Disclaimer: I OriginalBubble do not claim to own any of the characters of Dark Angel – I only have my interpretation on what should have happened.
Summary: In the midst of Terminal City's siege, while Transgenics are being hunted down like the animals they are supposed to be, and the coming days seem darker Max and Alec are confronted with a parting gift from Manticore that neither believed possible, a baby
(Authors Note - Saturday 15/11/08 – Broken World has been woefully neglected for months, but will receive some serious attention in the coming weeks. If you have been alerted it's because there has been a change made to an existing chapter - I haven't uploaded a new one just yet. But thank you all for waiting on and keeping on this story. Don't worry soon come. O.B)
Revelation
Thunder shook the sky as rain pounded unmercifully onto darkened Seattle streets.
The sky though gloomy was eerily clear, as the moons coveted light shone resolutely onto hazy - broken - post-pulse America.
Max stared at the wriggling creature in horror. Bile rising in her throat and legs shaking as she once more scanned the scrawled message.
Her eyes took in its frail appearance. Noting the many crease and fold marks that adorned it and as though afraid it would crumble at her feet and sift through her hands as fine dust; she hastily placed it on a nearby table. Before turning to stare down at the small downy head nestled in cardboard box at her feet; in the centre of her former apartment.
Warily she skirted around the room, and ignored the clammy feeling on her heated skin as she shrugged on her sodden jacket... with a sharp movement she turned. Rummaging in the nearby drawers for warm clothing...
Minutes later the apartment door slammed shut, and the cardboard box lay sullenly in the centre of the room –
Empty.
Outside – Max's ninja roared to life as her lithe form became one with the metal
Expertly she raced through Seattle streets, urgency etched into every pore of her being. One hand commanded the ninja to flow with her while the other clutched at the precious bundle she'd somehow snuggled into the leather that encased her upper body.
Alec didn't really know what he was expecting when Max walked through the door. Anger? Resentment? Frustration at yet another Logan induced rant? Alec sighed and raked a hand through his hair.
With Terminal City taking up most of their time and energy, little in the outside world seemed as important as they used to be.
One, namely the Manticore designed virus. The catalyst behind the separation of Max and Logan. The cure which Logan still blindly searched for. His insistence that Max should at least stay as focused on finding the cure as she was doing on running TC... was wearing her down.
No matter what angel she had tried to look at it, Max learnt she had to face up to the reality. Which was, that although she had 'let Logan go' she still had to face the fact that he was still a constant part of her life… and seemed to always want to be.
When the siege had first started Max had fallen into the leader role, for being the bridge between two worlds - the one to set everybody 'free', but not everyone had accepted or even wanted her leadership.
She was still widely known as the 09'ner, the deserter… but her loyalty to all Transgenics was unshakable, and having proved this time and time again over the past few months the respect she deserved was slowly trickling in.
The war against irate protesters and the White's sadistic breeding cult still raged on... actually only recently few Transgenics could actually venture out in TC (courtesy of temperature altering devices and of course painful barcode removals).
In fact the assigned 4 hour drop out of their TC, their duties (and to give their temperature altering devices that final check.) Was pathetically dwindling for Alec, whom instead of throwing himself head first into a roaring party – to become another nameless careless spirit - was efficiently collecting the rest of his sparse belongings and methodically erasing his presence from the apartment.
… In actual fact he had wanted to lose himself tonight - and was halfway through the door until his cell phone had started to ring…
: - Alec- :
: - Max? Max what's wrong?!? - :
: - Just stay there alright? I'm on my way. -:
: - Max!?! - :
: - - :
…so there he sat in what had been Brain's, ancient lumpy sofa. Idly swirling a bottle of vodka… his beloved TV trapped in the head quarters of terminal city... his feet contemplatively propped up on a box.
…As Max's second in command Alec had learnt to look beyond the exterior of the waspish spitfire… who seems to burn me on every occasion, to the equally emotional woman who lay beneath it… always holding others at a figurative arms length - if not to protect them from pain but to protect herself.
Their relationship had shifted from antagonists, to reluctant allies and then to hesitant confidants. We don't even need words, he mused. I could understand Max with an irritable flick of a slender wrist…
Suddenly irritable himself, Alec found himself sauntering into the small kitchenette, only to stare abstractly at the steaming Styrofoam cups which sat waiting on the counter --
His eyes sparkled dangerously and his mouth began to twist into a beautifully sardonic smile as the door was flung wide open
The words on Alec's tongue shrivelled up and died.
Max stood the doorway completely drenched. Her eyes wide and disbelieving as her body shook from an unseen strain.
"Max?" he choked out unsure of what to do.
He was halfway across the room to her before she even managed to get a big enough hold of herself and close the door. Seemingly exhausted her head drifted down to lean back against the door. Alec cautiously ventured forward a few feet, only to stop short at the sofa... a safe enough distance to study her without being exposed to whatever volatile mood she had gotten herself into... again.
After a calming breath she turned to face him, her eyes which to Alec had always seemed so… hypnotisingly calm. Were hectic as they searched his own.
Slowly, she placed both hands on the front of her jacket… which he had belatedly realised - was unusually bulgy. He watched in aloof fascination as she slowly unzipped her jacket…
His mouth dropped open as she removed a tiny sleeping baby… but amazement soon gave way to wordless horror as her eyes began to water.
"Alec it's…" she whispered. Dark eyes colliding once again with speckled green.
Probing, questioning, and damn it nervously. She broke eye contact, a sheen of tears held at bay.
She awkwardly held the sleeping child to her. One small hand cradling its body while the other rested upon its downy head.
He stared expectantly at her, and with one word, she floored him.
"…ours".
In the next chapter…
~The Manticore mask had slipped onto his face… and, unconsciously she stiffened as well - slipping into the role of a solider, devoid of emotion, deflecting pain…:: This is prototype 946 a combination of the DNA of the rouge 452 and the CO of Unit Three 494… it is one of the few prototypes developed after the main DNA lab was destroyed… All creatures given life deserve the right to be able to live free from cages, free from captivity. ~