ONCE AND AGAIN – CHAPTER ONE
Summary
AU, MA, Challenge. Ben never existed, Alec escaped with his best friend, Max, instead. Separated for over a decade, Max and Alec meet up again after Alec begins dating Max's 'sister', Rachel Berrisford.
Disclaimer
Written for fun, not profit. I own nothing but my horrible writing skills. The idea isn't even mine. Thanks to the awesome CC for the challenge. Oh and don't sue me!
Author's Note
Challenge from DAchallenges LJ community. There is a heavy plot in this one, everything counts. Written to assume that the 09er's were 'made' in 2000 and Rachel was born in 2002. Any objections? Suggestions? Let me know. By the way, I have NO idea why I started another chapter fic. Gosh…
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Manticore Research Facility, Gillette, Wyoming, 2009.
"Eyes front, soldier!" the drill instructor shouted angrily at the kid before him.
She whipped her spiky-haired head back to face him and eradicated her sneaky smile to instead wear an impassive mask.
The D.I. shot a warning glare to a light-haired boy beside her, and the soldier straightened his back, showing he understood the message.
As the superior began to pace in front of the large group of attentive, young soldiers, he decided the actions he had just ceased were out of hand and he would take today's drills up a notch.
He smirked inwardly as his plans for the kids fell into place.
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452 collapsed onto her bunk, tired from the day behind her. It was only a small after-effect considering the drills she and her unit had run today. They spent hours on sparring drills and 452 wouldn't be surprised if she woke up with purple bruises over her body tomorrow. It seemed to get worse as the days passed and 452 found her only way to make it through was to simply persevere, with the help of her unit- her family. Her fellow Unit 2 members were not really her siblings but they hadn't had it any other way, hadn't had any others and didn't need any others.
452 knew she was a good soldier, she knew it and she liked to be rewarded for it. Manticore always seemed to be harsher with her unit and it always made her question if it was because they were better or worse. Lydecker seemed to think they were the best. 452 held pride knowing this and it was a motivation, aside from her friends, to push herself and show her skills.
Her companion was staring out the window, admiring the night sky.
"494?" she spoke in a small voice.
"Hmm?" he replied, still seeming to be inattentive, but obediently meeting her gaze nonetheless.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Just…"—he paused, thinking over his words and continued—"you know how 599 always talks about life outside the walls? The city and beyond?"
"Yeah…" She remembered all the conversations Unit 2 had had about that life. They all had crazy ideas about what might be out there and if they would ever get to see it.
When 494 didn't continue as she expected, 452 frowned, before capturing his attention with a wide grin.
"What?" He couldn't help but smile back at her.
"Did you mean it when you said you'd marry me?"
He chuckled and walked over to join her on the cot. "Yeah, and maybe we could live out there," he proposed, indicating with an outstretched arm pointing towards the window.
"Promise?"
"Of course, 452. You're my best friend. Ever since you saved my back on that escape-and-evade mission. Ever since we broke all those X5 records together. Have I ever broken my promises?"
She smiled and shook her head.
"And we'll bring all of them with us!" he said with a flick of his head towards the other room where the rest of their unit was.
It was a promise, a glimmer of hope and no matter what Manticore cramped into their brains; this was what would really save them. Not standard weaponry or hand-to-hand combat but simple, honest love.
Almost like he knew someone was talking about him, 599 sauntered into the room.
"It's nearly light's out. Get ready," the C.O. stated.
"Hey 599?" 494 said.
"Yeah?"
"Tell us about the city."
Smiling, 599 sat down on the opposite bunk from his best friends and told them about the life that he dreamt of and the life he wished he could give to his unit. His listeners gaped in amazement and hope, as they always did, and added in their own opinions and ideas.
"What do you two think of going out there?" 599 suggested carefully. The idea had been haunting him for a while now.
494 and 452 were taken back.
"Going out there?" 452 spoke in confusion for the both of them.
"Yeah. Escaping."
The two other transgenics gasped at the thought such a crime and 599 immediately knew he'd made a mistake. A Commanding Officer shouldn't be proposing such acts, and here he was, the only one giving in to the scheme of betraying the only home they'd known.
"Forget I said anything," he covered.
Before 494 or 452 could reply, the rest of Unit 2 returned to the sleeping dorm on cue.
They assumed their sleeping positions in their bunks and each lay awake in different musings.
599 couldn't help thinking about this exciting idea. The idea of being more than a soldier. He wanted his friends to experience it too; he wanted to live it and live it now.
"We should have names," he blurted out.
"Names?" the brown-haired 210 questioned.
"Yeah, we are people. We should have names!" 599 sat up, getting even more thrilled.
"Well how do we pick?" asked 452's only genetic sibling, 471.
"Simple. Think of something, or someone you like. Something you're good at."
Half an hour later, almost the entire unit had named themselves. Their C.O. was first to pick, choosing 'Zack'. 656 chose Tinga, 766 liked Eva, 417 was now Jack, 205 was Zane, 471 now Krit, 701 chose Syl, 798 was named Jace, 734 chose Brin and lastly, 210 chose Jace.
That left the troublesome twosome of 494 and 452.
"Fi-Zack! I can't choose a name!" 452 stressed from the other side of the room.
"Well…"
"Max," 494 said, making a decision and then explained himself. "'Cause you're always taking it to the max and bringing out the maximum greatness in everyone around you."
"Smart-aleck." 452 rolled her eyes. "But a great choice!" She smiled in approval.
"Max," Zack tried it out. "Nicely picked." He hated complimenting 494 sometimes; they were best friends, but ultimately, rivals. Always competing for the position as alpha male.
"And that leaves me. Just great," drawled the sarcastic blonde.
"Alec!" Max chose.
"What?"
"The resident smart-aleck. Therefore your name is Alec!"
He paused. "I can live with that." He smirked charmingly and laid his head to rest on the pillow again. "Alec," he whispered to himself a minute later.
"Zack, Alec, Tinga, Brin, Jace, Eva, Jondy, Syl, Krit, Zane, Jack and Max," Max cheered, putting emphasis on the name she had picked and the one picked for her.
Zack smiled before falling into a peaceful slumber. He felt confident in the direction he, as C.O., was leading his unit in. They were a lot closer than the other X5 units – everyone knew it so. However, they were also the best, which meant he was doing something right.
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It had been only a few days since Jack died. Max kept going back to the last moment she saw him. It had become a movement to Zack. The idea of a rebellion against Manticore now had even more reasoning. They had killed him. That was not taken lightly by the unit and Zack assured his friends that this would not go by without a sound.
And some sound it made.
They had been planning an escape but not intently, not thoroughly enough for them to feel prepared. However, as Eva held that gun, overpowering Manticore and defending her unit, Zack knew it was time. Unit 2 was escaping.
They were now in the snowy woods, running for their lives. They stopped at a point of safety and Zack used decided to do the unexpected and lead his team his way.
He used his military hand signals to express his plan and say goodbye.
"Tinga and Brin. Syl and Krit. Jondy and Zane. Alec and Max. Jace and Myself. These are the pairs, you know what to do. Escape and evade. Do not look back; do not attempt to contact anyone else. Stick as a pair."
The nine soldiers nodded, paired off and headed their separate ways. Never to return to the confinement of Manticore. They were free.
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Somewhere Outside of Wyoming.
They had been on the run for days, coming close to being captured several times. Max and Alec had been trained to do this and excelled in similar missions back at Manticore. However, the two had never been outside the barracks. They didn't have a real sense of direction or meaning. If it weren't for their transgenic skills, they'd be dead by now.
The transgenic pair knew they looked odd. They had been receiving questioning glares from members of the public. Unsure of how to stop themselves from being singled out, they simply decided to steal some clothes. It helped slightly to be roaming the streets alone and not look like they'd run away from a hospital.
Max couldn't be happier to be paired with her best friend and she knew it was hard for Zack to let go of her. He and Max had a special friendship, like a big brother and younger sister. She knew Zack didn't take to Alec well, he'd told her several times. Now, she was out in the big wide world, unable to appreciate or compare the new scenery to what the two of them had speculated together.
The streets were heavily crowded. People around them were wearing ratty clothes and didn't look at all clean. Hence, the transgenics really stood out.
A few people had approached them, offering items for money and the two simply shook their heads and walked on by. The city had a smoky ambiance, laced in with a fishy aroma. The buildings were storeys high above their heads and the paths were narrow.
Max was following Alec's lead when she felt someone knock into her from behind. She rotated around to see what had happened.
A tall man, greying on top, had smiled at her and apologised by raising his hand.
She nodded and turned back to continue after Alec. Her gaze searched for his blonde head. Alas, to no avail. Immediately she panicked. As she whirled around, she checked in case he was on her other side. But he wasn't.
"Alec?!" she called, close to tears and choking on her breath.
Max ran through the crowd of tall adults, running into several bags and boxes, searching for her best friend.
"Alec!" she cried again. No response. He was gone. She was alone.
Max ran around for a good half hour before giving in and sitting on the path of a street that was less busy.
A woman noticed the distressed girl and walked over to comfort her. Putting a hand on her shoulder, the woman saw Max flinch at the touch. As the young transgenic raised her head to look at the person, she wondered if Alec had found her. Her face sunk in disappointment as she saw the short, plump woman.
"I'm fine," Max assured, her voice humble and fragile.
"Are you alone?" the woman asked after a minute-long pause.
Max nodded as another hot tear raced down her cheek.
"Come with me." The woman put out her hand.
In desperate need of comfort, she forgot about any of the risks and took the woman's hand.
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It took a while before the woman got enough details about the young girl to progress from where they were. The woman's name was Margaret and she was, oddly enough, a social worker. She had taken Max back to her apartment and vowed to find a good foster home for her to be taken into.
Max mumbled, answering Margaret's questions except for when she asked for her name. She refused to include any part that involved Alec or Manticore. Instead, Margaret named her Sam.
"I can't just call you 'girl', now can I?" She smiled and picked up her phone.
Lost in her disappointed thoughts, Max was ignorant to Margaret's doings.
She sipped at the hot chocolate the woman had made her. She had failed her only mission. She had lost Alec.
She already missed him too much. The way he would wrap his arms around her small body and kiss the top of her head when something was wrong. The missions they partnered up in and always won. Any hope of sharing these moments with him again was gone and Max could do nothing but cry.
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