Title: Project R
Author: Yih
Written: June 21,
2001
Dedication: ?
Disclaimer: All
rights reserved by Eglee and Cameron Productions.
Chapter 12
"You need to have your weight behind you incase I do this," Zach said, while demonstrating how he could easily knock her off balance. "It's important always to keep a strong center so that you won't always be on the defensive, being pushed back your opponents." He saw the sweat rolling down her face as she tried to copy him. "I know it's hard," he said sympathetically. "But you've got to learn this, Max. It's very important. You need to have discipline."
"The problem," Max retorted, "is that I've not been raised
as a soldier. I've been a civilian all
my life, I just happened to have these unique skills that make you up. Who's to say I even am one of you? Maybe I'm just a freak of nature? Maybe you're wrong about me? So why are you wasting your precious time on
me?"
"You've got the barcode," Zach replied simply, that a big
proof, though not what he considered what made her a part of the group. It was her natural fieriness, liveliness,
adventure, and most of all, her demeanor that made her one of them. She was many things, but foremost she was an
X-5, and she couldn't escape that.
"What if it's just a tattoo?" she questioned, her voice a
thing of defiance. "What if I just got
a tattoo, and knew that I had the necessary skills to full my way into being an
X-5?"
He grinned at her, a knowing smirk. "I can take you somewhere to have it
removed, and if you really are an X-5, which I know you are, the blasted
barcode will come back. It's part of
the genetics, Max. You can't escape;
you can't escape this. You've got to
learn how to protect yourself. You have
to learn, because what if one day I'm not there to protect you?"
The challenge in eyes had settled down with his words. They had been on the run for the last six
months, and it hadn't gotten any easier over the time period. It seemed to have only gotten harder. She knew why they had to run, but what she
hated about it was when they were in dangerous situation, she couldn't help
Zach. She only hindered him. She hated being useless. She almost hated the life she had that
hadn't prepared her for this.
"I don't like being hard on you, Max," Zach murmured with a
warm voice, a tone she rarely heard. "But it's not in me to give in when someone doesn't do what I know she
can. Try it again, you're going have to
learn it, or one day it will get you killed."
She knew without words that if anyone was going to get
killed for being unable to protect herself, it was Zach. He wouldn't say that because he knew the
pressure she put on herself trying to get to a level where she could help him,
be there for him in a time of need. "I
know, Zach," she whispered softly. "I
know, let me try that again."
He nodded and watched her mimic his exact moves to his
satisfaction a hundred times until he was certain she wouldn't forget it. The actions had to be there without a
thought, had to be natural and sleek, overall something beyond human
nature. And it was, a marvelous thing
to watch her movements. He hated
himself for feeling this way; he hated this weakness growing inside of
her. Why couldn't he feel this way for
someone else? Why did it have to be
her?
"Still no word?" asked Alice with a careful tone, not
wanting to betray anything of the hope she felt.
"No," Logan answered bluntly, sighing at the same time. "I can't find a trace of her. It's like she's disappeared. I didn't think it was possible for one
person to totally vanish. It's like she
never existed, her records, I can't find them. Her school papers, her identification as a Seattle resident, I can't find
them! I can't find anything to deal
with her. She's gone, Alice."
"Are you certain?" she inquired lightly. "Maybe you aren't looking hard enough. Maybe you haven't checked out all the
sources yet. Maybe there's something
you've missed."
"I haven't missed anything!" he cried out passionately. "I haven't missed anything, that's the
problem. If I had missed anything, and
I know I won't because I'll go back and double, triple check everything. God, where could she have gone, Alice? I've looked at every possible nook and
cranny. She isn't anywhere to be
found."
"I'm sure she's somewhere."
"If she is, I can't find her," said Logan hopelessly.
Alice hid the surge of joy that coursed through her
veins. She didn't hate Max; she just
felt threatened by that girl's sensuality. She wondered if Logan hadn't seen for himself that the girl had eyes for
him. That she would do certain things
to grab his attention, even if it meant like acting as a child. The threat on her relationship was gone, and
she could finally revert to her past personality, a sweet woman that could never
hate anyone.
She felt ugly for feeling this way, but she couldn't deny
the relief she felt. She was sure she
eventually would lose to Max. The girl
had a special quality about her that made her wish they could trade
places. Max was confident, sure of
herself, and Alice knew she was pale vapid thing in comparison. But she loved Logan, with that she knew she
could hold on to him as long as she wasn't there to spoil it.
And now that she was gone, she planned to transform his
bachelor apartment into a home. There
they would have precious children that would all grow up to look like Logan,
cute miniatures of him. They would have
his intelligence, and perhaps her patient disposition. And they would adore him as much as she
adored him. How could they not? He was perfect, as she was not.
Author's
Note: Please review if
you can't. It was funny that ff.n
accidentally released Chapter 11 twice, so if you can review please, but some
of you might not be able to because of "signed" reviews. If you really really want (and I'll be very
much obliged) to review not signed, that would also be great! Anyhow, enjoy this chapter, I'm still not
very sure if I'll continue this series. Thanks!