Disclaimer: Nope, last time I looked in a mirror I wasn't James Cameron or anyone else lucky enough to own Dark Angel.

Summary: Sequel to "Then it comes to be." The cult loonies are gone but the transgenics have other problems to deal with, not to mention a whole civilization to build. M/A

Rating: R because of occasional violence and sex.

A/N: The NC-17 version of this story is posted at http://nunswithpens.hyperboards.com/

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Max waited impatiently in line, her empty jerry can dangling from her hand. She wanted to get her gas and get out of here before the cops recognized her. She pulled her cap further down on her head and tried to act nonchalant.

Suddenly a battered pick-up truck came screeching to a halt next to the tanker. Five guys with ski masks and guns jumped out of the truck. "Everybody down!" one of them shouted and fired a shot into the air. Several women in the crowd screamed and everyone dropped to their knees in the dirt.

The cops assigned to crowd-control didn't react fast enough. Two of the thugs had the cops held at gunpoint before they could even draw their weapons. The cops were disarmed and forced to lie face down on the ground, their hands laced over the back of their heads. One of the thugs kept his gun trained on the cops while the other went to join the leader. Together they kept an eye on the crowd, while the other two grabbed empty jerry cans and started filling them from the tanker.

Max had dropped to the ground with the rest of the crowd, but then she reconsidered and stood back up. *What the hell,* she thought, rolling her eyes as she got to her feet. *Why not show them transgenics can be useful people to have around.*

The movement caught the leader's attention. "I said get down!" he snarled, turning his gun on her.

"Nah, I don't want to" Max said with a bored look on her face. "The ground's dirty and mud is a bitch to clean."

He stomped over to her and shoved his gun in her face. "Get down and shut up or you're dead!" he yelled furious.

Everyone in the crowd raised their heads a little to watch what would happen next. Max just laughed. "I don't think so." She grabbed the gun with her left hand and spun so her back was to his chest. She slammed her right elbow into his gut and then hit him in the face with her fist. His body slumped in her grip, unconscious. She spun and tossed him at his friend guarding the police and he went down under the weight. She blurred towards the third guy and kicked him hard in the ribs and then knocked him out with a left hook to the jaw. She turned as he was still falling and spun back to face the second thug. He had dumped the body of his friend on top of the cops and managed to get back on his feet. He was aiming his gun at Max. She jumped and kicked the gun out of his hand and followed through with her elbow to the side of his head. He went down hard, falling across the cops.

Max turned to look at the two guys at the tanker. They were motionless and staring at her in open-mouthed horror at how easily their friends had been overpowered. "Morons," she said shaking her head. She blurred towards them and grabbed them by the throat and slammed the back of their heads against the side of the tanker. They slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Max bent and picked up one of the full jerry cans and walked back to her bike. She strapped the full can on the back and left her empty one on the ground to replace the full one she'd just taken. She was about to swing her leg over the seat and ride off when she heard the sound of a gun being cocked and loaded. She turned to look over her shoulder.

One of the cops had struggled to his feet and was aiming a gun at her. "Freeze!"

She sighed. *Do someone a favour and this is what you get.* Aloud she said in a mocking voice, "I save your sorry ass and you're gonna shoot me for it. What is this world coming to?"

The cop hesitated, and she took advantage of his moment of indecision. "Shouldn't you be aiming that at them?" she said, pointing at the five bodies on the ground.

The cop looked back and forth between Max and the thugs. One of them groaned and started to stir. The cop reacted. He rushed towards the guy and smacked him hard on the back of the head with the butt of his gun. The thug went down and lay still. As the cop slipped his cuffs out, Max got on her bike and headed out. She had no intention of sticking around until the reinforcements arrived.

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According to eye witness accounts, the five men were subdued by a single transgenic female… The TV reporter's voice droned on, describing the scene as the cameras showed the five thugs being led away in handcuffs by the police.

Alec leaned back in his chair. "And everybody thinks I'm the reckless one," he said to no one in particular.

Max looked across the table at Alec. "What?" she said defensively. "I didn't go looking for trouble, it found me."

"Yeah, that's what I always said, and you never bought it either" he said with a grin. He wasn't actually mad at her. In fact, her little stunt that morning might turn out to be a really good thing for them. *Show the world we aren't a danger. That we can actually be useful to them.*

One of the computers beeped a warning. Dix looked over at the screen and called out "Max, we've got an incoming signal. Looks like someone wants to talk to you."

She groaned. "Time to reassure the bureaucrats," she said as she headed for her office. She flipped on the monitor and sat down in front of the web cam. She was a little surprised to see a dark-haired man in a trim black suit. He wasn't one of her usual contacts from either the sector police or the governor's office.

"Good morning, 452. My name is Witherspoon. I am the Negotiator. The government has authorized me to make a deal with you on their behalf."

Max crossed her arms. "I'm listening."

He smiled paternally at her. "You must understand, the public is frightened and confused. We are concerned about safety, theirs and yours."

"We're not gonna start anything. But we will defend ourselves if attacked. Terminal City is our home now. It's not like it's prime real estate or anything. You can't use it, so why shouldn't we have it?"

"True enough. But how will you support yourselves, feed your people? By taking jobs away from decent, law-abiding Americans? The public will not accept that."

"So I guess we're at a standstill. Cuz we're not going to surrender."

"As I have said, I have been authorized to make an arrangement. Quid pro quo. You will be allowed to stay in Terminal City. Build your…society, live your lives as you see fit. Provided that you stay on your side of the fence."

"So what'll it cost us?"

"Two conditions. First, we must have access."

"Access? Access to what?"

"Your special skills. If the government needs a job done, one of your men will do it."

Max stared at him in disbelief. "You mean assassination. We get Terminal City so long as we take out whoever you tell us to."

"Among other things," he said with a bland smile on his face.

The room spun dizzily. This was worse than anything she'd imagined. The impulse to tell him to shove his conditions up his ass was so strong that she had to bite her tongue to control the rage. One of things Manticore had drilled into them, over and over, was 'never let your enemy see your weaknesses'. Max took a deep breath and forced her voice to be steady. "And the second condition?"

"We put our own man on the ground inside Terminal City."

"Who?" Max asked with a sinking feeling.

"Colonel Lydecker. You must see that he is the ideal choice to be our…observer. He knows best which of you would be suited to each mission. And he understands our needs. Do you agree to these terms?"

"This isn't a dictatorship," she snapped.

"Of course not. Forgive me for rushing you. Go consult your fellow transgenics. But I must have your answer soon. This situation must be resolved." The screen went blank.

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Max paced back and forth across her office, unable to sit still. She was so upset and furious by the government's conditions that she could barely see straight. *How can they expect us to agree to that? Don't they understand we're so much more than what they wanted us to be?*

Alec forced his own anger aside and tried to remain calm. One of them had to think clearly right now, because too many lives depended on whatever decision they made. He didn't want to barter their skills anymore than she did, but she had to realize that not everyone in Terminal City would consider the offer a bad bargain. He needed to find the best words to use to get through to her. "Max, I know how much this kills you, but maybe going mercenary isn't such a bad thing" he started to say.

Max stared at him in disbelief. It felt like she'd just been run over by a Mack truck. She staggered back a few steps, away from him. "You're actually willing to be an assassin for them?" she asked, her voice full of hurt and anger and disillusionment. She thought he was better than that. She thought he'd become something more than just a soldier. She closed her eyes and turned away, unable to face him. Something wonderful had just been tarnished for her and she couldn't breathe past the pain of it.

Alec grabbed her arms and forced her to turn and face him. He couldn't bear to have her think that way about him, not even for a minute. He wasn't that person. At least, not anymore. "No, I'm not! Don't ever think that! I won't be a killer for them. Not again." He stared deep into her eyes, willing her to believe him. He pushed aside the pain he felt that she could so easily think the worst about him. This might be their only chance to come out of this without massive casualties and he needed her to listen and understand what he was getting at.

She searched his face, trying to read the truth in his eyes. She could see how hurt he was that she would have so little faith in him. He wasn't a cold-blooded killer. He wasn't what they made him to be. "I'm sorry," she whispered, ashamed that once again she'd jumped to conclusions and misjudged him.

He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "I hate this too, Max. I'm just trying to be realistic about it."

She held him tight. *I don't deserve him. I've always been ready to believe the worst about him.* She'd have to find a way to make it up to him, but now wasn't the time. They had to resolve this. Witherspoon was waiting for their answer. She took a deep breath and leaned back in his arms so she could watch his face as he spoke. "Ok, so tell me what you meant."

"Three things. First, not everyone in TC is like us. Believe me, some of them won't have any problem with this deal."

Max opened her mouth to deny it and then shut it again as she realized he was probably right. A lot of them had been scarred by how they'd been treated by humans since the escape, particularly the transhumans. They'd gotten the worst of it because they couldn't blend in and pass for human. They didn't have much respect for ordinaries so they probably wouldn't object to taking a few out. She nodded reluctantly and indicated he should continue.

"Second, not every mission is going to involve assassination. They need us for other things too, like recon and retrieval."

She nodded. She hadn't thought of that, but it made sense. They could get in and out of places ordinary humans couldn't.

"And third, most of the guys they sent us after weren't very nice people. Taking them out wouldn't be that different from what you were doing for Eyes Only."

She twisted out of his arms. "And what about the ones that were nice people? Who just got a little too curious or a little too close to the truth, like Robert Berrisford?"

He winced and clenched his jaw. That was a low blow. "Ok, so we check it out first. If the target's clean, we refuse the assignment. What are they gonna do, storm the compound?"

"Uh, yeah probably!"

"Nah. They'd have to come up with a good excuse."

"I'm sure they could come up with half a dozen without even trying!" she yelled, surprised he could be so naive.

"Yeah, but if they do that they gotta know we'll broadcast the truth. The public may not believe it but they'll wonder, and the government can't afford that. They're in enough trouble as it is with voters for having made us in the first place. They don't need it to come out that they're still using us for their dirty little jobs. It's a stalemate, Max. They can't ignore us and they can't defeat us in open combat. So they gotta make a deal. This is how it's done. You always ask for more than you're willing to settle for. Gives you room to back down and still get what you really want."

She nodded slowly. It made sense. And she trusted his judgement in things like this. Alec was the dealer, he knew how to play the game.

"Ask them," he continued, pointing outside to TC. "Most of them will jump at the chance to go on a mission. We we're built to do this and to take pride in it. We're never going to be normal, Max. We're addicted to the adrenaline rush that comes from doing what we were designed to do. It's who we are. At least now we have a choice about when and how we get to use our talents. We don't like an assignment, we refuse it. That's more than we ever had before."

"Yeah but they want to send Lydecker in to watch us," Max wailed. "It'll be just like Manticore again."

"No, it won't. Just cuz he's here doesn't mean he's in charge. Look, it makes sense that they'd want a man of their own here. They're gonna insist on someone. And you know what they say about the devil you know."

"What?" she asked sceptically.

"It's better than the one you don't. Granted, Lydecker was a prick. But you don't know what Manticore was like once Renfro took over. Whole new kind of hell. In his own twisted way, Lydecker actually likes us. So if we have to have a spy, maybe he's not such a bad choice."

Her shoulders slumped. "I hate this. I hate having to agree to this."

"So do I" he said softly, taking her in his arms again. "I wish they'd just leave us alone. But that's not going to happen, so we have to make the best of a bad deal. It could be so much worse, Max. They could just decide to bomb TC and be rid of us once and for all. At least this way, we have a chance. And who knows, if we can win the public over, maybe we can change the terms."

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A/N: Don't forget to press that little button at the bottom marked 'Submit Review'. It makes me happy, and when I'm happy I write faster.