Pack 1/?
Title: Pack 1/?
Author: miashay
Characters: Ralph, Zero, Fixit, Bullet and Bugler (the kids from 2-2)
Ratings/Warnings: PG-13
Word Count: 1893
Summary: The transgenics from "Bag 'Em" Dark Angel, 2-2 come to Terminal City. Primarily set during my other fic "Walking Wounded". Alternate POVs.
In a Nutshell
The first they heard of the siege was a thirty-second newsbreak that interrupted Bug's Saturday morning cartoons.
She'd been shuffling around the kitchen, looking for the toaster, when the young X8 yelled to her from the living room.
"Ralph, Max is on TV!"
She arrived in time to see the last ten seconds, caught the words "standoff" and "barricade", and was dialing before Bug caught sight of her standing behind him. She let the phone ring twice before hanging up and dialing again. He picked up after the first ring.
"We just got here Ralph, what's going on?" he asked. He sounded annoyed, but this was important, so she squelched the urge to snap at him.
"Just wanted to let you know we've got some relatives coming into town," she said, voice remarkably steady, despite her heart rabbiting in her chest. She waited for his reply and, when none came, she repeated herself, slow and purposeful.
Seconds passed. She caught some muffled whispering then, nothing.
------------------------------------------
They had their first close call about three months after the fire.
They were living in Canada, about an hour and a half across the border, using the names and IDs Max had given them. Her and Zero had jobs at a diner near the house they were squatting in, while Fixit and Bullet worked at a local garage. All four of them watched over Bug, though they were still mostly calling him Bugler then. They took turns tutoring him on every subject under the sun, teaching him hand-to-hand, and drilling him on the survival skills he'd missed in his aborted Manticore training. They worked together, learned to live in the world together. They became, for all intents and purposes, a family, just like Max had promised.
The close call sprouted from an accident at the garage. Fixit was working on the chassis of a semi, on her back and vulnerable, when something, somewhere broke, and the whole thing came crashing down on top of her. Well, it would have, if Bullet hadn't been standing nearby.
At first, they thought they were in the clear. Their boss made them both sign some paperwork about their "work related incident", and a few offhand comments were made about freak rushes of adrenaline. No one mentioned the improbability of an average sized, seventeen year old boy catching and lifting a 12,000-pound trailer.
But if they had learned anything from Manticore, it was the value of vigilance. Zero scouted out the place the next morning before dawn, just in case. He found Agent White waiting there with two cars full of backup.
They were packed and on the road by sunrise.
------------------------------------------
"Steve?" she spoke into the silence, "Bullet?"
Bug watched her from the couch, his small face scrunched up with worry and confusion. Ralph bit her lip and smiled at him weakly. She allowed a stray hand to comb through his hair, while running contingency plans in her head. Finally, a voice came over the line.
"Hey Ralph. I hear we've got company coming in?"
Ralph sighed in relief before answering, "Yeah, May. They headed out last night; should be here before dinner."
"Shit," Fixit swore quietly, "you better call Robert, have him come over and help you clean up. We'll see about getting out of here early."
The two girls ended their call, and Ralph was in motion. She clicked off the television, ushered Bug off the couch, and sent him next door. He returned less than a minute later, Zero following briskly behind him. More than half of her clothes were already packed.
"What's the situation?" the X6 asked.
"The situation is unstable. We have to go," she stated matter-of-factly. She moved into the bathroom, bags in hand, and started to collect toiletries.
The two transgenics just watched her move, momentarily slack jawed. The sound of the front door flying open snapped them out of it.
"Ralph! Bugler!" Bullet called frantically from the hall. Ralph took a mental note to reprimand him later for his complete lack of stealth, while Zero grabbed her wrist and pulled her from her packing into the living room.
Bullet was nearly red and panting from his exertions, a real feat for a transgenic. Fixit was standing with her back to them, facing the television. She had turned it back on, and was watching a newscast about the siege. Max's picture flashed across the screen, followed by some terrible footage of her riding some kind of flying disc.
"What is that?" Bug asked, squinting at the picture.
"That's where we're going." Ralph replied, once the screen flashed back to a wide shot of Terminal City. She twisted her wrist from Zero's grasp and asked, "Can I get back to packing now?"
------------------------------------------
Their second close call came less than four weeks after the truck incident.
They had settled a full five hours northeast of their last home; still in Canada, but hopefully safer than before. Further from White, at least.
The town was smaller than the last, with jobs harder to come by, and they didn't have the same freedom in their schedules. Bug was home alone more often than any of them liked, but the X8 was smart and cautious, so they trusted him to stay close and safe. It was a mistake.
The apartment they were living in was a short walk from a small park. Bug had been left home alone again, caught in the two-hour overlap of their shifts. He grew bored, and decided to go for a walk. He never came home.
A frantic search followed. As transgenics, they couldn't safely call the police, and were left canvassing the neighborhood on their own. Twelve hours of constant questioning and wringing their hands passed before they got their first lead, another five before they pinned down a location.
The perpetrator turned out to be an old Manticore scientist. The man was incredibly paranoid, positive that the government was hunting him. He'd seen Bug walking through the park, recognized him as transgenic, and took him. He said he just wanted leverage, some kind of bargaining chip to offer. He was a coward.
Ralph killed him herself, her first real act of violence since coming to Canada and leaving Manticore behind.
------------------------------------------
"We can't go there." Zero stated flat out. He reached for Ralph's bag full of toiletries, and headed back toward the bathroom. Ralph stopped him with a yank on his wrist.
"Max is in trouble! We're going."
The X6 shook his head, expression unchanging, and stated again, "We can't go there. Max can take care of herself. She's not alone this time, she doesn't need us; not like before."
Ralph swung her head to Fixit for support, but her friend was averting her gaze. She glanced at Bullet, and he looked furious.
"Living out here is dangerous enough," he spat, "we're not walking into that!" He emphasized his statement with an open handed smack to the TV screen, causing it to wobble precariously on its stand.
She watched Zero lead a visibly upset Bugler out of the room, and waited for the click of the bedroom door.
"That is where we belong," she hissed, "not running across Canada, trying to hide what we are."
She saw Fixit flinch out of the corner of her eye, but Bullet remained steady in his anger.
"It's not safe," he said, vehemently, "and as long as we're sticking together, I say we're not going."
"It's the right thing to do," Ralph replied.
Bullet visibly deflated at that, but still answered, "Then maybe I don't care about doing the right thing."
------------------------------------------
Their third, and most recent, close call was about three months ago.
After Bug's abduction, they changed out all their IDs and traveling papers, choosing their own names this times around. Her name officially became Ralph, with the added surname Parker (after Bug's favorite cartoon superhero). Bullet and Bugler became her brothers, Steve and Logan Parker (after some actor Bullet liked, and Bug's second favorite cartoon character, respectively). Zero became Robert Lee, named after some famous general, and Fixit his sister, May Lee (the name May Bug had picked up from some commercials he'd seen, about a disgruntled repairman).
At work and around town, they wore their new identities like armor but, at home, they still answered to the names Max had gifted them with, all those months ago. For months, they were happy. Canada was, for the most part, incredibly accepting of the transgenics. Despite their experiences, they felt safe there. They grew complacent, and let their guards slip. Then, one day, Ralph, Zero and Fixit were shopping around town, when someone caught sight of her barcode. What happened after that, Ralph couldn't say.
According to Zero, a small panic erupted. In seconds, the crowd around them became a mob, with Ralph caught in the middle of it. By the time Zero and Fixit had managed to get her out and to safety, she'd been beaten and trampled half to death.
They didn't even bother packing that time; just swung by their apartment for Bug and Bullet, and ran.
------------------------------------------
In the end, she quietly agreed to wait. It was important that they stay together; they were a family, a pack, working and living together, depending on one another. She couldn't abandon that. Instead, she bided her time. She eased updates of the siege into conversation. She watched the news nightly, and jacked up the volume during any story featuring the transgenics or Terminal City. Mostly, she just waited.
Two weeks passed, and it was Alec making headlines. Ralph was at the diner when the news broke. By the time she cashed out and got home, her things were packed and ready to go. Two days later they drove into Seattle, and headed for Terminal City.
Next
Author: miashay
Characters: Ralph, Zero, Fixit, Bullet and Bugler (the kids from 2-2)
Ratings/Warnings: PG-13
Word Count: 1893
Summary: The transgenics from "Bag 'Em" Dark Angel, 2-2 come to Terminal City. Primarily set during my other fic "Walking Wounded". Alternate POVs.
In a Nutshell
The first they heard of the siege was a thirty-second newsbreak that interrupted Bug's Saturday morning cartoons.
She'd been shuffling around the kitchen, looking for the toaster, when the young X8 yelled to her from the living room.
"Ralph, Max is on TV!"
She arrived in time to see the last ten seconds, caught the words "standoff" and "barricade", and was dialing before Bug caught sight of her standing behind him. She let the phone ring twice before hanging up and dialing again. He picked up after the first ring.
"We just got here Ralph, what's going on?" he asked. He sounded annoyed, but this was important, so she squelched the urge to snap at him.
"Just wanted to let you know we've got some relatives coming into town," she said, voice remarkably steady, despite her heart rabbiting in her chest. She waited for his reply and, when none came, she repeated herself, slow and purposeful.
Seconds passed. She caught some muffled whispering then, nothing.
------------------------------------------
They had their first close call about three months after the fire.
They were living in Canada, about an hour and a half across the border, using the names and IDs Max had given them. Her and Zero had jobs at a diner near the house they were squatting in, while Fixit and Bullet worked at a local garage. All four of them watched over Bug, though they were still mostly calling him Bugler then. They took turns tutoring him on every subject under the sun, teaching him hand-to-hand, and drilling him on the survival skills he'd missed in his aborted Manticore training. They worked together, learned to live in the world together. They became, for all intents and purposes, a family, just like Max had promised.
The close call sprouted from an accident at the garage. Fixit was working on the chassis of a semi, on her back and vulnerable, when something, somewhere broke, and the whole thing came crashing down on top of her. Well, it would have, if Bullet hadn't been standing nearby.
At first, they thought they were in the clear. Their boss made them both sign some paperwork about their "work related incident", and a few offhand comments were made about freak rushes of adrenaline. No one mentioned the improbability of an average sized, seventeen year old boy catching and lifting a 12,000-pound trailer.
But if they had learned anything from Manticore, it was the value of vigilance. Zero scouted out the place the next morning before dawn, just in case. He found Agent White waiting there with two cars full of backup.
They were packed and on the road by sunrise.
------------------------------------------
"Steve?" she spoke into the silence, "Bullet?"
Bug watched her from the couch, his small face scrunched up with worry and confusion. Ralph bit her lip and smiled at him weakly. She allowed a stray hand to comb through his hair, while running contingency plans in her head. Finally, a voice came over the line.
"Hey Ralph. I hear we've got company coming in?"
Ralph sighed in relief before answering, "Yeah, May. They headed out last night; should be here before dinner."
"Shit," Fixit swore quietly, "you better call Robert, have him come over and help you clean up. We'll see about getting out of here early."
The two girls ended their call, and Ralph was in motion. She clicked off the television, ushered Bug off the couch, and sent him next door. He returned less than a minute later, Zero following briskly behind him. More than half of her clothes were already packed.
"What's the situation?" the X6 asked.
"The situation is unstable. We have to go," she stated matter-of-factly. She moved into the bathroom, bags in hand, and started to collect toiletries.
The two transgenics just watched her move, momentarily slack jawed. The sound of the front door flying open snapped them out of it.
"Ralph! Bugler!" Bullet called frantically from the hall. Ralph took a mental note to reprimand him later for his complete lack of stealth, while Zero grabbed her wrist and pulled her from her packing into the living room.
Bullet was nearly red and panting from his exertions, a real feat for a transgenic. Fixit was standing with her back to them, facing the television. She had turned it back on, and was watching a newscast about the siege. Max's picture flashed across the screen, followed by some terrible footage of her riding some kind of flying disc.
"What is that?" Bug asked, squinting at the picture.
"That's where we're going." Ralph replied, once the screen flashed back to a wide shot of Terminal City. She twisted her wrist from Zero's grasp and asked, "Can I get back to packing now?"
------------------------------------------
Their second close call came less than four weeks after the truck incident.
They had settled a full five hours northeast of their last home; still in Canada, but hopefully safer than before. Further from White, at least.
The town was smaller than the last, with jobs harder to come by, and they didn't have the same freedom in their schedules. Bug was home alone more often than any of them liked, but the X8 was smart and cautious, so they trusted him to stay close and safe. It was a mistake.
The apartment they were living in was a short walk from a small park. Bug had been left home alone again, caught in the two-hour overlap of their shifts. He grew bored, and decided to go for a walk. He never came home.
A frantic search followed. As transgenics, they couldn't safely call the police, and were left canvassing the neighborhood on their own. Twelve hours of constant questioning and wringing their hands passed before they got their first lead, another five before they pinned down a location.
The perpetrator turned out to be an old Manticore scientist. The man was incredibly paranoid, positive that the government was hunting him. He'd seen Bug walking through the park, recognized him as transgenic, and took him. He said he just wanted leverage, some kind of bargaining chip to offer. He was a coward.
Ralph killed him herself, her first real act of violence since coming to Canada and leaving Manticore behind.
------------------------------------------
"We can't go there." Zero stated flat out. He reached for Ralph's bag full of toiletries, and headed back toward the bathroom. Ralph stopped him with a yank on his wrist.
"Max is in trouble! We're going."
The X6 shook his head, expression unchanging, and stated again, "We can't go there. Max can take care of herself. She's not alone this time, she doesn't need us; not like before."
Ralph swung her head to Fixit for support, but her friend was averting her gaze. She glanced at Bullet, and he looked furious.
"Living out here is dangerous enough," he spat, "we're not walking into that!" He emphasized his statement with an open handed smack to the TV screen, causing it to wobble precariously on its stand.
She watched Zero lead a visibly upset Bugler out of the room, and waited for the click of the bedroom door.
"That is where we belong," she hissed, "not running across Canada, trying to hide what we are."
She saw Fixit flinch out of the corner of her eye, but Bullet remained steady in his anger.
"It's not safe," he said, vehemently, "and as long as we're sticking together, I say we're not going."
"It's the right thing to do," Ralph replied.
Bullet visibly deflated at that, but still answered, "Then maybe I don't care about doing the right thing."
------------------------------------------
Their third, and most recent, close call was about three months ago.
After Bug's abduction, they changed out all their IDs and traveling papers, choosing their own names this times around. Her name officially became Ralph, with the added surname Parker (after Bug's favorite cartoon superhero). Bullet and Bugler became her brothers, Steve and Logan Parker (after some actor Bullet liked, and Bug's second favorite cartoon character, respectively). Zero became Robert Lee, named after some famous general, and Fixit his sister, May Lee (the name May Bug had picked up from some commercials he'd seen, about a disgruntled repairman).
At work and around town, they wore their new identities like armor but, at home, they still answered to the names Max had gifted them with, all those months ago. For months, they were happy. Canada was, for the most part, incredibly accepting of the transgenics. Despite their experiences, they felt safe there. They grew complacent, and let their guards slip. Then, one day, Ralph, Zero and Fixit were shopping around town, when someone caught sight of her barcode. What happened after that, Ralph couldn't say.
According to Zero, a small panic erupted. In seconds, the crowd around them became a mob, with Ralph caught in the middle of it. By the time Zero and Fixit had managed to get her out and to safety, she'd been beaten and trampled half to death.
They didn't even bother packing that time; just swung by their apartment for Bug and Bullet, and ran.
------------------------------------------
In the end, she quietly agreed to wait. It was important that they stay together; they were a family, a pack, working and living together, depending on one another. She couldn't abandon that. Instead, she bided her time. She eased updates of the siege into conversation. She watched the news nightly, and jacked up the volume during any story featuring the transgenics or Terminal City. Mostly, she just waited.
Two weeks passed, and it was Alec making headlines. Ralph was at the diner when the news broke. By the time she cashed out and got home, her things were packed and ready to go. Two days later they drove into Seattle, and headed for Terminal City.
Next