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: The hits went back up again, thank goodness! Actually, thank YOU for reading and reviewing this, lol! We are more than halfway through the story now, you'll be glad to hear!
Calistra – Thanks for reviewing. -:Sigh:- I think I like Alec too much to get him kneed in the groin, lol!
Mel11 - -:Smiles sheepishly:- Sorry about Fye! Yep! Alec and Max just about to kiss, but will they? -:grins:- Thanks for your review.
Angel of Darkness231 – LOL! Me, evil? -:blinks innocently:- Haha! You kept Alec UNDER your bed? I would have thought he would be put to better use ON your bed! Okay, okay, I'll stop making dodgy insinuations. And hey! Where are your updates? Thanks for your review.
HoneyX5-452 – Yeah, I thought it's about time he got his name! Obsession with Alec's ass? Of course! Who's doesn't, lol! Thanks for reviewing.
Kungfuchick – Thanks for reviewing. Now WHY would I interrupt their kiss -:grins evilly:-
Ro (anon) – Thanks for your review. Me, cruel? -:sighs sadly:- I really didn't mean to do it, it's reflex, lol!
Cora (anon) – Okay, I shall take your words as a compliment, lol! Thanks! I do try to get the cliffies in! -:grins:- Sorry about Fye…
GiRl MaGe – Thanks for your review and glad you liked the story. Read your fic, btw. Really interesting way of writing.
Pixiedust13 – Thanks for reviewing. Glad you found it exciting; it must be the kiss, right! Read on and tell if you liked this chapter.
Angelofdarkness78 - -:Sigh:- Not sure about bringing Fye back yet, but we'll see! Hope you have a good vacation, let me know how it went (me nosy as usual!). As for BTVS, I don't even know who's who, lol! Thanks for reviewing.
Gamegirl452 – lol! Sorry, I can't help myself with the cliffies! Nah, Lydecker won't put Max away from Alec. It is hard enough right now to bring them together without Max trying to pound him to a pulp, lol! Thanks for reviewing.
Amelya – No, no! I am not evil! -:maniacal cackle:- Ahem, anyways! Yep, you are right, secrets are slowly being unveiled. Funny you should mention the baddie, you must have read my mind; they are coming up! Thanks for your review.
EnIgMa (anon) – Thanks for reviewing, lol and thanks for your blessing! I am also relieved that he finally got his name -:phew:- don't need to type numbers anymore!
Iridescent Twilight – Morbid and weird? What else you expect her to say after what you told her! -:shudders:- Woman, you ARE scary. So glad you are on the other side of …err…the screen! Okay, okay! No more cliffies! (And you actually believe me?) And keep those damned spiders away from me! Lol! Thanks for reviewing.
Claire (anon) – Can't believe you read it all in one go, lol! Must have taken some time! New chappie is here now so enjoy! Thanks for reviewing.
Jessica (anon) – Thanks for reviewing. Glad you liked the fic and yes, I do generally update every 4-5 days, so you'll have a steady supply, lol!
W1cked angel – Nah, Gab is not THAT well timed! lol! Thanks for reviewing.
Sarah (anon) - -:Sigh:- You guys are so suspicious of me! What did I ever do! Lol! I don't know why I made him insist on being called Alec, but it felt right! Hehe! Thanks for reviewing.
Toniboo – Hey, hope you have a good week. I need to update this week because I am going away soon as well! But at least you will have 2 chapters to read all at once! Hope you like this chapter, and thanks for reviewing.
Alana84 – Ah…the wonders of cliffies! Hehe! Yep, I thought his name was way overdue, lol! Sorry about Fye, though. Glad you liked my fics. Thanks for reviewing.
Lotamoxie – How was your vacation? Good? And what's wrong with stopping there? Lol! At least next chappie is up now; you got good timing! -:grins:- Thanks for reviewing!
Moving on with the story…
Retrieved Chapter 17 – Revelations
(by elle6778)
Alec thought he was going to drown in those liquid brown pools of eyes. His heart thudded as he lowered his lips slowly.
Max let her eyes flutter shut as Alec's lips gradually descended towards her. For some reason, she felt paralysed. She knew she had to move away, but her limbs refused to obey her wishes. So she remained immobile.
His heart swelled as he finally touched her lips with his. It is so soft, he thought, caught in a bit of a daze, nibbling her lips. He could feel himself growing warmer as he tried to deepen the kiss. It was a long time since he last touched her this way, but the feeling was different this time. This time, without their raging hormones affecting them, he could feel everything about her just simply by touching her lips with his.
-SMACK!-
The sharp contact from her hand made his head snap to the side, rudely awakening him from his delirium. Damn, that stung, he swore inwardly while flicking a resentful glance at Max.
"Don't do that again, 494," she hissed, her face flushed. I could not believe I just sat there letting him maul me, she thought irrationally, completely ignoring the fact that she responded fully to the mind-blowing kiss. Pushing herself off the floor, she stomped away.
"It's Alec now," he muttered, watching her retreating figure. He suppressed the urge to run after her.
Alec sighed. So much for a truce.
It was lovely while it lasted.
The visitor sat down in front of Lydecker, propping his cane against the side of the couch. This was the second time he visited the facility in just as many months.
"So, I take it you heard about Renfro," he asked, facing Lydecker with a grim look. The latest incident with Renfro shook him considerably.
Lydecker nodded. He wore a frown on his face when he said, "It was unfortunate. Did we manage to track down who was responsible?" The news came as a bit of a shock to him. Much as he disliked Renfro, he would not have wished her that sort of fate.
The visitor shook his head, "No. There was no evidence or witnesses, though I have a good idea who may have done it," he said thoughtfully.
"Who?" Lydecker voiced the question in his mind aloud.
"I'll let you know when I am sure. It was a clean operation, so it was definitely a professional,"
"I thought Renfro was heavily guarded," Lydecker said.
"Only while she is in Manticore. Outside, we don't have the resources to keep an eye on her," the visitor said regretfully. Renfro had been useful to him for many years and would have continued to be so, if she had not met with the unfortunate 'accident'. The visitor wanted to snort. Accident was definitely not the cause of her death. He had his suspicions of who the assassin may have been, but he needed to confirm that with someone first. Nothing would come out of pointing fingers without any solid evidence to back it up. For all he knew, Renfro might have pissed someone else off in a matter completely unrelated to Manticore.
Unaware of the visitor's thoughts, Lydecker went on, "I don't understand what they stand to gain by killing Renfro. Kidnapping her would probably be more beneficial, I would have thought,"
The visitor sighed, "I think it is to do with what she knew. They did not want her to talk. The same for me, that's why I tend to keep a low profile,"
"You think they might be after you next?" he asked, worried. Manticore cannot afford to lose him; he was the backbone of the entire operation, pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"I know they will be after me next, Deck. The question is, will they succeed?"
"We need to get you some bodyguards," Lydecker stated. He started to think of who may be suitable.
"Who do you have in mind, Deck?"
"I think the X6s would be perfect. Two of them could pose as your grandchildren. No one would suspect anything,"
"They need to grow some hair first, especially if they were girls," the visitor said, chuckling. He continued, "Alright, could you arrange it then?"
"I will. After the success of the last mission, I am planning something for those kids. Here's the file with the initial proposals. I take it you need to run it though the formal approval process, as usual," Lydecker said as passed a file to the visitor.
The visitor nodded in agreement, taking the file but did not make any attempt to open it. He had always trusted Lydecker's judgement and he would continue to do so. "That actually brings me to another issue, which probably mean that you could go through with your plans sooner,"
"Sir?"
"Now that Renfro is gone, it has been proposed that you should take her place as a director. Gives you more power to do what needed to be done. Provided you accept the offer, of course. Needless to say, it comes with a whole lot more responsibility,"
It was a minute or two before Lydecker found his voice, "Sir, are you sure about this? I thought the committee wasn't too pleased with my record,"
The visitor smiled, "I took some liberties in…disposing…some of those who were not so agreeable. You don't need to worry, Lydecker. Now that Renfro is not here, I will need someone to keep an eye on what's going on. It is important that we keep to the plan,"
Lydecker frowned. He wanted to ask for more explanation, more detail, but from past experiences, he knew that it was going to be futile. The visitor never let out more than was absolutely necessary. The more people knew about it, the higher the risk.
Come to think of it, that was probably how Renfro got herself killed.
511 found out that 494 had a name purely by accident. He was walking with his CO back from the Supplies block when he bumped into someone. He reached out and held her steady, noticing that it was 452.
"Hey, 452," 511 greeted cheerfully, genuinely happy to see her. He had not had a chance to catch up with her since the last time they went on the mission.
Alec was about to follow his friend, but held himself back. He had not spoken to Max since that night one month ago in the mess hall, and he did not know what to expect after that incident. Knowing what she was like, he doubted that she would want to speak to him after that.
True enough, Max ignored Alec completely, giving 511 a smile, "Hi yourself, 511. Haven't seen you for some time. How are things going?"
511 shrugged and grinned, "Same as always. Crap training, crap food and crap CO. Good thing that there are people like yourself around to brighten my day," he glanced to the side to see said CO glaring at him. 511 smirked.
Max laughed, shaking her head, "You are terrible, you know that?" She forced herself to keep her attention on 511. She knew that if she turned to Alec now, she'd do something stupid.
Like blush.
"You love me, really," 511 said, waggling his eyebrows.
Not willing to be ignored any longer, Alec butted in, "Hey, guys, I am here you know?" he drawled to hide how disgruntled he felt at her dismissal.
"Oh, sorry. Didn't see you there," Max said, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly. She deliberately shot him a disinterested glance.
"Gee, nice to know that you've missed me as much as you missed 511 here," Alec said sarcastically, feeling a bit put out at her treatment of him.
"Glad you noticed," Max replied sweetly, this time turning to face him. She squashed down the urge to look at his lips, not wanting to remember what happened that night. Do NOT look! And don't you dare remember how it felt, Max! She stared at a point above his ears. She made a mental note to herself to sit down one day and analyse why she had such odd reaction to Alec. It was just a kiss, for goodness's sakes, Max!
Sensing the tension between Max and Alec, 511 decided to interrupt before a fight erupted between them, "I heard about your rescue mission. It went pretty well, right?" he said quickly.
Max's eyes clouded over as she thought of Fye, "Not as well as I like it to be," she said in a subdued tone.
Detecting the sudden dip in her mood, 511 laid an arm around her. He did not notice the irritated look on his CO's face. He asked softly, his eyes full of concern, "Hey, what's the matter? What did I say?" In the short time he knew her, 511 found that he liked her and he did not care much for the sad look on her face.
"Her CO didn't make it out of there," Alec said, noticing how difficult it was for Max to give the answer. Must he put his arms around her? Alec fumed.
"Oh shit! 735? Damn!" 511 exclaimed, shocked. "Sorry, 452, I didn't know," he said, giving her a hug. Still oblivious to the murderous look in his CO's eyes.
"Thanks, 511. You are really sweet," Max said with a watery smile, somehow feeling better. She extracted herself from 511, noticing Alec out of the corner of her eyes.
511 grinned, "Always my pleasure,"
Alec wanted to gag. And maybe maim his 'friend', 511. But instead he smirked, "That was a really touching display, guys. I was almost crying there,"
Max swivelled to face him, irritated, "Do you always try your best to be a jerk, Alec?" she snapped.
"According to you, I am always a jerk anyway. So I am guessing that I don't even need to try; it just comes naturally," Alec retorted, irrationally glad that she was finally noticing his presence.
"You just don't know when to stop, do you?" Max spat
"What do you mean?" Alec asked, feigning ignorance, "Stop what?"
"I give up. I am going; got a mission to go to," Max said, turning to leave. She needed to get away from Alec, at least until she figured out what was wrong with herself. And anyway, she told them the truth. She was on her way to the Supplies block to get some gear she needed for her mission. She was glad of the distraction of a mission. Staying in Manticore and thinking about Fye and Zack was slowly driving her insane. Not to mention Alec.
511 blocked her playfully, "Not so fast, sweetheart. What mission?" he asked curiously as her words registered.
"Just to collect something which belonged to Manticore," Max answered simply, then she said, "See you later 511," She gave 511 a small wave and disappeared around the corner.
"Alec?" 511 questioned curiously, raising his eyebrow at his CO.
"Yeah, she kind of named me," Alec said sheepishly. He did not really want to go into the details.
511 sensed it and left it at that. Instead, he asked, "What's up with you and her anyway? I swear, you guys just argue all the time,"
"What! No, she just bugs me, that's all," Alec said dismissively, hoping that the other transgenic would drop it.
"You know, I thought 480 has gone mad when he said something to me years ago. But now I see where he's coming from," 511 said thoughtfully
"Huh?" Alec's face twisted in confusion as he tried to think of what 480 might have said.
"Nevermind," 511 said, brushing the question away. He did not want to be on the receiving end of his CO's fist. 480 had told him that their CO always seemed to behave a bit out of character whenever 452 was around. Quickly changing the topic to a safer one, he said, "So, do I get one as well?"
"What?"
"A name, of course," 511 said, rolling his eyes as if the question was that obvious.
Laughing, they decided that he should be called Biggs, as it was appropriate for his…er…generous bit of anatomy.
He sat in the musty smelling café waiting for the other man to turn up. It was getting dark; he was late. Glancing impatiently at his watch, he looked up again to find that he was still the sole customer in there.
This is a waste of my time, he thought irritably.
Just as he got up to leave, the other man finally turned up.
"You are late," he stated, trying not to show his irritation. He needed the other man's contacts, and it would not do to alienate him now.
The other man just raised a dismissive eyebrow and proceeded to sit down across him. In his expensive suit, he looked out of place in the dingy café. He scanned the place with his sharp eyes. Obviously satisfied that they were not being spied on, the other man turned his gaze back towards him.
He waited expectantly for the other man to speak but the other man remained silent. Tired of waiting, he asked impatiently, "You got the information?"
"Yes," the other man said simply, pushing a disk across the table. He leaned back against the chair with an air of arrogance.
"This is all you got?" he asked with a frown, obviously not impressed. He did not know what he expected, but definitely not just a disk. After all, it took him such a long time to track down someone who knew about Manticore and its operations.
The other man smiled condescendingly, "That disk is worth more than you ever know. But it obviously does not contain everything you want; I kept some to myself. You have yet to fulfil your side of the bargain. I have done my part, and now it's your turn. You'll not get anything else until you tell me what I need to know,"
He nodded, feeling slightly nervous at the look the other man gave him. It was not just his condescending tone; it was also the cold look in the other man's eyes. He wondered not for the first time if he was doing the right thing by trusting this stranger.
"I'm working on it," he said. He was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea after all. When the other man approached him one day with an offer to trade, he could not resist. He jumped at the other man's offer, but now he was starting to feel apprehensive.
"I expect to see something the next time we meet. Take the disk as…a gesture of goodwill, if you like," the other man said, flashing another cold smile. He got up gracefully from the chair and walked out.
"Sure," he said, watching the other man leave. He exhaled the breath he did not realise he was holding.
Max never thought that she would feel this way; that she would find herself enjoying missions. The missions broke the monotony of her daily training and gave her the adrenaline rush which she craved. She thought back to the last mission she went to. It was a simple assignment compared to what she had gone through before with her entire unit. This time they just had to break into an apartment and retrieved something which belonged to Manticore. Max created a diversion by setting off a false fire alarm and Sandy went in to collect what they came for. They were in and out in less than an hour, with the disk in hand.
Max sighed at the thought. Few months had passed now without a sign of any missions, and she was getting restless. She used to think that Val was out of her mind when she told her that she craved missions. Now she knew what Val was talking about.
At the moment, Max together with the rest of Unit 4 were in the library, studying for their upcoming test on strategy and tactical operations. They were the only ones in the library bar the lone X6 who was confined there as a punishment.
Max was bored. Her unit mates had their noses buried in their books, almost literally. She looked up, wondering what she could do to liven up the atmosphere. Looking down at her notepad, an idea suddenly presented itself. She grinned. Quickly and quietly, she prepared the necessary tools, paper strips and her hair ties. Grinning wide, she aimed.
"OWW! What the-" Matt yelled out, his eyes darting around to find the source of the paper bullet hitting his head. He rubbed his head gingerly.
At his sudden outburst, the rest of unit 4 looked at him questioningly. Max clenched her weapon in her fists, keeping it hidden out of sight.
Having no luck in spotting his tormentor, Matt grumbled and resumed his revision.
-POP-
"OUCH!" Another bullet, this time hitting Gab. Gab eyed Max suspiciously, noting the innocent look in her face. She shrugged at him. He too, resumed his studies after a minute or so of glaring suspiciously around.
-POP-
-SMACK-
This time, Gab caught the bullet in his hand, glaring at…
"MAX!" he hissed in annoyance.
Unit 4 looked up with questioning eyes. Gab glanced at Max, mouthing Oops!
"Who's Max?" Cass asked curiously.
Max looked at the baby of the unit, and said "That's my name,"
Now she really got the attention of the entire unit. Face alight with curiosity, they all looked at Max with a questioning look.
"Really… where did you get it from?" 401 asked
"In my old unit, we called each other names. My CO named me. I'm not the only one here. All of you have names too. Well…You have names in my mind, anyway!" Max said sheepishly, noticing that the rest of the unit, minus Gab and Matt, were looking at her intently.
"What did you call me?" 612, the blonde haired Caucasian transgenic asked in anticipation.
"You are Zip, for the time you caught yourself in the zipper!" she said to 612. A ripple of laughter went round the table. He rolled his eyes, muttering, "Like I need to be reminded of that every day,"
"You are Speed, no need to explain why!" she said, turning to 564, the dark haired Middle Eastern looking transgenic.
Turning to 312, the brown haired exotic looking girl with indefinable origins, she said "The incident after the desert assault course stuck in my head. You know, when you trailed sand all over from the course to our dorm? So I called you Sandy,"
"Thanks, I like it. Better than Zip!" Sandy laughed, earning a swat on the arm from Zip.
"And you, 401…" Gab started…
"No, stop right there. I am quite capable of naming myself. I won't have you guys giving me weird names," 401 interrupted. He grinned, "You can call me Blade. After the pre-pulse show,"
They laughed.
"You haven't finished. What about the rest?" Zip said, pointing to the other four transgenics.
"Oh, they already have names. Guys, you want to tell them?"
"I'm Gab and 481 is Matt" Gab explained, throwing a sideways glance at Matt.
A slight pause as Treve regarded Max, then looking at the rest of them Treve said, "I don't even want to know how Max found out I've got a name. Mine's Treve. And I guess if my name is out, then 332's should be as well. 332's Cass"
"And I am Val," Val said. She was released from the medical bay after being given a clean bill of health a couple of weeks after Lydecker caught Matt, Gab and Max in the intensive care ward. Matt was delirious with joy at her return, and so were the rest of the unit. But they still felt Fye's absence.
"Never knew that we could ever have names like this. That's great," Sandy exclaimed happily, almost bouncing off her chair.
Blade leaned back against his chair, tilting it on two legs, "Any excuse to distract ourselves from tactics," he said, yawning.
"Stop that! You're going to fall over," Cass admonished, yanking Blade back down.
"Alright, guys. Now that we have all broken the Manticore's unspoken rule about names and designations, could we get back to revising for this blasted test we are having tomorrow?" Gab asked grumpily, turning his attention back to the book in front of him.
Nine groans filled the air as the transgenics followed Gab's lead and buried their heads back into the books.
An hour later, Max started twitching in boredom again. She leaned her head against the table, slowly banging her forehead.
-THUD-THUD-THUD-
"Argh! Stop it! You are driving me nuts!" Gab complained, glaring at her. He wished Max would keep still. She was too distracting.
"Sorry…" Max muttered. What could she do, she was bored! She let herself slump over her book.
Hearing the library door open, she looked up. So did the rest of unit 4. A guard marched in towards them. What now? Max wondered.
"X5-481 and X5-452, Colonel Lydecker wants to see you. Now, in his office," he said.
When the guard turned his back, expecting them to follow, Max and Matt exchanged a questioning gaze and shrugged. They followed the guards out.
When they arrived at Lydecker's office, they found the room already filled to the brim with other transgenics. X4-43 from unit 1, Jace from Unit 3, X5-204 from unit 5 and Alec from Unit 6. There was also one each from Desert, Arctic, Psy-Ops, Battle Processor Units, Underwater Ops in their water suits and some other divisions Max did not recognise.
Looks like a gathering of Commanding Officers for each unit or division.. Matt's here because he's taking Fye place. But whatam I doing here? It cannot possibly be as the representative for the '09-ers division, can it? Lydecker does not have that weird a sense of humour! She thought mirthlessly. She and Matt stood at attention with the rest of the transgenics. As the room was small, they were rather crowded and she could feel her arm almost touching Alec's. Max willed herself not to fidget as she felt the heat radiating off his skin.
Alec glanced out of the corner of his eyes at Max, slightly confused. What was she doing here? 481 was the acting CO of her unit, so what about her? The 09-er's unit? She was standing so close that his arm nearest to her started breaking out in goosebumps. Alec resisted the urge to move even closer to rub against her. He had tried to get close to her since that night in the mess hall, but she always managed to elude him.
"At ease, soldiers," Lydecker said.
"I have called you here as the CO of your units or divisions to inform you of certain… developments," Lydecker started. He looked at their blank expressions, courtesy of their training since childhood. He noticed a flicker in Max's eyes and raised his eyebrows in question, "You got something to say, 452?"
"Sir, based on what you just told us, I believe that it may not be appropriate for me to be present," Max said in a respectful tone.
"And why is that, 452?"
Max looked at him in bafflement, "Sir? I am not the CO of any units or divisions,"
"Ah! 452, we may have been negligent in informing you of this development. Rest assured, you are meant to be here," he said, knowing fully well that it was not negligence that was the cause of Max's ignorance.
"You were recently chosen as a CO,"
t.b.c.
A/N: See? No cliffie. I tried this time -:grins:- So means you will keep on reading and reviewing right? -:grins:- Please review, I love reading them.