Together -- Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All of the characters that appeared in the TV show Dark Angel (Max, Zack, Logan, etc.) belong to their respective owners, not to me. No money is being made off of this fic. I only own the original characters (Becky/X6-405, etc.).

Notes: I know that in the show there actually was a character that was briefly seen in the episode "Proof of Purchase" who had the designation X6-252 and who was a guy, but the X6-252 in this AU fic series is a girl. Hey, it's AU. My rules :)  Takes place just before chapter 32 of Dysfunctional.

About three months later...

Becky sat down at a table in the cafeteria with the X6 unit she'd been assigned to work with while she was at Seattle, the same one she'd worked with the last time she'd been based out of the facility for a mission. "What did you guys think of the new rifles we were working with at the range this morning? I loved them."

"It felt too light for me," 583 remarked, shaking his head.

"583, you're almost as big as that tank we were training on last week," 252 pointed out. "The only thing that's gonna have enough weight for you is a bazooka."

"Does that tank have a six-pack like mine?" 583 said with a grin.

"Great, barely sixteen and he thinks he's the greatest thing to happen to women," 252 muttered.

"Wanna find out, sweetheart?" 583 leered.

"I thought that it felt pretty good, too," 941, the unit's CO, commented. "Had a little kick, but nothing unmanageable."

"Who are we sparring against this afternoon, 941?" Becky asked.

"Mixed group," 941 replied. "X6 Unit 7 and X5 Unit 1. They're both light right now because several members of both units are on missions."

"Nothing like having my ass handed to me by an X5 to make my day," 312, another boy, grumbled.

"Hey, if you're lucky, you won't face an X5 this afternoon," 252 said helpfully.

"Are you kidding?" 312 said skeptically. "941, do you know who's the trainer that'll be in charge of the massacre this afternoon?"

"Yeah, I think it's Johnson," 941 answered.

"There ya go, I'll be going against an X5," 312 declared. "Johnson's a sadist. 'Remember, just because an enemy is bigger and stronger and faster than you are..."

"...doesn't mean that it's impossible to beat them,'" the rest of them finished in unison.

"Though by the same token," 437 commented. "Johnson could have 941, 252, 405, or 668 from unit 7 spar against the X5s so they can have their butts handed to them."

"True," 312 admitted. "Seeing that happen will almost make up for it."

"Attention, all X-series are to report to lecture hall 1 immediately," a voice said over the loudspeaker. "Attention. All X-series are to report to lecture hall 1 immediately."

"This can't be good," 583 observed.

"Threes, fours, fives, sixes, sevens, eights, and even the older nines in one room for an announcement? Something's up," 941 agreed. "Let's go."

They got up and followed 941 to lecture hall 1 and managed to find seats together. They watched as the rest of the X-series soldiers filed into the room and also took seats. Director Renfro walked into the room a few moments later and stepped up to the podium at the front of her room and cleared her throat.

"I know you all have your assignments for the day, so I will be as brief as possible," she said.

"This is not good," 252 whispered. "Something's got Renfro off her game."

Becky nodded. "I haven't known her as long as you guys, but I've never seen her anything remotely approaching flustered before."

"Two days ago, the Manticore facility located in Gillette, Wyoming was attacked," Renfro informed the transgenics.

It took all of the training Becky had to keep the worry out of her face. Please let my unit be all right. Please let them be all right!

"A group of four of the rogue X5s, whom we identified as X5-599, X5-452, X5-157, and X5-701, infiltrated the facility and blew the DNA lab," Renfro continued. "X5-157 and X5-701 got away and X5-734 was injured in her attempt to stop them, but we did recapture X5-599 and X5-452, though X5-452 was near-fatally wounded by an X7 as she attempted to flee. There were no other injuries to any other X-series and fairly minimal damage to the area immediately surrounding the DNA lab." She paused. "What I am about to say next is what immediately affects all of you here. It has been decided that, at least for the foreseeable future, all three facilities will be consolidated into only one. The facility in question will be this one here in Seattle, as this is the only site with the correct capacity. The soldiers from Gillette as well as from our other facility in upstate New York will be arriving here starting tommorrow. We are currently working on integrating them into the daily routine. You will all be briefed again after they arrive. Dismissed."

"Whoa," 312 said. "Some of the '09ers actually had the nerve to go back and take out the DNA lab? They might be traitors, but damn you have to admire that kind of balls."

"You okay, 405?" 334 asked.

"I'm fine, 334," Becky assured her. "At least I will be."

TBC