DISCLAIMER: Plagiarism is the highest form of flattery. I am not making money from this fic, nor do I own the ideas behind, or the original characters of, Dark Angel. Please do not sue me. The eleven X-1s, however, are still mine. Especially Ice, 'cos he rocks.
A/N: thoughts, --signal-- "speech"
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They walked along in boy-girl pairs. Not couples; it was clear from the way they acted that they were more like siblings than lovers. It was also clear that ten was not their usual number. Five, maybe, they seemed to concentrate more on the others in their line than they did on their partners. However, there was also the sense that they worked as a ten too. Or as a larger group. An eleven? Maybe. Whatever it was, there was something about them that stood out to Max. Moreover, if Max noticed it, NSA Agent Ames White would notice it too. Better get Logan to ask Ascha to deal with it. Ascha had no transgenic links that Ames White was aware of.
The ten of them entered Crash, where an eleventh joined up with them. Another guy, one who Alec, from behind the newcomer, believed to be an Ordinary. Alec couldn't see a bar code on the back of his neck, and signalled so to Max as she walked in. Max walked over to Alec, and watched the group. The sixth guy definitely looked more comfortable being here than the ten transgenics she'd trailed here, who kept looking around the place as if they'd never seen a bar before. She looked over them again. Three girls, identical. Clones? Max wasn't sure. Two guys, also identical. Again, she wasn't sure if they were clones or twins. Those five sat to the left of the apparent Ordinary. To his right there were two more identical guys, and this time Alec answered for her when he muttered "Those two are *definitely* clones," right in her ear. The other three, two girls and a guy, were apparently individual. The guy walked up to the bar and ordered three pitchers of beer and one of juice. One of the girls, who looked as if she ate men for breakfast, lunch and tea, came over to help him with the pitchers, while the blonde haired triplets walked over to grab some glasses. Alec was smitten by her.
"Hey, need a hand with those?" Alec asked with a cheeky smile.
Way to go, Alec Max thought. Get some information
The blonde triplet looked at the Ordinary, who looked Alec *and* Max up and down, and nodded that both X5s could join them. Max thought of declining the offer, in typical stubborn style, but there was something about the guy that struck her as strange. She wanted to figure him out. Plus, Alec was giving her that puppy-dog-eyes look, begging her to join them in case blonde-triplet was not for him. She rolled her eyes, took her glass, and followed her smitten sibling towards the girl.
The Ordinary shifted up to make room for Max, while Alec sat next to Blondie. Max spoke first, to the Ordinary.
"You don't know what you've gotten yourself involved with, do you?" she asked him. He smiled infuriatingly.
"I know perfectly," he answered. "I've always been good at holding my own in E and E, but these lot?" He rolled his eyes. "White would have had them with that bogus signal if it wasn't for me knocking them out."
Max looked at the guy incredulously. "Are you trying to tell me that a human took out ten transgenics? That's impossible."
"I agree. Which must mean..." he let Max and Alec finish the sentence "... that you're not an Ordinary."
"Got it in one."
"So why no bar-code? The others have them. You get yours lasered?" Alec asked, tearing his attention from his lust object momentarily.
"No. I went through gene therapy when I was switched onto Solo Ops. They didn't do it to you 'cos you were older than five when you switched. My bar code is still there, but it's only about three shades darker than my skin tone."
"OK," Max said, "assuming we buy your story, who the hell are you?"
One of the clones, the more extroverted one, spoke up. "We're the Ones who didn't make the basement cut."
"You're nomalies?"
The guy who had ordered the pitchers answered. "Nope. We're the X1s Manticore took the time and effort to train. Three hundred created. Eleven passed for human, one hundred and fifty were still born, eighty-nine were dead before their second birthdays, the remaining fifty hit the basement."
The 'Ordinary' continued. "We're the prototypes. The original Golden Children of the project. Mack, Slim, Dynamite, Finn, Data, Fred, Danni, Toni, Cain, Abel and myself. Ice."
"How come you're the only one who acknowledges a name?" Max asked. "I still don't know who's who."
"They still answer to their designations. Shot especially. For a girl who can hit a moving target at nine hundred yards, she's having a hard time adjusting to something resembling normality."
"You didn't have nicknames for each other back at Manticore?" Max asked.
Ice shrugged. "I was kept in solitary, not allowed to mix with others. My minder called me Ice in private, because of the way I approached my training, and the missions I was given. The others, when we hooked up after Manticore was blown, were answering to designations still."
Alec stopped looking at Fred long enough to take a sip of his beer and ask another question. "So, how many of you are clones?" he said quietly. The introverted clone looked up. "Just me. I'm Slim's clone, Finn."
Max smiled. "Well, that's you two and Ice sorted out."
Alec nodded. "And if you think about it logically, the twins are Cain and Abel. Cain's the elder, Abel the younger."
"Well, who'd have thought you had it in you, Alec," Logan said, walking up a little hesitantly as his exoskeleton played up again. "Want to introduce me to the older sibs, Max?"
Max shrugged. "Alec and me were playing the guess who's who game. We had the guys down, I think."
Logan nodded, and pointed discreetly to each one in turn, starting with Mack, and naming them. "Mack, Slim, Finn, Cain, Abel and Ice."
Ice nodded. "Bang on. Not bad for an Ordinary."
"What are the girls' names again?" Alec asked. Maybe logical saviour of the people can figure it out
Slim grinned. "Dynamite, Data, Fred, Danni and Toni," he said.
Logan frowned, looking at the girls. "well, the triplets are Fred, Danni and Toni in some order. Three guys' name that can also be girls' names- Fred as a shortened form of Winifred."
Mack nodded approvingly. "For a guy whose tactics got him shot in the back, you sure are logical."
"Thanks... I think..." Logan replied. Alec grinned at Logan's slight discomfort.
"Well, I'm guessing Dynamite is man-eater lady here," Max chipped in. "She looks like Original Cindy wouldn't say no."
Dynamite grinned. "Thanks. But I'm also an expert in demolition and bomb disposal. That's where I got the name from."
Logan looked at Dynamite. "I've learnt that most of you aren't just pretty faces," he told her, his jaw all but hitting the floor as he did so. Alec did Max a favour and punched Logan sharply on the arm. "Hey, ow!"
Alec looked at the remaining girl. "I guess that means that you're Data."
Data nodded shyly, as Sketchy, OC and Herbal walked over. (A/N: Yes, I know they cut Herbal out of S2. But this is *my* fic, and he's staying)
OC looked at Dynamite, just as Max knew she would. "Hey boo," she said to Max, "You want to introduce us?"
Dynamite grinned. "I'm Dynamite," she introduced herself.
"You can say that again, boo" OC replied.
She couldn't take her eyes off Dynamite. Neither could Sketchy, who was, for once, speechless. Ice nudged Sketchy in the ribs. "Dude, you dribble in my juice, I *will* hunt you down."
Sketchy shut his mouth. Herbal laughed. "All good, my friend. All good."
"All the time?" Slim questioned with a grin.
"Aye man."
"What kinda catch phrase is that?" Toni and Danni said together. Fred would have said it, but she and Alec had started necking.
"Best kind," OC replied, still looking at Dynamite. Logan looked at Alec and Fred, an eye brow raised.
"She in heat?" he asked.
"Nah," Data said, looking at the floor. "She's not got any cat in her. Unlike me. It's a bitch... Well, you know what I mean."
Logan, Max and Herbal shared a look. None of them spoke.
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Well, there we go. Chapter 1. Officially chapter Two. Enjoy.
A/N: thoughts, --signal-- "speech"
------------------------------------------------
They walked along in boy-girl pairs. Not couples; it was clear from the way they acted that they were more like siblings than lovers. It was also clear that ten was not their usual number. Five, maybe, they seemed to concentrate more on the others in their line than they did on their partners. However, there was also the sense that they worked as a ten too. Or as a larger group. An eleven? Maybe. Whatever it was, there was something about them that stood out to Max. Moreover, if Max noticed it, NSA Agent Ames White would notice it too. Better get Logan to ask Ascha to deal with it. Ascha had no transgenic links that Ames White was aware of.
The ten of them entered Crash, where an eleventh joined up with them. Another guy, one who Alec, from behind the newcomer, believed to be an Ordinary. Alec couldn't see a bar code on the back of his neck, and signalled so to Max as she walked in. Max walked over to Alec, and watched the group. The sixth guy definitely looked more comfortable being here than the ten transgenics she'd trailed here, who kept looking around the place as if they'd never seen a bar before. She looked over them again. Three girls, identical. Clones? Max wasn't sure. Two guys, also identical. Again, she wasn't sure if they were clones or twins. Those five sat to the left of the apparent Ordinary. To his right there were two more identical guys, and this time Alec answered for her when he muttered "Those two are *definitely* clones," right in her ear. The other three, two girls and a guy, were apparently individual. The guy walked up to the bar and ordered three pitchers of beer and one of juice. One of the girls, who looked as if she ate men for breakfast, lunch and tea, came over to help him with the pitchers, while the blonde haired triplets walked over to grab some glasses. Alec was smitten by her.
"Hey, need a hand with those?" Alec asked with a cheeky smile.
Way to go, Alec Max thought. Get some information
The blonde triplet looked at the Ordinary, who looked Alec *and* Max up and down, and nodded that both X5s could join them. Max thought of declining the offer, in typical stubborn style, but there was something about the guy that struck her as strange. She wanted to figure him out. Plus, Alec was giving her that puppy-dog-eyes look, begging her to join them in case blonde-triplet was not for him. She rolled her eyes, took her glass, and followed her smitten sibling towards the girl.
The Ordinary shifted up to make room for Max, while Alec sat next to Blondie. Max spoke first, to the Ordinary.
"You don't know what you've gotten yourself involved with, do you?" she asked him. He smiled infuriatingly.
"I know perfectly," he answered. "I've always been good at holding my own in E and E, but these lot?" He rolled his eyes. "White would have had them with that bogus signal if it wasn't for me knocking them out."
Max looked at the guy incredulously. "Are you trying to tell me that a human took out ten transgenics? That's impossible."
"I agree. Which must mean..." he let Max and Alec finish the sentence "... that you're not an Ordinary."
"Got it in one."
"So why no bar-code? The others have them. You get yours lasered?" Alec asked, tearing his attention from his lust object momentarily.
"No. I went through gene therapy when I was switched onto Solo Ops. They didn't do it to you 'cos you were older than five when you switched. My bar code is still there, but it's only about three shades darker than my skin tone."
"OK," Max said, "assuming we buy your story, who the hell are you?"
One of the clones, the more extroverted one, spoke up. "We're the Ones who didn't make the basement cut."
"You're nomalies?"
The guy who had ordered the pitchers answered. "Nope. We're the X1s Manticore took the time and effort to train. Three hundred created. Eleven passed for human, one hundred and fifty were still born, eighty-nine were dead before their second birthdays, the remaining fifty hit the basement."
The 'Ordinary' continued. "We're the prototypes. The original Golden Children of the project. Mack, Slim, Dynamite, Finn, Data, Fred, Danni, Toni, Cain, Abel and myself. Ice."
"How come you're the only one who acknowledges a name?" Max asked. "I still don't know who's who."
"They still answer to their designations. Shot especially. For a girl who can hit a moving target at nine hundred yards, she's having a hard time adjusting to something resembling normality."
"You didn't have nicknames for each other back at Manticore?" Max asked.
Ice shrugged. "I was kept in solitary, not allowed to mix with others. My minder called me Ice in private, because of the way I approached my training, and the missions I was given. The others, when we hooked up after Manticore was blown, were answering to designations still."
Alec stopped looking at Fred long enough to take a sip of his beer and ask another question. "So, how many of you are clones?" he said quietly. The introverted clone looked up. "Just me. I'm Slim's clone, Finn."
Max smiled. "Well, that's you two and Ice sorted out."
Alec nodded. "And if you think about it logically, the twins are Cain and Abel. Cain's the elder, Abel the younger."
"Well, who'd have thought you had it in you, Alec," Logan said, walking up a little hesitantly as his exoskeleton played up again. "Want to introduce me to the older sibs, Max?"
Max shrugged. "Alec and me were playing the guess who's who game. We had the guys down, I think."
Logan nodded, and pointed discreetly to each one in turn, starting with Mack, and naming them. "Mack, Slim, Finn, Cain, Abel and Ice."
Ice nodded. "Bang on. Not bad for an Ordinary."
"What are the girls' names again?" Alec asked. Maybe logical saviour of the people can figure it out
Slim grinned. "Dynamite, Data, Fred, Danni and Toni," he said.
Logan frowned, looking at the girls. "well, the triplets are Fred, Danni and Toni in some order. Three guys' name that can also be girls' names- Fred as a shortened form of Winifred."
Mack nodded approvingly. "For a guy whose tactics got him shot in the back, you sure are logical."
"Thanks... I think..." Logan replied. Alec grinned at Logan's slight discomfort.
"Well, I'm guessing Dynamite is man-eater lady here," Max chipped in. "She looks like Original Cindy wouldn't say no."
Dynamite grinned. "Thanks. But I'm also an expert in demolition and bomb disposal. That's where I got the name from."
Logan looked at Dynamite. "I've learnt that most of you aren't just pretty faces," he told her, his jaw all but hitting the floor as he did so. Alec did Max a favour and punched Logan sharply on the arm. "Hey, ow!"
Alec looked at the remaining girl. "I guess that means that you're Data."
Data nodded shyly, as Sketchy, OC and Herbal walked over. (A/N: Yes, I know they cut Herbal out of S2. But this is *my* fic, and he's staying)
OC looked at Dynamite, just as Max knew she would. "Hey boo," she said to Max, "You want to introduce us?"
Dynamite grinned. "I'm Dynamite," she introduced herself.
"You can say that again, boo" OC replied.
She couldn't take her eyes off Dynamite. Neither could Sketchy, who was, for once, speechless. Ice nudged Sketchy in the ribs. "Dude, you dribble in my juice, I *will* hunt you down."
Sketchy shut his mouth. Herbal laughed. "All good, my friend. All good."
"All the time?" Slim questioned with a grin.
"Aye man."
"What kinda catch phrase is that?" Toni and Danni said together. Fred would have said it, but she and Alec had started necking.
"Best kind," OC replied, still looking at Dynamite. Logan looked at Alec and Fred, an eye brow raised.
"She in heat?" he asked.
"Nah," Data said, looking at the floor. "She's not got any cat in her. Unlike me. It's a bitch... Well, you know what I mean."
Logan, Max and Herbal shared a look. None of them spoke.
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Well, there we go. Chapter 1. Officially chapter Two. Enjoy.