Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel, so on and so forth. You know the drill.

Setting: After FN

A/N: Please review. I'd love any ideas you guys have about what should happen in this story. This is kind of a 'what I would do if I was in Dark Angel' story so feel free to give me some input on that. Thanks.

A Normal Girl

Max's POV:

A friend of mine once told me to let the injustices of the world roll off me like water. I've been trying. I have. But it's getting real hard with all these jackass morons huddling by the fence day in and day out, screaming at us to go back where we came from. Where do they expect us to go? We've got nowhere left to us. And even if I hadn't burned Manticore to the ground, could we really go back there either? No way.

People just don't get it. And worse, most of them don't even try. And that's what's getting to me. I thought that eventually they'd get tired of their stupid protests, but they keep coming back every day. I'm starting to lose hope that they'll ever accept us. Maybe we're just too different. And not even the Space Needle is helping me feel any different.

I sigh and turn to head back down. There's no point in staying up here any longer and I have stuff to do anyway. Stuff like figuring out how I'm going to feed our little freak nation this week.

Days like this I start to miss my life of just a year ago. Yeah, I was constantly ducking Lydecker, always on the run from Manticore, but at least I wasn't responsible for an entire city full of outcasts.

Maybe it's a good thing we need some supplies. I could use a little action, get my mind off the gloom and doom of our existence. Maybe I'll even take Alec along so he'll shut up about being cooped up and bored. What an idiot. If he really wants to take a stroll down Kill-the-Trannies lane, I should just let him. Things would sure be quieter around TC.

Finally, I'm back on the street and getting back on my motorcycle. At least I still have my baby. I start her up and really let her loose on the way back to TC. I need the speed. I need to shake this bad mood a little before I get back or I might just snap and wring Alec's stupid neck.

But all too soon I'm in sight of the fence and those morons who seem to have set up shop outside of it. Do they really think they're going to scare us off with their idiotic burning X's? After the hell Manticore put us through, these guys are a joke.

I'd like to just jump my motorcycle over their heads again, but I know that's not a good idea. I don't want to give them another shot at getting an ID on my bike. I don't need to hand them another way of tracking me and there's no way I'm giving up my baby. So instead I turn my bike and head towards the water where I know there's a large sewage tunnel. Mentally, I apologize to my Ninja for contaminating her again. I spent forever getting the sewage off of her last time. But it's the only way to safely get in and out of TC.

The water splashes up on either side of me as I enter the tunnel, but then the concrete walks along the edges start and I can ride along that. It's dark even for me so I flip on my headlight. A few twists and turns and some surprisingly awful smells later, I've reached my destination. The ramp we put in that leads up to a grate that large enough for my bike to fit through. I crouch low because it's still a tight squeeze and appear back on the surface in an alley. I switch the headlight off again and head towards HQ.

Lately, being in TC has made me feel really trapped. Even the air feels different, heavier somehow. I try to just ignore it, but it gets harder the longer I'm here. I miss my friends, especially OC. I miss hanging out at Crash. Hell, I even miss Normal and delivering packages.

I sigh again and shake my head to get those thoughts out of it. I turn the motorcycle off and head inside. Immediately, I can't help but assess the room; taking in who's there, where they are in the room, where the weapons are, all possible exits, and anything else that prove to be a tactical asset. Alec was leaning back in a chair when I walked in, balancing it on its back legs and resting his feet on the table that Mole has piled some guns on that he is cleaning. Now he's walking towards me, which is never good.

"What?" I demand.

"Well, hello to you, too." he chides.

I cross my arms and tap my foot impatiently, hoping he'll get the gist and get to the point. He sighs and shakes his head like he's given up on me.

"Maxie." he whines like the five-year-old whose maturity level he shares, "I wasn't made for this. I'm not the kind of artwork you hang on the wall and admire. I'm the kind of damn fine specimen you put into action."

"You're the kind of annoying idiot that I usually ignore." I correct.

"So nice of you to make an exception. You're a giver, Max."

"You're a real jackass. Is there a point in this somewhere?"

"Okay, fine. Just hear me out. I want to pull a job. I've been casing some places and yeah, I know, I shouldn't be outside the fence. Blah blah blah. But I think I've found some good heists just waiting to happen. We could lift some stuff, fence it, and, you know, buy some toys for X-8's or something. Something good, I promise. No hookers." he crosses his heart and looks at me pleadingly.

I can't help but grin. His eyes narrow suspiciously, making me grin wider.

"What?" he asks cautiously.

"Okay." I say.

"Sorry." he blinks.

"Okay. We'll pull a job. But I'm calling the shots." I make sure to add that stipulation. Alec will just screw things up.

Alec remains suspicious for a moment before a grin slowly appears on his face. He gives me an extremely sarcastic two-fingered salute.

"Sure thing, boss." he agrees.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"Show me what you've got. We may have enough time to do this tonight."

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