Chap 2

Memories

"Yo Bo, something is up with your boy over there." Original Cindy tapped Max on the shoulder as she sipped a soda in between runs.

"What do ya mean?"

"He just apologized for bumping into me - so either Hell's frozen over, or something's up." Max turned a skeptical eyebrow to where Alec was standing waiting for a run. She noticed that he was staring rather intently at an empty wall. To be sure, he'd been acting strange all day - as in he'd actually passed the time working. Now, it was almost closing time and he still seemed eager to be occupied.

"Something's always up with Alec." Original Cindy could only give Max's light dismissal of the subject an 'are you crazy look.' When something was up with Alec it was something big - or, to be more accurate, something that was likely to get someone killed. "Alright!" Max knew that Original Cindy was right, but she wanted to get over Logan's with that photo and stopping to interrogate Alex might take more time then she had. Depositing her drink in a nearby garbage can she walked up behind Alec in not so silent mode. "Yo, you want to tell me what's going on?"

Despite her lack of Stealth Max still caused Alec to jump when he heard her voice, she could see him tense into attack mode even before he turned around to face her. "Max! I uh…" For once, Alec was at a lack of words, or rather he was too preoccupied to actually say them. Looking at him closely for the first time that day she saw a little of the fatigue that he seemed to be feeling.

"Alright, what did you do this time?" She knew that her choice of words probably wasn't exactly appropriate for getting most people to open up, but then again Alec wasn't most people. Immediately Alec became defensive if not put off.

"What makes you think I did something - cuz for your information I didn't." Max could tell by his weak defense that something really was wrong, more so then she originally thought. However she had never quite been the sensitive type and her automatic reaction was to shrug it all off - which she did.

"Whatever - all I know is that I need to get this photo over to Logan and - " Alec had grabbed Max's hand the moment he saw what she was holding. She had waved it front of his face in a careless manor, but she knew that his genetic enhancements would let him see it as clearly as if she'd held it to his face. Max had expected some type of a reaction from Alec, she had hoped for a well-hidden interest, what she got was an intense focus.

"Where did you get this?" The tone Alec used was one he'd learned at Manticore, one he'd used when it was necessary to interrogate a strong opponent. The tone however, caught the attention of a few people around them, and Alec realized that if they continued the conversation here it might just end up on the front page of that tabloid that hunted transgenics. Hissing through his teeth, Alec half dragged Max out of Jam Pony, the stares that followed them were curious but thankfully their thoughts wondered no where near the truth.

***

"Now tell me, where the hell did you get this?" Alec's tone was really beginning to get to her, so Max tried to snatch the photo away from Alec. Unfortunately it turned out that he was quicker. "Answer me damn it!"

"I found it at Joshua's place alright!" Max tried once again to get the photograph from him but once again he pulled it away. "And why the hell are you so interested in a picture of White anyway?" A shadow passed over Alec's face, it was brief but Max caught it. "It wasn't White that caught your attention was it?" Alec answered her with silence and she knew immediately that she was right. "It has something to do with that girl." Once again he refused to answer her, but this time he at least said something.

"You're right about getting this to Logan though, he can probably do something with it - like find out why Sandeman had a picture of White." Putting the picture in one of his pockets Alec went to go get his bike, leaving Max no other choice then to simply follow suit.

***

The darkness of her cell was comforting when Anastasia at last awoke from the drug-induced sleep she had previously been in. Taking a deep breath she tried to clear some of the fog from her brain. The last thing she remembered was being surrounded by soldiers as she told Jon to run for his life, from there it was nothing but darkness. In her cell there was no moonlight, but some instinctive sense told her that it was nighttime. After zipping up the black jacket that she had been wearing Anastasia tried to find her balance but found a wave of dizziness wash over her instead. In that instant she felt a hand clamp over her mouth and a strong arm go around her waist, pinning one of her arms against her side.

"Don't fight me, I'm here to get you out." Anastasia had heard that voice somewhere before - but for the life of her, she couldn't remember where. However, upon quickly evaluating her situation she realized that complying was probably the best idea. He had told her not to fight, which meant that he probably didn't realize that she hadn't completely shaken off the effects of the drug yet. Better to let an enemy underestimate you then overestimate you. She relaxed slightly and nodded into the hand that was over her face. "Good, there's a trap door behind me, when I let go of you, you should head to it. It's a drop of about twenty feet if you don't find the ladder so be careful." The arms around her loosened and she felt her mysterious rescuer step away from her. Waiting until he stopped moving she turned around and headed for the 'trap door' he'd spoken about.

When she saw it, she almost laughed at its simplicity. On the concrete floor there was a hole that was about three by three feet. Beside it was a concrete block about six inches in thickness. From her side of the floor, she would never have found that door, however someone on the other side could easily lift it up - at least they could if they were like her.

Seeing how her rescuer got in made her feel a little bit better, if he'd been able to lift that slab then he was in all likelihood someone she'd met at Manticore. Finding the ladder easily she quickly lowered herself down, then felt her companion follow suit. Once on the underground level, she tried to turn around and catch sight of him, but he dropped to the floor before she could and directed her to walk straight. After a time they came to another ladder and he directed her to go up. This time it was a sewer main and not a prison floor. Once she was out she quickly surveyed her surroundings, giving her companion enough time to come out of the sewers behind her. She wanted to turn around and see who it was that had helped her escape, but a needle in the back of her neck caught her by surprise, returning her to her previous state of oblivion.

***

Ames caught Anastasia as she fell, picking her up as lightly as if she had been a kitten. Getting her out had been easier then he'd thought it would be, especially since there was no security camera in the cell to which she'd been assigned - a lucky break when one considered the difficulty he might have been put through. Quickly, he deposited her in the trunk of his car before getting into the driver's seat and turning on the ignition. Putting the needle away in his glove compartment he estimated that the drugs he'd used on her would last two hours at the most, but that was alright, his destination was only a few miles away, leaving plenty of time for what he had in mind.

***

Max, Alec, and Logan sat and stood uncomfortably in the latter's living room. Between them the photo Max had found lay on Logan's coffee table. "So basically you think that White and Sandeman were connected at some point in the past - and you think they still might be?" Max nodded at Logan though he was only repeating what she'd said to him.

"I was hoping that maybe you could think of a way to repair the water damage done to the photograph - show us what Sandeman looks like." As she spoke, Max kept her eyes carefully averted from Logan, after everything that had happened it still hurt too much to look at him.

"I see." Logan noticed Max's subtle avoidance of him, and though he knew it was her way of trying to keep him alive it only served to make things more painful. "I'll do what I can, but I still don't get why Alec was hanging on to this photo like it was a life line when he came in." From where he stood staring out the window Alec stirred at the mention of his name, though he looked Logan in the eye, he didn't offer to provide an explanation. "I'm gonna need all the information I can get… like maybe who that girl is?" For once, Logan had managed to hit the nail on the head, and Alec was visibly jarred. For the first time since they'd gotten there Alec opened his mouth.

"This morning I woke up to find a dying transgenic on my doorstep. His designation was X5- 737, we'd worked together a few times back at Manticore." Alec lowered the volume of his voice as he suddenly felt Logan and Max's eyes concentrate on him. "He told me that - that a mutual friend of ours named had been captured. I met Anastasia when I was in psycho evaluation about five years ago…

~~

The room that they had squeezed him into was barely larger then a bathroom stall. There was nothing but resounding silence and the faintest glimmer of light. By now the hunger had began to begun to get to him, but he was too mentally exhausted to notice, thankful that the doctors had left him alone for more then a few a hours this time around.

Just as he began to drift off, he heard a faint step in the hallway, and despair filled his brain when he thought that it might be them returning. Nearby he heard the footsteps stop, but he didn't hear the clanking of keys. Finally he heard the sliding of the viewing portal. "Psst. Come here!" The voice was definitely not one of the doctors, but it was however friendly. When he walked up to the door he was surprised to see a hand shove a bit of bread through it. "I saw them dragging you back to your cell yesterday, and I knew that no ever feeds the prisoners in this hallway. I would've gotten you some water, but there was no way of doing that without letting them know about it." Though he heard her talking Alec was too busy tearing into the bread to pay the voice much attention. At last it occurred to him though that a thank you might be in order. Stopping for a second he stepped up to the viewing slot and saw that the girl on the other side was no older then fifteen, she smiled once at him "I'm Anastasia." And then fled from that hallway lined with cells…

~~

"I never quite figured out how she was able to get food to me when most of the others couldn't even get out of the mess hall. But I am sure about one thing though, I was watching her as she left - Anastasia had no barcode." Max digested Alec's information with some shock, and Logon was busy analyzing what it meant. When their eyes met however, a silent message passed between them. Someone thought this girl was worth dying for, and if so, then there had to be a reason why.

AN: Sorry about all the typos in the last chapter, I'd forgotten to reread it. In all honesty I'd been hoping for a little more interest in the fic, but it is my first Dark Angel story so I'm glad that anyone at all is reading this. I have an interview at Columbia University next week so wish me luck… hopefully things will go well and if not… well at least your reviews will make me smile! (I know, what a not-so-subtle hint =P )