Angel of Darkness

By Astro Purple

AstroPurpl@aol.com

PG for language, violence, and some sexual references, but mostly language.

Timeline: After Jace met Max but before season two with a few minor changes. Okay, okay, rather big changes. I loved Ben, Brin, and Tinga a lot and can't bear the thought of not writing about them. So Brin was rescued safely from Manticore for a third time and is back to normal. Tinga managed to get to Canada, and Max got to Charlie and Case before Lydecker and they're with her. Plus Max managed to drag Ben out of the woods and get him some help. There was a chemical imbalance with his brain that medication corrected.

Summary: An X5 who didn't escape and is now sent to hunt down those who did.

Disclaimer: Dark Angel characters belong to the wonderful people who bring Dark Angel to us.



* * *

Logan looked around his apartment in dismay, surveying the damage.

"I'm really really sorry." Max said standing next to him. "It's not like this fight was planned or anything, she just sort of showed up."

A sigh escaped his lips as he bent down and picked up a piece of what once had been a porcelain vase. "Oh well, it's all replaceable."

"The police are coming." Syl observed from the broken window. "How are you going to explain to the police?" She asked pulling herself up to check her leg. "I mean, someone had to have heard something."

"Steelheads broke in hoping to grab some quick cash, but Bling and I ended up being more than they bargained for." Logan said simply just as Bling walked in. "Their entrance was the skylight, and their exit was the window. Being Steelheads, the police won't doubt me."

Zane showed up at the door holding a black duffel bag. "You're lucky she didn't toss us one of these." He commented holding up a grenade. "She was loaded."

Zack nodded lifting a still unconscious Lucas onto his shoulder. "We need to get out of here. The cops are on their way up." He turned towards Logan. "Anyway we can get out without being seen?"

"Service elevator or back stairway. You'll probably want to get away via a roof route."

Zack nodded. He turned towards the others. "Let's get out of here."

Brin silently gathered up all four blades and then followed her siblings.

"Once again, I'm sorry about the mess." Max said as the last of her siblings disappeared. "I'll find some way to make it up to you. Take care." She added softly before bending down and placing a kiss on a surprised Logan's lips. She disappeared into the hallway also, leaving Logan to tell the story to Bling.

* * *

Nick asked quietly. "Where to now?"

There they were, standing near the edge of the Space Needle overlooking the city of Seattle. An ocean of twinkling lights lying right at their feet. Nick's question still hanging in the air. The truth was, they didn't know where they were going next. Logan's living room had been pretty much trashed. It didn't feel right to crash there, at least, not for a while. And Fala was still out there, wandering the streets, with who knows what going on in her mind. She was probably confused, lost as to what to do next, and undoubtedly, if they didn't get to her first, Manticore would. Hell would have to freeze if they were going to let Manticore take one of them back.

Trisha had woken up, feeling like the whole world trampled over her. "Little sis can sure hold her own." She had commented dryly checking on her bruises.

"Manticore must have updated their soldiers." Zack said quietly. "Increased speed, agility, strength, and mind processing."

Ben shook his head, always the observant one. "No, she was only angry. Angry, hateful, pained, and a bit of fear. Four emotions that pushed her to be faster and stronger than us, but it didn't clear her mind. I could see it all in her eyes. She was angry at us for leaving her in Manticore, she hated the fact that we could live while she could not, there was a great deal of pain inside her because she knew what she was doing was wrong somehow, and she was scared of coming up against us."

"Then what pushed her to attack us like that? There were eleven of us, and there was only one of her." Syl demanded. "The odds were clearly in our favor."

Lucas spoke softly, having just woken up. "Manticore." They almost didn't hear him as he walked up to join them in their vigilance of the city. "Only Manticore could push her to attack all of us at once. They must have known how she felt. She could have killed us all, but she stopped herself from completing the mission."

Max butted in with her forwardness. "Mission? Manticore has never sent anyone on a mission, they're all assassinations."

"But you don't know that. To us they were missions, but once we were outside and saw how people outside thought, they became assassinations. Zack, were you ever allowed to stay and watch how normal people treated your missions once you completed the task?" Jondy questioned Zack who shook his head. "See? We're back in Manticore the minute the gun goes off for re-indoctrination in case we picked up anything from the outside. Besides, Fala's just confused. If any of us were in her spot, so would we. The only thing we can do right now is figure out how to get to her and help her."

"So we've got to search for her in this?" Krit asked gesturing to the wide expansion that was Seattle. "We're gonna have to split up."

* * *

Fala stood before the payphone, trying to figure out what to do. The sun had just set, signaling the passing of another day. The director would be waiting for another check-in. She didn't know what to do. She knew she would lie, and lie perfectly well as they'd been taught, but she couldn't lie as each check-in came. Manticore would get suspicious and dispatch someone they could trust more to check on her. Then they would know the truth.

The phone felt heavy in her hand as she waited, patiently but full of fear. Finally the familiar voice was heard.

"X5-387, mission status?"

"Incomplete ma'am." She heard herself answer calmly.

"Explain."

Without hesitation, she began to relate the story she had woven in her head. "They knew I was coming and were expecting me. A couple of them led me to a warehouse where they were meeting and managed to convoy to the others that someone was following them. They were waiting for me inside. I didn't get a chance to kill any of them. However, their norm ally is now deceased."

"Eyes Only?" The voice on the other end demanded.

"Unsure. It was a norm, they all look alike."

"Yes, well perhaps you can't handle all the renegades by yourself. Reinforcements are going to be sent. They should be arriving tomorrow evening in sector 7."

Fala bristled with anger. How dare she?! "Ma'am, I can handle it myself."

"Under normal circumstances I'm sure you can. However, there is more to this. We've intercepted a call from X5-656 to X5-599. She'll be arriving in Seattle within the next day. You couldn't handle eleven X5s; you won't be able to handle twelve. You have until tomorrow night to get me better news. Now get back to work." The line went dead.

"Yes ma'am." Fala spoke to empty air and finally was able to hang up the phone before walking briskly away. The call had lasted longer than she had hoped, but she knew what she had to do now. That bitch! Her mind condemned the director. How dare she say 'under normal circumstances.' Now she not only had to deal with her state-of-mind, but also other X series. It had been on purpose that she hadn't been told who would be coming or how many, that she knew. She had to be careful now, they could already be here just to watch her and make sure she did her job.

* * *

Renfro leaned back in her seat. X5-387 had been lying. Undoubtedly lying. Lydecker had warned her about using transgenics to hunt down transgenics before he defected. But she had always hated being told what to do and what not to do. Her carelessness might cause her to lose one, or even several very good soldiers. She tapped her pen against her wood desk, thinking. She needed someone she could fully trust. The X5 series were still Manticore's best, which made them stronger and faster than the others. She could send some X6s. One of then could be an equal match for an X5 if he or she tried. But she didn't trust them. That was the whole catch. However, there was one who showed a lot of promise, one who returned from all solo missions successful and willingly.

She pressed the little intercom button on her desk and spoke. "Bring X5- 494 to me."

* * *

Fala walked the streets of Seattle hastily, but always checking her surroundings. She had no idea where she was headed, and she didn't care. She had to find the others before "evening" tonight. Which could mean anything. Why did she have to go and screw up? She was in so much trouble now, it wasn't even funny. This mission would go on her record as a fail, she had reinforcements coming in to finish the job she couldn't, she didn't know how many were coming, or even exactly what time they'd show. She was scared now that they might have already arrived and were watching her, detailing a report to return to Renfro.

She had spent most of the night before searching all the locations that 452 was known to hang out. She'd risked her neck and gone back to that one place she was at the night before. Foggle Towers. It had crossed her mind to waltz back into the apartment and demand from the crippled man where they were, but it was a security risk and she'd ended up deciding against it, seeing as there was still too many people about.

Jam Pony loomed up before her and it had just opened for the day. Files said that 452 worked at a messenger/delivery place, but not what it was called. So she'd also spent most of last night breaking into businesses to get a look at their employee files. UPS had been her last stop and she hadn't found anything useful there, so she didn't expect to find much here.

"Hi, I'm looking for Max." She said to the guy behind the counter.

"Max?" Normal threw down the pen he was holding. "You know? Everyone's looking for Max these days! She called in sick this morning, so you won't find her here. But if you see her before me, let her know that if she's not here tomorrow morning, on time, dressed and ready for work, she can find herself another job elsewhere."

Fala had no idea what to say. "Um. yes, sir." She turned and left in a daze. Another dead end, and yet it wasn't. She'd figured out where 452 worked, but her subject was missing.

"Hey!" Someone called after her. "You're looking for Max, right?"

She turned around to see a woman of African-American origins and frizzy black hair. "Yeah." She answered carefully.

The woman studied her carefully. "Original Cindy." She said extending her hand.

Fala shook the extended hand. "Can I help you?"

Original Cindy laughed. "No boo, the point of me hollering after ya was to extend my help." After the laughter died from her face, she spoke intently and quietly. "You're one of them aren't you?" The confused look on Fala's face caused her to amend her question. "I mean, you're like Max aren't you?"

Fala considered this. Maybe Max told all her friends she was a transgenic. "Yeah. It's important that I find her."

"Well, I can't tell you much, other than that she left a note last night about someone hunting down her people and that she had to bounce. Have you checked Logan's? He's her boyfriend, really rich, lives in an apartment at the top of a tall building, Foggle Towers."

So that was who the man was. "Yeah, he had no idea where she might have gone too. The place was attacked last night. She and the others left without leaving a trail."

Original Cindy wrinkled her forehead. "That's weird. She normally don't go anywhere without letting either me or Miracle Boy know."

Fala nodded. "Well that's okay, I'll keep looking for her. If you see her, will you let her know 387 needs to talk with her and the others?"

Original Cindy nodded. "Yeah sure."

"And if you see her before tonight, just say that 'others have been sent.' She'll know what I mean, please."

"Hey Original Cindy! I don't pay you to stand there and talk with your friends!" Normal yelled waving a package.

"I'll be going now. Thank you." Fala left quickly.

* * *

"X5-494, do you now know your mission?" Renfro asked looking at the male transgenic before her, right in the eye.

"Yes ma'am." He said unflinching. "I am to lead a team of X6s to Seattle, track down X5-387, exterminate twelve rouge X5s, and return back to base for re-indoctrination."

Renfro nodded. "And what do you do if X5-387 does not consent?"

"Bring her back to base if possible, if not she is to be exterminated along with the rouges."

"Good. I prefer not to lose any soldiers, even ones who have questionable loyalties." Renfro sat back, sure she had things under control. "Your team of X6s are waiting outside to be briefed. They are on a need-to-know basis and any information you deem unnecessary they will not know. You move out ASAP."