Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel. If I did, I'd sure empty my wallet to make sure it had more than 2 seasons. ;-)
Summary: Max struggles to keep her family safe in Terminal City. Problemo is, her family's a lot bigger than it used to be…
Rating: T, it's a little violent in a PG13 way and there's some random DA-type language thrown around.
Author's Note: This story takes place after "Freak Nation." Its not really shipper-y right now but it may be later.
Chapter 1: Getting Caught Up with the Mutant Situation
Max had a lot on her mind these days. It wasn't easy taking care of the hundreds of mutants that lived in Terminal City. Terminal City was under siege and its inhabitants had to use their wits to avoid the surveillance of the police who watched their every move from the comfort of police cars sitting in front of the exit.
As a result, the transgenics had devised a myriad of ways to avoid their watchful eyes. Putting their training to good use, they studied their enemies and became familiar with each cop that stood watch. Some cops used the monotony of the vigil to their advance and received bribes underhandedly. The bribes ranged from stolen cash, goods, drugs, even garbage or debris that seemed to have a sentimental value for the cops… a valuable stamp or coin for instance.
The cash, of course, came from the many missions the X series went on to obtain everyday necessities. Despite the fact the transgenics could rough it better than the average 'ordinary', they still needed food, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, towels, even toilet paper. Since they were unable to obtain these items legally, they were forced to rob convenience stores, street vendors, and shop in the blackest part of the night. And if they could crack a safe or two to sneak by without getting shot at, so much the better.
The cover of nightfall also brought out unsavory characters, such as the drug addicts that littered the streets. Stealing and peddling drugs to crooked cops, in addition to avoiding angry drug dealers, were actions no transgenic really looked forward to doing. Besides getting shot at, whether by an angry drug dealer or prejudiced cop, was still getting shot at.
And not surprisingly, there were quite an abundance of prejudiced cops to deal with. Ones that looked at them with such hatred that receiving a cash payoff was out of the question. On those nights, sneaking out to get supplies was much more difficult. The basic strategy was to use some sort of diversion to draw attention away from the escaping transgenics. Still they were highly trained soldiers, and they always succeeded. At least… that's what they all hoped. The transhumans would monitor their comings and goings from Terminal City silently praying that the soldiers on the missions would come back safely. One of which was Joshua.
Joshua was banned from any such missions. It wasn't that Max didn't believe he could adequately defend himself. Through the teachings of his lizard friend Mole, Joshua had become quite skilled at weaponry. Add that to his fervor and superhuman strength, and Joshua was not a transhuman to be messed with. Despite his advantages, to the outside world Joshua was still wanted for murdering the sweet, blind woman, Annie Fischer. Not to mention killing and ripping out the tongues of sector police… another charge the unlucky dog-boy was never cleared. Deep down though, Joshua was still a gentle soul. True, he was more cynical and angry than when he first left Manticore, but when it came down to it Joshua was never trained to be a killer.
He still worried every night for Max's safe return. Max always joined the nighttime missions to gain supplies for her transgenic followers. She justified this by stating that she didn't really need sleep. But mostly she felt responsible for them. After all, it was she who encouraged all the transgenics to make a stand. She told them not to run… to stay and fight. Now she felt their lives were in her hands. Max didn't really consider herself as a leader, but she had always tried to protect her 'unit.' Her unit was simply bigger now. Much, much bigger.
She was often accompanied on these missions by Alec. Alec had never felt more alive than when he first escaped Manticore and was free for the first time. He longed for his old life of scams, petty theft, and sleeping around with the fine women of the world outside. It bothered him sometimes, to think of how it all went away so quickly. Somewhere inside he hoped that they would win the war and we would settle back into his old life of being a smart Alec… looking out for number one. Of course, he had changed since then. He worried about the fate of his fellow soldiers, Joshua, and Max. He knew he could never go back to how things were, but he liked to imagine he could. After all, looking after Max was no easy task. He had made a promise to Logan.
It was true that Max and Logan had gotten closer during the hostage crisis at Jam Pony. Max was comforted by his presence and his encouragement. In retrospect, she thought getting close to him again was a mistake. He was in even more danger now. After all, Logan had almost gotten killed by White when he raided his apartment a week ago. Max also knew that Logan would want to drop by and check on her, despite the danger of exposing himself to the hazardous materials of Terminal City. On top of all that, Max had a big job now and had to 'keep her head in the game' as she had told him once before. As a result, she kept the lie about her and Alec going. She said the hostage situation at Jam Pony made her nervous and she had needed him, but that she still had feelings for Alec. She wasn't sure he completely believed her, but it was enough to keep the emotional distance she needed.
Her fight for transgenic freedom was now bordering on obsession. She had to laugh at the irony of that when she had berated Logan not so long ago for being obsessed with Eyes Only. For his part, Logan was helping the transgenics keep strong in the struggle as best he could. He managed to get Eyes Only back on the air, with his brand new equipment to avoid being traced of course. Max would check in with him via the computers at Terminal City everyday to give a status report. She would always collect herself and even freshen up a little before speaking to him, but she didn't fool Logan. Despite her cocky tone and brave talk, he could see that she had fear in her eyes and even looked a little worn. But he knew as well as anyone… there was no stopping Max.