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 Eight
Sides
"Hi," Max said again in response to Alec's silence. If she had thought she would get a verbal response from him at least by the second time – she had thought wrong.
Alec continued to stand there, a myriad of emotions flitting across his face in just one second, yet he still said nothing.
Max tried to decipher the emotions that Alec had on display, but the only prominent one she could make out; was hurt. Damn. It looked as though she was going to have to apologise after all. If it was something that Max sucked at; it had to be apologising.
"Look Alec, I know that I may have said some things that weren't exactly fair. . ."
Alec pinned her to the spot with his gaze, the gaze that seemed to be silently scoffing at her use of the word 'fair'.
"Ok, fine, I said some horrible stuff to you that I shouldn't have said." There, that had to trigger some sort of response, but no; it seemed Alec had been turned into stone by the evil, snake haired Medusa, also known as Max.
"For crying out loud Alec I'm sorry, will you just talk to me?" Max finally screamed.
Alec broke his eye contact and shoved his hands into his trousers before breaking his frown into a bitter and sparkless smile,
"You know Max, you know nothing about me. Squat, absolute zilch. You had no right to tell me what I am and am not capable of."
"I know," Max said quietly.
"Friendship? I know enough about friendship to know that I'd be stupid to even possibly try and be your friend."
Max knew it shouldn't have hurt to hear him say that, afterall she had OC and she had Logan, but for some reason it did.
"Love?" Alec's voice quietened as he continued speaking, "Don't you ever tell me I don't know what love is."
Max was quite taken aback by the venom in his words. Although on the exterior he appeared cool and collected, Max knew enough to know that appearances could deceptive; Alec was enraged and it scared her.
"Just because you fell in love with an Ordinary, don't make the mistake in thinking that others haven't. And don't fool yourself into believing that all Manticore soldiers have hearts of steel and you're the only one that doesn't just coz you've lived on the outside. Here's a newsflash Max, I have been on the outside and a hell of a time I had too!"
Max remained utterly silent, allowing him to have his say.
"Yeah I partied, yeah I made friends, and yeah I loved."
If Alec was hurting as he said all of this, he showed no signs of it, "And guess what? I also betrayed her, heck, I killed her!"
Max was too stunned to even produce a response in her mind, she just watched him slack-jawed.
"So you think you had it bad? Dammit Max, they made me kill her!" Shaking his head violently, he repeated those heartbreaking words, "they made me kill her."
"I'm sorry," Max said, the useless words automatically stumbling out of her mouth.
"I don't want your pity!" Alec spat back, "I want your absence."
"Alright, I'll leave you alone," Max said quietly, before turning around and walking away.
Alec watched as her figure got smaller as she walked away further into the distance, her back gradually disappearing altogether. He had never felt more alone. In a fit of rage erupting from deep within him, and without warning, he drove his fist fast into the nearest brick wall. The blood seeped over the contours of his knuckles and skin; the physical pain did nothing to divert the feelings of his real pain.
Renfro's heels clicked in a steady rhythm as she walked down the polished surface of the long corridor. The echoes ceased as she came to a stop in front of a large metal door guarded by two men. The two guardsmen moved to unlock the door and held it open for the older blond woman.
"Well, well, well," she said as she entered and circled the occupied single chair in the middle of the room, "It seems that maybe I am the better person for this job."
The man clad in a scuffed leather jacket, who was bound tightly to the chair, gave Renfro a piercing glare, "What have you done with Max?"
Renfro laughed in his face, "Max? I think you'll find you mean 452. See that's exactly what I mean," Renfro leaned in closer to the man, resting both her hands on the two armrests, "You're weak."
"If I'm so weak, then what do you want with me? Surely you can do whatever you want without my help?"
Renfro smiled with her characteristic evil flair, not turning her face away from him, she clicked her fingers towards the door. A soldier quickly appeared in the doorway carrying with him a black metallic briefcase, which he promptly handed over.
Renfro unclipped the case to take out three large coloured photographs. Turning them away from herself, she made them face the prisoner so that they were in his own visibility, "Explain."
He recognised the pictures straight away. The gory picture they presented and the unmistakable arrangement indicated they were photos he had recently taken himself. They were shown to him in the order that he had taken them and in the order in which he knew this strange and gruesome practice took place. The photographs were of skeletal remains he had found at an ancient burial site and he now knew the full meaning of them. He also now knew that Renfro, himself, the entire transgenic population and the human race itself, were all on the same side. The question was; would she believe it?
Renfro tapped her foot impatiently, "I'm waiting Lydecker."
A/N 2 – Haha, see I'm always doing this aren't I? Sorry you're just going to have to wait till I next update to see what happens! But anyway, please tell me what you make of the Max/Alec argument and the new developments with Renfro. My intention had been to only reveal who this strange man was right at the very end of the chapter but I'm guessing that most of you got who it was before the end! Also the 'she' in Lydecker's thoughts at the end has a double meaning. It's meant to apply to both Renfro and Max. I also apologise for the shortness of this chapter! Well I hope you liked it! Please keep reviewing! Thanks for all the reviews so far:
lolitaro - thank you so much for your review. yeah things with Alec and Max will sort themselves out but not without a few dramas along the way!
Aotearoa Hiphop Grl - I'm very happy you're on the road to recovery, i wouldn't want to be the one to cause you long term insanity! :-) Anyways thanks for reviewing and i hoped you liked this chapter.
Black Rose9 - Well i hope you liked this chapter then as both of them are back and things should be getting interesting!
Wendy10 - Thank you for your review. Alec is very sweet but he doesn't show it often, so i thought that it would be a nice way for him to show it and i'm glad you liked it!