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 FOURTEEN
"Alec, open up! It's me, Max!",
She pounded heavily on his door whilst yelling out in an effort to alert him of her presence. No answer. She sighed defeated, he wasn't here. He hadn't been at Joshua's, her place, Crash, nor the Space Needle or that sleazy strip club. She had even checked out Jampony, but no luck. Max spread her hand out over the apartment number, before turning to head to the last place he would be. Logan's.
* * * * *
"She escaped? How did that happen?"
"A mistake was made. It can be rectified."
"No. Lydecker, this is actually good news, it could prove to be invaluable to the overall scheme of things."
"What do you wish to be done?"
"Bide your time, let's just call it the next phase."
"And 494?"
"Is to think 452 is dead. It will allow the operation to be carried out more smoothly."
"Very well, it shall be done."
* * * * *
"Max!",
Cindy's voice shrilled throughout Foggle Towers and Logan sleepily lifted his head, unaware of the thin line of drool down his chin or the keyboard imprints mashed into his cheek.
"You're okay! I was so worried, we didn't know what to think."
She pulled back from the bear hug Original Cindy had draped her into and gave Logan a thin smile,
"Hey, I'm okay. Don't fuss you guys. Um.where's Alec?"
Logan cleared his throat and Cindy took that as her cue, mumbling incoherently as she slipped out of the apartment.
"I missed you Max."
"I missed you guys too."
"What happened to you?"
"It doesn't matter right now. What does is that I need to speak with Alec."
Logan paused before answering her, his eyes gleaming behind his glasses,
"Haven't seen him."
Max swallowed, her heart racing. She needed to see Alec, he was what had driven her to feel the need to hang in there, to fight, hold on and escape. She felt a pang of guilt as she saw concern for her overcome Logan's eyes.
"I thought I'd lost you."
"I'm not that easy to get rid of, it takes a lot to lose me."
She paused in the doorway, before mumbling softly about needing a nap, as she exited his penthouse apartment.
* * * * *
"It's been over a week since you last saw him Joshua, are you sure you have no idea where he is?"
"Little fella worried. Worried for Alec."
"Yeah Big Fella, I am."
"Alec gone."
"I know. I need you to think carefully if there us anything that can help me find him."
Joshua gave a pitiful howl and whined softly as he shook his head. Max sighed and bid him farewell, retreating from his rundown shack of a house.
* * * * *
"Boo, I haven't seen you since when you first came back to Logan's."
Original Cindy sat back in her chair and bit into a potato chip purposely. Max smiled weakly and looked over at a solemn Sketchy, who had finally become aware of the absence of his best friend Alec. He shot dispiritedly at the balls on the pool table, before sighing and shuffling over to an empty seat at the bar in Crash.
"I've just been worrying about Alec."
"Yeah, I know it must be hard not knowing where your boy is."
"Its just so typical of him.I wish there was some way to find out where he is."
"Get Logan on it."
"What's he supposed to do, OC? It's not like Alec left a paper trail behind as he walked out of our lives without a word, despite the fact I had been kidnapped."
"Max you can't be angry at Alec."
She turned to look at her friend, struggling to keep her emotions locked inside,
"I am angry at him. It's just so typical! To just take off, no worries about me, or the staged murders in the woods or whether people would worry about him or not."
She stopped her rant and pouted, while Cindy's mouth dropped open in surprise and she quickly recovered,
"Girl, you got yo wires crossed or sumfin."
"Huh?"
"Your boy Alec may be a doggy-dog, but he ain't the things yo accusing him of."
"OC, what do you mean?"
"What did Logan tell you about Alec?"
Max sat quietly, lost in her thoughts as her mind struggled to register and validate everything,
"Just that he hadn't seen him."
"Well then, yo boy been spinning you a lie."
"WHAT?"
"Okay, listen to me wid yo ears carefully. Lydecker approached Alec, offered him a swap - him for you. He agreed immediately, but the deal got turned around and Alec got caught, without you being released."
Max's eyes flickered in shock, thoughts running ramped through her head,
"So he.Alec gave himself up for me? ALEC?"
"You better believe it. Chivalry lives, baby girl, even in a soldier like your boy. Didn't even hesitate. A regular knight in shining armour."
"Its hardly the time to be sarcastic."
"No boo, I wasn't. That boy saved your ass, well intended to. He just made my list, I love the fool, and I think that you love him too. You should for what he did ain't based on friendship."
"I.I gotta go."
Max pushed herself away from the table and ran outside to her awaiting ninja.
* * * * *
"What the hell is your problem?"
Logan's head whipped around as Max's angry voice echoed in the room. His face broke into a friendly, yet nervous smile,
"Hey."
"Don't hey me! Answer me Logan!"
"No problem here. Well aside from the usual 'I've got a genetically altered girlfriend who's DNA is coated with a virus that will kill me through the slightest touch' deal. But other than that, I'm peachy."
"Yeah well the whole virus deal, way down the bottom of my priorities."
He irked one eyebrow up at her and her thick lips pushed together in a tight line.
"What's up?"
"Alec. You should've told me, but you didn't."
"I didn't think to. I.I just couldn't bring myself to tell you."
"You jerk! He's my best friend and you didn't think to tell me he has been kidnapped!"
Logan's face became contorted with anguish, as Max's usually loud voice had shrunk to an angrily quiet tone.
"I thought I was your best friend Max."
"You thought wrong. Right now, all you are is an insensitive asshole who may have got the most important person in my life killed."
"So I guess now's the time you try and pretend that the two of you are together again?"
"No I'm not going to lie another time. I don't need to save your life. But I will say this, you and I - forget it! I can't believe I thought I could love you. If Alec dies, I will make you wish we'd never met. Payback's a bitch Logan, and so will I be if he dies."
Max whirled around, giving one final contemptuous look, before stalking out of the apartment, her long brown hair tailing after her.
* * * * *
"Hello?"
"It's Lydecker. You know, it never ceases to amaze me how you can answer the phone every time on the third ring."
"Is this a social call or business?"
"Like you need to ask.your payment is on the way. I must extend my thanks for your erm.eager assistance in this operation."
"And thank you. I trust that I wont have to worry about you sending people after me in an effort to cover your tracks."
"Naturally. You play an enormous role in the big picture. Such actions would be foolishly damaging."
"Good to know."
"And I trust that we both understand that this conversation never took place. Discretion of course, is vital for the overall plan - is it not?"
A harsh, guttural laugh cackled over the phone receiver and Donald Lydecker smiled satisfactorily, sitting back in his plush leather chair and rubbing his hands together in a gleeful, villainous manner.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"Alec, open up! It's me, Max!",
She pounded heavily on his door whilst yelling out in an effort to alert him of her presence. No answer. She sighed defeated, he wasn't here. He hadn't been at Joshua's, her place, Crash, nor the Space Needle or that sleazy strip club. She had even checked out Jampony, but no luck. Max spread her hand out over the apartment number, before turning to head to the last place he would be. Logan's.
* * * * *
"She escaped? How did that happen?"
"A mistake was made. It can be rectified."
"No. Lydecker, this is actually good news, it could prove to be invaluable to the overall scheme of things."
"What do you wish to be done?"
"Bide your time, let's just call it the next phase."
"And 494?"
"Is to think 452 is dead. It will allow the operation to be carried out more smoothly."
"Very well, it shall be done."
* * * * *
"Max!",
Cindy's voice shrilled throughout Foggle Towers and Logan sleepily lifted his head, unaware of the thin line of drool down his chin or the keyboard imprints mashed into his cheek.
"You're okay! I was so worried, we didn't know what to think."
She pulled back from the bear hug Original Cindy had draped her into and gave Logan a thin smile,
"Hey, I'm okay. Don't fuss you guys. Um.where's Alec?"
Logan cleared his throat and Cindy took that as her cue, mumbling incoherently as she slipped out of the apartment.
"I missed you Max."
"I missed you guys too."
"What happened to you?"
"It doesn't matter right now. What does is that I need to speak with Alec."
Logan paused before answering her, his eyes gleaming behind his glasses,
"Haven't seen him."
Max swallowed, her heart racing. She needed to see Alec, he was what had driven her to feel the need to hang in there, to fight, hold on and escape. She felt a pang of guilt as she saw concern for her overcome Logan's eyes.
"I thought I'd lost you."
"I'm not that easy to get rid of, it takes a lot to lose me."
She paused in the doorway, before mumbling softly about needing a nap, as she exited his penthouse apartment.
* * * * *
"It's been over a week since you last saw him Joshua, are you sure you have no idea where he is?"
"Little fella worried. Worried for Alec."
"Yeah Big Fella, I am."
"Alec gone."
"I know. I need you to think carefully if there us anything that can help me find him."
Joshua gave a pitiful howl and whined softly as he shook his head. Max sighed and bid him farewell, retreating from his rundown shack of a house.
* * * * *
"Boo, I haven't seen you since when you first came back to Logan's."
Original Cindy sat back in her chair and bit into a potato chip purposely. Max smiled weakly and looked over at a solemn Sketchy, who had finally become aware of the absence of his best friend Alec. He shot dispiritedly at the balls on the pool table, before sighing and shuffling over to an empty seat at the bar in Crash.
"I've just been worrying about Alec."
"Yeah, I know it must be hard not knowing where your boy is."
"Its just so typical of him.I wish there was some way to find out where he is."
"Get Logan on it."
"What's he supposed to do, OC? It's not like Alec left a paper trail behind as he walked out of our lives without a word, despite the fact I had been kidnapped."
"Max you can't be angry at Alec."
She turned to look at her friend, struggling to keep her emotions locked inside,
"I am angry at him. It's just so typical! To just take off, no worries about me, or the staged murders in the woods or whether people would worry about him or not."
She stopped her rant and pouted, while Cindy's mouth dropped open in surprise and she quickly recovered,
"Girl, you got yo wires crossed or sumfin."
"Huh?"
"Your boy Alec may be a doggy-dog, but he ain't the things yo accusing him of."
"OC, what do you mean?"
"What did Logan tell you about Alec?"
Max sat quietly, lost in her thoughts as her mind struggled to register and validate everything,
"Just that he hadn't seen him."
"Well then, yo boy been spinning you a lie."
"WHAT?"
"Okay, listen to me wid yo ears carefully. Lydecker approached Alec, offered him a swap - him for you. He agreed immediately, but the deal got turned around and Alec got caught, without you being released."
Max's eyes flickered in shock, thoughts running ramped through her head,
"So he.Alec gave himself up for me? ALEC?"
"You better believe it. Chivalry lives, baby girl, even in a soldier like your boy. Didn't even hesitate. A regular knight in shining armour."
"Its hardly the time to be sarcastic."
"No boo, I wasn't. That boy saved your ass, well intended to. He just made my list, I love the fool, and I think that you love him too. You should for what he did ain't based on friendship."
"I.I gotta go."
Max pushed herself away from the table and ran outside to her awaiting ninja.
* * * * *
"What the hell is your problem?"
Logan's head whipped around as Max's angry voice echoed in the room. His face broke into a friendly, yet nervous smile,
"Hey."
"Don't hey me! Answer me Logan!"
"No problem here. Well aside from the usual 'I've got a genetically altered girlfriend who's DNA is coated with a virus that will kill me through the slightest touch' deal. But other than that, I'm peachy."
"Yeah well the whole virus deal, way down the bottom of my priorities."
He irked one eyebrow up at her and her thick lips pushed together in a tight line.
"What's up?"
"Alec. You should've told me, but you didn't."
"I didn't think to. I.I just couldn't bring myself to tell you."
"You jerk! He's my best friend and you didn't think to tell me he has been kidnapped!"
Logan's face became contorted with anguish, as Max's usually loud voice had shrunk to an angrily quiet tone.
"I thought I was your best friend Max."
"You thought wrong. Right now, all you are is an insensitive asshole who may have got the most important person in my life killed."
"So I guess now's the time you try and pretend that the two of you are together again?"
"No I'm not going to lie another time. I don't need to save your life. But I will say this, you and I - forget it! I can't believe I thought I could love you. If Alec dies, I will make you wish we'd never met. Payback's a bitch Logan, and so will I be if he dies."
Max whirled around, giving one final contemptuous look, before stalking out of the apartment, her long brown hair tailing after her.
* * * * *
"Hello?"
"It's Lydecker. You know, it never ceases to amaze me how you can answer the phone every time on the third ring."
"Is this a social call or business?"
"Like you need to ask.your payment is on the way. I must extend my thanks for your erm.eager assistance in this operation."
"And thank you. I trust that I wont have to worry about you sending people after me in an effort to cover your tracks."
"Naturally. You play an enormous role in the big picture. Such actions would be foolishly damaging."
"Good to know."
"And I trust that we both understand that this conversation never took place. Discretion of course, is vital for the overall plan - is it not?"
A harsh, guttural laugh cackled over the phone receiver and Donald Lydecker smiled satisfactorily, sitting back in his plush leather chair and rubbing his hands together in a gleeful, villainous manner.