Dysfunctional -- Chapter 28

Disclaimer: The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Alec, Biggs, Renfro, etc.), and everything else that has to do with the show belong to their respective owners, not to me. No money is being made off of this fic. I only own the original characters (X5-121, etc.).

Notes: Spoilers/spoiler-ish stuff for “The Berrisford Agenda” and “Designate This.”

About three weeks later…

121 grinned when she saw that 849 and 228 had beaten her up to the roof. “Hey. You must have hauled some ass.”

“Nah, we just used a different roof access,” 849 teased as she pointed to a different door than the one that 121 had just used. “Where are 511 and 494?”

“We would be right here,” 511 spoke up. “Great to see you ladies again.”

“Likewise,” 228 said. They all sat down and 228 frowned a little when she saw the look that was on 494’s face. “Are you okay, 494?”

“Yeah, I’m just a little bit annoyed,” 494 confessed. “I got called into Director Renfro’s office right before lights out. I’m being sent out again in two days on a deep cover solo.”

“You know, that is what happens when you do as well as you did in Alaska with 511 and 941,” 121 joked. “Three X-series take out an entire naval base, they return home all covered in glory, and they get sent right back out again.”

“I’m not being re-deployed,” 511 said cheerfully. He laughed when 494 flipped him off. “Nothing I haven’t seen or heard before, buddy.”

494 rolled his eyes. “Sorry about that. It could be worse, though.” He stretched his arms. “I ran into 941 on my way to Renfro’s office. They’re going to be shipping him out on his first solo mission in a few days. The kid’s going all the way to Bulgaria.”

“Wow, that’s pretty far away,” 849 commented. “Good for him. He beat 224 as to the first X6 here to be assigned to a solo mission.”

“He was happy about that,” 494 said, grinning. “I’m happy for the kid regardless of the fact that he got assigned a solo before 224. I saw first hand how capable he is. He earned this opportunity.”

“Speaking of opportunities, what about yours?” 849 asked. She grinned. “Give us the details, 494?”

“You do know that’s all classified information, 849,” 494 teased. “But what the hell. I’m not going nearly as far away as 941 is. In fact, I’m still going to be in the Seattle area. Some businessman named Robert Berrisford. He’s supplies Manticore with money and equipment though his company and apparently, he’s been getting a little antsy so they want somebody to keep an eye on him for awhile and look for more concrete evidence of him jumping ship.”

“Were you given a timetable for this mission?” 121 questioned.

494 shook his head. “No. There’s no set timetable. It could only last a week or it could last a year. If I had to guess, I’d say it will end up going long term.”

“How are you getting in?” 228 wondered.

“My cover? The guy’s got an eighteen-year-old daughter named Rachel,” 494 said. “She’s a freshman communications major at the University of Washington-Seattle and she lives at home with her father. The girl’s takes piano lessons but she’s between teachers right now. Her newest tutor is scheduled to begin with her in four days. I take care of him and assume his identity and bingo.”

“He’s supposed to begin lessons with her in only four days? When the hell are you moving out?” 511 asked.

“Day after tomorrow,” 494 replied.

“Whoa,” 849 commented. “This must be a pretty high priority mission if this was all the notice that you’re getting.” She smiled teasingly. “You’re going to have to learn to play the piano in less than a day tomorrow? Ha, ha! Good luck with that one, 494.”

“I took a few basic lessons for some of my supplemental mission skills classes,” 494 said smugly. “All I’ve got to do tomorrow when I’m in mission prep is to brush up on my stuff, learn a few fancy moves, and I’m home free. Sorry to disappoint you.”

“It’s going to take me awhile to get over this,” 849 deadpanned.

“Well, I think that I can speak for all of us when I wish you good luck out there,” 511 said. He leaned over and gave 494 a quick hug. “Kick some ass out there.”

“I always do,” 494 assured his best friend. “Thanks, 511.”

“It’s going to be dull without you for however long that you’ll be away,” 121 said. “It’ll be just me and 511…” She purposefully trailed off and grinned seductively at her boyfriend. “You know, that actually sounds so good. Just you and me.”

“No random acts of sex, please,” 494 begged. “I prefer watching porno on video, not live.”

“I knew it!” 121 triumphantly declared. “You had an unmarked CD in a jewel case that was lying on the desk in your cell the other day when 511 and I went in there to talk over strategies for the training mission that we had yesterday and when I asked you what it was, you ducked the question. I knew it was porn!”

“It wasn’t porn,” 494 insisted. “I don’t even have a laptop to watch it on, which I would have sneaked in from a mission a long time ago if that were the case. The only contraband of my own that I have is the pistols that I snatched when I was on the mission with 511 and 941, a Swiss Army knife that I got when we actually went to Switzerland on that mission when we were fifteen, some crap that I’ve brought back from missions that I’m selling off to the guards, and the money that the guards give me for that shit. It’s amazing what ordinaries will pay for stuff that I find outside and here within these fine walls.”

“If the CD wasn’t porn, what was it?” 511 asked.

“It was something I took from 714,” 494 said. He shrugged. “I overheard her talking to 908 and she handed her the CD. I don’t know exactly what was on it, but 714 and 908 were being pretty rude when they saw me so I just took it from them. I’ll give it back before I go. I just wanted to piss them off.”

121 laughed. “Our boy here loves to play with fire.”

“Hey, they can’t do shit about it,” 494 pointed out. “Being the C.O. of their unit and of the entire platoon has its advantages.”

“Our boy apparently also has an ego problem,” 849 said teasingly. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he has the delusion that he rules the entire world.”

“Nah, I don’t rule the world,” 494 said. “I’m pretty damn good, but rule the world? Not quite yet.”

121 grinned. How like 494 is that statement? He’s said stuff like that so many damn times. Last week when he got back from his mission, last month… She froze as a memory suddenly came to her. …and about thirty-eight hours before Wyoming’s Unit 2 made their infamous escape. He said damn near those same words. Not even two days later, our world went even deeper into hell and he’s going on a mission in about two days…

“121? Are you okay?” 511 questioned.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” 121 assured 511. Other than the fact that I suddenly got even more paranoid than 107 for a few moments. “I’m honestly fine.”

“Are you sure?” 494 said. “You got this weird look on your face for a minute.”

“I’m fine,” 121 insisted. “It was just a brain fart or something. Trust me, okay?”

“All right,” 494 said, though he sounded slightly suspicious. 121 smiled in response and turned to 228 and started another conversation and tried to forget about the feeling that she’d had a few moments before. It’s just a weird coincidence.

TBC