By: messymissy
Summary: What if Max and Jondy ran into each other, and Zack never found Max after the escape? To keep from being separated by Zack's paranoia, Jondy gave Max a new name to go by when they accidentally run into him, so he won't know who she is.
Rated: PG-13
Pairing: M/Z
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and am just using them. I only came up with the ideas for this story and the rest belong to the owner or creator of Dark Angel and Fox.
A/N: This is set before season one, but Original Cindy knows Max's secret. This is also kind of an A/U fic.
A/N 2: THIS STORY IS CURRENTLY BEING EDITED. I STARTED THIS YEARS AGO AND THOUGHT THAT IT'S ABOUT TIME THAT I DO SOMETHING WITH THIS. April 2005
LOS ANGELES
"After them!" shouted an aged, harsh-looking man. "Don't let them get away!
Two lithe figures in black saw the cars driving towards them.
"Damn it! Lydecker found us!" said a man with light colored hair and blue eyes.
"Shit!" cried a woman with long, light-brown hair.
"Come on, we have to get out of here!"
They started to run into a nearby alley. They heard the military jeeps start to come after them. There were no less than a dozen. The colonel's men started to open fire on them.
"What are we suppose to do Zack?" cried the woman.
"What do you think Jondy? We just can't just stay here and let them catch us. We have to lose them!" he replied.
Lydecker's men were hot on their trail. They sped up and ran in between buildings, alleys, and streets in zigzags.
"Speed up! We need to get them back in sight! We're losing them!" Lydecker hollered. "Spread out and surround them. We'll never get them by just following them around!"
The cars all raced in different directions in pursuit of the two X-5's.
Jondy and Zack were still weaving through the alleyways.
"They're catching up to us!" Jondy exclaimed.
"I know!"
They kept running. Manticore was gaining on them. Jondy and Zack scanned for an escape route.
Suddenly, Jondy caught sight of a half-opened manhole and said, "Look over there Zack! There's a manhole. I think we can hide in there until they're gone."
They both rushed to the manhole, jumped in, secured the lid, and stayed deadly quiet.
Their retreat into the sewers was made just in time, because just as they got into their hiding place, Zack and Jondy heard loud screeches from up above. Lydecker and his men were directly over them. It was imperative for them to remain silent, for the slightest sound could alert their pursuers to their location.
"Where are they?" Lydecker demanded.
"I think we lost them, sir," answered one of his soldiers, meekly. "We all covered all of the locations, and it led us all here. They're nowhere to be seen."
Lydecker saw red when he received this bit of information. He fumed at his incompetent soldiers.
"I can't believe you lost them! We were so close! This is not what I wanted to hear soldier! You were all hired under the impression that you were all highly trained individuals! But instead, what are you? Top-notched toy soldiers?" Lydecker let out a frustrated sigh. He then demanded, "I want every single centimeter within a 25-mile radius to be searched with a fine-tooth comb. I want those X-5's found! Now move out!"
All of the soldiers left, and all was quiet. Zack and Jondy got out of the manhole.
"Wow, that was close," Jondy sighed in relief.
"Yes, it was. I told you that Lydecker was going to have this place swarmed after the stunt you pulled. What I don't get is why you didn't leave L.A. when I told you to. You were caught on tape jumping over a 15-foot gate, for crying out loud! How could you be so careless? Are you trying to get caught?"
"I'm sorry, okay? It's not my fault that the owner of the jewelry company was paranoid and installed an extra camera just before my heist. Besides, it's no big deal. We got away from Old Deck didn't we?" Jondy smiled innocently.
"Yeah, you got lucky," Zack grumbled. "If I arrived a minute later..."
"I am really sorry, Zack," Jondy said solemnly with her eyes downcast. "Thanks for saving me Big Brother. I'll be more careful next time."
"You better be," he replied. Zack relaxed and put an arm around his little sister's shoulders before saying, "Now, lets get you someplace safe. There's no way you're staying in Los Angeles."
"But..."
"No buts. We're leaving now or Lydecker will find you."
"Fine," Jondy sighed. "I really don't like Los Angeles that much anyway. Where are you taking me?"
"How about Seattle?"
"It's worth a shot. Why not go to Seattle? I haven't been there yet. Maybe I'll like it there."
"Good. Come on, let's go."
SEATTLE
Two days later, Zack and Jondy arrived in Seattle. After a quick search, they found a decent apartment, and Jondy was soon settled into her new home. It wasn't spectacular, but it had three bedrooms, running water, and electricity.
It was early morning day and when the two X-5's settled down for breakfast, Jondy asked, "How are the others?"
"They're fine."
"Did you find Max yet?" Jondy asked eagerly.
"No. The lead that Manticore received about a dark-haired, dark-eyed woman turned out to be Tinga. She got away just in time, though. Max, Zane, Ash, and Seth are the only ones that I haven't found, as you already know. They were always the best at Escape and Evade back at Manticore."
"Yeah. I'm glad that they can hide so well, but I miss them. I just want them to be safe. Especially Maxie."
"I know," Zack said as he looked at his watch. "I think it's time for me to go." He stood up and took out a wad of cash and handed it to Jondy. "Here's some money to start out with. You know what to do if you need any help or anything. The number's still the same."
"Thank you, Zack," she said as she hugged him.
"Take care of yourself," he answered just before proceeding through the door and out of sight.
"I hope you'll find them someday," Jondy whispered to the closed door. Her words were spoken so softly that she barely heard herself utter them. "Good ol' big brother, he always pulls through for us," she said with a sad sigh. "I guess I should start job hunting."
She headed toward her bedroom and prepared for the first day of her new life.
THE STREETS OF SEATTLE
It was a gray and foggy morning. A young woman with long, dark-brown hair and dark eyes was riding to work, as usual, with her best friend Original Cindy.
"Wonder where Normal's going to send us off to today," said Original Cindy.
"Knowing him, he'll probably send us to the worst part of town with a bunch of packages to keep us busy," Max said dryly.
"Yeah."
True to their prediction, Normal sent them out on deliveries to sector 13 with a sack full of boxes and letters.
"Ain't he so predictable?" said O.C. "I just wish he wasn't, so we wouldn't have to go all the way to that heinous sector."
"Yeah, but I'm surprised he didn't go "Bip! Bip! Bip!" today when we came in," laughed Max.
They made the deliveries as quickly as possible and left the sector. They took their time in getting back to Jam Pony.
"I'm glad we're through with that," said Max as they wheeled their bikes through the door.
"Me too," O.C. concurred.
"Are you going to Crash tonight?" asked Max.
"What do you think? Is there anything better to do?"
"No, just making sure you're going. Who knows, maybe you found a new Lickety-Boo sometime between last night and today," Max said with an impish grin.
"Boo, you'd know if O.C. found herself a Lickety-Boo. I'm free tonight."
"I wonder where's Sketchy. Think he'll want to come with us?" Max inquired as she looked around the bustling room.
"Hell yeah. You know how much that guy loves to get drunk, fall off his bike, and lose his money," laughed O.C.
Max and Original Cindy were so caught up in their conversation that they ran into someone.
"Sorry," they all cried out in unison.
Max and the stranger looked at one another. Something tugged at the back of Max's mind as she studied the tall, slim woman in front of her. There was something about this woman that tugged at her memory. She looked oddly familiar.
The stranger's eyes were opened wide, and she seemed to be frozen in her place. She looked just as perplexed as Max.
Suddenly, a look of recognition crossed Max's face.
"It can't be," Max gasped.
"Boo, you okay? You look a little dazed," O.C. stated. A hint of worry was present in her voice as she looked at her friend.
Max hesitantly stepped toward the stranger with hope-filled eyes.
"Jondy?"
The stranger blinked and seemed to come back to her senses. A joyous smile then broke across her face as she exclaimed, "Max!"