Disclaimer: Nope, last time I looked in a mirror I wasn't James Cameron or anyone else lucky enough to own Dark Angel.
Summary: Sequel to "Then it comes to be." The cult loonies are gone but the transgenics have other problems to deal with, not to mention a whole civilization to build. M/A
Rating: R because of occasional violence and smut (to come later)
----
Alec woke up early. He'd only got a couple of hours sleep but he felt fine. Must be from having Max's blood running through his veins. He hoped the effect wasn't permanent – he liked sleeping in too much to do without it forever. The other half of his bed was empty which meant that as early as it was, Max was already up. She'd crashed at his place last night. Nothing else in his life had ever felt so right as her curled up against him. Of course, it would've felt even better if they'd been naked and making out, but that was a line they weren't going to cross yet. Something had happened between them but she wasn't ready to act on it until she worked things out with Logan. He could understand that, sort of. If he'd been feeling better he might have tried tempting her. He smiled. Then again, he'd learned from experience that disagreeing with Max usually led to getting punched. Hard. He stretched and hissed as the movement pulled at his side.
He never got out of bed this early unless someone was shouting roll call. What was he supposed to do? He looked around his room. Nope, nothing there. No tv, no stereo, not even a book. Bored, he got dressed and wandered out onto the street. He leaned against a wall and surveyed his surroundings in disgust. The party was over, and now there was even more crap littering the streets. Terminal City was a dump. Alec grimaced. He'd always had this thing about being clean. Came from too many years of being punished for the slightest speck of dirt on his uniform.
He watched as more and more transgenics emerged onto the street and wandered aimlessly around TC. They had no where to go and nothing to do. Several hundred bored transgenics was not a good thing. Someone had better give them something to do, and fast.
He sauntered into HQ. Dix and Joshua were watching daytime tv. One of Mole's half-finished cigars was still on the table where he'd stubbed it out the night of the attack. Alec was surprised by how much he missed the lizard guy. They hadn't known each other very well, but Alec had liked his attitude. Particularly the way he pissed Logan off with his gung-ho, kill-all-the-humans spiel.
"So what do we do now that the baddies are gone?" Dix asked Alec.
"I dunno about you, but I'm tired of living in a dump. I want running water and electricity. And a bar. Max needs to organize something. When's her conference with the governor?"
"Should start soon, but it could take a while. Humans like to talk a lot."
"Yeah, some more than others," Alec said, thinking of Logan. "Well, this can't wait. I'm gonna organize crews to start the clean up. Max can take over later, after the messy part's done."
Alec scribbled a note on the message board outside HQ, calling for a general meeting after breakfast. Max might yell at him for taking over command, but something had to be done. He was tired of living in filth.
----*----
Alec stood and whistled sharply through his teeth to get everyone's attention. He could have snapped out an order but that was too much like Manticore. He got instant quiet, partly due to their training – old habits die hard, and failure to listen attentively to a commanding officer was a big no-no at Manticore. But mostly it was due to the respect they had for him.
"So, anyone else notice this place looks like crap?" A few laughs. "Terminal City is our home now. I say it's time we make it look like one." They nodded, and few even clapped.
"Alright, I want mechanics, engineers, and anyone else who has a clue how to fix or build things on my right. You're with Dixon. See if you can restore power and water. Medics and other science-geeks, you're on my left. Check out the medical facilities. There might be something worth salvaging from the junk in the labs. Weapon specialists, you're at the back. Who knows, we may still need to defend ourselves, and we better know what we've got on hand. Most of it is over by HQ. Anyone under 10, up front. You're my gophers." That left most of the X-6s. Alec grinned at them. "You're with me. Sorry guys, we're grunt work."
Alec stared thoughtfully at the blank wall behind him. What the hell, he thought. They could always paint over it later. He grabbed a magic marker and scribbled MEDICAL SUPPLIES, WEAPONS, REPAIR PARTS and MISC on the wall. He added FOOD and BOOZE below MISC. That got a few more chuckles.
"Anything we're missing, add it to the list. We'll go shopping later. Any questions? Alright, let's go." The transgenics moved to their designated areas.
Alec turned to the waiting X-6s. "We need to clean this place up and do a full inventory. Later we'll find something more suited to your talents. We'll start from here and move outwards block by block. Divide into groups. If you find something that can be fixed, send a gopher to the mechanics. Same goes for any medical equipment. See what buildings are habitable."
"Yes, sir!"
"Don't do that. This isn't Manticore. Call me Alec." He gestured randomly at a group of 6s. "You're with me."
Logan left the meeting and hurried inside HQ to find Max. Living with them day to day he'd quickly realized that Max had lied when she told him she was with Alec. She'd only said that to push him away and keep him from getting killed. But he'd spent a lot of time watching the two of them when he thought they were together, and he'd seen the chemistry between them. He was terrified that he might still lose her to the transgenic. He had to make her realize that Alec wasn't the best person to be around. Alec wasn't reliable, not the way he was.
Max had just finished talking to the governor. She was trying to convince him to talk to the president on their behalf. He was stalling, waiting to see which way the political wind was blowing. The transgenics had saved the city, so they were owed something, but he wasn't about to risk his chances of re-election by backing the wrong horse. Plus he wanted to know what the FBI and NSA were telling the president, before he barged in asking for clemency for people who probably wouldn't be allowed to vote anyway.
"Max, you have to do something about Alec. He's organizing clean-up crews, telling people what to do."
Max stared at Logan, puzzled by how upset he was. "So? Logan, we need to clean this place up, make it liveable. Why shouldn't Alec get things going?"
"He's taking over, Max. He's acting like he's in charge."
"And what's wrong with that?"
"Max! This is Alec we're talking about. He's irresponsible. He's a screw up. He'll get bored."
"Logan!" she interrupted, exasperated. "There's a lot more to Alec than you think. He was an officer back at Manticore. The X's know him, they trust him. They don't really trust me." Logan tried to interrupt at that, but she kept going. "No, listen to me. After I went rogue they were trained to hate me. It's hard to get over that. The only reason they listen to me at all is because of those stupid runes. Besides, we have to a society to build here, and I don't have time right now to organize everything." She got up and walked away, frustrated by his animosity toward Alec. Logan was always quick to slam him, see only the worst in him. At least Alec kept his opinion about Logan to himself.
----*----
It took them two days to do a complete inventory of Terminal City. Most of what they found was junk but some of it was salvageable. The back wall at HQ was covered with the list of items they needed. Max emerged from the computer room to find Alec staring at the wall and scribbling notes on a pad. He was trying to prioritize their immediate needs. Max was taken back by the sheer number of things they needed to acquire. She leaned against the conference table. "Please tell me that's not the list of what we need."
"Ok, I won't." Alec grinned at her and went back to making notes.
"It'll cost a fortune," she said in dismay.
"Yeah, but it's not like we need everything tomorrow. Don't worry, I've got it covered."
"Of course you do."
Distracted by all the thoughts running through his head, Alec misjudged Max's tone. He thought she was being sarcastic. He snapped his head up, a hurt look showing in his eyes. "I won't screw this up, Max."
"I know." She was momentarily surprised by the hurt look on his face, until she remembered all the times she'd yelled exactly that at him. She'd never realized before that it actually bothered him. He'd always shrugged off her comments with a grin. Her face softened. "You're not a screw up Alec. I never should have said that you were. It was just easier to yell at you than admit that I cared what happened to you."
He gave her a sceptical look, not really believing her. Rather than talk about it, he tossed his pad and pen on a nearby chair and walked over to stand in front of her, a wicked grin on his face. "So you care about me, hun? I dunno. I think you need to show me." His arms went around her and he bent his head. He teased her by gently brushing her lips with his before he kissed her. Max's legs went weak at his touch and she was grateful for the solid table behind her, holding her up. Her head spun as he deepened the kiss. One of his legs slid between hers, and she clung to his shoulders. She leaned back against the table, pulling Alec down on top of her.
Alec could barely think straight. He could feel her breasts pressing against his chest. The taste of her after waiting so long was making him dizzy. He wanted nothing more than to pick her up and carry her to his bed, but a small voice whispered inside his head ,*what if she's thinking of Logan right now?* He groaned in frustration. He didn't want it to be like this. He refused to be the substitute. She had to resolve things with Logan and then come to him, otherwise he'd always be wondering. He forced himself to let go and take a step back, and then another. She whimpered, and he jammed his hands in his pockets to stop himself from reaching for her. "I should make some calls," he said, his voice shaking slightly.
"Yeah, me too." She smiled weakly at him and walked slowly from the room. He watched her go, not trusting himself to move until she was gone, in case he ran after her instead of out the door. He heard someone chuckle behind him and spun around. It was an X-5 named Conner. They'd worked together on a couple of missions at Manticore. He grinned at Alec. "You play with fire, you're gonna get burned."
Alec groaned. "God I hope so. Don't say anything to Logan, ok? It's complicated."
"Why would I? The guy's not one of us."
----*----
Max collapsed at her desk in her office. Her hands were shaking. She needed him, wanted him, and that thought terrified her. All her life she'd run from emotional attachments, and now she was too afraid to take the leap. Which was why she hadn't said anything to Logan yet. He was her excuse. But that wasn't fair, to either of them. Alec had pulled back because he wouldn't settle for being the replacement. She'd seen in his eyes what it had cost him to stop kissing her. She wanted him to force the issue and make the decision for her, but deep down she knew that she had to be the one to make the choice. *No,* she thought to herself, *I've already made my choice. I just have to act on it.*
----*----
Alec glanced around the table and grinned at the X's and freaks he'd summoned to the morning meeting. "Morning people. We got a million things to get done around here and several hundred transgenics to keep busy. So Dix and I have set up a schedule. You guys are section heads. Dix, Luke, you're HQ support staff. Keep doing what you're doing. This place would fall apart without you two." They nodded, pleased by the public praised for their contribution. At Manticore they'd always been overshadowed by the more powerful X-series.
Alec turned to Joshua. "Hey big fella, you're in charge of supply distribution. Food, clothing, furniture – whatever. Just make sure it gets distributed fairly. Covert one of the underground parkades. That should give you enough room. And keep me posted daily on what we need." Joshua grinned, his mouth hanging open.
"Max. Sorry, you're stuck with public relations for now." Max rolled her eyes and nodded. "I'll see if I can round up someone from Psy Ops to give you some pointers on how to be persuasive without hitting anyone." Everyone except Logan chuckled at that.
"Don't even go there," she said with a mock glare.
Alec deliberately skipped over Logan and turned to the X-5s sitting on the other side of the table. He knew them from Manticore and had chosen them because they were very good at what they did. "Leda," he said to a petite redhead, "you're in charge of medical and research. And the nursery, until we can find someone else. We should have most of the supplies you need soon, but keep me posted."
He turned to the second girl. "Jazz, you're in charge of repairs, which includes clean up. Let me know what you need." She nodded, her black pigtails bobbing.
He grinned at the two X-5 males. "Conner, Blink, you're our weapons specialists. You're also in charge of perimeter security. We got a couple of ways outta here, but we need more. We also need to keep tabs on the sector police – their patrol route, the schedule, all of it. Oh and Blink, you're our recon leader, if and when we need it." Blink gave him a wolfish grin.
"So that leaves acquisitions and tactics for me. But you can all be seconded to any other section as needed. Any questions? Ok, let's go inform the masses."
They all stood and filed out after Alec. The transgenics had assembled outside HQ, as requested. Alec sauntered to the front of the crowd and grinned at them all. They fell silent and waited respectfully for their orders from the man they all considered to be their commander.
"Listen up people. Dix and Luke are posting schedules now. You've all been assigned to a work crew. These are your section heads. We've tried to work with your known skills but if you have a preference or a specialty we don't know about, tell Dix and he'll change your assignment. Also, from now on I want everyone to spend time each day training or sparring. We may have smashed the cult but we still have enemies out there and we can't afford to get sloppy. I want to see the X-8s after lunch. Hop to it people."
Alec turned away before they had a chance to even consider saluting them. That was one habit he wanted to break. They might need the structure provided by a chain of command but this wasn't Manticore. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Logan grab Max by the arm and start whispering hoarsely in her ear. He could tell by her posture that she was getting angrier by the second. Briefly he considered barging in on their conversation but then he shrugged. Whatever it was, Max could handle it. And he wasn't that interested in finding out what Logan was pissed about now. Alec walked back into HQ.
Logan listened in amazement as Max just stood there while Alec addressed the crowd. Letting him organize clean-up crews was one thing, but now she was actually taking orders from him. *What's wrong with her?* he thought in dismay.
"Max!" he said urgently, grabbing her arm. "You can't just sit there and let him make all the decisions for you!"
She glared at him. She was not in the mood to debate this with him again. "Soldiers don't question their CO's orders," she hissed. "It's not good for morale."
He stared at her in astonishment. "You actually think of Alec as you're CO? My god, Max. Come off it."
"Why not? He's so much better at this than I could ever be. He's got 10 years training on me. You think they spent the whole time teaching him how to throw a punch? He can handle this. I can't. Solo missions I can deal with, but this is beyond me. He knows things I don't. But one thing I do know is that you never put the weakest member of the unit in charge."
"But Max," he pleaded, desperately trying to get her to see it his way. "Remember the runes. You were chosen."
"But THAT has nothing to do with THIS. The runes are already fading. I'm not the commander. Stop trying to make me something I'm not!" She stormed off, away from Logan and HQ both.
----*----
Alec crouched on his heels and watched two of the X-8s spar in the early morning light. He was training some of the younger kids in combat skills. He'd done it before at Manticore, and enjoyed it. The girl dropped her defences for just a second and her partner, a slightly older boy, slipped past her guard and landed a kick that sent her sprawling. "Hold it," Alec called out. The boy gave her a hand up and they both turned to face Alec expectantly. "What happened?" he asked the girl.
"I dropped my guard," she said.
"That's why he hit you. Why did you fall down?"
The girl's eyes flickered as she recalled the last few minutes of the fight. "My weight was on the wrong foot."
Alec nodded. "Try it again" he said with an encouraging smile.
She smiled shyly back at him before moving into position. At Manticore she would've been punished for dropping her guard like that, but Alec never yelled. He just helped them see what they'd done wrong. She was learning so much faster here. She never made the same mistake twice, not wanting to let him down.
Alec saw Logan halt on his way towards HQ and watch the kids spar with a scowl on his face. Alec just ignored him and after a minute Logan hurried off. Alec shrugged. The hacker always seemed to be mad about something. He used to respect the guy, but he'd changed over the last few days. He was becoming bitter and angry.
Logan went looking for Max. He'd told himself he wouldn't complain to her again, but this was too much. *What does Alec think he's doing anyway?* Logan wondered. He barged into HQ and headed straight for Max's office. He didn't bother to say hello, but he did try to keep his voice calm. For some reason she was blind when it came to Alec and he wouldn't accomplish anything by pissing her off. "You don't want to be in charge, fine. I still think you're wrong but that's your choice. But you have to pick someone else. Alec isn't the right person for this!"
She looked at him through narrowed eyes and struggled to keep calm. "If you know so damn much about it, tell me what he's done wrong."
Logan could see how mad she was and knew he was pushing his luck by arguing with her again over this, but at least she seemed willing to listen. "He got the littlest kids fighting each other!"
She rolled her eyes in impatience. *He really doesn't get it,* she thought. "He's training them, Logan. They need to work on their combat skills."
"Combat skills! Max, they're just kids."
"No, they aren't. They're soldiers. They need to be ready to defend themselves and their home."
"They need to learn to act normal. They have to be ready to join the real world."
Her hands curled into fists. "The real world doesn't want us! Is that what you really think is going to happen? We'll sneak out of here and go live a lie like I did all those years? No way! This is our home. Nobody's taking it away from us."
"Max, he's trying to recreate Manticore. Those kids need more than that. They need to be in school. They need-"
"You don't know what they need!" she yelled at him. "Alec does. He's in command. Now stay out of it!" She stormed off before he could respond. She went in search of someone to spar with, hoping to work off her frustration and anger. *How come every time I see Logan we end up fighting?* she wondered angrily. *What happened to us? He's my best friend. Why isn't he acting like it anymore?*
----*----
Just after lunch an unmarked surveillance van took up position outside their gates. It was the FBI most likely. The NSA was still trying to explain how one of their top agents was involved in the attack on Seattle. Max, Alec, Dix, Luke, Conner, Blink, and Logan were clustered around the computer monitors in HQ. Knowing the watchers would be listening in, they communicated by scribbling notes back and forth. Parabolic mics and other way of eavesdropping electronically were standard equipment on a van like that.
Can u jam signal? Alec asked Dixon.
The transhuman nodded and then wrote, HQ only – not outside. Too big.
Alec shrugged. Do it. Dixon hurried off to find the parts he needed.
Logan passed Max a note he'd hastily scribbled while Alec and Dix were talking. They'll have infa-red scanners, cameras…I'll try to figure out how much they can see. If FBI, good news their equip not as good as NSA.
I'll call gov't contact. See who it is.
Alec retreated into his office and let Dix and Logan deal with the situation. He had a meeting with a contact tonight and now he had to figure out how to get the supplies inside TC. Driving the truck through the gates was no longer an option.
About an hour later an X-6 marched into HQ. He'd hoped to speak to Alec or even Dixon, but Logan was the only one in the room. The X-6 straightened his shoulders. He was the CO of his unit and he needed the information. Hopefully the human would tell him. He knew a lot of the X-5s didn't like him, but Max thought he was ok so he couldn't be all bad.
He walked straight up to Logan. "There are unconfirmed reports that the van is a surveillance team from an outside agency. Can you confirm?" He dropped the customary "sir". Logan wasn't his CO. He wasn't even a transgenic.
Alec paused in the doorway of his office, curious to see what Logan would do.
Logan was startled by the sound of a voice. The room had been empty since Dixon installed the jammer half an hour ago and he hadn't heard anyone else come in. The X-6 at his elbow couldn't be more than 15. He was just a kid, and as far as Logan was concerned, he didn't need to deal with this. "No," he lied. "It's just a command center for the sector police. Don't worry about it."
Alec rolled his eyes. Downplaying danger wouldn't cut it here. Todd was just trying to look out for his unit. He hurried across the room. "Logan, you obviously haven't gotten the latest security bulletin." Which was a complete lie, considering it was Logan's contact in the sector police who'd confirmed that the van was indeed FBI. Alec didn't want to contradict the hacker outright. He had enough bad press as it was.
Alec turned to the X-6. "We have confirmed the watchers are FBI. But there's only one surveillance team right now, so they haven't got a blanket over us yet. We'll keep you informed."
"Understood, sir." The X-6 nodded his thanks and left HQ.
Alec turned to Logan as soon as the kid was out of the room. "Don't lie to them, Logan," he said in disgust. "He wasn't looking for reassurance. He's a soldier. He needs accurate intel so he knows what we're up against. Don't treat them like children." Alec turned and walked off before Logan could answer.
Logan glared at his retreating back. *Doesn't he have any compassion for the poor kids who look up to him?* he wondered.