Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters obviously do not belong to me. I am writing this purely for non-profit entertainment. Yada, yada! No infringement intended, so don't sue me!
A/N: Wow! 18 reviews for the last chapter! And I finally hit more than 100 reviews – Yay! (jumps up and down in glee) Thank you so much for taking the time to review. I loved reading them.
452/494 forever (anon) – Thanks so much for your praise! I hope you'll like this chapter:)
Mel11 – Thanks for your review. You have to read on to see what happened to Fye! Hehe!
Kungfuchick – You know what I usually do to the characters (grins!). And MA romantic stuff will come, I can't tell you when! But it WILL come. Lol! I promise it won't be like Remember! And thanks for reviewing both this story and Remember.
Cora – Thanks for your review. Nah, the cliffhanger is not that evil! It gives you something to look forward to, hehe!
Angel Of Darkness231 – Somehow your promise to feed him, bathe him and sleep with him sounds more like a threat (Grins)! I find Gab quite cute too! 494 too, needless to say! Thanks for reviewing.
HoneyX5-452 – Thanks for your review. Biggs/511 is quite a flirt, so watch out for more jealousy!
Angelofdarkness78 – Ah! I have PLANS for Fye! Hehe! I think Alec/494 is the poster boy for denial right now. I am glad you liked the long chapters and don't find them boring (grins). Thanks for reviewing this and for Remember too. I agree with you, it would be great if they jumped each other but it was not appropriate for the story.
Toniboo – Thanks for reviewing! I promise I won't be too cruel to Fye. Read on and tell me what you think.
Pola (anon) – Thanks for your review. I am glad that you like it. There more to come and I hope it's to your liking too.
Gamegirl452 – It's not that bad a cliffhanger! Hehe! Thanks for saying what you did about the mission specs. I was a bit worried that it was too detailed, but your review made me feel better. Thanks for your review on Remember too. The sequel would come probably after I complete Deception. Can't do more than 2 projects at one time at the rate I write (grins!).
W1cked angel – (Grins) Are you trying to tell me something here? (growls!)Like the story is kiddish! Hehe! Thanks for reviewing this and Remember. Even if you actually damned me for not putting any MA action in there! Lol!
Eva (anon) – Thanks for reviewing. Aw come on, it's not a bad cliffhanger, trust me! By the time you read this, there's probably like another few chapters written, so the cliffhangers don't work on you anymore. Darn!
NoAngell – Glad you liked the flirtations (winks). Now that they are all growing up, there should be more. 494 will morph into Alec around Chapter 14 or 15, so not too long more. Thank you for reviewing this and Remember. There will be a sequel, but in the meantime, there's another one called Deception.
Iridescent Twilight – Hehe! I am so glad I am on the other side of the screen from you, you scary person! Lol! I AM going to do something to Fye (cackles evilly) at some point. And again, thanks for your threats…ahem…kind words…
Lady marauder (anon) – Thanks for reviewing. What ending was supposed to be like the show? (confused now!)
Lulu (anon) – Thanks for reviewing. Update is here – read on! And thanks for reviewing Remember too!
Kelzaa – Hehe! I thought it added to the anticipation factor. Thank you for reviewing this and for Remember! I am going to write a sequel but not just yet – need to concentrate on Deception first!
Alana84 – I got something in the pipeline for the sparks to fly between them two. It is slowly getting there (grins sheepishly). Sorry! Give it 3 to 4 more chapters. But it WILL happen, not like Remember. And thanks for reviewing Remember as well as this one.
Okay, now for the story….
RETRIEVED - Chapter 11 - Mission
"Fye!" Max whispered. Where is she? Max tried to think of the direction her CO headed to earlier. We covered south, west and north, so she must be somewhere on the east side of the building, she thought.
"Alpha-1 to Base. Can you locate the position of 735?" 494 rapped out, his eyes scanning the area in hope that 735 may miraculously turn up near him.
"Affirmative, 494. We located 735's tracer at the east quadrant. No movement. Her tracer is stationary," Val replied. Max detected the worry in her friend's voice.
Now that she knew where Fye was, Max decided that she should go search for her. However, she knew that she could not just go without telling someone. In the absence of Fye, she guessed that she would have to report to 494. She rolled her eyes and began to speak, "494, I am going to search the east quadrant for 735…" Max started to move to her right, keeping to the shadows.
Forced to finally acknowledge her presence this time, 494 said into the comms, "452, hold your position. There may be hostile forces in the area. 735 may have been compromised," he asserted, stopping Max in her tracks.
"494, I'll look out for them. Now that we know where she is, it will be relatively quick. Anyway, it may be that there's just something wrong with her comms," Max explained impatiently. She really wanted to get going instead of waiting around for Fye to show up.
"Fine, I'll come with you. You need someone to watch your back. 501, shadow us," 494 started moving towards Max's position.
Max waited till she saw 494, then immediately turned to go.
494 smirked as he noticed her impatience, "Wait up, 452! What's your hurry?" he drawled, eager to rile her now that they were on bickering terms again. Might as well make the most of it. I am going to be distracted anyway, he thought. Although she was not moving an inch when she was waiting for him, he could have sworn that in her mind, she was tapping her foot impatiently.
Max glared at him disbelievingly, "My CO is out there without any means of communication. What do you mean, what's my hurry! Anyway, you don't have to be here if it's such an inconvenience. I could cope by myself,"
"And here I am thinking you would appreciate my company. Can't let you go by yourself anyway. You may decide to run off," 494 prodded further into the fire on purpose. From past experiences, he knew that what he just said would definitely get a rise out of her. He stifled a grin.
"Shut up and move! We don't have time for this," Max hissed, irritated beyond belief. She trudged off, not caring if 494 was behind her or not. The guy is unbelievable! What is his problem? First he ignores me then now he couldn't keep his mouth shut! Max fumed.
A smirking 494 caught up with her after a few moments and they moved quietly towards Fye's last known position. Max looked around and sighed in relief when she spotted Fye. Carefully, so to not surprise Fye, she moved towards her CO.
"735," she whispered.
Fye whipped her head around to face Max. Max could see the question in her almond-shaped eyes before she spoke.
"Why are you here? What's wrong?" she asked.
"We have been trying to get hold of you. We already got the info we need. You did not hear us on the comms?" Max asked.
"What? No. I did think it was strange that it was so silent. Must be dead," Fye said, tapping the implant behind her ears. "It's still here, though. Maybe we would fix it later,"
"Well, you got anything?" 494 asked, walking closer. He was relieved that it was nothing more than a malfunctioning comms.
"Yeah, 3 guards to the left and another 3 to the right of the main entrance. There are not less than four guards at any one time there. Sentry at the gate too. All armed. I don't think it's a good entry point," 735 reported. She looked up to the sky and noted that it was close to dawn, "I think we better head back to base. It would be awfully awkward if someone spotted teenagers walking about before dawn in fatigues. Let's go,"
Max and Gab stayed up on guard duty for the rest of the morning while the rest caught up on their sleep. Fye had tried to get her comms fixed without much success. 480 and Gab helped but it just refused to operate. They simply did not have the equipment to do it out here.
As midday approached, Max felt a tap on her shoulders. She turned around to see 480 standing over her with a smile. She smiled back.
"Go get some sleep. I'll take over now," 480 said to her. "Can you get 494 on your way to come rotate with 547?"
Max nodded and pushed herself off the ground. She headed towards 511 and 494's tent and lifted the door flap to take a peep.
494 was sleeping deeply, his face looking angelically young and innocent in sleep. Max wanted to snort. Yeah, right. Innocent he is not. Looks can definitely be deceiving, especially when Manticore had a hand in it, she thought. A vision of him lowering his head to capture her lips invaded her mind. She flushed. And instantly forced that memory deep into the recesses of her mind. She did not need that sort of distraction right now. Or ever, she thought darkly. Especially when it involved a certain transgenic.
She decided to wake 494 up from the mouth of the tent, not wanting to risk an attack from his automated reflexes. She nudged his foot.
"494. Wake up," she hissed softly, trying not to disturb 511.
494 and 511 instantly shot up into a sitting position, their eyes alert. So much for trying not to wake 511 up, she thought wryly.
"Sentry duty, 494. Sorry 511, didn't mean to wake you up," she apologized with a smile to the dark haired transgenic beside 494.
511 gave her a seductive grin, "Hey, sweetheart, you can wake me up any time. Come to think of it, since you just got off duty, you want to join me here? I could do with the company of a beautiful girl. You gotta be better than 494 here. And you must be cold. Here, jump in and I could help warm you up as well!" 511 offered. He reached out and yanked her down on to him.
As she stumbled onto 511's lap, Max laughed, "In your dreams!" She wriggled in his lap, trying to escape the arms around her.
511 was feeling way too much as Max moved on his lap, "Hmm…Much as I like all these moves you are making, I think I would prefer it if you do it when we have some privacy," he directed a pointed glance at 494. Max stilled, a blush creeping up her face as she realised what he meant.
494 gave 511 and Max a look of disgust, "Man, come off it! It's too early for this kind of talk even for you," 494 grumbled, pushing himself up, stretching.
Max found her eyes drawn to 494's taut exposed abdomen while he stretched, noticing the flex of his muscles. She swallowed and quickly looked away. Max! What do you think you are doing? She admonished herself, now looking everywhere but at him.
Unfortunately for Max, 494 had caught the direction of her gaze before she snapped her eyes away. "Liked what you see, 452? Do I pass inspection?" he grinned. His hazel eyes were laughing.
Oh, no! She groaned inwardly as she realised that he caught her staring at him. Brushing aside her embarrassment, she stared straight at him, "Don't be such as smart-ass. And anyway, it's nothing spectacular, I have to say. Seen better," she drawled, raising an eyebrow. She felt the overwhelming urge to run, to get away from this 494 who was behaving strangely.
"Really? I think that is highly unlikely. I do represent the finer specimens of our gender, you know. The proof is in the hordes of female admirers I seem to attract. Try me, if you don't believe me," he said, grin still on his face. He really enjoyed seeing that irritated look that she gets on her face; like now.
It was 511's turn now to look at his CO in disgust, "Ah…Now I see… You tell me off all these time and look at yourself! Man, you just want her for yourself, right?" 511 said to 494, clucking his tongue. He received a threatening glare for his efforts. 511 held his hands out in mock surrender.
"Ha-ha. Very funny, guys. Much as I would like to stay and chat, I have to go catch a nap now. Later," Max said with a wave of her hands, pushing herself off 511, who finally consented to release her. She tried to ignore 511's last comment; 494 could not possibly be flirting with her.
Was he?
She walked off, headed to her tent. She could feel the hair on her neck stand; it must be 494's gaze on her back.
494 watched as 452 walked towards her tent. He was not sure what possessed him to flirt that way with her. And in front of 511, at it! He was sure he would never hear the end of it from that big-mouth of a transgenic!
Enough of this! Need to concentrate on the mission, he scolded himself. With that, he walked towards 480 and Gab.
As 494 got closer, Gab stood up and studied him assessingly, "It's quite rare to see you whole and intact after an encounter with 452. I guess that meant you were civil for once," he remarked, raising one eyebrow.
494 felt himself bristling at Gab's words. Was he implying that it was my fault 452 and I don't get along? He retorted, "It was only that once in the gym. And if I recall, you did not fare much better. You were the first one down,"
Unperturbed, Gab snorted, "That's because you caught me when I was distracted,"
"Yeah, I take it you missed the lesson on hand-to-hand combat. Distraction is not an excuse," 494 said with a smirk.
"Whatever, 494. I am too tired to argue with you now," Gab yawned. He really did not feel like fighting or arguing right now. They got another long day ahead of them. Shark DNA or not, all he wanted to do was to rest. 494 could wait.
Noting the tired look in the other transgenic's eyes, 494 said, "Well, you can go now. I am here to rotate with you,"
Nodding distractedly, Gab said, "Thanks, 494. Going to get some shut-eye now. Later,"
494 lips twisted as he heard 547's parting words. He sounded almost exactly like 452. Must be her influence, he mused She has a habit of growing on you. Helps that she is hot... Wait! Did I just think that 452's hot? He groaned inwardly. I am possessed! That's must be why!
His eyes followed 547 retreating figure as he headed towards a tent.
Knowing what he was about to see but unable to look away, he saw 547 enter a tent. The one which 452 disappeared into earlier. So I was right about them that night in the gym, 494 thought as his eyes narrowed.
494 could not understand why he even bothered to wonder what she did. He did not know 452. All he knew about her was that she escaped and he caught her. He knew that she liked to fight dirty judging from the night in the gym. And oh, she has a killer grip, let's not forget that. He rubbed his neck in remembrance of that unfortunate day. He could still feel her phantom fingers around his neck. And hmm…she got very soft lips. Whoa! That's enough! Down boy!
He turned to 480 to find the member of his unit looking at him strangely, "You alright?" 480 asked, concerned at his CO's odd expression.
"I'm always alright," 494 smirked.
As dawn turned to dusk, the transgenics started to mobilize. All of them were twitching in anticipation of the adrenaline rush that came only with this sort of challenge. They were built that way. They were built to enjoy the hunt.
"511, stay close to 735. You need to share your comms," 494 advised. Turning towards 480 and 501, he asked, "480, 501, you ready?"
"Affirmative, 494. Base is all set," 501 answered.
As she strapped the XM-26 shotgun across her back, Fye said, "511 and 422 on me. Ready to move out. We got some Intel to gather," She stepped away from the clearing with 511 and Val following close behind her.
"Alright, 547, 452. Got all your kit? Let's go," 494 said to Max and Gab. They were helping each other to strap their gear on.
494 had noticed the way they worked in perfect coordination during the preparation for the mission earlier. Part of him felt slightly envious; he had never worked so well with anyone. That sort of seamless coordination could only occur when both parties fully understood and trusted each other. 494 supposed that it was to be expected; 452 and 547 were very close. His lips compressed as he wondered what happened in the tent earlier, but he shook the question away. None of my business, he told himself.
Max followed 494 who was in the lead, with Gab bringing up the rear. They moved silently through the forest towards the stronghold. They decided to approach from the west, with the intention of entering from the rooftop. The Intel team, led by Fye would attempt to gain entry from the north.
494 raised his hand, which signalled them to halt as they neared the building.
"I can see 3 guards," he said, looking at Max and Gab for reconfirmation. They nodded.
"Okay, since there are 3 of us and 3 of them, I say we just jump the fence and take them out one each," 494 said.
"Let's go for it," Gab agreed. Anticipation gleamed in his eyes.
Max nodded, "They are not looking here – let's go!"
All three of them leapt over the fence and blurred towards the guards. The guards, caught in choke-holds, did not know what hit them as they slumped unconscious to the floor.
"Grab the radio," 494 told Gab. Gab stuffed the radio into the pocket of his trousers.
Max spotted a drain pipe and proceeded to pull herself up. Gab and 494 followed close behind her. Once on the roof, Gab moved towards the door. Removing a kit from his pocket, he picked the lock. It took him only a few seconds to gain them entry into the building.
Manticore had located the blueprint of the building for them after the transgenics identified its location. The building was originally designed as a wallpaper factory. The team of transgenics had committed the information on the blueprint to their memory. They started down the escape stairs. They deduced that the most likely place for the scientists to be locked up was in one of the storage rooms where there were no windows. Silently, they continued down the hallway on the ground floor.
Suddenly, 494 held up a hand, signalling them tohalt. He cocked his head and listened intently, his shotgun poised in readiness in his hand. He heard footsteps, but it appeared to be moving away. He was motioning for Max and Gab to move when a shout rang out.
"Hey, you there! Hands up!" The transgenics turned to see a guard pointing a semi-automatic at them.
The transgenic slowly started to lift their arms, then suddenly Max and 494 blurred away from each other, zigzagging towards the guard. Gab hit the floor and rolled away from the line of fire. The guard let loose a wild shot in the confusion before 494 disabled him. The shot obviously triggered the security alert.
A loud alarm began to pierce the air.
"Cat's out of the bag," Max stated calmly as she sprinted beside 494. Gab was bringing up the rear as usual.
494 grinned at Max and Gab, "Let the fun begin,"
Gab grinned back at 494 and let out a whoop of laughter as they all ran to the end of the hallway.
Maxgrinned as she ran, the adrenaline rush fuelling her excitement.
As they reached another wing, Max could hear voices shouting for help. Jackpot, she thought in satisfaction.
Her satisfaction was short-lived as she saw a few more commando-type guards appeared around the corner behind them. Uh-oh!
"There! Converge on them!" One of them, presumable the leader, ordered. His lackeys raised their weapons.
"452, get the prisoners. We'll cover you. 547 on me," 494 commanded. He started shooting as the guards started moving forward, fingers on triggers. Gab followed 494's example.
Max knew she was on the right track as the voices grew louder. She headed towards a door where the voices seemed to be originating from.
"Help us! Let us out!"
The noise came from behind a padlocked door. She gave it a hard kick. Still locked. Max turned around to see if she could find anything of use. Then she remembered what was strapped across her back. Ah well, perhaps its time to get over this squeamishness. Max swung her XM-26 shotgun forward and pressed the trigger. The lock shattered into bits, the metal pieces flying apart.
She opened the door to find the two scientists, chained to two bunk beds.
"Get us out of here, please," the dark hair olive skinned one pleaded. The other prisoner, a pale blonde man could only stare at her. He was in shock, Max realized.
Max nodded at the one who spoke, "Stay still and don't move," she aimed the shotgun at the chains and pressed the trigger. The two scientists jerked at the loud bang, and then they were free. "Let's go. Hurry. More guards will be here soon with all these shots," Max said, motioning for them to follow her.
"Wait!" the dark one stopped her, uncertain look in his eyes as he fidgeted at the doorway.
"What! Mister, we are in a hostile territory here, just in case you didn't notice. We don't have time to wait," Max said impatiently, frowning. She could see 494 and Gab as they headed towards her. They really needed to go. What did the scientist want?
"We saw a couple of other prisoners. Young ones, like you lot. They were tortured. Maybe could you get them out as well?" he stammered, his eyes hopeful as they searched Max's eyes.
Max only debated for a second before saying, "Where are they?"
"Just at the end of this corridor, I think. We heard screams yesterday,"
Max nodded, "Okay, I'll go get them," she started to move when she felt a grip on her arm. She turned to see 494 frowning at her. "What now?" she asked, returning his frown with one of her own.
"This is not within our mission parameters. We got what we came for. Let's go," 494 said, giving her arm a tug, trying to make her go with him.
Max stared at 494 in disbelieve. He can't possibly be so heartless. She said, "Look, smart-ass. There are people here who need help. Or is it a concept so alien that you cannot understand it? It'll just take a second. You grab these two and I'll be with you soon," She tried to shake his hand off her arm.
Gab was standing looking back and forth between the two transgenics, looking torn. He knew that 494 was right, but he could see Max's point too. He did not know what to do, so he just gestured for the scientists to follow him as he started leading them to safety. Might as well get a start on it while those two argue, he thought. There was not time to waste; the prisoners were priority. He has to just trust Max to handle 494 by herself.
"494, I am bringing the prisoners back now," Gab hollered at him as he led the scientists to safety.
494 nodded to Gab just as he heard 511's voice through the comms, "Alpha-2 to Alpha-1, we got our intel, we are returning to base now,"
"Alpha-1 to Alpha-2, we will be right behind you, over," 494 spoke rapidly.
Turning his attention back to Max, "452, you are jeopardizing the mission!" 494 hissed. His grip on her arms tightened. He was getting annoyed at 452's stubbornness.
"Alpha-2 to Alpha-1, what is going on there?" They could hear Val on the comms, concern clearly audible in her voice.
Max answered, careful not to call Val by her name, "I'm fine, 422. Get out of there. We will regroup at Base"
Then, turning her attention to 494, "Go without me, then!" Max hissed back, yanking her arm roughly from his grasp. At that moment, she did not care if he reported her and get her thrown back into psy-ops. If there were other prisoners here, she could not in good conscience leave them to be tortured.
Not waiting for his reply, she turned and blurred to the end of the corridor. Another locked door stood between her and the prisoners. Now that she was standing in front of the door, she could hear muffled voices inside. Gagged, she thought. Without further pause, she shot the lock open and pushed the door.
And she stopped in her tracks, eyes wide as she realised who the other prisoner resembled.
t.b.c.
A/N: I know what you are thinking - Another one of these endings…(grins). Please, don't let it put you off reviewing. Your reviews really help in deciding which way the story goes. I am waiting here in anticipation for your reviews!
A/N: On another note, I am going to indulge in some self-advertisement. Hehe! Just posted a new story called 'Deception' and I have just completed 'Remember', so if you can still stomach any more of my stories, please check them out.