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*Between Love and Hate*
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Spoilers: This is the fifth story in my series – if you haven't read any of my work before, you'd be best off going back to read and understand. The first story was Shattered Trusts and Whispered Confessions. The second is Remembering to Forget, the third is Events That Lead To Greatness. The most recent is the fourth story called the Longest Day (which was basically just a wrap up of some confusing things I had to sort out from previous works). This series is set after Hello Goodbye but does reveal spoilers from the rest of the season, as I incorporate it into the story.
Disclaimer: Ideas are mine based on the brilliant work of the Dark Angel team – so don't sue me! I wish I owned Alec, but I don't. So I have to settle for writing fiction about him.
Authors Note: Just a general shout out thanks to all the great readers who have been reviewing my work and totally keeping me motivated. If it weren't for you guys I wouldn't be writing this stuff. I am trying out a new style of writing in this one; let me know what you guys think.
Have fun and remember to review!
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Previously on Dark Angel:
Max punched Alec on the shoulder as hard as she could, sending him back a few steps,
"Don't make me fight dirty, what is wrong?"
"Max, stay out of my business."
He moved backwards and sat on the bed, brandishing a full bottle of bourbon and downed most of it in a shot.
"You're drunk?"
"Maybe. It doesn't matter anyway. Nothing changes."
* * *
"What would you say if I said that I wanted to kill you soldier?"A blank face with cold eyes was all the reply Logan received.
"I intend to, I hate you that much."
494 shuddered uncontrollably as another memory flooded his mind.
* * *
Max instinctively backed away cautiously, but her attempt was in vain, as Alec's hand snaked out and grasped her firmly by the neck. She spluttered, completely taken by surprise,
"Alec, stop!"
He shook her viciously and her tiny body shook as though it were merely a rag doll,
"Why do you keep calling me that? I'm your brother, I'm Ben."
His fingers curled into her jugular, choking her briefly, before he pushed her away. Max rubbed at her reddening neck, then put the bruising pain out of her mind,
"Your name is Alec. You are a clone of Ben. You're not my brother."
* * *
"Do you understand your mission 494?"
"Yes."
"Brief me."
"Target is male, approximately 30 or so years old. Currently an employee of the Government, but has been discovered with a hidden agenda. My mission is to capture, question and then kill."
"Excellent 494, do this and I'll set you free. Back to Max."
"Max, sir?"
"You'll thank me later, I'll restore your memory too. Keep in mind that this mission may allow collateral damage to occur, it may be necessary to achieve the objective."
"Yes sir."
"You know, that just doesn't sound right. Call me 493. No wait, call me Ben."
"Yes si...Ben."
"So what are you waiting for soldier?"
"Consider it done. Ames White is as good as dead."
* * *
Alec found himself staring at a series of foreign symbols on his arm,
"What the hell!"
Max breathed loudly as she spoke, the words coming out as a panted whisper,
"The runes!"
* * *
Biggs cleared his throat, desperate to spark any sort of conversation,
"So I hear Terminal City is the place to be for transgenics..."
* * *
Mole looked at Alec again, his eyes dark and unreadable,
"What make you think we'll follow your orders?"
"Nothing. They're just suggestions."
"Well I like them. Especially the part about no ordinaries - should all be killed if you asked me, little shits. Music to my ears."
He sniffed and wiped at fake tears, his gleaming prized gun left forgotten on his chair. Dix looked up from behind a computer,
"Will you do it? Will you help us make this place better?"
Alec glanced at Biggs, then Max – both of them nodded back at him,
"You bet."
* * *
Joshua looked at Max, eager to explain his expressive art,
"This is you, me, even them. It's all of us. (Pointed to the black stripe) This is where we came from--where they tried to keep us."
"In the dark."
"Secret. (Pointed to the red stripe) This is where we are now, because our blood is being spilled. (Pointed to the white stripe) This is where we want to go."
"Into the light."
"Right."
* * *
It was like slow motion. Max and Alec turned to follow the guy's outstretched finger, their eyes blinded temporarily by a blazing fire.
A burning X.
And Biggs' body.
Hung upside down, a thick coating of blood covering his once handsome face and a pool gathered underneath. Alec staggered backwards, his hand covering his mouth to stop the reflex up-chuck action. But his actions were in vain. He fell to the ground vomiting, his eyes flooding and overflowing with tears.
* * *
Alec heard Max's voice clearly, yet he took a minute, repeating it in his head as he struggled to come to terms with what she had said,
"I have to kill Alec."
She was going to kill him. He knew why more or less, it had to do with the runes, the shroud of death and why she had been seeing Logan secretly behind his back.
"I have to kill Alec."
Scrap everything that their relationship had meant, all that they had been to one another. He had to get out of there, because if it came to a battle to the end, he didn't think he would be able to kill her, even if she could him.
* * *
Alec looked up from his intense stare downward, his eyes detailing her face, his words coming out so soft,
"I love you Max, I always have."
He looked at her, waiting for her answer. She displayed no emotion, nothing. Her face was evenly cool, as though she were trying to ignore what he said, pretend it never happened. She didn't want to give in to him, to give him some satisfaction or ease his guilt before he killed her. Alec's heart ripped apart as he saw her reaction – or lack of.
He knew what he had to do.
Then it seemed to Max as though it were all happening in slow motion.
The way he raised the knife, whispered his apology.
The way his eyes teary as he brought the blade down.
The sound the blade made as it connected with its target and then fell to the ground.
Max shut her eyes waiting for the pain. When it didn't come, she snapped them open, staring at Alec, who was concentrating on his hands.
On his wrists.
She grimaced as she gawked at his wrists, the skin and veins slit open, blood pouring out in gushes. He looked at her one final time, before tumbling over the balcony railing into the vat below.
* * *
Max looked over to where White's body lay, reaching for his showing gun. She let off a round of bullets, killing four familiars trying to escape.
Ben gave a muffled cough and she snapped out of her saddened soldier mode, limping over to him to untie him. He gave her a thankful smile, looking over in Alec's direction, before melting into the shadows.
Max gave a shuddering sigh, hobbling to the ladder connecting the balcony floor to the ground. She reached the vat, climbing inside and pulling Alec out.
Her body shuddered again, as she clutched him to her, her fingers probing his neck for any sign of life.
Nothing.
* * *
"Little Fella! I'm so glad to see you!"
"Uh-huh... Joshua... what?"
"This is Auris. She's having a baby."
"Oh, so naturally you thought of stopping by Jam Pony in broad daylight just to tell me? You know better than…"
"Alec said to come see you – you'd help us out, we got in trouble."
"Alec?"
"No time!"
"Alec's in town?"
Mole shook his head angrily, gesturing at the police officers running towards them in the distance,
"Now's not the time Max!"
She stared back torn, unable to decide what to do. Her gaze followed Mole's extended arm, watching the running figures approaching, followed by police cars
* * *
She hovered above him, staring at his marred face, tears splashing soundlessly onto him. Max scrunched her eyes painfully, turning to leave, before looking back at him,
"I missed you
Alec. I've wanted to say that all day. That and... I still love you..."
His eyes
fluttered open as she hurried out, his right eye unable to open more than a
slit from the swelling and bruising. He grimaced, sitting up and using his left
hand to pull the drip from his broken right hand,
"I never stopped loving you Max."
* * *
She licked her lips, hands on her hips in defensive mode, as she surveyed the mostly transgenic crowd,
"Where are we gonna go? I can't stop anyone from leaving, but I'm through running and hiding and being afraid. I'm not gonna live my life like that anymore. Aren't you tired of living in darkness? Don't you want to feel the sun on your face? To have a place of your own where you can walk down the street without being afraid? They made us, and they trained us to be soldiers, to defend this country. It's time for them to face us and take responsibility, instead of trying to sweep us away like garbage. We were made in America and we're not going anywhere. So they call us freaks; who cares? Today I'm proud to be a freak. And today we're gonna make a stand, right here. Who's with me?"
Max raised a fist in the air, looking around at them all to see their reactions.
* * *
Alec wheeled up next to her, causing her to shift and redirect her eyes to him,
"Hey."
"Hey."
"Now look what you've done."
He smiled gently at her, the flag flapping noisily above them – the wind still strong, but the rain had stopped some time ago. She glanced at it, before looking back at him,
"It wasn't me Alec."
"Yeah it was. Your speech tonight, it really drove home."
"You heard that?"
"Yeah."
"You followed me out of the hospital?"
"Yeah."
They stayed in the same spot, eyes turned up and glued to the flag, both silent. Max grinned slightly as Alec's strong hand reached out and grasped hers, enveloping it. She looked at him and he grinned faintly back at her, genuinely, as he entwined his fingers with hers.
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