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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Ice had lost track of time. He looked at his watch as he regained consciousness, and nearly started. Until he realised that he was in a tree, and that White and Otto were still directly underneath him. He was, now, fully transgenic again, not some weakened delirious transgenic who didn't stand a chance in Hell.
He let himself down from the tree, and hid in the undergrowth, his eyes on the two NSA agents. His left hand quested for a stone or something like it. He smiled wolfishly as he found one, then carefully moved so he could aim without being seen.
The stone hit Otto square on the temple, knocking him out. Ames span, to see Ice, fully recovered, stand up in the bushes.
"You!" Ames hissed.
"Me," Ice agreed, running at Ames and kicking the gun out of his hand. "No tranquilliser guns to get you outta this, Master Sandemann."
White growled gutterally, and tried to hit Ice. "My name is Ames White!" he exclaimed, but his brain started ticking over. How does he know that my father was his creator? It isn't common knowledge, not even amongst the Conclave
"Whatever you say," Ice replied, ducking under the shot. "You used to like me, y'know. We met once, when I was about a year old. Just learning to walk. I still had my bar code then. You father took me out of Manticore so he could monitor me, I was a prodigy. 1995, it was. Remember?"
Ames did.
----FLASHBACK----
The boy known as Ames Sandemann looked out of the window as his father's car pulled up. He was seven years old, and had passed the test some months earlier. He still lived with his father, and his younger brother CJ. That was wrong. CJ shouldn't have been born. If they were twins then yeah, Ames could have understood that. But his mother should have died when he was weaned. Not lived long enough to produce CJ.
He frowned as he saw his father help a boy out of the car. The boy couldn't have been more than sixteen months old, but he was walking better than CJ could. The boy's eyes were nervous, his bottom lip curled under his baby teeth. He held Ames' dad's hand as if it were the only thing he could concieve of.
"Ames, CJ, I'd like you to meet Alexander Rider," Ames' dad said. Alexander looked at Ames and CJ, and hunched his shoulders, making himself look smaller. Ames looked at the toddler with disgust.
Another charity case he thought to himself.
"Ames, I'd like you to keep an eye on Alex."
"Yes, father," Ames agreed.
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Ames snarled "Alexander Rider."
Ice grinned. "I was, yes. When I was just a thief. When I started losing my baby teeth I became Ice."
Ames hit out at Ice again. Ice dodged again.
"You taught me how to fight, Ames. Not physically, but mentally. I watched you like an eagle. How you acted with Sandemann, how you were with CJ behind his back. Nice to know, huh?"
Ames' next move, a kick, connected with the back of Ice's knee, forcing him to the floor. Ames grabbed Otto's gun, and pointed it at Ice. Who pointed Ames' own gun right back at him.
"Mexican stand-off, bro," Ice said with a wink.
"I'm not your brother!" Ames said.
"True," Ice agreed. "No brother of mine would try to shoot me with a gun that has the safety catch still on. Other than that? I have some of your DNA in me, Ames. Some you, some Deck. More Deck than you, but still..."
Ice let the sentence hang, just to annoy Ames. Ames kicked Otto's inert body, gun still on Ice. Otto groaned.
"So what ya gonna do, White?"
A/N: thoughts, --signal-- "speech"
-----------------------------------
Ice had lost track of time. He looked at his watch as he regained consciousness, and nearly started. Until he realised that he was in a tree, and that White and Otto were still directly underneath him. He was, now, fully transgenic again, not some weakened delirious transgenic who didn't stand a chance in Hell.
He let himself down from the tree, and hid in the undergrowth, his eyes on the two NSA agents. His left hand quested for a stone or something like it. He smiled wolfishly as he found one, then carefully moved so he could aim without being seen.
The stone hit Otto square on the temple, knocking him out. Ames span, to see Ice, fully recovered, stand up in the bushes.
"You!" Ames hissed.
"Me," Ice agreed, running at Ames and kicking the gun out of his hand. "No tranquilliser guns to get you outta this, Master Sandemann."
White growled gutterally, and tried to hit Ice. "My name is Ames White!" he exclaimed, but his brain started ticking over. How does he know that my father was his creator? It isn't common knowledge, not even amongst the Conclave
"Whatever you say," Ice replied, ducking under the shot. "You used to like me, y'know. We met once, when I was about a year old. Just learning to walk. I still had my bar code then. You father took me out of Manticore so he could monitor me, I was a prodigy. 1995, it was. Remember?"
Ames did.
----FLASHBACK----
The boy known as Ames Sandemann looked out of the window as his father's car pulled up. He was seven years old, and had passed the test some months earlier. He still lived with his father, and his younger brother CJ. That was wrong. CJ shouldn't have been born. If they were twins then yeah, Ames could have understood that. But his mother should have died when he was weaned. Not lived long enough to produce CJ.
He frowned as he saw his father help a boy out of the car. The boy couldn't have been more than sixteen months old, but he was walking better than CJ could. The boy's eyes were nervous, his bottom lip curled under his baby teeth. He held Ames' dad's hand as if it were the only thing he could concieve of.
"Ames, CJ, I'd like you to meet Alexander Rider," Ames' dad said. Alexander looked at Ames and CJ, and hunched his shoulders, making himself look smaller. Ames looked at the toddler with disgust.
Another charity case he thought to himself.
"Ames, I'd like you to keep an eye on Alex."
"Yes, father," Ames agreed.
------------------
Ames snarled "Alexander Rider."
Ice grinned. "I was, yes. When I was just a thief. When I started losing my baby teeth I became Ice."
Ames hit out at Ice again. Ice dodged again.
"You taught me how to fight, Ames. Not physically, but mentally. I watched you like an eagle. How you acted with Sandemann, how you were with CJ behind his back. Nice to know, huh?"
Ames' next move, a kick, connected with the back of Ice's knee, forcing him to the floor. Ames grabbed Otto's gun, and pointed it at Ice. Who pointed Ames' own gun right back at him.
"Mexican stand-off, bro," Ice said with a wink.
"I'm not your brother!" Ames said.
"True," Ice agreed. "No brother of mine would try to shoot me with a gun that has the safety catch still on. Other than that? I have some of your DNA in me, Ames. Some you, some Deck. More Deck than you, but still..."
Ice let the sentence hang, just to annoy Ames. Ames kicked Otto's inert body, gun still on Ice. Otto groaned.
"So what ya gonna do, White?"