Disclaimer: Dark Angel belongs to James Cameron and a whole bunch of people who aren't me. I'm just borrowing the characters for entertainment purposes.
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The first time she fought with another transgenic—side-by-side with Zack—it was like she was remembering the steps from a half-forgotten dream-dance. Each leap, each kick, each punch came as natural as breathing. And she knew he moved in an identical ballet of death and devastation.
It was exhilarating, and he praised her afterward.
The fight with Ben in the forest was a different animal all together. Then, there'd been no thrill of camaraderie. Ben was her brother, and she loved him so much that just looking at him made her heart ache in a way she hadn't thought possible, but she knew as the fight began that only one of them would walk away. Could walk away. And for the sake of all the innocent people out there and for the sake of Ben himself, it had to be her.
So she fought even as her heart broke, and in the end, he begged her to kill him.
This fight, though, with Alec is nothing like that, she thinks as she climbs into the ring. Same face, completely different person. Ben, for one thing, would never wear those tacky boxing shorts. And, he would have come up with a much more creative alias than 'Monticora'. When the sparring starts, she can't help but keep the smile off her lips. There's a lot riding on her win, yes, but she's also wanted an excuse to kick Alec's ass since the first time she laid eyes on him.
She gets him in the nuts, and he goes down.