Disclaimer: Ok, who here thinks I own Dark Angel? Raise your hand…now, take that hand, and smack yourself in the head. Good job.
Time-frame: Post-Freak Nation
A/N: Hi again everyone, I'm on that wonderful college recess they call Spring Break, of course with all the homework and research I have to do, it's not really a recess. But the time that I get off from going to class is going into my fanfic. I love all of you reviewers…Heck, I love all of you readers who aren't reviewers…even though you could review if you wanted. I think I'm gonna wrap this up in a few more chapters…I know, I know, I've been saying that since like Ch. 6, but I know where I wanna go with this, so I'm just gonna go there and be done. Besides, I think I have an idea for another story brewing, and if I don't hurry up and get it off the fire, it'll boil over and I'll forget all about it! Anyway, on with the story.
Chapter 17
Jokes and Joys
The air left Dali's lungs so quickly; she felt as though she'd just been hit over the head with a ton of bricks. Suddenly she smiled. "That's very funny Shorty. Remember that little talk we had…about thinking before we joke?"
Dominic looked away thoughtfully for a moment. "That was four years ago."
"It still applies," she said angrily.
"He's serious Dali," Max interrupted them. "Alec, let's go get you some ice. I think they need to talk." She took Alec by the arm, and dragged him back through the stairwell door.
Dali sat back down, and Dominic sat a few feet away, staring straight ahead, not saying anything. After a few moments, Dali broke the silence. "Ok, Dominic. Start talking, and be careful what you say, because you are skating on very thin ice."
"When you and Justin left me at Aunt Brenda's house, she told me all about Mom and Dad and the Conclave, and Brother White…she told me that I was special, that I was the only one to come from the union of the strongest and the smartest in the Conclave."
"The smartest and the strongest? You mean Mom and Dad?"
He nodded and continued. "They put me in this school, and all we did was train. We had to get up at 4 in the morning, and train for 2 hours, and then we were allowed to have breakfast, before we went to class for 5 hours, and the only things we learned about were the history of the Conclave and the Coming. Then we trained some more. For hours and hours."
"Trained?" Dali interrupted him.
"Yeah, physical training, exercises in everything from swimming to target practice…I hated it Dali. I hated it everyday. I wished that you would come and get me out. You promised Mom and Dad that you would take care of me. But Aunt Brenda knew. She knew I was thinking about you. Everyday I thought about you…wondered where you were…if you were okay."
Dali scooted a little closer to her brother. "I thought about you everyday, too," she whispered.
Dominic kept staring straight ahead. Dali recognized it as a technique she had learned at Manticore. Focusing on something in the distant surroundings helps to detach you from whatever it is you're trying to escape, whether it be torture, or emotional conversations. "She convinced me that it was all your fault," he continued. "It was your fault that Mom and Dad were dead. It was your fault that I had ended up there. So I started to hate you. Then one day, Brother White came up to me at lights out. He told me that I was the best out of my whole class; that I had made the most improvement out of anyone he'd seen, and he thought I was ready for my first assignment." He finally turned to look at her. "He knew if I told you to come, you'd come. So he told me to 'get in touch with you', and get you to come to Michigan. He said that he knew if they tried to capture you, you would just get away. So I was supposed to come back to Terminal City and spy on you and Max. Get any information I could, and report back. All I could think about was the day that Mom and Dad were killed…I never wanted anybody to get hurt. I was just so angry…and scared, because I didn't know who to be angry at. So I agreed to everything. I was stupid…" Dominic's eyes teared-up, and the tears spilled over onto his cheeks. "I'm so sorry Doll. Can you ever forgive me?"
Dali's heart broke at her brother's confession. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "You know, I remember the first time I ever held you. You threw up all over me. I took that as a sure sign that you hated me, which was cool, because I wasn't too fond of you either. I knew absolutely zip about babies, except where they came from, and from what I found out from you, all they did was eat, cry, and crap." Dominic gave his sister a small smile. "But after awhile, you grew on me. You stopped throwing up on me, and every once in a while, I made you laugh. Love means never having to say you're sorry." She held up her palm, and slowly, Dominic held up his to match it. "Angels in heaven, from up above…"
"Are looking down on me with love."
Dali pulled her brother into a hug. "I love you, Shorty."
"I love you, Doll," he whispered back. And I promise never to try to get you killed again.
Dali smiled to herself in the darkness.
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Dali took her brother inside to the barracks where the X-7s and X-8s were staying. She figured he would probably feel better staying with other kids his own age than staying with her. She showed him to an empty bed, and gave him an extra blanket.
"How come I don't get to stay with you?" he questioned her.
"Because I like my space," she responded. "Hey, you know where my room is, if you have any problems at all, you come see me, k?"
He nodded, and sat down on the bed. Just at that moment, some of the kids came into the room. Dali smiled at her brother and bid him good night before leaving. Dominic took note that three girls and two boys had come in the room. They all headed over to one bed, and a boy with red hair and freckles sat down, telling what appeared to be an engrossing story about something that had happened earlier in the mess hall. Dominic wished he could get closer and hear, but he didn't want to be nosy. Busybodies don't make good first impressions. So he sat watching from afar. After only a few seconds, one of the girls looked up and smiled at him. She came over and sat next to him on the bed. Her bouncing brown hair and bright blue eyes reminded him of a friend he'd made back at the Conclave Elementary school. But he didn't say so; he didn't think these kids would be too receptive if they knew his family were Familiars.
"Hi," she said, "are you an X-7 like me?"
Dominic shook his head. Though at that moment, he never wished for anything more in his life. For the first time in a long time, he found himself rendered speechless.
"Well are you X-8?" she asked.
He shook his head again. The girl frowned.
"Are you transgenic?"
Sadly, Dominic shook his head again.
"Oh," she responded, and got up to walk away, but Dominic grabbed her wrist.
She sat back down. And he finally found his voice. "You're pretty."
She smiled at him. "Thank you. You're cute." Dominic blushed and looked away. "My designation's 548, but everyone calls me Susie. What's your name?"
"Dominic, but everyone calls me Shorty."
Susie reached in her pocket and pulled out some dollar bills. "I'll give you $4.35 if you'll be my boyfriend."
Dominic raised an eyebrow at her skeptically. "Sorry, I'm not for sale. But I'll think about it if you introduce me to your friends."
Susie laughed. "Wanna play Escape and Evade?"
Dominic nodded eagerly.
Susie took him by the hand. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the guys."
"So then, he picked up one of the rations…" the boy with the red hair was finishing up his story when the two walked up, and he trailed off as he saw them.
"Hi guys," Susie began, "this is Shorty. He's new."
The boy with the red hair stood and stuck out his hand. "I'm JJ, and this is Sean, Wendy, Mandi and Chris," he introduced everyone. "Welcome to Hell—I mean Terminal City." They all laughed.
"He's gonna play Escape and Evade with us," Susie explained. "And he's on my team."
"Fine," JJ said, "Then you guys are prey."
"Oh, that's not fair," Susie began to protest.
"Hey, you guys got 5 minutes, and time starts now!"
Without further dispute, Susie grabbed Dominic's hand and they took off down the hall.
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Max found a note on her door. It had only held six words, but the thought of what they could mean made her heart jump in anticipation. Meet me in my room, Logan. She pondered calling Original Cindy for a moment, before deciding to head off towards Logan's room. Cindy would be by the next day, it was gonna be New Year's Eve, and she never missed ringing in the New Year with her boo.
Max's thoughts wandered to her old friends and everyone else back at Jam Pony. She missed her old job. Cindy's jokes, Sketchy's goof-ups, Herbal's advice, even Normal's annoying bip-bip-bipping would be a welcome sight. How things had changed over the past couple of years. First and foremost of course was Logan. She had known from the very first night that there was something special about him. She had heard people talk about their hearts doing flip-flops, and wondered if that was even possible. Now she knew for sure that it was.
They shared everything with one another, from their perfections to their faults, and Max hoped that whatever happened, that's how it always would be. Seconds later, she was outside Logan's door, with another note attached. Go down the hall, turn left…the last room on the right. Her curiosity now peaked, she followed the directions, and ended up outside a door that she realized she had never known was there. They hadn't really been in Terminal City long enough to explore every inch, and with everything going on, she hadn't seen everything there was to see. This must be one such thing. She knocked lightly, but didn't hear anything. So she opened the door, and almost gasped at the sight.
The room was filled with a soft glow from candles sitting on the window sill and all around the room. In the middle of the room was a table set up with two chairs. On the table was a white lace tablecloth, and two tall red candles. Two places were set with dishes and silverware, and soft orchestral music and the light smell of garlic bread filled the atmosphere. Max walked to the middle of the floor, and looked around. She heard the door close behind her.
"Took you long enough," Logan said in a low voice.
Max turned to face him and smiled. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
Logan smiled and walked over to her. "A lesson I've learned well over the past week."
"Logan, what is all this?" Max asked curiously.
"Well, tomorrow's New Year's Eve, but I figured Cindy would be over, and with everything else going on in Terminal City, we wouldn't really be able to celebrate alone. So I figured we could ring in the New Year a little early. Do you mind?"
"Not at all," she whispered.
"I didn't think you would," he grinned at her. "Especially since I made us pasta for dinner." She narrowed her eyes at him.
"How'd you manage to pull that off?"
"I had Alec run a couple errands for me," he shrugged. Then he walked over to the radio, and switched on the CD player. He strolled back over to her, and held out a hand. "May I have this dance?"
Max smiled and put her hand in his. "You most certainly may." He led her away from the table, and took her in his arms. Her head rested on his shoulder, and the low humdrum of his heartbeat almost lulled her into a trance as she listened to the words of the song.
I was lonely
I needed someone to see me through
And I was at the end of my rope,
I needed someone to cut me loose
And then an angel out of the blue,
Gave me the sense that I might make it through
And somehow I survived, with no rhyme or reason
And now I know I'll make it through the miracle of you
I know the color of love, and it lives inside of you
I know the color of truth, it's in the image of you
If it comes from the heart, then you know that it's true
It will color your soul like a rainbow
And the color of love is in you
Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of
Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of
Logan held Max close. It seemed that every time they tried to be happy, something ripped it away. They had already come to accept the fact that they would never be a normal, happy couple, but it was times like this that he planned to enjoy until the last second. But Logan couldn't be too angry with whatever deity lie out there. After all, He had sent him Max, his own personal guardian angel. How many times had she risked her life to save his own…or to save someone else's, even if she didn't know the person? She had saved him so many times. Whenever he descended into the deep, dark place that had driven him to think of ending his life, all he needed to do was picture the look of horror and pain that crossed her face, and he instantly snapped out of it. He would give his life instantly so she wouldn't have to feel one ounce of sadness. After everything that she had been through with Manticore, and losing her brothers and sisters, and the Conclave, at the end of the day, she was still standing tall with a beautiful smile on her face. He only hoped with all his heart that someday, he could be as strong yet caring as she was.
Like a bridge, over troubled, troubled waters
You stood beside me, stood beside me
And your love did not falter
Then the angel, angel in you
Gave me the strength to know
That I will get through
And that's how I survived
Ain't no other reason
And now I know I'll make it, through the miracle of you
I know the color of love, and it lives inside of you
I know the color of truth, it's in the image of you
If it comes from the heart, then you know that it's true
It will color your soul like a rainbow
And the color of love is in you
Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of
Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of
Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of
Love, love, love
Max smiled as she thought about all the changes in her life. She remembered how she was before she met Logan, a cold, restless soldier, just doing her best to make it day-to-day in this freak show they called a post-pulse world. She had never known the world could be a good place until he came along. She had never known people could be so selfless, or so loving. How is it that a person could put the world's 7.2 billion people ahead of themselves day-in and day-out and never give it a second thought? It boggled her mind. He had never given up on them. Manticore had thrown them its slickest curveball, and he still planned on making it count. Loyalty was something that Manticore had taught its soldiers to hold very dear to their hearts. And she had. All of her life, loyalty was what she looked for in every friend she made, and Logan had shown her more loyalty in two years than she had seen her whole life. After she had caused him to lose all the feeling below his waist, and faced life in a wheelchair, he still loved her; when she hadn't even known if she could forgive herself. She only hoped with all her heart that someday she could be as strong, yet caring as he was.
So girl I wanna thank you,
I can't thank you enough
For showing me the meaning
The meaning of true love,
When love was lost inside of me,
You opened up your heart
When I needed you to comfort me,
You opened up your arms
I couldn't face another day
You said don't be afraid
You showed my heart the way
I know the color of love, and it lives inside of you
I know the color of truth, it's in the image of you
If it comes from the heart, then you know that it's true
It will color your soul like a rainbow
And the color of love is in you
Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of
Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of
Colors, the colors, the colors, the colors of
Love, love, love
Oh, the color of you
Max looked up into Logan's eyes, and saw more love than she ever thought possible.
"Happy New Year, Max," he whispered.
Say it, Max, just say it. And this time, don't scream it at him out of anger. Say it like you mean it, she thought to herself. Max took a deep breath. No amount of briefing would prepare her for this mission. This time, she was on her own.
"Logan…" she began. Just say it! "I love you." Whew, now was that so hard?
She said it! I know how hard it must've been for her, and I hope she knows how much it means to me. Logan smiled and kissed her forehead. "I know Max. I love you too."
Max grinned and rubbed her nose against his, giving him Eskimo kisses. "You know, suddenly, I'm not so hungry anymore."
"Me neither…you thinkin what I'm thinkin?" Logan cocked an eyebrow playfully. Then he grabbed Max's hand without waiting for a response, pulled her with him, and they blew out all the candles and headed for his room.
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"And that's Mercury…" Dali's voice began to trail off as she yawned. She lay in Alec's bed with her head on his shoulder, fully clothed of course; they had decided not to take that step yet. He had somehow found glow-in-the-dark star and galaxy stickers and had posted them on his ceiling as an exact replica of the night sky. To anyone else, it would have seemed OCD; to a Manticore soldier, it was simply keeping up appearances. Dali had left her brother's bunk, and made her way to Alec's room to find him lying in bed staring at the ceiling. She had spent the last half an hour pointing out every star that she knew. She had to admit, he had done a good job. Especially when he told her that it had taken him all of 3 days to do it. But when he'd finished, there were some 300 stars and planets on his ceiling.
Suddenly the door flew open, as did Dali's eyes. Two kids came running into the room, and hopped on the other side of the bed, landing smoothly on the floor and then crouching down to hide under the it. Both Dali and Alec sat straight up in the bed.
"What the hell?" Alec exclaimed.
A head popped up. "Dali," it hissed, "it's just me."
"Dominic!" she screeched. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Escape and Evade," he whispered. "Shh…I hear them, they're coming."
Less than 10 seconds later, four other kids ran into the room.
"I know they're in here," proclaimed a kid with bright red hair. "I can smell Susie." They began to search the room, completely ignoring the two occupants on the bed. One of them looked under the bed.
"Found em!" he exclaimed.
Susie and Dom scrambled out the other side and the other 4 chased them around the room.
"Hey!" Dali shouted at them.
They continued laughing and running around the room. Dominic and Susie hopped onto the bed.
"Whoa," Alec said pulling Susie off his lap, and setting her on the floor.
"Hey!" Dali yelled again, but the kids were oblivious to any existence but they're own. "That does it," she muttered. She climbed out of bed and flipped the lights on. Then putting two pinkies in her mouth, she whistled loudly. The kids screeched to a halt. "Fall in, munchkins!"
Immediately, the kids fell into line against the wall, standing at attention. Dali stood pacing in front of them.
"At ease," she said, at which they all rested their stances. "Now, no one is happier than I am that you're having fun. You should be. But this is neither the time nor the place. This is the barracks. They're made for sleeping, not playing. It is almost midnight. That means it's lights out for you. So here's what you're gonna do: file out, head to your barracks, and sleep. Everybody got that?"
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" was their enthusiastic response.
"Good. If I find you out of bed again tonight, you'll all be on latrine duty for a week. Dismissed!" They saluted her, and JJ took over.
"Company, left face! Forward march!" They filed out, and Dali shut the door behind them and heaved a sigh. She looked over at Alec, who had a big grin on his face.
"What?" she inquired
He just smiled and shook his head. You can take the girl out of the Manticore, but you can't take the Manticore out of the girl…
Dali walked over and snatched up the pillow, hitting him in the head with it. "I heard that."
Alec couldn't keep the grin off his face. "Would you get out of my head?"
Dali smiled, and laid down, resting her head on his shoulder. I can't help it. I think I'm falling in love…
Post: Hey guys, just a quick couple of notes. Thanks for all the reviews! The lyrics are from the song "Color of Love" by Boyz II Men, it's a great song, if you get the chance, download it, or listen to it. The next chapter should be up in a couple of days, pending that everything goes as plans. Thanks again!
Angie731
