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: Thank you all for reading and reviewing!
HeLrAiSeR32 (anon) – Thanks for reviewing. Vote noted! And I intend to keep the chapters coming.
W1cked angel – lol! I take it that means that you voted yes for cliffhangers! Thanks for your review.
Angel Of Darkness231 – Aw, you don't like my cliffhangers -:sobs:-? Haha! Glad you liked the chapter. But there won't be many more missions this detailed in the later chappies! Thanks for reviewing.
Kungfuchick – Glad you like cliffhangers -:grins:-. MA stuff is starting about now and will carry on, hopefully! As for Gab, we'll find him someone! Thanks for your review.
Calistra – Max's report coming up! Hope you like this chapter. Thanks for reviewing. (btw, I put in a A/N for your fic at the end)
Mel11 – Yay! Another cliffy supporter! Hehe! I shall start thinking up more of those! Thanks for your review.
Angelofdarkness78 – lol! I am sure you have bigger words that that. I swear I have seen it in your fic! No more detailed mission for this fic -:phew:- I hope! Thanks for reviewing.
Iridescent Twilight – Thanks for your review. Haha! It doesn't matter how many times you say 'no', or in how many languages, lol! It still counts as 1 vote! Yeah, right. Your politeness was subtly laced with disguised threats. Nice try! -:grins:-
Toniboo – No, they are not evil! -:grins:- Your thoughts are noted. Her basement friends will come up in a few more chapters. Thanks for reviewing!
Lotamoxie – Lydecker, Zack and Jondy coming up! Hope it's up to expectations! Thanks for reviewing.
Kelzaa – Aw, why no cliffhangers! Lol! Thanks for reviewing!
HoneyX5-452 – Zack and Jondy coming up! No sign of romance yet, though! Thanks for your review.
Chance32 (anon) – Thanks for reviewing. I update on average every 4/5 days, so is that often enough for cliffhangers? -:winks:- And a little bit of torture is always good -:grins:-
GuestTypePerson (anon) – I'll take your advice and space it out. The relationships are by no means sorted out in this chapter, just introduced. I have been dying to ask. What exactly do you do? I mean it's a pretty high risk stuff cavorting with evil book carts -:grins:- Thanks for reviewing!
Alana84 – Glad you liked the action, but I think there'll be less action in the next few chapters. Hope you are ok with that -:grins:- Thanks for your review and your vote!
Gabbie760 – Thanks for your review. Glad you like it. Read on and tell me what you think.
Gamegirl452 – Aw, the cliffhangers aren't that bad! Lol! I am trying to get into the main plot now, so hopefully it will get more interesting. Thank you for saying my writing is improving, I am so happy to hear that! I haven't seen Fantastic Four yet but I am planning to. Have you seen it? Is it good?
Sarah – Alec WILL be in the next chapter, I promise! Hehe! I can't seem to fit it in here! Yes, you are right. Gab needs a girl. I'll think of something soon, hopefully! And thanks for the review and for voting 'yes' for cliffhangers -:grins happily:-
Moving on with the story…
Retrieved Chapter 15 – Old and New
(by elle6778)
Back at Manticore, Max's team learnt that Matt's team was back. They were waiting for her team to join them for debriefing. Matt's team also carried out their mission with success, accomplishing the task of data retrieval and destruction of the first facility. After debriefing the entire team of transgenic, Lydecker dismissed all of them except Matt and Max.
"I have your reports here, which I will go through in detail later. Now, I want you to tell me your thoughts about the X3s and X6s. Speak freely," he told the two transgenics who were standing in front of him. He gestured for Matt to start.
"The X6s performed well, considering their age. They followed orders and kept to the mission parameters. One of them seemed nervous, but it was to be expected considering that the mission was her first away mission," Matt reported, "All of them came out unscathed. As for the X3s, I must say that I am impressed at their strength,"
Lydecker nodded and turned to Max.
"I agree with 481, Sir. The X6s had shown great potential in spite of their lack of experience. One thing did strike me, though. They carry out the job as required but they seemed to lack the finesse. They were quite messy,"
"Messy?" Lydecker queried, raising an eyebrow.
"When they terminate the enemies, they left quite a mess," Max explained, remembering all the blood.
Lydecker chuckled, "I am sure that it will sort itself out as they get more experience. What about the X3s?"
Max could not help but smile, "The X3s were amazing. They are not as agile as the X5s but they are very strong. They followed orders as expected, and carried them out with minimum of fuss. Considering that they have not been trained as military units, I am surprised at how quickly they caught on,"
"Interesting… I have to say that I had my reservations about sending them out, precisely because of their lack of training. But it seemed that everything worked out, which is good. Well done, both of you,"
"Sir, actually, I have a small request to do with the X3s. Um…" Max said, faltering slightly.
Lydecker frowned at her hesitation, "Spit it out, 452. I thought I told you to speak freely," Lydecker admonished. He wanted his kids to trust him enough to speak freely without worrying about possible punishment. Of all people, he thought that Max would understand this.
"I can see why they are considered as an anomaly, but they are strong and they are smart. Perhaps they could be re-assessed and put on active duty occasionally when needed. Like some sort of specialist?" she suggested tentatively.
Lydecker gave her a thoughtful look, "I'll see what I can do," He made a note to bring this up the next time the visitor came to see him. Looking back and forth between Max and Matt, he asked, "Anything else I should know?"
Max cleared her throat before she spoke, "Sir? Those soldiers we brought back with us…"
Lydeckers lips twitched, "Yes, 452. Thank you so kindly for the…erm…present,"
Max cringed; obviously Lydecker had heard her over the comms.
"What about them?" he continued with a small smile.
"What are Manticore's plans for them?" she asked curiously.
"I can't say yet. They will be interrogated, of course, then we'll see. Rest assured that if you are interested, I'll keep you informed," Lydecker said, guessing correctly that this mission had a personal impact on the two transgenics in front of him hence their interest in its progress.
"Could we be informed of 735 and 422's development as well?" Matt asked
Lydecker nodded, "Your unit will be informed of their condition when the medical team completed their diagnosis. If there's nothing else, you can go now, 481. 452, you stay. I need a word with you,"
Lydecker waited until the door swung closed behind Matt before he spoke.
"452, I believe I promised you a visit," Lydecker said to the girl in front of him. She had grown so much and so did the rest of them. She must be at least 15, or approaching 16 now, Lydecker thought. Her age was in her file, but it was not something that he usually checked.
Max looked at Lydecker, anticipation gleaming in her eyes. "Sir?" she asked, hoping that he meant what she thought he meant.
"Come," he said, and led her to the med wing. Max followed obediently. Stopping at a door marked 'Bay D', he pushed the door open and went in, signalling Max to follow him.
Max heard the beeping of health monitors as she stepped into the white-walled room. She saw Zack and Jondy lying in two single hospital beds. They were restrained.
Lydecker turned to her, noticing the direction of her troubled eyes. He said, "It's a necessary precaution. You can stay until the nurse comes back," Then he left her alone with her siblings.
Max walked between the beds. Both Zack and Jondy appeared to be sleeping. She reached out her hand to smooth Jondy's dark hair from her brow.
Jondy stirred. Opening her eyes, she saw Max, "Max?" she said in surprise. Looking around, she asked, "Where am I? Is that really you, Max? You're alive! I saw you go through the ice and I thought…"
Max grinned, happy that her sister recognised her instantly. She reached out and hugged Jondy. She nodded, "Yeah, its me. All the time in the tank actually came to some good. How are you feeling?"
Jondy groaned, "Like crap! Where's this?"
"Manticore med bay,"
"MANTICORE!" She screeched. Jondy sat up abruptly, looking left and right in agitation, "You're kidding right?" Then she slumped as she noticed the chains around her arms and legs.
Jondy's voice jolted Zack into awareness. He sat up, instantly alert.
Max shook her head, "No. I'm not. We are really at Manticore. Hi Zack, feeling better?"
"Okay, could be better," Zack answered. He frowned as he took in his surroundings, including the shackles.
Jondy stared at Max, aghast, "Max, what's going on here? Tell me," she demanded, confused.
Blinking his eyes, Zack pinned his gaze on Max, "Yeah, Max. Been meaning to ask you how come you are working for Lydecker after all these time. And after everything he had done to us,"
"What happened that night we escaped?" Jondy asked.
Max sat down at the edge of Jondy's bed, holding one of her hands, "I got out of the ice that night and escaped. I was here and there for a while, then I met a friend, Dani, and we both went to Seattle. Somehow, Manticore found out I was there and sent a couple of X5s after me. I was quite unlucky. They caught me while I was having seizures. That was a little more than three years ago. Since then I went through reindoctrination and got re-assigned a new unit. We were out on a rescue mission when we found you. Zack was hurt and you were unconscious. Lydecker was there. You can guess the rest,"
"That sucks. You've been back for more than three years? Any changes?" Jondy asked curiously.
Max grinned, "Nah, same old Manticore. Tougher lessons and tougher training though. And we do go on away missions. I've only been on a couple so far, both this week. I was quite surprised that they trusted me enough to let me go on missions. Thought that they would ground me, flight risk and all. But enough about me, tell me about you? How did you both end up being caught?"
Jondy looked at Zack. Zack answered, "I was in Denver, so I decided to pay a visit to Jondy. She lives in a little town called Castle Rock near Denver,"
"Since he had found me before, I didn't have any problems recognising him. You cannot believe how weird it was when I saw him for the first time after the escape. I mean, he has HAIR! I was already working as a waitress in a truck stop then, and Zack just strolled in. I wasn't sure it was him at first, but it didn't take me long to figure out. He still had that CO thing all over him,"
Zack looked at Jondy, his lips twitching, and continued, "Well, where were we? Yeah, I went to visit her at work one night to find a couple of drunken idiots trying to feel her up. Well, I kinda saw red, so I punched them out,"
"Punch? A bit of an understatement, isn't it? Zack, you almost killed them!" Jondy exclaimed, eyeing her CO.
"What happened next?" Max prompted. She was curious how both of them managed to get caught at the same time. Zack had always been exceptional in Escape and Evade.
"Well, next thing I know, a few more guys came in. I fought them as well, but I couldn't get anywhere. They just won't stay down. I wasn't even holding back. It was so strange, like they don't feel any of my hits. Anyway, eventually they subdued me and Jondy. I guess that's how we ended up being captured. Because next thing I know, we were stuck in a holding cell," Zack explained.
"Yeah, I know those lot of weirdos," Max said, "We just blew up their stronghold today. Got some data and two samples, so hopefully it will tell Manticore something,"
Zack bristled when he heard Max's words, "So now you are on Manticore's side? Since when, Max? Did you forget what they did to Jack? To Eva? And what were they going to do to you?"
"Zack…" Jondy tried to calm him down.
Knowing that this confrontation with Zack would happen sooner or later, Max sighed, "Look, believe me when I say that it is very clear in my mind what happened to Jack and Eva. They died. I know. But I don't think its Manticore's fault, not unless you count the fact that they made us. Lydecker explained what happened, and I think I believe him,"
"I can't believe you said that, Max. They have truly succeeded in reindoctrinating you, X5-452. Lydecker should be proud of you, soldier!" Zack said in disgust.
Max flinched at the way Zack spat out her designation, like it was a foul taste in his mouth.
"Zack!" Jondy hissed, darting a fulminating glare at her CO. He glared back.
Turning to Max, Jondy said, "Okay, I am not sure I want to hear this. But I'll give the whole thing the benefit of a doubt. What exactly did Lydecker tell you about Jack and Eva?"
Max relayed Lydecker's explanation to her. That Jack was dead before they operated and that they had no choice with Eva. And the reason behind Manticore hunting them down.
"It has a ring of truth around it, actually," Jondy said thoughtfully.
Zack snorted in derision, "And you believe that? Both of you must be more naïve than I thought. All these training and all these time outside. All these time and you haven't learnt anything about not trusting everything you hear?"
Max stiffened at Zack's hurtful words, "Who gave you the right to judge, Zack? I have spent three years on the run, stealing to survive because I look too young to get a job. Looking over my shoulders and keeping my guard up all the time. Keeping everyone at arms length just in case they find out that I am not fully human. Then they brought me back. Granted, things are not always peachy. They push us hard in here, but at least we have some aim. And we have friends we don't have to hide from day and night. Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, running was not such a good idea after all? Think about it, Zack, were we actually free?"
Zack and Jondy gaped at her outburst. Inwardly Zack felt a twinge of respect for Max in the way she stood her ground against him. The young Max he knew would not have dared to do so; she would have followed her CO's orders. The older Max has developed a backbone, and a very stubborn mind of her own.
Max stood up, not wanting to argue anymore with her newly reunited siblings. She gave Jondy a brief hug and moved towards the door. At the door, she turned back to her siblings and said, "Manticore is not a nice fairytale cottage with white picket fences, Zack, but it's the only home we know. And believe it or not, things are getting better. The fact that I am here visiting you with Lydecker's consent should tell you something. I'll see you around,"
494 had just been discharged. His injuries were almost healed although he was shot only two nights ago. The nurse told him that he should stay out of physical training for a couple more days just to make sure there was no relapse. 494 practically ran out of the med may; he was so happy to be released after lying still and doing nothing for so long.
As he turned around the corner, a small body ran smack into him.
"Watch where you are going!" A familiar pair of flashing brown eyes glared at him.
Surprised, he lost his balance and fell over on his almost healed leg.
"Damn!" he cursed. He did not really hurt his leg; it was more his pride.
Before he could get up, she knelt beside him, "Hey, you okay?"
He could not believe his good luck. He had been trying to think of a way to talk to her without being too obvious, and now she was right here. Looking up, he saw the look on concern in her eyes and decided that he would not waste this opportunity.
"Um…yeah. It just hurts a bit," he winced at how pathetic he sounded. He hoped that she would assume it was because he was in pain.
"Sorry, didn't see you coming," she said, trying to hoist him up. Max felt guilty; this was the guy who saved her life not so long ago and she just ran him over while he's still injured.
494 deliberately made himself go limp in an attempt to be more convincing. He tried to keep his face from breaking out in a smile as she wrapped her arms around him to support him.
When she finally got him up, he leaned against the wall and said, "It's okay. I am fine. Thanks," He gave her a tentative smile.
She looked away. 494 could have sworn that she blushed.
"It's no biggie," she said, turning to go.
"Hey, 452," he said, stalling her, "Did you realise that we just had an almost civil conversation there?" he asked.
Max swung around, hands on her hips, "What do you mean?" she asked guardedly.
"I mean, we actually spoke without insulting each other," he said, grinning.
"What are you getting at, 494?" she eyed him suspiciously, not trusting the twinkle in his hazel eyes.
He shrugged nonchalantly, "I was thinking that since we are quite capable of having a normal chat, maybe we should do it more often,"
Max gaped at him. She did not know if he was serious or this was another one of his sarcastic taunts, but he sounded serious. 494 was behaving really strangely.
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Did you happen to knock you head when you fell just now? Because I could have sworn that you actually sounded human a second ago," she proclaimed. Brain damage must be the only plausible explanation of his weird behaviour.
He raised his hands to his chest and his face twisted into an obviously fake look of hurt, "You wound me, 452. I was just trying to be friends," he said in a pitiful tone.
Max's lips quirked at the look on his face, but she still gave him a wary look.
"I didn't realise Manticore encouraged friendships," she said
"Not normally, but I am sure they would make an exception this time. I think I deserve it," 494 said with a straight face.
Max laughed, "I would love to see you say that to Renfro,"
494 made a face, "You wouldn't be so unkind as to sic Renfro on me, would you? That would be the ultimate torture,"
"You deserve it," Max said viciously, a grin starting to stretch across her face as an idea began to form in her head.
"Whatever you are thinking; It's not a good idea," 494 said, suddenly feeling apprehensive at the evil gleam in Max's eyes.
"I always have good ideas, 494," she retorted with a look that said she knew something he did not.
494 narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he remembered something, "That incident with my hair way back, that did not happen to be your idea, was it?"
"Huh? That? What makes you think it was my idea?" Max answered innocently.
Too innocently, he thought. He tried again, "Let's start this truce with a clean slate, okay?"
"What truce?" It was Max's turn to be suspicious now. Was he offering a truce? She wondered, surprised. So that must explain his strange behaviour earlier.
"I am calling a truce. I think it's about time we tried to get along. Don't you agree?" he asked, hoping that she would accept the truce, otherwise he did know what else he could do to make things better between them.
Max studied him for a moment before giving him a small nod, thinking that there was no harm in it. At least now maybe he would stop taunting her, she thought. However, she could not think of any reason why he would want a truce.
"So, you haven't answered my question," he prodded, interrupting her thoughts.
Max decided that she might as well come clean; after all, it happened almost three years ago. And considering that he was the one who wanted the truce, he would not jeopardise it by killing her. Right?
"You could say that," she answered simply, not wanting to give Cammy and Kelpy away. They were the ones who snuck into 494's dorm to plant the hair removal stuff on his pillow, seeing that Max could not possibly do it without being caught. She looked up to see his reaction to her words.
There was a pregnant silence as he just stared at her. Max forced herself not to fidget under his gaze. Okay, maybe this is a good time to leave; he doesn't seem to be taking it that well, she thought.
494 finally decided to break the silence, "Let me get this right. You were responsible for me having to walk around in that stupid buzz cut for weeks until my hair grow back," he said menacingly, stepping closer to her.
"Erm…Truce, remember?" she reminded him pointedly, hoping that he will back off.
494 stopped short. Running his hands through his hair as if to reassure himself of its well being, he took a deep breath and said, "Yeah…" He deliberated if this was a good time to cause her bodily harm. Then he decided that in his condition, she could probably gain the upper hand. Not to mention that would be the end of the short-lived truce. Time to swallow his pride, "I'll let you off this time. Don't you ever do it again!" he snapped, scowling.
Max grinned, "Gee, thanks,"
494 felt his lips twitch, "I can't believe you did that! It was a horrible joke to play on someone. I was traumatised,"
Man snorted, "You did not seem that traumatised to me then. And anyway, I wouldn't have cared at that time. You were being such a pain in my ass," she retorted, still grinning.
"Ah, well, I needed some entertainment. And you were so easily riled, I can't stop myself," he admitted, the expression on his face so sincere that Max had to look away.
They fell into an uncomfortable silence again.
This time, Max broke it, "Well, I better get back now. Things to do, people to meet," she said
494 nodded, "See you around," he said.
She gave him a small wave and walked away.
494 let out a breath he did not know he was holding. That did not go too badly, he thought, a smile spreading across his face.
Matt was lying down in his bed, staring unseeingly at the ceiling above him. He had not been able to sleep for the last two nights since they rescued Fye and Val. His body was protesting against the abuse, but his mind would not shut down.
Matt decided he could not wait any longer. It has been two days since they returned from the second mission and there were still no news of any development in Val's or Fye's condition. Max told him that Val was conscious when they found her, so she should be alright. But Matt needed to see for himself. It was time they did something.
Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, he stood up facing the two empty beds in front of him. Max and Gab's beds.
He strode purposefully towards the gym to find them.
Matt had the eerie feeling of deja-vu as the four of them crept silently along the hallway which led to the medical bay. As usual, Kelpy's unique blending skills helped in the procurement of a safe passage. It was not long before they arrived at the door which was labelled 'Intensive Care'.
"Looks like we are here, Max," Kelpy said, slowly unblending so that Max could see him. They were not worried about the visual monitors; Kelpy had temporarily disabled them.
Max nodded, "Thanks, Kelp. You are the best," She gave the chameleon a hug. Embarrassed, Kelpy accidentally blended the same colour as Max's clothes. Grey.
"Oops!" Max exclaimed, looking wide-eyed at a flustered Kelpy.
"Erm, Kelpy? I think that colour doesn't suit you at all," Gab teased, sniggering at the chameleon.
Matt nudged his insensitive friend and said, "Shut up, Gab," he said sternly, but there was laughter in his eyes.
Kelpy glared at them wordlessly and started concentration on getting himself back to his normal hue. When he finally looked human, he made a face at the dark haired transgenic who was still sniggering.
"Gab…That's enough," Max warned, smacking his shoulder.
"Sorry, Kelpy," Gab managed to choke out, rubbing his shoulder.
Kelpy just gave him a disgusted look and turned to the door.
Opening the door silently, they went into the room. As Matt's eyes adjusted to the dark room, he could make out two beds with two figures. Fye and Val, he thought.
As Max and Gab headed towards Fye, Matt walked over and knelt at the side of his friend's bed, taking in her pale features. She was naturally pale, but the tone of her skin this time contained a slight twinge of grey. He blinked; his eyes were stinging.
Softly, he stroked Val's limp hand and whispered, "Val… It's me, Matt. Max and Gab are here too,"
Val stirred as her blue eyes fluttered open.
Matt could feel a smile spreading across his face, "Hey, soldier. How are you feeling?" He pushed her gently back down as she tried to sit up.
"I'm fine. Don't worry, I can sit up," Val answered, pushing herself back up. This time, he did not stop her. Turning around, she spotted Max, Gab, Kelpy and Fye, "Hey guys!" she greeted with a smile. Then a worried frown marring her face as she saw Fye, she asked, "How's she?"
At the same time, Matt looked at Max and Gab questioningly. They shook their heads as they caught the look Matt gave them.
They had tried to wake her as Matt did with Val. They were not surprised when Fye did not respond. Her injuries were much more extensive than Val's. It appeared that those who conducted their experiments did not have time to get to Val before Unit 4 took them down.
"So what happened?" Gab asked, sitting on the opposite side of the bed.
Val shuddered before answering, recalling the nightmare she was forced through, "We got trapped and couldn't escape. Then they smoked the room. Next thing we knew, we were in the labs. Those people are sick! I thought the lab techs here were bad, but what thing these people did to her was worse. They were slowly slicing her up. Taking samples, they said," she said, her disgust evident, "I hope she's okay," Her eyes landed on the girl in the bed adjacent to her own.
"Well, at least you seem okay now," Max said, "When we went in, the soldiers we were fighting were not what we would consider normal. They don't seem to feel anything,"
Suddenly, the monitor next to Fye started blinking rapidly. A second later, it started emitting a loud pulsing noise. Jumping up at the sound, the four transgenics whipped towards their friend, eyes wide. Max grasped the nearest thing to her side; Gab's hand. Gab barely felt the pain in his hand which was in Max's tight grip as he gazed at the straight, flat line on the monitor.
"No…" Max choked out in fear.
t.b.c. (-:laughs:- Cliffhangers are back!)
A/N: Yep, the vote for 'Yes' to cliffhangers exceeded the 'No's, hence (yay!) it's back! But since the results were so close, I won't do it as often -:grins:-. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think of this chapter.
A/N: Please check out Calistra's new fic 'Who loves the teacher'. Give it a shot!