Freedom on the inside
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own anything to do with Dark Angel. They apparently belong to some guy who is most definitely in need of a brain check. What was he thinking when he decided to axe the show? Oh well, I guess when I'm rich enough I'll just have to buy the rights to the programme and then we'll finally get a third season. I wouldn't count on it though.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: M/A (eventually!)
Summary: What if Max never escaped Manticore in 'Designate This' and didn't get the chance to infect Logan? Logan and everyone else in Seattle thinks she's dead and Renfro's still alive?
Author's Note: I know there's been a lot of 'what if she never escaped stories?' but this is my shot at what could have happened. Please read and review!
Chapter Six
Who's Logan?
Max rushed to his side, with Alec still towering above them in bewilderment.
"Oh God, Joshua!" Max muttered again as she tried to stop the bleeding down the side of his face. Joshua's eyes flickered open and his hazy gaze fell on Max,
"Little fella didn't get out?"
"Let's not worry about that now Joshua, we need to get you out of here," Max said as she attempted to help him on to his feet.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Alec put out his hand to stop her, "What are you doing?"
Max glared at him, "What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Do you know this . . . thing?" Alec said for lack of a better word.
"He's not a thing, he's called Joshua. Now help me get him up."
Alec felt bizarre following Max's order but he felt compelled to listen and help. With both their support, Joshua was now standing upright, his arms slung around each of their shoulders.
"Where to?" Alec asked.
"Underground basement," Max answered.
"You mean, 'Home of the nomlies'?"
"Yes, now come on."
"What about the unit, we can't leave them here."
"Good point."
Before Alec could say thank you to Max's acknowledgement for him being right for once, she let out a huge yell, "Ginger, 701, 651, 441, get your asses here pronto! We are not playin' anymore!" They waited for any rustling of leaves but got nothing.
"Ok, don't believe us!" Max yelled again and started walking forward towards the Manticore base, supporting the hobbling Joshua along the way. Her unit were smart, they'd come out sooner or later.
"We can't keep him here!"
"Shut up!" Max hissed as they laid Joshua down on a few dust sheets they had found. Scrunching up some more cloth, Max carefully lifted his head to place it underneath him as a makeshift pillow.
Thankfully, the bleeding had stopped and although Joshua had fallen asleep again, his breathing was now steady and he let out no agonising groans.
"Max, we can't keep him here," Alec said again, this time whispering.
"Well I'm not leaving him out there to die."
Alec ran a hand through his hair, making it stick out in different directions, "What you gonna do then?"
"I'm gonna stay with him," Max said sitting down beside the part man, part dog guy to illustrate her point.
"Fine I'll stay with you," Alec said copying suit and dropping down the other side of Joshua.
Max let out a frustrated groan, "I think I can cope."
"This thing could be dangerous."
"How many times do I have to tell you, his name's Joshua and he's not a thing!"
"Ok, ok, but what if they come knocking on our cells?"
"Look, nothing's stopping you from going."
Alec stared at the resolute expression plastered on her face. It seemed nothing would change her mind; and so he said nothing. Instead, he got up, walked around Joshua and made his way out of the basement to satisfy Max's wants. Max just looked back down at the sleeping face of her friend, 'Maybe there was no hope for Alec after all.'
"Lucky we hooked up"
"Happy anniversary"
"Hey Boo!"
"Bip bip! These packages won't sprout legs of their own and walk themselves home!"
"Please Max"
Max jerked her head up. Her eyes and cheeks were moist with tears and she was practically hyperventilating. She turned her head slightly to see the still sleeping Joshua beside her and then it all started coming back to her. Why she was here and everything that had happened. Things were just as she had left them, except for one small thing.
"Are you ok Max?"
Max wiped the tears from her eyes so as to see better in the dark basement. Alec moved around Joshua to sit in front of her. "Are you ok?" he asked again.
Max felt the threat of a new wave of tears as she stared with water glazed eyes at the face that had haunted the dying seconds of her dream. Her past life.
Wiping the new tears away quickly, she attempted to change the subject, "What are you doing her, I thought you gave up on us."
"Stop changing the subject, what's wrong?"
Max shook her head, "Nothing, now answer my question."
Alec let out a sigh of surrender and turned to look at Joshua. "You assumed I left you to save my own ass, but actually," Alec said holding up a box, "I went to get medical supplies. When I came back you were asleep."
Max fought the rising feeling of guilt at misjudging him; it wasn't her fault he was so damn unpredictable. "What time is it now?"
"0400"
"So how's he doing?"
"I gave him some painkillers to help with the pain and I'm guessing it's working coz he's still sleeping like a log. I also re-tied his bandages. The bleeding's completely stopped."
Max nodded, taking in his new cleaner bandages, "That's good."
"Yeah," Alec breathed out, "he should recover. What happened to him anyway?"
"I don't know but it's all my fault."
Alec wasn't going to contradict her.
"I shouldn't have tried to escape."
Both sat in silence for a while after that, before Alec decided to break it,
"Why do you want to escape this place so much? What is it that's so great about the outside?"
Max couldn't formulate a perfect answer in her mind, so she just unleashed her immediate thoughts and feelings at the question,
"Home, family, friends and freedom."
"But you get all that here."
Max shook her head. "Out there, you were someone. Not just a number but someone who mattered to a lot of people. You didn't have someone there to look over your shoulder all the time and punish you every time you go wrong. You learn from your own mistakes, you run your own life, you're free."
"But you weren't free. Exactly how many people out there knew what you really were?"
"Only the people who mattered; they accepted me for who I am." The tears started to glide down Max's cheek again and she made no attempt to wipe them away. "You don't find people like that here."
"Tell me about them."
"What?" Max couldn't conceal her surprise at Alec's request. They hardly knew each other, but there in the midst of his Manticore being was a person who was actually willing to listen to her and her stories of her forbidden past life.
"Tell me about them," he said again.
"I wouldn't know where to begin," Max stammered as she looked at him in puzzlement. "I mean, I had real friends. Sketchy, ok he was a bit of a dumbass, but I loved him like a brother. Original Cindy, well how do I phrase this; she was my rock. Advice, laughs, friendship and the usual pulling me out of my lows; that was OC. Logan-"
Max stopped.
Alec was still staring at her intently.
"What time is it?" she said changing the subject again very quickly.
"About five minutes since you last asked me," Alec said his gaze still not wavering, "Who's Logan?"
"No one," Max snapped.
"Fellow 09'er?"
"No one, you ass!"
"Ah, boyfriend maybe?"
Max's eyes dilated for a single second but it was enough to answer Alec's question; bingo.
"So Maxie had a boyfriend?"
"We weren't like that!"
"Right!" Alec laughed.
Max became more infuriated by the second, "And what the hell would you know Alec? I mean you've been holed up in here the whole of your life and the only time you were ever on the other side you botched up your first and only solo mission! You wouldn't know what friendship is. You wouldn't even recognise love if it smacked you in the face!"
Now it was Alec's turn to express unspoken feelings. For the briefest moment, anger and hurt flashed in the depths of his hazel-green eyes. A second later they were covered over and shut.
Getting up on to his feet, he dropped a bag of dressings and antiseptics on to the floor in front of Max. Not even looking at her, he walked towards the basement's entrance. "Change his dressings in about an hour," he said blankly before turning and leaving Max and Joshua alone together for the second time that night.
A/N 2- Hello! Thank you for all the reviews once again! I hope you all liked this chapter, it wasn't particularly easy to write!
Jade-k – Oh believe me, Alec is not gonna cope with both Ginger and Max! Ginger should be back after a few chaps.
Nelita- Yep, I'm tired with her attitude as well, so yes Alec will give as good as he gets!
Lynsi- Yes I do have a great deal of problems naming other transgenics, that's probably why I haven't named them yet – I need more time!!
Roonblah- haha – you're just going to have to wait and see what's up Renfro's sleeve!
Chainedreamer – Here you go I updated! Thanks for the review!
SGOU – The chemistry between Alec and Max in the show's great and basically I'm trying to re-create that, but it's proving to be difficult! Thanks for the review!
Sassycanuck – Yeah I like Ginger too, so don't worry there's more of her to come!
Loralee – Thanks for the great idea and if I do use it I will credit you so don't worry but for the moment the next couple of chapters are already written, so I will update again soon!
Geminangel – There you go Josh will be fine, I couldn't bear to write his death! I love the big guy too much! I hope you liked this chapter!
So ok I guess I'm gonna say thank you again for taking the time to review and even read these stories that my overactive brain produces! Next chapter should be up soon!
SmilinStar xxx