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Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or Nikita.
Previously...
"I'm never going to get this." Angel said.
"Someone else told me that once. She was wrong too. Remember you're just getting started." Fang says and walks away.
"Damn right." Angel says softly after he's left.
I release the cartridge from the gun and set it on the table. I lean back and look at the mask of my eagle and smile slightly. Things were just getting started.
My name is Maximum Ride. 18 years ago I was created and forced to become an assassin for a covert unit of the government. 4 years ago, I escaped and have been hunted ever since. They destroyed my identity and they destroyed the man I loved. Together me and my partener Angel, a girl with a dark past I have trained to resist their ways, are going to take the School down and the last word they'll breathe before the end will be my name.
Maximum Ride
"I hope you don't mind me dropping in unannounced." I say to the man.
"Ah, not at all, you were always one of my favourite customers." He says.
"Thank you." I say when a woman in a lilac purple dress brings me a drink. "I've got to hand it to you Trevor, these are gorgeous." I say, looking at the display again.
"If something jumps out, I have any number of accessories to match." Trevor says and I look back at the guns. I set my tea down and walk over and brush my hand against one of the guns. "That's nice." I say.
"That's mine." Trevor replies. I walk over and pull the silk sheet off of a sniper gun.
"Oh, love at first sight." I say, admiring the gun.
"It's very you." Trevor agrees.
"I'm going to need a mag or Lokken 2-12. A demographic scope and no questions asked. I assume the price is still the same." I say.
"I'm afraid it's gone up." He says picking up his gun and aiming it at me.
"Trevor…" I begin, not turning around to look at him.
"Supply and demand, Maximum Ride." He says.
"Ever since you've gone rogue, there's been a short supply and a great demand for your corpse." He says, releasing the safety and looking down when it gets jammed. I make my move. I pick up the rifle and click off the safety, training my eyes on him.
"I know Trev, your deal. I keep the gun, you keep breathing and no one knows I was here." I say to him smirking at his shocked face.
"Y-you're not going to kill me?" He asks stunned.
"Don't flatter yourself. I have a much bigger target in mind." I say.
"We want justice! We want justice! We want justice!" The crowd chants.
"The crowd chants in a protest against Mirko Dadditch's overturned conviction due to prosecutorial misconduct. The government is considering initiating deportation against him but as of today, he walks free." A reporter says into the camera.
"Two years and all my belongings are still here. America." Mirko Dadditch says, sliding on his gold jewellery.
"Ready when you are, Mr. Dadditch." Fang says gruffly. The cops walk outside with a man covered by a jacket and the crowd screams protests against him, except for one blond female, hair pulled back into a ponytail, leather jacket and a comm's unit in her ear. She smiles evilly watching as he walks by then pulls off his jacket and the man quickly bulls up his suit to cover his face, too late. The girl's smile fades when she sees his face.
"Hold on, that's not Dadditch, someone's playing a diversion." She says into her comm, with a Russian accent in her voice. She looks around and spots the black SUV and men guarding it as Dadditch enters it.
"He has hired protection!" She says into her comm unit and walks quickly but calmly to a car.
"Ah, Jeb." Dadditch says, shaking his hand. "Not bad, I feel safer already." Dadditch comments, leaning back into his seat.
"Protection is just the beginning. In 6 months' time, you won't be hiding from your enemies, trust me, your enemies will be hiding from you." Jeb says and Dadditch smirks as he looks out the window.
"Okay kiddies! You got 30 seconds left, penetrate the system! Penetrate! Come on! Are you genetically enhanced or what? Let's go move it!" Nudge yells at the recruits. "10 seconds left before they dump you!" Ari leans over and types something into Angel's computer while Lissa looks on jealously. Angel works as fast as she can.
"5! 4! 3! 2! 1!" Nudge yells out. "Fail!" She says spreading out her arms and wings. "Angel, you never launched your exploit, why?" She asks.
"I don't know. This hacker stuff is really hard." Angel says, putting on her best innocent face.
"Don't give me that face, I originated that doe eyed stare. Actually it's not hard, it's simple. I do all the hacker computer stuff and still look like a million bucks. I write the exploit! I even make it look like a video game so your little tween minds can understand it." Nudge says and is interrupted when Angel lets out a small snort but Angel quickly composes herself.
"You think that's funny?" Nudge asks Angel threateningly.
"Must be the drugs, you know how it is with junkies." Lissa says, obviously not over that fact Ari helped Angel and not herself. Nudge glares at Lissa.
"I thought our files were secret." Angel shot back.
"Failure was on me sir." Ari says hardly, trying to protect Angel. "I gave her the wrong shell code." He says.
"Shouldn't be giving it in the first place!" Lissa shoots out venomously.
"You know what? This is pathetic! Get out of here! All of you." Nudge says. She barely ever loses her temper but seeing Angel reminded her so much of Max that she was more agitated than usual. "You bunch! Get out! Right now!" Everyone gets up out of their seats, including Angel. Nudge points at Angel and says, "No you stay, the rest of you, GET OUT!" Lissa smirks at Angel as she walks by.
"Alright, you stay here and work on this. I'll check back in half an hour and it better be right. Remember recruits who can't get the basics don't last very long in here." Nudge says, tone cold and walks away while Angel glares back.
Dadditch throws the curtains back and looks outside. "Ah, wonderful." He says and Fang walks over silently and quickly closes the blinds. He glares at Dadditch. "Well, he's no fun." Dadditch says and Jeb chuckles softly. "Come on, let's drink! What will you have?" Dadditch asks Jeb.
"Oh, whatever you're having." Jeb says and watches Dadditch walk into the kitchen. Jeb turns and talks to Fang.
"You aren't making our guest feel very welcome." He says.
"Well, we should have used a two story safe house. This place isn't very secure." Fang says.
"What are you worried about?" Jeb asks.
"Communist rebels, hit men from the old country. Maximum Ride." Fang says, face an emotionless mask. "She is a wild card. She knows our security procedures and she said so herself that she was coming after us."
"If you've figured out where she's getting her intel." Jeb says. "Your job was to find out who was controlling her."
"Maximum wouldn't let anyone control her. If she did, then it would be a "quit pro, quo deal"." Fang says.
"And where are you getting your intel from?" Jeb challenges.
"Just a feeling." Fang says not missing a beat.
Maximum Ride enters her loft carrying her brand new gun. She walks over to her computer and she gets a message from her shell box.
Paging Jane Bond.
Are you alone?
"Scotch!" Dadditch announces as he comes back from the kitchen, he hands a glass to Jeb. "Let me make sure I understand what we are toasting for. Your plan is to assassinate my successor, create a cool in the labour party and return me to my seat of power within 6 months." Dadditch says as he makes his way over to the lounge and sits down on a La-Z-boy as Jeb follows.
"It's something we've accomplished before. Small nations don't pose much of a problem." Jeb says.
"You know my accounts are frozen? I can't afford the down payment on your services. Does the School do contingency?" Dadditch asks.
"No. We don't have to." Jeb says. "We know you stashed something more valuable than money when you fled your country."
"What are you talking about?" Dadditch asks calmly.
"Uranium, enough to make a nuclear bomb." Jeb says and Dadditch tenses. "Relax, this is me you're talking to, not the United States' Government. Think of it as a business transaction." Jeb says.
"Give me time to think about it." Dadditch says.
"Of course." Jeb replies.
"I will also need some other things." Dadditch says.
"We will provide anything for you." Jeb replies and Dadditch smirks.
"What does he want?" Fang asks.
"The man just spent two years in prison, what do you think he wants?" Jeb asks.
Realization dawns on Fang. "5 years ago, we'd be taking this guy out. What are we? Pimpin' for him now?" Fang asks.
"Don't think of Mirko as an assignment, think of him as a client." Jeb says sternly. "If I don't address the School's budget cuts, I'm going to have to make cuts of my own, starting with the permanent elimination of the young recruits." Jeb threatens and Fang looks away.
"I'll call an escort service." Fang finally responds, defeated.
"No." Jeb says. "Like you said, it's not secure. Get one of the new girls, recruit 13." Fang narrows his eyes.
"Angel?" Fang asks.
"Should remind Mirko of his homeland." Jeb says and walks away before Fang could say anything.
Nudge thinks I'm an idiot. They all do.
Don't underestimate her- and don't screw up too much.
Or they'll cancel me, I get it.
You get me a name yet?
No, how are you sure it's a protection mission.
You say they activated Peters, Heilburn and Chang. Fang used to call them Hughey, Dewey and Louie. Only use them for VIP security. I need to know who the VIP is and their location.
Not going to be easy, still at bottom level access here.
Copy that. Lay low, I'll find another way.
No I can do it.
I repeat lay low, do not blow your cover.
You don't have to protect me anymore. I have everything under control.
Flashback- One year ago
"Ronnie?" Angel calls from the door, she looks up into the staircase.
"Ronnie?" She calls again, heading towards the sound of rock music, she enters the lounge and sees several big guys sitting on the couches.
"Angel, Angel, Angel." Ronnie says, gesturing for her to come closer. "Always strung out, always late." Ronnie says as Angel fiddles with her money. She hands it to him.
"Where is it?" She asks.
"Where's the rest of my money?" Ronnie asks.
"I gave you a 50!" Angel says starting to freak out.
"Calling me a liar?" Ronnie challenges.
"Stop playing with me Ronnie, I just need a hit." Angel says. Ronnie smirks and slaps her across the face, sending her flying across the room. She hits the floor and a guy grabs her from behind. Angel shrieks in pain and fear.
"You bitch." Ronnie says as he throws her on the bed and two guys pin her down. "We make you feel good, you make us feel good." Ronnie says.
"No!" Angel yells out.
"Oh yeah." Ronnie says as he starts to take off his shirt.
"Let the girl go." A voice growls from the doorway. They turn and see Maximum Ride with her wings half extended.
"What the fuck?" Ronnie asks, scared and angry while one of the guys points a gun at her. Maximum quickly takes him down and knocks him unconscious.
"Who the hell are you?" Ronnie asks furious.
"Guardian… Angel." She says between blows and takes down the next guy who comes at her with switchblade. Angel picks up the gun and fires it randomly, coiling back from force. Max ducks when she hears the gun shot.
"Whoa, it's okay." Max says, trying to calm Angel down, when Angel fires the gun again, Max knocks her out. "Hi, I'm Maximum Ride, nice to meet you." Max says recovering from her fight and takes the gun from the unconscious Angel. She picks Angel up and flies out the window.
"Again!" The weapons instructor yells as the recruits are blindfolded and are assembling a gun. "Just because you used a gun to kill or steal or do whatever you did to land in here doesn't mean you know weapons. You will learn to mantle and dismantle a gun as a second nature. Like breathing, you don't need to see to breathe." He yells as the recruits quickly put their guns together.
"Done!" Angel calls out first and pulls up her blindfold.
"Angel. Excellent. You've handled some machine guns before?" The instructor praises.
"Not really." Angel replies modestly. "Must be the drugs." Angel says mocking Lissa.
"Angel." A voice calls from behind. Angel turns around to see Fang standing there.
"Uh oh." Lissa mocks.
"What's wrong?" Angel asks her face contorted in confusion.
"You've been activated for an op." Fang replies.
"What! Seriously, I've been here for two months and she gets activated?" Lissa complains.
"Stow it Lissa." The instructor warns as Angel leaves with Fang.
"Betcha Fang's tapping that." Lissa mocks.
"Shut up and field strip these weapons, you have five minutes." The instructor yells.
"I'm going to get that bitch." Lissa mutters to herself as she jams the screw into the gun.
"If you keep moving around like that, you're going to look like a panda." Ella warns as she does Ange;'s mascara.
"Ari was here for a year before they used him." Angel said suspiciously.
"In the time you've been here, I've seen your attitude improve greatly." Ella says. "Especially since you tried to escape the second day you were here. Fang must have seen the same improvement; he wouldn't be using you if he didn't think you were ready and you are." Ella puts away the mascara and releases the butterfly clip holding Angel's hair up.
"Ready for what?" Angel asks as she jumps up to look at her reflection in the mirror. "Why won't anyone tell me what the mission is for?
"We're only told what we need to know, it's safer that way." Ella says.
"So you don't even know?" Angel asks.
"You shouldn't be nervous Angel." Ella says as she turns and faces Angel.
"Yeah?" Angel challenges, "What should I be?"
"Grateful." Ella answers, not missing a beat. "To be activated this early is a gift and its very rude to question a gift" Ella says, eyes narrowing then smiles and hands Angel a dress. Angel glares at her as she takes the dress from Ella.
Flashback
Angel wakes up, drenched in sweat. She sees that she is trapped in a sauna like room with a small window. She jumps up and bangs on the window.
"Help! Help!" She panics.
"Just relax Angel." Max says walking towards the crate looking object, shuddering remembering her times spent in it. "Breathe in and out." Max instructs Angel.
"Let me out of here!" Angel wails.
"I will, I promise. For now, just breathe." Max promises and Angel calms down slightly.
"Who are you?" Where am I?" Angel asks desperately.
"You're at my place, I'm a friend." Max says.
"No, if you were a friend, you'd let me out of this closet." Angel wails.
"It's not a closet, it's a portable sauna .I built it myself. It's going to help you get clean." Max says.
"Why are you doing this?" Angel screams banging on the window as hard as she can.
"Let's call it a gift." Max says.
"I know how to get clean, okay? I know how to get clean. I just need to come down easy." Angel says.
"There is no easy way down." Max says sadly.
"I don't need a sauna! I need a hit!" Angel screams.
"It's very rude to question a gift you know." Max says and leans against the door.
"Please, please. I'm going to die in here!" Angel begs.
"Look, I know it hurts alright? Your nose won't stop running. Stomach is cramping and your head feels like it's going to fall off. Believe me I know. I can only promise you one thing; it's going to get worse before it gets better." Max says turning to face Angel, a tear running down her cheek.
"As long as you're here, you're safe." Max says and turns to leave.
"No! No!" Angel screams after her, banging on the window as hard as she can but Max doesn't even turn around.
The suite door opens and Angel steps in after Fang. "So where's the party?" Angel asks.
"In here." Dadditch says pointing towards the bedroom. Angel turns back to look at Fang but he has a paned look on his face. Angel turns back to Dadditch and smiles. She follows him into the bedroom. He offers her some wine.
"That'll be great thanks." Angel says. "Is there some place where I can freshen up?" Dadditch points to the ensuite. Angel walks over and very smoothly sneaks the telephone in with her.
"No, no, no! I am not paying for rumours, I am paying for intelligence." Max says into the phone in perfect French. "I've got money, you've got dirt on the School. And stop trying to trace the call, it's amateur hour. Hold on." Max says slightly frustrated she clicks a button on the phone.
"VIP is Mirko Dadditch." Angel's voice says through the phone.
"The war criminal?" Max asks.
"South shore tower, Penthouse." Angel responds.
"Angel? Where are you?" Max asks alarmed.
"Angel?" A male voice comes from the other side of the door.
"Get out of there!" Max commands.
"I can't." Angel answers and hangs up. Angel breathes heavily as she looks at herself in the mirror.
"Angel? Champagne is ready." The man calls.
"Be right there." Angel says, forcing her voice not to crack and plasters a fake smile on her face.
Max rushes, grabs her newest rifle and heads for the door. She gets on the roof of her building and she assembles her gun.
"That is, one of the most amazing stories I've ever heard." Angel says in a fake sweet voice. "I mean to come from nothing, milking cows." She says shaking her head.
"One cow." Dadditch corrects.
"One cow." Angel corrects herself and they both laugh.
Max is still setting up her gun, she's working as fast as she can.
"I think that's enough about me. Let's talk about you." Mirko says as he runs a hand down Angel's bare arm. Angel tries not to puke as she drains the rest of her glass.
"More champagne?" She asks him, trying to stall.
"I think we've had enough." Dadditch says, not buying it. Mirko leans in to kiss her and Angel stands up quickly to avoid being kissed.
Max attaches the demographic scope to her gun and takes aim, just as Angel walks over and opens the blinds.
"Nice view." Angel says, gazing out.
"Very nice." Dadditch agrees coming up behind her and running stopping her.
"Stop!" Angel cries.
"Stop?" Dadditch asks, enraged and slaps Angel across the face. Dadditch closes the blinds just as max takes her aim. Max hisses in frustration and worry, she attaches a heat sensing scope on and takes her aim, just as she hears cars coming up to the building. She grabs her other gun and looks at the car with her raptor vision. Who the hell are these guys? Max thinks to herself, as she sees several asked figures jump out of the silver van. She sees them going into the Penthouse.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Max cries out in frustration.
Fang can't take it, he hands his gun to one of the nearby agents and goes in to help Angel. He pulls Dadditch off of Angel and punches him across the face. Daddtich grabs the curtains, pulling them wide open. Gunshots fire out and Fang turns to see masked figures coming in to the suite, he quickly takes cover. When one of them enters the bedroom, he disarms him and takes out the next one after that. One of the figures unmasks and reveals herself and Angel sees that it is a blond woman. She points a gun at Dadditch.
"Mirko Dadditch. Get up." She commands.
Max looks and sees Fang losing a battle with guy who is trying to stab him with a knife. "get out of the way Fang." She says to herself, deciding whether to save Fang's life or kill her target. She sees and opening and shoots the guys trying to stab Fang while letting the other masked figures get away with Dadditch.
Fang looks up to see the perfect bullet hole in the window.
"You okay?" Fang asks Angel, standing up.
"Hell no!" Angel responds angrily. Fang ignores her and looks at the bullet hole again. He looks across the rooftop and sees Max setting up her gun to shoot the van, but she's too late.
"Damn!" Max mutters to herself as she watches the van pull away.
"Think." Jeb commands Angel. "Try to remember."
"It just happened so fast." Angel said.
"You're trained to think faster. You said one of the masks came off, you don't remember seeing a face?" Jeb questions.
"I…" Angel is cut off by a very agitated Fang.
"She had two bottles of champagne and Daditch was slapping the hell out of her!" Fang exclaims. "She was not ready."
"I want answers not excuses. Who attacked us, how did they find us and where is Mirko Dadditch?" Jeb hissed at Fang.
"Probably dead by now." Fang said, emotionless mask coming back on.
"Let's hope not. For your sake." Jeb says and walks away.
"If you remember any more, please let me know." Fang says tiredly to Angel and walks away.
"How is our front for the safe house?" Jeb asks coming into a room with a torture victim there.
"He keeps repeating the same word. Osveta." The man says.
"Did he say anything about Maximum?" Jeb asks.
"We're not going to get any more out of him." The man replies.
"Yes, we are. Get the inquisitor down here." Jeb says and walks over to the man. "You do not want to talk to the inquisitor." Jeb says to the man and the man looks at Jeb with hatred in his eyes.
"Osveta, it means vengenance, they're freedom fighters. A group trying to bring Mirko to justice for his war crimes." Fang tells Jeb.
"That explains Max's involvement, she always had a bleeding heart for the oppressed." Jeb says mockingly. "I guess the question is if they hired her or if she approached them."
"Or if she's working with them at all." Fang said.
"Why else would they have sniper support for the strike team?" Jeb asks.
"Well, it wasn't very good support, she killed one of them." Fang says.
"She missed, she was targeting you." Jeb says but Fang isn't so sure. "Find Max and you'll find Mirko. For now, we'll get as much information as we can out of their little friend." Jeb says just as the door opens.
Ella walks in. "You called?" She asks looking at Jeb.
Well, I'l leave you with a bit of a cliffhanger. In case you didn't know, Ella is the inquisitor and for all those who have seen Nikita, let me know of what you think of Ella being the Amanda. If you haven't seen the show, I encourage you to see it, its a really good show. Although it might tamper with the way you read the story. Anyways, PM me up some time, I like to talk! Who knows, maybe if I get enough reviews, I'll update sooner ;) Just a little bit of incentive there. Special shoutout to my two Nikita fans who have taken their time to let me know what they think Mego225 and Alex1030, thanks you guys, the feedback I get keeps me going. Also thank you RosesAndSmiles, mehrong, JealousMindsThinkAlike and These Big Blue Eyes for reviewing. :)