Disclaimer: We do not own any of the characters from Dark Angel the belong to James Cameron, Charles Eglee, and Fox. But, Mercy and Amora are ours, as well as any other characters you are not familiar with.
AN: Thank you so much for your reviews guys! We will make sure we reply to all of them that we can. Hope you enjoy this chapter.


"So what was it like?" 640 asked as her and Ben strolled down corridors.

"What's what like?" Ben asked, puzzled.

"Out there." 640 said, nodding at a window.

"The courtyard?" Ben wrinkled his nose. "We do training out there in the summer."

" No, stupid." Ben scrunched his brow at the insult. "I'm kidding," She went on. "I mean out in the world. When you were free."

"I wouldn't call it free." Ben's eyes seemed to darken, dim a little. "People kill other people for no reason- even the police, who are supposed to be the good guys. People lie about others, its spread rapidly, and everyone believes it. Its rough, Six, like you wouldn't believe."

"Wait, what'd you call me?"

"Oh, Six. Sorry, I just figured it's easier than saying Six Four Zero. You mind?"

"Not at all." 640 smiled up at him and stopped walking. "Well, this is my cell. G'night."

"G'night." Ben smiled back and returned her wink she had given him earlier. He turned and left, going to his own cell.

He walked into the small cell. It seemed... empty. Although he could understand that. All the cells were dull, made of cement with a wooden cot and an itchy wool blanket. Oh, and a small bathroom compartment. One nicer thing about life outside Manticore, you didn't have to sleep and pee in the same room.

He laid down on the cot and kicked off his shoes. He slowly drifted off, thinking of Six. She was... different. He couldn't place his finger on why, but she just was. It didn't matter to him. His mind then wandered to Biggs and Mercy. He laughed to himself at how dense Alec was for not realizing they were an item. Oh well, he'd learn in time.

Few Days Later

Max slowly sauntered into the rec room, dragging her feet and panting. She plopped down beside Alec on the couch. Their training class had done fitness and maneuver tests the week before, and since three X5s had failed miserably, the class was running for three times the length and intensity as usual. Manticore was cruel that way, and added training for each soldier who wasn't up to standards.

"That... was... harsh..." Alec whined in between pants from his place on the couch..

"You said it, man. I can't believe they extended the training session to triple the usual time! Even for Manticore, that's just MEAN." Biggs complained, wiping the beads of sweat from his brow.

"Maybe that's why they call it punishment?" Six laughed jokingly. She was just as bruised as the rest of them, but she couldn't feel the sting or ache.

"Well I don't get why we have to work our butts to the bone for some other X5 who just happened to get beat up." Mercy said, sighing. "Well, three of them anyways."

"Oh well, what can you do? Besides, I feel fine." Six smiled. "Oh wait, I forgot, you guys feel pain." Alec stuck his tongue out at her in a childish way. Max laughed and leaned back, leaning on Alec's shoulder gently.

"How doth the child's mind work?" Max smiled, her eyes closed.

"Hey! I take offense to that. I am not a child," Alec glared at the top of her head. "My mind is just... Youthful." He added with his signature grin.

"Who said I meant you?" Max replied.

"Well, It's just, you-" Alec stuttered. "You're jealous of my charms. Second grade rule, Maxie, she who picks on the desired desires what she picks on."

"That made no sense." Max opened her eyes and looked up at him. "And keep dreaming."

"I know you want me," He winked. "Can't hide it from me."

"You wish pretty boy." Max snorted and rolled her eyes at him.

"Ha! You called me pretty." Alec sat back with a smug look on his face.

"Hey everyone. Have fun in training?" Ben walked in ending Max and Alec's conversation, a huge grin was plastered on his face.

"Oh, tons. Why weren't you there?" Max questioned, raising one eyebrow.

"My knee's still busted up too much. They figured it'd crap out on me, so no training for me." He smiled hugely as a way to torment his friends.

"Well screw you." Mercy laughed. "I'm gonna get ready for dinner. See you all there."

"Me too." Biggs said. Mercy stood up first, and everyone noticed she was holding onto Biggs' hand. She quickly let go when the glances shifted to her.

"Just helping him up guys, relax." Mercy smiled innocently at them.

"Jeez, you guys jump to conclusions too easily." Biggs laughed nervously and followed Mercy out of the rec room.

"See?" Ben turned to his twin. And gave a cocky smile.

"Hum?" Alec raised an eyebrow, confused more than ever.

"I told you." Ben smirked.

"Told me what?" Alec asked, still clueless. Max and 640 sat, silently watching and laughing at the twins.

"That they were together."

"Who, Mercy and Biggs?"

"No."

"Well who then?"

"Of course Mercy and Biggs! Jeez, guess we know who got all the brains in this cloning process."

"Hey. That hurts." Alec pouted for a second. "And they are not together. She was helping him up."

"I cant believe you fell for that. If she were helping him up, why would they be holding hands before they stood up?"

"Always be prepared ahead of time Benny, always be prepared."

"Whatever. I'm out, see you guys later." Ben walked out into the hallway. Soon enough they all went to the mess hall and ate dinner, mostly in silence. Nobody made an effort to strike up a conversation, but rather just sat and ate, making a comment here or there. Everyone seemed lost in their thoughts and exhaustion from the long day.

About One Month Later

Max tossed and turned until about three in the morning. She couldn't sleep. Not that she needed to. The memories of that night in the forest were haunting her, of what she almost did to her big brother. Ben was so happy now- could it be possible Manticore actually helped him? It was pretty obvious that something was developing between him and Six, as they had all learned to call Six. Biggs and Mercy were happy too, and Alec was finally starting to catch on they were together, although he still wasn't sure. He wasn't in the dark- the light was on, its just that Alec wasn't in the room. He was more in the closet in the room.

As happy as she was for them, Max's thoughts had been restless the past while. She had grown much closer to Alec. Everyone else was paired off, and they had just bonded. She was beginning to like him as more than just the goofy X5 she shared a unit with.

She tossed and turned for a little while until she finally decided to go sit in the rec room for a while. She carefully got up and walked out of her cell. When she reached the rec room, she looked around. Not your average scope-out-the-scene-for-bad-guys-look, but really looked. It was a pretty cool project. Manticore staff had no clue the rec room existed. A few rebellious X5s and a very few X6s had built the room using an abandoned equipment storage room. It was pretty big, even for storage. Gradually, the X5s took things from the offices and old staff rooms, until they had a comfortable room to socialize in.

Max had just walked into the room, when she was grabbed from behind. A strong forearm was around her waist and a hand over her mouth before she could move. She grabbed the arm by the shoulder and flipped the body of a man over her shoulder. Before he could move, she pinned him to the ground, her knees on his hips and her hands over his shoulders.

"Alec!"

"Who'd you expect?" Alec grinned sarcastically.

"Maybe a Manticore goonie, for one." Max wrinkled her nose. "So what are you doing here anyways?"

"Not breathing."

"What?" Max shook her head and squinted at him.

"Well, its hard to do when you're sitting on me." Alec grabbed Max by the waist and pushed her off of him, so they were lying on the floor beside each other. Max reached over and smacked Alec over the head. "What was that for?" He whined.

"Implying I'm fat."

"Women." He sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Men." They both laid in silence for a few minutes, before Max turned on her side, propping her head up with one arm. "So why are you in here, Alec?"

"I couldn't sleep. How about you?" He asked, turning his head to face her.

"Same... Too much on my mind I s'pose." Max shifted her eyes downward.

"Like what?"

"Ben." Max sighed.

"Please, oh please, do not ask my permission to marry my twin." He raised his eyebrows and bit his lip. "That'd be awkward."

"No." Max laughed lightly. "Its just, he's so happy right now."

"I know I can be slow, but I don't get why that's bothering you."

"Its just... That night in the forest, when we got caught. I didn't tell you everything that happened." Now Max bit down on her lower lip, hard. Alec didn't ask any questions, just waited. He could see that the response was going to be tough for her to bring to the surface of a conversation.

After a short pause, Max went on. "Remember how I told you he had some financial trouble in Seattle?"

Alec nodded.

"Well, he did have trouble... but not that kind. He had trouble with himself, so to say." Max took a shaky breath in and let it out. "He started having relapses, I guess you could call them. Anyway, he started thinking the way Manticore wants us to think- that he was nothing but a soldier, a blood thirsty killer." Max glanced at Alec's face. His eyes had widened and his jaw was clenched. "Ben started hunting ordinaries. Remember when Lydecker made us hunt down the nomlie?" Alec nodded slowly. "That's how Ben killed them. He snapped their neck, broke their arm at the elbow, took out their teeth and..." Max had to stop and take another deep breath, and wipe a tear that had fallen and was making its course down her cheek. "And he tattooed a bar code on their necks. His barcode." Max broke with a sob, but quickly pulled herself together again.

"It was like he was punishing himself for what Manticore taught us… over and over again. I knew I had to stop him, so I followed him when he was after another ordinary, a pastor. It was in a forest. I fought him to keep him away from the man. He cornered me against a tree, and I had no choice. You remember the rumors that I broke both of his legs and I was the one who sent him to Psy-Ops?" Alec nodded slowly, his eyes widened. "They weren't all false. I broke one of his legs and he was sent to Psy-Ops because of his psychological problems. We were in the forest, he was in my lap. He wanted me to- He asked me- But-" Max's eyes darted left and right as she searched for the right words to stop her stuttering. "I almost did. I had my hand on the back of his neck and was about to-I couldn't."

Max bit her lip as tears burned under her lids. "He's so happy now… I could have taken that away from him, Alec! I could have deprived him of a life. I almost killed him!" Max collapsed into a heap in Alec's arms, sobbing. He put his arms around her and sat staring ahead, silent, as her body shook in his arms.

"What if I had done it, Alec? What if I took this away?" Max looked back up into his eyes. "I don't know what scares me more, that, or... What if it really was Manticore that helped him?"

"What-ifs are difficult things." Alec said to her. "They always suck; they always remind us of bad choices we made, or bad choices we almost made. Life is full of them Maxie, and some can haunt us till our end. You gotta push your way past them and remember that either we made a good choice, or learn a lesson from it."

He sat holding her for a while. Alec looked down at Max, who's breathing was slow and steady now. "Goodnight to you too." He pulled a blanket from the couch over the two of them huddled on the floor. He wondered if she fell asleep so quickly out of relief or exhaustion. He had grown so close to her lately, and started thinking of her differently. He wasn't exactly sure,

He softly kissed the top of her head and rested his on it. "Goodnight." He repeated. Alec's eyes slowly drooped and he, too, surrendered to the world where it didn't matter if you were right or wrong, happy or sad, where you could just be with yourself and take it easy. Sleep.


"I do not want to know." Six stated clearly as she walked into the rec room. Max stirred and looked up.

"Hum? Oh, hey Six." Max yawned.

"Ok, I do want to know. What happened here?" Six said, a smirk across her face.

"It's not like that. We just... long story short, nothing happened. What time is it?"Max yawned and stretched her arms.

"About an hour till we have to be in the Mess Hall." Six still had the smirk on her face as she crossed her arms.

"Great, I have time for a shower." Max stood up and straightened her shirt. She ran her fingers through her long dark hair.

"You gonna wake up pretty boy?"

"Not yet." Max said with a grin.

The two girls left. Max had a shower and got dressed while Six got changed and fixed her hair. They then went to Six's cell and got a tube of purple lipstick. Six had found it when Renfro had changed offices. As soon as it was vacant, the old office was Six's to explore, and she found it on the floor.

Max and Six snuck back into the rec room to find Alec still passed out. They carefully took his right palm and smeared the lipstick all over his palm and fingers. They then carefully poked his nose with a fingernail, and watched as Alec, not yet fully awake, swatted at his face, smearing glossy purple goop all over his face. His eyes fluttered before he opened them.

"Max? Six? What time is it?" Alec asked sleepily.

"Time for breakfast, we're late, hurry up!" Six said, motioning that he had to get up.

"What?" Alec stood up and ran his hands through his sandy blonde hair. "Do I look good enough to go?"

"You look amazing." Max laughed, giving him a wide smile.

The three of them entered the mess hall and sat down. The rest of the group was already there. When they saw Alec, their eyes widened, and a few jaws dropped. Mercy sat and tried not to laugh, so she just poked at her food and refused to look up. Biggs was laughing as hard as he ever had, and Ben looked utterly embarrassed.

"Um, Dude?" Ben snickered. Biggs was doubled over in his seat, clenching his side and laughing hysterically.

"What?" Alec looked completely clueless. A girl walked by and smiled as she passed Alec, who smiled back. "Did you guys see that? She digs me."

"I don't think that's it, man." Ben said, chuckling himself. He polished a spoon on his shirt and handed it to Alec. Alec took it and looked into his concaved reflection. His hazel eyes widened, and his jaw clenched tighter. Everyone held their breath waiting for the explosion, but to their surprise, Alec laughed.

"You realize what this means?" Alec asked. "I get to get revenge on every last one of you. Wait for it." With that he stood up and headed towards the door.


"You haven't told him, have you?" Mercy crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall of her cell.

"Told who what?"

"Biggs." Mercy rolled her eyes. "Told Alec. About... You know, us."

"But... He'll get all protective and Alec-y." Biggs complained. Biggs tried to change the topic by leaning in and kissing Mercy. She pulled away smiling.

"Well I'll protect you. "

"Have you seen that guy when he's angry? He goes psycho!"

"Well, deal with it." Mercy laughed before kissing Biggs in return, only slower. She wrapped her arms around Biggs' neck. "Soon?"

"Soon."


"I still can't believe you and Max did that to Alec." Ben laughed as him and Six sat in the rec room. They were the only ones there, since everyone else was still cleaning up from training.

"I know! It was hilarious. But we already apologized to him, we felt kinda bad." Six bit her lower lip and smiled.

"Ah, well, he deserves it."

"Why's that?" Six raised a brow.

"For not realizing Mercy and Biggs are together, even when I explained it. Although he is starting to get the picture, he just doesn't want to admit it."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm wondering if something's started between him and Max, personally. I mean, they're always together, and this morning-" Six bit her lip hard to stop herself.

"This morning... what?" Ben gave her a confused look.

"Nothing. I gotta go. See you around." She stood up and bolted out the door before she said something she'd regret.

Ben watched Six run off, and shook his head. She was one mysterious chick sometimes. He liked that about her, she kept him guessing and looking for answers. It wasn't that she was a tease, just that she was just as confused about everything as he was.


Max laid sprawled out on her cot when she heard a soft knock on the inside of her cell. She lifted her head.

"Hey Alec."

"I wanted to talk to you." Alec sat down beside her.

"Please don't tell me you're pregnant." Max smiled at him.

"Aw shoot, how'd you know?" Alec smiled back. Sighing he said, "Shockingly enough, thats not it."

"Oh?"

"About last night, you told me what was wrong-"

"Yes, and thanks, so much. I really needed to get it out. Im sorry about the lipstick too, I shouldnt have done it after you were great enough to listen to me."

"No problem. But actually, I was thinking about how I never told you why I was awake." Alec looked down. Max sat up and tucked one side of her hair behind her ear. "I guess I was awake for the same reason."

"You almost killed Ben?" Max raised an eyebrow.

"No, I mean that I had too much on my mind," Alec looked straight into the deep brown of Max's eyes. "A few years ago, I was sent on a mission in Seattle. A search and destroy. I had to get in, kill a man named Robert Berrisford, and get out. I was instructed to pose as a music instructer for the man's daughter. I was taught how to play the piano in a day. I loved it," Alec said with a faint smile that quickly faded.

"The daughter's name was Rachel. She was so bubbly and friendly, and beautiful.. She was talented, too. She spent alot of time on lessons, so we were together a lot of the day. Soon we started talking more casually, and seeing each other outside lessons. After a while, I fell-" Alec's eyes squeezed shut for a moment. "I fell love with her. I wanted to be with her every moment I could, and she felt the same. Then, Manticore caught on." Alec swallowed, and tears began to swell under his lids.

There was a pause before he could go on. He looked down at the floor, hard. Max saw how much this was troubling him, and moved closer, resting her hand on his shoulder. He turned to face her.

"Manticore warned me I was on a mission. They said it had to be done, no questions, no alterations. I thought that was it for me, that they'd lock me up somewhere for being distracted on a mission. But they scared me. I don't mean squeal-like-a-pig scare, I mean really, truly terrified me, Maxie." His hazel eyes looked so pained. "I went back. I kept spending time with Rachel, but in the back of my mind, Manticores warning sat. Lurking, waiting for the right moment to arise and cause as much damage as possible."

"Eventually Rachel's father found out about us. When he asked me to step into his office to have a chat, I thought my heart would fall on the floor. It was ringing in my ears." Alec flashed another little smile, but a heartbroken one. "He approved, one hundred percent. He really liked me, and thought I would be good for Rachel. He congratulated us. I had never been happier or more afraid. Manticore wasn't lurking behind me anymore, it was screaming its throat raw in my ear.

"Something in my mind told me Rachel would forgive me, or maybe I had a temporary lapse of insanity. Whatever the reason, I decided to follow Manticore's orders. I fitted together the pieces of the bomb they provided, and carefully set it up under the bumper of Rachel's father's car. I set the time for when I knew he would get in to take Rachel to school. I thought maybe if I could stall Rachel, she wouldn't get in the car and be harmed." Alec ran his hands through his hair.

He drew in a shaky breath. "So I stopped her on her way to the door. Her dad was already outside. I was going to make something up, but I took one look into her eyes, and stopped. I started to tell her what was going on. As soon as I mentioned her father, her eyes filled with tears and she pushed me aside. She ran out the door screaming to warn her dad, but she was too late. She made her dad stop from getting in the car, but the bomb went off before the two of them could get away.

"It exploded, and Rachel went flying through the air. I was already outside to see her head hit the cement. Her father was thrown too, but he wasn't badly injured. Probably the size difference, and the fact that he landed in a shrub. Either way, Rachel lay there, not moving at all. Before I could run to see if she was all right, Manticore officers drove up in a black truck and dragged me inside before a witness could identify me. I never found out what happened to her.

"I think I saw her a few months ago on a mission, but I was too ashamed to say anything. I lost her. I know that, and I'm not afraid to admit I did. That isn't what's bothering me, it's wondering what would have happened to her if I hadn't set the bomb. Would Manticore kill her? Would they kill me? But what if we would be happy together, and everything would be perfect?"

"What-ifs are difficult things." Max gave a weak smile to Alec, who's tear-filled eyes were squeezed shut. He hadn't shed a single tear. He looked into her eyes.

"Maxie, did I do the wrong thing?" To Max he really did seem like a child now, but rather than showing an immaturity, he was showing such pain and pleading, completely confused and hurt.

"No, Alec, it would have happened anyways, maybe worse. You gotta keep your head up and remember-" Max stopped and looked at her cell door where Six stood knocking. She had a worried look on her face. "Six?"

"Max, I need to talk to you. If you guys are busy, though, I can-"

"No, I was just leaving. Thanks for the chat Max." Alec stood up and quickly brushed past Six so she wouldn't see the tears in his eyes.

"What is it Six?" Max looked up at her. Six was chewing her lip and twisting a piece of hair, which were tell-tale signs she was nervous.

"It's Ben..."

"Did something happen?" Max's eyes widened and she clenched her fists.

"No, nothing like that. Things just suddenly got really weird on my end. I used to be fine around him, but now all of the sudden its like I can't breathe, or think, or speak, or even make logical sentences. I get all nervous and shaky and scared, but I don't know of what, just scared he'll like think I'm stupid. But I am being stupid worrying about it, I mean, why should I care? I just don't know!" She was talking so fast and gesturing wildly that Max was hardly sure of what she was saying. Max smiled. "What?" Six asked, looking at Max's amused expression.

"You like him." Max simply stated.

"Yeah, he's nice and all, but not like that." Six gave her a skeptical glance.

"You're totally trippin' over him. You dig him, boo, simple as that." Max smiled to herself at how she was talking, it seemed familiar, but she couldn't place from where- or whom.

"Do not!"

"Yes, you do."

"Maybe he's real cute... and maybe I hang out with him a lot... And maybe I get really nervous talking to him. But that doesn't mean I like him."

"Yes it does."

"Since when?"

"Look, Im not going to say anything. Relax, you can put your guard down." Max put a reassuring hand on Six's shoulder.

"Oh sweet mother of pearl." Six put a hand to her forehead and stared straight ahead as she leaned on the wall and slowly slid down to sit on the floor.

"What now?" Max crossed her arms as she crouched down beside Six.

"I like him. I like him a lot." This made Max laugh, and the two of them sat for a while.

When Six finally left, Max stretched and yawned. Shark DNA might mean she didnt have to sleep, but it didnt mean she never got tired from sitting too long. She went and took a shower, and went to dinner.

After the training was done for the evening, Max decided to go outside. She was sitting on a bench in the training yard, when Alec came and joined her. They said nothing for a while, just sat staring ahead. Alec took in a deep breath and let it out, his warm breath looking like he expelled a small cloud in the crisp air. He kicked his foot impatiently, like he was waiting for something to happen.

Finally he spoke. "Hi."

Max smiled at how it took him about fifteen minutes of sitting looking impatient just to say hi. "Hi yourself."

"I wanted to say thanks to you, too, just for listening today." Alec smiled warmly at her.

"Anytime. It's weird. When I first came here, I told myself I was going to isolate myself and think only about getting out. Now that's gone out the window for now," She laughed slightly. "It's weird."

"You already said that." He smiled jokingly. Now it was Max's turn to stick out her tongue. The two of them laughed, and after a minute, Max went on.

"You know, I really trust you. We've gotten pretty tight, although at first I was kinda mean to you."

"Kinda?"

"Sorry." She laughed again. Leaning back a little, she sighed. "I know I had a reason for wanting to escape. A life, friends, something huge. I know it's there, but I can't remember it. Pieces come back here and there, but what good are they when you don't know how to put them together?"

Alec held up his hand. "No deep emotional moments, please." He winked at her. "I understand, it's cruel what Manticore can do to you."

Alec stood up and walked a few steps before turning back to face Max. "You really trust me?"

"Yeah." Max stood up and went over to where he was.

They were standing inches apart. Max could feel a certain warmth coming from Alec's six foot tall body that gave her a kind of comfort. She wanted so bad to lean towards him just a little more. Alec shivered as her arm brushed against his. He was staring at her eyes; they were so beautiful. Max was thinking the same things about the pool of green and brown she was looking into.

"Do you trust me?" Max questioned.

"I do." Alec put his hand on Max's shoulder, unsure of what else to do, whether to move away or closer. "I trust you." He smiled nervously at her, still looking in her deep brown eyes. They stood like that a few minutes, just staring. Max slowly smiled.

"Good." Before she knew what she was doing, Max placed her hand at the back of Alec's neck. Going up on her toes and leaning closer, she slowly kissed the X5 she had grown to trust and share a bond with.

She had suspected she might like him as more than a friend, but she silenced the thought and ignored it. Now, there was no doubt, no turning back. Alec gently laid his hand on her waist. It seemed like it shocked Max. She pulled back and slapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes filling with tears. What had she just done? "I'm sorry, I- What did I- I didnt mean to," Max turned and fled back inside Manticore before Alec could say anything.

Max didn't know where she was running, just away. She felt stupid. That wasn't like her, to be dramatic and romantic- that kind of thing usually made her laugh or gag, sometimes both. Her feet pounding against the floor sending jolts of pain through her calves. She ran as hard as she could until she reached the end of a corridor with a door nailed shut. She put all of her rage into ripping it open. The wood splintered and made her hands bleed, while a dust cloud filled her lungs, causing her to cough and choke on her tears.

Max ran down a flight of stairs and down a twisting hallway, then down another flight of stairs. the second flight creaked and moaned as she stepped on the wooden planks, sending dust particles dancing through the small amount of light from a window. She got to the bottom floor and realised this must be the basement. Not the basement where they kept Nomlies, but the basement nobody ever went into, not even Manticore officers.

By now Max had stopped sobbing and just walked through the empty room sniffing a little. She was furious with herself for being so stupid, so gullible. Alec was probably telling everybody about it now and laughing it up. Max kicked an old can and clenched her fists tighter. She couldnt believe this. How could she ever face him again?

Max's thoughts were interrupted by something she heard behind her. She froze. It was a growl. Not a human growl, nor an animal's. It was unlike anything she had ever heard, and she could feel the blood drain from her face. Max's heart stopped as once again the deep growl filled her ears, and it sounded close.


AN: We hope you liked it! Don't forget to leave us a review to let us know what you thought. Chapter three should be posted within the next week. :D