Fiction From AtZR2- Unit

Title: From A To Z Round 2

Chapter Title: Unit

Author: Restive Nature

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Dark Angel. They belong to Cameron/ Eglee. No infringement is intended and this fiction is for private enjoyment only.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Dark Angel

Type: friendship

Pairing: Max/ Alec

Summary: He who laughs last...

Spoilers/ Time line: Post series. Several months after the siege at Terminal City has started

Feedback: Always welcome!

Distribution: Ask first please.

A/N: This is my interpretations of the second round of A to Z fictions, using the prompts that Seamagik has come up with. Thanks for the inspiration, as well as Nickeldime17 for getting this all started.

U is for Unit

Alec McDowell knew one thing as he stormed his way into command central that morning. He was getting mightily sick and tired of the damn politics that they were playing here. And it wasn't the stand off between the Manticore bred trans beings and the ordinaries on the other side of the fence that was getting to him. No, after his life, how they'd been treated, trained, dealt with, those kind of politics were as usual as breathing. What had Alec's dander up, his ire raised and his nose out of joint was dealing with the ordinary inside the fence.

He had objected of course, to Cale sticking around. It just plain wasn't healthy for the guy. The toxins in Terminal City didn't strike you down in one day if you were a regular human being that hadn't been bred with the immunities to bio-agents, like this trannies had. But it would still affect him. But Cale's genius plan, to take regular blood transfusions from the oh so willing Joshua had blown that away. Before he could even bring up another point, it had been pointed out, forcefully that it wasn't yet safe for Cale to return to the outside world. He had been the one to throw himself into the fray that fateful day at Jam Pony, clearly showing his support for the trannies. Unlike Cindy and Sketchy, who could claim that they were under threat or force to help their former friends. Not that they had used that claim, but it was there all the same.

And then even worse, the moron had actually had some good suggestions to implement which brought a few more people into his support camp. And even thinking of all this, Alec could have lived with it. He'd said his piece enough times before during and after that day that people, in particular, Max knew where he stood. If she didn't want to listen, well.. one day she'd get it and Alec could only hope that the fallout only took her out and not the rest of them. In fact, he'd planned for that day and all the potential outcomes, because that was what a smart soldier did.

No, what had Alec on edge, was Cale's attitude. Like he knew better than the rest of them. Just because he lived in the ordinary world his whole life, that he was the authority for dealing with all matters in the transgenics dealings with the rest of the world. And okay, Alec could deal with that too. He'd had too many dealings with people too hopped up on their own hubris to worry much over it. He'd found that subtly making that person look the fool to everyone else was a much more satisfying route of relief.

But Cale holding it over his head every minute of every day, smugly reminding Alec of how he, an ordinary human, had swooped in and saved Alec, trained super soldier, from being that Familiar bitch's final target... Not even pointing out that Alec had been injured before the fight started. Not even pointing out that Logan had still been hopped up on Joshua's transfusion. Not even pointing out that he had his robo-legs to give him a boost. None of that logic seemed to get through to the older male, who happily discounted it all. And then... then, when he'd seemed to realize that his taunting was getting old and starting to piss people off, he had started reminding Alec of past transgressions. Like how it was apparently all his fault that Max had this retrovirus targeted specifically for Logan's DNA implanted in her. Or how Logan had to put out so much money for a cure, only to have it wasted when Alec needed saving. Or furniture that Alec had wrecked, fighting with Max. Or great Saints above, how much Logan's food bill went up when Alec decided to scavenge for food... one day. Just one friggin' day when he'd shown up at Logan's around lunch time!

It was too much! And Alec swore to himself, despite Logan helping them now, despite it pissing Max off, despite everything! If Logan even so much as looked at him funny, they'd see how far an ordinary could fly under the strength of Alec's ire, as Mole had been trying to take bet's on one day. But when he finally made it through the small maze like hallway into command head quarters, he was startled by the large milling group that had gathered around a desk in the middle of the room.

Stretching up on tiptoes to see over the tops of the gathered bodies, many much taller than he at six foot evem, he groaned softly when he saw that it was Max. And she was standing on something, not the desk itself or he would have seen her easily. She was holding her hands up, trying to get silence. And there was Cale, right beside her, staring at her in that smarmy, smug, lovesick way he had. It made Alec's teeth grind together even more.

“What's going on?” he demanded quietly of Mole, whom he had come to a stop by.

“Her highness is makin' an announcement,” Mole informed him and Alec could hear the derision in the lizard man's voice. Alec rolled his eyes. This was new. Eventually, in a short manner of time, the room had silenced enough and Max finished her climb up to the desk so that she could easily be seen and obviously, heard.

“Okay people,” she called out, her voice ringing loud and clear. “It's come to my attention that the past few days we've been hearing a lot of things about Logan being here. And it's been great, right?” she demanded and there were a few groans, Alec's among them. What the hell was she doing? Alec watched as she carefully eyed the group around her. “I mean,” she went on, “here's this ordinary guy, who has gone out of his way to help us. To provide us with Intel, to try and procure supplies through his contacts, I mean hell! He even saved the life of one of our own! Let's give him a hand folks!” She started clapping, her face lit up and by the obviously falsely smug, good ol' boy, sheepish grin that Logan was sporting, Alec could tell that the man was thrilled.

But Alec was starting to feel sick to his stomach. There was some halfhearted applause until, to Alec's startlement Mole joined in, his hands coming together sounding more like a leather coat being beaten free of dust than of happy clapping. Seeming to realize this, he stopped and cupping his hands around his mouth yelled instead.

“Whoo Logan!” he sounded out, his voice ripe and amused. “Go Logie bear!”

Alec felt his heart sink down to his feet, his stomach dropping and rolling as bile swam up his throat. This was too friggin much! He turned to make his escape, but the scaly hand of his neighbor snagged him before he could make his getaway.

“Hang on there Nancy,” Mole chuckled, the sound slightly disturbing. “Her highness isn't done yet.”

And so caught in a grip that Alec was feeling too... not weak, but certainly dispirited enough to break, he waited. After Max's clapping for her erstwhile boyfriend died down, she grinned around at the rest of them.

“So yeah, Logan's been great, helping us out,” she reiterated and Alec rolled his eyes. “Though of course, in a unit this large some of our skills can get a little redundant, can't they?” There were a few chuckles at that, and friends glancing at one another. “But that's okay,” Max continued on, speaking over a few voices. “We've all got to find our niche, right?” There were more verbal agreements with that and Max was nodding. “Like Mole and Snowy? Both excellent with the munitions. Either one of them could manage the job, no prob, right? But they've really worked together and figured out how to divvy up the responsibilities.”

Beside him, Alec could feel Mole puffing up just slightly with well deserved pride. Yeah, true, Mole and Snowy had had their moments, arguing and threatening one another, but they actually did work well together and their taunting of one another was just typical posturing, more than anything else. Max however, was using a few of the other transgenics and trans humans around the room as examples and Alec was starting to wonder what point she was trying to make. Finally, she turned back to Logan, still at her side, happily beaming up at her.

“Now I know,” she started, her arms crossing over her middle, “that I only had half as long as everyone else at Manticore. But when I was a child, the units that Manticore made up only had one person for each necessary job in that unit. We were all trained of course, to handle anything. But we were assigned one task and that was what we concentrated on. But here, here man, we got the luxury of having so many of us to back each other up. Right?”

There were quiet nods again and Alec felt a small grin tug at his lips. Yeah, they had soldiers in spades and they were all capable of much more than Manticore had believed of them.

“And that's what a unit does,” Max called out. “We back each other up. And when there's a need, we fill it. We're there for each other. Just like that one time, when Logan was there for Alec. Really there to watch Alec's back against that Familiar bitch!”

Alec, his insides feeling like they were yo-yoing now, stared up at the woman he'd been coming to think of as his best friend and if he secretly admitted it, someone who could be more. She'd not made a direct mention to what had happened between the two males at all, until now and he felt sick that she was so firmly ensconced as a Logan groupie that the man would be dead and gone long before Max ever gave it up.

“I was more than happy to help,” Logan announced grandly, his smarmy features trying to dazzle the room and Alec's hands were clenching.

“Hold yourself sweet cheeks,” Mole warned softly, his hand coming up to grasp Alec's shoulder. “She still ain't done. Man I been waitin' for this!”

Throwing Mole a confused and slightly disgusted look, Alec forcibly made himself relax.

“Yeah, I wasn't sure that you, Logan,” Max went on, her face adopting that typical lovey dovey, goo goo face she made when she was talking about her sweetheart, “would understand how it feels to be in a unit. But then I started thinking about it from your angle.”

Alec didn't miss, to his delight, slight though it was, as Logan's seemingly spaced out vacant adoration of Max slipped a little and he looked confused.

“Of course you were happy to help Alec out that day, because of course Alec has helped you out a number of times, right?” she demanded airily, as if it were a verified fact instead of opinion.

Alec perked up at that. Were his ears deceiving him or did Max just actually announce, in public, before her friends and co-workers and her not-like-that boyfriend, that Alec was actually useful.

“I mean, he's helped you out on missions and he paid you back what money he could that we owed you and wow, remember that time we had that accident and he helped me get you to the hospital? I mean, I know he couldn't get there later, but if it hadn't been for some legal trouble, he would have been right there at your side, transfusing you. I mean, and that's just the stuff that Alec did straight for you. Then there's all those times when he's had my back, or Joshua's back and that's just since he got out of Manticore.” She turned to look at the room at large and continued. “I can't even begin to imagine all the crap trouble you guys might have had then, but seriously, was Alec there for you guys?”

Alec was surprised by the deafening response Max got to that. But he was pleased. He hadn't even thought of any of his actions being far reaching by any means. It was just... that was how they were taught. He chanced a glance at Logan, who was looking much less thrilled now and a little... dismayed?

“Hey, you know what!” Max called out, bouncing slightly on her toes from atop her perch. “We should all take a moment to thank one another for all the great help we've been to each other. I mean, I know that's not how it normally goes down, because we're all just doing what comes naturally. Because as a unit, we know that we've got someone at our back. Just like someone would have had Alec's back if Logan hadn't made it there. I mean, not that we don't appreciate Logan kicking the snot out of that bitch.” There was some laughter at that and Alec could join in, because she was right. The look on that prissy bitches face when Logan had used his robo-legs to send her packing had been hilarious.

“So you know, just like we don't keep a tally on all the things we do for our unit, because man, it's really a two way street, right?” Max called out. “Well, I also know that a little appreciation never hurts anything. Just like when Alec thanked Logan for the save. So hey, where's Alec?” she demanded, looking around and when Mole called her attention over in their direction, she smiled widely and Alec's heartbeat picked up just a little once her attention was on him. But instead of any of her blank looks and veiled insults, she was happily moving both hands out from her body and giving him a cheesy grin. “Good job there Alec. Thumbs up for being a trend setter.” And she matched image to words and Alec had to laugh hard there at the unintentional adorableness she displayed.

He ducked his head down more so that it wasn't like he was laughing at her, or Logan even, who now looked so devastated and hugely embarrassed as perhaps the weight of his own self congratulation he had wrought came down around his ears.

“Okay people!” Max called out, one hand now on her hip as she was gesturing with the other to the crowd in general. “So let's take a moment and thank each other for all the good work we've been doing and then we can get back to it. All right?”

There were huge vocal agreements being made as she hopped down from the desk as immediately the trannies started turning to one another and shaking hands and cuffing shoulders while words of enthusiastic encouragement were shared. Alec's eyes followed after Max as she completely disregarded Logan to make a beeline to Joshua. He could hear her lilting voice thanking the big guy for his work on the housing issue and all the time he'd taken to do so.

“Come on pretty boy,” Mole grunted as he snagged Alec's coat sleeve and began forcibly hauling him through the crowd. Alec could feel the pats on his shoulder and other arm from some of the others they passed and caught a few murmurs of their appreciation.

“Hey Max,” the lizard man called out, just loudly enough to get her attention. She turned and waited as they reached her, slightly disregarding Alec for the moment as she waited for whatever it was Mole wanted.

“Yeah?” she finally demanded.

“Well as per your command,” Mole began, dragging his words slightly, with the air of resignation at having to follow her orders. “Just wanted to say thanks for another daily dose of soap opera entertainment.”

Max grinned, quickly hid it as her eyes slid to Alec and then back to Mole and she shrugged one shoulder. “Happy to oblige, I guess.” They both nodded and then Max giggled. She honest to God giggled and Alec wasn't the only one raising an eyebrow to that. “Keeps us from going off the reservation, right?”

“You'll get no complaints from me,” Alec agreed happily. There was a moment of milling in the group and Alec caught Mole's glance darting between them and then with a calculated look, turned away to find another transgenic, Snowy as it turned out, to thank the guy for keeping his wits sharp, even if his taunts were half-formed and not nearly... and Alec, as he felt Max's hand on his sleeve, tuned out the veiled words that were a staple of the pairs working relationship.

“There's something else...” Max began and Alec stilled, waiting patiently. He could see the hesitation in her eyes and he knew, just knew that were he to crack a joke to ease the sudden tension she was exhibiting, then she'd respond in kind and he might never find out what was going on in that brain of hers.

“Yeah?” he encouraged softly and was pleased when he was rewarded with a slight grin that actually looked like it was fueled by amusement and not derision.

“I just wanted to say thank you,” she began and then shrugged one shoulder, glancing away momentarily. “To you,” she stressed, raising both eyebrows, in case that hadn't been clear to him. Which of course, on some days it wasn't. “For... well, for having my back whenever you could. Cause I know,” she paused and glanced away, but her gaze seemed unfocused, not on any specific thing or person. “I guess it goes without saying that if you really didn't want to help, there wasn't much I could say to make you.”

“Ah, you know me,” Alec scoffed happily, slightly delighted that she had finally acknowledged him in such a public setting. He waved one hand dismissively. “I'm always a sucker for a pretty girl.” He realized that those words could be taken several ways and then shrugged. “Not like you're a typical damsel in distress or anything. Just... you know. You asked and...”

“After threatening, abusing and or blackmailing you, you came through?” Max teased, chuckling.

“Yeah, something like that,” he agreed with a breath of relief that she wasn't taking offense. “And, I know, you've...” he hesitated because even with the teasing tones they were trying to keep to, it was getting just a little emotional. At least on his end. Which wasn't the greatest impression that he wanted to present to her. But there was something in her eyes that Alec couldn't help himself responding to. “You've been there for me to Max,” his voice was slightly hoarse as he managed to get it out. “And even if I didn't show it then, I really, really appreciated it.”

“Of course,” she smiled, but there was again, nothing sinister in her face. If Alec had to say, she looked, relieved. Perhaps that they were finally able to get this reciprocal crap out of the way. But he had one more thing to say.

“And of course,” he teased, gesturing discreetly around, “thanks for being such a good, kind hearted person, deep down. You know, deep, deep deep, way deep down.” The words were teasing as was the tone and thankfully she took it as intended.

“I know, this hard assed bitch routine is so damn good, I had ya fooled for the longest time,” she preened, which caused Alec to chuckle and shake his head.

“Sure ya did Max,” he snorted. “I had you pegged the first time you bitched me out for being rude to Joshua.”

The reminder caused her to smile and she shrugged. “Okay fine, what can I say? I'm more into actions than words anyway.”

“Yeah,” Mole interjected, having turned back to them again, “well maybe one of these days you can action the ordinaries ass on out of here.”

Alec winced inwardly, but was totally taken by surprise when Max's face didn't darken immediately, but instead, she sighed and lowered her eyes slightly. There was a twist to her lips as her eyes darted in the direction of the lone and lonely male being ignored by all the beings around him. There was a long sigh from her before she glance up at Mole again.

“I hate to say it,” she began in low tones, “but that's going to take a little more planning and conniving than even I'm capable of now.”

“You know, if there's anyway we can help,” Mole offered before Alec could even process what she had just admitted and the implications of it, but he caught up quickly enough.

“If you're serious Max,” he warned and seeing the misery in her eyes, softened his tones. “Any way we can help, all you have to do is ask.” He waited, keeping his face neutral as she eyed the both of them. He knew, just knew that Mole was probably looking all gleeful and eager, but for himself, if it had been before, before a lot of things, well, he might have looked the same. But, still reeling from the events of the last fifteen minutes, Alec didn't feel like putting on a show of bull shit. And to his relief, Max seemed to understand that completely. She turned to regard him and solely he.

“Thanks,” she murmured with a small smile. “I might just take you up on that.”

“Hey,” Alec sighed, opening his arms widely in a grandiose gesture. “Anything for the good of the unit, right?”

To his amazement, Max seemed to misunderstand the position of his... and suddenly she was sliding against him, her arms wrapped around his chest and back and with a sudden widening of his eyes, he realized what she was doing. And his own arms wrapped around her in a very unfamiliar move, but oh so welcome as he rested his cheek on the top of her head for a moment as she squeezed him lightly. She was so close that he could feel her eyelashes fluttering against his throat and all the emotions that he thought he had properly tamped down came rushing back to him.

His throat choked up, the feel of her body pressed demurely against his own, Alec did the only thing he could. He glanced up, and in a perfect moment, the crowd had parted before them, until there was a straight line of visual access to the great Logan Cale. And as Alec caught his startled, disappointed gaze, he smiled and straightened up slightly, even as he squeezed Max once more.

'Thanks,' he mouthed silently to the other man who turned away immediately, disgust and pain evident in his features. And then he disregarded the other man to turn all his attention back to the woman in his arms.

Yet