Hello all this is my first dark Angel fanfic, I know that there are other fic's out there like this one as a Max/Alec pairing but I thought id do my own version, starting with the way 'freak nation' could have gone, and aammm (probably should have) don't yell…least not till you read it. Comment, critique, say its great say it's bad but at least review and tell me what you think so I know whether to proceed or not.
And scene…
Seattle Washington, 2021
Terminal City 8:30 pm
Max rides her bike up to the fences of Terminal City seeing the giant flaming X, burning brightly, while a female reporter dishes out any type current news she can spew out of her mouth at 8:30 for the 9'o clock news. On the other side of the flaming X, there are the more than likely drunken idiots throwing what are probably their beer bottles at the fence; they then turn around to see Max drive up on her bike. Of course this is more important, yelling about madly and throwing bottles and crap at a fence with no one on the other side while they could be at home with their families. (AN: Seriously they have nothing better to do?)
Max comes to a stop as she surveys the men throwing crap to stop still and some finally seeing that she's there. "Two million years of human evolution and this is what we get, you morons." Seeing that she's got everyone's full attention, including the news reporter who's finally stop talking only to have the cameraman film her.
Max POV
Fine, film this! I still can't believe everything that's happened lately and now these guys are trashing a fence because we're what 75 some odd feet away behind it in a building…you've got to be joking.
Rearing up her bike at the site of the giant flaming X…What is this racism now? Max thinks. Deciding to be done with the whole scene she continues through by doing a wheelie and crash through the giant flaming X.
Never mind that the idiots are dumb enough to stand nearby it's their own faults. Cross over the fence using a car and excess crap around it to get her wheels up. She's air born for 4 seconds before her front wheel makes contact with Terminal City grounds. The rest of her bike follows shortly there after as she hears the idiots yelling 'freak' behind her while trying yet again to throw bottles at all of us through a fence 75 feet from the building. Idiots!
As she finally comes to a stop inside the parking lot of what once was one of the bio-tech labs. Getting off her bike and securing it into lock mode she takes off the suitcase that contains the means for us to get food and whatnot for the next few weeks. The drug dealers didn't need the dough anyways. She starts to walk with the prized merchandise only to walk into Mole. "Hey Mole."Max says. "Hey Max, how'd it go?" Mole asks.
Max POV
If I didn't know any better I'd say his shot gun was attached to his arm but I digress. "Ever notice how drug dealers had no sense of humor when it comes to money? That aught to keep us in skittles and beer for a couple of weeks." I say. As long as we spend it right. There are only so many mouths we can feed off what I got.
Mole hands the briefcase off to someone else like it was to boring to hold. He starts giving me the updates of the place since I was last there. More new arrivals, which mean's the calculated mouths I was thinking on for the dough I swiped, will be too many now for the timeline I had planned. Oh well tomorrow night is another night.
Now just to get Mole to stop mentioning those damned cigars…not that I mind them but the cheap ones he gets do get to be a bit pungent. "Hey there are so many hours in the night." I respond back to his last statement. Seriously even I need some sleep at night, 4 to 5 hours at the most but still I need them. Though we do need all of what he just asked for, but it'll take more than a few nights to collect it all…try a few weeks and that's with the right contacts.
Alec could probably hook that up. I should probably ask him bout that. We enter the main domain of Terminal City. Dix and Luke are in there with Joshua and a female Trans human with a little to much cat in her cocktail…at least I'm assuming its cat…I can hear the news their watching. "Evening gents." "Hey Max." I walk over as I hear the female news reporter.
"Some people are calling you vigilantes how would you answer that?" She asks them. Wow some people are sounding defensive towards us…sorta…this could be good. "Nah we're just concerned citizens that's all. Kinda like a neighborhood watch troop." Wow he actually believes the crap coming out of his mouth. I keep listening to his speech, making us sound like criminal mutants hold up in here. Asshole.
Mole asks a brief question that I would love to answer 'Yes I do believe he believes this crap. Cause the media feed it to them all. Its good entertainment for them, but it's also hell on us.' But I stay silent. I don't want to encourage anything. I walk over to where Joshua's painting again as I briefly hear the reporter talk about my fence jump, oh well. At least Joshua's painting isn't Annie's portrait again.
He took her death very badly. I had no idea how serious he'd felt about her till Alec had showed me one day the amount of paintings of her he had at Sandman's old place. Of course it was briefly followed by Logan asking me to run a favor for him.
Realizing how bad the timing was I said I'll do it another time, I instead went to Joshua to try and spend some time with him. I still remember so fresh in my mind the night we watched the news footage.
It was after we got him home from the sewer systems. Logan gave us a ride and helped but his need to be there at the moment was just at a bad time, plus I didn't want him to think it would lead to anything at all.
That night we watched the footage of them wheeling out Annie's body it sent him into a near rage. Alec and I ended up staying there over night to make sure he'd be ok but in truth we both knew we stayed to make sure he couldn't go searching for White to kill him himself.
I took a moment to come back from my musings to see the painting; black, red, and white. It looks like a flag of some sort, but I ask anyways. "Hey Joshua." "Hey." He says back not very enthused. Still a fresh memory for him...I know the feeling of loosing a loved one so I don't push it. "What'cha doing?" "It's a flag…it's our flag." It was good, a flag to represent us…and to keep Joshua out of trouble.
"Yeah cause we're going to need a flag where out Trans human drill team is marching down 5th avenue in the St. Patties Day parade." "Let's not forget half time at those Sea Hawks Games." Don't get me wrong Dix and Luke are great but now's not the time for that. I tell them to cut it out before I turn my attention back to Joshua.
He indicates what each part of the flag means at the bottom black and a big barcode, 'you me and them, all of us, where we came from, where Manticore tried to keep us and failed at, then above it the red color, because our blood was being spilt'. I had to force my composure at remembering our recent lost comrade Biggs.
Alec took it hard; it wasn't till a few days later that I found out that Biggs was his second in command. Alec ended up beating the guys, who strung him upside down, he even when as far as threatening them. I wanted to yell at him, tell him we couldn't afford exposure like that, that it would only inflate the rumors about us being the 'monsters under the bed', but had it been someone close to me like that I would have done the same so I said nothing.
Joshua then he indicated the white portion; it was where we wanted to go into the light, where we'd be free, not hunted, and not dead. As much as I'm not for hoping since I know the reality of the situation, it's nice to try to see things from his perspective. He still has so much innocence to him that we don't have. It's something that I want to preserve within him even though deep down I'm envious of him for it.
Train Station 2021
Same time
White walks down the center of the walkway talking away to Moorehead. Clearly not happy about the receiving news she's giving him. If they do this it could ruin his cover as FBI, CIA and all the other badges he has in his briefcase. Sometimes he wondered if they thought these situations through completely.
They weren't there seeing all of what 452 was capable of. Just give him orders to follow; he just hoped they wouldn't get him killed someday. "Sending in outside muscle is not the solution to the problem." He states not at all excited to know that he clearly isn't enough to handle 452 and the mess in Seattle, to the point where their sending in 'special' reinforcements.
She's just a girl how does she continue to elude me…blind, dumb luck?
Before he has more time to ponder, Moorehead goes on into grand detail on who exactly the 'special' reinforcements are that are coming. "Hardly outside muscle." He near scoffs at this but holds his composure.
Luckily she can't see his expression; it probably would have been considered insubordination. "The Phalanx are the best we have. The elite of our warrior breeding line the tip of the sphere, they come by direct order of the conclave. So discussion is pointless." She states sounding mightily smug knowing that anything more said could be considered as insubordination. She knows that he can't say shit now.
Reining in his temper and sorely bruised ego he replies, "I bow to their wisdom." Before hanging up not wanting to give the bitch a chance to respond to him.
They came out of the train like a bunch of middle weight fighters ready to rumble. A little to obvious if you look closely enough. The red head decides to talk. "Fenostol. I'm Thula team leader."
God damn, woman looks like she could fling even me…almost. "Fenostol."
"I've hear a lot about you, Brother White. I'm surprised you couldn't handle one girl on your own." She wasn't here for more than 10 seconds and he already couldn't stand her.
How dare she, he'd been at this for months now. Let's see how well you work against 452, bitch. I almost want 452 to take the bitch down a notch….almost.
"Your target's a little more than just a girl." 452's part animal and part human, idiot.
"You defend your failure by flattering your enemy?" It takes him a lot of self control to not punch her square in the jaw for that question. No one but Moorehead and the conclave question me.
I pull out the only photo of 452 we have. It's from her stint at Manticore before it was blown up. As much as I hate to admit it Manticore knew what they were doing when they made her.
"452 is a threat to everything we've work for throughout the generations. Her death is our highest priority." I rein in my temper again and remain indifferent to her. Don't need to show emotions to the woman whom I've rapidly classified as 'bitch'.
She takes the photo gives it a glimpse of a look before snarly saying she'll clean my mess up. She walks away before I have a chance to retort, which probably a really good thing is considering the range of explicative's I wanted to say to her. I walk away deciding to try and get some sleep in. I have a feeling I'll need it.
Jam Pony 2021
Next day 11:30 am
Cece a new transgenic to Terminal City as well as a new bike rider to Jam Pony comes up to Original Cindy. After OC asks about Max, Cece asks if a touch up to her barcode is needed. Taking quick scan around OC looks for any signs of a barcode. None. "Nah your good."
Timing being perfect cause Sketchy wants to introduce his new hat. 'Representing'. Having enough of Jam Pony in her working moments she doesn't need to encourage him to wear the crap with her during non working moments.
"Yeah, represent your massive stupidity." Like I need to be reminded of work when I'm not there. She thought to herself.
She walks off with Cece in tow, that is then followed by an undeterred Sketchy.
Alec walks in having just gotten another phone number off another woman; typical of the male mind-when all of a sudden just as he asks what's the good word Normal breaks out in song! Shockingly a birthday song to Alec. Ok not so shocking considering how he treats Alec sometimes.
Not to mention certain gladiator dreams that Alec would probably prefer to never be mentioned again!
As Normal comes out from his place behind the wiry screen he hands him a cake, the little cake he'd been hiding behind his back.
Alec looking confused and states, "It's not my birthday." But when Normal says it was on his application form he's got to cover up. "Oh yeah, yeah boy nothing gets by you does it Normal?" seriously he baked him a cake? Now everyone's going to think he's Normal's bitch, even though on occasion Normal acts like his.
Cece walks away while Sketchy walks over to Alec who's blowing out his candle after Normal tells him that he made it without eggs and butter, so he could look out for the physique. What's the point in having cake without eggs and butter, aren't those 2 of the main ingredients…? Oh well nice thought…sort of. Alec thinks to himself.
While once again Normal tells OC that Max is fired. "She's gonna be here like any minute." She states like is not a big deal.
"Do you think I buy your tissue of lies for like a nano second?" Normal asks.
Alec's 'steel trap' comment doesn't help the situation either, but looking at it from a different perspective would be insulting to Normal…almost.
"If you keep covering up for that reprobate you're going to be out of here miss." However having heard this statement from Normal about a dozen times before she ignores it and simply replies, "You promise?" While walking off.
Seattle streets
12 pm noon
As Max rides her bike to Logan's place she gets call from Alec. Deciding to just take the call instead of having him fill up her voicemail box with useless information she figures it'd just be easier to talk now and not to worry about it later. Opening up her cell she states, "Start talking." "Never a kind word with you is there Maxie?" getting rapidly impatient she says, "What's up?" "I've got lunch off now I figured you could come over so we could take pictures of the ruins before they fade away." He says. "I'm already on my way to Log-"she didn't even finish before he interjected. "You're going over to your not-like-that-just-broken-up-with ex-boyfriend's place? What kind of message are you sending to him by going over there while your fake 'boyfriend' can do it for you even closer to work?" Alec points out.
As much as Max hated to admit it he was right. So right in fact, that he thought of it before she did brought her thought process to a screeching halt.
When did Alec start making more sense then her?
"Where are you?" he asks.
"I'm actually a sector away from you. I'll be there in 15-20 tops." She closes her cell before he can respond and starts to ride again. Once there she parks it inside the building and proceeds up to Brain's old place, now Alec's place. Walking in like she owns the joint much like she does any place she finds Alec fiddling with a camera.
"Dix loaned it to me, sides I think it'd be easier to convince Logan you and I are as 'together' as you said we are, if he sees that I took the pictures." the mood shifts at the mention of the ruins and Max's little white lie which was turning out to be bigger than she could handle.
She gazed over first in disgust but then in depression as knowledge of what she had said and done was falling into place. "Sides at least now maybe I can land a mark on you." He laughs gently trying to get her to relax.
She puts up the disgust face again only this time there was something there before it, like confusion…wonder maybe? "As if. Just get on with it." She sits down in the proffered chair while at the same time taking off part of the suit to reveal her zip down sweater when Alec comes up behind her and sits down while moving her hair out of the way at the same time.
Managing to keep her composure to prevent Alec from noticing the slight shiver she tries to keep her body aligned right. He unzips the back of her sweater and as a result Max can't stop herself from wondering why her body is reacting like this. Haven't had male contact like this in over a year that's why Max nothing more! She tells herself.
Alec's hands gentle sweep over the ruins trying internally to figure them out for himself. He then pulls her bra straps out of the way while trying desperately to stop the sensations of her bare smooth skin on his.
Known Max would kill him with the mental images he was getting just off this at the moment he uses his iron clad will from Manticore to focus his mind. Once again he starts taking the pictures. Snap, 1, 2, 3 are taken. "So has Dix or Luke had any luck on translating in? I know Logan isn't doing as well as I'd hoped." Max wonders why she's divulging these little details to Alec as she shifts to try and relax. Alec sensing this reaches and aligns her back better for the photos. She squares her back again a little more stiffly this time.
"Relax Max I'm not going to bite you. Not unless you want me to." He laughs a little at the end trying to get her to calm down a little knowing this ruin business has her on edge.
And truthfully I wouldn't mind biting her a little.
His imagination supplies a little mental flash of him gently biting into her back while she writhes in pleasure sends him into realizing he needs to get back on task if he doesn't want Max to notice his current head spacing.
"How are you getting along?" She asks turning her head over to try and peak at her ruins. The simple act once he looks at her sends his heart pumping a little faster. When she looks up she see's his hazel orbs staring right back at her.
For a split second she mirrors the look before they both cover it up and once again their in their Manticore expressions. "Sorry." She says simply.
A minute passes when he's finally done snapping shots. Pulling her bra back up he puts the camera into his back pack while watching her through the mirror pull the rest of her sweater back into place.
"I'll get these over to Dix and Luke after work…which I should be heading back to." He says. "Yeah I gotta get home myself. I'm already way beyond late as it is." She replies. He laughs at remembering this morning. "You could always say you had to sleep in because I kept you up last night." He grins as Max turns around first in disgust then her face surprises him by turning into a smile.
"Good idea…maybe then Logan will be more convinced especially if all the ladies think you're with me." His plan to make her laugh backfired but he had a come back. "I can't wait for that day to actually come Max, where you're ready, willing, and able in my bed. Cause I guarantee you'll be sore for days." Now her face turns to disgust completely as she gets up and ready to leave.
"Hey Max." She turns around. "Everything will be alright. We'll figure these ruins out and then we'll deal with the out come. I promise." He sounded so sincere. She hadn't even noticed him coming up to her till was in front of her holding her hand. She looked up at him in surprise. He looked down unable to meet her quizzical face. "You better get going." He says finally looking up, Manticore expression full back on. What ever he was hiding he was hiding it well. They both leave his apartment one to work and the home to change.
Seattle Street 2021
10 minutes later
A young woman barely 20 herself and a young boy no more than 16 walked along the Seattle streets avoiding cops and hover drones. A van driving by them slowly spots them, and they spot it. It screeches in front of them to reveal Joshua signaling them to join. The young woman jogged as fast as she could in her current state without raising suspicion around them to the van. Once inside Joshua reveals himself and Mole, which in turn the woman and kid in question reveal themselves as Gem X5 and Dalton X6.
"Baby?" Joshua asks. She over a week due but she's been keeping her legs crossed till the reached 'the promised land', to which Mole states while trying to keep his eyes on the road, "Terminal City ain't exactly the promised land honey but a we got a couple of guys with some medical training-"unfortunately some idiot who doesn't know how to look behind him comes out of nowhere not giving them a chance to stop. Both vehicles smash into one another, causing a scene.
Mole tries to start up the van but no success, Joshua is panicking about getting out while the newbies in the back are looking around for a way out. The guy in the other vehicle comes around with a tire iron, hits the side of the van while inadvertently calling Mole a 'punk ass'.
Bad move.
Mole gets out of the van shot gun in had striking fear into all those around him, well almost all. Joshua gathers the pregnant Gem and the Dalton kid as they prepare to run.
After firing off a warning shot everyone around runs off, including the guys who just 10 seconds ago called him a 'punk ass'.
Deciding to be on the move and make it to Terminal City by foot Joshua calls Max for help.
A sector away 2021
5 minutes later
Max is getting close to her place which is luckily close to Jam Pony, however as her phone goes off she feels something's not right. Stopping her bike she answers. "Go for Max." Joshua instantly sounded alarmed and not in control which make Max worry, but he is also not make a lot of sense, people screaming, and baby popping out what? "What where are you?" Once he reveals their on South Market Street, Max quickly thinks up a plan to have Alec help him since he went back to work.
"Your right around the corner from Jam Pony, find Alec he'll get you a car." Worst timing though the battery in his phone died out.
Hoping he got the last instructions Max heads off that way knowing that changing clothes was now out of the question.
Jam Pony 2021
2 minutes later
Joshua, Mole, Gem and the Dalton kid head off around Jam Pony. Find the place they see Alec coming out on his bike. Seeing Joshua and Mole out Alec knows something's gone wrong…FUBAR as Joshua would say.
Once Joshua gives him a brief overview of what went down Alec sees the complications arising fast. Plus he sees the cop cars coming around and sector cops calling for back up. Instructing them to follow, they do but then cops surround the whole area. Alec feeling somewhat thrown drops his bike, looks at his surroundings and tries to reason with the cops when Mole seeing the same shit going down can only think of one thing to do. He grabs Alec from behind threatens to shot him then says play along and drags him back into Jam Pony.
Alec says, "Yeah no problem." Not really seeing a way out of this one at the current moment. Once Alec sees he's nearly inside with Normal coming around the dispatch area to see what's going on he says, "Don't blow my cover." To Mole and the others with them before anyone has a chance to hear it.