Disclaimer: Dark Angel and it's associated themes and characters, sadly, do not belong to me. Neither does Alec, dammit! ;-)
======
======
A Little Sister's World – Alec
None of them know how much she falters. To most of Terminal City she comes across as 'Max, Almighty Leader', but they're so used to seeing an Almighty Leader that they wouldn't know how to see one who isn't. Even Mole in all his fiery omniscience hasn't noticed.
Even I don't see it all, but I see more than most. She hesitates before she sends anyone off on a mission, afraid of sending them to their deaths. Is this something she learned from her brother? Zack. 599. The first Almighty Leader. The one who lead the escape. Logan said to me once about her family meaning more to her than I would ever understand, and that losing any transgenic is like losing family. Guess he's right.
Max made me care about others, about other transgenics, and it isn't nearly so hard as I feared. It's sort of like slipping into a new jacket. Different, a little uncomfortable from lack of wear, but not unpleasant. Yet, I don't get her obsessive need to know her family, to know they're safe. A need that seems to extend to the rest of us.
Are the others of hers like that? The escapees, the ones that ran away? Do they care that much, as well? It's sorta frightening to think of a bunch of beings wandering around the country, caring about people like that. And I thought Max and Logan made a bad enough team.
If they care like that, where did they learn? Max told me about the escape and why they did it. She finds the whole memory confusing, but is very firm that it was right. Best thing I ever did, Alec. I know it hurt everyone, but I don't think I could have spent my life there. She pressed into me that it was Zack's idea though, very strongly. Zack saved us. He's the one who said we should go.
How'd he do that?
Escape never once occurred to me. Never. Not even after I knew what the traitors had done. They were bad. Wrong. Something in their heads had been screwed up. We were the good ones, and we were going to stay at Manticore, because it was the right thing to do. Manticore was life. Manticore was right. Only they weren't so nice when they said it. Traitor. Rat. Deserter. Seeing your face connected with a horrible deed is disconcerting. Thanks Ben, thanks a lot.
Still, Ben was only following orders. They all were. Orders that went against the ones put in place by officers of higher ranking, but mattered more because they came from Zack. It's like the discussion I had with that kid – Bullet – Manticore was trying to kill them, damn what the higher-ups say. He didn't believe me anymore than I believed the rogues were right back in '09. Maybe it was self-preservation that made them run back then, god knows that's what it was for me when I saw those burning buildings. Or maybe the rogues just loved each other so much that they followed Brother Zack into the unknown.
Zack seemed obsessive when I met him. But I guess being part metal will do that to you. He was definitely fixated on Max, that's for sure. Scrambled memories, Max murmured to me softly, later, sadly, in that wide-eyed 'why does the world do this to me' kind of a way.
So, Brother Zack's the mystery. Why did one single X5 CO decide his squadron would be better on the outside? He was right, but how did he know? They must have screwed up badly, somewhere along the way, for him to be able to think that much outside their box. Funny what can happen if you're not careful with you genetically empowered individuals, isn't it?
I don't get him. But then I don't get Max either, so I don't have a hope of understanding Zack. They're the ones who decided to take down Manticore, and I still think they must have had their heads on crooked to think about it.
Logan seems to understand what's going on. That's why he still hunts down Max's family even though he has a hundred other things to do for Max, and for Eye's Only, and for Terminal City – the one person army that he is.
Unusual man, Logan. He's maybe the only person who really sees Max as being vulnerable. He doesn't get that she can take care of herself, Manticore made sure of that. They didn't make her so some crazy freedom fighter can try and watch her back. But still he wants to protect her. Maybe he's just seen her stumble more than the rest of us.
Between Max and Logan there's a year of their lives that no one here can touch, no one can know about. A year that everything happened and nothing got finished. OC knows, but then OC seems to know everything – how did one human get so clued up? But there was a year, a year of Max and Logan fighting the good fight, protecting the weak and generally making a nuisance of themselves: for the world in general, and Manticore in particular.
Looking back now, I have to say that I'm glad they annoyed Manticore. It's sort of good to think someone was willing to hit back when I couldn't. Funny, Max was watching our backs before any of us noticed. I guess, indirectly, so was Zack. Weird pair.
Is she aware of how much she's given us? I'm not sure she is. Max appreciates her freedom for what it is – even if she's uptight about it sometimes – but she's so used to getting bitten for everything she does, she kinda expects it. First Logan, then Zack, (me), Sam, and just about everyone else: 'Hey Maxie, you're doing it wrong!'
Except she's the one who got us this far in this new world, so I guess that means I should say 'thank you'.
Maybe tomorrow.
======
======
A/N: Well, stylistically speaking, I'm less happy with this one. I found it very hard to pick up Alec's 'voice'. Please tell me how I went. Your honest opinions are always important to me.
Please review.
At this point in time I feel I should mention that on my profile page I update how I'm going, and when new chapters can be expected. You can check there for when I expected to be able to update my stories.
Please review.
