Genetically Empowered Chapter 18: Ep 17 'Ill Intentions', a dark angel fanfic

TITLE: Genetically Empowered (My Finale & Season 3)

EPISODE: 17 "ILL INTENTIONS" 1/13/03

WRITTEN BY: Heather Ferguson (fergus80)

EMAIL: hferguso@niu.edu

WEBSITE: http://eric_greta.tripod.com (Jensen)

RATING: PG-13 (For now, will post alternate chapters if ratings change)

SUMMARY: How 'Freak Nation' and S3 should have been. M/A

SPOILERS: Everything!

DISCLAIMER: All Dark Angel characters belong to James Cameron, FOX, etc. etc. etc.

FEEDBACK: PLEASE!!! I CRAVE IT!!! It makes me want to write more.

DEDICATION: To all the Nuns at the Church of Alec, and the Blue Lady! And a special thank you to those who read, and corrected my spelling, grammar, tenses, etc. You know who you are, you wonderful nuns you. ;)

GO TO: NWP: http://nunswithpens.hyperboards.com/

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"So everyone knows what needs to be done for tomorrow night?"

"Yep. The food reserves and the medical supplies should be well stocked if this goes without a hitch," Mole replied chomping on his cigar and looking at the maps.

"Good, now everyone get to work." Max said watching only Mole head down the stairs. "What?" she asked the others.

Vin shook his head, "Max, you don't need to go on this raid. We have enough people. You could stay here and…"

Max gave him a glare. "Why? Why should I stay here?" she asked with a challenge.

Gem swallowed, "Max, it's not something you need to do. It could be dangerous, something could happen to the…"

"To the what?" Max yelled at her. She pointed to her stomach. "This?" She shook her head, "What does it matter if it does? That just means I won't have to go to my appointment after the little raid." Max sighed, *Damn doctors and their tests and rules about waiting.* That and Sam couldn't get the equipment or the room free until then. At least without being too suspicious.

"Either way Max. You are the 'leader' here at TC," Mel said trying to calm the other woman, even though she used the word leader loosely. "There is no reason to risk you for something so simple."

"Well if it's so simple and easy, then there's no reason I can't go." Besides she was itching for something to do, something to get her mind off… *Nothing.*

Joshua stood up and moved in front of her. "Little Fella… please. Rethink this."

She shook her head moving down the steps. "Nothing to rethink Josh. Nothing at all. I'm going. That's final. Now…" she stood at the foot of the stairs. "Everyone… get to work. We have a lot to do!"

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He slipped quietly inside the room, his feet hitting the floor silently. He crept through the room, and leaned his ear against the door. Slowly he opened the door, and moved outside of the room. He crept down the thick carpeted, dark hallway counting the doors as he went.

He stopped and leaned against the wall, where the hallway split, turning to the right. His hand moved up into his hair, and absently itched the spot behind his ear. His fingers lightly scratching at the quickly fading surgical scar that was there.

Hearing nothing but quiet, he turned to the right and quickly made his way to his destination. His eyes caught the metal lock in place on the door, and his hands went to his pockets. His fingers easily used the small tools in the lock, and his ears picked up the small click of the lock.

He pressed his ear up to the door, and then slowly turned the knob, opening it slowly, and stepped inside the pitch-black room. Then his whole body stilled as he heard the quick rush of a metal door slam shut behind him and the lights turn on instantly.

"494… We've been expecting you."

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They designed her to be the perfect soldier--a human weapon. Then she escaped. In a future not far from now, in a broken world, she is haunted by her past. She cannot run; she must fight to discover her destiny. --- DARK ANGEL

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"Enter."

"Uh. Max… I have those blueprints of the warehouse you wanted."

Max looked up from her desk at Dix and nodded. "Thanks."

He walked over and sat them on the desk in front of her. "They're updated, and are exactly the same as the ones we planned the raid on. So everything should be fine."

She took the blueprints and looked them over, then set them to the side, turning back to the work that she was doing. "Thanks Dix," she said again. She started reading more on the papers but then realized he hadn't moved. She looked up at him, "Can I help you?"

Dix moved back and forth on his feet, not sure of what to say or do. "Max… I…"

She sat the papers down along with her pen, "Spit it out Dix."

He sighed, "I know it's none of my business. None of anyone else's business…"

Max closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, "That's right it's not."

He nodded at her. "But, what affects the leader of Terminal City, affects all of us." Dix swallowed looking into her dark and angry eyes.

"I'm not letting any of this affect my decisions for TC."

Dix nodded again, "True. But that doesn't mean it won't later."

Max gave him a strange look and sighed, "Listen… Dix…"

He put up his hand, "Max. I can only imagine what you must be feeling and thinking. It's completely understandable." He saw that his words had seemed to stop her for a minute. "And if you were alone and vulnerable I would probably agree with your decision."

He stopped and looked at her thoughtfully for a minute. "But Max… you aren't alone or vulnerable. You have all of TC behind you, supporting you. Supporting you because of… Alec." He saw the temper start to flare in her eyes again, and he hurried on. "He made sure that you would be safe when he left."

"I don't need protecting Dix!" She said standing up.

"That's not what those runes say."

She turned back to him shaking her head, "Alec's not my 'protector.' A 'protector' wouldn't leave." She moved over to the door and opened it. "Now, if you don't mind… I have work to do."

Dix sighed and moved over to the door and walked through, but not before he said quietly, but loud enough for her to hear, "Unless leaving was protecting you."

Max heard his words as she shut the door behind him. She shook her head at the thought, "No. That's not it at all Dix. He just couldn't take it anymore. Couldn't take the responsibility. And he left." She looked down at her stomach, her hand moving over it. She closed her eyes, and her hands moved into fists. "So he certainly wouldn't be able to handle this."

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"Cover your damn mouth when you do that!"

Normal glared at Original Cindy, "Se'cuse me," his congested voice responded to her, as he blew his nose into another tissue.

"What did you get while you were in DC anyway?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen with the empty bowl of soup and dirty glasses.

He coughed as he wrapped the blanket tighter around himself, shivering even thought he had a temperature. "I'm never a good traveler. I think flying wreaks havoc to my immune system. So…"

Cindy walked back into the room, handing him a hot cup of tea. "So it could be anything."

He nodded and mouthed his thanks as he took a sip of the hot liquid, making a face as it went down his scratchy throat. "Where's our mild-ill mannered reporter?"

Cindy grinned at his choice of words. "The scruffy boy wonder is working on getting more information on that whole apocalyptic dealio," she said scratching her nose.

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"Okay, team one. You're coming in from the north."

Mel nodded at him with a small smile.

Vin grinned back and turned towards another X5, "Team two, from the east." The guy nodded, and then Vin looked towards Max with a sigh, "That means your group is from the south."

She nodded, "Okay people, let's do this." The other X's started to get the guns and supplied from the three hidden vans that overlooked the warehouse.

Mel looked over at Vin shaking her head as she walked past him to help the others. He nodded and turned back towards Max as she also started to move to get supplies. "Max..." Vin started his hand moving lightly to her shoulder.

She turned around seeing the look in his eyes, "Don't start. We have work to do."

"I can easily get one of the others to lead your group in there. You could stay with the van's and monitor things…"

"Knock it off!" she yelled at him. "I can take care of myself. I don't need you looking out for me."

"Max… I…"

She shook her head. "I don't care what he told you to do. I don't care what he asked of you. He could never tell me what to do. You aren't going to tell me what to do either." She moved up into his face, "Is that understood?"

His shoulders straightened, his eyes set, "Yes, SIR!"

He saw the small flicker of shock pass through her eyes, but then quickly it was masked, and her jaw tensed, "Good." With that she spun on her heel and headed to get what she needed.

Vin's shoulders slumped, and his breath came out all at once. His hand went through his head, *Well, I'm not doing a very good job on your request Alec. I have NO idea how you put up with that woman.* He shook his head and went to get his own things as well.

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{{Copy team one. Two more minutes before third shift finishes their first round,}} came Vin's voice over her earpiece.

"Get ready to move in three minutes," Max said into her microphone, and to the other transgenics next to her.

They nodded in reply, as Mel's voice came through, {{Copy team three.}}

{{Three trucks in the loading docks. One setting to the side, towards the west. Should be easy pickings for you team four,}} the other transgenic responded to his question.

Max could almost hear the smile on Vin's face. Then she sighed. *But now he's probably wishing he gave me the west side,* she thought with a roll of her eyes.

She looked at the other people next to her, and could almost feel the anticipation. She knew what they felt, she felt it too. Felt it every time they did this. It was a thrill. It was what they were trained for, what they were designed for. She mentally sighed again. How long had she fought her instincts? Fought her true self?

For so long she had let others, other views dictate what she thought she should do, what she should be. She had internally fought with her instincts, her feelings for so long that it had continuously clouded her judgment. Now that she was with others of her kind, working in Terminal City she was starting to come to terms with her true self.

She shook her head, *Yeah, but look where those stupid feelings and instincts took you? Look what problems it led too.* She let her fingers trail over her face, as she tried to repress another sigh. *You should have stuck with your other views. You should have stuck with your first impression. Shouldn't have let your guard down. Shouldn't have let anyone in. Shouldn't have trusted…* But her thoughts were stopped with the sound of Vin's voice in her ear.

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"Two new reports in three hours. I'm telling you, I hope you have your flu shot up to date."

Sketchy turned around looking back at the two who were talking in the doorway from his computer. "Whatcha talking about man?"

The other guy who hadn't spoken turned towards him, "There's some new flu bug or something going around. Cough, sore throat, a temperature. No big deal. But you know how people are. One little cough and they run to the emergency room."

Sketchy nodded, and turned back to his computer. He pulled up an Internet browser and pulled up the Harbor Lights webpage as he pulled out his cell phone. "Hey. Yeah, it's Sketch. I got a favor to ask."

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The two guards laid unconscious at his feet, as he motioned to the rest of his team. They moved quickly. One moving to the rear of the truck, the other one getting behind the wheel. Vin leaned in through the window of the truck, "Okay, get it out of here. You know the route to meeting place?"

The other X5 nodded and Vin patted him on the shoulder, and then jumped off the truck following the rest of his team to the building.

He turned to his microphone, "Truck moving out, rest of team four moving in."

{{Copy,}} Mel replied, ({And team one is inside. Proceeding to medical supplies.}}

"Good," he said as he ducked into the open window behind the other transgenics. Their team slowly moving towards the center of the warehouse.

{{Team two is in. Heading towards clothing. Can we pick you up something? A new pair of heels maybe?}}

Vin rolled his eyes, "Nah, I'm good. But Mel may want a nice pair or red…"

{{Vin!}} Mel's voice warned in a snapping whisper.

His smile grew. "What?" his voice asked way too innocently.

{{Enough!}} Max's voice came through the line, {{Will the three of you just grow…}} She didn't finish the sentence as a scuffle could be heard over the communications link.

Vin stopped in his tracks, "Max?" There was no answer, "Max, are you there?" He looked at the others in his group, "Shit!"

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"Pulling it up right now."

"What are you doing?" Luke asked Dix sitting at the computer.

Dix motioned at the phone and mouthed Sketchy. Luke nodded with a smile. "Okay. Yeah, seems like seventeen people have been admitted so far. Flu like symptoms. Nothing bad. But it is more for them than usual at this time of year. Why?"

Dix nodded and laughed slightly. "Well when you see him. Tell him that speech is very much appreciated." He nodded a few more times and then his smile faded from his face. "No. We haven't heard anything from him yet."

He looked over at Luke and the other transgenic tried to give him a smile, but it just didn't hit his eyes. "Yeah. I'll let you know if we hear anything." Dix hung up the phone, and closed the browser window and looked back at Luke. "I hope we can tell him some good news soon."

Luke only nodded and went back to watching the surveillance footage.

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She could hear the voices in her ear, but she didn't have time to respond as her and her team quickly disabled the five guards they had found as they had rounded the corner in their movement towards the freezer units.

When the last one was unconscious, her hand went to her ear and the microphone, "Damn. Will you shut up? You're giving me a headache."

{{Max! What the hell happened?}} Vin's worried voice rang through the line.

She rolled her eyes and motioned with her hand over her shoulder to the rest of her group to continue towards their destination. "We had a little problem with some guards. But they are resting peacefully now."

"No Vin. We are just fine," she replied through gritted teeth as she crept down the corridor. "God, I swear. You are worse than a mother hen."

"Good!" she opened the door, and her team moved inside. She looked around. "Okay, everyone knows what we need. Let's pack it up, and get out of here."

Max moved over to the freezer units, opening the door, as she took out her large bag and talked into the microphone. "Why is it again that I got to go into the freezers to steal dead animals?"

{{It's called meat Max. And it's essential to a transgenic diet,}} Mel told her.

"Yeah, well… it's freezing in here," she responded through slightly chattering teeth.

{{Then hurry up and get out of there,}} Vin told her.

She put another large box into her bag, and looked around at her team, "Okay, let's move." They nodded and all headed back for the door.

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"Boy do I have some stuff to tell you guys."

But before he could say anything as he rounded the corner into the main room, Cindy let out a loud cough, and Normal sneezed loudly into another tissue. Sketchy's eyes widened at seeing them both on the couch under a mound of blankets. Both shivering, but sweat dripping down their foreheads.

"This is so not good," he said looking at both of them.

"Sketch… can you please get me some…" Cindy stopped as she went into a coughing fit.

"Tea," Normal finished for her, and pointed at himself too.

Sketchy shook his head. "Nope."

They looked at him like he had lost his head, "And why not?" Cindy asked.

"Cause you both are going to the hospital. Something just ain't right," he said moving over towards the couch helping both his friends to stand up.

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"Okay form a chain. Let's get this stuff distributed," Mole yelled at the X5's, 6's and other transgenics as they started to unload the truck and the three van's.

Max watched Mel directing the people with the medical supplies from one of the vans and then turned to her left. "So… did we manage to get everything on our list?"

Vin nodded next to her, "Most if not all. At least all the essentials."

"Good," she replied and started to walk towards headquarters, but she stopped at his voice.

"Max… I know you are leaving for the city in a few hours."

She turned around, "Yes I am."

He took a deep breath, "There isn't anything I or anyone here in Terminal City can say to change your mind, is there?"

Max thought about it for a minute. "No there isn't."

He nodded and she started to walk away again when his voice stopped her once more, "Is there anything he could say?"

She closed her eyes with her back towards him, her shoulders straightening. "I highly doubt it."

Vin quickly ran up to her and moved in front of her, "Then that means, there is something that could change your mind. What?"

She looked up into his dark eyes, and shook her head. "No matter what he asked of you. You are NOT responsible for him. Do you understand that?"

"I know. But I'm his friend." She huffed in front of him and tried to move around him, but his hand caught her arm, and turned her back to him. She pulled away quickly, but he continued. "And I'm also yours."

She stilled, her head lowering slightly, her voice coming out quietly. "I know, and thank you." Her head looked back up at him, "But… I can't. I can't do this. After everything…" She swallowed hard. "There's just no way that I could…" she couldn't even finish her answer.

He knew, and part of him understood. The baby would be a constant reminder of Alec to her. But that didn't mean that he liked it, and that he just knew deep down how wrong it would be in the end. How much he wished he could change her mind.

Vin sighed, and tried his last hand. "Let me find him."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

He swallowed, he had no clue if it was a good idea or not. In all likelihood it was a horrible idea. Because Alec probably didn't want to be found, and probably had a reason for it. But he had no other cards left to play.

"Let me and the others figure out where he went. What he's up too. Find out at least why he left. Then… then with the facts you can…"

She shook her head, "No. No. He didn't tell anyone why he left. He doesn't want us to know. He didn't trust us enough to tell us. That's reason enough."

"But Max… Maybe something is wrong. Maybe he got caught, captured. We have no idea."

"Well if he did. It's his own damn fault for not telling anyone. I'm not risking you, or anyone else for his foolishness." She looked at him, "Is that understood?"

Vin's jaw tightened, "Yeah."

She nodded, "Good. This discussion is over." With that she turned around and headed for headquarters. *In a few hours this whole nightmare will be over.*

She walked through the door, encountering Dix at the computer. "How are things going?"

"I'm finishing up on deciphering those runes. I'm close to something."

Max placed a hand on his shoulder, "Good, let me know how it goes."

He nodded as she moved towards her office. "Oh, and Max…"

She turned back towards him, about ready to explode if one more person…

"Sketchy called."

Her eyes widened, "What did he say?" Her whole train of thought turning.

"Seems a flu epidemic has hit Seattle. Normal's sick."

Luke grinned at her, "Guess it makes it nice to be a transgenic and immune to that kinda of thing huh?"

She nodded at the other man, "Yeah it does. Keep me posted if he calls back, okay?"

"Will do," Dix told her as she walked into her office, shutting the door behind her and moving towards the desk.

She jumped at the sound of the voice behind her, whirling around, her mouth open in shock. "Hi Max."

Her mouth could barely form the words, "Alec?"

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Scenes from an All New DA on 1/20/02:

*NEXT ON AN ALL NEW DARK ANGEL*

HE CAME BACK

Max cut Alec off, "I don't want to hear it! No apology will ever make up for what you have done."

BUT IS THERE ENOUGH TIME

Dix looked at Luke puzzled, "Well Harbor Lights is flooded with people. Normal, Cindy, and now Sketchy are sick."

TO STOP EVERYTHING THAT IS HAPPENING?

"Don't even start with me. Nothing you can say is changing my mind!" And with that Max was out of headquarters.