This story was another of my two-part one-shots so there is no other chapter after this one. Again this is because I started to do a one shot and got a little carried away. There is a sequel to this in development though.

Thank you so much dreambox3319

Chapter 2: The Warehouse

Maria ran down the street, blood pounding through her veins. The sky was dark, navy blue with the yellow circle of the moon sitting amidst his chorus of stars. The street was black, shimmering like an ebony river under the sparse pools of dirty streetlight. The walls rose up like black centurions, funnelling her through to the end of the corridor. Her footsteps echoed loudly on the concrete, her breathing harsh and laboured. She'd been running for years but never had she had to do such a long stretch of sprinting before. She knew why as well. The Fox had finally been flushed from its den – now was the finale of the hunt – chasing it until it dropped from exhaustion.

The hissing crash of waves filled her ears as oily water came into view up ahead. The docks. Out of the corridor Maria bolted to her right and through some partially open doors. Towers of boxes loomed over her, stacked haphazardly in untidy rows. A warehouse. This would be where it ended, which was ironic because this was where it'd begun for her. In a warehouse. Three years ago. That was when she'd found out what she was. That was when she'd first seen Seth.

The doors creaked further open then slammed shut again with an ominous clang. Maria dived behind a pile of boxes and crouched there ready. Some light filtered through the high unreachable windows. The world was suddenly so far away. Shut off. It was just her and him in this box. The final showdown.

"So you've sought refuge. The respite will only be brief." His voice filled the cavernous room.

Funny she should think herself only just cut off from the world because really she'd never been a part of it. Not just separated by the fact that she'd never been able to have a normal life but also separated by the fact that she wasn't even human. That part of her, the human part, should've been a trembling mass by now, sobbing with fear. It wasn't. It was a cold weight.

"Not talking to me? Do you hope to try and make me think you're not here?"

The memories came tumbling through her head and this time she didn't try to stop them. That had been exactly what he'd said last time when he thought he'd won. She remembered peaking over the edge of the crate at fifteen years old, already aged beyond her years. She'd been running for seven years when she'd first set eyes on Seth – Ryan's replacement – and she had never known why until a few moments before she saw him, because her father had just told her.

It had been daylight then, around midday, and she'd poked out her nose with curiosity. Robert (or John depending on which he preferred at the time) had just muttered something about Ryan being replaced. He told her to look at the replacement. Study him. Make sure she'd know him the next time she saw him – because he'd be devious, smart, a worthy opponent, a possible winner if she didn't watch her back. Therefore she'd looked on twenty-one year old Seth's face, with his handsome profile framed by blonde hair and set inside of which were two burning grey eyes. She'd felt the spike of fear – and the first seeds of what she now felt towards him had also been planted then.

"No," she replied finally – moving away as she did so. "I just have nothing much to say." All there was for a few moments was the echoing clack of their shoes as they dodged and stalked among the storage.

"Where are your henchmen?" she eventually asked bitterly.

"Outside the doors. Blocking your escape."

"Why aren't they helping you?" she retorted.

"Maria," he managed to say it in some sort of smooth, yet faintly patronising tone, "this is between the two of us. I want the pleasure for myself." There was a moment's silence then, "Your dad's not going to save you this time."

Maria clenched her fists. "I know."

Last time he'd got them out of the warehouse, but of course he wouldn't have gone in if he hadn't had a way out. He'd been so much more experienced than her at running, hiding, escaping that she reckoned he could get out of any situation. Outside was where they'd parted ways. She'd told him that she wanted to go on alone and to her surprise he'd allowed her to, telling her that he'd draw Seth off…and then he'd said something else. Something that was totally unlike him.

"You're a part of me. I know you can handle this on your own. Just remember that it doesn't matter whether you should or should not exist, what matters is that you do. So LIVE."

There was another time when he'd saved her but those memories she refused to let out. The screams echoed through her head but she pushed them aside. 'Think of something else. Think of something else.'

"How's Robert?" Seth enquired.

"You're the one more likely to know that than me," she snapped back. She didn't keep in touch with him – it was too dangerous, though they did meet up twice a year, her birthday and Christmas, for a couple of hours, each time deciding on where they'd meet next.

"Well, let me think…I could tell you what he's been doing?" Seth said to the air.

"What?" Maria replied sharply, listening to the harsh reverberations.

"He's been taking risks. Hunting down any scientist who might know something about him. Very dangerous."

Maria's stomach lurched. She knew Robert was desperate to know what he was. He'd made it his goal in life to find out, except he'd stopped while he had her to take care of. Clearly he was back on track now. She remembered him telling her how he hadn't always wanted to know. He'd been able to settle down once with a woman called Eddi and he hadn't cared what he was…but then Ryan had found them…and killed her. Life always needs a purpose. His had been to live with Eddi but when that had gone he'd returned to the only other thing he had. What he was. That was one of the only times he'd spoken about Eddi. Maria, for herself, didn't know whether she wanted to find out or not. She went through stages. She wasn't prepared to look for it but…if anyone could tell her…

"Has he found out anything?" she couldn't help the question spilling out.

A low chuckle filled the warehouse.

"So you do want to know then?"

Maria gave a low, warning growl.

"And there I was thinking that you didn't care," Seth continued unheeded. "But you're just as interested as the rest of us…"

The tower of crates next to him trembled and the top one crashed to the floor next to him, splintering. A piece of wood caught his arm as it flew past and drew blood.

"Don't make me angry Seth." Her voice was only lightly panting from the effort of knocking the crate off. She was strong.

"I was aiming to miss that time."

Seth's eyes hardened.

"The game seems to have taken a more serious twist." He drew a silver barrel from his inside pocket. "You better watch yourself Maria, I have a gun."

There was silence.

"Why don't you surrender now? You might get hurt."

"I think you're bluffing," came the hoarse reply. Maria had frozen behind a long row of boxes. She hated guns.

"Really," came the hushed reply then a gunshot rang out, shattering the air.

Maria screamed. She couldn't help it. The images came tumbling out of the broken box in her mind. She fell to the floor, clutching her head. Fighting desperately not to relive it but the too long suppressed the memories refused to be held back. Maria was forced to watch helpless as the scene replayed itself.

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Eight years old. Far too young to witness what she had. Every detail still crisp and clear. Fun moments she forgot but terrible things she remembered with startling clarity. Robert was over…no…he was John then. He was always John with her mother. She was sitting on the floor with a doll. Robert had brought it for her? That seemed like a strange thing for him to do for her logical mind that knew him now…but she remembered it as a gift. It had the feeling of a present about it. A newness. An exciting surprise. The doll was…plastic…no…china. Why had he gotten her china? That's why it felt like it was from Robert. Who gives an eight year old something breakable as a toy? Anyway it was china. Blonde curls. Blue eyes. Silky white dress. Beautiful. Everything was relaxed, pleasant; the room lit with a warm glow. Lights? Setting sun? She didn't know.

Then it changed.

There was a noise outside and Robert immediately tensed. Banging on the door. Then a crash as it exploded inward and men poured in. Big. Navy. Suits. Guns.

"The girl. Get the girl."

Maria had frozen where she sat. Doll forgotten. It was knocked from her hand and smashed on the floor as a Suit moved to grab her. She screamed. Her mother was on him. Pulling at him. A gunshot, then she was lying on the floor next to her. Eyes glazed. Blood pooling beneath her. The screams had dried up. Strong hands gripped her shoulders but they were Robert's. He must've gotten hold of her while she was still dazed. She looked up at his face. It was set in stone, eyes trained on the door. She looked too. A man was standing in the shattered doorway. His face was grotesque, half caved in, badly broken.

"Hello again Robert."

Robert's hands tightened but he said nothing.

"Who's this?" The gargoyle turned his icy gaze on her and smiled. Maria whimpered.

"Leave her alone Ryan," Robert hissed.

Ryan turned his gaze back to her father. "I did wonder when I heard…whether…but it's impossible. Nature wouldn't allow it."

Robert tightened his grip.

Ryan leered. "So, is she yours?"

There was a pause then, "Would I really say yes if she was?"

Ryan lifted his lip contemptuously. "No. I don't suppose you would." He paused and studied the room. "Although if she were it'd be a real betrayal of Eddi."

Robert tightened his grip so hard she gave a small cry of pain. He loosened it again but she could feel the angry tension vibrating through him.

"Eddi is dead thanks to you." Every word was an effort for him to say.

Maria was trembling violently. Robert had moved so he was between her and her mother's body but the image was engraved into her mind. The shock hadn't worn off enough yet to let her think about trying to cry.

The next bit was a blur.

Robert had grabbed her hand and was walking straight towards Ryan. The man flinched away.

"Stop Robert," he ordered.

"You have no way to stop me," was Robert's reply. "Your only leverage is the girl," he indicated Maria, " and I know you won't shoot her because I might never have another child. You need her."

Ryan gave a sharp intake of breath. "So she is your daughter."

Robert carried on walking but he smiled grimly.

"Of course. I wouldn't take the trouble for something that wasn't mine."

"It's impossible," Ryan whispered.

"I'm leaving and I'm taking her with me. Shoot me if you dare."

Every Suit had their guns trained on them…but they were waiting for Ryan's signal. It never came.

They passed through the silent guards and reached the door. Robert twisted the handle and it swung open onto darkness. That was when the screech echoed out.

"We need her! Stop them! Even if you have to kill him!" Ryan had made his choice. Maria was worth Robert's death.

Robert moved with inhuman speed. He grabbed her around the waist and pushed her behind him, turning to face the gunmen as they let off the first bullets. She couldn't see what happened but she saw Robert recoil. She heard the thud as metal hit flesh…and an odd metallic ping. There was silence. Robert was bent double next to her, down on one knee with a hand pressed to his chest, breathing heavily. His shoulders started to shake and a laugh burst from his lips. He slowly lifted his head and stood with barely a stagger. Blood was soaking through his shirt and he seemed totally unfazed. The faces of the suits showed acute horror. Before they had time to recover Robert grabbed Maria and hoisted her onto his back then took off over the fields.

The rest of the night was a haze of leaves and darkness and Robert digging out the bullets from his chest.

"It hurts," he'd told her, "but the pain is always far away. Its another part of me." She'd just stared. He'd told her not to look but she'd ignored him. "Look," he'd whispered. "I'll show you why I didn't die." Amongst the blood of strange colours and torn flesh she'd seen a metallic shimmer, a shield of some sort, like a plate inside of him.

"It's hard." He'd told her. "It stopped the bullets reaching my heart and lungs." She hadn't understood then what he'd meant.

She did now.

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The memory retreated back inside its box. Maria came round to find herself kneeling on the cold stone floor in the dark warehouse. Her hands were clutched to her head…and Seth was standing over her, a gun clasped in one hand. His eyes were filled with bemusement.

"You're more human than your father then," he stated. He was obviously talking about her reaction to the gunshot. She knew why he'd say that. Nothing ever seemed to faze Robert. He took in everything with a cool, uncaring look. She, on the other hand, could be shaken.

"I don't know how it works." She pushed herself to her feet and faced him. "I've always thought I was more human than him. I seem to feel emotions more. People affect me more than they do him." She paused and dropped her eyes to the ground. "You know I don't even know if I am…whatever my father is."

Seth's gaze became intense. "What?"

"I don't know," she repeated. "My father found out after an endoscopy…but you already knew that. Maybe you don't know that he checked for himself afterwards. He sliced his stomach open." A look of revulsion passed over Seth's face but she continued regardless. "When he showed me he just sliced his arm, really deep. I could see silver filaments, wires, blood that wasn't blood coloured…and it healed up. Right in front of me it started to seal itself. He wouldn't do the same thing to me of course, just in case I was human – because then it would've killed me."

Seth had dropped the gun to his side.

"Then you never needed to run."

Maria gave him an incredulous look. "Machine or not I'm still my father's daughter. I would still have to be studied to see how it worked – how I existed - and I could still be used to blackmail him."

Seth locked eyes with her again and she suddenly found it hard to breath.

"Why are you telling me all this?" he whispered.

"I don't know. I guess so you could understand…"

Seth slipped the gun into his pocket and started to walk towards her.

"I don't know how it works…"she said quietly, watching him approach. "I don't know how human I am."

Seth stepped close to her and brushed the hair from her face carefully with one hand.

"This might help you," he breathed and bent his head to hers, but Maria turned away.

"I know machine's can feel love," she turned burning eyes onto Seth. "My father loved."

"Your mother," Seth answered.

"No," she contradicted him. "Not my mother. I was a one-night stand. An unexpected mistake. Robert loved a woman called Eddi and still loves her now. Ryan killed her, just like he killed my mother." She clenched her fists; waiting for the tears she knew would never come. Robert couldn't cry. She couldn't cry. She'd screamed until she was red and sick. She'd thrown tantrums with flailing fists and hands but never had one drop of fluid escaped her eye.

"You rob us of everyone we love," the accusation passed from her lips with a hiss.

"I'm sorry for what Ryan has done to you," Seth said in an appeasing tone. "But you can't lay the blame at my feet."

Maria twisted her head to look away but Seth grabbed her arm roughly and forced her chin up with his hand so she had to stare him in the eye.

"Look at me dammit," he growled then fell silent.

Maria felt herself start to tremble as his eyes bored into hers. She was desperate to break the stare but couldn't. Her insides were writhing; she couldn't bear it.

"Stop it," she gasped finally.

Seth smiled slowly. "So you do feel it then. You feel the attraction between us that draws us together. You can't deny it." Seth pulled her closer to him, wrapping an arm around her waist and softening his grasp of her chin.

"Please stop," the halfhearted plea broke from her lips but she made no attempt to escape as his lips came down on hers. The kiss was passionate, hard and hungry. She felt her head rush with desire and drew closer to him. It had all come down to this. She savoured the taste of him, the feelings he invoked.

It ended in an explosion.

Maria broke the kiss and gazed into his pain filled eyes.

"For you duty will always come before love," she whispered. "For me survival will always come before love."

She tossed the way the gun that she'd slipped from his pocket as Seth began to lean heavily on her, barely conscious, his muscles going lax. His hand was pressed over the bleeding bullet wound in his side as she eased him to the ground.

"I'm sorry," Maria told him and pressed her lips to his in a searing goodbye.

The sun had risen and she could hear the first sounds of the men starting their jobs. The door of the warehouse was pushed open with a clang. She knew the suits would be on her any minute. There was a rumble of voices. A whistling meandering tune.

"Help!" she screamed. "My boyfriend's been stabbed!"

Then there was a rush of help, a mumble of voices, the whine of an ambulance. People asking questions. The Suits hovering unseen beyond the spotlight. Why was she even in the Warehouse? A faint blush. Say no more. Loading Seth onto a stretcher…and then she was gone before the police arrived. Slipped away. By the time they realised that it wasn't a stab wound she was out of sight.

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Maria strolled down the street, hands in her pockets, and smiled grimly to herself.

Maybe it was all just about survival.