Author: Athena
Rating: PG-13
Show: Dark Angel
Genre: Drama/Action/Romance
Pairing: M/A
Summary: Max and Alec travel 20 years back in time at Metropolis, KS to rescue a friend. DA/Smallville crossover .
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.
Part 2: Time Jump – Take 1Max and Alec were standing in the middle of the living of this fancy apartment, a room full of antiques and beautiful art pieces. They were looking for Jason Teague, who turned out to be a key piece in his search of Zack and the weird artifact. But nothing prepared them for what they saw. They found Jason Teague lying on the floor, on a pool of his own blood. They weren't prepared to see him looking very dead.
12 hours earlier…
"Zack? How it can be?" Max asked, visibly worried. She suddenly remembered all the things that happened the last time she saw Zack: the cyborg implants, his memory lost, his love declaration, when he tried to kill Logan, the need to send him away… all came at once, overwhelming her.
Alec felt the sadness on her and instinctively put an arm around her, like a primitive attempt to protect her from what they were going to listen next. He knew how affected Max usually was when it comes to big brother Zack. Lex Luthor noticed Alec's gesture and couldn't help feeling jealous. So this transgenic has an inclination for beautiful brunettes, just as Jason did. I hope this brunette also tried to kill him, like Lana
"Well, very easy" Lex Luthor said, without giving away his feelings. "He came to Metropolis with his former boss, that farmer you left him with. By the way, he was going by the name of Adam Thompson at that time. Some gang assaulted them near this building, he got rid of the robbers in a heartbeat and my surveillance cameras outside the building captured everything. I got interested, tracked him down before they left the city and offered him a job as part of my security team. Time later, I discovered he was a transgenic, and offer him a more interesting job than just a bodyguard…"
"Are you telling us that you didn't know he was a transgenic when you hired him? Come on, I have an IQ over 180, don't insult my intelligence" Alec said incredulous. "We've been in the news 24-7 over the country for the last two years or so, and every detail of us has been documented since then…. I'm sure you recognized him as a transgenic the moment you put your eyes on that camera footage. So don't try to fool us. You knew very well what he was"
"So you're as smart as the files say. Good for you" Lex said bitterly. This transgenic male was getting his nerves with his self-assurance and smart-ass comments, Jason's resemblance aside. But I will take care of you later
"How do you know his real name is Zack? You said that when you hired him his name was Adam Thompson… " Max said, trying to put the pieces together.
Lex Luthor saw her appreciative for a moment, before answering her question. oh, you're definitely beautiful. It's a shame you don't seem to like the luxurious life-style she looked angrily at him, expecting his answer. "Oh, that. Well, it turned out that his farm boss and his family tried all the time he stayed with them away from TV and newspapers so he couldn't remember anything about his transgenic life. And they apparently succeeded, because like I told you, when I first met him, he truly believed he was a farm boy and nothing else."
"But the second he joined your crew and established himself at Metropolis, he recovered his memory, right?" Alec said, wondering why Zack never tried to reach Max, after recovering his memory.
"Well, yeah, pretty much like that. But I'm the only one who knows about it. For everybody else, he's still Adam Thompson, former farm boy"
"And you helped him because of the goodness of your heart? I don't buy it. Besides, why he never contacted me, his family? All the country knows that I'm the leader of the Transgenic Central" Max said more worried than before.
"Well… I always wondered that. He told me some things about you and your other so-called brothers, but when I encouraged him to contact you, he always changed the subject. I supposed that something really bad must happen before he lost his memory that he didn't want to go back with his kind. Or am I wrong?"
"That's none of your business", Max said bitterly, not so sure about Zack's reasons. But in some way, she felt relieved. If Zack avoided Seattle because he felt guilty about trying to kill Logan, it could be a good sign. But didn't Sam Carr say he won't remember anything before the chip was turn on? Well, we will cross that bridge when we arrived it
"Well, what do you say?"
Alec didn't try to answer. He knew her very well to know what Max would say. And he his prediction didn't fail.
"I said no. We don't have any proof of what you said is true. For what I can tell, it's just an elaborate plot to kill us or sell us to a foreign country"
"Don't you think I could already do that? I mean, you're behind this bars." He said, pointing to the bars wall that separates them. Good point Alec thought.
"But maybe you need a little incentive to understand how badly I need you to do this for me… " Lex said, at the same time that he turned on the TV screen at the bookshelf in front of them. Logan was tied on a chair, completely unconscious, or maybe dead, they couldn't tell.
The image horrified both of them, and Max was about to scream or crying or something, but Alec tried to restrain her. "Max, don't show him how much you care for him. Don't react to his provocations. It's only gonna turn things worst for all of us", he said whispering.
"Like you see, I have your friend Logan Cale under my custody." Lex Luthor said to Max, like he knew what they were thinking… "Don't worry; he's alive, at least for now. But that'll depend on you"
"Why do you think he means something to us? It's true he's a business acquaintance and a transgenic cause supportive guy, but … what make you believe we have another kind of relationship?" Alec said, trying to figure out how Lex's Luthor know about the "special" relationship Logan has with Max. It was something only the transgenics knows. well, Manticore knew
"So now, you're the one who's insulting MY intelligence. I may not have your IQ over 180, but I'm not the most successful businessman on this country for nothing… And answering your question, I have my sources."
"Ok, you're a resourceful man. So are we." Max said, a little bit tired of this shit. "Just let Logan free, so he come unharmed back to Seattle, and we'll be able to negotiate. You don't have any need to involve violence, we're civilized people, you know" I just hope this evening doesn't get worse
"I knew you'd be reasonable with the proper… motivation, Max." Lex Luthor said arrogantly. He was looking at Max in a way he made her uncomfortable, but she couldn't tell why.
"And by the way, you'll get really well paid. I don't expect you to work for free. I know how struggling your life is, and I want to help you about it. Now, my men are gonna take to a hotel where you will be able to study all the mission parameters before the 'Time jump', as we call it. And don't worry; you'll be able to see Mr. Cale before he goes back to Seattle"
"Ok, you convinced us. So, when we are gonna do this little time travel for you?" Alec said casually, trying to lighten up the dense atmosphere.
"I only want Max's help. I don't have any need of you" Lex Luthor said coldly, "I know your missions have the tendency of getting sideways. So, step aside"
"Well, you got me. I'm a screw up and I can't deny it. Truth is, I don't believe that's the only reason. So, maybe it has something to do with my good-looks, or Jason Teague's good-looks, for that matter?" Alec said cockily.
"No, it's nothing to do with Jason." Lex said harshly, trying to hide his emotions. "This mission is really important to me…" He sighed hard, fighting for control, "… and I don't want you to screw up."
And I don't want to see you anymore, your bare existence make me sick. You don't deserve to live again, Jason Even after all this time, his hate for Jason Teague was alive and present and the sight of Alec only helped to increased it. But he was a man in control of his emotions, and without any excuse he was going to let this scum to know it.
But Alec noticed that something was happening underneath Lex's controlled mask. It was his natural empathy or his ability to hide his own emotions, he couldn't tell. "Ha, and you think I'm a troublemaker. It's obvious this guy Jason was a master, if even after his death he takes the shit out of a guy like Lex Luthor", Alec said to Max, in a lower range voice. Max smiled, even against her common sense; it was so Alec's the tendency of make smart-ass remarks of everything, even on life-threaten situations. "Mmmh, maybe you got that from him. Idioticy can be hereditary, you know", Max whispered, still smiling. "Ha, you're hilarious Max; you must join a comedy show" Alec said, trying to sound hurt.
Lex looked at them with a quizzical glare. He couldn't hear anything, but he swears they were talking to each other. Damn transgenic hearing. Why the hell she's smiling? I have the feeling it has to be something with this … this… He saw Alec with a disgusted glare, and this time Alec saw him unmasked his emotions for a moment. He couldn't stop himself from grinning. He liked a lot to see this powerful man lose control. Again.
"Well, Max, my crew will take you… " Lex said to Max, trying to ignore the annoying transgenic male at her side, without success.
"Hey, wait a minute! There's no chance I'm going alone on this dreamed vacation you're offering me. Alec's going with me"
"No". He said. "He's not going. Besides, I've arranged a full squad of my best guards to accompany you. You won't go alone".
"Like the guards you sent before? The ones who never came back? … No way. I need with me someone I trust. And who's better than a fellow transgenic, who is also my designated bre… partner of crime?" Max said adamantly, cursing herself for the tongue slip she almost commit. She didn't even know why she was going to mention the breeding partner thing, but thanks God, she didn't say anything. She couldn't bear to hear Alec bragging about it to the day he died.
"NO"
The expression on Lex Luthor's face was making more and more obvious his hatred for Alec, making him wondering the real motives for his hate. What did Jason Teague do that Lex Luthor hate him (and me, by extension) like this?
"So there's no deal. I'm not going anywhere if Alec doesn't go with me" Max said with determination. Alec never saw her that determined, well, at least, not when he was part of the picture. The cynical in him knew that it was an act, but he also knew she didn't lie really well; deceiving people was his talent, not hers. Hell, I really want to believe in her words, that I've really earned her trust.
"I said NO"
"Hey, be reasonable. What if Zack have decided freely to stay wherever he is? What if he already settled down, that he has a life there? We've been bred to be territorial and aggressive with it comes to defend what we think is rightly ours, you know. It's in our nature. So, do you really think Max alone will be capable to make him come back? She can be the strongest chick you ever met, but she's no match to a stubborn, strong-will male like Zack, beloved baby sister or not" Alec looked at Max, who was staring at him looking a little bit offended, but she didn't say anything. She knew he was trying to help her.
"So, you're telling me YOU can do it?" Lex Luthor said sarcastically As if…
"Hell, no. I hate to admit it, but guys like Zack are stronger than me. I'm not saying I can't beat him if my life is on the line, but I need to use other… resources... if you know what I mean" He said, smiling smugly. "But what I want you to understand is that this is a two-man-job. We can only guarantee the success of this mission if both of us go. Neither of us may be able to return if only one of us try to do it. But together, it will be piece of cake." Max rolled her eyes, giving him her I-hate-when-you're-so-full-of-yourself look. "Ok, ok, maybe it's not that easy, but we'll have more chance. We're a pretty good team, you know"
Lex Luthor gave it a real thought. He was a businessman, after all. It was true he wanted to kill this guy right here, but he also wanted to get back what he was rightly his. He might take advantage of their relationship for his own gain….
Tbc…
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A/N: what do you think? Review please!
And wait for the Take 2! (the second part of the second part, mmh, I hope you aren't confused, hehe)
o – o – o – o - o – o – o – o
Tks a lot to the people who review Part 1:
HoneyX5452: You were the first one to review it! tks for including this fic in your C2 - DA Crossovers … it means a lot! And for the record, I didn't stole anything ;) hehe, just wait and you'll see, hehe ;)
Mel11: Tks, I hope you like Part 2… in fact, it was a longer, but I decided to cut it in two (maybe three) pieces, so it doesn't take me so long to update…
acb: I'm glad you like it, I hope you'll visit again soon…
ska: Thank you, I think the same… specially about Alec & Jason!