Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel or Twilight
Summary: What if Lydecker realized what was really important? The happiness of his 'kids'. Over the years since the escape of Unit 2 he has changed Manticore's conditions to become more humane while remaining a government facility. X5-481, Bella, is the first to try out a new regiment where soldiers are free to be outside of the facility but they must still perform their duties as a soldier (go on missions). PS None of the bad encounters with Lydecker happened (Prodigy and Cold Comfort did happen).
Chapter 3: You're Eyes Only
The walk to their bikes had really done Max, Bella and Ben good. They felt rejuvenated and their spirits were uplifted after reuniting and catching up with each other.
Once they got the bikes Bella suggested that Ben ride with her.
"Any specific reason why?" Max asked with a brow raised suspiciously. Even though she was giving Bella a chance, she didn't want her little sister to have an opportunity to take either her or Ben back to hell if her intentions weren't true.
"Chill sis, it'll just be easier because I've got a no questions asked universal sector pass," Bella explained showing Max the pass Lydecker had given her.
"Sorry… just had to make sure," Max said apologetically as she let Bella take her pass back. "It's just… living all these…"
"Don't worry about it sis, Brin and Zack had a tough time too and they were seeing it with their own eyes. It's understandable that you're suspicious."
"I know, I just feel like I should trust you more little sis… and Ben here has no trouble trusting you at all."
"Just trust your instincts Maxie, as for me; well… let's just say that I trust Bella here with my life. I would never have asked to be taken to Manticore otherwise," Ben added the last part under his breath though he knew that the others both heard it with their enhanced hearing.
"Right well then, let's head over to your friend Logan's. Lead the way sis," Bella said straddling her ride. Ben got on behind her and placed his arms around her waist. Bella couldn't help but feel safe knowing Ben had her back.
"Don't fall behind," Max smirked cockily.
"Please, with you driving? As if," Bella returned the jibe easily. The two revved their motors before taking off. At the speed they were going, they arrived at Logan's in 15 minutes including the line up wait at the sector border, which they passed through easily. The ride itself, though short, was exhilarating because they were with their family as they rode down the highway. It was like they were free to do anything they wanted to do.
"I haven't had as much fun since I raced with Zack, though I didn't know it was Zack at the time," Max smiled getting off her Ninja and then taking off her riding glasses.
"That was… I gotta get myself a bike," Ben said getting off, unable to find words to describe the experience.
"Yeah, nothing beats having 600ccs of pure raw power between your legs?" Bella and Ben looked at their sister with raised brows.
"What? It's true!" she defended herself not caring that what she had said sounded like a sexual innuendo.
Max got off her bike placing her riding glasses in her jacket and then walked up to the entrance to the Condo before proceeding to unlock it. By the time her siblings had caught up with her she had already finished unlocking the door.
"Do you do this every time you visit your friend?" Bella teased. She found it funny how her sister had to break in to meet up with the Logan guy; after all, couldn't he just give her the keys or let her in through the buzzer?
"Yeah, where's the fun in going in the normal way?" Max shrugged nonchalantly.
"A true cat burglar, getting off at picking locks," said Ben. Once again Max punched him in the shoulder as the elevator arrived to show her thoughts at his comment.
"I don't get off at picking locks," she said indignantly.
"But you are a true cat burglar," Bella added in. For once it was Bella that got a punch in the shoulder and not Ben. She rubbed the point of contact begrudgingly as the elevator rose all the way to the penthouse level.
"Wow Max, you really know how to pick them," Bella said as the three entered Logan's apartment after Max picked the lock of his suite. The apartment was decorated with many pieces of art, paintings and sculptures, while the rooms were furnished with high end furniture. Bella had to admit that the man had taste.
"Logan! I'm here with two members of my family; Ben and Bella," Max cried out.
From beside her Bella could feel Ben tense up and she took his hand into hers and began to stroke it supportively. "Does he know about…?" Ben trailed off unable to speak of the sins he committed now that he was thinking straight. Max nodded affirmatively
Bella looked at her curiously, eyes asking if Logan knew about what they really were. When Max nodded again Bella whispered quickly, "He can't know what I told you. Let him assume how things are; too much knowledge could get him killed."
Another nod from Max let Bella know that she accepted her decision and understood it, which was the most important part. If she didn't… well then Bella would have to worry about Max actually letting the information she had told them in confidence slip and then they might have a problem. Thankfully Max understood the meaning of discretion.
"I'm in the living room," a gruff voice called out, obviously belonging to a male.
Max led Bella and Ben towards the living room where they saw a man in his early thirties sitting in a wheelchair. He smiled at them though it didn't seem sincere; he was guarded and unsure of them, probably due to the fact that he thought Ben was a killer.
"Max is everything okay now?" Logan turned to Max after looking at her siblings warily.
"Yeah everything's cool. There was a little misunderstanding no biggie. Father Destry's safe and so is Ben and that's all that matters," Max said before giving Logan a look which said to leave the situation as is, and let her handle it.
"Sure, if you say so," Logan replied reluctantly but let Max control the reigns. Good thing too since he really didn't know much about the situation
"It's always nice to meet more of Max's family," Logan said as he finally turned back towards Bella and Ben. He held out his hand for a handshake saying, "I'm Logan Cale, Max's friend as she probably already told you."
Ben took his hand and shook it briefly before letting go and then Bella stepped forward to shake his hand. While doing so Bella looked straight at Logan's eyes and then an image of the cyber-journalist on TV came into her mind as she correlated her memories with the new image she was looking at.
"You're Eyes-Only," she said neutrally as she usually did when she went into one of her…trances as Alec liked to call them. She was the best in her Unit at cross-referencing data from her memories and new data available to come up with new information, which is what she did right then and there.
"What, are you sure?" Ben asked looking at her strangely, but another look at Logan and he knew that what she said was true. If that wasn't enough, both Max and Logan tensed up considerably at Bella's outburst confirming her claim.
"How did you know?" Logan let go of Bella's hand abruptly and suspicion was plain as day in his eyes.
"It's one of my genetic enhancements. I'm good at cross-referencing memories with what I see. I looked at your eyes and noticed that they looked familiar and then an image of a TV broadcast hack I saw allowed me to compare your eyes with Eyes-Only's and after that, I just knew," Bella explained sheepishly.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Promise," Bella said once fear began to settle into Logan's expression.
"I won't either," Ben added once he realized that he should probably say something since this wasn't just a silly secret like a teenage girl's crush.
"You better not, or I'll kick both of your asses," Max said relieving the tension.
Bella laughed at Max's tendency to revert to violence to solve everything but them remembered the reason why they were at Logan's in the first place and said, "It's 6:30. We have half an hour to waste. What do you want to do?"
"What's happening in half an hour?" Logan asked looking at Max. His eyes were ordering her to tell him but Max just brushed it off easily.
"Bella's in touch with some of our siblings and she's letting me talk to them at 7:00."
"Alright," Logan said satisfied with the answer. "We can eat dinner while we wait. I was cooking dinner in the oven when you guys came in, it should be ready now."
Two loud growls coming from Bella and Ben told the other two that dinner was a good idea. Embarrassed Bella felt the need to justify her hungry stomach by saying, "I skipped lunch because I was in a hurry."
"Whatever sis, you don't need to tell us. We all know the truth; that you're a pig when it comes to food."
Bella glared at Max but let it go when Logan took out a delicious smelling roast chicken with pineapples on the side. He also took out a salad he'd prepared earlier out of the fridge and then laid out plates around the dining table. Bella and Ben were practically drooling at the mouth but held their composure like the good little soldiers they were.
"Oh my Blue Lady… Logan you do not know how long it's been since I've had a meal like that. Thank-you," Ben said sincerely. It seemed like all it took was a compliment to his cooking for Logan to warm up to the supposed cold blooded killer.
"You're welcome."
Bella checked her watch again and saw that it was 7:03; perfect time to give Zack a call. She took her cell phone out flipped it open and entered in a phone number. The other three watched her carefully as she did so: Logan curious to see which sibling she was calling, Ben, excited to hear the voices of his other siblings, and Max, ensuring that Bella was not going to give away their position.
"Hello Bella?" the three transgenics heard Zack say on the other line after two rings.
"Hey bro, I have Max here wanting to hear from you and our other sister there. Are you free to talk?" Bella asked careful not to reveal any information to Logan about whom it was she had called.
"Yeah definitely, as you know, dinner just started so we're free to talk for an hour if Max wants it." Bella promptly handed the cell over to Max who took it quickly.
"Hello?" she spoke meekly, not at all like the Max Bella knew.
"Maxie how are you?" Zack asked her lovingly. He always did have a soft spot for Max, though back at Manticore he realized it only extended as really close siblings since he began developing a crush for an X5 named Claire.
"I'm doing good… I'm so sorry for getting you…"
"It's fine Maxie. I like it here, surprisingly enough. I met someone too, but don't tell anyone. I want to tell her myself," Zack interrupted not wanting Max to give it away that he was on the other line not knowing who was listening in on the conversation.
Bella glanced at Logan and saw how frustrated he was at not knowing who Max was talking to.
"Good for you. You deserve someone bro and maybe she'll actually get you to loosen up on your ideals a little," Max replied composing herself and becoming the one and only Max from Unit 2 they knew and loved.
"My ideals have saved your ass at least once Maxie, and you know it."
"Yeah yeah, save it for someone who cares okay? Can you pass the cell to our sis; I want to know how she's doing."
"Sure." Some sounds came through which told the three transgenics that the phone was being passed to someone else.
"Max?" a girl's voice came through.
"Hey, how are you doing? Feeling better?" Max asked caringly. She was relieved to hear Brin's voice without any rasp in it since the last time they were together, Brin could hardly talk let alone move.
"Yeah, I'm cured! This place is really different from what we expected Maxie and I want you to pass it on if you meet up with any of our other brothers and sisters. I wanted to thank you for accepting my decision back then," Brin said referring to the time Zack and Max left her at a bench for Manticore to take.
"No prob…" Max said easily, though from her face it could be seen that at the time she had thought she was sending Brin back to hell and felt guilty for it.
"Hey if Ben's there tell him we love him, we don't know what kind of danger he's in but we love him all the same… I have to go; our big brother's looking at me annoyed and wants the phone back." Bella and Max looked at Ben who had unshed tears in his eyes from hearing that two more of his siblings would still love him despite everything. It made him all the more determined to get through his illness.
"Hey Maxie, I know I said we could talk for an hour but we have an emergency meeting for all Units. It's probably some sort of mission debrief where the Unit that volunteers the quickest will get it. We love you. Pass our love to Bella and Ben for us too. Bye Maxie."
"Bye big bro. I got what I needed to hear anyways. I'll see you when I see you," Max said before flipping the phone closed.
"Thanks for that," she said handing the phone back to Bella.
"No problem. Anything for family," Bella smiled in response.
Meanwhile Logan was all the more frustrated that he didn't get a single name out of the conversation. He decided the best way to satisfy his need for knowledge was to ask directly.
"So Max, which of your siblings were you talking to?"
Max shrugged saying, "Just a couple that I haven't talked to in a while; wanted to know what was up in their life."
"Really, well is it someone that I know? Because it sounded like you'd met with them before," Logan pushed for answers. In the name of the Blue Lady… this guy just didn't know when to take a hint, which I guess was useful in his line of work, but this had nothing to do with him.
"Look Logan, I do favours for you and you give me information on my siblings. What I talk about and what I do with my siblings is my business," Max said shutting down the conversation.
"Let's go guys."
Max stood up from the dining table followed by Bella and Ben, before heading out the penthouse apartment. "By the way, thanks for dinner. It was great," she said before leaving.
The ride down the elevator was uncomfortable with the irritation radiating off of Max. Once they were at their rides, Bella gathered up the courage to tell her sis what she thought of Logan, feeling it was her duty to make sure that Max knew what she was getting herself into with the guy.
"Max, I know you might not want to hear this but I have to say it. Be careful with your feelings around Logan okay? I know that some of my friends back at the base have fallen in love, or what they thought was love, with ordinaries while out on a mission, but then they realize it's not really love. Soldiers like us who've never actually experienced love before tend to mistake camaraderie or acceptance and friendship as love."
"From what I've seen between you and Logan, he likes you, or at least likes the idea of you, I'm not sure. He's trouble to us though; he's headstrong and a bit self-righteous if his TV broadcasts are anything to go by. Just… be sure of your feelings okay? If you ever decide to act on them just be certain. I'm not going to tell you who you should love, but I'm going to say that you act differently around Logan… like you're trying to please him. I just think that people in a relationship shouldn't have to act a certain way and just be able to be themselves."
Max turned sharply to face Bella and was about to tell her to mind her own business since what she said had hit a nerve but stopped when she saw Bella's expression. Bella really did want the best for her sister and she was just looking out for Max. Max saw the care and worry in her sister's face then forced herself to calm down and think rationally about what Bella had said.
"I'll be careful sis, but I expect you not to backtalk me or whoever my boyfriend may be when I have one," Max finally said after some thought.
"Fine, but only if he's not an ass hole who's clearly not right for you," Bella smirked knowing that her message had gotten across. Her work here was done.
"Where are you headed?" Max asked as she got on her bike. Bella followed suit and then Ben after her who then wrapped his arms around Bella's waist again.
"To a hotel; I have money from my missions, lots of it, so you don't need to worry. Tomorrow we'll be heading back to base after I get Ben here his own ride," Bella turned to smile at Ben.
"You really don't have to do that Bells…"
"I want to, but if you're really against it, you can pay me back later once you start getting paid for missions. Oh, and before I forget, here Max," Bella passed a slip of paper to her sis with two numbers on it.
"First one's mine and the second one's Zack's in case you have an emergency. Don't be a stranger!" She said revving up her engine. Before Bella and Ben could leave, Max quickly handed Bella a piece of paper on which she had written down her page number, and her landline. The three then exchanged smiles and goodbyes.
Max smiled at her two siblings as they exited the condo parking lot. She knew they were going to be okay and she was happy. Today, though it had started out terrible with the hunt to kill Father Destry, but had ended incredibly well with her reuniting with her siblings and finding out that Zack and Brin were okay. It was one of the first times Max could ever remember being truly happy, and only happy, in a long time. She rode away with a smile on her face lasting all the way home.
A/N: Over 50 visitors and still no reviews. :'(. But seriously, just give me an honest opinion of what you think =D.