Together -- Chapter 59

Disclaimer: The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Max, Zack, Logan, 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 (Becky/X6-405, etc.).

A man and a woman, each wearing a trench coat, walked over to a pier from their respective cars. They both looked around, making sure that nobody was observing them, before turning and facing each other.

“From my father before me, for my sons,” the man said quietly.

“From my mother before me, for my daughters,” the woman replied. She smiled. “It’s good to see you in Seattle again, Brother White.”

“It’s good to see you again,” White said.

“What brings you back here?” the woman asked.

“A picture of one of the freaks turned up in a local tabloid yesterday,” White said. “I was called in by my boss at the NSA to make sure that the population kept on believing that it was another fake monster story.”

The woman nodded thoughtfully. “It’s amazing how people have become so jaded, isn’t it? Can you imagine what would happen if they found out that those monsters are actually real and not some trick created by photo editing software?”

“It would be quite a reaction,” White agreed. “I made the suggestion to my superior that perhaps the public should be warned about the transgenics, but he disagreed. I didn’t want to make a move anyway without yours and the Conclave’s support, but I thought it would be prudent to start planting the seeds now.”

“That was a wise move,” the woman said. “It is a little bit premature to leak the transgenics’ presence in the world to the general public, but that time is coming upon us rapidly. It won’t belong before you receive the go-ahead from us to release the information.”

“Very well,” White said.

“Have these transgenics been keeping an otherwise low profile?” the woman queried.

“Otherwise, they have been staying out of the radar pretty well,” White confirmed. “They were trained to be able to do that, even the anomalies to an extent. It hasn’t been easy capturing and eliminating them. We estimated that there were around four thousand or so transgenics total in existence at the time of the fire. About three hundred died in the fire or escaping from the facility, most of those being members of the X9 generation and therefore too young, even for a freak, to make it far. We’ve captured and/or eliminated only about another forty transgenics since then. Again, most of them were X9s, plus about ten anomalies, a few X3s and X4s, plus the one X6 that walked into the trap that I had set for X5-599.”

“Did you recover the X6’s body?” the woman asked.

“We never recovered the body, but we found evidence that it had been found and moved by someone else, most likely by 599, given the time and location of X6-405’s death. There’s no way that 405 could have survived. Our information indicates that the X-series transgenics could survive at most a seven-story drop. 405 fell from rooftop level from a ten-story building,” White said. “We’ve come close a few other times, mostly with X5s and X6s, but they were able to get away for a number of reasons. There is some potentially good news, especially if the Conclave is willing to be patient. The first of the females that had participated in the breeding program that was instituted by Manticore within weeks of the destruction of the DNA lab are expected to be giving birth in a month, with the rest following over the course of the following three months. While this does mean more of these freaks will come into the world, it does mean that most of the females of the X3, X4, and X5 generations will be slowed down by their offspring, thus giving us a greater opportunity.”

“The pros just might outweigh the cons,” the woman said. “Speaking of X5s, how is the search going for 452?”

“As far as I or anybody else knows, 452 is still in Seattle,” White said. “I haven’t seen any reports to suggest otherwise.”

“Good,” the woman said. “The report on 452’s DNA is quite intriguing. It is definitely something that is of the Conclave’s interest.”

“452 can’t remain free for long,” White pointed out. “She had managed to stay away from Manticore for many years after her initial escape in 2009, but her luck ran out back in March when she and some of her fellow freaks blew up the DNA lab. It can and will run out again.”

“I trust that you will do your best to make sure of that,” the woman said. She reached into the pocket of her coat and took out a piece of paper and handed it to White. “These are some numbers of your Brothers and Sisters who are in the area who might be able to help you should you need it. They are of the same breeding line as you.”

“Any and all help from the Family is appreciated,” White said. He put the paper in his own coat pocket.

“You are doing very well, Brother White,” the woman told him approvingly. “The Conclave is proud of you. Your efforts on our behalf are truly making up for your father’s mistakes.”

“I am proud to be able to fulfill the Conclave’s wishes,” White said. “Is there anything else that the Conclave wishes for me to do?”

“No, not at this moment,” the woman said. “Your orders remain the same. I will, of course, remain in touch and I will let you know if they do change. Unfortunately, I must leave. I must return to ‘work.’” She shook her head. “These humans.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” White said sympathetically. “I should be getting back myself. I have a video conference call I have to make in half an hour with some of my subordinates in Los Angeles.”

“Until we meet again,” the woman said. “Fenos’tol.”

“Fenos’tol.”

TBC