This is A/U. Not for M/L fans, or M/Z fans. In fact, let me tell you that I don't plan on having ANY Zack or Logan action here. Got it? Good. And, of course, it'll be M/A.

Disclaimer: I have no clue who, at the moment, owns Dark Angel. But it's not me, so... don't sue.

Alec sat down on the porch, pulling out a seemingly innocent cell phone. Opening it, he dialed a number and attached a palm-sized camera/monitor to it.

The director's face appeared. "Report," she demanding.

"They've completely accepted me."

"And?"

"Right now they're packing for a celebration 'We-Found-Ben' trip."

"And?"

"That's it."

"I'm worried, 494."

"Why?"

"You've been corrupted."

Alec stared at the phone. "I don't think so, ma'am."

"You're getting disrespectful, 494. You're getting too sure of yourself. You are a soldier. You are the brawn, Manticore is the brains. Remember that-Manticore is unbeatable."

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am," said Alec. To himself, though, he had to wonder. What if Manticore wasn't everything it claimed-what if they were corrupted? Maybe they were the rouges. Maybe, just maybe, the escapees were the brains, for real, and were the only ones who had seen the way things should be.

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Max bit her lip as she reached the top of the stairs, giggling quietly as she watched Alec scurry out of the kitchen to join her. She summoned him with one waggling finger, ducking into the study. She slid down onto the couch, still holding back laughter as he shut the door behind them.

"You're gonna get us in trouble, missy--"

She attempted to look properly repentant, and failed miserably. He sat next to her, leaning over her. "Shhh."

Her laughter quickly stopped. "Help me," she said, looking at him through lowered eyelids.

"Gee, I wonder ho--" he was cut off as she grabbed his head and pulled it to hers, their lips meeting. He groaned slightly and flipped them over, so she was straddling him as they kissed.

She took full advantage of his momentary distraction to deepen the kiss, willing him to focus on just her. He smiled into the kiss, his hands sliding around her waist to pull her closer to him. Her hands began to travel, once again taking the inactive, to his own waist and under his shirt. She traced his built muscles, no train of thought of her own.

Alec, on the other hand, was having the opposite reaction. He ran through everything he could think of-- the five ways to test for if someone was lying, the names of all the kings of England, the elements, the body temperatures of all mammals. Pupil sizes, Henry the fifth, hydrogen, cats are 102... He felt himself slipping around her, and it scared the hell out of him. Control is success, loss of it leads to weakness which is failure which is psy-ops which is death...

He realized, suddenly, that at some point his hands had ended up under her shirt. Having no clue how they got there, he panicked. His hands coming back down to her hips, he squeezed gently and pulled her up. "We should work," he said, voice deep.

She nodded somewhat confused, looking at him pensively. "Yeah, okay." She climbed off him. "Where do you think we should look?"

He sighed, and smiled apologetically at her. "Well, I know a guy..."