Dar Angel: Mirror Crac'd

Authors note: Just wanted to again mention thanks for the support. Only other thing is that it wasn't my intention to change D'Arc from being the arch-villain in the story; but seeing how Michael Clark Duncan died while I was writing this series; I chose to honour him; Rest in peace Michael; always felt you were an underappreciated actor. Sorry for that sentimentality; enjoy the story and hit me back, same as always -- INYOTEF ;)

***

Previously in DARK ANGEL: MIRROR CRACK'D...

...Max rode up to the gate of the compound...

She stopped in font of the gate and looked at the camera that moved to view her, then pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and blew smoke into the lens...

'You're not handing me the implant, so I take it you failed?' Klaas observed.

'There, were complications,' Max said.

'Accelerated Progeria will do the trick on his genetic code, 453....'

Progeria! They had synthesized the rare genetic disease into some sort of weapon...

... Sam opened her eyes , she was naked, and lying in the trunk of a car...

'He wants to take over, my prototype wants me to complete another implant to sell, or he will kill me..' Soto said breathing heavily while at the same time in tears.

'So, Frankenstein figured he had a say since he has all the muscles, huh?' Sam smirked.

D'Arc pulled her up and she got out of the trunk to find herself under an overpass, 'so what the hell do you want?' Sam.

D'Arc smirked as he pulled a vile out of his pocket, the T-734; 'tell me about this, what's it do?'

Sam looked at him in an "As if" sort of way...

'You know I'm not a monster.. I was just some gang banger punk from the Bronx who killed a Congressman and was lined up for the gas chamber...'

'Then they pull me off Death Row to test a new kickass implant, and now I'm some super powered motherfucker,' 'Me.. I don't feel pain anymore,' he said, lifting his blood-stained vest and showing her the gaping hole in his chest from where the pole had pierced through... 'But I'm betting you do; a whole lot...'

'Save it,' Sam said sitting up, 'I'm trained to withstand torture. You'd just be wasting your time...'

'Don't mean it won't be fun...' he smiled...

Drawing up ever so slowly Max gasped as his cock slid partially out of her then sank down again, taking him deep into her convulsing cunt. She went a bit faster, letting a bit more of him slide out, but every time she slammed her waist back down so he could fill her up ... The door opened and they both froze as Vivian Shevchenko walked in...

Klaas just about pushed Max off him in shock and in that instant- the truth was revealed...

Max sat up, looking from Klaas to Vivian; taking note of the worry in his face and the anger in hers-

'His not Klaas is he?' she said, 'you are!'

'Do not attempt to adjust your set; this is a Streaming Freedom video bulletin...'

'Many of the war mongers around the world know Vivian Shevchenko as the personal assistant of Klaas. This has been an elaborate rouse to bamboozle all who were foolish enough to believe the lie...'

'Her real name is Femmke Yartsev- And she IS Klaas!'

'You really are a nasty pig,' came Max's voice from the shadows.

Udrik froze in shock, grabbing the revolver from under his pillow and waving a shaky hand around... Everything after happened in a blur: he was pulled out the bed and flew thru the balcony door smashing through the glass; then he felt himself hoisted in the air before he was staring down thirty stories at the street below... He looked up to find the pissed off X5 clutching his ankle...

'You got pull with the right people, and I need to know where Klaas is, she went underground.'

'You mean that Femmke chick, ya, Eyes Only opened a can of worms there, baby, word is she put a million dollar bounty on anyone who can unmask him- dead only! I hear their zero'n in. the next time he does his little feed, bam! Bye bye baby...' Max forced herself to hide her concern for Logan, adopting a poker face as she unclasped her bra and showed off her round tits. Max panted, and huffed as she was rocked; Kalm over her, thrusting in and out of her needy pussy. But he wasn't a young man and his stamina was waning, so he slumped on top of her breathing heavily. He licked the salty sweat off her cheek then rolled off of her, his hard cock slipping from her sex and spilling her fluids on her ass...

Sam stumbled into the lair at Terminal City; the group of Transhumans looking at her...

'Logan!' Joshua screamed a slight growl in his voice, trouble, many men!'

A loud voice boomed over every speaker system in the place... 'Eyes Only, I know you're somewhere in that toxic dump; now I got two hundred mercenaries surrounding Terminal City...'

Max followed Kalm to the outskirts of the city. They arrived at an old sluice building. She heard the click of the revolver behind her and acted on trained instinct; she turned disarmed Kalm then snapped his neck.

'Hallo X5,' Max heard the deep voice say, and looked up to find herself once again staring at the hulking figure of the Soto Mark,

'Whatta you want?' she asked him.

...'I wanna be human again...'

***

"Terror on the streets of Seattle, as is the scene in front of the gates preventing access into Terminal City; a place known for being a biohazard..."

"The world was shocked two days ago when the notorious cyber journalist known by the hacker alias, Eyes Only to the people of Seattle sent out a worldwide broadcast in which he accused Leading Technologies & Dynamics CEO, Vivian Shevchenko of being the most wanted arms dealer in the world; Klaas. These allegations caused quite a stir, as Shevchenko's alleged identity Femmke Yartsev is wanted in Russia for a string of murders..."

"Now, this is the scene at Terminal City's gates, where unknown mercenary commandoes are holding police at bay under heavy assault riffle fire. The reason? Allegedly the mercenaries work for Klaas, and the cyber journalist Eyes Only is trapped in Terminal City...!"

"If this is a ploy at revenge for unmasking her, the footage from police hover drones shows a war at the gates of Terminal City. Officer in charge, Matt Sung, has urged residents in the area to stay away, and has requested help from armed forces..."

"For KPJK news, this is Trisha Ryback reporting."

Max stood there watching the news trying hard to control her emotions... She felt the cold fear of uncertainty, as well as rage toward Klaas; but mostly she was concerned for Logan's life and safety. He couldn't stay in Terminal City too long; he wasn't immune like the transgenics and transhumans.

'Ya know, I ain't the most moral person in the world,' D'Arc said coming up behind her, 'but I am the lesser of two evils. That bitch will burn the goddamn city down to find that Eye-'

'Where's Sam and Soto?' Max said, cutting him short.

Humanity! That's what he said he wanted back; she turned and looked at the fresh scar of the surgery done on his chest; in three days it would barely be noticeable...

'She got away, saw me as a threat,' he replied.

'Gee, I wonder why,' Max snapped looking up at him with contempt; though the scrapes from her first encounter with him were long healed, she could still feel the phantom pain.

'The drug she wanted to use on me, I wanted to know what it was so I could take down Klaas; maybe even get a clean slate from the Feds. But she got away and took Soto with her; maybe threatening her wasn't the best play...'

He laughed out loud, but it wasn't joy reflected on his face, it was sorrow; self-pity, 'it's a bit like smoking y'know; you think it's so cool till you get hooked; then it's a bitch quitting.'

He smashed his hand straight thru the concrete wall making Max flinch... 'I want it outta me.'

'The Soto Mark Implant?' Max asked rhetorically, 'it's imbedded in your brain stem, and you have nano-recepters all in your nerve end-'

'English, please? Damn,' D'Arc complained clutching his head.

'Look! there are little microscopic sensors in your nerves sending signals to the implant, it gives you bitch'n strength and blocks out all pain, but it's also a real bitch to get out of you...'

'And Eyes Only knows the only person who can help.'

He looked down at her, 'so you roll with Eyes Only, huh?' He grabbed his big leather coat and pulled out the T-734, tossing it to Max, 'consider it a peace offering.'

Max stared at the liquid; so this was what accelerated Progeria looked like. She momentarily considered using it on D'Arc, but just as quickly dismissed the idea. If she was going to get passed those mercs and into Terminal City to Logan, she was going to need help, and right now; he was all she had.

*

Sam's brown eyes fluttered open...

Her vision- at first blurry- quickly cleared and the shadowy silhouette above her was revealed to be Logan.

'How are you feeling?' he asked her.

She groaned as she lifted herself up, the blanket covering her slipping off- and feeling she was naked- she quickly gripped it and held it above her breasts, 'my body hurts, that Soto Mark is damn strong. How long was I out?'

'About 28 hours,' Logan replied taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

Sam looked at him, and this time took notice; he was pale and his eyes were bloodshot. Logan coughed into his sleeve and put the glasses back on looking up at her and smiling weakly.

'You need to get out of Terminal City, you've been contaminated.'

'Yeah, don't I know it,' he scoffed, 'but it's easier said than done. Your boss has the place surrounded; Klaas' mercenaries and the cops have been in a fire fight for hours. We're stuck here.'

Sam looked down in shame, 'I did what I had t-'

'Yet we're the ones who got you're family to safety...'

Sam's head snapped up in shock, as if she hadn't heard right.

'Well sort of..their stuck here too, your husband has already begun to show signs of contamination.'

'Wh- where are they... please?' Sam asked, her eyes tearing.

*

Del stood with her hands behind her back, her posture rigid, and her eyes straight ahead. Klaas (or Vivian) circled her, smirking to herself...

'You can tell me nothing about the inhabitants of Terminal City, X6-899?'

'Vagrants ma'am; and the lost who don't want to be found. And there are rumours...'

'Rumours?' Klaas fished.

...'Some say the transhumans who fled to Seattle after Manticore was destroyed made Terminal City their new home,' Del explained.

'How many are we talking about?'

'Maybe a hundred or more, as well as a few transgenics; probably including X5-452.'

Klaas walked to her desk and picked up the photo of Max; she looked at it thoughtfully... the X5 who crumbled her empire, who exposed her to the world. The reason Muda Yobo and a hundred other war mongers now wanted her dead. She would find this bitch; find her and find Eyes Only and gouge their eyes out before killing them, slowly; Klaas relished the thought and tore the photo in half...

...'Ma'am...? Del said, getting her attention.

She turned to the X6, 'you're to infiltrate Terminal City and find Eyes Only and X5-452; I want both of them, alive. Bring them to me and I'll make sure you get 50% of all the money I can get from my assets. The Russian government froze many of my slush accounts but I still have at least $20 million; agreed?'

Del relaxed her stance and looked Klaas in the eye then shook her hand, 'agreed.'

DARK ANGEL

MIRROR CRACK'D

Max crouched down behind the parapet of the roof she was on, D'Arc coming up behind her; there she peeked down over into the streets. The Seattle police and Klaas' mercs were still firing at each other; cops ducked behind police cars and vans and the mercs were in an old condemned building...

'Shit,' Max sighed, 'looks dicey.'

'Not from where I'm standing,' D'Arc commented, 'I say we drop down there and stomp a hole through all those pussies.'

Max was reminded that while the Soto Mark lamented his inhuman abilities; he was still by all accounts a murderer and common gangbanger, 'not a chance!' she asserted, 'we ain't killing cops...'

'Sides, the Officer in charge is a friend.'

'Have it your way baby-cakes,' D'Arc shrugged, 'long as you're on the level about this dude who can get the implant out, we do it your way...'

'Just know; patience ain't one of my virtues.'

'Relax Godzilla,' she fenced, 'just stay put while I assess the playing field a sec.'

She leapt over the wall and dropped five stories into the alleyway; the merc patrolling there turning on hearing the thud- assault riffle at the ready- to find nothing there. Gloved hands wrapped around his head from behind and Max gripped him in a chokehold feeling him fight momentarily before his body went limp. She placed him on the ground then hugged the wall as she moved to the alley's entrance.

She used her enhanced vision to survey the battleground and saw Detective Matt Sung speaking over a radio. She gathered her focus and moved, running as fast as she could through the warzone, bullets zipping past her, then lunged out and dived thru the window of an old TV repair shop.

Sung saw the crash and pulled out his berretta; then he moved in- two officers bringing up the rear- holding a flashlight to light his way through the, dark, dusty store, 'keep your eyes open boys, we keep these assholes at bay, at least until help comes..'

'Help!' scoffed one of the officers, 'National guard ain't been worth shit since the Pulse.'

'Tell me about it,' the other cop snorted.

'Quiet, and eyes open,' Sung ordered, 'these men are trained soldiers.'

There was a blur of black then a crash; Sung spun around the beam of his flashlight falling on one of the cops lying out cold over the stores counter. Next he heard a gurgle before turning to see the other slump down face first on the grimy floor. Sung's heart drummed in his chest and he willed himself to stay calm; then he jumped as he heard a voice, 'Sorry, needed to get you alone.'

He turned and had his gun on Max, 'YOU!'

'Eyes Only always trusted you; you're one of the few good cops left in this city, I need your help.'

'So, I'm guessing he really is trapped in Terminal City,' Sung said lowering his gun.

'Yeah, and I gotta get to him before he dies of contamination,' Max confirmed.

'My priority is a problem with mercs which is quickly spiralling outta control, and I'm losing cops,' he said pointing outside, where the gunfire could be heard.

'I get that,' Max acknowledged, 'but those mercs are after Eyes Only, the guy who tells it like it is, and ain't on the hustle like every other degenerate city official and wanebe. How many bad guys did you bag coz'a his intel, Detective Sung?!' Max spat.

'Hey, if I can get him out of there I'll do my best, but nobody's getting within a square mile of Terminal City. And then there's the risk of contamination to-'

'There's a manhole where your command van is parked, the sewers beneath leads into Terminal City, I need you to get me and a friend there, and I'll take care of the rest.'

'A friend?' Sung questioned, raising an eyebrow.

-

Matt Sung stood over the manhole, looking around him nervously to make sure the three cops he sent off to check the perimeter didn't return early. His eyes widened in shock as he looked at the gargantuan man following Max. He walked up to Sung, bent down and pulled up the manhole covering flipping it aside as if it were a Frisbee, then dropped into the sewer without a word.

Max knelt down ready to go in herself, 'thanks Sung,' she said without looking up, then dropped into the sewer as well.

'Who the hell is this girl,' Sung asked out loud.

*

Sam ran her fingers through her husband's short hair as he rested; like Logan's his face was pale and there were dark rings around his eyes; clutched in his arms beside him was their son, his own eyes still damp with tears as he slept. She took an old blanket and draped it over them, allowing herself a weak smile and a sigh of relief, then gently kissed them both on their foreheads. She turned around and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her, and then turned to Logan putting her arms around him hugging him...

'That's the second time you helped me... and the second time I bit your hand (She was referring to her hunting down Max for Ames White), thank you...'

She looked up at him, still close, her toned body pressed to his, 'what can I do to repay you?'

Logan again felt a stirring in his pants, with someone that looked- smelt- like Max, standing close to him; someone he could touch without dropping dead, it was impossible for it not to effect him! However being the man of lofty moral standards he was, he backed away and lowered his eyes, 'It'd be great if you were in for getting us out of here before we die; those of us who aren't immune to biohazards that is...'

It wasn't soon enough though; Sam had already felt his hard-on pressing against her. She smiled to herself, a little flattered, 'sure, I can do that...'

She took a step toward him, 'you know I got a look at Max's file from her last stay at Manticore under Madame X; Elizabeth Renfro...'

Logan looked up at her...

'How she was infected with a virus set to target the genes of Eyes Only,' she paused so that what she was saying could sink in, 'I see the way you look at 452, that longing, yet you never ever touch her, not even a friendly pat on the back...'

Logan grew warm with frustration, 'why are you telling me this?'

'C'mon you think I didn't feel your, arousal, just now?' Sam asked subconsciously licking her full lips, 'you look at me and you think her!'

Again Logan cast his eyes down in shame.

'I'm willing to play the part as thanks.'

His eyes shot back up in surprise.

'What?' Sam shrugged, 'I'm Manticore trained remember; it's just sex.'

*

The grimy sewer tunnels stank of raw sewage and noxious chemical wastes that had had an effect even on the rats, as their decaying corpses lay on the ground and floated in the murky water. D'Arc grit his teeth, the thick vein in his neck pulsing as he tugged at the bars denying access into Terminal City; there was a loud groan, then a crack as the steel bars broke free under the immense strength of the Soto Mark.

D'Arc threw the bars aside, and moved through the tunnel, Max following behind him, 'so, what happened to Soto, I thought you two were joined at the hip?' she asked him.

'I done told you, that greedy little wimp followed the other X5, out when she escaped; by the look of it she didn't seem too bothered with assisting him. I'd of chased them down but my body was giving in on itself, so I had to have the hole in my chest patched up.'

'Hmph,' Max smirked as they continued on, 'we're not far off now. Once we get in you better keep your ass hid, half the transgenics up there know what you are.'

'I can handle myself mamma,' D'Arc snapped.

'Against a hundred government trained super-soldiers? Don't count on it buddy.'

They carried on another fifteen minutes till Max put her hand up signalling they should stop; then she looked up at the manhole above them, 'this is it; paydirt.'

'Not that I don't trust you,' D'Arc said, pushing Max aside as if she were a toddler making her stumble back, 'but I'm going first.'

'Suit yerself,' Max shrugged, scowling at the sleeve of her suede jacket that was covered in green gunk.

He turned and climbed up the ladder and pushed up the cover of the manhole, immerging in an alleyway. He got out and looked around to find empty canisters, rubbish, and bonfires around him; then he heard a shuffle in the darkness. D'Arc tried to peer through it then flinched as something sprang at him and tried to claw his face!

He reacted instantly grabbing it by the throat and clenched his teeth as he saw its furry, black, feline face; a transhuman. The cat-lady kicked her foot into him and flipped back then clawed at his chest cutting his vest at scraping some of the stitching loose, drawing blood with her razor sharp nails. D'Arc swung his huge arms around her and grabbed her in a bear-hug; and she squealed and struggled in vane as she heard her own bones break.