Author: elfangel01
Pairing: centered on Liz/Alec
Rating: Adult (it's my first time doing one so please be kind)
Summary: Liz is an X5 named Kat... she's the youngest out of the escapees and was recaptured post Destiny. Everything else will explain itself hopefully. Also, Zack is alive in this and the timeline goes with Roswell... Liz was seventeen at the time of the shooting and like I said, hopefully everything else will be explained to you guys.
Disclaimer: I don't "Roswell" or "Dark Angel" they belong to Fox and the WB/UPN... *tear* I wish I did...
A/N # 1: thanks to Sam for the beautiful banner! And thanks to Laura for being my beta! I love you guys!
A/N #2: For those who have read my stories... you know I love using music in the chapters. Well for this one almost every chapter has music, probably all of them and they will be credited! The dupes came in season one and everyone has all the knowledge of what happened on Antar... I think that's it! Oh plus I love feedback so feel free guys! I will try to update every Saturday, this fic is almost complete so there should be no worries!
CH 1
She grabbed her head, wincing as she felt the pounding grow to an excruciating level. Her eyes fluttered open and took in the gray steel around her. Beneath her, she felt the hard cot her body had been laid on and she felt the pain shooting through her limbs as the past months of endless torture were finally taking their toll on her. She allowed her mind to drift back to that last day of freedom, before she was brutally brought down and taken back into custody. She had known all along that becoming attached to the humans wasn’t good, but she had allowed herself that one luxury and it had made her too comfortable, she hadn’t been on guard. So that day when they grabbed her, driving her bike after the whole ordeal at the pod chamber, that had been her consequence for becoming to lax. She knew it had to have been at least a year ago, ever since she had been brought back to Manticore, the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into seasons.
It had gotten cold again, snow had blanketed the ground and her thoughts had automatically drifted back to that night nine years ago when the escape happened. She had swallowed back painful memories during the winter, kept them to herself, locked inside, and always stayed on her guard whenever Renfro and Lydecker were around... which if rumors were true, now Lydecker was gone and it was all Renfro. She never let herself break; they had tried every trick in the book on her and finally had almost given up. She was now allowed access to the training yards at all times as the other soldiers and ate and showered with them as well, regardless of the fact that she wasn’t their perfect little soldier. No, in her mind, in her being… she knew she was more. Her schedule was almost the same, except she was segregated. She was the outsider, the reason for the upgrade in security and they all hated her for it. When she wasn’t beat down in regular training, she was ganged up on later, when she wasn’t facing tests, she was being treated for the injuries sustained during her dog fights with the others. One thought kept her sane through all this, her family. Every punch, she took for them, all the pain she was feeling now, was to keep them safe.
Sure, she had kept in shape, trained her ass off every chance she got, but being lined up for a beat down every day that she wasn’t in PsyOps has a way of getting to you. She propped herself up on one elbow as she looked around again, something felt different, the subtle sounds that came from this base were gone, she wondered at that but only briefly as her muscles began protesting their harsh treatment again. She stretched out her poor abused muscles as she swung her legs over the edge and placed her feet on the cold floor. She glanced at her clothes briefly and realized she had been dressed in black fatigues once again; at least they were better than the medical scrubs she was put in for tests. Shrugging off the last effects of her coma like sleep she stood and began to pace the small cell again, like she did every waking moment, she felt once again like a caged animal. And only God could save these monsters if this animal ever got out. Her thoughts drifted once again to the people she left behind in Roswell.
Here's the weight of the world on my shoulders
Here's the weight of the world on my shoulders
On my shoulders
All alone I pierce the chain
And on and on the sting remains
And dieing eyes consume me now
The voice inside screams out loud
She knew they were probably worried about her, God only knows how long she had really been gone. She just hoped that enough time had passed that perhaps they had given up on any search for her; that would only get them into more trouble. Hopefully her ‘parents’ had concocted a good enough alibi that no one questioned her absence. She loved the Parker’s as best she could under her circumstances. They had found her and taken her in that winter after she escaped. She had no idea where she was or what she was going to do, she just knew she didn’t want to be cold anymore, so she headed south, separating from the others as per Zack’s orders. They had found her, wandering down the road on their way to take over the Crashdown Café in Roswell, New Mexico. They knew what she was, rumors had circulated, and yet they took her in anyways. Rumors, that’s all they were post Pulse, any concrete evidence was wiped out and those bastards got to keep on their merry way. But the Parkers, they had kept her safe and adopted her, never trying to change her and working around her moods that resulted from being what she was. They had loved her unconditionally and hopefully, they were safe, as well as her friends. Her heart clinched at the thought of putting any of them in danger, she had been on semi good terms with them when she left, well considering the boy who loved her had just been captured and tortured and then she abandoned him after she found out about his destiny. It’s not how it looks though, he loved her, but she could never completely love him.
That didn’t make her cold, it made her realistic… she knew she would fall in love when she was meant to, until then love was a distraction she couldn’t afford to have. Her thoughts flew back to Max, poor, sweet, innocent, Max who had given his heart to her had learned of his destiny on another planet, and she had done her duty and left him. His wife, Tess, had come back to teach him, his sister Isabel and his second in command Michael of their destiny. How she loathed that word, not because it took Max and what friendship they had away from her, but for what it meant for her… her own destiny. But she had left him, left all of them without so much of a backward glance. She knew Maria and Alex, her best friends from the time she stepped foot into Roswell, were probably devastated, not knowing what had happened to her and being left alone to deal with the fall out of the alien’s revelations. She snorted bitterly as she remembered that they didn’t even know who she really was. She had never told any of them, out of fear for herself and them. She had allowed herself to become close, attached she even let herself date, and look where that landed her, and Kyle… poor Kyle, he had been shot and brought back by Max, the same as she had, but in his mind, he was alone. He didn’t believe he had anyone on his side, so he too had run, he ran off to football camp to try and escape the alien abyss, as it had come to be called.
I am focused on what I am after
The key to the next open chapter
Cause I found a way to steal the sun from the sky
Long live that day that I decided to fly from the inside
She thought back on that day in September, a day that changed her life in a dramatically different way than she had ever thought possible, and she had been through enough and seen enough to never even come close to believing that possible. She had been working in the Crashdown as always when two men started arguing, her attention flashed to them when they pulled the gun and she froze as images of Eva, being shot and falling to the snow covered ground flew before her eyes. She was frozen in place, unable to move or think rationally as all the pain and hatred washed over her once again. She didn’t even feel the bullet hit her, sinking into her soft skin as her warm, sticky blood oozed out of her. She knew as she looked into the warm amber eyes that were begging for her focus that she would live, regardless of this miraculous healing touch and she knew then and there that her life had just changed yet again.
As she thought back on that day she frowned, knowing that because of him saving her, when she hadn’t even needed saving that their lives had just become a lot more complicated than necessary. However, he did seem to provide her with some sort of excuse. If he hadn’t of done what he did, she would’ve wound up in the hospital, healing faster than anyone should and that would have probably alerted someone. Her musings turned to righteous anger at the realization that that day set off a chain of events that led her here, back to hell, sure she could have wound up here sooner, but the fact remained she was still here. She felt her anger dissolve, she couldn’t remain mad, her decision to stay, to not remain on the move is what landed her in here… she stopped, freezing in place as she heard the bolt on her door snick open. Hesitantly she walked towards it; she pulled gently on the handle and stepped back in shock as the door swung open. She poked her head out, flicking her eyes up and down the hallway and that was when she smelled the smoke. Her eyes opened wide in surprise as she began to slink down the hallway, apparently devoid of any other inhabitants. She mentally berated herself for becoming distracted by her thoughts as she picked up her pace.
As she ran she heard the other transgenics in the building stirring, they too were running. They were fleeing this hell on earth, escaping to an outside world that they had no concept of and she knew they would not receive a warm welcome. Her brain was on overload as she tried to process everything that was going on. Only one thing could possess Renfro to fry everyone, especially her and that was her family, a breach of security that would force Renfro into destroying all of this. The Committee must not be happy; Manticore must have finally been unveiled as what they really were… Liz just hoped it was Eyes Only that did it, he seemed like a decent guy, well as decent as sixty seconds of broadcast can portray. Her thoughts were brought back to her family as an explosion rocked the building. They must have breached the perimeter and rather than have all of their creations on the loose, they would kill them all. Bastards, she thought viciously. She kept running through the endless maze of corridors until she ran straight into another body. Immediately springing to her feet she then dropped into a defensive crouch, ready for whatever was about to happen. Nothing could have prepared her for looking into brown eyes identical to her own, eyes she hadn’t seen in nine years. “Max?” The girl before her narrowed her gaze and tensed up before relaxing and choking back a surprised sob.
Every day a new deception
Pick your scene and take direction
And on and on I search to connect
But I don't wear a mask and I have no regrets
“Kat?” she asked hesitantly, not daring to believe that her little sister stood before her in the flesh. “Is it really you?” she still stood back, unsure of how to react especially after Ben, Tinga, and Brin… Kat may have been brainwashed the same as Brin.
“It’s really me big sister, and it’s about time you got me out of this hell hole.” She grabbed Max in a fierce hug, almost crying at the feeling of her big sister in her arms again. She and Max had always been the closest girls; the only other one in their family that they related too like this was Zack.
“What do you mean, how long have you been in here?” asked Max in trepidation.
“What’s the month?” asked Liz calmly on the exterior but tension and fear was bubbling on the inside in preparation for what Max’s answer would be.
“It’s the beginning of April.”
Liz covered her mouth in a sob and watched as Max’s eyes began to glaze over in horror. “I’ve been in here for almost a year then.” She leaned against the wall and let this revelation wash over her, processing it and storing the possible ramifications in her mind.
“How is that possible? I was recaptured about three months ago, how did we never hear of the other?”
“I guess since we showed them how easy it was to get out before, they tightened security, especially information. If they had both of us together, well it wouldn’t have been pretty for them.” Liz frowned, it all seemed too much like a set up, but she figured she’d have to think on it more later. She slowly felt herself turn off and fall into soldier mode as she brought herself back to face Max. “So what did you do?” she gestured around them.
“I had a friend bypass the system and I unlocked all the cells. We’re all free Kat, free to go to normal lives or as normal as some of them can be.” She looked around as the smoke began to intensify. “We better hurry before this entire place goes… Renfro’s people won’t hesitate to pull the plug completely now that she’s dead.”
“Wait… Renfro’s dead?” asked Liz in shock, her shock giving way to anger, knowing her revenge had been taken. She knew revenge was wrong, it was self serving and she should be looking for justice. Justice had a way of working for all the wronged parties, but she couldn’t bring herself to be the bigger person. One of the people she hated most in the world was dead, and she had been robbed of that singularly defining moment when she would’ve looked down at Renfro and that bitch would’ve seen all the hate in her eyes before her throat would’ve been ripped out. She growled to herself but was jolted out of her murderous thoughts by Maxie.
I am focused on what I am after
The key to the next open chapter
Cause I found a way to steal the sun from the sky
Long live that day that I decided to fly from the inside
“Yeah, she took a bullet to the gut for me, said we were the ‘ones’-“
“Wait, we, as in you and me?” asked Liz motioning between her and her sister.
“That’s what she said, but if you ask me she’s seen ‘The Matrix’ one to many times.” Max shrugged before turning to go back down the hallway she had come from. “Let’s go.”
“No, I can’t leave yet… I have to make sure Alec gets out. I’ll be out as soon as I can, where do we rendezvous?” asked Liz even as she started to run the other direction.
“Five miles east of here, black van… but who the hell is Alec?” Max growled to herself as she heard Kat yell ‘go’ to her. Same old Kat, she thought dryly. She turned and ran back down the hall, praying her sister would get out in time. It had been too long and she had things to make up for… like not getting her out sooner.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz ran, she ran until her lungs were burning and then she kept running. Normally she wasn’t this winded so soon, but with all the shit that she had gone through it tended to wear a girl down. As she ran she couldn’t get Maxie’s words out of her mind… Renfro couldn’t be dead. Even as the thought crossed her mind she felt a chill go up her spine and knew that it wasn’t really over, this was just the beginning, and she had a feeling that Renfro wasn’t dead. She finally made it to Alec’s sector and she bolted through the gate. She didn’t understand why she was checking on him… he had probably already left, but if he didn’t make it out she would never forgive herself. She shuddered as the sterile white hallways gave way to more of the same. Alec better be grateful she grumbled. She had met Alec when she had been brought back in, he was in PsyOps the same time as she was and on the brief times they let her out to train, he was her watchdog. A strange friendship bloomed between the two after she had kicked his ass for intruding on her in the shower, turns out he was supposed to be her breeding partner… she snorted in wry amusement over that memory, things got rough then but after that things seemed to be smooth, well as smooth as they could be. She was even the one to give him his name… she called him Alec because he was a smart aleck, and it was better than her other choice of Dick.
She was almost to his door when she was grabbed around the waist and pulled to a firm body. Gasping she looked up into twinkling blue eyes and that cocky smirk that helped him earn his name. Slapping him on the chest she pulled back and grabbed his hand. “We have to go now. They’re getting ready to blow the building and we have to rendezvous with my sister.”
“Woah, slow down… what?” asked Alec, a puzzled expression marring his handsome face. “They wouldn’t really blow this place would they… after letting us all out? Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose?”
“They didn’t let us out, Max did, and yes they would blow us all straight to hell. We have to get out of her right now Alec, times running out.” She grasped her side wincing as she felt various wounds reopening. She batted his hands away as he tried to help her until she felt the ground give way beneath her and felt herself being carried in Alec’s arms. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Carrying you,” he replied evenly, his face hard. “You’re in no condition to get out of here like this, so just tell me where to go and I’ll go. You can run once we’re clear.” Feeling her relax in his arms, he picked up the pace, turning where she told him to turn, until they were over the fence and clear of what the blast radius should be. He gently put her on the ground and staggered back in shock when she decked him.
“Don’t you ever do something like that again! I am a soldier and I can handle myself,” she growled, glaring at him. He glare deepened when she just watched him wipe away the blood and smirk at her once again. “You, self absorbed, cocky, pig headed, asshole!” she raged, “don’t just smirk at me! I knew I should have named you Dick.”
“Kat, we should meet up with this sister of yours,” he chuckled to himself as he began walking away, listening to her mutter about male transgenics having their heads stuck up their asses. They walked about five miles before coming to a clearing that held nothing except an unlabeled black van. He paused as he realized that this was it, there was no going back, he was free and he was in the real world. Sure he had been out before on assignments, but this was different. He took in a deep, cleansing breath and looked up at the stars twinkling in the frosty night.
“Hey, you ok?” asked Liz hesitantly, she had turned back to him when she no longer felt his presence beside her.
“Yeah, it’s just…” he gestured around helplessly.
“I know what you mean,” she walked back to him and gently took his hand in her own before pulling him forward again. The two freed transgenics began walking towards the van when an explosion shook the area. Liz and Alec were flung apart and the last thing Liz thought of before darkness claimed her was that the blast was a lot bigger than it should have been. When she came to, she looked around and didn’t see Alec or Maxie, shrugging she stood and shook off some of the debris that had landed on her, small scraps and what not. Looking around she sighed and began walking toward the road, it was a long way back to Roswell, and the others would find her when it was time.
I can't escape the pain
I can't control the rage
Sometimes I think that I'm gonna go insane
I'm not against what's right
I'm not for what's wrong
I'm just making my way and I'm gone
lyrics "Fly From the Inside" by Shinedown
I know I said I wouldn't post until Saturday... but I have it almost all done and it's just sitting here, and alas I am weak... This part is a flashback of sorts... there will be a few in this story. 