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*Between Love and Hate*
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Spoilers: This is the fifth story in my series – if you haven't read any of my work before, you'd be best off going back to read and understand. The first story was Shattered Trusts and Whispered Confessions. The second is Remembering to Forget, the third is Events That Lead To Greatness. The most recent is the fourth story called the Longest Day (which was basically just a wrap up of some confusing things I had to sort out from previous works). This series is set after Hello Goodbye but does reveal spoilers from the rest of the season, as I incorporate it into the story.
Disclaimer: Ideas are mine based on the brilliant work of the Dark Angel team – so don't sue me! I wish I owned Alec, but I don't. So I have to settle for writing fiction about him.
Authors Note: Just a general shout out thanks to all the great readers who have been reviewing my work and totally keeping me motivated. If it weren't for you guys I wouldn't be writing this stuff. I am trying out a new style of writing in this one; let me know what you guys think.
Have fun and remember to review!
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CHAPTER ELEVEN"Alec? Alec?"
Max shook his shoulder gently, an action which evoked him to raise his head from his hands,
"I thought you said you took care of this Max? We had a fight about it. Right?"
"We did. I did. I thought I took care of it. God, Alec, I really thought I had finished all of this!"
She blinked back tears and swallowed, an attempt to suppress the rising feeling of bile in her throat. Alec squeezed her hand comfortingly,
"Hey, I didn't mean that it was your fault – in no way is it on you."
Max slumped down next to him, both staring defeated at the ground. Mole thumped into HQ in his usual air of smoke,
"Who died?"
They both continued their analysis of the ground and he let out another puff,
"What, did you two break up again?"
Alec looked up miserably at him,
"Take a seat Mole, as third chair, you have a right to know what's going on."
He complied, sinking uncertainly onto the unstable makeshift chair made up of a stack of crates. Luke came rushing up to them, handing Alec a large glass filled to the brim with scotch,
"Here, I thought you could use this."
"Yeah, thanks."
Alec nodded stiffly, downing the glass in one fluid shot. Mole looked over at him with genuine concern,
"So what's going on?"
Taking a deep breath, his CO stared into the bottom of his empty glass,
"We have a serious problem Mole."
"Meaning what?"
"When Max and I had to resort to asking Lydecker for help with the runes, he offered a trade."
"Yeah, you told me. Max had to kill that Asian scientist involved in recombinant DNA genetics – a newer and meaner breed of Manticore."
"Which she did."
"Err yeah... then what's the problem? He's not really dead?"
"These days, with everything we've been through, that wouldn't surprise me. But, no that's not it."
"Then what is it Alec?"
"It appears his death didn't achieve anything. Luke and Dix have uncovered solid information, which proves that Xen Ziao already was well into his gene-splicing when Max was introduced to him."
"Like I said before, meaning what?"
Alec looked over at Max, who seemed to be completely lost in her thoughts. He swallowed, before answering quietly,
"What it means Mole, is that here in America, there is a new version of Manticore with soldiers designed for the purpose to find, kill and destroy. The super-soldiers of today. And according to our intel, our man on the inside, their current target is Terminal City."
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"Alec this is crazy!",
Mole declared loudly as Alec clicked his shotgun into place,
"No that's just it, its not. It makes complete sense – we should strike before they can. Leave them open and vulnerable."
Max stood up next to the anomaly, her hands placed firmly on her hips,
"Mole's right. We don't know enough about this facility to just cause an unprovoked attack."
"Max would you think before speaking? I mean really think. An unanticipated attack may gain us the upper hand to walk out of there alive."
"You think that you can just follow your instincts by going in there fighting blind – all on the intel some inside man gave you for a small fee, kill everything in there and come home for a celebratory scotch, without getting yourself killed?"
Alec cocked his head to one side as he slid a new clip into his handgun, before tucking it into his pants,
"That's the plan Maxie."
"You cant! Its suicide!"
"Well it just so happens, that's a speciality of mine."
"That's not funny Alec."
"You're right, nothing about this is funny."
He grimaced as he shrugged into a lightweight bulletproof vest. Max stood, pulling on a vest of her own,
"I'm going with you."
Mole jumped up, his own shotgun in hand and a cigar nestled into a familiar groove between his lips,
"I'll gather the troops."
He ran off before anyone could respond and Alec turned his attention back to Max in protest,
"You're not coming."
"Like hell I'm not. You just try and stop me!"
"I'm commanding you – you know I have the authority to tell you to stand down. And that's just what I'm doing now."
"No."
Her voice rang out, tough and defiant, her mahogany eyes blazing holes into him,
"United we stand…"
"Divided we fall."
They both turned to stare at the newcomer as he pushed his gun into a side holster, all three transgenics in matching vests. Max smiled at him kindly,
"You're coming with us Ben?"
"Wouldn't be here if I didn't. Its my guy that let me know about the facility's plan for us."
"We need more time to plan this out."
"We strike tonight Maxie, just like Alec said. My contact is a scientist at the facility. I've got him safe passage away and a comfy fee, but he could turn. So we do this ASAP."
"Okay. Then how many are we up against?"
"20 soldiers were created. Unlike us, they aren't kept in teams. One soldier is like a whole unit – trained and competent in all aspects. They're kept isolated and so we're not just facing 20 super-soldiers, but around 100 guards and scientists on the facility."
She nodded in response to his information. Alec made a face at them, holding his hands up in the air,
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Lets just rewind a minute here. One, how do we know your contact is reliable dear brother – it could be a trap for all we know. Two, why the hell should we believe what you say. And three, Max you are not coming!"
She opened her mouth to blast him, clamping it shut as Ben flashed Alec a hurt look,
"You still don't trust me."
Pain flared up in his eyes and Alec ignored it, his tone authoritative,
"Give me a reason I should. Prove to me how you're a good guy. Tell me where you really got this intel from."
Silence.
"I knew it! You never had to kill our mother. You were sent here. well you've been made dear Ben. Guess Psy-Ops didn't prep you enough for this cover."
"It's not like that Alec!"
Ben's voice cracked out as he cried out, cutting short as his twin blurred behind him, holding him by the throat with a gun digging into his temple.
"Then what was it like? Huh? Tell me!"
"It was surveillance and aid! Lydecker sent me here to make sure everything was running smoothly around here."
"What does he care?"
"You know why he cares. He still feels responsible for you all. If he cant convince you all to come back to Manticore, then he wants to make sure you're all okay."
"That's bullshit."
"No its not. Lydecker would do anything to have you all back at base, but there's no way that will happen. He figured that the best option would be to ensure you all thrived as one community based on instinctual hierarchies, rather than appointments."
Alec's face showed how much he wasn't convinced, but he shrugged it off, sneaking a peak at Max who was lacing her fingers through the silken strands of her hair. He turned back to Ben sighing,
"So what does Lydecker know about this new breed of soldiers?"
"What I told you. The facility is about a day's trip away if we take direct road without too many stops."
"And how does he know all that he does?"
Ben fell silent again, a trait that Max seemed to have perfected and he appeared to be on the way.
"Answer me and I'll remove this gun from your head."
"How do you think he knows?"
"You don't mean?"
"Yeah."
Max swung her head from one brother to the other, her eyes scanning the identically handsome faces,
"What? What? What are you guys on about? You boys wanna clue me in or are you keeping it on the DL? I want the 411. Now."
They stayed silent momentarily and Max swallowed hard, trying desperately to ignore the unsettling knot in her stomach. Whatever it was, she had a feeling it was just gonna get a whole lot worse.
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To be continued...
Author's Note:
What's going to happen? Dun dun...dun dun... Hehehehehehe!
Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews, I really appreciate them. I would
like more though, not to be greedy or anything. I guess I just haven't had the
support I usually get. But we'll see!