x-x-x
1n the midst of Terminal City's siege, where 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 ever possible… a baby
x-x-x
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, or Dark Angel itself. If I did I would be laughing maniacally on the empire of my billions, at Fox studios – who could never shut me down - my head would be gigantic because of all of the love from the millions of fans who also knew that it would be a sick (physically and mentally thing to do) to axe a series which still possesses so much potential. I, am here, as only a fan fiction authoress.
x-x-x
(A/N1 Thank you for taking the time to read it. The guilt of not updating drives me back see – I just can't understand the other authors who have people reviewing and don't feel guilty about the lack of updates… they have no hearts I tell you, no hearts! T-T Sorry lamenting over the fics I am also waiting on…)
x-x-x
x-x-x
In the last chapter: "There have been many disturbing reports over the new numbers of Transgenic's from all over the country who've been making their way to Terminal City Seattle. There has been a public outcry from the citizens of the city. Military forces have been stationed around the area for just over a few months and tensions are running high… "
x-x-x
/X\X/X\
/X\X/X\
xxx
The Outpost
xxx
They stumbled in dirty and lost.
Their young faces wearing expressions ranging from absolutely dazed, to completely defiant... but in all their responses whether they were seen as favourable or not, every single person snapped to attention when a soldier of superior rank looked, or spoke their way.
It couldn't be helped or hidden, it was ingrained, it was habit, to receive and take on orders.
Some may have chosen to disregard lifetimes of training, but it was a factor that could never truly be forgotten… it lingered like the smell of burning and clung like a second nature.
x-x-x
The sky was layered with angry clouds, fit to burst at any given moment; as miserable droplets descended onto Terminal City.
Alec and Yan were on duty that morning. Recording the numbers of entrants in to the city; they were situated in the shell of a building they all referred to as 'the outpost.' It happened to be one of the last standing buildings that were actually occupational in that particular area… from what they understood, long ago there had been riots in the area coupled with the chemical leakage an the pulse, the area had been left destitute, and had never been restored
However, no matter how vigilant patrols were, there was still a distinct lack of life in the area. Transgenics, generally, were found to make for the centre of Terminal City and stay there. The reason was unfathomable and probably in the circumstances, unwise… but it was almost as if… they were thriving in the communities they were forbidden to cultivate, explore and integrate into to when they were within Manticore.
Fat rain clouds spat in dissatisfaction as Alec surveyed the grey day, and the hooded Transgenics that making their way through to TC.
In Terminal City, the north east quarter of that sector was currently the least observed by the outside world, the least guarded… and so like the good little Transgenics they all were. The opportunity to enter the city (that wouldn't as easy to exploit in the near future) was seized… and so for the past couple of weeks, the area had been the main point of entry.
…Yan nodded to another leader of the data collecting process, the woman was accompanying a large group of Transgenics into the actual city… those were the first groups, which had arrived earlier that morning… the first few groups that day that had been subjected to Mole's classic 'welcoming party'. Alec smirked thinking of it... actually he hadn't been on welcoming duty for a while… if Max would just stop riding him on that being a bad example crap… it was a well known fact that certain Transgenics need a bit more 'calming down'… and it wasn't like that X-5 had never regained consciousness… in fact he and that transgenic were on quite amiable grounds… now…
The weight of the siege straining on all their nerves… even the most placid were found to be especially snappy at times… and it didn't help that at the moment it was unclear where they stood in the eyes of all their adversaries… energy as expected, was often channelled in to sometimes strange mediums like the welcoming party… but the main thing was that they were all being kept on their toes… the precarious position they were in demanded the rejection of complacency.
x-x-x
"So, how's your day been?" Alec tried; smiling down at the petit quiet woman beside him that was Yan. Distracting him self from the dreary scenery.
Yan looked up from her clipboard, her still dark eyes resting on him… he guessed that the twitching of a brow could've been interpreted as a reply… of sorts…
"Ok then." He nodded, acknowledging the quiet 'humph' released by the person next to him with a smile.
Despite the abrupt silence, neither found themselves to be uncomfortable, it had been a mutually founded agreement. Which involved Alec doing most of the talking, and Yan usually not uttering a word; she did not, as a rule, engage in 'unnecessary chit chat'… and Alec liked to believe that she listened to what he said occasionally.
…Thick clouds tumbled around themselves in the sky and the raindrops stopped falling. The smell of city after rain, rose in the air, pavements were riddled with puddles. In boredom, Alec studied the person beside him … and he came to the same conclusion which he always came to… it was that, despite however lack-lustre Yan's eyes may appear to be on first inspection. There was still an unshakable feeling that there was something…compelling behind her eyes and blunt nature… which when thinking about,was not unlike Max's… where one could find to have the ability to leave bruises… even if unintentional… Alec rolled his eyes… but then again… that was, of course, if you were inclined to be affected by a crazy woman's mood swings…
Alec shook his head slightly and sighed before nodding to Yan in the direction of a group loitering about the large entrance, or hole, which could be loosely described by some, as the front doors… he watched a stony faced Yan resolutely set off in their direction… some times he wondered why he gravitated to such… unique, people… or maybe it was that they in fact gravitated to him…
"Do you, or do you not command this unit?" he heard her say in a tone of voice that threatened to become rapidly, frosty… Leaning back to observe he let his mind wander… he'd noticed that Yan was… like how he used to be, butsort of in reverse. Instead of being outgoing and carefree… or at least maintaining the pretence of it, she kept a tight rein on not only her mannerisms of speech but movements in general. His eyes grew shadowed; of course it was just one of the ways in which the Manticore alumni adapted and coped… he shrugged… a form of defence. He snorted, it only happened to be that his way of coping was the more socially acceptable out of the two approaches… he'd also noticed that they'd both, for whatever reasons, learned to accept others into the 'space', that had before been solely reserved for themselves for such a long time…
Of course he didn't need to be told these things, he was… emphatic about certain people he guessed…
His brow furrowed, hearing Yan in her controlled voice ordering the loiterers to behave more like soldiers. He sighed, and glanced at the clipboard that he held…
…Maybe the reason Yan was… somewhat intriguing to him, was the fact that she was the only person who didn't seem to react (not just to him) but at all… and that sole reason made her the antithesis of somebody he knew… he acknowledged, allowing a low chuckle to emanate from his throat… but for whatever reason it was. It amused him almost as much as it did with Max to be around such a curious person… well, as 'curious' as a genetically made super-soldier can be.
Rolling his eyes again, he surveyed the data on the clipboard and noticed a new group approaching, he made his way there. Decidedly, totally pissed at Max for randomly assigning him to this job…
x-x-x
It didn't matter that things were slow moving he should at least be out there helping her in some way… his pace slowed, Max. He almost stopped walking.
Things had become so off with them… and although he was loathed to admit it, if they didn't do something soon, they'd be right back to where they were before… barely even friends.
In the recent months they'd been able to open up to one another a lot more… but after the 'remote incident' the situation between himself and Max was… unpredictable, to say the least (and this was compared to their usual interaction.) Conversations weren't initiated unless absolutely necessary and they were limited to grounds which were 'neutral' like roofs… and needless to say the locations were generally always wherever Luca was.
The kid was unusually perceptive when it came to general undercurrents and so his general surroundings became automatically neutral, because they were both still pretty much freaked out whenever something seemed to be wrong with the kid… not to mention that the added stress from their positions would make an already uncomfortable situation, unbearable... but they were good at covering things up, anyway… of course maybe not totally from each other, he acknowledged grudgingly. But it was enough to live in the same apartment and not blow up over an incredibly stupid thing, again. He knew they'd come so close to destroying the tentative arrangement that it was unbelievable. …and so being the people they were, the outcome was that 'neutrality', was taken to a completely, different, level.
It had been a solid week, and still neither wanted to rock the boat, lest the damage be unsalvageable… but then again, neither of them made a move in attempt to sort out was so glaringly obvious.
The fact that: they were both disgustingly unfamiliar with the situation and their own reactions to it. Fact: they were behaving hesitantly and awkwardly… and Alec had realised with distaste that they were in fact: - annoyingly, doing the same thing that he had once accused Max and Logan of doing on numerous accounts: skirting around the topic.
He didn't want to admit it… maybe even not to himself, but the chill he felt as a consequence of the wall growing between them… was incredibly lonely. They were flailing about and failing badly at their friendship… or what ever kind of relationship it was supposed to be. He didn't really care what it was, but he did know he didn't want to lose it…
x-x-x
"494 Sir!" Came the loud unified voice of an X-6 group who had snapped to attention upon recognising him. Alec blinked, and stared at them "stand down," he said, suddenly feeling tired. "We don't go by designations here" he added almost as an after thought. "We go by names. Mine's Alec."
Confusion marred their features, as they discretely looked between them…
Broken units were pouring in as usual… having been separated by the chaotic escape, death or being dissolved by the units own devices…
As the day wore on, it seemed like groupings mostly consisted of the younger units, aging from between six and sixteen.
He gaze lazily zoomed into the distance, units where being checked for outside devices and interference.
He grimaced in understanding as an X-6 resisted striking back, and another looked decidedly sick as a Gossamer used its senses to check for self radiating devices, or detected devices with unusually high frequencies. The genetically created animals - and they were animals with no trace of human DNA to be found in their them, looked like they'd emerged from a pre-pulse horror film. With their rubbery green hides, claw like feet, slitted eyes and shrilling cries. The reaction to them was usually an unusual mix of scepticism and horror.
A stray group of hive X-7's (units cloned from each other, which shared bat DNA) had also been highly effective in finding such devices… as they could also be described as sophisticated scanning equipment… but that group was still currently under close observation, although some anomalies had been successful in compromising their programming, and making them less susceptible to… others who would gladly like to possess their abilities… their use in exterminating Transgenics in those months after the escape could never be over looked… because in some ways, their blind obedience was the most dangerous of all.
Alec's attention focused on the group before him again, he flashed them a brief smile. "Hey, don't worry about names, its not like you have to figure them out now… I mean I was 'given' my name… by accident even."
He smirked at the dubious expressions around him, and then rolled his eyes in what seemed like semi-defeat "Ok fine – whatever, what are your designations?"
"X-6 353! Sir Alec, Sir!"
"No, no, you don't have to call me-"
"X-6 987! Sir Alec - Sir!"
"Hey-"
He caught Yan's smirk from behind the group, and rolled his eyes… this had happened so many times already he wondered why he still bothered…
Yan laughed… it was so unusual that it took him by surprise, he smiled and the sun peeked out from behind the crowded sky.
"And you?" He said to the next one.
"X-6 555! Sir Alec! – Si-"
X\X/X
X\X/X
The day was slow moving; Max acknowledged, finding her self that afternoon dropping by the north east sector.
These days she had increasingly been feeling like some sort of mayor.
…The helpers at the TC crèche had all officially fallen in love with baby Luca; the child didn't seem to have any anxiety about being around strangers. In fact the little boy seemed to the relish new faces, sounds and sights… and of course, people who had professed their adoration of him…was that the reason why the child felt so relaxed? Max mused, as she had left him that day… that he feels somewhat safe? Can he even understand the concept of safety yet?
Max shook her head and stopped her line of thinking… In fact the less she thought about Luca, while she was apart from him, the clearer things were… it was easy to allow your self to be disarmed and distracted by such a sweet face… and of course in thinking of that sweet little face, her thoughts would inevitably be accompanied by a different face. An older face, with the same eyes... and thinking about Alec was definitely off limits right now… she just… didn't know how to deal with him… she didn't know what to think, so, so didn't want to go there now. It was just… too frustrating…
Upon entering a building she found herself nodding to several Transgenics on duty. Some there that day solely as result of the TC rota that all Transgenics were involved in, but most of the other (more familiar) faces, she recognised as the regular placements. They were a mixture of burly anomalies, X's, and those that lacked the physical attributes of their own particular series but were designed and much more suited to such things as intelligence…
There wasn't much to the place, but it was the closest building to the wreck they called the outpost, it was also another one of the few best conditioned buildings in that area…
X\X/X
X\X/X
A few days ago in Max's 'office'
A few council members gathered together to try and tackle the 'accommodation problem', because although while the Transgenics were doing their best to tackle the problem with their limited resources… there were not many places that were... liveable. Everybody was resilient and hard working… but the space problem wasn't being resolved fast enough, new people were coming in…
On that day Yan had also taken part of the meeting. It had been become more and more evident that despite her un-talkative ways she was a very influential Transgenic, with a good head on her shoulders… she was the most recent member of the council...
"I've been thinking… about this housing problem," said Max "I think its all down to the way how different series mainly keep to themselves. Recently it's gotten much better… but even in the boundaries left between the apartments could be used. If all series' were more spread out among themselves…" she continued as the rest of the group listened on quietly "… some groups don't seem to be integrating at all… Look at the psy ops" she said looking around "If with start with them, because they're so small in numbers they would be relatively easy to relocate..."
She was surprised to see Alec solemnly shaking his head.
"That would not be a good idea" supplied Yan, who had in a strange turn of events decided to be the spokes person, for the rest… most of the other members nodded in grim agreement…
Sitting besides the suddenly sombre grouping Max felt distinctly, and disturbingly, out of place. She looked around again, no matter what way she looked at it; there would always be things that she wouldn't be able to understand about the rest of them…
"A lot of units still hold a severe distrust of the psy ops." Yan continued, while Max listened in silence.
A lot of the council members murmured in agreement.
"In some bases, the pys ops were used more regularly than in others, and there is still a lot of animosity held towards them. From what we understand the Manticore board was trying to re-evaluate, and re-establish the limitations of the X-series mind. Some prototypes were rendered beyond reuse."
Max felt a chill rise around her, rendered beyond use? She hadn't known, or maybe didn't want to believe, that the psy ops units were capable of such damage…
"Slow integration is the best choice of action," came Yan's steady voice "or there will be a lot of unnecessary tension between series."
Max sighed, how was she supposed to be a leader if people didn't tell her these things?
Yan looked unruffled as she relayed the disturbing statements… and Alec, didn't have much of an expression on his face at all.
Max paused, realising that they could not get back to being comfortable around each other while they avoided talking about so much… and the heart of it was that with the arrival of Luca, came the upheaval of many insecurities within both of them, most of which they never, ever, wanted to address…it was truly the obstacle of talking openly and freely to one another that was the most difficult for the two who had been trained and had survived by burying unwanted emotions… for the greater good… and not surprisingly sometimes for their own sanity as well…
x-x-x
Could Max really handle this sudden new family member? Could she really allow herself to love someone unreservedly like that… because… that was what babies needed, right? Too be loved and cared for unreservedly? …but in the current situation, when it seemed very likely that she could loose her life along with those important to her, could she ever face that sort of pain again?
… It was a completely different kind of responsibility, that Alec had to deal with …he had never been depended on in such a way before. Did he want to belong? Could he handle freely and honestly bestowing and receiving affection? Could he accept it?
X\X/X
X\X/X
x-x-x
…Since that meeting (…among other things) the council members had been able to refine the entrance routine for Transgenics entering the city. From the initial meeting point of the outpost, new arrivals would be taken to a close by building where specialities could be listed, accommodation issued, general rules addressed… and on miserable days… like that one was… some more hospitable Transgenics would take it upon themselves to produce steaming bowls soup for the new arrivals who may not have eaten for weeks…
She spotted a quiet corner… it took her a few moments to realise that she was not the only one to find the bench, next to her sat a little boy, who sat strangely silently in the midst of the afternoon organised chaos.
"Hi" she said quietly… although she was certain the child had sensed her arrival, she didn't know what state he was in, and really didn't want to upset him unnecessarily. She smiled "what's your name?"
Green eyes shifted to hers, "I… don't know." he said in a small voice.
x-x-x
Max's face softened, registering the tremor in his voice being held in check… he couldn't be more than six years old.
She glanced at the clipboard in his hands… and as expected he had filled out most of the information on the sheet – to the best of his ability, but the space marked as 'name' was empty.
Max put her phone down on the bench between them… that was the thing about having no pockets…
"You don't have to pick a name right away." She said, but she was startled when water-filled eyes blinked up at her
"But I like my name."
Max's heart constricted, already knowing the answer to the question she was about to ask him
"Oh? And what is it?"
The boy pointed to his designation, X7-2-728, marked clearly on the sheet "isn't that a name?" he asked quietly, in a persistent voice, fiddling with her mobile and blinking hard at it.
Max shook her head to herself and smiled sadly. "…Nothing I guess" she answered softly… her mind in another time… after all, hadn't she once questioned Zack about the exact same thing? "When I was younger" she began slowly "like you, I was told to decide on my name… I didn't get it at first, but it was …" she paused trying to find the words "something special, a secret from the guards and from the 'doctors', and technicians… Something special for only you, made by you, it was something they couldn't, no matter how hard they tried to, take away from you."
She glanced down at him and saw his small hand clenched around her mobile, his down turned eyes was shielded by dark lashes…
She knew that he'd understood what she was trying to tell him.
He mumbled something.
x-x-x
"728?" she questioned softly, using his designation.
He mumbled something again and clutched at her phone again.
He blinked up at her and then handed her phone back to her in silence.
"Pat. My name is Pat"
"Pat huh?" she said smiling at the buttons on the phone: 7P, 2A, 8T. He nodded solemnly watching her reaction, "that's an awesome name" she beamed. Pat smiled at her as another small boy suddenly materialised by their sides, staring at the two of them with slanted grey eyes.
"I have a name." announced Pat to the new comer. "I made it myself"
"Is that good?" the other boy questioned, to which Pat nodded emphatically.
"Oh," the boy replied seeming to take in the answer, "well I have a name too; an X-5 gave me mine." He tagged on.
"What is it?" Max asked curiously, when Pat merely continued to nod in camaraderie
"Jess" the boy supplied shrugging not seeming to be particularly bothered about the whole 'naming' issue. Max chuckled lightly and then sighed, there was of course some Transgenics who couldn't care less about names or naming…
"What unit are you guys in?" she questioned, both boys looked down and Max looked sombrely between their down turned heads and small fisted hands.
"I understand." She said quietly. She stood up and put a comforting hand on each shoulder. She then steered them to a near by group
"Cathy two more," She said handed the now-completed forms to the woman who smiled in understanding and turned to talk to the trans-human at her side, (who had begun to gather the unit together.) She motioned the boys to her and whispered nodding to the woman in subject,
"She's a good woman, a good, CO" she confided, "a little free with the candy maybe, but she's ok."
She gave each boy a firm hand shake, to which they returned, smiling widely as if humouring her… to Max grinned again.
"I'm Max by the way" she said, thinking that introducing them selves lastly by name seemed to be in vein with the whole chance meeting. "You two… just make sure to look out for each other ok? I hope I'll see you around."
She said waved them off as the group moved to the main doors, and she was motioned to a group of Transgenics near by…
X\X/X
X\X/X
Within minutes she was stalking through the corridors of what could only be described as a holding room... (it was built like a strong room) there reason she was there? There had been a power struggle, Manticore style. So she had been called.
The location was close enough to other key locations to make it useful… but slightly out of the way… being the research district it was developing into… Terminal City had many little interesting quirks… but at that moment, Max couldn't give a damn about the 'quirks' of the city because at that moment she was quietly simmering…there was always a transgenic, she thought to herself, one dumb ass transgenic that'd decided that it wasn't enough that the world was against them, and had taken it onto themselves to cause chaos with Terminal city as well…
An anomaly let her into the room. She entered and eyed the totalled room. An X-series guarding this side of the door… and another anomaly sat in the centre of the room, fuming. …but she hadn't been told the person being held was a young person. …it was hard to tell exactly how old this female was… but Max guessed that she was only around 15 years old…
x-x-x
She sat in the chair opposite the girl... it was a few minutes before the girl had gotten tired of her one sided charged staring contest.
"What did you think you were doing?" she questioned her voice, clear and her expression dark.
"What is it to you?" the girl spat. Her eyes slit, and her hair looking as if it would rise on end like her feline relatives.
"If you're in TC it makes it my business." Max replied sharply.
"And who the fuck are you?" the girl snapped back.
"I'm Max."
"…452." The girl muttered, after a while.
Max said nothing, she knew of the connotations that her name had within TC, and so she waited, noticing the lack of immediate hostile confrontation.
"What did you think you were doing?" Max continued, "Starting numerous fights and even attacking your own unit mates?" she paused "We don't tolerate that kind of behaviour here. Who do you think we're supposed to be looking out for? We've got enough to deal with without people trying to take out their own! I don't know what's going on with you," she said quietly aware of the person in the background "but the biggest mistake you can make right now is to be lulled into a false sense of security - we haven't got time for distractions and we haven't got the time or resources to be dealing th-"
There was a knock at the door, splitting Max's attention…
"Then let me go!" the girl burst out burst out, her violet eyes wild.
"What?" Max asked again in disbelief … of course she had heard…
x-x-x
"Max." Came the voice of the X-5 guard from behind her
Max nodded her head "ok." She called back… his shift was finished another transgenic was waiting outside.
Ty got up and exchanged some words with the person out side… outside; the low tones seemed familiar…
"I just want to get out of here. I want out of Terminal City." The girl said again.
"Nyx…" Max started
"658," came the short reply
"Do you know what leaving TC means?" Max ground out, and the girl nodded stiffly, it would have been believable if Max hadn't have seen the lick of fear, tearing its way through the transhuman.
"Of course" the girl replied calmly. Outside of Terminal city, she didn't stand a chance. They both knew it… their enemies were widening their perusal methods; it was only a matter of time before they started setting up in the sewers… Max studied the girl closely. She had reportedly wanted nothing more to do with the unit she had come into the city with… and she wanted to leave TC completely. Her unit members had all attempted, and failed to control her explosive temper and unpredictable actions… They were trying, to save her from herself, but she wasn't easy to get through to…
"What are you running from?" she said suddenly, momentarily wiping the composed look from the girl face
"What would make you turn your back on the people who've busted their backs in getting you here?" The girl was silent. "Do you hate your unit members that much?"
She paused and looked away. "I want nothing more to do with them or your kind." she added in disgust… but Max could hear regret under everything, and in the expression in her eyes when ever her unit was mentioned.
"I just want to get ou-"
"Shut up." Max snapped finally. "And calm down. You're not making any decisions when you're so obviously worked up."
x-x-x
Her mind was working in over load… they couldn't keep anyone from leaving TC, if it was a Transgenics choice, mostly nothing could dissuade them from it… she shook her head, what could she do now?
Her head turned partially in recognition… no wonder the kid had stopped acting up… with both 452 and 494 sitting in on her ranting session… one would be inclined to calm down…but there was one thing she could tell her, one thing that could help…
She squared her shoulders, and decided to take advantage of the silence.
"Just what are you trying to do?" she repeated "What is a unit to you, isn't it like family?" the girls unit had come to her for help… "Haven't they supported you, kept you going?"
The girl in question only bared her sharp teeth at her… but strangely, Max realised, that there was no protest to what she was saying, at all… although she realised that the situation was far from fully diffused…
She ignored the presence behind her, and began…
"I could handle anything if I knew my unit were standing there behind me..."
X\X/X
X\X/X
By the time she and Alec had left Nyx; the left the north east sector in complete silence, and the sky was darkening… they walked back to their sector without saying a word.
…Alec had had never heard her talking so much about her unit before, the most he had ever heard about her past had been in that one exposed moment when, she had confided in him with the truth about Ben, and his death… but yet today she had revealed another part of herself… although it was probably very painful to bring up… she did so for the sake of helping out another person… that was just the type of person that Max was.
When they reached the command centre they split up and went in different directions… Max making her was to her 'office' got called over to the far side of the room.
"…Max! We got Logan's on screen!"
Turning around and walking sedately to its direction the only thing that Max could clearly say she felt like was drained… She stared at the screen a few minutes, watching him front a point that the camera couldn't pick up, she had seen the change in him when her name had been uttered, the subtle way he schooled his features, and once again adopted the cool façade he favoured… it could never be neutral when he looked at her…
x-x-x
"Logan," she said lightly.
"Hey Max, how've you been doing?" he asked,
"As well as can be expected," she said nodding. No, I suddenly feel like crying…
"Max?" He asked unsure…
There were times when she wondered if she could ever do enough for these people who depended on her… she glanced at the screen… people who cared for her…
"Supplies are running a bit low, but we're managing." She said after hesitating slightly, as if she had first intended to say something else… and there, the appropriate distance was between them, the conversation right back to where it belonged, impersonal and light.
"That's good to hear." He answered and they both smiled.
"Max." Came a familiar voice from behind her,
"Gem?" Max replied partially turning around, allowing the camera to see Gem holding a baby that definitely wasn't Eva…
x-x-x
Max's throat ran dry, she had forgotten it was the day of the first small scale relocation, mothers and babies were being moved into more habitable (and safer) areas… they had agreed that Gem would bring Luca, and Max would finish early that day and take him home…
Luca saw Max and laughed in recognition… he reached out to her…
Gem noticed Logan on screen.
Logan leaned to the side to take in the new people on screen.
"I uh," said Max, glancing from the screen and to the baby.
Then suddenly another voice boomed out: "Max!"
"What!" she snapped turning around. Seeing Transgenics were jumping to the screens and computers beeping ferociously…
"Security breech." Came the grim reply.
x-x-x
The trio around the computer were silent,
It only took a few seconds before she burst into action… this is what they had been waiting for right?
"Where are the guards?" she said leaning over the railing.
"Holding off the attack" someone said immediately
"Max?" came Logan's panicked voice.
"And the back up team?" she said, eyes towards another person
"On their way-" came the other reply. "Priority one. Send it out." She called out.
Max turned "Gem stay here…" she paused, "Eva?" she said softly
Gem nodded "She's safe." Max squeezed her hand.
"Logan, later."
Logan watched grimly as Max span away from him, following her movements until she had disappeared from the view of the camera
It looked chaotic, but whatever it was it was a well oiled machine… there was absolute concentration and even from where he sat, Logan could feel the intense atmosphere permeating through his computer… this is what they've been waiting for isn't it?
x-x-x
He smothered a tired hand across his face, and glanced back up at the screen, he saw the not too distant figure glancing at the screen in uncertainly "Gem?" He said. Blinking at the woman… it was Gem. "Hey… how have you been?"
Gem blinked back
The command centre had thinned out considerably, there was a dozen or so people left, diligently working on communications
She smiled at him, not forgetting the role he had played in helping them escape Jam Pony the night she had given birth to her child. She nodded, "as well as can be expected."
"Security breech… are you going to be alright there?"
"We've been over dozens of emergency drills, and the command centres as safe a place as any" Gem ended at a loss for words.
"Gem," Joshua said appearing by her side, her heart jumped
"Where's Eva?"
Logan looked up.
Joshua pointed to the door, where in the distance a collection of females were standing with their bags and bouncing their babies, in the electric air.
The computer screen blinked
Eva was being held by another Transgenic, her hand shoved was shoved in her mouth, and she looked like she was half asleep. Gem let out the painful breath she had been holding. Joshua shook his head and gave her a little smile, "had to take cover, double back, she said it was the safest place." Gem nodded.
The static cleared on Logan's computer… why did the signal always do that?
"Look, Eva is fine." Joshua said patting her head in reassurance Gem nodded.
"…but isn't that Eva"
Joshua's face loomed before the screen, "Logan?" he then turned to glance behind him, to where Gem held Luca.
x-x-x
Joshua leaned back and suddenly, another face appeared up before the screen. "This conversation needs to end. Now."
Logan blinked trying to place the face, and abrupt mannerism… "Yan was it?"
The woman nodded her head curtly, "we have not got the time or resources-"
"Logan, we're gonna need that computer buddy." Said Dix suddenly popping up as well; crossing wires and already starting the disconnection process…
"Yeah, no problem… and… good luck."
Dix paused and looked up at the screen; coming out of his electronics induced fog he flashed the screen a brief smile. "Thanks buddy." He said shortly.
The screen went blank, Dix rebooted onto a new program
"That was too close for comfort." Mumbled Gem,
"You can say that again." muttered Yan
Joshua grunted in agreement… after a few beats Gem and Joshua turned to stare at Yan.
"The conversation was obviously going to drag on, and we needed that space." Said Yan moving to the door way, gesturing for the Transgenics by the door to follow her, they were still on alert…
"…he calls too much anyway" Yan muttered and Gem smirked and quickly joined up to the group
The security breech had turned out to be the culmination of the tensions between the military and civilians regarding the 'transgenic situation.' No hostages had been taken and miraculously no ground had been lost, but it bumped up the madness surrounding them. It was impossible to even imagine a long term siege and they had been there for months already… and there was only so much black market, connections could get for such a large amount of people…
The following night Max and Alec had been met by some of Nyx's unit mates… because despite the efforts put forward, Nyx had managed to leave Terminal City in all the chaos that that had taken place the previous day. The shadowed faces of the people who had relayed the message stayed in Max's mind… there was no blame of her, no resentment for not managing to convince Nyx to stay there… with her family...
Theirs were the faces which were plagued by the knowledge that a loved one had left, and nobody had the ability to stop from leaving, or what had driven them away…
When they had left Max made straight for the nearest roof, and Alec, trailed after her. Did she… want to talk? He asked himself, she's stayed pretty much quiet since she had heard the news about Nyx… actually Alec hadn't actually seen her in such a peculiar mood for a long time…
Max made her way to the edge of the roof and stood staring into the distance… she could see the barricade in the distance. Alec hung back
After a few minutes of waiting… and no word from her, he decided that he'd read the situation wrong after all. After all, maybe it was just apart of not really understanding her after all…
"Alec," she called out in a strange tone, "tell me about… Manticore."
He stopped walking and turned to fully face her.
Had he heard her right?
/X\X/X\
/X\X/X\
(A/N2 in the last chapter I said the argument between Max and Alec took place in Joshua's apartment, it wasn't sorry it was in theirs.)
x-x-x
(A/N3 Never ever let a sibling sit in during your moments of inspiration, or let them convince you to read aloud your story… confidence destroyer… but I've decided that as this is my first fic, I will just let things play out if it turns out to be a complete, I'll have the experience to take it apart and put it back together again and make it great. So sorry if this chapter is not up to scratch)
x-x-x
(A/N4 Sorry, there are a lot of author notes, this chapter has taken so long to be put up and I'd like to say once again how sorry I am, that it is so late… but let it be known that I will be refreshing the previous chapters in near the future, there are little mistakes that glare at me every time I go over them… (It will not be quite so near future if you're going by my update rates these days). Going over my stories I've realised that sometimes they need a bit of polishing off… maybe there needs to be a general word per chapter thing, with summaries and previews… (Maybe I've had too much time to think things over… I've even though about merging Revelations and 946 to become A revelation in 946… but I'm not sure if it will take something away from the beginning. ).
/X\X/X\
