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 Twenty-Five
Father and Son
It was a little past midnight; eleven hours since White had taken Alec to god knows where. Last time Max had checked they were still on the move. She couldn't stand staying in that room any longer. Alec had been reduced to a red dot on a cold impersonal computer screen, and snippets of ludicrous conversation between White's dim-witted loons. White, perhaps smartly, wasn't talking to his henchmen about his plans. But that wasn't a good thing for either Manticore or Max's blood pressure.
She sat still on the grass; the Manticore facility not too far behind and the vast forest surrounding her. Renfro still hadn't given any of the other X5's clearance for details of the mission and so Max obviously couldn't talk to Ginger. She was therefore left alone with her melancholy thoughts.
Logan's words had haunted her. And it wasn't just the one phrase. It had been nearly everything that had tumbled from his mouth. Evidently, he hadn't meant any of it. It was after all an act; and Logan had been pretty impressive, but something about the situation rang true.
His adamant statement that Max loved Alec, under scrutiny from every angle, was completely and utterly true. That only helped to scare Max further. Funny how she always made these Earth shattering realisations when she was on the verge of losing that person. The exact same had happened with Logan and now history was repeating itself with Alec.
She had indeed ruined her and Logan's chance at love, whilst Manticore was now ruining her chance again.
Drawing her legs to her chest, Max let her head fall on to her knees. She shivered slightly in the cold wind but also in startle at the familiar voice behind her,
"I thought I'd find you here."
Max turned her head to watch the older man sit down on the grass beside her. Lydecker didn't once look Max's way. Instead he kept his eyes fixed on the brightly lit night sky. Max involuntarily found herself staring at his profile. It was rather strange, that they would be sitting side by side, without Max instinctively running away and him chasing closely behind her. The silence was unnerving.
Lydecker felt and looked exhausted. Max noted how it seemed he had aged at least twice his age in the last two days. She felt a pang of sympathy but that didn't mean she trusted him any more than she had done previously. After all, this was the man that had imprisoned her family and had even killed one of her sisters. He had taken away their childhood and without their knowledge he had also taken away their right to be seen as human. They would always be transgenics, never human. She could and would never be able to forgive him, but despite that, she now began to genuinely believe that in some bizarre way, he truly did care about his 'kids'.
"He'll make it," Lydecker finally spoke up.
Max joined him at stargazing; just as strangely intrigued by what he had to say.
"Alec's a smart soldier, always has been."
Since things had recently become so insanely unimaginable, Lydecker offering Max some moral support didn't seem quite so out of the ordinary.
"It always threw me how different Alec and Ben were."
Now Max hadn't seen that coming. Lydecker had never really ever said anything about her fellow 09'ers. But in saying that, it was the first time they were actually having an honest conversation,
"Ben was a good soldier. He had this unbelievable sense of loyalty - the trademark of a brilliant team player. But unlike Alec, he wasn't a leader. He wasn't ready for the Outside, Max. He belonged at Manticore."
"Perhaps," Max whispered.
Lydecker sighed, "I don't blame you for running, but whether you admit to it or not, I don't think either of you would change a thing, even if you could. Manticore made you free, you just haven't realised it yet.
"But that's why we chose him." Max looked up as Lydecker turned to face her. "Alec's the only one of you who can get out of this, Max. And you want to know why? He's the only one who's realised it. You spent at least ten years more on the Outside than he has; but he got there first. He's accepted it and when you finally do too, that's when you'll truly be free."
Max just sat there as she watched Lydecker slowly stand up and dust the dirt from off his jacket and trousers.
"I had actually come out to tell you that they've finally stopped moving. We're none the wiser on White's plans but we do now have a location. They're in there now downloading the blue prints for the place."
Max nodded, "I'll be in soon."
"Good . . . and Max . . . think about it."
When Alec finally returned to the land of the living, the first thing he noticed, and had no choice but to notice, was the pounding in his skull. It felt like someone had let a bomb explode in there and the fire had yet to be put out. He could literally feel the drugs pulse through his blood vessels. What the hell had they done to him?
"Let me hazard a guess; not feeling too well?"
Alec's vision was still not quite perfect, but he could still recognise the very face that epitomised the word evil.
"I'm feeling fine," Alec answered groggily, still easily matching White's cold glare.
"Huh," White scoffed, "Now's not the time to be so brash 494."
"What's the worse you gonna do? Kill me?" Alec laughed, slowly regaining his strength and with it, his attitude.
"I assure you, I will break you."
"Is that a promise?" Alec smiled.
"Yes it is."
"We'll see."
White moved in closer to Alec, "So what would you like me to tell your girlfriend then? Have any last words?"
"Yeah," Alec said, his expression immediately becoming slightly more serious, "Actually I do."
"Oh and what's that?"
"This," Alec deadpanned. Sticking up his middle finger, he shoved it in White's face.
"Well I'm sure she'd be delighted with that."
"No, that was for you."
White said nothing. Alec was doing a hell of a good job pissing him off; it was quite a diversion from his colossus of a headache. He watched as White turned around and reached the door of his cell,
"On second thoughts, tell her I'll be home for tea."
White stopped only very briefly, before walking out the door and slamming it shut.
Alec let his eyes close as he lent up against the wall of the small room and let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. He wasn't scared of White. No. It would take more than empty threats to scare him. But somehow, he still couldn't extinguish that little spark of doubt. And that was what scared him.
A/N 2: Well I hope you enjoyed that chapter, please please PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING!
Thank you to:
Vicky: lol! The impossible has been achieved! I suppose you could be both but by the end of this story, you won't have to decide! Anyways, hope you had a great time at Glasbury.
C'est Magnifique: I hope this chappie made you a little content about Alec's fate, but I'm not revealing all yet! And if I was going to kill Alec, I'd get him first! Maybe you can have him after that! Lol! Thanks for the review!
JeNsEnS wifey ChAdZ lover: I'm very happy that my story makes you so happy! I'm only repaying the favour, cos your stories make me happy too! I hope you liked this chapter!
Suenooneus: I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you liked this one too: -)
Kristibella: See normally I like the snow, but now it's just getting plain irritating, it's supposed to be March! Spring! But no I still don't see daffodils in my garden! Pardon my weather moan, I had a history lesson this morning, and the radiators weren't working, so I'm suffering from a brain freeze! Anyway hope ur well, thanks for reading and reviewing!
Crystal Moon Dragon: lol, maybe in another fic! For the time being Logan's safe! Thank you for the review, was much appreciated!
Shippo: I'm glad you liked my story, and I do hope you'll continue to read my fic. Thanks for reviewing!
love SmilinStar xxx