Elle6778 - Dark Angel Fanfiction

RECOLLECTION - CHAPTER 7

ALL CHAPTERS

Chapter 1

COMPLETE

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?”

Max had been on her bike on her way to the Berrisford Mansion. She had only gone a block from her apartment when she had been distracted by the sound of fighting. Curious, she had turned to see Moss fighting with someone. When she had seen the way they fought, she had realised that he was fighting with another transgenic.

“What’s going on here, Moss?” she snapped irritably. She got off her bike, eyes never leaving the two males in front of her.

“I was…” Moss started to answer but was cut short. That moment of distraction cost Moss dearly as a knee found its way to his midsection. Groaning, he fell to the ground, clutching his stomach.

Max reacted without thinking. Blurring towards Dan, she sprung into a kick aimed at his chest.

Not expecting that sudden attack from Max, Dan fell over at the impact. Swearing, he pushed himself up and stood facing Max and Moss, who by now had managed to pick himself up.

“This is none of your business,” Dan spat at Max, annoyed that everything had gone so wrong in such a short time. He had been so close to capturing Moss.

Max raised her eyebrow. “Yeah? Well, I’m making it mine. Hope you’re not too upset about it.”

Dan growled and blurred towards Max. Before he could reach her, Moss intercepted with an elbow jab, which Dan blocked just before it connected with his head. Moss grabbed the arm which Dan used to block, holding it down.

Max rushed forwards and grabbed his other arm, effectively subduing him.

Moss pinned him with a glare. “Why the hell were you trying to beat me up? I told you I had no choice. If I had thought that there was a chance of success in getting you out of there, I would have gone for it.”

Dan sneered as he struggled against Moss’s hold. “You’re always so full of yourself, 466. Did it ever occur to you that I’m doing this because I’m being forced to?”

“Then tell me why you’re being forced to do this,” Moss said, a confused look on his face.

“Yeah, but only if you don’t mind telling us,” Max asked sarcastically, glaring at Dan.

“Like I said before, none of your business,” Dan’s face was set stubbornly.

Mimicking him, Max retorted, “And like I said before, I’m making it mine. So, tough.”

“If I were you I’d start to worry about your other friend,” Dan said.

Max’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Could he be talking about Alec?

Dan smirked, “What else could I mean? The Berrisfords. Ring a bell?”

Moss raised his brows in surprise. What did 204 mean by that, he thought, but only asked, “Alec’s at the Berrisford’s?”

Max ignored Moss and kept her attention on Dan. “How do I know you’re not lying? And how do you know about it?” she asked sceptically, but inside, her heart was hammering. The broadcast was beginning to sound like a set up.

“I needed to get him away from 466 here. Berrisford was more than happy to help,” Dan tossed back.

“Huh?” Moss frowned.

Max paled as Dan’s words sank in. “You bastard! What did you do to Alec?”

“I don’t have anything against the guy. But I couldn’t say the same for Berrisford,” he said.

Her hands snapped out and tightened against his throat. She snarled into his face, “Listen, buster, you’d better hope that Alec is still in one piece, because if he isn’t, I’ll make you really sorry.”

Gasping for air, Dan croaked, “You think I want to do this?”

Ignoring Dan’s desperate gulps for air when she let go of his neck, Max turned to Moss and said, “You think you can handle him yourself?”

Moss looked affronted at the slight on his ability. “What do you mean? Of course I can.”

Max rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you were doing so well a minute ago.”

“Hey, you distracted me,” he said in his defence.

“Whatever. No time for this now. I’m going to find Alec,” she announced. Gesturing in the direction of her apartment, which was a block away, she continued, “Bring him to my place and keep him there till I get back.”

“Fine, no problem,” Moss said.

Suddenly Dan found himself deprived of air once again as Moss wrapped an implacable arm around his neck.

Alec crept silently towards the house, careful not to trigger the alarms that he knew were scattered around the grounds. When he reached the front door, he paused, uncertain if he was doing the right thing.

He needed to tell Rachel the truth. She needed to know that he had not done it on purpose. The last thing he had wanted to do was to kill her. He just did not know if she would understand.

Max suddenly appeared in his thoughts. Rachel had been his first love, but Max was different. Max could understand him the way no one else would and had been gradually accepting him for what he was. He knew that he needed closure with Rachel before anything could progress with Max. It would not be fair to either of them if he did not do this.

He pushed the door open.

Almost instantly, two armed guards came at him. Alec’s training kicked in as he disposed of them almost automatically. He encountered another guard when he ran up the stairs, but it did not deter him. The guard had barely raised his tazer when Alec sent him stumbling down the stairs.

When he reached the first floor, two more came at him. Feeling irritated at the endless number of obstacles standing in his way, he released a punch that connected hard, sending the first guard sprawling.

As he turned to face the remaining one, a jolt suddenly ran through him.

Staggering, he felt another jolt as yet another guard jammed a tazer into his side.

He could not stay on his feet. Collapsing to the ground, he lay convulsing as his eyes tried to focus on a man who just stepped into his view.

Robert Berrisford.

When the guards pulled him up to secure him to a chair, Alec detected the presence of another person who had just entered the room. He stopped struggling as his eyes widened in recognition.

“Rachel…” he started, but the words became lodged in his throat. The sight of her, alive in front of him after the emotional torment he had gone through when he had recalled his mission, threw his feelings into a jumble of shock and relief.

Rachel stood unmoving as she stared silently at him, but her emotions were unmasked. Alec could see a mix of feelings cross her face; anger, loathing and the worst of all, hurt. He felt his heart squeeze painfully, knowing that he was the one who had hurt her.

“Rachel…” he tried again, his voice cracking as he said, “I’m sorry.”

She continued her silence, but Alec could see a small flicker in her eyes. It gave him hope.

“You scum!” Berrisford ranted, his eyes hard as he stared at Alec. “You’re sorry? You think that’s enough? She almost died to save my life! You think sorry covers it?”

Ignoring Berrisford, Alec continued to stare at Rachel, a tortured expression on his face. “I didn’t mean for you to get hurt, Rachel. I should have fought them harder. I tried to stop it, but they pressed the trigger before I could get to you.”

“Enough!” Berrisford roared as he crossed the room, headed straight at Alec.

A soft voice stopped him. “Dad, wait.”

Berrisford turned to his daughter.

“I…I want to talk to him,” she said haltingly, not meeting her father’s eyes. She knew that he was worried, especially after she had insisted that she hated Simon and that she did not want to see him.

“No!” her father objected loudly.

“Please, Dad. I need to talk to him alone. Then you can do…do whatever you want.”

Berrisford hesitated for a moment, and then noticing the stubborn look on her face, he nodded. “I’ll be just outside the door,” he said, throwing Alec a warning glance.

As the door clicked shut, Rachel took a step towards him. “I thought I hated you…” she said haltingly, “Don’t know why, but I don’t think I really meant it. Just feel cheated…betrayed…and stupid. Simon, why?” she asked.

Alec swallowed painfully. He could hear the recrimination in her voice. “I’m not who you think I am, Rachel,” he confessed, feeling bad.

“I know. Dad said that you work for some place called Manticore, and they wanted to kill him. But why didn’t you just leave if you didn’t want to do it?” She sounded confused.

He shook his head, unsure how much she knew but sure that the entire concept of genetically engineered soldiers was going to be hard for her to accept. “You won’t understand. It’s not easy to explain. I’m not normal. They trained us as soldiers from the time we could walk and they made sure we don’t forget who we must obey. I couldn’t just pack up and walk out.”

“But Simon…”

“Simon’s not my name,” he said tightly, feeling even worse now.

“Huh?” A frown marred her features.

“We don’t have names. We have designations, a number allocated to each of us,” Alec told her, watching the surprise that came over her. “I go by Alec now.”

“Alec,” she stated numbly, as she seemed to digest that he had told her yet another lie.

“I couldn’t change what happened, but believe it or not, I am sorry,” he said softly.

Rachel deliberated for a moment, and then sighed. “You know, Sim-…Alec. Forget it. It doesn’t matter anymore. You’re not the person I thought I knew, and I don’t think I want to know anymore.”

“I don’t blame you,” he stated flatly, and then went on after a short pause, “Or your father for being so pissed off at me.”

She walked close and knelt in front of him, her eyes worried now. “Listen, Alec. Dad’s really mad and I think he’s planning to do something really bad to you. I wasn’t bothered before, but…” she hesitated. “Anyway, never mind about that. Let’s get you out of here, okay?”

“Rachel…” Alec started to say as she searched for the key to the handcuffs.

“Where is it?” she muttered, frustrated.

The door suddenly opened, and Berrisford walked in. Obviously, he had overheard the conversation. “That’s enough. Rachel, please leave the room,” he instructed grimly.

“But, Dad…”

“Now, Rachel,” his voice was hard.

Casting an apologetic glance back to Alec, she stood up, swaying unsteadily and then walked out slowly.

Alec’s eyes followed her, his feeling of remorse weighing him down as he noted that she was obviously not fully recovered yet. But at least she was alive, a small voice in him said.

Max managed to make her way across the front garden without tripping any alarms, but she kept her eyes open for any signs of guards. The front door was slightly ajar when she reached it, setting off a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. She hoped that Alec was still alright.

Preparing herself to fight, she held her breath, gave the door a nudge, and waited.

Nothing happened.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed it fully open and stepped in. She walked through the house quietly, her eyes scanning her surroundings as she passed the unconscious men on the way. At least it confirmed that Alec was around, she thought as she made her way up a staircase.

When she reached the top, two guards suddenly appeared. Shit, she thought, then charged at them, immediately taking one of them down with a backfist to his head and a knee in his midsection.

The other guard hesitated for a moment before he pointed the tazer at Max. Seeing what he intended to do, Max wasted no time in kicking his hand, sending the tazer flying out of reach. Grabbing him in a headlock, she cut off his air supply enough to render him unconscious, but not dead.

Hearing a noise behind her, Max swore and swivelled around. The hand that she had held up with full intention to punch her next attacker suddenly faltered as she noticed who it was. Her jealousy, which she had successfully managed to push aside earlier, suddenly came back in force.

“Who are you?” Rachel asked suspiciously, backing away from Max.

Ignoring her question, Max snapped, “Where’s Alec?”

Rachel flinched but her voice was hopeful when she asked, “You’re a friend of his?”

Max nodded curtly. “Tell me where he is,” she demanded impatiently.

Rachel pointed at a door. “Please don’t hurt my father. He’s just angry about everything,” she pleaded.

“I’ll try not to,” Max said, rushing towards the door.

Berrisford stood facing Alec, his face suffused with anger. “You’ll pay for what you took from us.”

Alec just stared at Berrisford wordlessly as his mind frantically tried to think of a way out of his predicament. He was not in a hurry to die just yet. Especially now that he had found out that Rachel was alright and that she did not seem to hate him that much. She had not said anything about forgiving him, but he had seen it in her eyes. The fact that she tried to rescue him had confirmed it.

His eyes followed Berrisford as he went to a drawer and extracted a gun from it. Alec swallowed hard as his heart sped faster. Okay, Max, this is a good time to make an appearance, he thought desperately. From past experiences, he knew that if she had seen the broadcast, she would not be able to stop herself from tracking him down. Smiling inwardly, he wondered what was the probability that she had actually seen the broadcast. At times like these, he missed having Brain around.

Berrisford returned to Alec, raising his gun.

Uh-oh, this is not good, Alec thought as he stared into the barrel of the gun.

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