closed the phone forcefully, his fingers grasped the device hard enough that his knuckles were turning white.
Peter had watched silently as the ten year old took exactly six seconds to breathe in and rebuild the mask of happiness, starting from the sparkling hazel eyes to the childish smirk. When he turned to look at him his face held no traces of concern.
He had been working with the government for a long time, and had only seen Alec's behavior in experimented agents; in order to display such level of self control the person in question needed practice, years of practice in real situations cause sometimes training was not enough.
Alec was only ten years old turning eleven in five months. Peter realized that his first impression was not accurate; the agent in charge wasn't Neil, it had always been Alec.
McAllister had waited patiently as five minutes passed on before leaving the conversation of his group of friends, there were far more important things in life than who was the last victim of an insurance scam, for example, searching for his missing and troubled grandchild.
Peter found Alec in a different wing of the house; the room was only illuminated by the pale moon light, his small figure hardly occupying the bench in front of the grand piano, fingers flying over the keys in a slow tempo. Eyes not focused on the music sheet, mind miles away.
Alec chose this room in order to avoid the red flicking lights of the cameras, he and Neil counted fifteen of them, hidden in six different rooms of the Hollister residence and while rich people might be extravagant that number of cameras could only mean that the Committee had something to do on it. There was only one camera inside of this room and because of the angle and his short height he knew that they wouldn't be able to see his face on the frame.
Even with his mind lost in a sea of confusion Alec always needed to regard with care his actions, especially if people were watching him. He was aware of the mind games the Committee had been playing with him; like in a chess game each opponent had adopted his own strategy waiting for the other to make a single mistake. If it would have been Ford who called him, the news wouldn't have struck him like that. If it would have been Ford, he could have believed that the Intel was mistaken.
The problem was that it hasn't been Ford. It was Biggs who called, Biggs whom explained in less than a minute the events. Biggs and not Ford. The Committee movement has been flawless by choosing to use his Second Lieutenant as the messenger. Check
Peter was starting to get worried, he had been sitting next to Alec for ten minutes and the boy had failed to acknowledge his presence. His fingers stroked the keys with a passion he hadn't seen before on someone as young as him. Gently placing a hand on his shoulder he tried to bring him back, to pull him out of his shocked state.
Alec stopped playing the moment he felt Peter's hand on his shoulder, resting his fingers over the keys without stroking them down
'Penny for your thoughts?' the grave voice asked softly.
'Not even you had so much money, and there some things that are better left unsaid. Besides, you're aware of the whole "Classified" Intel rule'.
Alec's sarcastic reply was not unexpected by Peter after all the boy did have a tendency to provide vague answers most part of the time, but, two could play the same game.
'I have no idea of what you're talking about boy' Peter snorted and his reply was followed by a soft path on the shoulder.
If it would have been someone else calling him "boy" Alec probably would have already kicked him. But, and there was another big 'but' for him, the comment had been made by Peter and during the mission he discovered that even if it was a fake grandfather he had a soft spot for the old man.
'She likes when I play for her. She's unable to play a single note on a piano, not even if her life depends on it.' His voice was hoarse with evident pain, sadness, anger and frustration; he was trying to control the impulse of screaming at the top of his lungs, or crying, or maybe both.
At this point Alec was not quite sure of what was he feeling anymore. "She can't be gone, she just can't". He had been repeating it in his mind since he got the call, hoping that it's an error and any minute now they will call him again denying the facts. Thirty minutes had passed and his hopes are crashing down, no one was calling.
Peter was looking at the forgotten music sheet, Alec's reply was an advance as the kid revealed a bit of the problem in the typical Alec's way, and for now he suspected that is the most he's going to get from him. He couldn't forget even if he wanted that Alec has been raised to be in control all the time, to never allow his true emotions show, he wasn't your average ten year old kid and his problems were far from childish.
Six years of training couldn't change the fact that Alec was still a kid, a kid who still needed to learn how to face deceptions and overcome the trials of his life. A life that was full of expectations and responsibilities, a life that demanded a cold approach on his part.
'You're a smart kid; you'll find a way to beat them on their own game. It may not be today or next week, but you will do It.' and Peter was quite sure that Alec eventually will make it through.
'I like to believe that. Even if is not true.' Alec replied and in an unconsciously movement leaned against Peter's solid frame.
Just for once the boy let the walls fell down. 'Only this time' he repeated himself silently. And just this time he leaned on someone who's not part of his team, on someone foreign to the Elite.
He closed his eyes and pretended that indeed he's just a ten year old and the man next to him is indeed part of his family and cared about him. He convinced himself the Intel they gave him is wrong, and he hasn't lost her, not yet…not ever if he can help it.
Pretending everything was ok, believing everyone was ok.
Peter felt the light weight at his right side and placed his arm around Alec, giving the boy a soft squeeze, trying to make him feel that at least for now, he could count on him, that for now it was Peter's task to protect him.
It was selfish on his part and he knew it, but he couldn't help but enjoy the moment as much as possible. He closed his bright blue eyes and let himself believe that the brave kid next to him is indeed his grandchild.
Pretending he had a family to look and take care for, believing that it was real.
The moment has lasted only a few minutes, however it felt longer. Both the man and the boy smiled as they looked at each other, there's a silent understanding between them.
Alec notice for the first time the music sheet in front of him as his fingers started playing the first notes of Chopin's Moonlight
Neil had silently watched the scene from the doorstep, neither Peter nor Alec seemed to realize they're being observed. For a second he felt like he's intruding on a very intimate moment.
The rapport between Peter and Alec had been noticeable from the first moment, and while the old man showed care and affection toward him, it was Alec who had brightened up McAllister life.
"Preference" had been a concept that threw Neil out of the loop for the first time in his life. It took him a day to recognize the feeling as jealousy. He had felt so out of place during that day that Alec had to spend all the time with him in order to avoid any kind of error on his part.
Unable to let it go, he had finally mustered enough courage to ask his CO about it. He was still amazed that Alec hasn't kicked him for the implication of his questioning.
December 13th
A fidgeting Neil stood in next to Alec, who was currently entertained on working on the final details of "Nero" the snowman both of them built that morning.
'I need to ask you a question'. And, at that moment Neil questioned his own sanity. His voice had just sounded unsure and doubtful; his body was already expressing his disagreement with this particular idea.
'Sure bro, shoot'. Alec didn't turn away from his task on observing what else Nero might need. His fingers forming a shot frame while he squinted at the snowman.
'Why does McAllister like you better?'
Alec stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly, as if he was counting the seconds needed to move every muscle he finally turned around and looked straight at Neil. Seconds turned into minutes, silence became heavy, and neither of them looked away.
For the people who watched at them it was a simple disagreement between kids.
For Alec, the time was a blessing which gave him a moment for ordering his thoughts and come up with a valid answer. He couldn't help but think how come he always get stuck with the sensitive questions?
For Neil, those were the longest five minutes of his life; the feeling of stupidity was heavy on his chest. After all who in his right mind questioned his CO about something so trivial like that?
Alec sighed and their gazes finally drifted apart.
'There's not a real answer to that…Actually, there are no rules to explain why people care or like some more than others. First impressions, looks, right time and place, there's not a formulae that works on every case. For this mission I will say that is the fact that I had more experience than you in this kind of assignments. I've been pretending been an average kid longer than you…'
'Do they always like you? I mean during the other missions?'
Alec laughed at that, smirk once again present on his face; the formal gesture from seconds ago is part of the past now, throwing an arm around Neil's shoulder he answered on a low voice.
'It isn't an everyday occasions that in a long term assignment you need to interact with someone like Peter McAllister. Most part of the time is better if they don't like or care much about you, or better if they completely ignore you; usually it's safer that way.'
Both kids smiled at the comment, the stress of the two previous days started to evaporate. Another hour is spent on the snowman that now wears Peter's old top hat and reading glasses.
'You know Neil; sometimes pretending that something is the real thing isn't such a bad thing.' Alec's voice sounded casual as they rub their hands trying to keep them warm.
The snowman incident had been a couple of days ago, and now Alec's words replayed on his mind. Maybe pretending wasn't so bad after all.
He knew that something terrible had happened; Alec's instant reaction to the call followed by the tense posture of his body lasted long enough for him to realize the gravity of it.
If there's a word to describe Alec during a mission, that word was 'Control'. 494 never lose control, there's no situation he's not able to handle, and no matter how screw up it gets…his CO never let it affect him.
Seeing Alec and Peter together made him realize that it really didn't matter that 494 is a D1 operative or his status as the CO of the Elite, Alec is just a ten year old kid and unlike himself, 494 was the main responsible for the performance and status of the rest of them at the eyes of the Committee.
Neil wondered if right now Alec is just pretending to be Peter's grandchild or if the lie has conveniently turned itself in the truth… just for the sake of both of them.
The host of the party, Mrs. Hollister stood next to him watching the same scene; her soft words made him smile as she affectionately brush his hair.
'Your grandfather loves both of you dearly. I've never seen Peter look so happy and in peace like he does since you boys arrived'.
'He is the best, isn't he?'
Even he is surprised by his answer. During the whole mission he had been trying to act more naturally and every time he ended up looking exactly the opposite. This time though, the words left his lips without previous thinking.
The lady smiled at him as her hand rested on his shoulder.
He felt at peace at that moment. It didn't matter if it changed in the next hours or in the next days, the future will come despite how much he fought against it, and just for now he was happy with pretending this was the real thing.
Pretending he had a family, pretending there's people who care about him.
Neil remembered fondly his first long term mission with Alec. They met Peter on that mission and that had been the beginning of a long friendship between Alec and the older man.
Neil knew that Alec made sure to visit McAllister at least twice a year. Alec older self had a lot of Peter's on him. His CO learned to play tennis when he found out that Peter was a remarkable player in his glory days, in exchange Peter learned to enjoy video games at the age of 65 after Alec bought him a PS2.
The relationship between them had only grown stronger with the years and it extended to the rest of the Elite when Alec went missing.
During the McAllister assignment they also met someone else. Someone with enough power to become their best ally in the near future. Who would have thought that Patricia Hollister was above the Committee. Life was full of surprises.
Neil watched as the rain kept falling, he has been back at his apartment for the last two hours and the rain had only become stronger. Right now he couldn't do anything besides waiting. Biggs would be tailing Alec and by the end of the night the next phase would be completed.
And then, things will start to get interesting.