Disclaimer: I still don't own Dark Angel.
Story: Introducing... Adam Thompson! And his not-so-normal life on the ranch...
A/N: OK, guys, it's been forever, so quick re-cap. Max was at Manticore, no memory, and is now on a mission to kill Eyes Only, aka Logan Cale. Terminal City is in poor shape without its leader, and Alec is struggling to keep the place from civil war. Max (going by 452) is in Seattle now for her mission, and Sketchy got a photo of her by dumb luck, and OC and Alec have now seen it and are trying to find her. (Phew! That's a lot to re-cap...) Right. So, I wanna say that I am very sorry for the lack of updates for the past few... months... I've been really incredibly busy with school, work, and marching band. That said, we're thick into the season right now, and I will have just as much if not less free time to write until about November, so I deeply apologize to anyone wanting quick updates. It's not likely to happen. But I hope you'll all find that it's worth the wait! So, enough of my rambling excuses. A huge shout-out Thank You! to those of you who read my last update ages ago, and especially to the following awesome people who reviewed the last chapter: SpiritKez, HYPERLITE.HO, Lizzie Leigh, pepper2bb, CandyCentric, timetowaste247, and dooski. I just love you guys! Happy reading!
"Adam! C'mon into the kitchen, honey! Breakfast is ready!"
Adam Thompson took one last swing at the cutting block, splitting the log there with a resounding crack. He left the axe where it fell and raised an arm to mop his brow of the sweat that hung there in the early morning sun.
It always seemed hot outside on the ranch, but Adam couldn't complain. Buddy and Mary provided plenty of food and comfort, a place to live and sleep, and even a job. It was more than enough from the sweet old couple that treated him like the son they never had, even though he was just a farmhand. No, Adam wasn't about to complain about the heat.
He had gone through worse.
His mind immediately went back to that day at the Seattle hospital that he would never be able to forget. He remembered waking in that hospital bed, feeling so weak and disoriented. He couldn't remember a thing, despite all of Buddy's attempts at explaining. Hard as he tried, Adam still couldn't remember anything about the accident, or even about his life before that hospital visit.
That scared him a little, when he really thought about it. It scared him that he didn't have a past, as far as his mind was concerned. But if there was one thing Adam Thompson really hated, it was the feeling of being weak. Fear was weak, an emotion that just hindered daily activities. And since he couldn't really do anything about his absence of memories, he simply ignored the fear and stamped it down. And then he moved on with his life.
Adam smiled up at Mary from across the yard. He liked Mary. She was nice. She had a grandmotherly face and demeanor, and she was an excellent cook. Adam's stomach rumbled loudly to his sensitive ears. Breakfast sounds great right now...
Adam jogged slowly to the door of the ranch house and stepped inside. Mary stood at the stove heaping a huge pile of fluffy scrambled eggs onto a large plate already laden with sausage, bacon, toast, and pancakes. Adam's nose was immediately assaulted with the smell of all the food, making his stomach growl again, louder than before. Mary turned around at the noise and smiled at him. He gave her a sheepish smile and ran a hand through his blonde hair.
"Now, Adam, you go clean up in the bathroom. I won't have you sitting at my table like that," she said firmly, gesturing to his bare chest shining with a sheen of sweat and to his matted hair. "I have some fresh towels in there that you're welcome to use, honey."
Adam almost laughed. Mary certainly ruled this particular roost. She went quickly between badgering him about his sweaty appearance and calling him 'honey.' How could anyone refuse to obey that sweet little lady? So he just smiled and headed for the bathroom.
A few minutes later, Adam had finished toweling off and was seated at the kitchen table with Buddy and Mary. He shoveled the terrific meal down quickly, causing Buddy to chuckle.
"See you've worked up quite an appetite there, eh son?"
Adam looked up from his plate and smiled. "Yeah, I guess I have."
Buddy paused thoughtfully. "How would you like to come with me to the marketplace today, Adam?"
Adam's eyes went wide. "I'd love to," he said earnestly. A change of scene would be really nice. Every day, he only worked out in the field outside the ranch. Buddy went to the market once a week, but he always went alone. Adam briefly wondered why Buddy made the offer he did.
"Good. You can tag along right after breakfast." Buddy sniffed a bit. "And after a quick shower," he added. Mary laughed out loud.
"Alright, alright! I'll go shower! Be right back." He bolted down the rest of his meal and ran upstairs to the shower.
Buddy parked his rusty green pickup truck off to the side of the dirt road and he and Adam hopped out. They made their way towards the rustic market that bustled with country folk and farmers selling everything from milk and eggs to cows and chickens.
The place had stores where people could buy hand-made clothing and hand-painted little works of art as well as some simple jewelry, shoes, and everyday odds-and-ends. Other places sold horses, horseshoes, and farm machinery and equipment. Still others offered services of fixing and mending, and then, of course, were the places serving food for their eager customers from all over the countryside.
It was the biggest collection of people gathered in one place that Adam could ever remember seeing. Except for his brief stay in Seattle, that is.
"Awright, Adam. I'm gonna go get some kitchen supplies that Mary's been askin' for. It won't take too long. You can go have a look around if you want, and then you and I are gonna go get some new equipment for the work shed. I been savin' up, see?" Buddy smiled proudly at Adam as he held up a wad of bills. "Anyways, it's some heavy stuff, so I'm gonna need your help, got it?"
Adam nodded.
"Good. Now I'll be right back, awright? You go sight-seein'."
Adam smiled and nodded and left to have a look around. He walked down the road, staring at the shops and at the people in them. He saw several wholesome-looking farm-bred children and teenagers, all kinds of friendly adult faces, and the occasional toothless grin from an old man in overalls and a straw hat.
Adam smiled and nodded at all the friendly faces he passed as he walked. Not having been around much of anyone besides Buddy and Mary for the past few months, the onslaught of people was a bit unsettling, almost like he didn't quite belong there. Still, it made him feel... safe... to be surrounded by lots of people, like he wasn't alone after all.
But the girls around his age shooting him smoky looks and openly admiring his physique was completely unexpected. Adam had, naturally, seen his reflection in the mirror from time to time. He supposed that the opposite sex probably found him attractive, with his blond hair, intense eyes, handsome face, and his... well, perfect body. And currently, he was wearing his snug but comfortable work jeans and a white tank top that fit tightly over his heavily-muscled upper body.
Adam squirmed a bit at the thought that he was unintentionally showing off his... assets. He didn't know what else to do but smile tightly and nod in greeting. He wasn't flirting. He schooled his features to a polite neutrality. The last thing he needed these girls to think was that he was interested. Adam wasn't about to... lead them on? That was the phrase, wasn't it? Yes, that sounds right.
The truth was that Adam wasn't really interested in any of the girls around here. None of them stood out to him, anyways. They were all average, ordinary. He simply didn't care one way or another. Besides, he could deal with being alone. He was used to it, or at least he thought he was. Probably a feeling from his forgotten past. Adam was a loner, and that was that.
On the very next street corner, Adam saw a newspaper stand. He made his way over there to see what was going on with the rest of the world. Isolated on the ranch, Adam took every opportunity to see the rest of the world and what he was missing in it.
He scanned the different papers on display until his eyes fell on a Seattle Press copy from yesterday. He eagerly slipped money into the slot and pulled out a copy for himself.
Seattle held a strange hold on Adam's thoughts for reasons unknown even to him. He supposed it was due to the fact that his first memory was of a hospital room in that exact city. He was drawn to it like a magnet. He devoured any news from Seattle, any tidbit of information, that he could pick up.
Adam read the front-page article with avid interest. It was another scoop on genetically engineered creatures called transgenics. This was only the second article he had seen about them, since Buddy rarely picked up a Seattle paper when he went to the market. He probably did that once a month or two. Buddy wasn't too interested in Seattle, but he knew Adam was, so he bought a paper for him when he remembered. Which wasn't often enough for Adam's taste, but he wasn't about to complain to the man who took him in.
The first article he had seen wasn't very detailed and instead uncovered rumors and speculations. This article, however, was startlingly different. It seemed that this time, the press had uncovered iron-clad facts and hard evidence. Adam gasped.They even had pictures! He found himself looking at a wrinkle-faced freak of nature with beady black eyes and pointed ears throwing a grown man in a police uniform towards a dirty dumpster. The article claimed the transgenic had superhuman strength. That much was obvious to Adam, seeing the thing throwing the thick cop with ease.
He skimmed lower in the article. Wait a minute... That article was recap-ing old news for first time readers. That particular story was months old by now. Adam frowned. Hardly breaking news. What was the big scoop?
Adam sucked in a sharp breath upon reading that it had taken six bullets to take down the beast. They... killed it? He didn't know why, but that fact made him suddenly both sad and angry. How could they kill a living thing and post it on the news like a grand victory? Or worse, like no one should care? Like it was old news? Getting a grip on his anger, Adam turned the page to find the spot where the story was continued.
On the very next page was a picture of the most beautiful girl Adam had ever seen. The raven-haired beauty was riding on top of a disc-like machine the caption called a 'hoverdrone,' and she was labelled 'leader of the transgenics' in the article. Apparently, this girl led the transgenic cause in a place called Terminal City. She, too, was a transgenic, a different type called an X series. Aside from that, the newspaper reporters didn't seem to know much about her.
But at the sight of her in the paper, Adam realized that he did know her. At least, he had seen her in the hospital that day in Seattle so long ago. He remembered thinking she looked familiar even then. Who is she? I've seen her before, even before the accident. I know it!
A shout interrupted Adam's thoughts. He jerked his head up and saw that way down the street, a big man appeared to be mugging someone. Adam realized in alarm that the 'someone' was Buddy! He weaved his way through the crowd at a run, nudging people aside, many voices around him raising protest, but Adam didn't hear them or bother slowing down. Buddy was in trouble, and Adam was going to help him.
Finally, Adam caught up to the burly man picking the fight and rammed his forearm right up against the man's thick neck, slamming him into the front wall of the shop opposite Buddy. The tough gasped in surprise and gurgled a bit at the pressure Adam put on his neck. Several people nearby now had stopped and turned to look on in shock, awe, and fear at the scene before them.
Adam looked over his shoulder at Buddy, lying helplessly on the ground resting on his hindquarters and hands. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"
A wide-eyed Buddy gave his head a small, quick shake.
Adam focused again on the assailant. "What do you think you were doing, messing up an old man like that?" Adam asked in a frozen voice with an equally cold glare.
The man trembled a little and made a wheezing sound as he tried to talk. Adam loosened the choke-hold on his neck enough to let him talk. The man gave a little cough and rasped, "I-I'm sorry! It won't happen again! Just... please! Lemme go!"
Adam glared harder. "What, and let you try to mug someone's grandmother or uncle? I don't think so." The man wheezed again in fright as his airways were closed off again slowly.
Adam jerked as a woman in the crowd screamed shrilly. He saw his victim turning ugly shades of blue and purple and abruptly dropped him to the ground. The man fell in a heap. Obviously, the spectators were thinking Adam was going to kill this man. He would only have gone that far if the man had injured Buddy severely. Adam didn't believe in meaningless death; he only wanted to protect the people he cared about.
"Wha- what the hell are you?" a man from the crowd suddenly asked, pointing a shaky finger at Adam. Adam faced him and cocked his head slightly in confusion. What am I? What kind of a question is that?
Someone else spoke up, a hefty farmwife from the looks of her. "You jus' hefted that man there with one arm an' near killed 'im!" she shrieked in a panic.
Adam looked at the man unconcious on the ground. Yes, he was a really big, burly man, maybe a few sizes larger than Adam himself. But Adam recalled how easily he had lifted the man up. He had barely felt it at all. He couldn't really attribute it all to adrenaline. Maybe the people were right. He looked around at all of their frightened faces. They looked about ready to run him out of town. Or wet themselves.
What exactly was he? Was this the superhuman strength he had just been reading about in that article? Was this why he didn't really feel like he belonged anywhere? Was this, perhaps, the reason he felt such a connection to the mystery girl in the newspaper?
Adam gave one last look between the people and Buddy. He knew what he had to do now. "I'm sorry. Thank you for the hospitality," he added to Buddy before turning around and walking away.
The whole marketplace was quiet as death, the only sound being the resounding thud of Adam's boots hitting the ground as he left, kicking up the dust that was the only thing willing to come near him now. No more smiles, no more admiring looks. Adam Thompson didn't belong here anymore.
He grabbed a map from a nearby news stand. Adam would find his answers in Terminal City.
A/N : So, once again, sorry it took so long. Hopefully the next update will come sooner, but don't count on it. Sorry! I hope you guys like where I'm taking this. Please, pretty please, let me know people are still reading this, even after my absence, by writing me lovely reviews! Keeps me going, you know! (winks) Thanks again for sticking with this! See you next chapter!