Disclaimer: this is for fun only, no money is being made.
A/N: This is my first DA fic. The idea’s been in my head for a while and I needed to get it out.
Summary: There was another, aside from the 12 X-5s, that escaped Manticore in ’09. Manticore hires a new geneticist in hopes of saving the organization, but the new scientist has her own motives.
Rating: PG-13

Hidden Past

Prologue
The Break

Manticore
Gillette, Wyoming 2009

The cold wind whipped at the small frame of the girl as she ran. It chilled, but it only drove her to run faster. In the midst of her flight the thought came to her of why she was running. The reason escaped her, but she knew it was too late to turn back now. Her bare feet left footprints in the snow as she ran.

She saw her companion out of the corner of her eye. He was crisscrossing through the pine trees to her right. He glanced at her and for a moment their eyes locked. His deep blue eyes gave her the same instructions he had spoken before. Run.

“Get up, Annie!” Aaron’s voice was stern.

The girl pulled the thin blanket over her face and turned away. “Not tonight, I’m not going on another ‘mission’.”

“The other X-5s are planning to escape.”

Ann cursed at herself for listening to him. What was she doing? What did the other X-5s think they were doing? And what was she doing following them? The others were much younger and more naïve and than her or Aaron. But Ann had always listened to her twin brother. Tonight was to be no exception.

Ann’s focus returned to the present. Her ears zoned in on the soft sound of snow crushing beneath boots. The guards were closing in.

She willed all her stamina and strength into moving her legs faster. Her speed picked up and the trees flew by as she ran. She saw the security fence looming in the distance, marking the perimeter of the facility.

Then it all disappeared as the snow filled her vision. Her face was pressed into the icy ground. Ann pushed herself up, taking notice of what had caused her fall. A gnarled tree root stuck out of the ground behind her.

The fall had allowed the guards to advance several meters on her position. Ann jumped to her feet and took off. She heard the sound of a gun being cocked several feet behind her. She heard the trigger click as it was pulled back. She waited.

There was a shout behind her as the gun went off. Sounds of a struggle forced her to stop and turn.

Aaron had tackled the guard. Now the lone guard was struggling to get a hold on his weapon. Aaron brought up his elbow to drive a blow to the man’s skull.

In the same instant as the guard fell unconscious, the gun went off.

Ann screamed. All her strength drove her to her brother’s side.

Aaron stood staring at the pool of red growing on his shirt. He fell to his knees.

“Aaron!” Ann reached out to him, but he violently shoved her back.

“They’re coming, Ann!” His eyes were filled with fear. “Run!”

Ann shook her head. “I can’t!”

“It’s an order, 135!” Aaron shouted with the last of his strength. He was fight for every pained breath.

Ann’s green eyes met his gaze for one last time. In a flash she turned and fled.

Disclaimer: for fun not profit

A/N: I haven’t seen an episode of Dark Angel in nearly 2 years, so I’m running off of my memory and what I can find online as far as episode scripts and summaries. On another note, this story is AU, so if another Manticore a project exists in this story it just does.

Chapter 1

Reminiscing

Dr. Anya McKenna walked down the hallway from her lab. Or from more like what was set up to be a lab. The actual DNA lab for the facility was gone. Since her arrival a few days before she had been working out of a makeshift laboratory that was probably originally intended to be a large storage closet, but there was enough space.

She studied the hallways committing to memory the exits in case they should ever be of need. In which case she was more likely to jump out a window than use the doors. The sound from the heels of her shoes echoed down the empty corridor. She wore a white lab coat over a red sleeveless turtleneck blouse and a gray tweed skirt. Her hazel eyes were slightly obscured behind a pair of thin framed glasses. Her dark blonde hair was secured back with a barrette. At twenty-three years of age she was of a medium height.

This facility was far cruder than what she was accustomed to working in at the University, but the research done here was some of the most intriguing that she had ever come across. Though it had meant leaving her country and traveling to a less economically and governmentally equipped nation, she had jumped at the offer. Her most recent project at the university had been mapping the genome of hybrid frogs from what had formerly been one of South America’s many rainforests.

But of course, her interest and specialty was in the human genome. McKenna had spent much of her career searching the miles of coiled chromosomes for specific disease triggering alleles. It was the research her father had started and that which she had followed out of curiosity.

As incredible as the research being done here at Manticore was, McKenna had no reason to support it. She had made her decision on the ethics of genetic engineering many years before. But looking around the facility and seeing the various projects of Manticore walking around, it had become clear to her that what was done was done.

Anya opened the door to the break room and found herself a cup of coffee before dropping into a chair at the first table she saw.

“Oh, a new face!”

Anya had barely noticed the man already sitting at the table. She took a sip of coffee and then smiled. “It’s that a bad thing?”

The man shook his head. He was probably in his early forties, but no gray hair showed yet in his dark brown hair. He had a confident smile before his brown eyes. “It’s a rather good thing. The people around here don’t change much.”

“Unless of course you count the genetically changed and enhanced superhumans walking around?”

“I see you’ve already seen some of the work.”

Anya nodded, but found it odd how he referred to them as ‘work’. “Do you ever think that maybe we’re goofing with evolution?” Anya leaned across the table. Her glasses lowered and she stared straight into his eyes. “I mean all the work that has ever been done with genes whether those of plants or animals. What if we’ve changed nature’s actual plan? Or even put human evolution on hold?”

“Doctor, I’m not an anthropologist, but basic evolution will tell you that if the changes are not occurring in the general population, there will be no evolving,” The man replied.

McKenna leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “But according to this facility’s records some of the changes have been introduced into the general population.”

“You’re referring to the escaped ones,” He added. “In the past ten years this facility has put forth all efforts to find those that escaped. A small number have been recaptured and put back into the program.”

“And the rest?” Anya asked. “How many did escape?”

“Thirteen,” The man answered.

“All X-5s?”

“Twelve were,” He brushed a hand through his hair. “The other one was… well a prototype of a prototype you could say. Probably dead by now, but I never thought she’d want to escape. She was always so obedient.”

“She?”

The man shook his head. “Just one of them.”

Anya studied him. She noticed how his tone changed when he spoke of the Chimera, as they called the subjects here.

“I take it you worked with them?” Anya inquired.

The scientist nodded. He looked her straight in the eye.

“Eyes front, Soldier!” The sergeant snapped. He stood a few feet away waiting for the child to comply.

135 quickly corrected her posture and stared dead ahead. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her once again. She heard footsteps approach her and a moment later a man stood before her.

“At ease,” The man said.

She could tell he was not a soldier, but just a scientist. The lab coat was always a dead give away.

The man crouched down to look her in the eyes. “I’d like you to come with me,” He said. “You can get back to your duties later.” He gave a small smile and stood again.

She caught view of his name tag. Dr. Mark Johansen.

“So how blind are you?”

The question caught her off guard as she tried to shake off the memory. How could she have forgotten him? “I beg your pardon?”

Mark tapped his glasses. “I’ve been wearing these ever since old age caught up with me. You?”

Anya smiled. “Staring at nucleotides all day isn’t very easy on the eyes. And owing to the fact that this place no longer has an intact genetic database, I’ll probably be upgrading my prescription soon. All that time over a microscope.” She took off her glasses and held the lenses up to the light. She enjoyed the moment of clear vision without the glare off the lenses. “These are about to fall apart anyways. Can’t say how many times I’ve stepped on them.” She placed the ultra light glasses back on.

“I love your accent,” Mark added. “You wouldn’t be from Manchester by any chance?”

“Born and raised in London,” Anya replied.

“It was a guess,” Mark smiled. “I’m no linguist.”

Anya returned the smile. “Well, if you’re not an anthropologist and you’re not a linguist, neither of which I believe Manticore would have need to employ, then what are you?”

“What are you?”

“I’m a geneticist,” Anya replied. “You already guessed correctly that I hold a doctorate. My name’s Anya McKenna.”

Mark laughed. “The Dr. McKenna? I thought you’d be older.”

“What does age have to do with anything?”

“I’ve read that you have only eight years of experience in the field,” Mark replied. “I thought that would be post-graduate, but apparently not. You must have learned genetics from the cradle.”

Anya smiled and pushed away a memory of the classrooms at Manticore. “Sort of. My father was a researcher at Oxford. He always brought his work home with him and I was a curious child.”

“You must have a high IQ to account for that curiosity.”

Only because this place gave it to me. She thought. “Lucky genes.” She rested her chin on the palm of her right hand. “So who are you?”

“I believe we hold the same occupation,” Mark replied. “I’m Dr. Mark Johansen.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance then,” Anya shook hands with him. “Are you who I’ll be working with?”

“Better let Director Renfro brief you on that,” Johansen added. “But probably, yes.”

“Then I look forward to working with you,” Anya replied. She downed the last of her coffee and stood.

In the hallway outside she stopped and put her hand to the back of her neck. Her fingers touched the barcode she hoped no one would ever see.

Chapter 2
Chance Meetings

Dr. Mark Johansen had been at Manticore for nearly fifteen years and every day seemed longer than the previous. He had seen the children they had engineered grow up and he had seen some escape. He had always regarded them just as subjects of an experiment. To form any more of a bond or relationship would interfere with work.

Still, Johansen could not help but let his thoughts wander to the conversation he and McKenna had shared. Her questions regarding the escaped X-series had forced him to rethink his view on the subject.

The subject of the one who had escaped was almost personal to him. Ann. At least that was the name she had chosen for herself. He hadn’t quite been able to figure out why the children had chosen names for themselves. But for Ann it had been obvious.

Johansen remembered a small twelve year old with penetrating emerald eyes. Eyes that had seemed to hold understanding. Eyes that carried pain. Her hair, had it been allowed to grow, would have been a pale blonde. She had been at the point of blossoming into a beautiful young woman when she had escaped.

Ann’s identity as an X-5 had been questionable. She had shared much of the same genetic makeup as the normal prototypes, but she and her siblings had been different. And that difference had killed them.

He knew Ann was dead. There was no way she could have survived outside of Manticore without treatment. Even her slight resilience to the condition that had taken the lives of four of her siblings could not have saved her. Even Manticore couldn’t have.

Mark was deep in thought when he entered the laboratory. He immediately spotted the blonde scientist standing by the window, gazing out at the grounds. She was probably only about 5’ 5”, but her shoes gave her a couple more inches of height. She stood with her arms crossed, her back to him.

“It’s a change from London I take it,” Johansen remarked moving from the doorway.

McKenna turned around in surprise. “How long have you been standing there?”

“About ten seconds,” Mark answered. “How long have you been staring out the window?”

“A minute or two,” McKenna replied. She stepped to one of the desks and picked up a manila folder. “I’ve been looking over the files you’ve provided and I found a gap in the records. Do you have copies of the original DNA profiles on the X-4s?”

“I’ll get them,” He replied. “Whichever secretary put that together must have left them out.”

“Doctor,” McKenna said suddenly. “How was the DNA lab destroyed? They failed to inform me of that.”

“A group of the escaped X-5s came back. Blew it up,” Johansen explained. “They thought it would cripple the organization. Two were caught, one’s dead now though.”

“They were recaptured?” McKenna’s voice was filled with surprise. “Which ones?”

“I believe it was 599 and 452,” Johansen replied. “Why do you ask?”

Anya shrugged. “Just curious.” She brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Helps to know things.” She opened the folder and began flipping through the pages.

“How old are you, Doctor?” Johansen found himself asking as he watched her.

McKenna looked up in surprise. She smiled slightly. “There are a few more months until my twenty-fourth birthday,” She replied. “And you can call me Anya.”

“Anyone ever just call you Ann?” Mark raised the question.

“When I was a child,” McKenna replied coolly after a moment. “My father did.” She met his gaze. “We have work to do.”

* * * *

X-5452 was ticked when she left Renfro’s office. This time the director had not pulled any new torture methods, but that did not ease her mind at all. All 452 thought about was getting out of this place once again. Getting back to her life outside. She could feel her heart beating. It was an eerie feeling knowing that it was not hers but Zack’s.

Too distracted by her thoughts, 452 ran headlong into a certain other X-5.

“452,” The X-5 said. “Ever hear of watching where you’re going?”

“Have you, Alec!” Max returned and walked away. She stopped, noticing that he was still watching her. “What?” She turned on him.

“Nothing,” Alec said. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Max walked away and rounded a corner soon enough to see a blonde haired woman barely slip past her.

“Excuse me,” The woman said with a slight British accent. She bent down to retrieve a folder she had dropped. She appeared to be no older than most of the X-5s. “I’m afraid I wasn’t really watching where I was going. Should know there are people around.”

Max was taken aback at the woman’s actions of actually speaking. “Neither was I.”

The woman stood and met Max’s gaze. Her mouth opened partway and quickly shut. “You’re 452.”

“My name’s Max,” Max snapped.

“Mine’s Anya,” The woman replied. She glanced at her watch and walked away.

Max was left with a strange sense of déjà vu. She had seen that woman somewhere before.

* * * *

It was Zack. Zack was dead. Ann remembered him all right. Though her group had been kept separate from the successful X-5s, some chance meetings had occurred. The first time was on a night when Ann and her twin brother had snuck out of the barracks to go exploring.

“Where are we?” Ann asked with a yawn. She crouched behind Aaron.

Aaron looked back at her with a grin. “You’ve never seen the others have you.”

“Others?” Ann questioned. She crossed her arms. “Aaron, how old are you?”

“Nine, same as you,” He said with an impatient tone. “Look are you coming or not?”

“Of course,” Ann said with a sigh. “But if we get caught-“

“Ann!” He pushed. “Come on.”

Ann reluctantly followed. She followed her brother down the corridor, her senses alert to pick up on any movement. But the only noise was the barely audible sound of their bare feet on the concrete floor.

Their trip ended at a reinforced metal door with a small window. Aaron approached it and peeked in. He waved to Ann to approach.

Ann joined him with caution and peered through the window. It was another barracks. The room was nearly pitch black, but Ann could see perfectly. She saw the forms of children asleep on the bunks.

“Who are you?”

The voice made Ann jump and she would have screamed had Aaron not clapped his hand over her mouth. Ann pushed her brother away and stared at the young boy who had spoken.

He was standing a few feet behind them.

Ann stood to her full height. Even with days spent standing attention, she still slouched a lot. “Who are you?” She returned the question.

The boy studied them both with quizzical eyes. “I asked first.”

“She’s Ann. I’m Aaron,” Aaron said quickly. “What’s your name?”

“I’m 599,” The boy replied. “Zack. What are your designations?”

“135,” Ann replied.

“I’m 137,” Aaron added.

Zack smiled. “I’ve seen you before, Ann. In the infirmary.”

Ann didn’t need to be reminded of that. “Well, I’ve never seen you before.”

“Where’s the rest of your group?” Zack asked. He looked to Ann. “Who’s your CO?”

Ann only pointed a finger at her brother.

“Mira and Davie are sleeping,” Aaron said.

Ann just stared at her brother. He lacked the common sense to keep certain things secret.

“There are only four of you?” Zack asked with surprise.

Ann had never answered that question. As the light from the computer screen cast a bluish tint over her face, she could not lie about the fact that she felt like crying.

“Decided to pull a late night, huh?”

McKenna turned from the computer and saw Dr. Johansen. He was lacking the lab coat.

Anya smiled. “No, just getting a jump start on the pile of work that’s been dumped on me. The genomes of all the prototypes need to be mapped again. You do want this organization to be on its feet again?”

Johansen smirked. “Of course, but I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. I was just about to leave for the night when I saw the light on.”

“Well, don’t wait for me to accompany you to the parking lot,” Anya replied.

“When are you planning to go home, Anya?”

“Whenever I feel like it,” She replied.

“Can I get you some coffee, then?” Mark asked. “Seeing as you may need it if you’re going to be here all night. Caffeine can be a real help.”

She shook her head. “No need for it. I’m to some extent an insomniac already.”

“Jet lag still wearing off?” He asked.

“London time is nearly eight hours a head. If I was still adjusting, Doctor, I’d most likely be asleep,” She replied turning back to her work.

“What’s got you glued to the screen this late though?”

“One gene,” She turned the monitor so he could see it. “I know that technically I’m only supposed to be doing Manticore research, but this is one thing that’s been bugging me forever. I was working on this at the University before I came here.”

“What genome is that? Chimpanzee?” Mark inquired.

Anya shook her head. “Close enough. It’s human.”

“What gene are you looking at?”

“I’m trying to find one,” Anya answered. “It’s a neurological disorder that I’m researching. I’ve been trying to tack the blame on one of these dots for the past two years.”

“What disorder?”

“Break down of the nervous system,” Anya replied. “Similar to Tay-Sachs disease in symptoms, but totally different in cause.”

“Heavy stuff. You planning to find a cure?”

Anya was silent for a moment.

Mark could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes. “Doctor?

Anya snapped back to reality and turned back to the computer. “I think it might be a polygenic trait,” She stared at the monitor. “And if that’s the case, then it’s going to take a while to map the gene loci. If I can even find the first gene.”

“Are you okay?” Mark asked. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe you should do this later.”

Anya pushed away and stood. She crossed her arms and tried to shake her head, but she was still crying. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Dr. Johansen.” She grabbed her jacket and keys and left the lab.

As she walked through the now empty corridors she thought back to the night of the escape. She had not known that others had made it out. Much less what had become of them since that night.

If they had escaped, then it raised a question in her mind. One she had let herself answer a thousand times to quell her restless mind. Aaron had been killed before her eyes. A thousand times she had wished it was her who had been shot instead, but wishing had never worked. Ann felt it was about time to ground the issue.

There was only one way to find out and she needed an answer.

Chapter 3
Ghosts and Memories

An eerie feeling crept over Anya as she walked the grounds again. She was dreading what she was about to see, but it was the only way. Never had she actually set foot there, but she had always seen it from a distance. She had had no desire to go there as a child and now was no different. Unless the base had somehow shifted locations it would be in the same place. The last time she had seen it was when Mira had died, watching from a window as her sister’s coffin was lowered into the ground.

As she walked away from the buildings it came into view. The menial concrete markers were lined in rows. Anya paused at the edge of the field of graves. Glancing at the first before her she recognized it as an early X-2. She willed all her strength and made herself step forward into the rows.

Anya’s eyes skimmed the barcodes as she walked. She barely breathed as she finally found her siblings. Four graves lay before her, but they were not the ones she was looking for. These four were the siblings she had never known, they had died in infancy. Looking to the right of the four graves she found that of 115. Her sister Nell. More followed. 117, Davie. 132, Reg. 145, Mira.

At the grave of 145 Ann knelt down and brushed the leaves from the marker. Mira was the one she remembered the best. When it had only been the three of them left, Mira’s life had been fading away.

Ann stood from her bunk and stared at the shaking form in the corner of the room. She went to the corner and placed a comforting hand on her sister’s shoulder.

“Mira?” Anne began. “What’s wrong?” She could tell it was not another seizure.

“Annie, I’m scared!” Mira’s voice was little more than a whisper, but filled with terror nonetheless. Her deep brown eyes wavered slightly when meeting Ann’s gaze.

Ann took her sister’s hand. It was like ice.

“Today I couldn’t breathe,” Mira’s voice cracked. “Help me.”

Ann could only hug her sister with hope that it would all go away.

Mira had died three days later after collapsing during roll call.

When Ann had cried she had not cared that she would be punished for it. Now she stared at the bare stone that marked the grave of X-5145. Ann knew she probably would have held the same fate as her sister, had she not escaped.

“Are you amusing yourself by glaring at the headstones of the failures?”

That voice snapped Anya back to reality. She stood and turned to face the source.

A tall, sandy-haired young man stood a few feet away. He was X-series judging from the fatigues he wore. His blue eyes were filled with a serious emotion. “It’s not that often one of the scientists decide to visit their dead creations.” He turned glanced down at the grave. “You made them and now they’re dead.”

“I was in no way responsible for their deaths,” Anya replied.

The man eyed her. “You’re new.”

“How observational,” Anya said.

“That accent’s pretty,” The X-5 remarked with an almost mocking tone. “Where are you from?”

“Closer than you think,” Anya replied. Glancing at the headstone, she then turned back to the X-5. “It takes a lot of nerve for a soldier to be that rash in accusations against authority.”

“It takes even more nerve for a scientist to speak casually to a person who could kill her in a snap,” The X-5 replied.

“Are you threatening me?” Anya questioned, not backing down. The man’s arrogance was clear.

“Of course not, Ma’m,” The X-5 said. “But I should advise you that the X-7s will be starting their patrol soon. The grounds need to be clear. That’s why I came out when I saw you.”

“Well, thank you then,” Anya replied. She turned and started back towards the buildings.

“Ma’m?” The X-5 called.

Anya turned.

The soldier was standing in the same place, but his eyes followed her. “What’s your name?”

“Why do you want to know?” Anya inquired.

The X-5 shrugged.

Anya let herself smile. “My name is Anya.” She turned and left him standing in the night.

* * * *

“I must say that I’m impressed with the work you’ve done so far,” Mark said. “It would have taken me a few months to get this far.”

McKenna grinned and walked past him. “Dr. Johansen, I just skipped what was already done.”

“So what did you do at that university anyway?” Mark inquired. He leaned back in his seat.

“Last I was working with frogs,” Anya replied. She opened a binder and began taking notes from the readings displayed on the screen.

“But that’s not your specialty is it?”

“I prefer primates,” Anya joked. “No. I have a knack for finding what gene causes what. I’ve developed gene therapies. My dissertation was on proving that there is some value to junk DNA.”

“Get anywhere with that?” Mark asked.

Anya shrugged. “I proved that some of the junk base pairs are essential for the production of amino acids, but that’s common knowledge.”

“Still, you thought to pursue it though,” He added. “Got your doctorate for it didn’t you?”

Anya nodded and stood. She closed the binder and turned to put it away.

“When did you start school?”

“I was fifteen when I was accepted to the University,” Anya replied. “I’ve been there ever since.”

“Until you came here that is,” Johansen remarked. “What did—”

Mark stopped talking as Anya reached to place the binder back on the shelf, the hem of her shirt raised partway, revealing a few inches of the skin on her back.

At his silence it occurred to her that he was probably enjoying the view. Men! She turned from the shelf and yanked her shirt hem down. “What?”

Mark was silent, perhaps from embarrassment. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to come across like that it’s just…”

Anya stared at him. “You saw my scar.”

“Umm, yeah,” Mark said hesitantly.

“Surely, you’ve got some marks, too?”

“Not like that,” Mark said. “What’d you donate a kidney or something?”

Her hand went to the small of her back. She had done exactly that when she was eleven. Not that she had volunteered for it. “You know, Doctor, it’s really none of your business.”

Mark nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I apologize, Anya.”

“Next time try not to pry in the first place,” She pushed her glasses up and sat down. “Have the results from those tests come back yet?”

Johansen shook his head. “It’s going to take a while for the techs to analyze them all,” He took a seat near her. “Anya,” he sighed. “I know we’ve only been working together for a little while, but already I get the feeling that you’ve got secrets.”

Anya smiled. “Don’t we all?”

“Of course, but Anya,” Mark paused. “If there’s anything you ever need, don’t hesitate to ask me.”

“Thanks, Mark,” She said. “But I can take care of myself.” She glanced at the door and stood. “I’m going for some air.” She half expected him to follow her as she walked away. But he did not.

As soon as she turned the corner, out of view of the lab, she let herself lean against the wall. It was difficult to avoid the old memories that kept coming back. In the years since her escape she had used the techniques Manticore had taught her to repress as many as she could, but they were surging back into her mind and she could not control their presence.

“135?” Lydecker’s voice broke through in a memory.

Ann was lying in bed in the infirmary. Her head ache from whatever they had sedated her with. She was not sure what had happened. She moved slightly to look around and ceased her movement when a searing pain shot up from the left side of her lower back. In that instant she knew they had taken something from her.

“135,” Lydecker said again.

Ann looked in the direction of his voice and her vision soon un-hazed.

The colonel was standing at the foot of her bed. He was waiting for her to reply.

“Sir,” Ann’s voice cracked after a moment.

“I feel obligated to tell you, 135,” Lydecker paused. “132 is now deceased. The surgery failed.”

Reg. Ann swallowed. “I’m sorry, sir. I—”

“You did your part, soldier,” He remarked. “No apologies. Tomorrow you will report back to your unit.” He turned swiftly and marched out of the ward.

Anya swore she could still feel the fire burning in her back. She wondered if they had actually tried to save Reg. Had it really been worth it to Manticore to bother with them anymore. The organization had their successful X-5s. Why had they bothered with the failures?

Salvage. They were just too expensive to simply dispose of.

McKenna’s thoughts came back to reality as she heard someone approach. She crossed her arms and straightened up.

“Dr. McKenna?” The voice of Director Renfro cut through the silence. The woman approached Anya.

“Director,” Anya gave a nod of acknowledgement and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face.

Renfro just looked her up and down. “Come with me, Doctor.”

Anya did not question and followed Renfro down the corridor.

“I need to ask you, McKenna,” Renfro paused for a moment. “How do you feel you’re handling your work? Are your personal emotions getting involved at all?”

“No, Director,” Anya replied. “I’m handling it well.”

“Good,” Renfro said. “Because as valuable as your work is to this organization, there is no room for those who may question the work.”

“I understand, Director,” Anya replied. “But I assure you that I’m handling it.”

“Be sure that you do,” Renfro remarked. “And know that I can have you deported in an instant.”

Anya smirked. “That would actually be a relief.”

Renfro was not amused. “I’ll make it a reality, McKenna, if I see you becoming unprofessional.” She stopped walking. They were in front of the door to her office.

McKenna smiled. “Director, I’m not here because I needed a job. I came here for the research opportunities.”

“Then keep that in mind, Doctor,” Renfro stated and disappeared into her office.

ooooo :reallyexcited:
I am hooked! :P
This is awesome! I love Dark Angel, and miss it! :wub:
You write Alec perfectly....and I can't wait till Max figures out who Anya is! :lol:
More soon I hope and can I get a PM please? :D
Colly E. :bunny:

Chapter 4
Resurgence

McKenna stared after Renfro for a moment before starting down the corridor again. It was all the same. The halls, the windows, the grounds, they all looked as they had when she had left. The people had changed of course.

She had heard a bit of what had happened to Manticore after her escape. The base had nearly shut down. “Pity it didn’t.” She whispered to herself.

As she walked, she had to stop for a moment as she suddenly felt faint. The feeling faded after an instant she continued on. Probably nothing. She thought.

When she got back to the lab Johansen had already left for the day. Anya finished the last of her notes and shut off the computers. She picked up her purse and keys and locked up the lab before heading out. She walked down the corridor towards the exit, passing the halls that went off to the X-series barracks.

As always several soldiers passed by her as she walked. They were of all ages it seemed. All young never having consent in what was being done with their lives. That was the way it was to be.

Anya paused at a window and glanced out at the grounds. She saw the X-7s moving through the trees as usual. From what she had read on them, it was bat that had been mixed into their DNA. A bit too much though. They spoke in high chirping tones that could only be translated through a computer.

Anya smirked as she watched them, wondering why Manticore had not ended up with a batch of meowing X-5s.

She walked through the parking lot and spotted her car. It was a small used sedan she had bought just to use for the time she was in the country. As she walked across the pavement, she suddenly staggered. Anya brought her hand to her temple, only to see her hand beginning to shake. A sudden panic filled her and she moved to her car. In an instant, she unlocked it and dropped into the driver’s seat, shutting the door behind her.

Leaning back against the seat McKenna willed it to stop, but it didn’t. Anya could only watch and feel her body convulse as darkness took her.

* * * *

A flashlight beam streamed through the glass windows of the sedan. It moved over the figure hunched over in the front seat. The officer rapped on the glass and the figure moved. The woman sat up and pushed the hair out of her face. She rolled down the window.

“Is everything all right, Dr. McKenna?” The Officer asked. He shut off the flashlight.

McKenna took a glance in the rearview mirror. Her glasses were gone and her face was a bit pale. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“You been out here all night?” The man asked.

Anya glanced at him and then at her watch that read 6:15 AM. She laughed a little. “I guess I have. Must have fallen asleep.”

The man nodded. “You sure you’re all right, Ma’m?”

“Yes, thank you,” Anya replied. She watched the guard nod again and then leave. Anya’s hand went to the back of her neck protectively. The guard had not seen it, had he? She closed her eyes. She should have been smarter. After years of combating her various illnesses, the seizures were all she was left with. But she had not had one in over a year. She had thought they were gone.

“You shouldn’t have been so foolish, Ann,” She said aloud to herself. She stared at her reflection in the rearview mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes and there was no doubt that she was pale. She pulled a cosmetic bag from under the seat and set to righting her appearance.

* * * *

Mark wondered why he had been called into Renfro’s office this early in the morning. Sure, he was on base at this time pretty much everyday, but that didn’t change the odd timing. He strode into the director’s office and found the blonde woman on the phone.

Renfro waved for him to sit down. After a moment she hung up the phone and turned to Johansen. “Thank you for coming, Doctor. Something’s come up that I needed to consult you on.” She flipped open a folder on her desk and turned it so Mark could see. “These surveillance photos are from a department store in Cheyenne last week. One of the guards here happens to pull a second shift there. He spotted her. There’s no view of this person’s face, but that doesn’t matter. Take a look at the magnification.”

Johansen pulled the black and white photos closer. The images were grainy, but it was obviously a woman, her hair was tied up at the crown of her head and barely visible over the collar of her jacket was a barcode. Mark looked at Renfro. “Which one?” He questioned, wondering why Renfro would call him in on account of a rogue X-5.

Renfro took back the photos and smirked as she glanced over them again. “It matches that of X-5135.”

Johansen found himself laughing. “135, how is that possible? She’s dead.”

Renfro dropped the photos on her desk. “Doctor, did we ever actually find her corpse?”

Johansen shook his head. “But, Director Renfro, she was suffering through the end stages of a degenerative genetic syndrome when she escaped. At that time she only had three months to live maximum.”

Renfro smirked. “So the doctors have told me. But still, we can’t ignore this,” She held up the photo. “135 is out there somewhere. She did get treatment.”

“No treatment exists,” Mark replied. “Even today with our improved technology, no cure exists for the condition she had. At least none that I know of. I can consult Dr. McKenna on the matter.”

“You do that,” Renfro replied and turned back to the folders on her desk. “There’s a TAC team out looking for 135 now. When she’s in custody, we’ll find out exactly how she’s still alive. You can return to your work, Doctor.”

Johansen stood and left the director’s office. 135 was alive. Ann. Of course he asked himself how it was possible, but did it matter? Ann must have cleared out and stayed away from Manticore for the past decade. Why would she come back though? All that was here for her were bad memories and pain. He shuddered to think of what Renfro would put that girl through if she were caught.

Mark was lost in thought when he ran headlong into Dr. McKenna.

“Excuse me,” McKenna said instinctively. “Oh, Dr. Johansen. I’m sorry. I seem to have a tendency to run into people around here.” She pushed her straight blonde locks out of her face. Anya’s hazel eyes were set behind a paler face than usual and judging from memory she was wearing the same clothes as the previous day. Not to mention that her eyeglasses were gone.

“Anya, are you all right?” Mark had to ask.

Anya took a step away only to stumble slightly. Mark caught her arm and kept her from falling. “Bloody heels!”

“Anya?” Mark questioned again.

McKenna stopped and looked at him. “Doctor, I’m fine. Just had a bad night.” With that she pulled away and continued down the corridor, her stride was back to her usual grace.

* * * *

McKenna was already deep in work when Mark entered the lab. She was flipping through pages of notes and furiously typing on the computer.

Mark paused for a moment and looked down at the folder he held. It was the genetic profile of the X-5 that had been spotted in Cheyenne. “Anya, I have something I need you to look at.”

McKenna stopped typing and turned. “Sure, Mark. What is it?”

Mark handed her the folder, which she promptly flipped open and began to read. “Do you remember our conversation on the ’09 escapees?”

McKenna nodded. She flipped one of the pages. “Yes, but this profile doesn’t match the standard X-5 genome. I mean there are several similarities, but several differences also.”

“This one is from an earlier group of X-5s,” Mark explained.

Anya looked up in surprise. “Earlier? What do you mean?”

Johansen sat down and looked McKenna in the eye. “What I mean is there was a group of X-5s born before the rest. These ten were born in 1997, all within a few months. But the lack of success caused Manticore to do some more gene splicing and the rest of the X-5s were created.”

“I can understand why,” Anya observed. “This is an invitation for disaster.” She waved at the folder. “Did any of these kids actually live?”

Mark nodded. “They all did, but then most of them died later on. This is why I brought this to your attention. This particular one was suffering from the end stages of—”

“I can tell that, Doctor,” McKenna cut him off. Her tone was slightly edged. “What do you want to know?”

“Doctor, in my own expertise I’ve looked for any possible cures from antibiotics to gene therapy, but everything says that she should be dead,” Mark replied. “Is it possible that some type of treatment could have existed?”

McKenna turned away and leaned back in her seat. “Theoretically the answer is yes. I mean theoretically gene therapy can remake any DNA strand. Faulty genes can be replaced. But, Doctor, from the looks of this I’d say she’s probably dead.”

Johansen stood and shook his head. “No. She’s not. A security camera caught a shot of her in Cheyenne last week.”

McKenna looked at him. “This place really needs to keep its experiments under wraps.”

Johansen stepped closer to her and paused. “Are you certain we’ve never met before?” He asked. “I mean you seem so familiar. Your voice, your face, your eyes…”

Anya took off her glasses. “Have you ever been to England?”

Mark shook his head.

“Then I don’t see how it’s possible,” Anya replied. “This is my first time out of the country.”

Mark smiled. “I know who you remind me of.”

“Who?”

“Don’t take this as an insult or anything, but your eyes are the same color as hers,” Mark continued.

“Who?”

“Ann,” Mark replied. “At least that’s what she called herself. Her designation was X-5135.”

“The dead X-5,” Anya observed. “Johansen, you certainly have a way with flattery.”

He looked at Anya. “Your name’s pretty close to that.”

Anya laughed. “I hate my name.”

“She was nearly thirteen when she escaped,” Mark went on. “She killed a guard in the process and left behind her brother.”

“What of her brother?”

Mark stepped closer. “So I’ve perked your curiosity?”

Anya shook her head. “You speak of the prototypes as people, when that’s one of the key things around here that will get you sacked.” She stood and started loading a tray with test tubes. After it was filled she started walking towards the exit. “I’m taking these down to the med center.”

“I haven’t lost my job in twenty years, Ann,” Mark called as she opened the door.

Anya turned at that, nearly dropping the test tubes. “What did you call me?”

“You think a pair of glasses and an accent can fool an old man who loved you as a daughter?” Mark questioned. “Or do you not remember me?”

Anya shook her head. “You’ve got the wrong person, Mark.”

“Really?” He replied. “Then explain the scar on your back or the one on the back of your leg. You were seven; basic munitions training out in the forest, even all that feline grace couldn’t keep you from tripping. Who do you think carried you all the way to the infirmary?”

Anya laughed. “I’m not recalling that, but the scar is from falling out of a tree when I was six. My father shouted at me about it for three days straight. Made me take dance lessons to fill my time.”

Mark shook his head. “Ann!”

“My name’s Anya,” She said. She continued walking.

“Ann, Aaron’s alive.”

okay, it's been quite some time & I have written a lot more on this story. The current count is up to 22 chapters :) here's chapter 5

Chapter 5

Raison d'être

McKenna turned around slowly at those words. She walked back into the room and placed the test tubes down on the first surface she found. She leaned over her arms on the counter, her back to Johansen. Anya’s breaths were shallow as she thought. “You know, Mark, you were always kind to me. I would hate to think that things have changed. I would hate to think of what I would have to do.”

Mark was eyeing her carefully. “You were never a soldier, Ann,” He replied.

The next instant was a blur. McKenna disappeared and Johansen found himself being slammed face first into the brick wall. She had his arms twisted behind his back in such a way that any movement would break bones.

Mark took a second to recover from the impact and turned to look into the emerald eyes of the X-5 restraining him. He saw no fear in them, but they burned with emotion.

“You think I’m not what they created me to be?” Ann whispered. “Do you think I haven’t retained what I learned?” She did not wait for a response before she continued. “One of the things you learn in the training is to dispose of threats,” Her grip became stronger. “Trust no one and never let your guard down.”

“That may be the way you were taught to act in enemy territory, 135,” Mark said slowly. “This is that territory, but I am not the enemy.”

Ann’s gaze was steady. “I know that.”

“Then why don’t you let me go?”

“Because I don’t know if I can trust you,” McKenna replied. She looked away for a moment. “Dr. Johansen, I need you to know that I did not come back here with care for my own life. I am willing to extend an amount of good faith for the time being, but if I catch the slightest edge that you’ve gone against that I will put my training to use.” With that she stepped away.

Mark turned back to face her, checking his wrists. “But I have to ask, why did you come back?”

“I don’t trust you fully, Mark,” Ann replied. She moved back to her desk and sat down. “So tell me, they weren’t able to make out a face off of that surveillance camera were they? Otherwise it would have been a TAC team storming in here.”

“The barcode was enough,” Mark answered. He stood by the window and glanced out. “But, Doctor, they do have a team out looking for you.”

An inaudible curse escaped Ann’s lips. “It will only be a matter of time then before they trace it to me. You said Aaron’s alive.”

Johansen met her gaze and nodded. “He is.”

“Is he here?” She asked in an obviously expectant tone.

“Ann, do I need to caution you to not be careless?” Mark said sternly.

“I left the country for ten years,” McKenna replied. “I don’t need caution from you.”

“137 is on base, Ann,” Mark said after a moment.

Ann felt tears coming to her eyes.

“Aaron!” Ann reached out to him, but he violently shoved her back.

“They’re coming, Ann! Run!”

“I can’t!”

“It’s an order, 135!”

“The doctors were able to save him. No miracle compared to the woman I’m speaking to right now,” Mark continued. “How did you survive?”

Anya fiddled with her glasses on the desk. “I won’t tell you that now. My brother…”

“What do you want to know, Ann?” Johansen inquired. He studied the young woman before him. He wanted to hit himself for not realizing who she was sooner. McKenna was way too smart to simply be a naturally made genius. Of course Manticore had spliced it into her genetic code. All of them were like that.

Ann looked at him with tear-stained emerald eyes. Suddenly, she looked so young. Innocent it seemed. Mark finally realized that this was the real Ann he was looking at. She was not a geneticist, not a superhuman, not a soldier. Ann was only a scared kid. “What happened to him?” Her English accent was gone. She sounded nearly as he had remembered.

“He recovered and was integrated in with a unit of X-5s. He never developed what nearly killed you,” Dr. Johansen explained. “Ann, they might have been able to save you.”

Ann shook her head furiously. “I would have died if I stayed here! I was practically next in line to be autopsied!”

Mark shook his head and stepped closer to her. “Ann, what do you think will happen if they catch you? Do you think Renfro will welcome you back? You need to leave. Now!”

“I can’t,” Anya replied. She stood and tossed off her lab coat, revealing a white blouse and khaki trousers. “Not yet.” She turned to leave.

“Why, Ann?” Mark asked as she reached the exit. “What’s keeping you here? Why would you risk your neck coming back?”

She glanced back. In little more than a whisper she spoke, “I told you, Mark. I didn’t come for myself.”