A/n- Well here it is- The finale of this tale. This will be my first officially ended story thus far- I'm a bit sad to see it end but, as the old saying goes, "All good things must come to an end." But, in the words of the ever-wise Herbal, "It's all good, all the time."

SEQUEL!! :D. And it's gonna be good, better and much darker than this one.

After reading all of the reviews, I had several evil little thoughts in my head spinning and weaving webs of lies, deceit, and pure torture… I can happily say that I expect more reviews for the sequel than I did for this.

THIS STORY IS M/A. There are not any other pairings that will be included in this story or sequel. It is Max/Alec all the way- it may seem like it's not, but it is.

Disclaimer: SCREW YOU!! I've put it in for the last 6 chapters!! I'm not doing it anymore because I defy you!! I OWN DARK ANGEL!! ITS MINE!!

((Goes off into maniacal laughing fit))

……………….Alec and Max stand side by side, watching her.

Max: She's really lost, hasn't she?

Alec: Yup.

Max: …Shouldn't we do something? Take her to the psych ward at least…

Alec: Probably but I really don't feel like getting bitten and kicked again. ((He looks pointedly at her and she ignores him.))

(Silence)

Alec: …You want to grab a cup of coffee?

Max: ((Looks at the crazy, screaming fan-girl and back at Alec)) …Sure.


Chapter 7: The Final Battle

Ben picked Max up bridal style and carried her back inside, ensuring that she remained unconscious. He had to be prepared for what was to come. His twin brother and company would be here shortly to try and take Max back. Everything was going according to his plan- and to that of his...friend. After Manticore had been torched, and he had gone out into the world once more, he was rescued by someone he didn't know and barely trusted but, regardless, he was in their debt.

So, he did as he asked, even though it pained him to do so, and lured Max into his trap. It had been rather easy, all in all. With the knowledge given to him by his…benefactor, she had fallen into his arms so easily…

He laid her gently on the bed as he took out her special outfit for the Final Battle. It was an old-fashioned dress, a very, very, very old fashioned dress- Late Victorian Era. A corset was fashioned around the mid-section, stretching from her rib-cage to the beginning her pelvic region. The skirt was of black lace, loose and flowing, the train stretching out for a good 3 feet.

He nudged her gently. "Max. Max, wake up." She stirred but batted his hand away in annoyance.

"Five more minutes, Alec…" His mind clouded with anger. Even now, after she had kissed him and spoken with him, she still thought of that freak- his clone, not even good enough to be born.

He snarled, low and rasping, and wrenched her off the bed- she still did not wake.

"Fine- I'll do it myself."

With shaking hands he unbuttoned her blouse and pulled her arm through the sleeve. Jerking awake, Max scooted backwards from him, clutching her blouse.

He held his hands up and tossed her the outfit with cheeky grin. And, for a very brief moment, Max almost thought she recognized the old Ben- from her childhood. But, alas, it was gone as quickly as it had come. She picked up the dress and raised an eyebrow, grimacing delicately, before looking at him with cold eyes.

He raised an eyebrow in return. "If you don't put it on yourself, I could always put it on for you…" He trailed off, watching her big-brown-doe-eyes get large and her pouting lips tighten.

"Turn around." She told him, her voice come out uncertain and the sentence sounding like a question.

He shook his head. "What, and let you hit me over the head or kill me again?" He saw her flinch at his choice of words. "Just change, Maxie. I've seen it all before anyway," Her eyes widened in anger and he realized how that must have sounded- like he'd been spying on her naked or something to that effect.

He mentally shrugged. Oh well. Let her think it, maybe she'll get a move on then.

She turned her back to him as she slipped off her blouse and dress slacks, feeling his eyes watching her from across the room. Her bra slid off easily and she shivered from the cold, eagerly pulling the dress around her slight form. She inhaled sharply as she pulled the corset as tight as she could, to keep her cleavage from falling out, and laced it the front. Everything was taken care of and fit her- except the back. The back had yet to be laced.

She reached around to tie them into bows- not really caring about how it looked- when she felt hands push hers away from the strings. She unconsciously flinched and tried to step away but his arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her flush against him.

"Hold still," He whispered gently in her ear, making her shiver. "I'll tie them properly."

She felt herself go a little weak in the knees, oh! This was so wrong. She was attracted to him because his was Alec's voice but his body was that of her childhood sweetheart, Benji.

She felt him finish tying the strings and began to abruptly pull away, but he held her to him. "Don't do this Max," His voice was lower than a whisper, rasping pleasantly- just like Alec's. "Don't fight me. You can still come out of this alive and free, Max. Please, stay with me."

His voice was coaxing and hypnotic, clouding her mind.

((A/n- I edited the following song from P.O.T.O. to fit, so try not to laugh as you read it.))

Say you'll share with me one love,

One life time.

Save me from my solitude.

Say you'll want me with you, here, beside you.

Anywhere you go, let me go too.

Maxie, that's all I ask of you.

Max shuddered in his arms, her mind hazy and slow. He tilted her chin up gently, letting his lips capture hers sweetly. Max gave in and let him do as he wished- her mind no longer working properly.

Ben was enjoying the moment- it had been torture watching her get into that dress, and it had been torture for him to lace up the back while fighting the urge to tear the whole damn thing off. He turned her to face him and pulled her close- his control would wear off soon, she would be pushing him off of her any minute.

Max's mind began to clear slightly as she heard him whispering against her lips and, though she couldn't make out what he was saying, she recognized the voice. Alec. All at once her memories flooded her- Alec had come after her, just like in a fairytale, and she was kissing the twin brother of her best childhood friend's body with Alec's twin's mind inside- that was just bent. ((Did I confuse any1 there? Lol.))

Struggling suddenly, she shoved him off of her, her lips swollen and her breathing heavy. She shook her head desperately, trying to clear the hypnosis he had put her under. "No, Ben, no! You're my brother! Family doesn't do that to family."

Ben watched her and stepped forward gracefully, his eyes dark with desire. "Some do- there are several fucked up families out there, Max, you see it in the news everyday where a Mr. Smith gets locked up because he sexually abused his daughter,"

He continued to advance on her, watching as she unconsciously shivered delightfully. He smirked. "And I'm not your brother, Max, and neither was Zack, for that matter. If I was your brother, you probably wouldn't have the hots for my twin, now would you?"

He had her backed up against a wall, his arm shot out to keep her trapped there. She decided now might be the time to fight. Her fist shot out but it was caught and moved off to reside pinned against the wall as he pulled her flush against his body again. He kissed her furiously. "Why don't you love me, Max? How am I so different from him?"

She struggled against him but he, in his newer, stronger, Indigo body easily kept her contained. She stopped struggling and he thought that maybe she had finally given in when he felt her body shake, he frowned when she continued shaking and briefly wondered if she was having seizures when he felt something wet fall onto his hand- she was crying, sobbing in actuality.

Upon seeing this, the last unfrozen, remorseful part of his heart beat a little louder and he felt guilty and full of shame for what he had done. The jealous rage was still there but the love he felt for her over-powered his desire for revenge, at least for the moment. He stepped away from her and slowly backed out of the room. "I'll wait outside," He pointed at the make-up and hair accoutrements. "You'd better finish getting ready; our guests will be here soon."

Max's tears stopped and she calmed her breathing, trying to think of a way out of this but the more she thought, the more she realized that there wasn't a way out of this. Even if she did manage to escape, where would that leave the others? And who were the 'guests' anyway? She knew one of them was Alec, to be sure, but who was he with?

She had no time to ponder, instead she began to fix her hair and make-up- if she was going to die, then she was going to look to-die-for.


Meanwhile, Alec was making his way to the theater- and he was packing; AK-47, a couple grenades, and one huge-ass pump-action shot gun- the son of a bitch would not be getting out of this alive. Zack, Benji, and Lydecker followed him a few feet back- none daring enough to ask Alec if he planned on using any of it without hurting Max.


Ben walked Max to the top of the scaffold and stood at her side, a gun poking her side none-too gently. Max closed her eyes briefly, wondering if she was going to come out of this alive, before saying "Even if I die, Ben, I want you to know that I'm sorry for what I did to you and that I forgive you."

He listened in silence, barely containing the guilt and sorrow he felt and the minor relief when she said she forgave him. He hung his head slightly, keeping his gun trained on her. "I'm sorry too, Max- I really am…"

They stayed silent, each lost in their own thoughts and 'what if's'. Sensing that their guests were near, Ben apologized once more before pulling a pressure point and rendering her unconscious.

Alec kicked the door open to the theater and recovered just enough common sense to check around each corner for signs of booby-traps or weapons.

He turned around the corner and spotted Max almost immediately- it was hard not to see her. She was in an old-fashioned, flowing, black dress complete with corset and red rose tucking her hair behind her ear. "Max!" He shouted and rushed forward to come to a dead stop. Ben stood on the scaffold, behind Max, with a colt-pistol trained on her head.

Zack and Co. followed him to stand just short of the stage, where Alec was already standing and watching Max.

Alec stood on the stage, glaring at who he knew to be his twin on the inside. "Ben, this has to stop! Just let her go!"

Ben shook his head. "No, no I don't think I will. I have as much a right to her as you, more perhaps. She owes me- she killed me, baby-brother. She owes me her life, her soul," He paused to lay his head on her unconscious shoulder, inhaling her scent. He licked her bar-code slowly, sensuously. "And her body."

Zack and Benji stood very still, both chilled to the bone at the sight before them.

"Does it make you angry, little brother? Does it make you want to rip the teeth out of my head while I'm still alive? Too many questions, Alec? I know the feeling- trust me when I say that killing a few people really helps ease the stress. Of course, there are other ways to relieve stress, aren't there Alec? You were accused of being a tom-cat because you slept with around so much- but we know why you do that, even if they don't. On the inside, you're just as insane as I was, am- you just deal with it a little differently. But in the end," He threw his head back and laughed bitterly. "You and I are one and the same. You've held off your insanity as long as you could but now, you're at the end of your leash. So tell me, little brother, does it hurt knowing that she came to me? That every time she sees your face, she thinks of me? Tell me, do I make you angry?"

He bit Max's earlobe gently, invoking an inhuman snarl from Alec, whose whole body was positively shaking.

Ben screamed. "Well, do I?!" He gripped Max's chin forcefully and kissed her furiously and brutally.

Alec roared, snarling and spitting and wild, and charged Ben with red-rage in his eyes.

Lydecker held Zack and Benji back. "What are you doing? We have to help Alec!" Zack asked, snarling.

Lydecker shook his head. "You can't help him anymore. Ben has driven him to insanity. Alec, the Alec you knew, is gone. We can only wait for one of them to survive." He pulled a gun out of his back pocket and held it alert and ready to fire.

Benji frowned angrily. "What the hell is that for? Alec could win the fight!"

Lydecker shook his head sadly. "At this point, son, it doesn't matter- they both have to die. If they aren't killed, their insanity will spread to others."

Zack turned abruptly. "What do you mean the insanity will spread to the others? Being insane isn't contagious."

Lydecker shook his head. "This isn't your run-of-the-mill insanity, Zack. This insanity was brought on by an alien enzyme injected into your DNA as children- to enhance your metabolism. You see, when we created you, you were born with all of the 'super' traits; speed, strength, intelligence, except the metabolism. Ever wonder why you only saw a few X4's and no X1's, 2's, or 3's? We realized, after the X2's, that your bodies simply couldn't handle the strain of having the 'super' traits- your metabolism couldn't process fast enough."

Lydecker paused for a moment, his eyes on Alec, who had just reached the top of the scaffold and was now fighting hand-to-hand with Ben.

"So, we got a hold of some Indigo children for their blood, seeing as they had 'super' traits and were able to function normally. Their bodies produced said enzyme in mass quantity and it didn't take us long to figure out how to replicate the enzyme. However, there is also a problem with this enzyme- one we discovered when Eric went crazy on his last mission and injured several of his unit members. The brain has to work twice as hard to produce this enzyme so, for lack of a better term, it shorts out."

Zack ducked just in time to avoid getting splattered by a metal pipe that had been ripped from the wall. He remained silent, solemnly contemplating what Lydecker had told him. Alec would have to be stopped- no matter how much Max cared for him. Alec would kill Ben, of that Zack was certain, but he was finding it hard to imagine himself pulling the trigger, or someone else for that matter, on Alec without feeling guilty.

The last time he'd seen Alec, they hadn't been on the best of terms but Zack had liked him well enough- he was easy going, sarcastic, and seemed to have taken up the mantle of being Max's silent guardian. This, this was wrong. In no way, shape, or form should Alec be killed. They could still cure it, couldn't they? They'd managed to cure the seizures, which they thought was impossible, so maybe there was some hope left.

He jumped ever so slightly when he heard a metal clang. Turning towards the battling brothers, he frowned when he realized that they weren't anywhere near metal- they had moved to hand-fighting on the large, wooden stage. He heard the sound again a tried to find the source. There, up.

His eyes shot towards the scaffolding where he saw Max sit up and clutching the metal railing, her silver bracelets clanking against the side of the rail. He watched her grip the ledge as she brought herself to stand, overlooking the vicious battle. He watched her eyes widen, and her hand go to her throat. He had never seen anyone so beautiful. No, not again. That ship had already sailed. It was time to focus- the battle was drawing to a close.

Alec was still fresh and going strong, while Ben was beginning to weaken with every blow taken. Snap! Zack's eyes shifted from Max to Alec and Ben in time to see Alec snap Ben's neck, a blood crazed look in his eye. His eyes shifted again when he saw Max stumble down the stair steps. "Alec?"

She stopped a few feet away from him, waiting for a response. Alec turned and smiled at her, cocky and smug. "I'm almost starting to prefer Dick, Max; it seems to have suited me better these past months."

Zack's eyes widened. It almost seemed like Alec wasn't insane, like he wasn't infected. But that was impossible! How could Alec have fought and killed Ben the way he had without shedding tears? Surely even a trained killer would have shown some sort of humanity.

Max smiled ran towards him, arms out and ready for embrace.

Lydecker took aim- he had to kill Alec before he attacked Max or spread the insanity.

Alec saw him take aim out of the corner of his eye and immediately ran to meet Max- Lydecker was ready to shoot her.

Alec wrapped his arms around her and pulled her out of the line of fire, shielding her with his body. He should have known better than to trust Lydecker.

Zack had watched the whole thing unfold, saw Alec shield Max in a protective stance and confirmed his prior reasoning concerning Alec, he turned to tell him so but saw that he was ready to take aim. "Deck, no!" Too late.

A shot rang out as Max screamed. "Alec! Alec, no!" He sank to his knees, Max holding him as he went down. She was sobbing uncontrollably and couldn't stop herself if she wanted to. Lydecker walked slowly towards them, Benji behind him only a few steps.

Max held him to her as if he was her life-line, like she would melt or vanish if he wasn't there. "It's ok, Alec. It's gonna be ok."

He smiled sadly. "I'm sorry….Max. I…should…have…seen…"

Max shook her head. "Don't waste you're strength talking, you're going to need to stay awake while I get you to a hospital, ok?"

Alec shook his head, wincing as he did so. "No, Max. It's…too late. This wound is…too severe. I just…wanted you to know that I…I love you, I'm just sorry…that we didn't have more time to sort this out…"

Max cried softly. "I love you too, Alec."

"Just, look at me Max. If I have to go, I want you to be the last thing I see…" Alec pleaded with her.

She kept eye contact with him as she leaned down and kissed him gently, her tears falling freely.

He rasped slightly and struggled to smile. "I only ever dreamed…didn't think… it…ever happen…told you…I…God's gift to…women."

She gave a weak, watery laugh. "That's my Smart-Alec."

Zack, Ben, and Lydecker watched the scene from afar, giving them the privacy they deserved. Lydecker was stricken. "I thought…I had no idea he wasn't…!"

Zack and Ben nodded slightly, acknowledging that they had thought him just as insane as Lydecker had, though still saddened that the death hadn't been prevented.

Max felt his hand cup her face as he smoothed the tears away. "Don't cry, Max. I'll come back to you some how. I promise."

She clutched his hand and nodded. "You better keep it, asshole."

He chuckled and wound up coughing, his breathing labored. She looked into his eyes and saw everything that she had ever wanted to see; love. She felt his hand slip from her face and she sobbed. She remembered just how green his eyes really were, so beautiful and full of life. She was now watching that life and beauty be extinguished. His hand fell and his eyes, which were once so bright and full of emotion, became empty.

She sobbed into his chest, clutching his shirt.

Lydecker remained behind as Zack and Benji came to stand closer to the stage, trying to get Max away from Alec. Max was forcibly pulled away from Alec as she continued to sob. She wrenched from their grip and fled the theater, where she had once been given sanctuary and peace now was a place of nightmares and bad memories.

Zack and Benji let her go, knowing she needed time and peace.

Lydecker, meanwhile, pulled out his cell phone.

"Sandeman? This is Lydecker… I'm calling in a solid "You owe me". There's a dead X5 I need revived…"

Lydecker paused to listen to him speak. "Yes, I realize this is short notice but it's necessary. What do you want? It's for her that I'm asking you to revive him. I don't know if he is the one, but he's who she has chosen. A meeting with her? Eric, I don't know I that would be the best idea…"

"Yeah, I'll bring Jessi back in too- she played her part well. It's a 50/50 chance Max will agree or tell you to go to hell but I'll tell her none-the-less." Lydecker snapped the phone shut with a click and sighed.

"Just as soon as I find her…"


'Sometimes it seems like it happened to someone else, like maybe it was a story I heard. But the truth is much harder to face- it wasn't a story, it wasn't a fairytale, and there was no happy ending. After all, how can you have a happy ending when you have no prince?'

Max contemplated on this as she sat atop the Needle, staring out into the sky. She couldn't bring herself to cry anymore, even though she wanted to. For some reason, she had a feeling, as crazy as it sounded, that Alec would still manage to keep his promise.

She heard someone come up behind her and her heart rose, remembering how Alec would always come to sit beside her and keep her company. When she'd asked why he did, he'd always reply "I just don't want you getting all suicidal on me, jumping, and leaving me to deal with T.C."

But it wasn't him, it never would be again. Ben came to sit beside her and shared in the silence for a few minutes. "I'm sorry, about all of this… Lydecker thought that Alec had caught Ben's insanity. By the time we realized that he was just doing what he had to do, not doing it because he got some freaky ass thrill out of it, it was too late to stop him."

Max listened in silence and, when she thought that she had no tears left, the waterworks began again. Slowly, a tear slipped down her left cheek, another on the right followed shortly after.

Ben continued. "But it's not over, Max. Alec can be brought back."

Max snorted. "We don't have a Manticore, Ben. No more miracles."

Benji shook his head. "No, we don't have a Manticore. We do, however, have Chimera."

Max turned to look at him questioningly with hard eyes. "By now, I'm sure you've heard of Sandeman. After he left Manticore, he went into hiding for several years, unable to check in on Manticore, on his creations, without having a near miss with an assassin,"

Max listened with rapt interest.

"After you took Manticore out, he was able to come out of hiding some what. He still had to worry about the Conclave, but they believed him dead so they wouldn't be looking for him too hard. Eventually, he got in with the Canadian government who gave him a grant to continue his research."

Max's mouth twitched downwards in a grimace. "Great. Another Manticore, that's really what I wanted to hear."

Ben shook his head. "No, Max. Manticore became military after Sandeman left, before it was a school for the gifted. You had options. You could take classes that suited your preference or area of skill, ever wonder how your friend Joshua got so good at Art? The military, however, decided that they could use super-soldiers more than master musicians or artists. Anyway, Sandeman set up his new school, Pre-K through College level, called "Chimera". They have a medical facility there, better than Manticore's."

Max frowned slightly, knowing where this was going.

"He's offered to revive Alec, Max. He'll still be Alec when he wakes up-"

Max cut him off. "And what does he want with me? Something tells me he would not have offered to do this without something in exchange…"

Ben acknowledged her statement. "Your right, of course. He does want something. He wants you to go to the school on a year-trial basis. As a teacher."

Max stared at him and, forgetting her pain for a moment, threw her head back in laughter. "A teacher? Is he insane?"

Ben smiled, pleased that Max wasn't balling her eyes out anymore. "That's what Zack said. One year, Max. Alec will be alive and up and around within 2 weeks if you agree."

Max considered it before she spoke slowly, her voice rough. "And do I have his word that I get to go free in one year, and that he's not going to kidnap me and keep me there? And what about Alec? There's no point to my being free if their going to keep Alec there indefinitely. "

"Alec goes free as soon as he can walk and take care of himself. And you will be allowed to go free, if that is your choice, at the end of the year- no strings attached."

Max thought about it, contemplating it. She was terrified of the idea, terrified that Sandeman could keep her there at any chosen time and she would be a sitting duck, terrified that with a snap of his fingers this school would become Manticore. But in her heart of hearts, her decision was already made. The phantom, which had haunted her thoughts and dreams for so long, Manticore, was being cast out for Alec.

She had to face the facts. She loved Alec and would do anything for him, even falling into this little game of Sandeman's. It was probably a trap but Max couldn't bring her self to care. If she wound up becoming X5-452 again to save Alec, then she would do it- and that thought scared her more than anything. All of her life, she had focused on doing anything to stay out of Manticore, and now she was willing to go head-first back in to save him. How the tables do turn.

Swallowing, she replied to Ben steadily. "So, when does the plane leave?"


TBC in: Chimera

Well everyone, that's the end to this. There will be a sequel but I'm not 100 sure when it will come out. This last chapter was around 10 pages. It's my longest chapter in all of my stories. I hope everyone liked this last chapter. Thanks for reading everyone!

I really enjoyed writing this so, I hope someone appreciates my work!

Gotta Blaze!

Word Count: 4,933