Smoke & Mirrors by Star24
Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters are property of Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is property and copyright 2003 Star24.
Author's Note: I've been working on an alternate S2 for a while now. This is just the start of what may be a series taking Dark Angel where it might have gone in S2 if not for the actions of the suits, the wankers as JC so eloquently called them recently…
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A Military Base somewhere in Washington State
In a small office, a woman with short, feathered blonde hair sat behind a desk staring at the girl standing at attention in front of her. The girl was of average height, slender, almost skinny, with long dark hair. She was dressed in military issue camouflage pants and a grey t-shirt. After long minutes the woman spoke.
"State your designation." Her voice was soft, yet there was something chilling about the tone. That and the look in her icy pale blue eyes.
"X5-452, ma'am," the girl responded staring straight ahead.
"That's right. I'm glad to see you finally got that into your head." She waited a beat. "What else have you gotten into your head, 452?"
"Nothing, ma'am."
"Ah yes, the little trick that Lydecker taught you of forgetting information. We'll just have to work on that some more. Won't we?" The last words were spoken with an emphasis that lent them a sinister air. The girl showed no response, simply staring straight ahead impassively. The woman watched for a moment, "Report to de-briefing. Perhaps this time we'll get some useful information out of you Dismissed."
The girl saluted and left the room, leaving the woman staring thoughtfully after her. After a moment she picked up the phone on her desk and punched in some numbers.
"X5-452 is on her way. I want her dosage increased. We need her re-indoctrination completed as soon as possible. And while you're at it I want that memory block broken. Do what ever you have to, I need her operational. There's a special assignment coming up and I think she just might be the perfect one for it."
Manticore, Cell Block 18
Max lay back on the cot in her cell, hands behind her head. There was a swish as the observation panel in the door was opened and the guard on duty peered in.
"Lights out, 452."
"Whatever." She didn't even glance at him.
"You really oughta try being nice to me. I might could get you some extra goodies if you were."
"You have any idea how old and tired that line is? If I was interested in being 'nice' to one of you creeps it sure wouldn't be one who couldn't even come up with an original pickup line."
"Yeah? Just wait until you're in heat. I've seen what you X5 bitches are like. You'll change your tune and be beggin' for it then," he sneered. There was a sharp snap as the window was closed and the lights went out, leaving Max in blackness.
She sighed and closed her eyes, trying for some sleep to pass away the long hours before dawn, and the relative freedom of the training grounds. The guard's words brought back the memories of her last heat cycle and she let herself drift off into thoughts of Logan Cale and what had come so close to happening between them just before she was re-captured by Manticore. If Zack hadn't burst into Logan's penthouse and interrupted them, the feelings they had both kept so closely under guard for the first year of their relationship would have finally found an expression. As it was, Logan's words to her just before she left with Zack and set in motion the events that had led to her being here in this cell, were what she hung on to in order to stay strong. She repeated them in her head as a mantra whenever things threatened to overwhelm her.
"We have all the time in the world." There had been a promise in those words and in his hand as he gently squeezed hers. Most of all there had been a promise in his beautiful eyes as they held hers captive that long ago night. Max was determined to return to Logan and hold him to that promise, however long it took her.
Unfortunately, she knew she now had to use the Manticore memory techniques to forget Logan and his words. Tired of her lack of progress with Max, Renfro had ordered her into heavy re-conditioning. Max had heard the stories about the treatments they used and she had known her time was up. She couldn't take a chance on betraying Logan to Manticore so this was the last night she would be able to allow herself to remember him. If she was lucky she'd find a way to escape, but she wasn't willing to risk Logan in the meantime. She'd have to trust that once she got out things would somehow come right.
End of Prologue
To be continued…