Echoes of the Past - Chapter 6

Before he realised what he was doing, his head swooped down to crush her lips under his.

A broken gasp escaped her lips at the suddenness of his action, but blinded by his anger and something else he could not name, he continued to assault her lips. She pushed against him, but he held her tight until the insistent pressure against him abated.

Then she responded. Her lips began to move just as frantically as his, her hands snaking further up his chest, clenching the material in her fists. Instead of pushing, she was now pulling him to her.

Alec groaned as he felt the swipe of her tongue against his lips. Capturing it, he suckled, enjoying the taste of her. It was heady, and he felt like he was in some sort of trance.

Of its own volition, his hand mimicked hers, travelling down her shoulders to brush over the curve of her breast. A breathy moan sounded against his lips, heating up his already boiling blood. He gave in to the desire to touch her bare skin and let his hands slide under her top.

Her skin was hot and smooth, feeling like silk under his rough palms. He felt her ribcage expand as she inhaled sharply. As his tongue continued to lap at hers, he reached up and pushed her bra over her breast. When he touched her bare breast for the first time, a shiver ran down his spine at the contact.

He ran his thumbs over her hardened nipple. Her hands held his head in an almost painful grip as she let out a strangled sound.

Her sharp teeth bit into his lower lip, and Alec tasted the coppery tang of his own blood mingled with the taste of her. Something broke inside him and he groaned helplessly as the hands on her breasts became rougher, more urgent. His lips slid to the corner of hers and trailed down until he reached her neck.

She arched for him, pressing them even closer together, and his erection grew and strained against the tight confines of his pants. Thoughts played no part in his actions as he ground his hips hard in the search for release. Flicking his tongue out, he trailed a damp path from the hollow at the base of her neck to the curve on the underside of her ear. A choked sound bubbled out from her lips.

He felt her hands sliding around his ribcage to his back and dipped lower past his belt. As the small fingers grasped the firm flesh of his ass, Alec sucked in a shuddering breath.

His hands fisted at the hem of her top and yanked it up, exposing her bra-clad breast to his gaze. In a rush, he dipped down and captured her in his mouth, teasing her though the damp fabric. The pressure in his groin intensified painfully.

Through the haze in his mind, he thought he heard someone said stop.

Stop? The word did not seem to make sense to him.

“Alec, stop.” Her voice came out as a breathless plea.

Alec stilled.

He lifted his head up and their eyes connected. She was flushed, her eyes gleaming with passion, her lips swollen from their kisses. Numbly, he dropped his hands from her breast and watched as she quickly pulled her shirt down. His heart still racing from the after-effects of their encounter, he could only stare at her dumbly.

Suddenly, the enormity of the situation sank in.

Hard.

He had practically ravaged her in the middle of the stairwell. What the hell was he thinking? How could he justify what he had just done?

She groaned, burying her face in her hands, obviously feeling as confused as he was. “What are we doing, Alec?”

Good question. What was he thinking, grabbing her like that? He should have known better. Taking a step back from her, he lifted his arm and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling very awkward. What could he possibly say to her?

 

“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” he finally said, his voice sounding uncharacteristically frazzled.

There was a pause before she said flatly, “Right.”

“I apologise.” His voice was tight.

She averted her eyes. “I’m sure you won’t let it happen again.”

She turned around in the unfamiliar hotel bed, trying to find a more comfortable position. Her wound was throbbing like mad, no matter how she laid down.

Exasperated, she finally sat up.

She knew that it was not just the wound which was bugging her.

It was Alec.

She shut her eyes tightly. Why did he do it? Surely he did not feel something like that towards her. No, it was not likely. Alec was probably just so strung up with fury that he had lost it for a moment. Yeah, that must be it.

But what about her reaction to that kiss? Not only the kiss either, but everything else after that? She could not lie to herself this time. Her responses had been genuine. The question was, who was she thinking of? Was it Alec or was it Ben?

Did she miss Ben so much that she could not even differentiate between him and Alec? She heard somewhere that one would always remember their first time. A soft smile graced her lips. She remembered hers alright.

It had happened one cold winter night when she was fifteen.

 They were lying in her tent during one of the outdoor exercises.  As they often did in the dorms, she was spooned against Ben, sharing their body heat in the cold night. His hand was wrapped loosely around her middle.

His breathing told her that he was still awake.

“Can’t sleep?” she asked softly.

He nuzzled the back of her neck, and her body warmed at the action. “No, Maxie,” he said quietly.

She tried to turn around to face him, pressing her backside hard against his groin as she did so. He sucked in a sharp breath before he shifted back from her, holding her away from him.

She frowned. Did she hurt him? “What’s wrong, Ben?”

“Nothing,” he said tersely.

Positive that something was wrong, she tried to turn around again. This time, she brushed against a hard lump. Both of them froze, their breaths caught in their throats. Her eyes widened in the darkness, and Max swallowed. She knew what she had just touched.

“Ben?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re…”

He groaned in embarrassment. “I know.”

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Ben was embarrassed, she realised. It had happened before and every time it did, Ben reacted in the same way. Then her smile turned into a mischievous grin. She wondered how flustered he could get.

And anyway, she was curious. Some of the other X5s in other units had been talking about it, and she wanted to know what was all the fuss about.

Deliberately, she shifted back until they were touching again. To her surprise, Ben did not move away this time. Instead, his arm came up to curve around her midsection. Smiling, she closed her eyes and rubbed back against him.

“Maxie…” he whispered, his voice a little choked.

Then she felt the tentative brush of his fingers against the underside of her breast. She sucked in a sharp breath, her entire body tensing in anticipation. Would he?

As if in reply to her question, his hand slowly slipped further up. At the first brush of his fingers against her nipples, her body jolted in reaction and a shot of desire coursed through her.

He jerked his hands back. “Sorry,” he mumbled, shifting back from her.

Quickly, she reached back and caught his hand. “Do it again.”

She could feel his hesitation, but after a short moment, he scooted closer and reached out to place his hand against her breast. He ran the tips of his digits over her hardened nipple, flicking it gently. Max arched back against his chest. Her whole body felt like hot liquid and there was an ache at the junction between her legs.

With a soft moan, she turned to face him. Their eyes met, each pair heavily lidded. Her gaze then fell to his lips and she licked her own. Groaning, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers softly. Max gasped at their first kiss. He was so soft, so gentle.

Placing her arm around his neck, she pulled him close and then watched him tentatively as she licked his lips. His eyes immediately became darker and his lips parted. With a groan, they came together clumsily, their tongues searching, testing, tasting.

His hands snaked under her thin thermal top until they reached her bra. With an impatient groan, Max sat up and pulled her top off together with her bra, leaving her clad only in a pair of pants. She smiled at his hungry gaze. Straddling his hips, she helped him pull off his top.

Then she found herself flipped down to her back with Ben lying between her legs. When he rubbed against her, she could not help but moan. The ache was getting more intense and all she could think of was to satisfy it, to find some form of release.

He lowered his head, his eyes full of wonder and anticipation. Then his lips closed around her nipple. Max arched up in reflex, her mouth open in a silent gasp. Ben groaned, and the vibration travelled down her body.

Max sat up in the bed and pressed the heel of her hand against her eyes. With their transgenic memory, it seemed like the entire thing had just happened yesterday. Their first coupling had been clumsy, but they had been enthusiastic and excited enough for it to be something that she remembered fondly.

Her lips twisted when she recalled what had happened the next morning. Zack, as usual, had been the one to enter their tent to wake them up. It was an understatement to say that Zack had been angry. Zack had been furious, ranting at them about how irresponsible they had been.

With a sad sigh, Max shook her head, trying to dislodge the memories. She did not want to think about Zack, or Ben, or any of her now-deceased family. The pain was too much to bear.

There was no way she could sleep now.

She swung her legs over the bed.

Perhaps a walk outside would clear her mind.

Alec sat with his back against a large tree trunk, his head tilted up to the sky. He was outside in the landscaped area surrounding the resort. The sky was inky black, the perfect backdrop to highlight the brilliance of the clusters of perfect, glowing stars. There was no sound except the occasional chirp and croak from various insects. The balmy night air shifted around him, and he welcomed its warmth.

He looked down at his hands, mulling over the incident in the stairwell. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. He should not have done what he had done. However, he was honest enough to admit that he had enjoyed it. And from her responses, so did she. But that did not make it right.

What on earth had possessed him to do it? Max had been just as shocked as he was, he could tell. Things had been uncomfortable enough between them without this. No doubt their interactions would now be even more strained.

Just what he needed, he thought in annoyance. He had to find a way to fix this, but how?

So wrapped up in his thoughts, Alec did not realise that he was no longer alone until he was startled by the muted sound of boots trampling on damp leaves.

He looked up, and met a pair of chocolate brown eyes. They stared at each other silently, neither of seemed like they were willing to make the first move.

Then he tore his gaze away, breaking the spell.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked softly as he rubbed a damp leaf between his fingers. He felt, rather than see her sitting down beside him, leaning against the same tree.

“Shark DNA,” she replied quietly.

They sat together in an awkward silence.

After a moment, Alec sneaked a look out of the corner of his eyes. All he could see was the side profile of her face tilted up to the sky. Her skin was bathed in the moonlight, making it appear as if she was glowing.

The corner of her lips lifted slightly, but she did not turn around.

“You’re staring, Alec.” There was an underlying tone of amusement in her voice.

He smirked. “Is there a problem with that?”

There was a slight hesitation before she replied, “I don’t feel comfortable.”

He looked away guiltily, his thoughts going back to the last time he had bumped into her in the showers. That time, his comments had hurt her, although he had not meant to do so. But he guessed that under the prickly exterior, Max was actually self-conscious about the way she looked.

“You have no reason to feel that way,” he told her quietly, shifting so that he could look at her.

She stiffened visibly. Her voice was bitter when she spoke. “Funny, that’s not the impression I got.”

He sighed heavily. “Look, Max. About what I said in the showers…” He paused, unsure how to continue. Apologies were something he had never been good at.

“You don’t have to say anything, Alec.” Her voice was strained. “I get it.”

Knowing that this would escalate into something completely out of control, Alec decided that he had to put a stop to it. “No, you’re not getting it,” he interjected firmly. “I didn’t mean what I said.”

Her lips curled into a self-deprecating smile. “Now you’re going to tell me that I’m the perfect Manticore prototype, right?”

Alec sighed. Placing a hand on her shoulders, he turned her so that their eyes met. “None of us are perfect, contrary to how Manticore chooses to advertise us. Sure, you got some scars. Who doesn’t?”

She gave him a dry look.

He shrugged. “Alright. Most of us don’t, but it doesn’t matter,” he told her, but she did not look convinced. Actually, she looked more sceptical than ever.

He gritted his teeth. If he had to embarrass himself to make her feel better, so be it. From the looks of it, he had no choice. His thoughtless words that day would continue to hang over them if he did not explain himself.

“You want to know why I said what I said that day?”

She looked away quickly. “No. It’s okay.”

“No. It’s not okay. You caught me off guard,” he paused. Hating how reluctant he sounded, he added, “You caught me off guard, and you made me feel stupid for staring at you.”

Silence followed his proclamation.

“Max?”

“That was… unexpected.” She sounded amused.

At her tone, he let himself relax. “But don’t expect me to admit something like that again.” Then he added gruffly, “I must be going soft.”

She gave him an uncertain smile. “It seems like it.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I’ll show you how soft I am when we get back to the morning drills and exercises. You won’t be able to stand after the session I’ll put you through.”

“Is that another challenge, Alec?”

Alec smirked. “Yeah, if that’s the way you want to take it.”

Her eyes flashed with determination. “You’re on, Alec.”

With a short chuckle, he leaned back against the tree trunk, feeling strangely contented.

Her head lolled to the side, but she did not have the energy to pull it back up. Through the thundering pain in her head, she could hear the sick laughter of the militants as they continued to lash out at her. She did not know how long they had been at it. They had stopped, and then started again. And again whenever the urge struck them.

The bastards.

She was not going to talk. There was no way she would tell them about Manticore so that they could launch an attack. They would have to kill her first.

They would probably kill her anyway. She might as well make it harder for them.

One of the militants suddenly shouted. Stop, he said stop, her mind vaguely registered the word.

And then the door opened.

She blinked through hazy eyes as they dragged someone in. His clothes hung tattered over his body, heavily caked with dried blood. The scent of blood told her that there were also fresh wounds in addition to the old ones. Max felt her empty stomach heave.

The boss came up to her and jerked her chin up.

She had no energy to resist his manhandling, but managed to glare at him.

He sneered. “Hurting you doesn’t seem to work. But let’s see how he feels when we hurt you.”

She stiffened. Her eyes went to the other prisoner.

Then she realised who it was.

“No,” she rasped weakly. “Leave him alone.”

The other prisoner lifted his head. His battered features were barely recognisable. Every inch of his face was covered in blood.

“Max?” His voice came out as a croak. When their eyes met, she noticed that all his usual brightness was now gone from those hazel orbs. Instead, they were glazed, and he looked as if he barely knew where they were.

It was Ben. They captured Ben as well. Her entire body shook with anger. He was in a much worse state than she was.

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!” she yelled in a broken voice.

Another man stepped up to her. “You’d better worry about yourself.” And then turning to Ben, he said, “You’re going to tell me what I need to know, or you will watch this girl die.”

Her eyes fixed to the broken figure in the middle of the room, she called out beseechingly, “Ben? Don’t listen to them.”

The whip sliced through the air and hit the side of her arm.

Ben looked up at her helplessly, a broken arm reaching out. “Don’t…” he choked out. Blood trickled out of the corner of his lips.

Max’s heart constricted painfully. She shook her head at him, barely feeling the lashes hitting her abused body. Her eyes burned, not from the pain inflicted on her body, but from the state Ben was in. How could they? How could they do this to him? She wanted to scream, she wanted to lash out, but she knew that she could not.

Ben tried to crawl towards her, and it became clear to her that his legs were also broken. She choked on a sob. “Ben…”

One of the militants delivered a backhand against his head and he sprawled on the floor.

“DON’T TOUCH HIM!” Her broken voice rose in fury.

A shrill scream ripped through the air, making his hair stand on its end.

No, not again, Alec thought in trepidation as he bounced off his hotel bed. Remembering Max’s locked door from the last time this had happened, he grabbed quickly his toolkit. Not bothering to put on his shirt, he rushed out into the corridor. One by one, the doors to the other rooms opened and worried faces peeked out. Without a word, Alec gestured for them to return to bed as he stood outside Max’s room. Instead of retreating back to his room, Biggs arrived at his side, looking extremely worried.

With a pointed glance, Alec said, “Let me handle this.”

Biggs looked uncertain. “But she’s not going to let you in.”

“Trust me on this, Biggs.”

Biggs continued to hesitate.

Alec expelled an exasperated sigh. “Go back to your room.”

Finally, Biggs relented and left, but not without giving Alec a questioning look.

Alec turned his attention to Max’s door. This should work, he thought as he pulled out a universal key from his toolkit. A second later, the door clicked open. Quietly, he stepped in and closed the door behind him.

The first thing he saw was Max trashing in her bed. The covers were lying forgotten on the floor, but immersed in her nightmare, Max did not notice the loss. His breath caught as he studied her. There were tear tracks running down her cheeks and she looked as if she was in agony.

Alec stepped closer and sat down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulders to still her erratic movements. She calmed down for a moment. A second later, face twisted in anguish, she lashed out with an arm, just missing him.

“NO! LET HIM GO!” she yelled, clearly desperate to push away something.

Alec froze. He knew that her unit did not make it, but not realise that her unit had been captured first. Were they tortured? Was she the only one who had survived it? If so, the scars marring her body and her nightmares began to make more sense now.

She continued to trash violently, appearing as if she was trying to escape some invisible bonds. He grabbed her hand before they could inflict any damage to him or to herself, firmly pinning them down to her side. She redoubled her efforts. The hoarse sobs from her lips tore into him, making him feel increasingly frustrated at his inability to help her.

“Shh, Max. It’s okay…You’re alright,” he murmured in a soothing voice.

Trying to get into a more comfortable position beside her, he lifted his legs up to the bed and laid down beside her. His hands moved from her wrist up to her back and he enveloped her in a tight hug.

She stilled and then, slowly, her eyes opened.

Alec stared into her eyes, their faces only a breath apart. He held his breath. She was going to kill him when she realised how close he was, he groaned inwardly. During the time they had known each other, he had come to understand how much she valued her personal space.

Unexpectedly she grabbed him and pulled him close to her in a death grip.  “Ben!” she called out brokenly as she buried her face in his chest. “You’re okay. You’re okay!”

Ben? What was she talking about? His brow furrowed in confusion.

“Max?” he ventured uncertainly.

She snuggled closer, nuzzling her face against his chest. Automatically, he laid a hand on her back and stroked up and down in a soothing motion. This was a part of Max which he had not seen before. And he was not sure what to make of it.

“You smell different,” she mumbled into his neck, her lips brushing his sensitive skin.

Alec froze. The feel of her lips caressing his skin sent a shot of desire running through his body. Before he could make any sense of it, she stopped and her breathing evened out.

She was asleep again.

A soft sound at the door caught his attention and he turned to see Biggs staring at him with a thoughtful look on his face.

Alec suddenly felt uncomfortable, feeling as if he was poaching on Biggs territory or something like that. Carefully, he lowered Max down to the bed, shielding her body from Biggs until he pulled the covers over her. She moaned in protest, but at the touch of his hand on her cheeks, she stilled.

Hoping that she would sleep through the night without any more nightmares, Alec walked away, brushing past Biggs into the corridor.

Once the door shut behind him, Biggs spoke. “How’s she?”

“Another nightmare,” Alec explained. “She’s calm now.”

Biggs gave him an odd look. “It seems so.”

Alec knew that Biggs was holding something back. A small frown gracing his forehead, he asked, “What is it?”

Biggs' eyes flickered uncertainly before he spoke. “Why did you stop me?”

“From what?”

“You know, Alec. From going in to see her,” Biggs elaborated, his voice a little taut.

Why, Alec asked himself. Rubbing the back of his neck, he replied evasively, “Does it matter?”

Suspicion coated Biggs’ next words. “You tell me.”

His irritation rising, Alec snapped without thinking, “Is it unacceptable for a CO to check up on one of his unit members in private?”

Alec immediate regretted his words when Biggs drew back, looking as if he had just received a blow. Sighing, he started, “Look, Biggs…”

“It’s okay, Alec. I’m heading back to bed now,” Biggs interjected quietly.

Without another word, Biggs walked away, leaving Alec to stare at his retreating back.

Great, just great, Alec thought.

As she sat staring out of the SUV, Max was aware of the questioning glances from the rest of her unit. It was not as if she did not understand the reason behind it. She had barely spoken a word the entire morning, or throughout the flight, for that matter.

She just could not do it. She could not pretend that everything was alright. If she opened her mouth, she was afraid that she might lose the tenuous control she had on herself. This had nothing to do with Unit 6, and she had no intention of involving them in the sick drama that was her life.

The gates to the Seattle facility came into view and the SUV swept past the checkpoint once they had been verified. She tensed, her nerves stretched taut as they neared the main building. Max gritted her teeth, forcefully holding herself still. Her anger boiled hotter than ever, interspersed by the occasion waves of confusion.

Why did Lydecker have to do this to her? Why?

The SUV had barely pulled to a stop before she jumped out, leaving Thena, Silt and Ren in the vehicle. She would explain everything to them once she got to the bottom of this.

Alec was approaching from the opposite direction when she blurred past him at a breakneck speed.

“Max?” She heard him call out as she passed him. “Where’s the fire?” he asked, sounding puzzled.

Not in the frame of mind to be civil, she did not bother to reply. Instead, she continued across the tarmac and practically blurred all the way to Lydecker’s room.

Her eyes narrowed as Lydecker’s door came into view. Uncaring that she was being insubordinate, she stormed into Lydecker’s room without knocking.

A startled Lydecker looked up from his desk when she stood glaring in front of him.

“What-” he started, but she did not let him finish.

“YOU KNEW!” she yelled, her eyes flashing in outrage, her entire body shaking.

t.b.c.

A/N: Yes. Another cliffy (: Ducks rotten fruits :) I hope you’ve enjoyed the chapter and the direction it is taking. Please review and let me know what you think!

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