Chapter 29

Logan had learned early on to expect the unexpected. That became more so the day he met Sequoia Williams. From the first day he had been surprised at her overall demeanor; the completely gentle and kind woman who could be tough as nails and occasionally surprised them with her ability to fight. Yet that really was nothing compared to the fact that he had briefly thought that she had sided with Rorke and decided to break him.

He hadn't expected her to act that way and that attested to the reason why Slayton wanted her back. She was good at what she did. It certainly became clear though when she dropped the act the moment Rorke had left them alone in the pit. He was relieved that she still was his best friend and she was determined to get them out. But it was not going to be a simple escape plan.

"I already escaped once," she said, "And he would be expecting something like that. Though he'll always be watching me."

It was a strange thing to hear but to Logan it made sense. After all he hadn't missed how Rorke looked at her when they first met and then later when they thought they captured him. Looking at his best friend, he replied, "So what are we going to do?"

"Play along," Sequoia replied as she dug in the ground the hole she had made. "Play along and hope that Ohanzee and Shappa pick up the trail." She turned to see Logan looking at her with a raised brow. She took in the scar that had formed on his braw and extended towards his eye. She knew that he and the other Ghosts didn't understand her and she knew she had done disservice by not telling them what she did for Elias after 'graduating' Freefall.

It doesn't mean that I love you less. I love you Hawk.

Sequoia studied Logan as she thought about where they were and how they got there. She knew that this fight was not going to be the traditional manner. The question was whether or not the Ghosts would be able to do what Rorke had been doing before he turned and what she had bene taught all her life. She straightened up and looked at her best friend, "This will not be like any fight."

"I figured that the moment Rorke ambushed us on the beach and me and Hesh thought that he was dead," Logan replied. He stepped forward and looked at her. "I know that you see things different and my bonehead brother seemed to pick that up and…"

"He used it against me," Sequoia finished with no malice but rather with a hint of pride. She couldn't help but smile slightly as she remembered when they sparred together and she taught him a few things.

"You say that like you're proud."

Sequoia bent back over to pull out the supplies she had hidden in her hole. She pulled out a worn piece of utensil that looked like it once was a butter knife. "I am," she replied honestly. "Just as I am proud that you learned how to use a hand axe the way I can." She gave a slight smile as she held out the butter knife to Logan. She took in his expression and sighed, "I am proud because… even though I was pissed at the both of you, it was something I would have done had it been the other way around."

Logan took the knife and looked at it before putting it into his pants. "So you would have tied up Hesh and gone after Rorke yourself?"

"You make it sound kinky," Sequoia replied with a snort. "But… I would since I know that Rorke is not an ordinary target."

Logan frowned at that, "What do you mean?"

Sequoia stopped her digging. It wasn't like there was going to be much to use except for the few sharp implements she had hidden. "Well… Rorke… he's not like any target you've been after."

"Hawk, we've been after him since Operation Homecoming," Logan pointed out.

"But he has outmaneuvered us every step of the way. Even when we slowed the Fed down." Sequoia squatted as she looked at their prison. She looked up at the grated opening and sighed before looking at Logan and added, "He's different."

Logan knew that he was going to have to ask and get answers especially if he was going to be a part of whatever was planned in terms of their escape. He kneeled to meet her on the same level and asked, "How so?"

Sequoia looked at Logan. "You really want to know what I see?"

Logan shrugged his shoulders slightly and gestured around them, "We've got time. And… I want to know what you think." He looked at her in the eye and added, "I have always appreciated what you know, Hawk. Hesh too."

"I know."

"Seriously, Hawk," Logan said as he reached out and grasped her arm gently. "Tell me."

Sequoia reached out and tapped Logan's hand. She knew that it would take effort to understand but Hesh was starting to; a lot of his actions with her was learning about her people and respect for her values. Logan would be able to understand. She nodded, "Okay." She adjusted he position so she was sitting on her knees and she was resting on her heels. Looking at Logan she continued, "Rorke… he's… My father told me that there are two types of hunters: a hunter and a predator."

Logan shifted and sat down. "What's the difference?"

"A hunter is a hunter," Sequoia replied a little offhand. "A hunter tracks their target and only for the purpose of protecting or feeding the tribe. They don't hunt to kill."

"But predators do," Logan filled in, his mind going into gear at figuring things out. "And Rorke is a predator."

"You always were the smart one," Sequoia replied with a grin. "I always knew that about you." She cleared her throat slightly and continued, "But yes… Rorke is a predator. He takes pleasure in hunting for the kill. I think my father saw that when they were after Amagro."

"Your dad was there?"

Sequoia nodded, "Elias told me." She looked down at the ground. "There was a lot about my father I didn't know."

"Well he was the best and he made Freefall."

Sequoia made a sound at that. "I didn't know what he did and my father kept work out of home life. I knew he was military but never exactly what he did. He started training me when I was very young. He taught me to be a hunter… of course he also was teaching me how to be Lakota Sioux, a warrior."

Logan studied his best friend. She had a life different than most people he knew. "And we got you, Hawk. You're one of the best."

She smiled at that, "Kind of you to say but… I did screw up on a few accounts. I got myself taken and then I got you taken."

"And if we didn't tie you up things would have gone differently and probably worse. Lot of what ifs, Hawk. Question is what to do now."

Sequoia looked at Logan and noted the serious expression. She nodded and continued, "Rorke is a predator. He really follows what it means to be a Ghost; that they won't stop until the mission is over but he won't be satisfied even when he gets his man. It's a pleasure for the kill and to get things done no matter what the cost. It's a fine line Sungmanitu."

Sequoia shifted and pulled out her other things as an idea came to her. It would take a lot of creativity to get things done. "Still in order to win this, things will not be done conventionally. To beat Rorke… he must be hunted."

"It's what we're doing Hawk," Logan began as he began picking through what she had buried. He had some ideas too and was getting to work with them. He looked at Sequoia and added, "But that's not what you have in mind, do you?"

"No," Sequoia replied with a slight shake of her head. "It is difficult to understand because you are not one of the people but know this: when it comes down to the line, true hunters, warriors, will never back down. They will not run; no surrender, no retreat. They will fight until the death."

Logan heard the words but he didn't want to necessarily listen. He didn't like the idea that they spent the time and energy to find her only to have her say that this would be a fight to the death and she would acknowledge the possibility that she might not return. It wasn't fair and he wasn't speaking for his sake but for Hesh's. Still he couldn't help but ask, "You don't mean a suicide mission, do you Hawk? Cause I can't stand losing you again and dealing with bonehead Hesh."

Sequoia knew she sounded like there was no way out. She was only laying down the facts. It was how her father taught her when he taught her the more important lessons over the many he had taught her over the course of her life. She made an adjustment on the tool she was working on. "No. Logan," she looked at the younger Walker, "I don't mean that. I am telling you how it is and the difference between me and Rorke. Though I don't think that there is much difference." She looked away and at the wall.

"There is a difference," Logan asserted firmly. "I'm sorry Hawk. Call it a moment of weakness or whatever but… I know that you are nothing like Rorke. You are a Ghost. You do what you have to do but not at the expense of your friends and civilians."

Sequoia turned to look back at Logan. She saw the determination in his eyes but also the slight begging of her not to give into despair. He looked like he was determined to do everything he knew to convince her that she wasn't going down a slippery slope. He didn't need to since her goal was to get back to him and Hesh in the first place; they kept her sane. Still she appreciated the effort and in turn, she would do what she had to do to help him get them out of here. "I'm sorry for sounding harsh. When I was growing up… my father didn't sugarcoat things. To do so made a person blind to the dangers they could be in."

Logan made a slight sound at that and gave a slight smile. "Dad was the same. When he trained me and Hesh and taught us what we know… he would be deadly serious."

"But he made time to show otherwise. Mine couldn't do that. Not with his job." Sequoia smiled at Logan, "And I envy that. I envy the fact that my father felt like he wasn't free to show how he felt to his family or even acknowledge we existed." She took a breath and looked down at her work and continued with what she was doing. "Even today I still don't know what he did but I do know that it was for Slayton."

"Is that why you joined Freefall?"

Sequoia stood up once she was finished with her tool. She needed to test it and walked over to where she knew it would be a good area to test and still not be noticeable. "I was recruited by Freefall."

"Same thing."

"No it isn't."

Logan stood up and crossed his arms. "Tell me then. Cause Hesh sure as hell couldn't tell me and he's been the one poking at classified stuff. Didn't bat an eye when Slayton and Ashford explained."

Sequoia reached up and worked on the piece of the grating she could reach. "I joined the army to fight because the Fed destroyed my home and killed my parents. My parents died that day. I certainly didn't ask to be a part of a Special Forces program."

"But obviously you were trained for it even before you joined."

"I was trained to be a hunter, Logan," Sequoia replied turning to give a firm look at her laughing pup. "I was trained as my people had been for hundreds of years. What my father taught me was out of fear of what would happen if his enemies found out I existed." She turned back to work her tool and hone it to sharpness. "I was recruited out of boot and I can tell you my scores weren't impressive."

"Then why?"

"Because I have what the other recruits don't have. I have what Charlie had." Sequoia blinked as she realized that she remembered what Rorke teased her with during his conversations before she agreed to help him out… with her fingers crossed of course. She went back to working with her tool and making adjustments.

Logan paced below feeling a little out of place since he was down on the ground and Sequoia was up top working on a tool. "Slayton said that you were a prodigy and legacy."

Sequoia scoffed, "His words. Not mine." She sighed and continued, "He and my father were close. Slayton though… he saw potential. My father was concerned for those who had to go through the process. It was why he had Ashford develop the psych evals and monitoring protocols."

Logan didn't want to ask but he did, "And what did she say about you?"

"I don't play well with others and I have a hero complex that is self-detrimental and will use destructive means with the best intentions at heart," she rattled off. "Of course that was Lorenzo's assessment. Ashford overrode that."

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know except that maybe she made allowances for the fact that I was well ahead of the other recruits and I had the mindset that they wanted from the development." Sequoia finished what she was doing and tossed it down to Logan and motioned for him to give her his. "I do know that it was what Father wanted if I ever ended up in the service and was noticed by brass."

"You saying you didn't want that?"

"I just wanted to fight, Logan. I wasn't in it for the glory or whatever it is the pitch is." Sequoia worked on Logan's tool and tested it. "And Ashford told me that Freefall was based upon the training regimen my father gave me. Including the interrogation part."

"Well that was a given. You are pretty persuasive with the tomahawk alone." Logan couldn't help but chuckle. "And to let you in on a little secret, I did see a piss stain from Ramos. He literally did piss in his pants." He grinned as he looked up at her and noticed the look on her face. He was pleased that he made her smile.

Sequoia chuckled with Logan and shook her head slightly, "Damn Logan. It always comes back to that."

"Well you did cut an impressive figure. You in your war paint and just the way you were. We barely knew you then and you were badass then. Still are."

"Glad you think so." Sequoia finished what she was doing and checked the tool. "This is finished." She jumped down from her post. She handed it over to Logan for inspection. "Pretty clever design."

"Well I learned to work with what I had and damn quick," Logan replied as he handed hers over. He looked at his tool and examined it. He made a few slight adjustments and held it up. "Looks good. Don't know what good it will do but…"

"I like to think that it is contingency," Sequoia offered as she ran her fingers over the tool she had made. She looked down at her handiwork and became thoughtful. "I told Hesh what I could. On the Liberator. Logan, I was scared as hell telling the truth when I discovered that I loved him. I mean this kind of thing is the kind of thing that could break things."

Logan watched her. He had always thought her to be a strong person. She was since she stood up to the good, the bad, and the ugly and wouldn't bat an eye. It made people forget easily that she was a person too with feelings. It had to have been scary for her and he knew his brother. "Seems like it worked out."

"No secrets is our rule," she offered as she shuffled on her feet. "Of course I couldn't tell him everything and what I didn't know… but he said it was okay."

"And he meant it, Hawk. Hesh means what he says especially when it involves you. He loves you and I figured it out before he did."

Sequoia looked up and saw the look of reassurance from Logan. She smiled gently as she shifted again on her feet and looked up. She began to listen to their surroundings. "I think you figured it out before even I did." She looked up and moved her head as if to hear better. "Sounds like things are going to pick up."

"The shipment?"

"It's on the move. Where…" Sequoia shook her head. "I can't get anything."

"Me neither," Logan replied. He had climbed up to where she had been hanging. He moved his head, straining to hear what was being said.

"If anything Merrick will have eyes on it." Sequoia began pacing as she thought through things and gave the rundown of the plan. "I was able to give them that much after Charlie Leader dropped in. They know what to look for but the major problem is that there is still more of it here. This is a staging ground."

Logan looked at Sequoia as he jumped down. He tucked his tool away in a position so it wouldn't be found. "You're fucking me."

"No. The plan is to basically distribute from here. Though I was only privy to this move. So it could be that there is everything being shipped out." Sequoia frowned as she thought about the jobs she did. "Still the numbers don't add up. Then again I am not a chemist."

"Then we'd all be in trouble," Logan joked, "Explosives are enough."

"One little diversion and it snowballs from there." Sequoia shook her head in an exasperated manner but her demeanor gave away that she didn't mean it. She looked up at Logan and added, "I don't know everything…"

"I get it Hawk," Logan replied as he jumped down. "What matters is that you're here and not what that asshole Charlie Leader says." He grinned at her. "So let's figure out where to go from here."

Sequoia nodded and looked up. She couldn't begin to count how many times she would gaze up at the grating as if each time would make it different and it would be open sky. Maybe that was the definition of insanity. If that were the case, she would have been declared that long ago. "Well, Rorke will probably know that the team is coming and judging by sky, the shipment will be starting soon. He'll probably want us there so…" She looked at Logan.

Logan knew that they were going to have to get down and dirty with this. He was ready to do it now but he still had some apprehensions. He just couldn't let it show. He nodded, "Sounds like another sparring session."

"More than that."

Logan sighed and gave a knowing look. "I know. Do what you have to do Hawk. I know it's you and…" He drifted off and patted her on the arm. "Just try not to be too hard."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Can't mess up that ugly face for Skye. Though it would be an improvement." Sequoia grinned as she teased Logan. She sobered though and said, "Keep that tool hidden. Wait until you get an opportunity." She would have said more but when she heard something she changed gears rapidly. With a snarl she gave Logan a hard shove and said, "Alright get up. Enough with the beauty sleep."

Logan didn't expect the shove and went down in a heap and with a grunt. He knew what she had to do but it still stunned him with the speed she had changed her demeanor. He heard the noise up top and knew they had to play it out. He gave a glare at her and got to his feet. He took a swing and was thrown off balance when she sidestepped him and taunted him.

"Come on you little wimp. I can't believe he wanted you. What does he see in you?"

It reminded Logan very much of when he was taunted in school before he learned to stand up for himself and a helping hand from big brother. He growled and almost tackled her but she got the upper hand and delivered a hard blow to his back. She didn't use her elbow but forearm. To anyone watching it looked like she was kicking his ass and she was. She took a firm grip around his waist and threw him across the ground.

Logan landed with a grunt face down. He shook his head as he tried to get up but he was winded. He then felt a kick to the side of his head and he was on his back. He had to admit she knew how far to go so that it looked real and damn it felt real.

"You know, I used to hear stories about Black Viking. Most of it was bullshit since… pff." Sequoia paced and looked down at Logan. She gave another kick at his abdomen. It pained her since she was hurting Logan but it also reminded her of what she had witnessed to Hesh. "You don't impress me. And to be honest… Rorke doesn't either."

"Yeah well, badass Echo Three isn't so badass," Logan spat back, more because it was expected of him. He rolled to his stomach to try to get up but was given another kick and he was flat on his back. He then felt her foot across his neck with just enough pressure to make him struggle.

"Did I tell you to get up?" Sequoia looked down at Logan with a look that said she was the boss and if he challenged her… "You are what I tell you to be. You will do as I tell you." She removed her foot and paced. "Rorke wants me to turn you to be like him and join him. He'll have it but…" She kneeled and slowly drew her finger across Logan's face, sending a shiver down his spine. "But he really doesn't know the first thing about breaking and rebuilding."

Logan felt the shiver down his spine. He wondered if this was how she interrogated Rorke's man in the village. He swallowed, "You can try… but I'm not a traitor. Not like you." Inwardly he winced as he said that.

Sequoia gave a wry smile and hummed. She knew Logan didn't mean it and she would use it. "You know Rorke was right when he said that the Fed set him free but he is still shackled. Man is a coward but…" She leaned in close to stare at Logan with that stare she gave Rorke in the plane. "You are different," she said after a spell. "You are not a coward."

The "session" continued until Rorke came down and found her in the middle of 'converting' Logan. He was grinning at the sight. "Well, well, well. I see you've been busy Little Charlie."

"I work fast once I figured out how this weak little gazelle functioned," she replied as she gave a rough toeing with her boot to Logan. "Once you tell him who he is…" She looked at him and said, "You can get up POS."

"POS?" Rorke looked at her.

"Piece of Shit," she explained, "He is who I tell him to be. First step to getting what you want." She gave a wry grin that was more tongue in cheek on her end.

Rorke looked at her and put a hand on her cheek and caressed it. "Oh you are like Charlie." He turned and motioned for his men to tie up Logan and haul him out. He motioned for her to follow, "You've earned a reward. I have something to show the both of you."


A/N: Here we go folks and it looks like Hawk and Logan have a sort of plan but where will it go? Keep watching for more of The Hunt...