AUTHOR NOTE:

Thank you Writer Chickie for editing this chapter.

SUMMARY: Max goes on a mission for Logan...

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything. (Dark angel) This all belongs to James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee and the fantastic writers and crew ect.

Enjoy kitties.

How to be a good Manticore solider (NOT)

Transgenic's life handbook

Prologue: The Beginning

The first time I opened my eyes, I knew something wasn't right. It took me a while to figure out what wasn't right, but I knew in my head that this wasn't what life was supposed to be like. My brothers and sisters knew it too. We knew that there had to be something better out there for us. Twelve of us kids escaped Manticore in 2009, and it was a whole new world for me. I kept running, I never stayed in the same place for too long. And then a couple months after the escape, everything clicked in my head. The world didn't know we existed, even though we were right in front of their eyes. The truth was scrambled and it was my bitch to ride it out, for now. Every time I got close to someone, I always blazed; having never wanted to get attached to anyone before. It got easier as I aged, I got better at hiding who I was from everyone else, but the barcode on my neck never let me forget who I was. A Genetic freak to the world, they cooked us up in a lab to be the perfect soldier, but I wasn't sorry to wreck their plans; I never was any good at following their orders. I tried for years to find the others, my brothers and sisters; to find them safe, happy and alive. I don't know what happened to them, so I invented lives for them, perfect little lives. Yet my life wasn't so perfect, but it kept me together.

Now I know what happened to most of my brothers and sisters and it makes me want to fight back now more than ever. I killed one of my brothers, Ben about two weeks ago, because of what that place had done to his mind; he lost it and I had to stop him! I've watched my family walk out on me, I know I'm programmed to survive and hide. I have to keep running and never look back, just as my oldest brother Zac told me to do. I don't know why I'm telling you this, but I heard a saying once, "There is a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and blah blah blah," well something like that anyways. This is my time to fight. This is what my whole life has been about and I'm not running away anymore, this is my home. Oh, by the way I'm Max Guevara, my designation is go fuck yourself.

I will get my revenge on Manticore, I'll promise you that!

Chapter One: The Mission

Max sat at the table looking over what she had written, someone had once told her that if she had a problem she should write it down and it would go away. She titled the story "How to be a good Manticore solider (Not) Transgenic's life handbook". She smirked at the idea of the book ever getting published; of course she knew that it wouldn't happen. The government or Manticore would cover it up, find her and then kill her. Max crumpled the piece of paper up before going over to the sink and lighting a match to burn it. She watched the paper burn away, fading to nothing. She turned the tap on and rinsed the evidence away. Watching as the ashes faded away into the black hole of the drain. "All my troubles washed away," she laughed, "yeah right!"

"Boo you alright?" asked OC.

Max turned around to see Original Cindy watching her from the doorway. She was there to pick her up for work, Jam Pony the most amazing job in the world. Max sighed at her sarcastic thought, but to tell you the truth it wasn't bad. She needed the job because of the sector pass, to go anywhere without questions and trouble from the sector police. Normal always yelled at them, abusing them verbally, but she hadn't gotten fired so far. She knew that deep, deep, deep down at the bottom of his tiny heart, he love them and his job.

"Give me a minute." She rushed over to get her pack and looked back to OC, "Let's bounce".

OC was the most amazing best friend you could ever ask for. She was still there even after all this stuff happened to her, she's still my friend. OC will never betray my trust, though Max. She acts like a true sister should act and that's why OC was the best. She could never leave her, like Zac would want her to do.

Max was riding beside OC on the way to Jam Pony, when she heard her beeper go off. She knew it was probably Logan, paging her for another save the world mission.

She started going on missions for Logan for the simple reason of finding her family and she still felt guilty about what had happened to his legs. It would always be her fault, but she had developed feelings for him afterwards. She was going to make the effort towards their relationship and then she found her brother Ben. Logan couldn't understand how he could commit those horrible crimes and why had Ben snapped. It was just a simple fact, Max could still snap. It would have easily been Max instead of poor Ben. What would have happened then? Logan never got that. She couldn't tell him the truth about what had happened to Ben, how she'd killed him with her bare hands, because she thought that if Logan knew he'd think less of her. Just another soldier, it was true, she would always be a fighter. That's when she's started to pull away from Logan slowly. But the guilt of what had happened to him was still there. It was always going to be her fault for the bad things that had happened in her shitty life. Going on Logan's missions always felt like she was trying to repair the damage she and Manticore had done, fixing the broken faucet that will always be broken. She knew Logan couldn't walk because of her, but now their relationship felt like it was truly quid pro quo. He would find her family and she would help him out. Logan had his own personal solider on his hands. Max shook her head at the thought, she was being bitchy, and Logan was a great guy. He wanted to save the world in its post pulse state. Logan was great, she was attracted to him, but lately she was upset about herself and everything in her life. Maybe nothing was ever going to happen between her and Logan, their timing was off. But that was all she knew now, she felt comfortable for once in her life. Even if her identity, her life was a lie.

Reaching Jam Pony Max looked down at her pager, it was Logan.

"Hit you up later? I got to get this," Max turned to OC, holding up her pager.

OC nodded, "Your boy paging you again?"

Max shrugged, "Yah, don't know what it's about yet."

OC sighed shaking her head and mumbled under her breath, "Probably another save the world mission."

Max stared at her, OC knew she could hear her with her super hearing. She felt like she was in a rut and OC could see it. When Max glanced up at OC she smiled and nodded, and OC walked ahead of her to her locker.

"Bip, Bip, Bip!" Normal said.

Max tried to walk faster than usual and hide her face and sneak by Normal.

"You missy miss, if you're late again I'll fire you." Normal threatened.

Max turned around and did her best impression of a growling dog. It was hard since she had cat DNA in her genetic code rather than dog. "Normal you're not a female, but in case you haven't noticed I am!"

Normal smirked unfazed by Max's growl, "What does that have to do with anything Missy Miss?"

"Well, I have cramps and I'm emotionally wrecked. It's that time of the month, I feel like snapping someone's head off with my bare hands," Max raised her hands.

Normal looked more disgusted than scared. He waved her off, like she was a slave or a bug under his shoe.

Max just shook her head, one of these days she thought. She walked over to the phone as her pager went off again. "Ok I get it!" she yelled as she punched Logan's number into the phone.

Logan answered on the first ring, "Max?"

"What's the dealio?"

"I need your help, it's very important. Life or Death," Logan huffed out.

Max sighed, it was always life and death. "I'll be there soon."

"Thanks Max!" Logan hung up.

Max sighed, she went up to the counter trying to make up another excuse for Normal. Max thought maybe she should stick to the woman troubles, since Normal was grossed out by them, and women.

"Normal!" Max shouted. She smirked inside as Normal had his back turned to her and jumped at the sound of his name.

Normal turned around not pleased by Max's tone and glared.

"I need to go home." Max said not breaking eye contact with him.

Normal shook his head, "Nah, you get here late and now you want to leave?"

Max nodded giving him a stern look.

"What's the excuse now?" Normal placed his hands on his hips staring her down.

"Normal as I said before no excuse. It's just that time, and it got worse and I don't think I can take it anymore. Heck, if you want me to stay then I'll stay…" Max paused.

Normal smiled nodding.

"…But then you're going to have to clean up my 'Female Mess', it's a heavy one this time." Max then whispered, "Up to you" and shrugged leaving it at that.

Normal's eyes bulged out and his finger shot out, pointing towards the door. "You leave now. But be back tomorrow bright and early."

Max nodded and rode out towards Logan's place.

Walking into Logan's place Max called out for him, "Logan".

Logan was at his computer, "Oh great you're here!"

Max walked in and looked at Logan, "What was the life and death situation?"

Logan gave her a file.

Max opened the file to find a picture of a family; an older man, around his forties, and his younger wife, who was holding their young beautiful daughter. She noticed that the wife had a locket around her neck.

She looked up at Logan, "You want me to protect this family?"

"Well, I want to you to undercover and become Robert Berrisford's daughter. Her name is Rachel, and she is about your age."

Max looked shocked, "Logan, don't you think that Robert Berrisford is going to notice I'm not his 'real' daughter? We do have similar features, but he can probably tell us apart."

Logan shook his head, "No, Robert is in on this plan."

Max nodded, understanding came to her mind, "Can you brief me?"

Logan nodded, "Robert Berrisford is a single parent. His daughter Rachel is 18 years old. Robert is under the impression that his safety is compromised. He is also worried about his only daughter; Robert has connections to Manticore and knows their secret, that's how I came across him."

Max hesitated, she didn't know if she wanted to get involved with this, if Manticore was behind it. She shrugged, Zac would probably not be happy with her, "You want me to protect Robert, by impersonating Rachel?"

Logan nodded, "Rachel was moved to a boarding school overseas, she has no knowledge of this. Robert made it clear; he didn't want any involvement of his daughter. He did say if he does die that he has left information to be sent to Rachel, about the truth of his work. Robert enlisted you at a new school posing you as his daughter, it's a school where no one has seen or heard of her before. He has gotten new maids and new bodyguards also, to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible. You are to protect Robert and to find the threat and take care of it. And then he will tell me what he knows about Manticore."

Max nodded, "Guess my next question is when do I start?"

Logan nodded, "Tomorrow."