Dark Angel Fanfic: A Flash (11/17)
Title: A Flash
Author: poestheblackcat
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Alec/Max, Alec/Rachel (memories of), Logan, Berrisford, Sarah (OFC)
Warning/Spoilers: Major spoilers for the episode “The Berrisford Agenda.”
Summary: A flash is all it takes for Alec to notice the young girl with the locket. Enter Alec’s sweet-yet-spunky daughter with Rachel, Sarah. Of course, she gets in trouble-like father like daughter. Takes place in 2028. Not as bad as it sounds.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters not mine, yadda-yadda.
A Flash
Chapter 11
Alec and Max arrived at Logan’s in record time. Logan had moved out of Joshua’s house several years before and had gotten himself an apartment in Sector 5 near where Max used to live with Original Cindy. Although not as large as his penthouse, it was still spacious enough to allow for his extensive computer equipment, and as a plus, it had a nice kitchen.
Logan glanced up as they walked in. “Asking you two to knock would be like teaching an old dog new tricks, I suppose,” he mumbled.
Alec made a face as he sat down on the couch. “That’s the second time today someone’s called me old. I swear it’s like a conspiracy or something. I’m 28. That’s not old,” he pouted and crossed his arms.
“Who called you old?” Logan asked curiously. If 28 was considered old, then he was…well, wouldn’t do any good to dwell on that.
“Max,” said the younger man, as it that answered everything.
Max rolled her eyes as she plopped down beside him. “Well, you are getting older. That is, unless you’ve managed to stop time, which it’s obvious you haven’t.”
Alec smirked. “If I’m getting older, then so are you. And it sucks more for you since an older woman taking off her top to distract the security guards during a heist just doesn’t have the same effect as a hot young woman doing it, not that it wouldn’t distract me if you did even though-ow!”
He ducked and broke off as Max swatted him across the back of his head. “Shut up. I don’t wanna know what goes through your dirty little mind, Alec.”
Logan wasn’t going to get himself involved in that. Max and Alec’s bickering had not let up in the least in all the years he had known them. They still teased each other relentlessly yet still remained loyal friends to each other. Logan had found it best not to try to understand it. That decision had saved him a lot of headaches and a fortune in aspirin.
He turned back to his computer screen and cleared his throat. “If you’re here for more information, there’s nothing new I’ve got to show you yet.”
The banter stopped. “Logan,” Max started, walking over to the computer, “we were thinking that maybe we can take a look at the tapes, you know, see the whole thing.”
Logan leaned back in his chair. “Yeah, sure. I’ve gone over them so many times, my eyes are glazing over. Maybe you two will catch something I missed.” He started the video he’d been working on when the two X5s had come in.
The hoverdrome had apparently been flying aimlessly when it had caught the black van driving in from the side of the screen. The camera focused on it and followed it to the fence separating the school playground from the street. The van stopped and three men flocked out. They looked left and right but not up, since they apparently knew the hoverdome might be flying above trying to capture their faces, while one of them cut the chain keeping the gate closed with bolt cutters. After opening the gate, all the while keeping a lookout for passerby, they stood aside to let the van drive through. One of the men pulled out a piece of paper and the three bent their heads over it.
“What’s that?” asked Alec from behind Logan, startling him. He hadn’t noticed the Transgenic rising from the couch and moving to this present position.
Recovering himself, Logan answered. “I zoomed up on it, like this,” he said, pausing the video and blowing up the picture of the paper in the man’s hand. “Then I made the image a little clearer.” It could be seen now that there were four photographs printed out on the paper.
“It’s the kids,” Max said quietly. “So they were targeting them specifically. We already knew that.”
“Yeah.” Logan tapped a key and the video continued where it left off.
The men looked towards something out of the range of the hoverdome’s camera. A major disadvantage of the hoverdome was that most of the time it only captured the top of peoples’ heads and parts of their faces.
The three of them watched as the men scouted the playground for their prey. When they spotted one of their targets, they would walk up to the child as soon as he or she was away from other people and put a white cloth over his or her face in a sudden movement, startling and prompting the child to struggle. The struggle never lasted for long. Within seconds, the child would fall limp and would be carried to the van. Whatever was on the cloth worked quickly to demobilize its victim, with the exception of the third child to be taken.
When one of the men grabbed the girl’s arm, she lashed out and clipped him on the chin with her fist. Man number two grabbed her other arm and the third covered her face. She continued to fight back, kicking with her legs and pulling at her arms, for much longer than the time it took for the others to fall unconscious, and even managed to wrench herself free from their grips. Taking staggering steps away from her attackers, she looked back once before the man closest to her hit her in the back of the head with his fist, sending her sprawling on the asphalt. She didn’t move.
Dark-haired and slight, the small figure was easily identifiable as Sarah Berrisford. Both Logan and Max glanced surreptitiously at Alec as he watched the footage intently. His face immediately took on a pinched look as he recognized his daughter but turned to puzzlement as he saw how long it took for the chemical, chloroform probably, to take effect. His eyes blazed when the heavy-set man knocked Sarah to the ground, and his jaw clenched.
“Why didn’t that stuff work on her? It knocked the other two out pretty fast, didn’t it?” Max asked, looking as mystified as Alec had.
Logan made up his mind to reveal what he knew. “It probably has to do with her Transgenic DNA. Remember your nephew Case? His mom was able to pass on her enhanced abilities on to him. I bet that’s what happened with her,” he said matter-of-factly, looking at Alec.
Green eyes met blue as Alec tried to hide how what Logan had said had startled him. “You figured it out, huh?” he said with a wry smile. “You gonna give me a lecture on my woman-lovin’ ways and the immorality of having a child out of wedlock?”
Logan raised his eyebrows. “Why would I ever lecture you on anything? You’re a grown man. It’s your life and you can’t change what happened, not that I think you’d want to. Do you regret having a child?” he asked softly.
Alec shook his head and leaned against Logan’s desk. “No. No, I don’t. Not ever. Sure, my life’s gotten a lot more complicated since I found out, but she’s my daughter and I love her. I wouldn’t give her up for anything. I’m gonna find her and nobody better stand in my way or else they’ll regret it.” His voice was steady as he said it. Matter-of-fact. There was no other option.
The ringing of Alec’s phone startled everyone in the suddenly quiet room. Alec’s hand shook slightly as he answered it. “Hello?”
A scared whisper came over the line. “Dad?” The phone slipped slightly from his fingers before he caught it and pressed it hard against his ear.
Catching his breath, he answered. “Sarah? Are you all right?” Alec was vaguely aware of Logan furiously typing on his keyboard, trying to trace the call.
Harsh breathing filled his ear. “Yeah. I, uh, can’t talk for long. We kinda busted out and-” Sarah cut off. “Oh my god, what was that?” she whimpered breathlessly.
Alec’s heart hammered in his chest at the raw fear in his daughter’s voice. “Sarah?” he said urgently into the phone. The seconds stretched into minutes in his mind. “Sarah?” ‘Oh no, no, no,’ he thought.
Then she was back. “Never mind. False alarm. I’m fine.”
Alec glanced at the computer where Logan was still tapping away at a feverish pace. “Do you know where you are?”
“No, I wasn’t awake when we got here.” Her voice, still hushed, was worried now. “We’re still inside. Sorry. Umm, there’re all these bookshelves around, though. I think it’s some kind of a bookstore or library.”
“A bookstore or a library?” he repeated for Logan’s benefit. “Okay, baby. That’s good. That should help us out. Hey, just stay on the line, okay? We’re tracing your call, so we’ll be able to find you.”
“Okay.” A beat. “I’m scared,” Sarah whispered, voice shaking.
Her obvious terror wrenched at Alec’s heart. “We’re gonna find you, baby, I promise,” he said in a gentler tone, attempting to comfort her. “You gotta be brave for me, all right? Can you do that?”
“Mm-hm. I’ll try, Daddy.” Alec’s voice had calmed Sarah down somewhat. He kept his eyes on the computer screen. Almost there. The next thing he heard was a gasp from over the line. “I have to go.” Then a click as the call disconnected.
“No, Sarah. Sarah? Answer me.” She was gone. Alec stared at his phone, breathing heavily. He’d lost her again. Oh God, what kind of a father was he?
He suddenly realized that Max was shaking his shoulder. “Alec. Alec. Eyes front, 494.” Alec’s eyes snapped up at her brusque tone. Max was standing in front of him. He blinked. When’d she get there?
She looked worried and apologetic. “Sorry. You kinda zoned out on us there. Logan’s got an address.”
Alec blinked and twitched up the corners of his lips in an attempt at a smile. “What are we waiting for, then? It’s almost one. We gotta get there before two. Let’s blaze.”
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Chapter 12