Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show Dark Angel, owned and created by James Cameron. I do, however, own any and all original characters appearing here. If you wish to use them, please ask me first.

Time Period: Before Cold Comfort, AU.

Summary: Car rides & X5s don't mix.

X 332340090210

by

BRIN

"Hope has been and always will be safe. It's inside every one of us." – Xena, as portrayed by Lucy Lawless

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"My car is going to be a pile of metal by the time we get back. No wait; there won't be any of it left!" complained Jondy, her face pressed against the window, watching her silver-blue Aston-Martin getting farther and farther away. "Can't I just…"

"No," said Zack from the front seat. "It'll be too much hassle for us to go in several cars, and a lot more conspicuous. We lay low this way, and Tinga's truck isn't too distracting."

"Yeah well how come Brin and Ben get to drive Zack's pickup while we're squished in here?" whined Syl.

"Because those two need to talk about things, and we all know they won't talk when anyone else is around," replied Tinga in a matter-of-factly tone. "Besides, think of it as quality time with your long-lost family."

"Does the term 'cruel and unusual punishment' mean anything to you?" wailed Krit.

Zack threw a crumpled newspaper at him. "Stop complaining. This isn't negotiable."

"I get shotgun on the way back," announced Jondy irritably, crossing her arms over her chest and slumping in her seat. "Can we have some music?"

Tinga pressed a button. Immediately, they heard,

"Old MacDonald had a farm, had a farm, had a farm—"

"TURN IT OFF!" shouted Zack, Krit, Syl, and Jondy all at the same time.

Tinga changed it to the radio and shrugged sheepishly at them. "Sorry. It's Case's favorite song."

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Ben glanced at Brin out of the corner of his eye. She was curled up on her side, fast asleep in the passenger seat, her head relaxed against the headrest of the seat. Her hair was lazily tangled in sleep, spread out over the leather like a pool of silky black water. She had been feeling miserable for the most of the trip, though they had only been driving for two hours or so, and had just fallen asleep only a few minutes before. Her face was paler than usual, making her quickly-applied makeup stand out against her skin.

A China doll, he thought to himself. She looks just like a China doll.

Going against his better judgment, the young man extended his hand across the car and brushed a strand of raven hair from her face. She stirred briefly, then mumbled in her sleep, "Ben…"

Surprised, he quietly answered, "Yes?"

Plainly oblivious to the fact that she was actually speaking to him and not to a dreamscape Ben, Brin whispered, "Ben… Ben… Did you see her die, Ben?"

A jolt of pain hit the male X5 as he realized what she was talking about. She had said the same thing the night after the escape…

"Keep moving!" shouted Ben desperately as his partner, Brin, tripped and fell. It wasn't the fact that she was physically tired that made her clumsy, no… She was emotionally exhausted from losing Jack, then Eva, then everyone in just a few days. "We've got to keep moving."

Tears streaking her face, Brin stood up and continued at their vigorous pace through the woods, which seemed to extend forever. She was covered in muck and grime, more so than her companion, though there were clean streaks through the dirt where her unending tears had fallen. Scrapes and bruises covered her legs from inept moments where her tears had clogged her vision. "Did you see her die, Ben?"

Ben, in an instant of sympathy, went back to her and placed a helping arm over her shoulders. "I saw her."

"We didn't even get to say goo'bye… He shot her! Why didn't she shoot him first, Ben?" asked the young girl, her eyes pleading him for an answer.

"I… I don't know… Eva wasn't like that. She didn't like killing as much as the rest of us, remember? Don't worry about her. The Blue Lady will take care of her now. She's in the Good Place. Don't cry, baby sister."

Ben blinked to rid his eyes of the stinging tears, but they didn't go away. He looked at Brin, her face contorted into a heartrending grimace, and sighed. They may have fled Manticore, but they would never escape the specters it had left in their minds.

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"Do you guys remember that time Zane caught a frog?" said Tinga, breaking the silence that had settled over the car in the course of the past hour. She looked at Zack, then turned and glanced at the passengers in the back.

Jondy, who was looking out the window with a thoughtful look on her face, replied, "Brin tried to get one the rest of the summer."

"She never did catch one," added Syl quietly. She had her head on Krit's shoulder.

"I remember holding it," piped in Krit. "It wasn't like anything I had ever felt before – slimy, dirty, wet. Max wouldn't even pet it."

They shared a tense laugh. Manticore was always a painful subject. Sure, they joked and poke fun at their nonexistent childhood and their tormentors, but nothing could shake that feeling of unease that would hang over them while talking about their youth home. It was an odd sort of taboo; like if they spoke of Manticore, it would swallow them up. Speak of the devil and he shall come, that's what people said.

"Do you ever wonder what happened to the ones who stayed?" asked Krit, bravely stepping into a subject none of them were too eager to explore.

Zack shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Of all the X5s, it was hardest for him to talk about 'the others.' He was not one to wear his heart on his sleeve, or anywhere visible for that matter. As soon as Krit asked the question, the walls went up and he put on a soldier mask. It was something he did regularly… now second nature.

From her position in the back seat, Jondy noticed Zack's change as she watched him in the rearview mirror.

"Jace is probably just fine and dandy," Tinga voiced her opinion bitterly. She had never been too fond of Jace, who had seemed to tell on Tinga just a bit more than the rest. "But then there was Gabe… Rex…" she trailed off.

All in all, there were two X5 units in the building, each with about twenty-five to twenty soldiers in them. From their unit, which consisted of twenty X's, thirteen had escaped, including Zack. Three were dead – Jack, Crow, and Eva. Jace hadn't wanted to escape. The other three hadn't been seen or heard from since splitting up in the clearing.

"…and Kels," finished Syl. "You think we'll see them?"

Zack bristled. "If we do, don't expect a warm welcome."

The other X5s glanced at him warily.

"Don't even expect them to acknowledge that they were ever part of your unit. Don't expect them to remember their names," he added critically. "There's no love left for us back at Manticore."

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Brin jerked awake, nearly falling off the seat. Blinking dumbly, she glanced about through bleary eyes. "Ben?" she asked hoarsely.

"Right here," came his voice, though he sounded far away.

Cursing her sore back and kinked neck, Brin sat up straight and searched for him in the darkness. "Ben?"

"Brin," he responded, this time closer.

The young woman turned and saw him walking towards the truck from a small restaurant. She yawned and rubbed her hazy eyes, then spotted Tinga's truck sitting in the next parking space. It was empty – they had gone inside.

"You're awake," commented Ben nonchalantly as he opened the passenger door for the female X5. "Nice nap?"

Brin yawned again, then frowned. "Yeah. I just wish I wasn't so tired… all we did was drive today…"

"Whoa, whoa!" Ben caught her as she fell forward. "Hey, you okay?"

The young woman nodded and put her arms around his neck sleepily. "Just peachy…" she whispered before her head dropped and she was fast asleep once again.

Shaking his head and allowing himself a tiny grin, Ben carried Brin into the rather nice restaurant. The other X5s were waiting.

"What'd you do?" joked Jondy as Ben settled Brin into a chair. "Hit her?"

"Do you guys think there's something wrong with her? She's been sleeping like this all day," said Ben worriedly. He sat on the chair next to Brin and held her upright with his left hand.

"It's a symptom of X5 pregnancy," piped Tinga.

Ben turned to her. "What?"

"A sudden, dramatic increase in required sleep is a symptom of an X5 pregnancy. The people who designed us thought it would be useful if X5s showed signs of conception within three days, since the waiting period is always a bitch and they didn't want to send… faulty soldiers into the field. I learned it in medic training. The drowsiness will only last a day or two. I went through it with Case," explained Tinga nervously. "She'll be fine by tomorrow."

There was a moment of strained silence, then Syl slapped Ben on the back and said in a pointedly cheerful voice, "Come on, bro! Let's eat. I'm starved."

Uneasy silence settled over the table as they ate their seafood dinner (being the cats that they were).  Afterwards, the X5s retreated to a nearby hotel and rented two rooms. Syl, Krit, Jondy, and Zack took the larger room, while Ben, Tinga, and Brin stayed in the other.

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Syl patted the unclean sheets into place and fluffed the moldy pillows in an attempt to make the bed appear more comfortable. Krit was busily disarming himself of his many hidden weapons, Jondy was in the bathroom, and Zack was preparing the other bed in a much less mindful manner than Syl.

"Hey Krit, I thought you were gonna leave the nine-millimeter at home," commented Syl coolly as she saw the gun appear from one of his many inner-pockets.

"Well I didn't want to take the pistols. They're collector's items," he replied with a wink before placing the last of the weapons upon the dresser and taking off his shirt. As an X5, his body was naturally at its fittest 25/7/365, but that didn't stop Syl from appreciating every inch of it. She stopped what she was going and walked over to him, her arms snaking around his waist.

"You do that on purpose," she accused, kissing the tattoo of a phoenix upon his spine.

"Do what?" replied Krit innocently. He took one of her hands and 'innocently' put a long, slender finger between his lips. "I'm not doing anything wrong here."

Syl bit back a retort and instead yanked her hands back, turning him around. "You're a cruel, cruel person."

"Never." Krit gave her a feigned offended face, then tackled his blonde beauty so that they were both on the bed.

Across the room, Zack ignored them the best he could and climbed into the bed wearing only his boxers. He could hear Krit and Syl still wrestling around so he closed his eyes. After a minute or so, Jondy emerged from the bathroom and one of his eyes betrayed him by cracking open a bit. Her dark hair flowing freely over her shoulders, she wore only an oversized t-shirt that barely covered her panties.

Successfully paying no attention to Syl and Krit, who had moved on to making out by now, she tossed her things into her suitcase and regarded the bed in which Zack lay nearly falling off the edge. She contemplated it for some time, as if debating whether or not the floor was a more suitable place, then finally sat down on the side opposite Zack. He quickly closed his eyes and evened his breathing to appear asleep, but nearly lost his façade when a soft hand came to rest on his shoulder, soon followed by the covers being pulled up to his shoulders. The young man lay frozen for an unknown number of minutes, then when he was sure even Syl and Krit had gone to sleep, he turned his head. Jondy was fast asleep facing away from him now, as far away as possible whilst right next to him. He tilted his head up and saw the smile playing upon her fair lips even in sleep, and couldn't help but allow himself a grin as he settled in for the night.

In the next room, Tinga was enjoying the bed to herself while Ben and Brin decided it was only right for them to share one, though the situation wasn't entirely relaxed for either of them. They lay facing the same direction, with Ben's hand platonically placed upon her shoulder.

Their peaceful slumber continued through the wee hours of the night, but it was then that Brin jerked awake with an awful feeling in her chest. She turned beside her, but…

The bed was empty.

"Ben!" she whispered, looking around the room. The window was open, the curtains flapping in the wind. Ben's gun was gone. The young woman tiptoed past Tinga and into the adjoined room, where she gently shook Zack awake. "Zack… Zack! Ben's gone!"

Zack's eyes shot open.

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"When did he disappear?" asked Zack as he wired a motorcycle.

"I don't know. I just woke up and he was gone," replied Brin, hugging herself as she stood watch. "Why would he just leave?"

"Quite frankly, Brinnie, I don't wanna know." The older X5 finished wiring the motorcycle and handed Brin the helmet. "Hop on."

Brin got on behind her big brother and wrapped her arms around him as he started it up, then sped away into the night. They drove at a speed slow enough for them to watch out for any sign of Ben, but fast enough as to not seem conspicuous. All around them, the night was alive. People staggered through the streets or stood gathered about blazing garbage cans, talking amongst themselves. Some turned their heads to watch as Brin and Zack zipped down the street, dodging cars and pedestrians in a potentially dangerous obstacle course.

"Where are you going?" yelled Brin over the roar of the motor and wind.

"There." Zack gestured to a crumbling skyscraper that loomed ominously before them.

Brin, suddenly understanding, focused on the roof of the building, where she saw three figures moving in a flurry. A cold chill ran down her spine, and she gripped Zack tighter as he picked up speed.

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Randy Davis had no idea what was going on. His brother, Joey, was equally confused by the situation they were currently in. A young man – six nothing, one-fifty pounds perhaps, pretty decent looking – was holding them captive at the top of Skyler's Lookout, as the locals called it. He had already beaten them senseless without breaking a sweat, but now he was preparing something a few feet away. They couldn't see what, but both had a feeling that it was not going to be pleasant.

"What do you want with us?" asked Joey, brows furrowed. "What did we do to you?"

The strange young man turned around and grinned a demonic little grin. A fire was burning behind his hard emerald eyes – though whether it be the fires of Hell or determination, it was difficult to tell. He put down whatever he was fiddling with and stepped towards them. "Absolutely nothing."

"Then why are we here?" continued Joey with steely resolve, though the sheen of sweat on his bruised forehead betrayed his fear.

"Because I chose you. You deem yourself fit for the Lady, so I will test your judgment." He continued to smile at them.

"And if we guess wrong?" asked Randy.

The young man laughed, but said nothing as he returned to his task. His captives exchanged worried glances, but they didn't have to wonder for long – soon the young man turned back to them. In his hand he held a device used for making tattoos.

"What are you doing to do with that?" Joey's eyes widened.

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Zack parked the motorcycle at the bottom of the skyscraper and looked up. The movement had long since stopped, though as they got closer he had been able to focus on the top and see that two men were bound to chairs while another sat with a gun-like object in his hand. "We've got to go quick," he announced. "Are you sure you can make it?"

Brin nodded resolutely and they entered the building. Up, up, they went – for twenty flights or more. It seemed the stairs would never end. They passed floors of squatters, floors that were unfit for anything to live in, and floors that lay dank and forgotten, until finally they came to the roof. Without hesitation, Zack kicked open the door and charged, knocking Ben to the ground.

"Are you alright?" he asked to the two captives.

Brin ran over to them and muffled a disturbed gasp as she saw the freshly-tattooed barcodes on the back of their necks. Ben's barcode. Quickly, she untied them and looked at Zack for the okay. He nodded, and she knocked them both out with one swift kick.

Meanwhile, Ben was trying to recover from Zack's crushing charge. He seemed disoriented, as if he didn't know where he was, and he returned the attack in what could only be described as a groggy manner. Zack easily dodged Ben's feeble assault, then shoved his brother to the ground and placed a foot upon his chest.

"Ben! Wake up, Ben! Stop this!" ordered Zack in his CO voice. "You need to stop!"

"I can't… the Lady… she needs me," muttered Ben. Then, as if snapping out of his bleariness, he grabbed Zack's foot and threw the bigger X5 to the side like nothing more than a sack of potatoes. "Blessed be the Blue Lady!"

"Ben, that was ten years ago. Let her go! We don't need the Tooth Fairy on crack anymore!" yelled Zack angrily. He ran for his brother and tackled him around the waist, but Ben was driven by rage and blind faith, giving him an extra burst of strength to beat back his brother.

In the split second they were separated, however, Brin jumped into the fray. This threw both males off, and Ben was taking heavy blows by the time he recovered and began to return them. His fists were flying as he pushed Brin back, back, until she was against the edge of the roof.

"Ben! No!" yelled Zack as he scrambled to his feet. Not even blurring would get him there in time, though he tried.

Ben took no heed of him. He wound up for his punch, and delivered it full force. His aim for her stomach, however, was not taken lightly. Brin blocked the blow, preventing it from hitting her belly, and instead of absorbing the attack as her stomach would have, she ended up being pushed back and off of the roof.

"BRIN!" screamed Zack, nearly diving over the edge to get her. He missed her hand by mere millimeters, and she was gone…

Or was she?

Zack forced himself to watch his sister's descent, and he was lucky he did because it enabled him to witness Brin's almost miraculous save. She was just picking up speed when her hand instinctively shot out and grabbed something – that something happened to be the steel framing of the building where the brick had worn away. With a sharp crack and a gasp of pain from the young woman, she swung downward and into the decayed building – safe for the time being.

"Shit! Holy shit! Brin!" yelled Zack, leaning farther over. He heard a quiet 'I'm okay', and a cough from below, so he stood and turned to head down to get her. As he turned, however, he saw the look upon his brother's face and had to stop.

The blood had drained from Ben's face, leaving him pale white like a ghost. His expression was of unreserved disgust and self-repulsion. Shaking hands were clenched at his sides, his legs turning to jelly. He sank to his knees and retched. It seemed his hypnosis had passed.

"Stay here," ordered Zack with little to no sympathy. Brin had nearly died, and he would be damned if he let Ben get away with this.

Practically blurring down the stairs, Zack found Brin huddled on the ground, clutching her stomach.

"It hurts, Zack… shit, Zack… something's wrong," she wailed, eyes stinging with tears. "I hit it when I grabbed the framing… I swung against the wall…"

"Shh, it'll be okay little sister. Shh… I won't let anything happen to you." He picked her up like a child and began to carry her back down.

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Meanwhile, in a dark basement in Gillette, Wyoming, a scientist regarded a wall of digital clocks. A certain one he watched closely, for it was next to the first clock to ever zero out. It showed 48:32:09 and counting.

TBC…