Spoilers: Set after Hello, Goodbye - so anything prior to this
episode is spoiled and as the story continues, it may impinge
slightly on other episodes after unintentionally.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters that we owe
thanks to James Cameron, FOX and anyone else associated with
Dark Angel.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CHAPTER FOUR
After standing frozen for hours, Max made her way back to the motel room, her eyes red and puffy. She didn't know what she was going to do about Alec. But she had decided that she would deal with it as it came. She opened the door and walked inside, smiling at Alec as he sat up eying her warily. He wrinkled his nose in distaste at the smell she brought in with her, but wasn't game to comment.
"Alec, I want you to know that I am really sorry about before. I hope you know that you can talk to me about anything."
"Yeah, okay. Great."
"Is there anything you want to tell me?"
"Yeah you stink.where were you?"
She sniffed tentatively; the air was thick with an offensive odour she had brought in.
"Walking in the woods, I came to a really interesting spot in a clearing."
Max waited for a response, her eyes piercing holes into his, as she searched for any flicker of emotion in his eyes. Nothing.
"What was so interesting? Stumble across some young lovers? Decided to do some bird watching?"
He chuckled after he spoke and Max felt it shoot through her body like ice. He stopped his laughter and fixated his eyes on her paling face. She tried to look as normal as possible, but she knew that he would be able to hear the heavy thumping of her heart.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what Alec?"
"I don't know. Like you're expecting me to jump you."
"Well you never know with you."
"And by the sound of your heartbeat, does it mean that you want me to?"
Max backed up slightly and grimaced at him,
"Yeah in your dreams Casanova."
"So what then?"
"You tell me. I know what has happened, all I want is for you to tell me why Alec."
He sighed and Max kept her gaze trained on him, watching his every move.
"I just couldn't deal, I wanted it to stop."
"But I don't understand, why would you do this?"
"You know why."
Max stopped cold in her questioning and looked at Alec. At that time she could see no difference between him and Ben. His features darkened and he was staring into air as though he were seeing ghosts. After what had happened, maybe he was.
"I don't. Explain it to me."
"We don't belong in this world. Unwelcome. Freaks. We never should have been made. Those rednecks tonight made me almost miss life at Manticore. That I should be doing what I was made to. So I snapped. And yeah, maybe I went too far, but it suppressed the noise in my head temporarily."
"Something like that would only amplify it, I should think."
"It didn't. It made me feel alive. And that's why I needed to clear my head. It scared me."
Max didn't speak as she swallowed her disgust. Alec was panting coarsely and he ran his hands through his hair,
"You saw me do it. Why are you so confused?"
"I didn't."
"How could you not? You were right there the whole time."
"Are you tripping?"
"Max, you saw me. I snapped the damn guy's neck. I threw him against the wall like the trash he was. And I liked it. For a brief moment, I felt powerful and in control. And then I realised what I had done. I have finally started to fit in this world, discovered that I am human, maybe even have a soul. And so what do I do? I kill someone. A bad man yes, but a human who couldn't defend himself against the psychotic killing-happy freak that I am."
"Alec, what are you talking about?"
He looked at her, his tear-filled green eyes showing nothing but grief and fear,
"Today in the warehouse. What are you talking about?"
"Today in the woods."
"The woods? What happened in the woods? I don't understand."
His striking face was overcome with genuine concern and Max studied his eyes as she spoke,
"You really have no idea what happened in the woods?"
"No. Are you going to tell me?"
"I don't understand what's going on."
"Well that makes two of use Maxie."
She didn't respond and Alec could see her brow furrowed delicately as she stared into space. She looked up suddenly at him,
"Lydecker. It has to be. He was the only one who knew. He was in charge of the clean up operation and investigation."
"Lydecker? I thought he was dead.but wait, what does he know?"
Max slumped down next to him and proceeded to tell him the entire story about Ben, Lydecker and what she had seen in the woods. Her brown eyes became hot liquid, but she continued and Alec's face became consumed with shock,
"So again I am being blamed for Ben's crimes?"
"He didn't do it. He's dead. It's a set-up. The bodies had your barcode."
"GREAT! Just great! So what are.hey! YOU THOUGHT I DID IT?",
His voice became thick with pain as he accused the girl next to him.
"I.Alec."
"How could you think that? Man! YOU ARE JUST LIKE MANTICORE!",
He stood up yelling, stopping as Max's head dropped in shame. He softened his voice and collapsed next to her,
"Maybe I am.maybe I am as crazy as they all thought I was. I can't remember what happened after I left the warehouse, except that I was drinking. I was drunk. Maybe I did do it. Maybe it was me. But I don't understand. I am crazy."
"No you're not. How could you have done it? You didn't know the details of Ben's crimes. You knew about the dental fixation, but that's it. You didn't know about the body positioning, the barcode. You're not crazy."
"I don't want to be what everyone thought I was."
"You aren't. You wont ever be. But we need to figure who's behind this. We'll head home tonight. But we are going to have to take some photos of the scenery first. We'll get Logan on it."
"Oh goodie."
* * * * *
"Max.This is just. It's not right."
"I know."
Alec felt like vomiting as he stared at the displayed bodies. He couldn't move, couldn't breath. It was disgusting, a sick, twisted act of unnecessary violence. It was Manticore. Max moved carefully around the area, snapping photos with a disposable camera they had managed to buy. She covered all angles twice and slid around in the nearby bush, looking for anything that might be of help.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CHAPTER FOUR
After standing frozen for hours, Max made her way back to the motel room, her eyes red and puffy. She didn't know what she was going to do about Alec. But she had decided that she would deal with it as it came. She opened the door and walked inside, smiling at Alec as he sat up eying her warily. He wrinkled his nose in distaste at the smell she brought in with her, but wasn't game to comment.
"Alec, I want you to know that I am really sorry about before. I hope you know that you can talk to me about anything."
"Yeah, okay. Great."
"Is there anything you want to tell me?"
"Yeah you stink.where were you?"
She sniffed tentatively; the air was thick with an offensive odour she had brought in.
"Walking in the woods, I came to a really interesting spot in a clearing."
Max waited for a response, her eyes piercing holes into his, as she searched for any flicker of emotion in his eyes. Nothing.
"What was so interesting? Stumble across some young lovers? Decided to do some bird watching?"
He chuckled after he spoke and Max felt it shoot through her body like ice. He stopped his laughter and fixated his eyes on her paling face. She tried to look as normal as possible, but she knew that he would be able to hear the heavy thumping of her heart.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what Alec?"
"I don't know. Like you're expecting me to jump you."
"Well you never know with you."
"And by the sound of your heartbeat, does it mean that you want me to?"
Max backed up slightly and grimaced at him,
"Yeah in your dreams Casanova."
"So what then?"
"You tell me. I know what has happened, all I want is for you to tell me why Alec."
He sighed and Max kept her gaze trained on him, watching his every move.
"I just couldn't deal, I wanted it to stop."
"But I don't understand, why would you do this?"
"You know why."
Max stopped cold in her questioning and looked at Alec. At that time she could see no difference between him and Ben. His features darkened and he was staring into air as though he were seeing ghosts. After what had happened, maybe he was.
"I don't. Explain it to me."
"We don't belong in this world. Unwelcome. Freaks. We never should have been made. Those rednecks tonight made me almost miss life at Manticore. That I should be doing what I was made to. So I snapped. And yeah, maybe I went too far, but it suppressed the noise in my head temporarily."
"Something like that would only amplify it, I should think."
"It didn't. It made me feel alive. And that's why I needed to clear my head. It scared me."
Max didn't speak as she swallowed her disgust. Alec was panting coarsely and he ran his hands through his hair,
"You saw me do it. Why are you so confused?"
"I didn't."
"How could you not? You were right there the whole time."
"Are you tripping?"
"Max, you saw me. I snapped the damn guy's neck. I threw him against the wall like the trash he was. And I liked it. For a brief moment, I felt powerful and in control. And then I realised what I had done. I have finally started to fit in this world, discovered that I am human, maybe even have a soul. And so what do I do? I kill someone. A bad man yes, but a human who couldn't defend himself against the psychotic killing-happy freak that I am."
"Alec, what are you talking about?"
He looked at her, his tear-filled green eyes showing nothing but grief and fear,
"Today in the warehouse. What are you talking about?"
"Today in the woods."
"The woods? What happened in the woods? I don't understand."
His striking face was overcome with genuine concern and Max studied his eyes as she spoke,
"You really have no idea what happened in the woods?"
"No. Are you going to tell me?"
"I don't understand what's going on."
"Well that makes two of use Maxie."
She didn't respond and Alec could see her brow furrowed delicately as she stared into space. She looked up suddenly at him,
"Lydecker. It has to be. He was the only one who knew. He was in charge of the clean up operation and investigation."
"Lydecker? I thought he was dead.but wait, what does he know?"
Max slumped down next to him and proceeded to tell him the entire story about Ben, Lydecker and what she had seen in the woods. Her brown eyes became hot liquid, but she continued and Alec's face became consumed with shock,
"So again I am being blamed for Ben's crimes?"
"He didn't do it. He's dead. It's a set-up. The bodies had your barcode."
"GREAT! Just great! So what are.hey! YOU THOUGHT I DID IT?",
His voice became thick with pain as he accused the girl next to him.
"I.Alec."
"How could you think that? Man! YOU ARE JUST LIKE MANTICORE!",
He stood up yelling, stopping as Max's head dropped in shame. He softened his voice and collapsed next to her,
"Maybe I am.maybe I am as crazy as they all thought I was. I can't remember what happened after I left the warehouse, except that I was drinking. I was drunk. Maybe I did do it. Maybe it was me. But I don't understand. I am crazy."
"No you're not. How could you have done it? You didn't know the details of Ben's crimes. You knew about the dental fixation, but that's it. You didn't know about the body positioning, the barcode. You're not crazy."
"I don't want to be what everyone thought I was."
"You aren't. You wont ever be. But we need to figure who's behind this. We'll head home tonight. But we are going to have to take some photos of the scenery first. We'll get Logan on it."
"Oh goodie."
* * * * *
"Max.This is just. It's not right."
"I know."
Alec felt like vomiting as he stared at the displayed bodies. He couldn't move, couldn't breath. It was disgusting, a sick, twisted act of unnecessary violence. It was Manticore. Max moved carefully around the area, snapping photos with a disposable camera they had managed to buy. She covered all angles twice and slid around in the nearby bush, looking for anything that might be of help.