Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters that appear on the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, owned and created by James Cameron, nor do I own the lyrics that appear in this work of fiction created for pure entertainment. The original characters and part of the storyline, however, are strictly mine.
A/N: It's two in the morning and I was watching Moulin Rouge. This is the result.
Summary: AU. What do you get when you combine Dark Angel, Moulin Rouge, and too much sugar? Why, the Transgen Rouge of course!
The Transgen Rouge!By
Brin"Love is just a game," –Nicole Kidman, "Moulin Rouge"
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Prologue
There was a boy
A very strange, enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he
And then one day, one magic day
He passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
'The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love… and be loved in return'I'm not quite sure how it happened, but it did. I fell in love… and I was blinded by my love. I sit here where she left me, staring at the wall as my heart aches for her presence again. The ones closest to me warned against coming here.
"A city of MISERY!' they said. 'You will waste your life there! Penniless! Worthless! Loveless!"
Two out of three isn't bad… for I have not been loveless. I have felt love in this 'city of sin'… from the most unlikely place, as well.
My computer glares at me from across the room, taunting me. My hands, the hands holding the liquor bottle that has long been emptied, ache to type the words my heart is speaking with every beat. The keyboard is old; the letters worn and faded from overuse and abuse. Is there really a difference?
The floorboards creak underneath my bare feet as I walk over and run my hand along the screen. I switch it on and wait for it to load. Then, I bring up a blank document and gaze at the keyboard for a long while… and, finally, begin to type. The words flow effortlessly from my hands like a pianist and his music. The rhythmic sound of typing soothes my churning soul and helps my broken, shattered heart.
'The Transgen Rouge… a nightclub, a dance hall, and a bordello. Ruled over by Normal Reagan. A kingdom of nighttime pleasures. Where the rich and powerful came to play with the young and beautiful creatures of the underworld. They were called the Nymphs. And the most beautiful of all these was the woman I loved, Maxine, a courtesan. She sold her love to men. They called her the Dark Angel, and she was the star… of the Transgen Rouge.
'I first came to San Diego one year ago. It was the Manticorian Revolution and I traveled from Seattle to be a part of it. On a hill near San Diego was the small, isolated area called Le Diable. "The Devil." It was not as my friends had said.'
"A VILLAGE OF MISERY!"'It was the center of the Manticorian world with anomalies, transhumans, Xs, and special units. They were known as the "Children of the Future." Yes, I had come to live a penniless existence. I had come to write—about the revival of truth, beauty, freedom, and that which I believe in above all things… love.'
Here I stop and stare at the last word for a small eternity.
Love.
It is the most mysterious word in any language. What is love? It is material? Is it an idea? Can you see love? Can you touch love? Who came up with the concept of love? How do we even know it exists?
I hold my head in my hands and take a deep, calming breath. Tears drip from my eyes and down my face to disappear in my scraggily, unshaven beard. Quiet sobs escape my dry, cracked lips and I take a moment to compose myself before slowly typing:
'The best thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.'
And so my story begins.
TBC…
How's that for a prologue? DON'T WORRY! Will NOT be carbon copy of the movie!
