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: I give up! I've got less than half the usual number of reviews for the last chapter. Anyway, since I'm so attached to this fic, I've decided that review or not, I'm going to carry on until it ends (winks).
Kungfuchick – Thanks for reviewing! Gab's 17 and hormonal, lol! What else could I say? As for Biggs, I'll try to get him someone, but I can't promise anything. The MA situation, if you can believe it, will get worse before it gets better, unfortunately (sighs).
Calistra – I thought it would be nice to sort of give the Manticore background a wrap-up, although I have dropped subtle hints at the beginning of the story! Don't worry too much about Alec…things will get better for him, eventually! Thanks for reviewing!
Angelofdarkness78 – Thanks for reviewing. Yeah, Gab's really hot, I know (grins). As for Lydecker, Sandeman had got him all messed up with all the revelations…and now he's just stumped as to what he should do, lol! A job's great for money, but the work you have to do for it…(sighs…)
Supernateral – Thanks for reviewing. Don't worry too much about Alec…He'll be fine, eventually!
Darkangelgirl262 – Hmm…Things will get better on the MA front, but not yet :( They have to go through some other stuff to sort out their feelings. But hey, good news is that things will get better very soon for Jondy and Gab (grins). Thanks for reviewing.
88hainesde – Thanks for reviewing! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter!
Lakergirl08 – Yeah, you're right about Alec. He's going to royally mess up if he doesn't get his act together soon. Bad news is, things are going to get worse before it gets better. You'll see soon what's the story with Zack. Thanks for reviewing.
Eva – Sorry for the angsty chapter, but I promise the story will be less like that in this chapter (grins). Thanks for reviewing!
Alana84 – Thanks for reviewing! Hehe! Yeah, eavesdroppers don't normally hear anything good, do they. I'll try to find someone for Biggs, but no promises, the story is getting too long already! Alec needs to deal with 2 things – the failure and his inability to confide in Max. Guess which one he'll sort out firset? (Grins)
Roxyroo – Thanks for reviewing. I know, but the angst is necessary, I felt so miserable when I wrote it, lol! But things will get better eventually, I promise!
Retrieved - Chapter 34 - Contact
(by elle6778)
The specialised Battle Processor unit had started off with six transgenics, but now there were only three. Lydecker shook his head slightly as he wondered why Manticore had not trained these transgenics for battle. Three had ended up as casualties during their away missions just because they were unable to protect themselves. Being designed to look inconspicuous and unnoticeable had not helped them at all when they were in the middle of a war zone.
Now Lydecker stood over one of them, waiting impatiently as the transgenic tapped into a computer. He wished that more of them were around, considering the severity of the situation, but the other two had been deployed on other missions. The one in front of him, known as Brain, was the only one in the facility. Although Brain's tubby figure and rounded face did not give the impression that he was good at anything apart from lying in front of the television stuffing his face, Brain was actually the best battle processor Manticore had ever created.
"How are we doing?" Lydecker finally asked when his patience ran out.
Brain looked up from the computer, his eyes far away in thought initially until he registered Lydecker's question. "I've checked for irregular activities around the area, but I need more time. We have too little information."
"Tell me something I don't know," Lydecker said irritably.
Taking Lydecker's words literally, Brain took a deep breath and started. "Okay. Based on the information we have, I would say that there is about 78.2 chance that the abductors are no longer in Seattle but within a thousand miles radius, 19.3 chance that they are still Seattle and 2.5 chance that they are overseas. Current data we have suggests that they are more likely to head South East," Brain recited.
"That doesn't really help us. The sweep area is too large," Lydecker said, looking at his watch. It was 0938 hours. "You have till tonight to refine the findings. Otherwise, we might not get to Sandeman on time."
"The probability of Sandeman being killed in the next 48 hours is only 33.1. The most likely scenario would be that they torture him for information. However, the probability of him surviving the torture, taking into consideration his health and age, would be 25.8," a grim looking Brain informed Lydecker.
The older man pinched the bridge of his nose. Brain's words made him feel worse. "Just get me the info on their location and we'll send the active units out."
Lydecker was about to step out of the room when Brain's voice made him halt. "Sir? Permission to speak frankly?"
Gesturing at Brain impatiently, Lydecker said, "Considering that I'll be taking your advice on this mission, you can be as frank as you want."
Brain gave Lydecker a small smile. "From your description of the failed mission and those involved in it, I think that you might want to see the CO in charge soon."
Lydecker lifted an eyebrow. "I was going to call a meeting this afternoon. We've just got back last night. Why did you say that?"
"There is a 99.5 certainly that he's blaming himself for the mission failure. That would affect morale, sir."
That's just what he needed, Lydecker thought with an inward sigh. He guessed that under normal circumstances, Alec would have to be punished in accordance with the Manticore rules. But he was not sure that fighting members of a super-strong cult qualified as normal.
To Brain, he said, "I'll keep that in mind. Anything else?"
The transgenic looked as if he wanted to say more, but he shook his head. "That's it, sir."
"Good. I'll see you later."
A smile spread across Logan's face as he listened to the man on the other end of the phone.
"I've kept to my part of the bargain, White. But Manticore is still out there," Logan said in a suggestive tone.
"Bringing Manticore down wasn't part of our deal. I've given you valuable information to work with, and if you can't get your act together, tough," White said in a sneering voice.
Logan bristled at White's blatant insult on his abilities. Shifting the topic away from himself, he asked, "What are you plans for Sandeman?"
"That's not your concern. We'll deal with him our way."
Logan frowned worriedly, wondering what White had in store for the old man. He wanted justice served, but not at the expense of human rights. Not to mention Sandeman would be an excellent source of information. Keeping his voice level, he voiced his thoughts, "Sandeman is linked to Manticore, so why don't you let me question him? He might be able to give us more information."
"That's not part of our deal, Cale. Sandeman belongs to us now," White replied impatiently.
The cyber-journalist's frown deepened. White sounded as if they were going to do something terrible to Sandeman. Much as Logan wanted to bring Manticore down, he did not condone reckless killing or the torture of an old man. Outwardly, he said calmly, "It would not take long. Just a couple of hours."
"That's non-negotiable, Cale. Keep to our bargain. I've got what I wanted and you've got your information. If you're smart, you won't talk to anyone about this, or I won't be responsible for your fate," White said softly, but there was no mistaking the threat in his voice.
"The threats are not necessary. Fine, I take it that this is the end of our agreement then?" Logan asked, keeping his voice level as he clamped down on his feeling of nervousness.
"That's right. Remember what I said about your silence, and you won't regret it," White said before hanging up.
Logan let out a breath that he had not realised he was holding. Removing his spectacles, he rubbed his tired eyes as he mulled over the conversation he just had with White. Something told him that there was something fishy going on, but Logan just did not know what. For the umpteenth time, he wondered if he was doing the right thing by working with White.
A soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Is everything okay?"
Logan turned around to face Jondy. Arranging his face into a casual smile, he told her, "Yes. That was just one of my contacts on another case I've been working on."
Gab turned from the window to look at Logan, his face curious. "Oh? Anything interesting? We're kind of free now," he offered.
Logan shook his head. "No, not just yet anyway. I need to work on it a little bit more."
Gab shrugged. "Okay, it's no big deal." Turning to Jondy, he said, "I'm heading back home. You're coming?"
"No, I told Biggs that I'll meet up with him this afternoon," she said, noticing the way Gab's expression suddenly turned chilly. She made a note to talk to him about it later.
"Right," he said shortly.
Ignoring him, she got off the couch and said to Logan, "I think we've told you everything anyway, but call us if you need anymore info on that casino scam okay?"
Logan nodded, walking the Jondy and Gab as they headed to the door. He wanted to confide in someone for a second opinion on White. The only other person who knew what was going on was Asha, but she was in Vegas, giving evidence to the police. Logan sighed. He guessed he just have to wait until she returned.
Jondy was almost at the door when she suddenly paused and turned back. "Oh, Logan. Could I use your phone to call Biggs? I forgot where we supposed to meet."
"Sure," he said absently, his mind still occupied with thoughts of White. Picking up his phone, Logan tossed it at her. "Go ahead."
"Thanks," she said gratefully as she pressed a series of buttons, her eyes fixed on the screen. Then she held the phone to her ears.
"Biggs? Jondy here. Can't remember where we're supposed to meet. Was it the diner at South Market or the one near Jampony?" She nodded as Biggs replied. "Yeah, see you soon," she said and then pressed a button to end the call.
Gab gave her a barely concealed look of disgust, which she missed. Tossing the phone back to Logan, she said with a wave, "Later."
Logan waved at their retreating backs and turned back to his screen. He was going to try his damnest to find out where had Manticore relocated to.
The minute they left Logan's penthouse, Gab yanked Jondy to face him. He had no idea what she was doing calling Biggs up, but there was no way he was going to keep quiet about it.
"What's all that deal with Biggs?" Gab hissed under his breath to Jondy, who was staring at him in bewilderment.
When she realised what he meant by his question, Jondy grinned. "Jealous, Gab?" she teased mischievously.
Gab snorted. "What? Of Biggs? You're kidding me," he huffed.
She glanced at him as she bit her lips, noticing his tightly clenched jaw. "Relax, Gab. The call was fake. I was talking to a dialtone," she said, feeling bad for letting him believe otherwise earlier.
Gab's expression softened visibly. Giving her an accusing look, he said, "You did that on purpose."
"So what if I did?" Jondy teased him. "It's good to see you all riled up."
Scowling, he said, "It's not funny, Jondy. Especially not when it's Biggs. I'm still having a hard time getting over that incident."
Sighing, Jondy wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. Gab's arms automatically went around her, hugging her to him. Whispering into his chest, she said, "You know how I feel about you Gab. You've got nothing to worry about. And I hate being reminded of that time."
"Sorry, I'll try not to mention it next time," he said into her hair.
Lifting her head to look into his emerald-green eyes, Jondy said in approval, "Good."
Extracting herself from his arms, she scanned the area. "We need to call Manticore from a public phone," she muttered under her breath.
His mind going back to what they had heard in Logan's penthouse, Gab exclaimed, "How the hell did that White guy got hold of Sandeman?"
"Beats me. I guess Manticore knows about this already, but I think they might be interested in having White's number," Jondy said, grinning cheekily.
Realisation dawned upon Gab. So Jondy was hoping that White's number would help Manticore find the man who held Sandeman captive. "So that's why you wanted Logan's phone," he said, feeling a little sheepish for his jealousy now.
Jondy nodded and then her eyes softened, understanding Gab's unspoken fears. Reaching out for his hands, she linked their fingers together and stared into his eyes. "It has always been you, Gab. I was hooked ever since Max introduced us in the gym. You remember that day?"
Gab felt his heart thaw. Smiling, he said softly, "Yeah, how could I forget?" Then his eyes twinkled as he continued, "You left me with bruises everywhere. I had problems walking the next day."
Jondy laughed, "A girl's got to do what she's got to do when she needs some contact."
Gab snorted, "Of that kind?" Pulling Jondy into a hug, he said, "I was so stupid I couldn't see it. Even after you practically threw it in my face."
Pulling away from his arms to stare at him, she gave him an accusing look. "You rejected me."
A look of remorse crossed his face. Gab rested his forehead against hers. "I said I was stupid. I think at that time it just scared me so much I didn't know how to deal with it."
"It's okay now," she said, her breath tickling his chin.
"Definitely more than okay," he said softly and then closed the gap between them, pressing his lips against her. At her sigh, he deepened their kiss until the sound of wolf-whistles from passer-bys caught their attention.
Pulling away reluctantly, Jondy smiled and said simply, "Tonight."
Ignoring the look of surprise on his face, she grabbed Gab's hand suddenly, urging him into a jog. "Let's go. We've got things to do now."
Gab let himself be led to the phonebooth, still dazed from their kiss and the thought of what would happen that night. Grinning at the thought, he suddenly realised that for the first time in a long time, he could not wait to get home.
Zack paced the length of his cell as he mulled over the situation he had gotten himself into. Maybe he should have just walked away, after all, it was not really his fight since he had decided to leave Manticore long time ago.
He should not have agreed to go out for that walk with Sandeman that night. If he had not, he would not be in this situation right now. He was thrown by Sandeman's explanation of what had happened to turn Manticore into the way it had been when they were kids. But now that he thought back, he realised that it was true. Manticore had only started treating them badly after he had reached his sixth year. Before that, he remembered that Sandeman had used to come to the dorms to talk to them and punishments were not so common.
The story about the familiars had stumped him. He had no idea that the existence of the transgenics was so closely linked to the cult. Sandeman had created them to protect the human race, to fight the cult. And he needed as many of them as possible to succeed.
Sandeman had also told him that there were only a handful of them who could actively combat the Coming, not only by fighting, but also by contributing a part of themselves to the rest of the ordinaries.
Zack, unfortunately, was one of them. One of those whose immunity could be transferred safely to another human being. Unfortunately for Manticore, some of the others who had the same abilities were those who had escaped in '09, namely Tinga, Brin, Ben, Zane and Krit. Sandeman had explained that that was why Lydecker was so desperate to get them back.
But that itself would not have persuaded Zack to stay.
What made Zack stay was the fact that Sandeman had wanted him to protect Max. At that time, Zack had just snorted and told Sandeman that Alec would be perfect for the job, considering his possessiveness.
The old man had given him a knowing smile before telling him that it was precisely why Alec would not be good for the job. Sandeman had needed someone who cared enough for Max, but still could remain detached and in control, hence not letting his emotions cloud his judgement. And that someone was Zack.
Zack had to protect Max because Max had something a little more than the rest of them and they could not afford to lose her. No matter what was the cost.
Zack sighed as he stopped pacing, looking around the cramped cell. He realised that he needed to get some air, the place was suffocating him. Maybe some exercise would do him good.
He pushed the door open and made his way to the gym.
Alec stepped out of Lydecker's office and shut the door quietly behind him. Lydecker's words had not made him feel any better. So what if their opponents were familiars? That did not mean that it was alright for them to lose the fight and fail the mission. What was the use of being genetically enhanced when they could not even take down some snake cult?
But at least now he knew why he had not been sent to Punishment.
As he continued to make his way to his cell, Alec frowned slightly as he remembered Lydecker's parting words. They would know tonight if they were to move out. The only two active X5 units left in the facility were Unit 4 and Unit 6, Matt's unit and his, unless Lydecker had meant the X6s as well. Alec doubted it.
He felt a twinge of apprehension at the thought of leading his unit to fight the familiars. Normally, he would not have a problem, but after the recent failure, he was no longer that confident. But he would have not choice in the matter if Lydecker deployed them.
He would just have to make sure that he stayed on track and lead them the best he could to get Sandeman and Kelpy back. Steeling himself, he vowed that he would not fail a mission again. One failed mission did not mean that he was a failure.
His newly found resolve lending lightness to his steps, Alec continued his journey back to his cell feeling much better than when he had left it.
Hearing footsteps as he neared a corner, he slowed a little. When the owner of the footsteps came into view, Alec had to stop himself smirking outwardly when he realised who it was.
"Zack," he greeted and was about to walk pass the sullen looking transgenic when he paused, remembering something which had been hovering at the back of his mind. "Hey, you've got a minute?"
Turning around to face Alec, Zack said warily, "Yeah?"
"Not to say that I'm not glad and all, but what made you come back without a fight?" Alec asked, searching Zack's face for clues.
His expression unreadable, Zack replied, "I thought that's what you all wanted? Does it matter why?"
"You don't strike me as someone who would do something like this for others without a good reason," Alec pointed out.
"It's a long story and it's not mine to tell," Zack told him with a weary sigh.
His face showing his curiosity, Alec pressed on, "Oh, come on, you can tell me."
"I told you, I can't," Zack insisted, frowning. "Why do you want to know anyway? It's not as if it's going to make any difference to you."
Alec smirked and drawled, "I just kind of feel cheated on the chance to fight with you in order to get you back here."
Zack raised his eyebrows. Giving Alec a challenging look, he said, "Well, no reason it can't happen now, right? I'm actually on my way to the gym."
"I think I'll join you," Alec said with a grin.
Side by side, they made a beeline for the gym, each mentally preparing themselves for the sparring session ahead. As they neared the room, a soft sound filtered through the door, making them pause. Recognising the activity which was normally associated with that sound, they exchanged a questioning look.
"Who do you think it is?" Alec asked in a whisper.
Shrugging, Zack reached out and twisted the doorknob. "We'll find out soon." He pushed the door open slightly and looked in.
Zack's eyes widened as he caught sight of who was inside the gym. "Oh, shit!" he exclaimed roughly and then hurried inside. But once inside, he stopped and stared wordlessly at the couple, his mind frantically trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
Surprised at Zack's reaction, Alec froze only for a second before rushing in after him. When he saw what made Zack react the way he did, Alec felt his blood boil. Unable to contain his anger, he shouted, "What the hell do you think you're doing, you asshole?"
Matt lifted up his dishevelled blonde head and looked up at Alec from his position on the floor. "Back off, Alec," he snarled as he held the girl in his arms possessively.
His eyes full of murderous rage, Alec clenched his hands into tight fists and gritted out, "That's my line. That's MY girl. Get your hands off Max before I kill you!"
t.b.c. (grins wickedly!)
A/N: Finally found a spot to put the cliffie! LOL! Things seem to be getting worse? Or better? Hope you liked the chapter, though. Let me know what you think. Please review!