Author: Athena
Rating: PG-13
Show: Dark Angel
Genre: Drama/Action/Romance
Pairing: M/A
Summary: A lonely night changed Max, Alec and Logan's life, probably forever. AU. Sets after "Hello, Goodbye"
Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. I wish! ;)
A/N: Well, here's the update. Tks a lot for your reviews, you're great! This chapter is kinda short, but I hope you'll like it… Btw, I also update my other stories… If you haven't seen it, please, check them out. One is a SV/DA crossover, "Timeline" and the other is also a M/A story, "Just the truth".
Part 7
Ben was so excited when he woke up, just before dawn. He hadso many questions in his mind… about his mom's past, about Alec, about Logan, about the guys who were after him at school… he wanted to know everything…
Before Alec's appearance, he was so afraid to ask because he knew he might not like the answers, but at this precise moment, he didn't care anymore. The presence of someone who seemed to know his mom so well made him eager again of answers, the answers he'd been waiting for since they started running. And I'll receive my answers right now!
He was about to knock on her mom's room, when he heard footsteps approaching their doorstep. He run to the door and opened it, in the exact moment when a young man was about to ring the doorbell. "Hello" said the young man, looking at him oddly.
"Hi. Who are you?" Ben said, not afraid at all of the young man. He knew he should be afraid, but for some reason, he wasn't; maybe it was that the stranger looked like a really nice person, or at least, it was his first thought.
"Well. My name is Zero and I'm looking for Alec McDowell. Is he right now here? I've been calling him, but he hasn't answered at all." Zero said unsure; he was surprised to be welcomed by a little kid, when he was expecting to see Alec or Max.
"Why is your name a number? And why are you looking for him here?" Ben said suspiciously. This guy seemed to be a decent guy, but maybe it was trap. Or maybe Alec wasn't a good person after all. Nah... Alec is a good man. Anybody that makes my mom happy must be a good person.
"Well, the story of my name is a little bit long… maybe another day, kid" He said smiling at him kindly. Zero looked at the kid who was talking to him; the first thing he noticed when he opened the door was his amazingly strong resemblance with Alec. Taking in consideration that this was Max's alleged apartment, well…. he could do the math. The kid had a command voice and a powerful presence, but well, that only demonstrated that he was the son of 'savior' Max and 'CEO' Alec.
"And I'm looking for him because he's my boss and I'm worried; and this was the last place I know he was", he said whispering, like if he was sharing a secret. Ben smiled. He liked the guy, despite the danger he might mean. "Well, I don't know if he's still here, but if he is, he must be in my mom's bedroom; my name's Ben, by the way. " he said in a quiet tone of voice "Can I ask you some questions, sir?"
Zero looked at the kid and he could see that curiosity was killing him. "Sure thing, kid. May I come in? I don't want to stand on your doorstep all day."
"No, not here; they could hear us". He said quietly, while a cocky smile formed on his little face. "But I know the perfect place"
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Max was sleeping comfortably in Alec's arms; for the first time in years, she was able to sleep more than an hour, and that was a good thing. She opened her eyes slowly, delighting on the sensation of his warm body. She didn't remember when it was the last time she slept this long. And this well. She slept like a log like … what?… 4 hours? And she felt rested and energized. Geez, good sex is such a good thing, she thought and she couldn't help smiling.
Alec was still sleeping when she woke up, and she stayed looking at him, admiring his handsome looks for what seemed to be hours. When he finally opened his eyes, he found a pair of deep brown eyes, gazing at him with such kind of adoration that he felt his heart beating faster and faster.
"Hello, sunshine" Max said, with such a bright smile on her face that he couldn't say a word. She leaned closer, kissing him softly on the lips, and for a moment he thought he was still dreaming. This is so good … it can't be real
"Hi" he said, so unlike Alec. He sounded more like a shy kid than like the grownup man he was. He knew that there were things they needed to discuss, but Max didn't pay attention at all; she was happier than ever. "Max, we need to talk", he said quietly, not knowing exactly how to begin. "About what?" Max said curious, she couldn't imagine what was in his mind. "About the future, Maxie, about the future" he said, letting out a sigh.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Ben led Zero to the building's roof. It wasn't the tallest building, but it had a good sight: a beautiful park. He understood why Ben liked this spot; all the feline DNA transgenics had this special fascination with high-height places.
"Well kid, shoot", Zero said, trying to shake the feeling of uncertainty. He had the damned feeling that the kid was going to ask him things he couldn't or shouldn't answer. But well, you should think that before accepting to answer his questions, he thought as he found a good place to sit. Ben didn't know where to begin; he had so many questions to make. "Well, sir…"
"Don't call me 'sir', kid. Just call me Zero, that's my name", he said smiling. "I know it sounds weird, but it's really my name"
"Well, I'll call you Zero if you stop calling me 'kid', sir" he said, smiling as well, and emphasizing the word 'sir'.
Zero laughed aloud; he just couldn't help it, the kid's attitude was so Max and Alec's, even when the kid possibly didn't know it. He stopped laughing when he saw Ben frowned. "Sorry, Ben, but it's just that you remind me a lot of someone"
"Who? My mom?" Ben said unsure, but at the same excited; he had the feeling that this man had met his mom before, just like Alec. "Yeah, your mom … and your dad" he said, but the moment he said the last part he regretted he said it. By the look on Ben's face it was obvious that it was a confuse matter for the kid. Shit!
"My dad? Do you mean Logan Cale?" Ben said confused; no one had ever compared him with his so-called father, but maybe… just maybe… all the fight he heard the night they left Seattle wasn't about him at all… maybe it was about someone else. Yeah, you wish, Ben thought bitterly.
"Mmh, I don't know anyone who goes by that name", Zero said without being totally honest; he had heard the stories about Max's ordinary lover, but he didn't give him a thought the moment he saw Max again. He just assumed that the ordinary was out of the picture for good. "Is he your father?" he asked Ben, regretful of his former assumptions.
"Well, the thing is … I don't know" Ben said quietly without looking Zero straight, like if he was ashamed of the confession. "I mean, I always thought he was my father, but… some things happened… and I'm not sure anymore. And now you're telling me that I remind you of someone who isn't him…"
Zero felt the uncertainty and the doubts in Ben's voice and it reminded him a lot of himself from the time when Manticore was taken down; when he didn't know what to expect from the world he thought he knew; when he realized that his life had been a lie. For an instant, he was back in the barn with Ralph, Fixit, Bullet and Bugler, hiding from the soldiers who wanted to kill them without understanding the reason.
"Well, Ben, I don't want to lie you, because I don't know if he is your father or not, and that's something only your mother can tell you for sure… but the thing is… you look a lot like my boss, Alec" he finally said, unsure of the kid's reaction; Ben just kept looking the horizon, an absent look on his eyes. Without taking his eyes from the landscape, he asked Zero, "Is he called 494? Is my mom called 452?"
That question surprised Zero a lot. Transgenics quitted using their designations since they were free, especially Alec and Max. "How do you know that?"
"A man who was trying to take me when I was at school, the day we left Seattle said it", Ben said, "He was a scary guy, though he was wearing nice clothes, like a business man. He went with soldiers and tried to shoot my mom with a gun. He was the one who called her '452' and talked about someone called '494'. Someone my mom called also Alec"
Flashback
"Well, well… it's the mighty 452 in the flesh. I must say that years hadn't passed through you; you still look good for a filthy animal" "I wish I could say the same, Ames, but it seems that stress finally gets you. You look like an old decrepit man"
Ben didn't understand. Why this man is calling my mom by a number? Why does she know him? He seems dangerous…
"… I don't care what you say, transgenic scum. But now that you're here, you can join the party. I'm looking for the offspring of one of your fellow transgenics… maybe you know him. He's 494's son. I understand his name is Ben… "
Ben saw the man showing his mom a photo of him… but he was confused Does my father have number too? Why? But it was his mother's answer what confused him more. "You don't have any proof that he's Alec's son… you're just bluffing…"
End of Flashback
Zero was amazed and scared at the same time. The just thought of Ames White gave him the creeps; the guy remained on his nightmares (and on his unit mates' as well) so many nights after they left the States, that the only sound of his name frightened him. Ames White found them! Now I understand why Max took his son as far as she could from Seattle
"Zero, do you know him? Do you know the man in the suit? Do you know what this numbers mean?" Ben's desperate voice awakened him from his insights. "Yeah, I do. His name is Ames White", he said, trying to hide his fear. "I met him when I was just a teenager. He … he tried to kill me and my unit mates just after Manticore's destruction." The images of White ordering the soldiers to shoot them when they thought that they were their allies burned in his mind. He didn't pay attention to Ben, who was more confused than ever.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
"About the future? What do you mean by that? We're together now, what else does matter?" Max said feeling between hurt and confused. She felt him different, and she didn't want to think the worst. "It's not that simple, Max." Alec said serious. "I have responsibilities now and I can't evade them, even if that means staying away from you again"
"Responsibilities? What kind of responsibilities?" Max said angry; her mind was clouded with rage. "Ooh, I see… so you have a nice family waiting for you, right? A lovely wife and a bunch of kids?"
Alec saw her for a moment, before he started laughing. "Maxie, that hurts. Do you really believe that? C'mon, you know me… Do you picture me living the perfect home life?", he said with a cocky grin on his face. Yeah, with me, she thought, her angriness fading away. "Well, pretty boy, what is it then?"
"Well, it happens that your lover and father of your child is the CEO of a big company which provides money to all the Freak Nation, Maxie" he said with a not hidden pleasure. "I don't like to sound pretentious, but 'Empowered Security' is considered one of the top 10 companies in the security business worldwide, and we just started 6 years ago". He added, grinning proudly.
Max was speechless. Alec, a businessman! Well, she always knew he was really good when it came to money, but building a company?
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
"Manticore? Unit mates? What are you talking about? What is all that to do with me and my mom?" Ben asked confused. Now it was Zero's turn to feel confused. "Haven't you heard about Manticore? Don't you know that they made us what we are?"
" 'What we are?' What do you mean by that?"
"Oh, my…", it was the only thing Zero could possibly let out of his mouth. He couldn't say anymore, because he knew it was dangerous ground. This kid doesn't know anything about anything! Geez, he doesn't even know that he's a transgenic… Why does Max hide everything from him?
Ben saw him hesitate; he wasn't going to tell him more… just when he had more doubts! He needed him to explain, he needed to understand what was going on… "Zero, please, tell me! What are we? Are we different? I always felt different, but my parents… well, mom and Logan never listened to me… never tried to understand that sometimes I feel like a freak…", Ben said embarrassed. "I've never tell anyone, not even my mom, but I can do things that no one can do."
"Like jumping really high, or running really fast, or seeing from a really far distance?" Zero said, his own doubts completely gone. Ben needed to know the truth. "How do you know…?" Zero didn't let him finish, now determined to let everything out. " You're not a freak, Ben, and never let anyone convince you otherwise. You're a transgenic, Ben, and you aren't the only one. I am a transgenic, like your mom, Alec and a lot more."
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A/N: Ok, What do you think? Let me know whether you liked them or not… ;D
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I thank all of you, for your amazing reviews... you're the reason I keep doing this… Tks!
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