Disclaimer: All of the characters that appeared on the TV show Dark Angel (Max, Zack, Logan, etc.) belong to their respective owners, not to me. No money is being made off of this fic. I only own the original characters (Becky/X6-405, etc.).
"Everybody set?" Zack asked as Logan parked the van a few blocks away from the warehouse.
"Yes," Becky said, zipping up her black denim jacket. She checked the straps on the holster that she'd put on around her waist, as well as the holsters that she'd strapped to her thighs and upper arms. "Good thing this jacket's tight. Makes putting the ones on my arms on easier."
"All set," Max said.
"Good," Zack said.
"Logan, be ready to hit it when we get back," Max said.
"I will," Logan said.
"Good," Zack said. "Let's move out."
Max silently climbed up the drainpipe on the west side of the building. She reached over to check if the window was unlocked. It was, so she slid it open and swung herself onto the windowsill and into the empty office. She crept up to the door and opened it a crack and looked down past the catwalk to where the captured transgenics were. She waited a few minutes until she was sure that Zack and Becky were in position before she took a deep breath and opened the door all the way and stepped out onto the catwalk.
Becky waited until Max had slipped into her office before she looked over at Zack and nodded to him. He gave a nod back and they both started to climb, Becky up the drainpipe that Max had just climbed up and Zack up a drainpipe on the east side of the building. Becky quietly reached over and lifted up the window of her office. The agent inside immediately went over to the window to check it out, but Becky quickly poked him in the eyes, temporarily blinding him, and grabbed him around the neck, cutting off the blood to his head and rendering him unconscious. She looked over at Zack to make sure he had done the same before she shoved the agent back into the office and slipped inside. She grabbed the roll of duct tape she'd brought with her and quickly bound and gagged the agent so he wouldn't go anywhere once he'd regained consciousness and opened the door to the office a crack and waited patiently for Max's signal.
Jondy sat in her chair, carefully watching the agents and looking for any opportunity to get loose, though she knew that logically, she couldn't.
"This is some mess we're in," she said. "I think it's safe to say that we're screwed."
"Looks that way," Zane said. "As soon as that bastard gets Maxie here, we're toast."
"Lucky us," 392 said quietly.
"I'm sorry, 392," Zane said.
"Call me Suzanne," she said.
"Suzanne," he repeated. "How about you guys?"
"Maggie," 691 said.
"Kevin," 773 said.
"I'm Zane, and she's Jondy," Zane said.
"Are we gonna get out?" Kevin asked.
Jondy sighed. "I hope so. If Zack somehow found out about this, then I'd say yes."
"If 405 found out about this, then I'd say yes," Maggie said.
"405?" Jondy questioned.
"Our commanding officer," Maggie said. "She wouldn't let anything happen to us if she could help it."
"Zack's the same way," Zane said.
"You know...um...I'm sorry I let them make me think that you were the bad guys," Kevin said. Maggie and Suzanne nodded in agreement.
"It's okay," Jondy said, knowing what Kevin meant. "You were kids, too. Kids believe what grownups tell them."
"I'd say we're definitely on the same side now," Suzanne said. A noise above them got their attention. "What's going on?"
"I don't—oh, boy," Zane said. The five of them zoomed in towards the now open door of the office on the west side of the warehouse. "Max went for it."
"452," White said almost pleasantly as he walked up behind the captured transgenics. "Why don't you come down here and join the party?"
Max pretended to flinch at getting caught, then grabbed the railing and swung herself over and jumped down. "I do hate missing a good party."
"I even invited some old friends of yours," White said. "Wasn't that nice of me?"
"Your generosity makes me all warm and fuzzy inside," Max said sweetly. "Do you mind if I take them home early?"
"Sorry, 452, nobody leaves until the party is over," White said.
"I can, I will, and I'll be taking my friends with me," Max said.
"No can do," White said. "Your friends, as I'm sure you can see, are secured to their chairs and aren't going anywhere, plus I have more than enough men to take you down if you tried to leave, with or without them."
Max laughed. "Not a bad trap, White, I've got to give the devil his due."
"Thank you," White said, smirking.
"Just one problem with it," Max said, smiling. Zane and Jondy looked at each other, feeling their hopes rise. They knew that look very well.
"And what would that be?" White asked.
"I didn't come alone," Max said.
Right on cue, Zack and Becky leapt out of their offices, jumped over the railing, and began firing. Max ran over to the controls for the shackles that were holding the others and slammed the button. Immediately, they jumped up from their seats and joined Max, Zack, and Becky in the fight.
"Get them!" White ordered. "None of them leave here alive except for 452."
"Oh yeah?" Becky said, tossing the others guns and then drawing her own and firing.
"Let's get out of here," Zack yelled, waving to the front door.
"Everybody between here and the door gets wiped out," Becky yelled.
"Wouldn't that include you freaks?" White said to himself as he hid behind a crate and fired at the transgenics. He heard a scream and smiled to himself.
"No, Suzanne!" Becky yelled, seeing her sister go down. She quickly put her guns back in her holsters and picked Suzanne up. "Let's get the hell out of here!" They raced for the door with Zack and Jondy still exchanging fire with the agents.
"They're following us!" Jondy yelled.
"We'll split up," Zack said. "Max, Zane, Becky, go into the industrial park. We'll meet you at the rendezvous point."
"Got it," Max said. Becky carefully handed Suzanne to Zack and followed Max and Zane, with most of the surviving agents on their tails.
"How the hell are we gonna lose these guys?" Zane yelled.
"We've got to go rooftop to rooftop," Max said. "They're gonna have a hard time following us that way." She jumped up onto the fire escape of one building and started going up with Zane and Becky right behind her, both of them shooting back at the agents following them. The three of them jumped onto the roof and started running, easily leaping onto the next rooftop.
"It's working," Becky said as they ran. "They've fallen behind. Two of them tried to make the jump onto the second roof and they missed. The rest gave up after the third."
"Is White with them?" Max asked.
Becky shook her head. "No. The bastard would have had a bullet between his eyes if he was with them."
"Let's get back with the others," Zane said. "Max, where's the rendezvous point?"
"Follow me," Max said. They jumped off the roof and raced over to the street corner that Zack, Jondy, Maggie, Suzanne, and Kevin had just gotten to. "We lost them"
"Only three agents followed us," Jondy said. "I took out two of them and Kevin got the third."
"Let's get to the van," Zack said. He handed Suzanne back to Becky and they ran for where Logan was waiting for them in the van. Zack flung open the door and they piled in. "Move it, Cale, one of the X6s is injured."
"How does she look, Maggie?" Becky asked as she lay Suzanne down on the floor of the van.
"Not good," Maggie said, barely managing to keep the worry out of her voice. "She's lost a lot of blood." She reached for the first aid kit and opened it and removed a pair of tweezers and some tubing. She handed the tubing to Becky and Kevin. "One of you hand me a lighter so I can sterilize the tweezers so I can try to remove the bullet. Kevin and 405—"
"Becky," Becky interrupted.
"Kevin and Becky, get ready for a transfusion," Maggie finished. She grabbed the lighter that Zack tossed to her and began to sterilize the tweezers.
"No," Suzanne said weakly. "Too—too late."
"No, it's not too late," Becky said. She grabbed one of Suzanne's hands as Max leaned over to insert the tubing into Becky's other arm. "Suzanne, you're gonna be just fine. Maggie's gonna get the bullet out and Kevin and I are gonna give you some fresh blood and you're gonna be just fine. Stay with us, Suzanne."
"I want to—" Suzanne said.
"Then do," Becky said. "Maggie?"
Maggie leaned over and checked Suzanne's pulse. "Her pulse is getting weaker."
"Suzanne, stay with us. You can do it," Becky said again.
"I'm sorry," Suzanne. "I'll—I'll miss you guys."
"You won't miss us because you're not going anywhere," Becky said, fighting to keep the emotion out of her voice. She tightened her grip on Suzanne's hand as she felt Suzanne's grip weaken. "Suzanne, stay with us. Damnit, Suzanne, that's an order! Stay with us!" Becky felt her heart jump into her throat when Suzanne's grip went completely limp and her hand fell from Becky's. "Suzanne!"
Maggie immediately went to work, giving Suzanne CPR. Everybody in the van was silent for a few minutes as Maggie tried to revive her sister. Maggie felt for a pulse and shook her head. "She—she's gone." She burst into tears.
"Suzanne..." Kevin whimpered.
Becky closed her eyes and bit her lip and put and arm around both of her crying siblings. I lost another one. I lost another one. She tightened her grip around Maggie's shoulders when she heard Maggie sob loudly. I have to be strong for them. I can't let them see how much this is hurting. I have to be strong. I have to be strong. Damnit, I should have been paying more attention! I should have known that at least one of the agents would be firing from behind cover! She took a few deep breaths before looking up. She saw both Max and Jondy crying a little and even Zane had tears running down his face, but when she looked into Zack's eyes she saw the same look of grief, frustration, and rage that she knew that she had in hers. Becky took a deep breath in an effort to compose herself at least somewhat.
"Come on," she said, her voice sounding almost surprisingly level. "Let's find someplace to cremate her body. It's the least we can do for her. Do you know anyplace that would work, Max?"
Max wiped her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, there's a beach about a mile from where we are right now. Logan?"
"Heading that way," he said.
"Thank you," Becky said.
"How are Kevin and Maggie?" Max asked several hours later.
"They're sleeping," Logan said. "Maggie's in the guest room and Kevin's in my room. I'll just sleep on the couch tonight."
"Where did Becky go?" Zack asked, looking around.
Jondy shrugged. "I don't know. She helped us make sure that Kevin and Maggie got settled in for the night and then she left. I guess she went for a walk or something to clear her head."
"I can't blame her," Zane said quietly.
"I think I know where she went," Max said. "Zack?"
Zack nodded. "Let's go."
Becky sat on the top of the Space Needle, her eyes closed, lost in memories that wouldn't leave her be.
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