skylar0grace | As One Would Have It (DA)

Title: As One Would Have It.
Author: SkylarGrace.
Status: Complete.
Rating: PG13+
Summary: A confrontation with White is about to turn Max’s world upside down.
Spoilers: Set after Freak Nation so all of them.
Disclaimer: Dark Angel and all related elements belong to Cameron Eglee Productions and FOX. No infringement intended.
Notes: A submission for the May/June Adopt-A-Prompt Challenge at RH using October/November ’07 prompts.

I ran. I ran until my muscles burned and my veins pumped battery acid. And then I ran some more. Despite being Transgenic, sweat was beading everywhere and it felt like I couldn’t breathe. Had I stopped to consider just why I was affected the way I was instead of blurring around the Seattle streets, I might have foreseen how this would turn out. But all I could think about was every single moment, every glance and every word; about how I may never again experience those things. And I guess that's what happens in the end, you start thinking about the beginning.

White stared down Max as she stood poised to attack at the other end of the alley. Several Transgenics flanked her protectively but he was unconcerned with any of them. He only saw her and the expression in her eyes as the words spilled from his lips.

“He’s dead.”

Her eyes widened slightly in horror before her training caught up with her and her expression became blank. The Transgenics standing behind her shifted ever so slightly and the blonde man standing to her left cast a quick glance at his leader. None of the Transgenics, however, let the enemy before them out of their sight.

“You’re lying.”

Her voice was steely and White inwardly smiled. He had her now. There was no way she was going to let go and it was like slowly reeling in a fish. She said she didn’t believe him but her eyes had betrayed her. Her breathing had changed slightly, becoming more erratic as she tried to read him. White tilted his head and grinned.

“Put up quite a fight too. Tried so hard not to scream but I can be quite persuasive.” Max blinked. “If you want his body, it’s in a warehouse in Sector Twelve. I’m done with it.”

Camo tensed as he prepared to fight. He didn’t believe for a second that Alec was dead and even if he was, there was no way that White would just offer up his body without strings. They were going to have to resolve this with violence. The muscles in his shoulders tensed but he was surprised when his leader disappeared in a blur leaving them behind. White grinned back at them.

“My work here is done.”

White turned around and disappeared into the streets. Camo felt three pairs of eyes turn to him in shock and he uselessly glanced in the direction Max had disappeared. There was no way they’d be able to catch her and White. Needing to inform TC about what had happened, the four Transgenics sped back home. Reinforcements would be gotten and Camo could only hope that they got there in time to help Max get out of the obvious trap she was walking into.

Camo was about to call out to Dix as he entered Command when he spotted a familiar face. Dread sunk his stomach and he momentarily closed his eyes. This was going to end badly.

“White said you were dead.”

Alec looked confused. “I just got held up on the other side of town. Wait, you ran into White and got away?”

Camo shifted nervously. “Not exactly. He just let us go.”

“White doesn’t do that,” Alec said as he stepped closer.

“He told us you were dead. I personally didn’t believe him but it wasn’t me he was trying to convince.”

Recognition mixed with horror crossed Alec’s features. “Where is she?”

“She just blurred off. There was nothing we could have done to stop her.”

“Where is she?” Alec yelled causing several Transgenics to turn around in surprise. Alec almost never yelled.

“I don’t know.”

“Alec?” Dix called from his computer. He winced when he heard Alec’s abrupt response but knew worse was probably to come. “The police have just picked up the body of a young brunette woman in Sector Twelve. She was badly beaten and shot and has a tattoo of a barcode on the back of her neck.”

The colour drained from Alec’s face and Camo sat down in the nearest chair. Alec took a shaky breath before he addressed the deathly quiet room.

“Send a team out to retrieve her. Bring her back as quickly as possible. I want a second team prepped and ready to raid the warehouse where she was found.” The room remained still. “Now!” he said, his voice barely above a whisper but heard by every single Transgenic nevertheless.

~

Max’s scream rang out through the empty warehouse basement, drowning out the sound of her femur breaking. White leaned in close to her and yelled, spittle spraying her face in the process.

“Tell me where my son is 452!”

Max glared at him. “Bite me!” she replied through gritted teeth.

White screamed in frustration. The Transgenics would no doubt recover what they thought was her body and when they discovered the ruse, they’d descend upon the warehouse district to find their missing leader. He didn’t have time to torture her slowly, as much as he wanted to.

“I can make this all stop – all you have to do is tell me.”

Max remained defiant and he angrily reached for a taser. She was going to tell him one way or another.

Camo’s head swung to the right as a muffled scream rang out across the warehouse. It was the sixth one they had checked and with every empty room, Alec got more and more angry. It had taken the Transgenics recovering the body one glance to know it wasn’t Max laying on the slab and they’d immediately informed TC, the message coming through just moments before Alec led the team out. They’d been played and the time they’d wasted thinking their leader was dead had effectively left her in White’s hands for longer.

Alec motioned his orders to the team behind him before blurring toward the basement. Camo tried to keep up with Alec as he sped through the corridors, avoiding any guards along the way. White may know a lot about Transgenics, he thought, but he still had a lot to learn. It was a huge mistake to let Max and Alec believe the other was dead and he was about to find out why.

Alec knocked out the Familiar standing guard at the door to the basement in one fell swoop and pushed his crumpled form to the side. Camo’s eyes widened in horror upon seeing Max barely sitting in a chair in the centre of the room, her body held up only by the binding ropes on her hands and feet. Her head hung down, chin on chest, as White stepped back, his annoyance at the interruption quickly turning into surprise.

“494.”

Alec took one glance at Max and lunged. Camo quickly entered the room and stood protectively in front of Max. Alec had moved White away from her but Camo didn’t want to risk Alec’s wrath upon himself so he left Alec to deal with White alone. Camo watched as Alec and White fought, neither man seeming to have the upper hand until Alec feigned right once too many times, catching White with his left. He spun the Familiar around and snapped his neck in one fluid motion. Dropping White’s body to the cold, hard floor, Alec raced over to and knelt beside Max.

“Maxie?”

She remained motionless and his gaze moved over her body, taking in her numerous injuries. He removed the ropes that had her feet and hands bound with as much care as possible and lifted her body from the chair. With only a small nod in Camo’s direction, Alec pulled Max’s body closer to his and walked out of the room.

The report of my death was greatly exaggerated. I could not have known this anymore than they had but it was a game well played. Until that confrontation with White, I had had my life in order; it was as simple and easy as it could get but in that moment, everything came crashing down. White played on a weakness I didn’t even know I had and I literally ran straight into the trap. Before nearly dying, I had been content; at least I thought I was. Now I know that contentment is not the fulfilment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have. Looking at Alec’s fingers intertwined with mine as I lay healing on a TC hospital bed, I now know what I already had.