Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel…I don't own Dark Angel…I don't own Dark Angel… sometimes if you repeat things long enough, you start to believe them…
Time-frame: Post-Freak Nation
A/N: Hey guys…this chapter and the next are kind of connected; hence the titles (you'll see when chapter 20 comes up).
Chapter 19
The Day of Reckoning is at Hand…
"Oh God," Dali whispered. She felt her knees fall from beneath her, but from nowhere, a pair of strong arms reached out to catch her.
They stood her up, and she looked up to see that Alec had disappeared, and none other than Lydecker stood staring at her.
"You!" she sputtered, pushing him away. "This is all your fault!" She launched herself at him, but he evaded her easily. Suddenly, Max was standing at her side.
"Dali, what are you doing? We have to work with him."
"Work with him?!" Dali looked at her in amazement. "I'm sorry, Max. Did we not grow up in the same biosynthetic military government controlled facility? This guy is a type A asshole. He used to make me scrub toilet seats with a toothbrush!"
Max looked from Dali to Lydecker. "He's changed. He's helping us now."
"Bull," Dali responded. "People like him never change."
"I have changed, 927," Lydecker looked at her sympathetically.
"Kiss my ass, Deck," she spat at him.
"Still having trouble with authority, I see."
"Go to hell…sir."
He pulled out a gun, and turned it on her. She closed her eyes tightly, wishing the scene to go away.
"Dali!"
Dali looked up into Alec's eyes. "Alec?
What happened to Lydecker?
Alec stared at her perplexed.
"Lydecker?"
"Yeah, he was just here…he was…" she stopped, noting the look on Alec's face. "I just had this terrible nightmare…first, my brother was missing, and then, Lydecker was here…and Max said I had to work with him."
Alec put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, there's good news, and there's bad news. The good news is Lydecker is not here. He's probably lying dead in a ditch somewhere for all I care. But the bad news is your brother really is missing."
As glad as Dali was to hear that Lydecker was no closer to her now than he had been for the past year, she fell apart at the thought of her brother in White's hands. "They have him Alec…they have my little brother. Oh god…they're gonna kill him." Her voice broke, and she couldn't stop the tears from springing to her eyes.
Alec knew what to do. He shook her hard. "Snap out of it soldier. There's still time to save him. But you gotta keep it together. Can you do that?"
A dark look crossed Dali's eyes, and she stood straight as stone. She nodded gravely. "They're keeping him in a warehouse in downtown Seattle."
"What about the others?" Alec asked.
"Unaccounted for," she responded without blinking.
"We've gotta go get Max and Logan. Let's move out."
The two of them left the barracks, and flying down the hall to Logan's room, they threw the door open.
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Logan looked into Max's eyes. Did she say what I think she just said? He was so stunned, for a few moments, he couldn't say anything.
"Earth to cloud nine…Logan do you read me?" Max joked. She was almost afraid to hear what his answer was. It had not occurred to her when she was with Logan that she could get pregnant. When she found out, she reprimanded herself for not having thought of it before hand and using protection. She tried not to scold herself too much…after all, it was partly his fault…when he touched her, she couldn't even remember her own name. "Logan, did you hear what I just said?"
"Yeah," he finally whispered. "We're gonna have a baby…"
Max sighed, and looked at him doubtfully. "Yeah…what do you think?"
"Uh…I think…we're gonna have a baby," he replied a little more enthusiastically. "I'm gonna be a dad!" He pulled Max into his arms, and she threw her arms around his neck.
At that moment, the door flew open.
"Max!" Alec called. "Break it up."
Max and Logan turned to look at Dali and Alec when they walked in the room.
"Dominic's missing," Alec announced.
Max's eyes immediately turned to Dali. But Dali was gone; in her place was X6-927.
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Logan pulled up the computer system to bring up a map of Seattle, and all of the abandoned warehouses downtown. Though it was a maze of about 20 square blocks, there were only 8 warehouses…3 were abandoned. Of those, two were so dilapidated, they were condemned. That left one, on the corner of 30th street and Market. Max thought, being out on the edge of downtown Seattle, it wasn't a very good place to hide, but it was the only chance they had.
Dali stood watching the entire time, a cold look on her face, not speaking unless she was spoken to. Max felt for her. She remembered the time Logan had been caught, and she had been forced to broadcast herself as Eyes Only. She remembered the sheer terror that flowed through her veins as she tried desperately to locate him, unsure of whether or not he was okay. No one should ever have to go through that. she thought. We'll get him back. She wasn't sure if Dali had heard her or not, but knew that even if she had, the soldier that she had cast as her outer shell would not let her know. I've had it…this time, White's going down. Max gathered together a few comms. She knew what had to be done.
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Dali wanted to go alone. It was her mission. This was her brother, and she needed to be the one to save him. But neither Alec nor Max nor Logan would hear of it. They were all going together, and that was that.
Logan drove his Aztec. When they got the kids out, they would need enough room for all of them. But Max rode her bike, and Dali rode with Alec on his. They sped through the streets, towards the downtown warehouse.
They pulled up outside a tall, dark cement building that looked to be very much empty. There were no cars in the parking lot, and no lights on inside. In fact, there didn't look to be much of any activity going on at all. The group parked, and turned their vehicles off. They gathered against the side of the building, huddling in the cold and dark. The sky had turned stormy while they rode, and heavy snowflakes began to fall. The wind picked up, swirling the snow all around them, making visibility quite low. Max was glad they wouldn't be spending much more time outside.
"Ok," Dali began. "We're going to split up."
"I don't think that's such a good idea," Alec began. "What if White finds one of us first? We don't stand a chance against him alone, let alone if he has a group of his buddies with him."
"494," Dali stated, "I was second in command in my unit; I excelled in strategic planning as a child. Splitting up is the most advantageous tactical strategy we have as of yet. It gives us the highest statistical probability of finding the children alive and unharmed in the shortest amount of time. So unless you have a better plan…"
Alec was slightly taken aback at the way in which she addressed him, and he held up his hands in surrender. "Proceed."
"Ok, we split up. We go our separate ways. We can communicate via comms. If anyone has any trouble, you know the signal. Are there any questions?" Everyone shook their heads. "Good. Let's move out."
The four of them proceeded to the back entrance of the building. The tall door loomed before them like the ending of the green mile. It was heavily bound with chains and a large padlock. Max stepped forward, yielding a thick, metal lock picker, but Dali held out a hand to stop her. She grabbed the lock, and very quickly but quietly snapped it in half. The others had only a second to be astonished at her strength before she pulled the door open and slipped inside.
Alec entered after her, and then Max, and Logan brought up the rear. They descended the steps in front of them, and landed in the intersection of two hallways. Dali turned to them, and signed that she and Alec would take this floor, and Max and Logan should take the next floor up.
They all nodded, and Logan turned to leave, but Max looked at Dali.
"Good luck," she whispered.
Dali stared past her. "The success of a mission rides not on luck, but on a well-thought out strategy executed with accuracy and precision."
Max looked away, and nodded before turning to leave.
Dali and Alec crept stealthily along the dark hallway, stopping only in doorways to see empty rooms with shattered windows, or broken wood all over the floor. They were almost to the end of the hall, when a voice sounded in their ear.
"I found them. They're on the second floor," Logan's voice said.
Alec and Dali turned on their heels, and headed towards the kids.
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Dominic was gagged and bound tightly to a pole with Susie at his back. Wendy and Sean were also gagged and bound back to back. Dominic tried desperately to work at the ropes in hopes of loosening them enough to be able to slip out. But he only succeeded in giving both he and Susie severe rope burn, though she was too proud to admit it. His thoughts went back to the afternoon…
Sean, Dominic, Susie and Wendy all crept silently along the perimeter fence, taking care to stay inside the shadows at all times. They were almost caught twice, but managed to escape. They hopped the fence, and stood on the outside for a moment, relishing in what they had accomplished. Then they took off running.
A few blocks down, they found what Dominic called a playground. Sean, Susie and Wendy had never heard of such a thing. A place with public toys where you could play and not be punished? Such a thing was not a part of their vocabulary. They stayed there for a while, and lost themselves in the fun and games of the outside world. It was only when a sector police car pulled up did they leave for greener pastures.
They made their way through neighborhoods, peeking in windows all the way. Once, they saw a boy about their age. He smiled and approached them, waving. He made a move to open the window, when his mother came up behind him, scolding him and shutting the curtain.
The foursome then made its way to the park in downtown Seattle. Dominic told them stories the whole way there. Stories of how children were really supposed to live. He told them about birthdays and school and playstation 2…The X-series marveled at his stories, and begged him for more.
They strolled through the park, leaping through the branches in the trees for a while, before deciding to head back to Terminal City. They made their way back to the perimeter fence, and prepared to leap it, when Dominic felt a hand on his shoulder and a cold voice in his ear.
"Going somewhere, Brother Korman?"
That was the last thing he heard. He felt a prick in his neck, and darkness became him.
Then he had woken up here. White had made a brief appearance, but was called away on another important matter. It was then that Dominic had summoned all his strength, and contacted Dali. Other than the dream-walking, he had never tried to contact anyone from afar. So he wasn't sure if she had even gotten the message. She hadn't responded…or if she had, he hadn't gotten anything. So he could only hope she was on her way. Or maybe it would be better if she didn't come. That was exactly what White wanted right? And he already felt bad enough for having gotten his friends into this mess; he knew he'd never be able to live with himself if something happened to his older sister.
The door opened and White flew in, in a rage, slamming the door behind him.
"Et tu, Brother Korman?" he sighed angrily.
"Only for you, Brother White," Dominic replied, refusing to be intimidated.
White stooped so he could look into Dominic's face, expecting to see fear. Instead, however, he saw fortitude. "Strong, just like your sister. I should have known." He stood up and towered over the young children. "But strength of mind will only get you so far. You betrayed us, Brother Korman. Do you deny it?"
"No."
"Then you know what the penalty is. The Committee has already sentenced you to death upon capture. And do you know who they've put in charge of carrying out your sentence?" he asked menacingly.
"Captain Kangaroo?" Dominic suggested, never missing a beat. His friends burst into nervous giggles.
"You jest as though you didn't know you were in the last few moments of your life. My advice to you is to think very long and very hard about what you've done. As for your friends…well, I do hope they've enjoyed their taste of freedom, miniscule though it may be."
White pulled a small pistol from his holster. It was then that Dominic began to quiver with fear. Seeing the object of his proposed demise didn't serve to appease his fright any more. The door swung open, and in stepped Dali.
The moment he saw her, he knew something was wrong. It wasn't his sister that stood before him, but a carbon copy, with a military casing.
"Fe' nos tal, 927! How nice of you to join us."
"Oh spare me the pleasantries Ames. I'm not here for a tea party. Let the children go and I'll let you walk out of here alive."
"Hmm, well color me confused, but I didn't realize you were in any kind of position to be dishing out demands. As it stands, I'm in charge. And I can see that you left your army at home, which means we'll be handling this my way."
Alec, Max and Logan all entered and stood beside her.
"Think again," Alec said icily. Seconds later, however, he heard the sound of a gun cocking in his ear, and realized that they were surrounded by four of White's buffoons, who must've been hiding in the shadows. "Great…just great." He wanted to turn and attack them; knowing that they could easily take them out, but Dali's voice entered his head.
Don't! If any of those guns goes off, the kids could be hit.
White lined them all against the wall.
"So much for 'a well thought-out strategy executed with accuracy and precision'," Max chided Dali. "Any other bright ideas Einstein?"
"Can it, 452," Dali responded without even looking at her. "We don't have time for this."
"Hello! We don't even have time to breathe!" Max hissed at her. She looked over at White's cold eyes, which almost seemed to smile. He lined his guards up facing them.
"Ready…" The men raised their guns. "Aim…" The sound of a thousand guns being cocked filled the transgenics ears. "Pause for dramatic effect…Better yet…" He walked over to Dali, and pulled her out of the line of fire. "I may still have use for you 927. Besides…I'm very curious to see how an unfeeling soldier deals with the loss of everything important in their life before their very eyes."
She looked up into White's eyes. "In case you haven't been keeping track, you've already done that to me…twice." She looked away. Guys, when I say go, go! She heard Dominic's quick response.
I won't leave you.
Damn it, Dominic. I am a superior ranking officer. I order you to do it. When I say…
White opened his mouth to give the last order. "Fi—" His voice was cut off by the sound of a single gun shot. His officers thought nothing of it; figuring that one or the other was a little trigger happy, they all began firing.
However, Dali had realized what had happened. NOW! The bullets flew in every direction, hitting the walls, and causing all kinds of spray from debris and smoke and haze to fill the air. When the firing stopped, a series of blows could be heard. The smoke cleared, and Logan, Dominic, Susie, Wendy and Sean all stood up. Max and Alec both had fighting stances in the middle of an array of unconscious soldiers. Dali stood with her foot on the chest of the one of the guards, and she looked up into the eyes of the boy who had saved her life. Her eyes lost the dark look, and a sort of sadness overcame her as they filled with tears.
Randy also stood with his foot on a chest. The chest of a man shot dead from a bullet in the head. He looked into her eyes. I love you Lace. Randy gave a small smile, and disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared. Ames White wasn't going to be a problem anymore.
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It wasn't long before they had all made their way back to the vehicles. Dali held back as the kids piled into the Aztec.
"Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" Max pulled her aside. "Look, I'm sure you know being from Manticore and everything that apologies aren't exactly our department… but I'm sorry about that Einstein comment I made back there."
"Ah, it's ok," Dali reassured her, "Sometimes people tend to get a little nervous when they think they're about to die. Besides, if this mission had failed tonight, it would have been my fault. Not that I would've been alive long to feel guilty about it…"
"Everything worked out for the better, so let's just concentrate on that."
Logan approached the two of them. "You girls ready to ride?"
"Actually," Dali started, "there's something I have to do." Dominic also approached them, impatient with waiting in the car.
"Where you goin Dali?"
"Nowhere," she answered quickly, "I just need a minute; I'll be right behind you."
Dominic cocked his head to the side and stared at her. He couldn't really tell if she was lying. He never had been able to. "Are you lying to me?"
She sighed. "Look, it's just there's something I need to do. And I don't know how long it's gonna be, so…"
"So you want us to go ahead without you?" Logan questioned.
Dali nodded. "Can you look after Shorty please?"
This time, Logan nodded. "Sure thing, I think we've all had a very trying day. So we'll probably hit the sack when we get home."
"You sure you're gonna be okay?" Max questioned her suspiciously.
"Absolutely," Dali responded with a little smile. She knelt in front of her brother. "Shorty, you listen to everything Max and Logan have to say. Got it?" He nodded slowly; still not quite sure that she wasn't keeping something from him. She held her palm up to his. "Angels in heaven, from up above…"
He smiled and matched her palm with his. "Are looking down on me with love."
"Hey, I'll always be watching over you. Just like tonight." She hugged him quickly, and turned to leave. "See ya around Max, Logan." She walked over to join Alec on his bike. "Hey you," she greeted him.
"You?...Well, I guess that's better than 494…"
Dali smiled and blushed a little. "Hey, that wasn't me. That was 927. It's like she's constantly fighting me for control of my body, and when I knew I needed her skills to save Dominic…I just let her win."
Alec smiled back. "It's okay…just try to keep her locked away if at all possible…she's a little egotistical."
Dali's smiled dropped. "Alec, can you do me a favor?"
He turned serious as well. "Sure, what do you need?"
"Well, actually, it's two favors. I need to borrow your bike."
Alec sighed and laughed, but got off of it. "Ok, but I want it back tonight."
Dali nodded without smiling as she swung a leg over the bike to sit without starting it. She turned to face Alec. "Will you promise me…that if anything ever happens to me that you'll take care of my little brother?"
Alec's face sobered once again. "If anything happens to you? What are you talking about? Nothing's gonna happen."
"I know," Dali told him, "but after what happened in there…well, I can't be too careful. Just promise that if anything does happen, you'll take care of him…and you won't let him forget me."
Alec wrapped his arms around her. "I promise."
Dali relaxed in his embrace for a few moments, inhaling his scent, wishing with all her heart that she could tell him where she really was going. But she knew if she did, he would only try to stop her. And she needed to do this. Not only for herself, but for everyone, and their future. She finally pulled herself away.
"I'll see you at home?" Alec asked her as he kissed her forehead.
She closed her eyes and nodded slowly. "See ya around, Alec." She turned away so he couldn't see the lone tear that had slid down her cheek and starting the ignition, rode off into the night, never looking back.
Post: Ok, guys, thanks for all the reviews…you guys are the best. Next chapter coming soon.
