A/N ok this chapter was so long I had to split it into two so you can have the rest once I cheer up and stop being such a mardy wench.
If anyone can tell me who Tara and Drew are in Real Life (characters on my site) they can have one chapter of any fic sneak read. I have lost their names and its driving me crazy to work out who they are!
Chapter 5 Proposal of Identification
Takes place during Seizing the day.
633 grimaced as 133 slapped her on the back
"No hard feelings 633 come on I was joking."
She pushed him away "Good punch for a girl?"
He shrugged as she scoffed "Laid you out."
"Did not." He objected and watched her walk away to see 766.
What was wrong with her? It was like she couldn't stand to be around him for long. Oh well, 624 liked his company.
633 edged away from him to sit with 766 who shot her a disbelieving look.
"What?"
She folded her arms defensively letting her long dark hair fall down her back in waves as she glared at him.
"You like him idiot- why are you ignoring him?"
"I do not." She maintained and smacked his arm. "He was a jerk."
"Obviously you two have graduated from the 494/452 school of romance." He sarked.
"No romance." She couldn't believe he'd bring that up.
She had known 766 since they had been in test tubes and he had always been her listening ear and best friend. Why was he being mean?
"494 does like pushing it doesn't he?" she said as she watched him tease 452. She batted him away and turned back to talking to 219.
"He's hooked." 766 shrugged, his dirty blonde hair shaking as he inclined his head to 633, his deep blue eyes dancing in mischief.
"You could be a bit nicer to 133, how will he know you like him if you keep being nasty?"
"I don't." she insisted and 766 held up his hands
"Fine you don't. Leave me out of it." he picked up his cards and shuffled them, knowing her well enough to know that she wouldn't - couldn't leave it there.
She eyed him, wary of him stopping the subject so quickly.
"Just like that?" she asked wishing she would have just left it as he smirked
"Whatever you say princess."
She huffed and grabbed his cards, forcing him to play against her.
886 hunched over his work and watched as they got into yet another argument. 452 had been touchy all day and was taking it out on everyone. Luckily he had learned to stay out of the way, she scared him. Well actually most of the girls scared him. He just had no idea how to deal with them. Give him a good book and he was happy but a female? He had no idea what to do with them.
"What do you mean bitch?!" he heard her shriek and winced.
She sure was loud when she wanted to be. Noise, another thing he wasn't fond of.
Pity he actually liked her and wished he could sit down and talk to her. He wished he could talk to all of the girls but every time he tried he got tongue tied and red faced.
It was embarrassing. He had no idea what to say to them, that was the problem. He wasn't flirtatious like 810 or funny like 418 or even firm and authoritative like 494. He was just 886- brainiac.
He sighed again as 452 slammed her books down and stormed out.
You see if he was like 494 he would be able to go after her and ask her what was wrong and maybe talk to her about books. He knew she was a big reader and from listening knew that she had interesting opinions and things. He'd like to talk to 511 as well, she was shy like him and often tried to encourage him. He'd like to talk to 202, she was quiet as well.
But he'd stay the hell away from 555- she terrified him.
510 watched as 521 poked at her breakfast in disgust.
"You know in basic health they taught us that breakfast is the most important meal of the day can't they at least try to make it taste more appealing?" she asked as the soggy grey porridge slopped into her bowl.
"So have toast or any of the other alternatives." 511 offered with a grin.
She rolled her eyes "I wanted something hot."
"And toast is cold?"
"Shut up." She said around her glare. It was morning and she reserved the right to be irrational.
510 shook his head as 494 arrived.
To his shock 494 had a huge grin plastered on his face and he was whistling. He nodded to the unit on the side table and slid in next to 510.
"Morning all!"
510 caught 521's eye and she shrugged at the bewildering behaviour of the C.O.
For the past few weeks he had been going around looking like someone had cancelled his mission status. All mopey and whiny. He constantly shot 452 looks that made it clear to anyone with eyes, and without a massive grudge, that all he wanted was for her to sit down and talk to him. If it wasn't the fact that 494 was his C.O, 510 would have smacked him for crimes to the male population. As it was, most of them, including 452, were clueless. Not having known 494 long enough to see his bizarre behaviour for what it was.
Now here he was looking like all of his birthdays had come at once.
"Hey, What's got you in such a great mood?" he had to know.
494 just gave him a cheeky look and dug into his own sloppy grey breakfast.
"Life, it's all good."
"Uh huh." 510 knew that the rest of the table mirrored his own scepticism.
The C.O ignored them and 510 was about to ask him something when his head snapped up, like a fox that scented food.
510 sighed as 452 walked to the table. She had been pissy all yesterday and that was bound to put 494 in a bad mood again.
"Well the mood was nice while it lasted."
511 nodded in agreement.
"Morning." 494 greeted as 452 sat down.
510 waited for the verbal tongue lashing.
"Hey!" she replied quite cheerfully and 521 paused with her spoon halfway to her mouth.
"Sleep well?" 494 asked cordially.
"Fine thanks, you?" she picked up her toast and crunched it.
"Feeling great actually. Although I do have a little crick in my neck." He shrugged "Maybe I slept on it funny."
510 looked back and forth like he was at a tennis match.
"Hmm, I didn't do too badly at field med and relaxation techniques, maybe I could help?" she offered.
"That'd be great thanks." His eyes twinkled as they shared the same conspiratorial grin.
He couldn't take it anymore.
510 slammed his mug on the table, startling them all.
"Alright who are you and what have you done with 454 and 494?"
Everyone stared as 452 and 494 burst out laughing.
291 opened his eyes wide
"I know! Renfro swapped them for their clones in the night. Check their barcodes." He grabbed at 452's collar and pulled it down.
That wasn't such a strange solution and 510 was about to do the same to 494 when 452 batted 291's hand away.
"Off fool! Cut it out Za-219."
"What's with you two then?" 510 demanded his irritation faded as he registered that his C.O was genuinely happy.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, you 452?"
"None."
510 rolled his eyes, he almost preferred them fighting.
"Oh c'mon everyone knows you can't stand each other."
"I wouldn't say that, In fact we have a lot in common right 452?"
She nodded "Oh yeah, heaps."
"Like?" 510 asked incredulously.
"Oh suspicious friends. We just decided to be more open with each other and get along…slightly better. Right smart ass?"
510 smiled at that, okay so it wasn't so bad, at least they were still themselves and not their clones…which was a relief.
"Right." 494 thought for a second "On that vein 452, perhaps you can help me, I've been racking my brains all night but I can't seem to solve it."
"What's that?"
"Who's Alec?"
510 watched interested as the Wyoming guys froze.
"Wha-?" she swallowed looking nervous "Where did you hear that?"
"Last night."
510's eyebrows shot up to his hair line- LAST NIGHT? What had they been doing last night?
"Uh that…that was…uh…" she glanced around as if asking for inspiration but found none.
"Huh?"
510 watched as she came to some sort of conclusion and took a deep breath.
"When my unit-- the 09ers-- were young we were like family and my brother used to tell these fantastic stories and in one he said that names helped to make people. Trainers had names and guards had names, even staff and civilians had names. It made them feel important- after all it's the first thing anyone asks about you, so he said that we should have names. Names held power and gave you identity more than a designation. My C.O agreed and so we gave each other names." She sighed.
"Then when they left I was alone and I had this desire to have some part of them around. So I started to call everyone names."
"Like me. I'm named Zan." The blonde 291 jumped in.
"She called me Sunny. That's my name." 521 said softly and 510 found himself agreeing with that- she was Sunny.
"I'm Pix." 418 looked over at 511 who smiled.
"Carrot."
510 laughed as he saw the connection between the hair and the name.
"Names mean something, it's who you are."
"So you named us all?" 494 asked hesitantly "Dare I ask?"
"You I named Alec. As in Smart Aleck."
510 scoffed as 494 nodded and chuckled "Alec, I can live with that."
"Great because you would have hated her second choice." Zan added with a shudder.
"Did I get one?" 510 asked curiously. He wondered what they named him.
Max shrugged "I couldn't find one to suit you. You need something as big as your heart."
"As big as-" he grinned as the compliment penetrated "You think I have a big heart?"
"Big head." Alec added in.
"Big ego." 511 chuckled
"I'm just big s'all over." He joked.
"Biggs?" Sunny misheard and he liked the sound of that.
He put his head on one side "Biggs? I like it."
"What about me?" 511 asked eagerly.
"I called you Chance." 452 exchanged glances with 418-Pix.
"As in accident…or accident prone." Biggs filled in with a twinkle in his eye.
Chance blushed and her grin faded.
"It's cute." Sunny offered and Pix leaned over to try to catch her eye but she let her hair fall to obscure him.
"Aiden thinks so anyway." 452 gestured to 344 who started.
"Aiden?"
"Because you always get to be Aide. Hey I never said I was any good at the name thing. It was more Zack's deal."
"Zack?"
"599, my C.O." she explained.
Pix glared at Aiden who was testing out his name. What did Max mean he thought her name was cute?
"What about us?" 633 asked intrigued.
"Flex." Sunny pointed to 810- "Because of the flexing of muscles."
They roared with laughter and Flex grinned, his smile wide.
452 leaned over to quiet shy 886 who clearly wanted to join in but wasn't sure how.
"I called you Techie, because you as smart as the comp techs and even sweeter."
His smile was relieved and just a bit bashful and he was elbowed by Biggs who nodded with agreement.
"I knew a tech by the name of Emma who was like you." 452 gestured to 148. "So I named you after her."
"What about me?" 133 asked
"Couldn't think." 452 confessed
"I did. Mets." Sunny said with a shrug. "It just fit."
Pix watched as the rest of them clambered for names and Max finally told hers.
He was looking at Chance who was quiet as they laughed over 361 and 360, Steve and Skye (Because her nose was up in the air.) and at the chocolate skinned 624- Coco, who adored her name.
She managed a small smile as Biggs looked at her to see her reaction to his name but it faded fast.
Pix was worried, did she not like her new name? He had chosen it- maybe he wasn't as good at it as Max was.
633 tried her new name a few times. It sat well with her.
"Drew."
"Sweet." 766 offered- no he was Dek now.
"Dek and Drew." She shrugged "Why not."
"Dek- As in hit the deck?" he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Better than Big Jerk." B.J grimaced, he almost preferred 191.
Drew laughed "In her defence your first words to 45-Max were about how she should keep her damn 09er tactics to herself."
B.J blushed "Yeah ok, I was out of line."
"Wow you admitted it!" 291 said with exaggerated shock.
"Well at least I got a name." he remarked and she sat back.
"Come on Max, name me!"
"I can think of a few." He offered and she slapped him.
"Sorry." he pouted and 291 nodded
"Forgiven."
"How about Anna?" Max said "It means gracious."
"Anna." She grinned I like that.
"Gracious my ass." B.J rubbed his arm.
"Cece?" 202 said dubiously until Alec nodded
"It suits you."
She blushed "I like it."
"So we're all named."
"Except 555, she had to go to I.T early to finish her program." Chance piped up.
"You name her." Max said "Who better than her best friend?"
Chance turned away with a small smile and Pix got more and more worried as she got up and left the table.
Chance managed to avoid them as they noisily got up laughing about their new names. She was trying to swallow the huge lump in her throat that had emerged as she had heard her new title.
Chance- as in accident.
Oh well she hadn't liked 511 any more it was just that…she pushed the thought away and went to talk to 555.
As she explained what had happened at breakfast 555 slumped
"I missed it!"
"Don't worry, this way you don't get lumbered with one that you don't like." Like me Chance thought darkly.
"Ok, you know that nice trainer we had back before 09, the woman."
"Kathleen Murphy." Chance supplied, she had been a nice trainer, always ready to give a helping hand or a kick in the pants depending on what was needed.
"Yeah well one time when 455 hurt you and 510 punched him."
"Biggs." Chance corrected and 555 paused
"Biggs, really?" she sighed "Oh they'll be no living with him after that."
Chance smirked.
"Anyway Biggs punched his teeth out and all afternoon he kept calling her Trainer 'Feen- I like that."
"Feen?" Chance looked at her "Do you look like a Feen?"
"Does 511 look like "Biggs"?"
"Point." Chance said and they fell quiet as the Trainer walked past again and started to do some work.
~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Messymissy- thanks Chance and Alec have sweet chemistry don't they? Any more prank ideas are welcome!
Nat452- They are good together…as long as Biggs doesn't find out!
Raven- Doesn't he just- maybe it's because I've been reading Harry Potter again. Its not being a dork- it's a great compliment to me thank you so much! I feel that way when I have read a great fic so cheers.
Lyndsay- I'm sure he'll be willing to help Sunny over it all.
Feenian- Oh 555 will have her own little tale to tell!
Ganko- Glad you liked this too. Pix's facial expression must have been hilarious woulda loved to be a fly on the wall there!
Sigma1- LOL, come back down to earth and read these two! Alec managed a whole chapter on a foot free diet! Go figure!
Kathryn Buffy Gellar- Thank you I like doing this this way and telling the same story from a different view makes the AU more believable.
Freedom Angel- fast enough for ya?
Kim- Aren't they just! But who are Drew and Tara- driving me crazy?! Yeah I have Moving Ahead written and am making plans for this fic too. And yeah I hated Unit 6's character. They are my least fave starts from Sunset Beach lol.
Ting- She's oblivious to him. Poor Alec.
Tiggi- feel free to nitpick! Means someone's paying attention. I did mean 219 not 291. Zan not Anna. She just isn't Sunny's type! Thanks for letting me know.
Athena80- Argh don't be angry at me- its not abandoned (Unlike some fics I cringe to think about finishing) It has M/A just not as starring roles. Pix/Chance and maybe Sunny/Biggs we'll have to see.
Anna Kristina- No Special Ops has a lot of classes on their own but they do sometimes join up with Unit 8. partially because the characters interact well. Partially because Special Ops needs to learn how to command other soldiers and partially due to withdrawal of funding there aren't many trainers for the genetically engineered. Those damn 09ers!
Angel21- Here's more for ya!
Darkangel562- Fun to write too!