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 THIRTEEN
Max stared at her older brother with concern as he writhed on the floor in a restless and seemingly troublesome sleep. He gave a small moan as he rolled over and Max yearned to reach out and touch him, to comfort him from whatever was plaguing his dreams. Ben's eyes fluttered as memories replayed in his mind slowly. He saw himself strapped to a cold metal chair in blinking lights, held down by painful restraints.
"Should we drill him about his blue lady?"
"NO."
"Sir?"
"Let him have that one. Let him believe he has the upper hand on us in that respect. She fuels his strength and that will be beneficial to us."
Ben watched as a Psy-Ops agent with blazing purple eyes awakened him.
"Here 493, this is for you. We're taking you back to barracks. Your time is up."
He stared back dazed, as a gold medallion was pushed into his now freed hand. He awoke with a start, his hand balled together tightly, grasping something important that was there only in his mind.
"You're okay Ben, it was just a dream."
He remained silent and Max questioned herself whether he had heard her or not.
"No. Not a dream, a memory."
Ben finally croaked out and Max suddenly recoiled as a flashback of her and Alec ran through her mind. Him crying out Rachel's name. Her comforting and holding him. Whispered confessions.
"It was just a dream."
"Memory."
She shuddered the thoughts in her mind away and rolled her head to the side, the only movement she could achieve. Ben glanced at her, wiping the sleep from his eyes,
"What are you thinking?"
"Nothing."
"About your boy?"
"Actually yeah. I was thinking about Alec."
"Err yeah.Alec, Logan - whoever."
"You know what Ben? You don't know me, don't assume you've got me all figured."
"Touchy, touchy. You know I don't want to make you cry or anything - though that would be a real treat - but if I were you Maxie, I would've given up on him now. Both of them. You're not going to be saved."
She bit her lip to stop the snide remark that would generally follow such a comment. But, she knew that provoking Ben would diminish her making it out alive. Instead, a solitary tear rolled down her flawless cheek and tickled its way down, before plummeting to the cement floor. Ben watched the salty drop on it's path, before his expression alleviated,
"Didn't actually think I'd ever see you cry. It's almost a refreshing change from the usual tough girl leather clad image."
Max avoided his gaze, whispering in a barely audible tone,
"I cried when I had to let you go. Just do me a favour, shut up."
Ben opened his mouth to comment, then shrugged and lay back down, grinning to himself at having affected Max so greatly. She watched him for a minute, then closed her eyes,
"Alec.where are you? .Save me."
Another tear fell down her face, as she forced herself to sleep, her thoughts riddled with Alec, not Logan.
* * * * *
"So now they're both gone?",
Cindy's voice rose to an abnormally high pitch and Logan grimaced, tearing away from her vice like stare,
"Lydecker double crossed us. It was supposed to be Alec for Max, but there's no sign of either."
"Why did you trust him fool? How could you just have let Alec go?"
"Cindy, calm down. Yelling is not going to solve anything."
"Don't tell me to calm down!"
"I'm working on finding them. It's just gonna take some time, but I am trying."
The older man sighed and scratched his forehead. Cindy stood with her hands on her hips watching him, before relaxing onto the couch,
"Just find them please."
"I'm gonna try. Max is the most important person in my life, I'm gonna do my best to find her."
"And Alec."
"Yeah.of course."
* * * * *
Max shuffled uncomfortably at her binding restraints, which held her to a thick solid wall. She wiggled quietly, trying her best not to wake Ben with the movement of the chains. They made a sudden clinking sound and she stopped, holding her breath as she stared nervously at him. He made a snuffling sound and then the room fell silent again. Max let out the breath she was holding, before tugging at the shackles again, moving her head in an effort to see what she was doing. The holding cuff around her neck limited her from seeing her handy work, so she concentrated on her fingertips acting as eyes, as if she were reading Braille.
Max gritted her teeth and focused on moving her fingers silently around a chain link. It seemed like every movement was like a shuttle launch, but thankfully Ben didn't stir. Eventually, she managed to grip a link successfully and she slowly pried it open. Unhooking it from the rest of the chain, she let it drop onto her foot with a dull thud, so as not to wake her captor. With her right arm free, she pried back the metal surrounding her neck. She released the rest of her restrained body and shook herself free. She looked down at her peaceful brother, before soundlessly sliding out of the building. Ben watched her through the slightest crack rising of his eyelid, as he maintained his breathing pattern,
"See you soon 452."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Max stared at her older brother with concern as he writhed on the floor in a restless and seemingly troublesome sleep. He gave a small moan as he rolled over and Max yearned to reach out and touch him, to comfort him from whatever was plaguing his dreams. Ben's eyes fluttered as memories replayed in his mind slowly. He saw himself strapped to a cold metal chair in blinking lights, held down by painful restraints.
"Should we drill him about his blue lady?"
"NO."
"Sir?"
"Let him have that one. Let him believe he has the upper hand on us in that respect. She fuels his strength and that will be beneficial to us."
Ben watched as a Psy-Ops agent with blazing purple eyes awakened him.
"Here 493, this is for you. We're taking you back to barracks. Your time is up."
He stared back dazed, as a gold medallion was pushed into his now freed hand. He awoke with a start, his hand balled together tightly, grasping something important that was there only in his mind.
"You're okay Ben, it was just a dream."
He remained silent and Max questioned herself whether he had heard her or not.
"No. Not a dream, a memory."
Ben finally croaked out and Max suddenly recoiled as a flashback of her and Alec ran through her mind. Him crying out Rachel's name. Her comforting and holding him. Whispered confessions.
"It was just a dream."
"Memory."
She shuddered the thoughts in her mind away and rolled her head to the side, the only movement she could achieve. Ben glanced at her, wiping the sleep from his eyes,
"What are you thinking?"
"Nothing."
"About your boy?"
"Actually yeah. I was thinking about Alec."
"Err yeah.Alec, Logan - whoever."
"You know what Ben? You don't know me, don't assume you've got me all figured."
"Touchy, touchy. You know I don't want to make you cry or anything - though that would be a real treat - but if I were you Maxie, I would've given up on him now. Both of them. You're not going to be saved."
She bit her lip to stop the snide remark that would generally follow such a comment. But, she knew that provoking Ben would diminish her making it out alive. Instead, a solitary tear rolled down her flawless cheek and tickled its way down, before plummeting to the cement floor. Ben watched the salty drop on it's path, before his expression alleviated,
"Didn't actually think I'd ever see you cry. It's almost a refreshing change from the usual tough girl leather clad image."
Max avoided his gaze, whispering in a barely audible tone,
"I cried when I had to let you go. Just do me a favour, shut up."
Ben opened his mouth to comment, then shrugged and lay back down, grinning to himself at having affected Max so greatly. She watched him for a minute, then closed her eyes,
"Alec.where are you? .Save me."
Another tear fell down her face, as she forced herself to sleep, her thoughts riddled with Alec, not Logan.
* * * * *
"So now they're both gone?",
Cindy's voice rose to an abnormally high pitch and Logan grimaced, tearing away from her vice like stare,
"Lydecker double crossed us. It was supposed to be Alec for Max, but there's no sign of either."
"Why did you trust him fool? How could you just have let Alec go?"
"Cindy, calm down. Yelling is not going to solve anything."
"Don't tell me to calm down!"
"I'm working on finding them. It's just gonna take some time, but I am trying."
The older man sighed and scratched his forehead. Cindy stood with her hands on her hips watching him, before relaxing onto the couch,
"Just find them please."
"I'm gonna try. Max is the most important person in my life, I'm gonna do my best to find her."
"And Alec."
"Yeah.of course."
* * * * *
Max shuffled uncomfortably at her binding restraints, which held her to a thick solid wall. She wiggled quietly, trying her best not to wake Ben with the movement of the chains. They made a sudden clinking sound and she stopped, holding her breath as she stared nervously at him. He made a snuffling sound and then the room fell silent again. Max let out the breath she was holding, before tugging at the shackles again, moving her head in an effort to see what she was doing. The holding cuff around her neck limited her from seeing her handy work, so she concentrated on her fingertips acting as eyes, as if she were reading Braille.
Max gritted her teeth and focused on moving her fingers silently around a chain link. It seemed like every movement was like a shuttle launch, but thankfully Ben didn't stir. Eventually, she managed to grip a link successfully and she slowly pried it open. Unhooking it from the rest of the chain, she let it drop onto her foot with a dull thud, so as not to wake her captor. With her right arm free, she pried back the metal surrounding her neck. She released the rest of her restrained body and shook herself free. She looked down at her peaceful brother, before soundlessly sliding out of the building. Ben watched her through the slightest crack rising of his eyelid, as he maintained his breathing pattern,
"See you soon 452."