Elle6778 - Dark Angel Fanfiction

RECOLLECTION - CHAPTER 6

ALL CHAPTERS

Chapter 1

COMPLETE

As expected, Joshua had greeted Moss with excitement, thumping the smaller transgenic’s back in welcome. Alec did not bother to hide his grin when he saw Moss trying unsuccessfully to hide a wince at the impact. He made a mental note to get Joshua an extra large chunk of ham hock as soon as he could.

There were five of them there, Alec noted. Original Cindy was helping Joshua with the table layout, while he, Max and Moss sat down around the table.

Hurrying out of the kitchen with a huge grin on his face, Joshua set down plates of steaming food in front of each of his friends and the new one. “Having macaroni and cheese, and little-little hot dogs.”

“Sounds good,” Moss said, staring at his plate with an unreadable expression.

Max gave Joshua a smile. “The table looks great.”

“Let’s eat!” Joshua gestured at their plates enthusiastically and proceeded to dig in into his. Literally.

His fork poised in mid-air, Moss watched Joshua with a fascinated look on his face.

Original Cindy cleared her throat and gave Moss a pointed look.

Startled at her unspoken warning, Moss quickly said, “Uh, yeah. Let’s eat.”

After a few minutes, Max reached out for the bottle of ketchup which was in front of Joshua. Momentarily distracted from his plate, Joshua looked up and spotted the object on Max’s wrist.

“New watch, little-fella?” he asked with curiosity, peering at it.

“Um, yeah. Moss gave it to me this afternoon,” Max answered with a slightly embarrassed expression. She stole a glance at Alec to see that he seemed to be finding his plate of food far more fascinating than the conversation.

Original Cindy raised her eyebrows. “Really?” she said sounding interested. “Original Cindy has to say that it ain’t easy to find things like that these days.”

Alec snorted without looking up from his plate. “Yeah, Moss probably has many ways of getting his hands on stuff like that. Right, Moss-boy?”

“Hey, I got that in a fair trade, okay,” Moss defended himself, offended at Alec’s insinuation.

“There are many types of trade,” Alec retorted, a smirk on his face.

“Look, just because I got my hands on something, that doesn’t mean that I did anything wrong. I work to get what I want. And I normally succeed. I don’t fail, unlike some other people,” Moss said pointedly, looking at Alec.

Alec tensed. “What was that supposed to mean?” he bit out, his smirk leaving his face.

“Aw, come on, Alec. Everyone back in Manticore knew about that failed mission. It wasn’t often that a soldier got thrown into psy-ops for so long,” Moss said nastily.

As his shock turned to fury, Alec just stared at Moss mutely, unable to form a retort. He could not believe that Moss had actually brought that up. Around him, everyone else had stopped eating. They were more interested in what Moss and Alec were discussing.

“Moss, what are you talking about?” Max asked, a small frown of confusion marring her brows.

Moss smirked, uncaring that Alec looked almost ready to kill him. “Ask him about the Berrisford mission.”

Max gasped. Berrisford was the name on the package they had delivered. Instantly, she understood why Alec had been so reluctant to return to the mansion.

Alec clenched his hands into fists, trying to keep himself from clambering over the table towards Moss and punching him into a pulp. “That’s something private, Moss. You have no right to tell everyone about it,” Alec ground out angrily.

“It’s not like you could change anything anyway,” Moss said dismissively.

“Moss…” Max warned as she gave him a threatening look, thinking that he had gone too far.

Alec had enough of Moss. It’s time for payback, he thought viciously.

Standing up abruptly, he snarled, “How about I tell everyone the reason you’re so attractive to the female population, huh? That Manticore made you with increased level of pheromones so that they could use you as their whore to seduce influential women? Would you like that?” Alec’s flashing eyes met Moss’s reproving ones.

“What?” Max exclaimed, surprised at the revelation. So that was what all of that was about! Her strange attraction to Moss finally made sense. His pheromones would naturally affect her whenever she was close by, making her react the way she did.

Original Cindy was obviously thinking along the same lines. “Glad to know that there’s nothing wrong with me,” she muttered in relief.

Moss remained silent as he glared at Alec for letting out his secret. Joshua just looked back and forth between his guests, unsure what to make of the situation.

Still looking angry, Alec stepped away from the table. “I’m going to stretch my legs,” he said tersely.

The rest of them watched wordlessly as Alec made his way to the basement.

Joshua sniffed the air and spoke, breaking the silence, “Mac and cheese overdone?”

Max gave him a reassuring look. “No, big-fella. The mac and cheese is great.” Turning her attention to Moss, she said in an accusing tone, “You should have told us about your thing.”

Moss shrugged. “Didn’t think it was necessary for anyone to know.”

Max was about to tell him off for using his skills on her when the tinkling sound of a piano being played caught her ears. “What’s that?” she asked as the dramatic melody flowed into the room.

“Alec. A piano in the basement,” Joshua replied.

Original Cindy looked impressed. “He’s got skills.”

Pushing her chair back, Max got up. “I’ll be back in a second.”

Alec ran his fingers over the keys, playing a piece from memory.

Moss’s disclosure about his failed mission had brought back everything he had been trying to forget for the last few days. He had almost succeeded as well, his attention all taken up by his newly discovered feelings for Max.

As he continued to play, flashes of the past came back to haunt him.

He saw himself playing the piano in Manticore. Sandoval and two other men had joined him when he had finished the piece. One of the men had complimented him on his skills. Alec smiled a little; what else did they expect from him but the best? That was when he had been told that he was to be deployed at the end of that week. He remembered being told that Rachel was his first point of contact, which at that time, had not bothered him at all. But that had soon changed when he met her and had gotten to know her.

Alec stopped playing and reached into his coat pocket. He withdrew a heart-shaped locket and looked at it with a sigh. He had found it with his possessions after his trip to psy-ops but he had not been able to remember how it got there. But now he knew. Rachel had been wearing the locket when he had told her the real reason he was at her house. It had got caught in his hands when Rachel had rushed away from him in disgust.

His feelings of self-condemnation returned.

Lost in his own thoughts, he did not detect Max’s presence until she sat down beside him on the piano stool.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked softly, searching his eyes.

Alec’s lips twisted as he said, “Would you believe it if I told you yes?”

“No.”

“There you go. You got your answer,” he said flippantly.

Max was not fooled by his tone. “You can talk to me, you know,” Max coaxed, feeling strange that she was talking to Alec like this. But she had sensed that this was not the right time to be flippant. The subdued look on Alec’s face told her that much.

Alec looked up. “There’s really nothing much to tell,” he said in a weary tone.

“Try me. What have you got to lose anyway, right? And if it gets really bad, you can take it out on me. But I can’t promise that I won’t retaliate,” she offered with a grin.

Alec returned her grin half-heartedly. Max was right. What harm could it do for him to confide in her? Maybe if he got it off his chest, he would feel better.

Taking a deep breath, he started telling her about the Berrisford mission. He told her about Manticore’s orders, Rachel, her father, how he had managed to mess everything up and how thoroughly Manticore’s psy-ops team had succeeded in making him forget all about it.

Max’s first reaction when she heard about Rachel was a foreign feeling that she finally identified as jealousy. Then she noticed the look of pain and remorse on Alec’s face as he continued to tell her what had happened. Max’s hatred for Manticore grew as he told her what psy-ops had done to him, wiping out the little bit of humanity he had shown at that time. It was despicable how Manticore had always treated them as objects to be used without any thought to their feelings.

When Alec stopped speaking, Max scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly, placing her head on his shoulders. She did not think that words were necessary at this point. They stayed that way for a while before Alec spoke.

“This is all I have left,” Alec said, holding up the locket for Max to see.

Max recognised it as the one that she had seen in the portrait when she had gone back to the mansion for the signature. “I saw it on her mother in the portrait when I went back there today.”

“I really should give it back,” Alec said quietly, obviously reluctant to return it.

Max said thoughtfully, “I think she would have wanted you to have it.”

Alec smiled and said, “Thanks, Max,” and proceeded to plant a kiss at the corner of her lips, but did not go any further.

Max had wondered if he would kiss her properly again, and was strangely disappointed when he did not. Maybe she felt something for him after all, she thought.

They just sat there in companionable silence, neither of them feeling like speaking.

The rest of the party had already finished their food when Alec and Max finally returned from the basement. Max noted that they seemed to be doing fine without her and Alec. Moss and Original Cindy was engrossed in a heated debate on the pros and cons of homosexuality, and Joshua was looking at each of them in turn as if he was watching a tennis match.

Noticing their approach, Moss paused mid-sentence and gave her a questioning look, but was wise enough to hold his tongue this time.

Original Cindy, on the other hand, had no such qualms. "You two spent an awful long time down there," she remarked.

Joshua chuckled and said innocently, "Max and Alec... Getting busy?"

Horrified, both Max and Alec shouted simultaneously, "NO!" then looked around sheepishly.

Joshua, Original Cindy and Moss recoiled, taken aback by the vehemence of their response.

Carefully, Joshua said, "Okay...Max and Alec not getting busy."

Original Cindy raised a knowing brow. "If that's what you say..."

Moss just remained silent as he studied the couple thoughtfully.

Uncomfortable, Alec decided to change the topic. "Right, guys. I'm heading back home. Need to catch up on my beauty sleep," he announced, moving towards the door.

"Thanks for coming," Joshua said, waving at his retreating back.

When the door slammed, Original Cindy turned to Max. "So, what really happened down there?" she asked.

"What? Nothing!"

"Sure, boo. I believe you."

Not wanting to continue this line of conversation, Max decided to follow Alec’s lead. "Whatever. I've got to blaze,” then walked towards Joshua. “Thank you for dinner, big-fella. It was lovely," she said, planting a kiss on his head.

"You take care, little-fella," Joshua said affectionately.

"Wait, I'll come with you," Moss suddenly offered.

Max nodded and waited for Moss while he thanked Joshua. Then they walked out together into the night.

Dan stood in the shadows as he watched Max and Moss leave the house together. He frowned, worried. Things were not going quite as planned but there was still a chance that he might be able to make it work. All he needed now was for them to split up and make sure that they remained separated, allowing him the opportunity to take one down.

Glancing at his watch, he noted that there was another half hour to go before the broadcast. He hoped that his prediction was correct, that the one who was known as Alec would head towards the mansion soon after that. And seeing how close they were, the girl would follow close behind. He suddenly felt an unwanted feeling of remorse as he thought of what awaited them there. Berrisford had not told him anything but Dan knew that the older man wanted revenge for wht had happened to his daughter.

Dan forced himself not to think about it. He could not afford the distraction right now.

Not if he wanted to save his own life.

Max and Moss had been walking for a few minutes before Max decided to break the silence.

"Listen, Moss... I don't know how to say this but you know, my reaction to you and all..."

Moss interrupted. "Max, I get it. You don't have to say anything if this is about the thing between you and me, and you and Alec."

"What? How do you know?"

"I’m not blind and I know you’re about to tell me to lay off. What I’m saying is don’t worry about it. For me it's just a bit of fun. But for Alec, it’s for real."

Max did not know whether she should be offended or not. Moss thought of her as a bit of fun? She decided to confront him about it. "What do you mean? A bit of fun?"

Moss cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Are you sure you want to know?" He waited for her confirmation before he continued, "Well, I was designed to produce and release a higher level of pheromones to attract the opposite sex. It's like your heat, just a bit lower in intensity. It works wonderfully well, but there's a downside as well. I get affected too. It makes me want to...er...how to put this politely... to go hunt and conquer…"

"Was that why you and Alec..."

Moss nodded and smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, I had been showing an interest in you just because Alec was interested as well. My hormones had sensed competition and had decided to fight back. Not that I couldn't stop it if I’d wanted to. I could have stopped it before it got too far, or if you were unwilling. I’m not an animal. Well, most of the time," he said with a large grin.

"If you could stop it, then why continue?"

Moss made a face and then grinned. "What? And deprive myself of the fun of seeing Alec all pissed off? You've got to be kidding me."

Max’s face showed her incredulity. "You guys are all the same," she stated flatly.

“Hmm…I think it must be the way we’ve been brought up,” he said thoughtfully.

Max rolled her eyes.

When they reached her apartment, Moss turned around and said, “Right, I’ll catch you at work tomorrow then.”

Max nodded and went up alone.

Alec sat on his couch, nursing a bottle of beer as he half-heartedly flipped through the different channels on the television. His mind was preoccupied by his conversation with Max earlier.

He was glad that he had finally told her about the mission. The entire incident had been weighing heavily on him ever since he had recalled what had happened, so it was nice to have someone there to listen, to share his worries with. He would not have believed until he saw it with his own eyes that Max could be so sweet and caring towards him. His lips twisted into a smile. She had even let him kiss her without smacking him this time.

He was about to change the channel again when something familiar caught his attention.

“We now bring you to the Berrisford Mansion for some wonderful news…”

The bottle of beer fell from his hands, the amber liquid spilling onto the floor, but Alec did not even notice. His eyes were glued to the television screen, watching as the camera zoomed in onto the familiar-looking building. His heart rate increased as he heard what the reporter said next.

“After a long illness, the daughter of ex-CEO Robert Berrisford has finally awaken from her coma…”

Alec swallowed painfully as Rachel’s face filled the screen. She was smiling at the camera, looking pale and sallow, but very much alive.

She’s alive... She’s alive…she’s alive…the words chanted repeatedly in his mind.

Suddenly finding the strength to move, Alec jumped up from his couch and rushed towards the door.

Max’s jaw went slack as she digested what the reporter was saying.

The girl is alive, Max thought.

She immediately thought of Alec. Knowing his obsession with television, he probably would have seen it the minute the broadcast came on air. And knowing him, he would be right on his way there now.

She did not want to think of what might happen when Alec met Rachel again. The thought made Max feel uneasy. Would he still feel the same towards Rachel? Max tried to clamp down on her rising jealousy, but it was futile.

At least her jealousy made one thing clear to her.

It meant that she was definitely interested in Alec in that way.

Now that she had thought about it, somehow that did not surprise her at all. If she was being honest with herself, she had been just too scared to admit it to herself at first. She wondered if it was too late to tell him how she felt now. It probably was. Now that he had found out that she was alive, Alec would be too preoccupied with Rachel to bother with her, she thought resentfully.

Alec would not be happy if she showed up. He would not want her there for their reunion.

Sighing, Max debated for a moment, and then decided that she would go anyway.

Just in case anything did go wrong.

It’s time, Dan thought as his eyes followed his target, who was unaware that he was being watched.

Stealthily, he snuck out from his hiding spot and moved to close the distance between them, hoping that he would reach the other transgenic before he was spotted.

He was almost there when his subject suddenly snapped around and scowled at him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Then, as recognition dawned, the other transgenic exclaimed with surprise, “204?” Then he grinned, “Hey, you made it out!”

Dan smirked humourlessly. “Yeah, no thank to you,” he said bitterly.

There was a pause before a guilt-tinged reply came forth. “Hey, buddy, I couldn’t have gone back to get you. It was tactically unwise, and you know that.”

Dan was not impressed. “Then I guess I shouldn’t feel bad about what I’m about to do now,” he said dismissively, and suddenly lunged forward.

“Shit!” the other transgenic exclaimed as Dan’s fist connected with his jaw. Staggering back, he rubbed at the painful spot. “What the hell is going on, 204? That was uncalled for!” he shouted in bewilderment.

Dan smirked. “Too bad,” he drawled and proceeded to attack.

The two transgenics were locked in battle, each furiously trying to take the other down when a voice suddenly interrupted them.

“Hey! HEY! Stop that NOW!”

One of them turned around, eyes widening as he realised who it was. “Max?”

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