What's Next? -- Chapter 8

Disclaimer:  The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Max, Zack, Alec, 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.).

“I can’t believe how nervous I am,” Max said. “It’s nothing I haven’t done before. All any of us that are doing this semi-ceremonial walking out deal is just walking down the street. So what if there’s a crowd of hundreds of people at least watching your every move? No big deal.”

“You’ll be fine, Maxie,” Zack assured her. “I’ll be right there with you.”

“You don’t have to hold my hand,” Max said, but she was smiling a little. “I’m a big girl.”

“It’ll be fine,” Becky said as she picked up her duffel bag and slung the strap over one shoulder. “The three of us plus Alec go out, the crowd hopefully cheers, and then Dennis and Caroline get their people to make sure that they go back to whatever they’re supposed to be doing and then the rest of us leave at their leisure. It’s simplicity itself. It’ll go absolutely fine.”

“I just wish that I could take my baby,” Max said.

“When we find a place to settle down outside of Terminal City, we’ll bring your motorcycle over then,” Zack said. He gave Max a stern look. “Besides, do you remember what Wayne said? No riding the bike while you are pregnant.”

Max shook her head. “I know. I hate the fact that I’m not supposed to ride.”

“Don’t worry,” Alec said. “One of us will take it out once in awhile. I even promise not to wreck it.”

“Yeah, that makes me feel so much better,” Max remarked. She looked at her watch and picked up her own duffel bag. “It’s almost time. We should start heading to the main gate now.”

“Gotcha,” Alec said. He turned to Brin and gave her a kiss on the lips and gave Anthony a kiss on his forehead. “I’ll be seeing you guys later. I’ll call you if I find some place for us to stay the night. If not, I’ll head back here and we’ll all go out together tomorrow.”

“I’ll talk to you then,” Brin said. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Alec said. “Tony, my little man, watch over your mom while I’m out, okay?” He grinned when he saw his son smile and gurgle happily. “That’s my boy.”

Becky walked over to Jeff and gave him a hug. “I’ll call you as soon as I get my own living situation sorted out at least temporarily, okay? Do you want me to see if anybody’s in your old apartment before you head out?”

“Nah, there’s no rush,” Jeff said. “I’ll go check that out when I get going later. That place was kind of a shithole, anyway.” He gave Becky a quick kiss. “Take care. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Becky said.

Zack kissed Max again and gave one of her hands a squeeze before he made sure that his bag was secure over his shoulder. “Are you ready, Maxie?”

Max took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ve been ready for this for more than twenty-one years, Zack. Let’s do this.”

Max, Zack, Becky, and Alec left the control room and walked outside. They walked through the streets until they reached the main gates of Terminal City and stood there and waited. Dennis and Caroline stood in front of the other side of the gate with their subordinates and a big crowd of spectators behind them. Dennis stepped forward and took out a key from one of his pockets and unlocked the gate and opened it and Max stepped forward out of Terminal City and into the main part of Seattle. To her surprise, most of the crowd cheered.

“Holy crap,” she said under her breath.

“We did it,” Zack said. He gave Max’s hand another squeeze. “Now that we’re actually free, what do you want to do first?”

“Get back to my old apartment and see Original Cindy for sure,” Max said. She grinned and turned to Becky and Alec. “I’ll see you guys later, okay?”

“Sure,” Becky said. “Let us know when you want to swing by Jam Pony tomorrow.”

“We will,” Max promised. She and Zack started walking in the direction of her old apartment. “Did you see how proud your parents looked?”

“I did,” Zack admitted.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…”

“…only in my family,” Zack finished.

“Most parents watch their kids graduate from high school and/or college, but yours and Becky’s parents get to see this,” Max said. “I think this way outranks school graduations.”

“It doesn’t even come close,” Zack agreed.

They continued walking until they finally reached Max’s old apartment building. They went inside and took the elevator up to Max and Original Cindy’s floor and walked down the hall until they got to the apartment’s front door. Max took a deep breath before she knocked on the door. “Boo, it’s me.”

A moment later, the door was flung open and Original Cindy pulled Max into a big hug. “I missed you, boo. I can’t believe this is finally over. Come in.” She stepped aside and nodded in greeting to Zack. “It’s good to see you too, soldier boy.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Cindy,” Zack replied.

“What’s been going on at Jam Pony since I’ve been down in T.C.?” Max asked. “The gang still there? Normal still has that stick up his butt?”

“Yes and yes,” Original Cindy said. “A few of us have come and gone, but most of us are still there, including Sketchy.” She paused. “Do you guys want something to drink? Name it, I’ve got it.”

“Just some water for me,” Max said. “We couldn’t take either of our bikes here so we had to walk from Terminal City.”

“Water for me, too,” Zack said.

“Cool,” Original Cindy said. She went into the kitchen to get them their water.

“Do you have a new roommate yet?” Max asked.

“Not right now,” Original Cindy said. “I had one for awhile. She drove me up the wall so I finally kicked her ass out a few weeks ago.” She came back into the living room and handed Max and Zack their drinks and sat down next to them on the couch. “That’s just how it goes sometimes. And before I forget, thanks for getting that kid to come over here last week to take out whatever Mr. Freaky Dude had put in here. I appreciate it.”

“No problem,” Max said. “Aren’t you thirsty?”

“No, I’m cool,” Original Cindy said. “You guys can just leave your bags in here. My ex-roommate took her bed with her when she moved out, but this couch pulls out. I’m actually glad I gave you the couch because it gave me an excuse to go get this one.”

“What’s wrong with a couch that doesn’t pull out?” Max teased. “It didn’t bother Becky at all and she slept on that thing for a month before she found her own apartment.” She and Original Cindy laughed.

“True enough,” Original Cindy said. “I was going to go out soon and get some groceries. If soldier boy eats anything like you do, I need to stock up quick. Either of you wanna come with?”

“No, I think we’re just gonna chill here for awhile,” Max said. “Maybe we’ll go out for awhile later.”

“Cool,” Original Cindy said. “I’ll blaze, then. I’ll see ya both later.”

“See ya,” Max said.

“See you later,” Zack said. He waited until the door closed and then he turned to Max. “Is it good to be back?”

Max grinned. “It’s great to be back.”

TBC