(Logan)
Author's Note: If you're reading, PLEASE REVIEW.

We still need new writers for Det. Sung and Normal. Please visit the RPG folder at www.delphi.com/darkangelfans/start for information, or contact me at jennem@bigfoot.com _______________________________________________________________ Point of View: TINGA *****************************************

I hear Brinn in the next room. She sounds agitated. And I hear the unmistakable sound of damage being dealt out. For a split second I flinch, wondering how I managed to screw up my life //this// badly on such short notice. Then I resolutely get up and sprint for the next room.

Brinn is looking just this side of losing it. She's got Cale pulled halfway off the bed and is slapping him repeatedly. So far she hasn't done much damage, but she doesn't look likely to stop any time soon.

"Brinn!" I spit out in command tone. "Desist that action, soldier!"

For a second she comes up sharp, then I can see the hand that's got Cale's clothing tighten. She turns to me, and the face that looks back at me has none of the baby sister I remember. It's even less human-looking than Lydecker's.

"C'mon, Brinn," I say, more softly. "We need him alive. Relatively undamaged."

Something ugly moves behind her eyes. "Wasn't going to damage him...much," she says, deceptively light. "What's with the Manticore soldier talk, sis? You think you're in charge here, or something?"

In charge. What a joke.

"You're not exactly reacting in a fashion that makes a lot of sense, Sis," I say softly.

It's the wrong thing to say. She flinches again, and real anger flickers behind her eyes. It may not make much sense to me, but it obviously makes sense to her, and she's angry that I don't understand. We've both rejected everyone who even nominally supported us at this point, and have only each other. And now I've "turned" on her, too.

"Well, let me see if I can introduce you to my logic," she says as she drops Cale, mercifully silent during this, and springs over to me. I block the punch that's aimed at my face.

Why is it always the face?

Following through on the block, I grab her arm and use its momentum to tumble her. She easily transforms the fall into a controlled roll, landing lightly on her feet. My eyebrow raises in surprise and admiration.

"Like that? //You// should try the //refresher// course Manticore is offering. //Just// a few short months of //hell// and you too can be on //top// of your game," she says hotly, punctuating the words with a flurry of kicks and blows, faster than even Zack is capable of.

Correction. Faster than Zack fighting one of us. He is so loathe to hurt us, even when we're "working out" our differences. As I defend myself, I wonder if it's a given that we end up working out our differences by fighting. It's the only way I've ever done things with my family: follow orders, or duke it out.

But Brinn's left some edge behind. I hope it's not the one her sanity was on. She's fighting me like I've never seen, going all out. Man, I must've pissed her off something fierce.

I'm in trouble, I realize. She lands several strong kicks to my abdomen, driving me farther and farther back into the next room. I start to concentrate on merely avoiding the blows and getting out of her reach, but I'm not having any success. I manage to connect on a few moves, but she seems to barely register them.

What in God's name did they //do// to her? I can hear Cale yelling in the next room, but I can't take the time to listen. And Brinn's beyond listening. As I look at her, trying to dodge the next blow before it lands and mostly failing, I realize she's left herself behind somewhere, too. All I can see on her face is hurt and pain and confusion.

"Baby sister," I say gently, and see something come back to life in her face.

At precisely the wrong time, I drop a little of my guard. The blow she's too far into to stop falters as her anger does, and comes at me from the wrong direction. Neither one of us is ready for the way it lands, and I'm sent hurtling backwards, completely out of control.

The front door to the hotel room opens, framing someone I see in a flicker as I turn my eyes to where I'm flying, realizing with growing horror that the extremely solid desk is on a direct path with my head.

//Oh my, this is going to hurt,// is the last thing to pass through my head as stars spring forward and the world explodes in a kaleidoscope of images, Brinn fighting me, Max, Zack, Manticore, Lydecker, the faces of the men I've killed…

A moan escapes me and I feel something wet slide down my forehead. Lydecker's screaming at me and I'm late for reveille…

Point of View: BRINN *****************************************

Damn Cale. Damn him for knowing what's going on in my head. My hand rises up and I deliver two more blows to that pretty face of his. All I can think about is how much I wish it were Max or Zack that I was slapping. And for a moment, I am slapping Zack.

"Brinn! Desist that action, soldier!" Tinga's voice reminds me of Manticore. Of Zack. Of Lydecker.

Who does she think she is ordering me around?

"C'mon, Brinn, we need him alive. Relatively undamaged." She tries the soft approach.

"Wasn't going to damage him...much," I reply, lightening my tone. She's stupid if she falls for it. "What's with the Manticore soldier talk, sis? You think you're in charge here, or something?"

"You're not exactly reacting in a fashion that makes a lot of sense, Sis," she says softly.

That's it. "Well, let me see if I can introduce you to my logic." I drop Cale on the floor, where he lands in an untidy heap. My fist speeds towards Tinga's most prized asset, her face. Then we're fighting. Fast and furious. I couldn't stop even if I wanted to.

"Baby sister," she says. I feel my defenses start to fall. She does care. But it's too late to stop the blow I give her. I watch with horror as she flies through the air into a desk. Her body crumples to the ground just as the door to the hotel room opens.

What have I done?

"Who trained you people?" This comes from a guy in the doorway. "None of your barcodes have a 90210 in them."

"Huh?" I'm stunned. What is he talking about? And who is he? More importantly, how does he know about barcodes? While I'm wondering about this, his eyes are exploring the room, searching for something . . . or someone. He takes in Tinga's crumpled form and walks over to her. Carefully, he feels for a pulse, then lifts her hair and looks at her barcode. I'm too stunned to stop him. He looks up at me and I can see on his face that she's alive, but badly hurt.

"I'm guessing you're Brinn," he says. "That's not a nice way to treat your sister."

What does he want? I have to get rid of this guy.

"Who the hell are you?" I spit. He ignores me and barges into the next room. I follow and find him picking Cale up off the floor.

Yeah right, I'm gonna let this moron take Cale. The only one that gets him is Max.

"Sorry, pal, he's already taken." I lash out and plant a karate chop on the arm he's holding Logan with. It cracks sickeningly and he lets Cale drop back to the floor. Without a word, he stretches out his arm. The break becomes apparent. Then his arm stretches even further. He winces like he's scratching somewhere that's really hard to reach. The cracked bone slips forward as the muscles around it move like a giant snake trying to find a good position. Then everything contracts back and he clenches and unclenches his fist like he just worked out with a dumbbell. His eyes flash and he advances on me.

Holy Sh!t.

I block the hand that reaches for my throat, twisting it out of the way. He manages to block the punch I throw at him, but not as quick as another Manticore would have. He's transgenic, but he's not from Lydecker.

Before I can wonder who sent him, he tries to sweep my legs out from under me while grabbing at my hair.

"Do NOT touch the hair," I yell, spinning out of his reach and aiming a kick at his chest. It's like hitting a steel belted tire. He grabs my leg and pulls. I fall to the floor, but quickly regain my feet. He lands a lucky punch on my shoulder, and moves in for another one. I block and he reaches for me. Using his weight for momentum, I get a little leverage and throw. But he's holding on tightly, so I fly across the room with him.

I end up going through the wall. Just before impact, I force myself to go limp so that it won't cause as much damage. I stand up and look through the me-shaped hole at him. He's flexing his arm, the one I broke. I take the opening and throw the side table at him. I don't stay to see whether he catches it or not.

Outside there's a Harley parked next to our jeep. I start for the jeep, but then stop. Why the hell not? Max has one. And the jeep just isn't me. Soon I'm racing off on the freak's motorcycle back to Seattle. Tinga can take care of herself. I'm off to do what I should have done a while ago.

Point of View: TREAD*****************************************

Damn she's fast!!! I feel like I'm on the wrong end of bullet time!! I try to grab something but she spins out of my reach and does some weird running across the wall bit before racing at my midsection.

Max put some serious damage on me before I pinned her down long enough to see she was one of the escaped. Brinn here… is way meaner. She's trying to hurt me.

I catch her foot as she rebounds off my chest. She twists in mid air and lands crouched, but she was distracted and didn't see me fire off my left roundhouse punch. I glance off her shoulder knocking her off balance a little. I wonder why the hell I pulled my punch!! Before I can answer myself I try to swing again. She block the hit and starts using my force to throw me off balance, but to do that she has to stay in contact with me long enough to finish the move. I manage to get one of my Paws on her.

We both flip through the air, but the hand that's holding her is on my busted arm, and when I hit a funny angle I twinge and she slips free. DAMMIT!

The pent up momentum slingshots her, and she goes clean through the sheet rock wall!

I land on my feet barely. Trying to massage the pain out of my arm with my constrictor muscles. A table launches at me from a doorway and as I smash it to pieces with my good arm I'm aware of a streak of black racing out the front door.

I decide to just let her run. It's her problem. I have to figure out how I'm going to get to unconscious people back to Seattle. Neither of them is in any condition to drive.

That's when I hear it.

My adrenalin goes through the roof.

I race outside in time to watch the b*tch take off on my Harley!!!

I walk back in cursing a solid string of expletives. I walk over to Logan who's on the floor still out cold. I check him out and there's no serious damage. I pick him up and bring him over to a couch near the girl. I check look her over and see she's got a nasty head trauma.

Guess the driving dilemma is solved.

The girl speaks. "The failure is not the fault of the training, sir. It's my own."
"No it's not." I say.
"Why they hell they though abused children would make good soldiers in crazy beyond me."
I pick her up gently, she starts to become more agitated.
She whimpers, moans, in a voice that breaks my heart, "Zack! Don't go! You're the only family I've got!"

"Calm down. It's Ok." I answer.

As I carry her out to the Humvee she starts mumbling something else. I can't make out anything but a single word.
"mwmmmwa … Bling … mwmwm"
Only Bling I know is that butler dude of Logan's.
She reaches up and touches my face gently. Her eyes glazed.
"I'm glad your Ok."

The hotel manager starts to come up screaming at me as I place her in the back of the vehicle.

I growl at him, and he gets the idea to back away.

I go in and pick up Logan. I place him in the front of the car and as I reach around to buckle his seatbelt his head falls over on my shoulder.

"HmmMMmmm… I knew you'd rescue me… Max."

HE GOES TO KISS ME!!!
I grab his face and shove his head up straight.

"Down Boy!"

He starts to come too and blinks a few times. Then he sits up straight and start to turn beat red.
"Tread… I… I mean."

"Yeah. Careful where you point that thing. I almost had to finish killing you."

As I walk around to the driver side I see the hotel manager still sulking around.
I throw him a wad of $50 and take the opportunity to deliver a line from the sacred trilogy.

"Sorry for the mess."

Logan looks straight ahead as I start the car.

"I didn't have my glasses on."

"I don't know, you're kind of pretty for a straight guy."

He glares at me and says nothing.

Point of View: LOGAN***************************************

My head hurts.

A lot.

Once again, I'm returning to consciousness and trying to figure out where the hell I am. It's painful.

At least, that's the only excuse I can give myself right now, because even if I don't know where I am, I know what I did. I JUST TRIED TO KISS TREAD.

Oh God.

Talk about your unknown quantities. Tread is not my favorite person. But he can be useful, I guess, and at the moment I need all the help I can get. I look around at the inside of the Humvee, at the unconscious figure on the back seat.

"What happened?"

He grins. "You were feeling pretty affectionate, and my pretty face was too much to resist."

I grit my teeth. "Right. And before that?"

"Manticore One went through the wall and swiped my Harley. Manticore Two is in the back seat. Got a nasty bump to the head, seems to think she's back in training. When she's not muttering about that butler of yours."

Her head probably feels like mine, then. But speaking of butlers...and I remind myself never to call him that...I feel in my jacket pocket. Cel phone is intact. Tinga and Brinn must have been more rattled than I thought, to forget to search a prisoner.

Tinga starts getting agitated. She's thrashing around, yelling something about Eva. About getting out. About protecting her face. She's ranting and off balance, but she's trying to get out of the car. Tread goes back to control her.

I look at my phone, trying to figure out where, or who, to call. Max will be the most worried. At least, I hope she will. But I don't know what Tread is thinking, and I need to get someone on the phone immediately, without waiting for a callback.

Hopefully Bling should still have his cel on him. Hopefully he's got Max with him as well. Keeping one eye on Tread, wrestling Tinga into a seat belt, I dial the number.

Point of View: TINGA*****************************************

My head hurts. A lot. It's hard to think.

I see Eva, dead all these years, right in front of me. Whole. Healthy. And nine. Something about that bothers me, but I can't figure out what. She's smiling at me, assuring me it'll be all right. We have to get out of here.

And then she's dead, falling before my stunned eyes, her head blooming a red puddle that swiftly spreads. I want to scream. But that would be a tactical error.

Suddenly I'm running, crossing a field in an exercise. No, I'm in a club, dancing. I've got several pairs of male eyes looking at me...some with a glint of danger to them. I like danger.

And now Lydecker's tying me up, in front of the pool. I'm being webbed into a cocoon and he's going to throw me in! He's making too many knots, more than I ever remember. There's no way I can get them all undone in time, even if I start before the signal! I struggle, flailing out, trying to free myself. The others are all watching, solemn eyes wide and serious. Why aren't they helping me? Lydecker finishes the webbing with a final //click// of something locking into place. I break training and give voice to my frustrations. "NO!" I cry out, pleading and rebellious and angry and frustrated and fearful all in one word. I hear voices off in the background, someone saying "Bling". I look up.

And suddenly Lydecker is Bling, looking down at me with sadness and disapproval. "It could have worked, soldier," he said softly. "If only you weren't such a screwup." His face and tone of voice show infinite regret. His actions are just like Lydecker's. Using his foot, he shoves me toward the pool.

"NO!" I shriek again. "BLING, DON'T!" And then I'm falling into darkness, bound and helpless...

Point of View: BLING*****************************************

My head hurts… A lot!
Brinn whacked me a good one in the car.

So does my face. Tinga really sent me for a loop.

Feels like I've been running on automatic since the hospital. Like I've been totally out of it.

I'm carrying some of Logan's computer equipment into his cabin.

Logan's Cabin!

"Max, I just had a bad thought. Your military buddy back there knows where Logan lives. He can find this place too."

She stops for a moment. "I know. But it's the most secure place we've got. It should buy us a day or two. I'll figure something else out then."

She takes the computer stuff out of my hands and puts them on the dining room table where she's setting everything up. She's trying to be all business, but I can see she's worried.

"Max, they have no real reason to hurt Logan. He's got to be worth more to them in good shape."

She looks at me, and her brow furrows.

"This is all my fault Bling. If I had listened to Logan… if I hadn't trusted Tinga…"

"I was a little less than objective myself." I touch the bruise on my cheek.

"It doesn't look… that bad?" She smiles meekly at me and I can tell she's lying.

"Thanks… Let's get things set up and go get Logan back."

"Right." She nods. Then she gets back to work.

I pass Kendra and Cindy who are both carrying in other stuff. They surround Max and start to try and cheer her up a little.

As I head back outside I hear something. It's a phone! My cell phone!

I rush back in and start trying to find my jacket. The ringing gets louder as I lift it into the air. Everyone else has heard it now too and comes around. I pat the coat down, trying to find the pocket with the phone.

In a moment eight hands are squeezing and feeling the coat. The phone is still ringing.
Max finds the pocket with the phone in it.

"Hurry Max! Hurry!" Kendra whines.
"C'mon girl!" Cindy add.

There's a ripping sound, and the phone flips out of the pocket and bounces under the couch.

Max flips the couch over and we all dive for the phone now spinning amidst a small group of dust bunnies.

Max reaches it first. She flips it open…

"Hello? Hello?"

Her face goes flat…

"They hung up."

She hands me the phone and goes back to the computer.
I look down at the small LCD screen. It says 'Logan Cell' and flashes back and forth between that and his cell number.

"Hey guys, it was Logan's Cell phone!" I hit a key and it dials the last number that called.

The phone rings and Logan picks up almost immediately.

"Logan? You okay?" Max rushes over and leans her head up to the phone, I turn it so we can all try and hear.

"I've been better, but I think I'm Okay for the moment."

In the background I hear Tinga mumbling incoherently except for one phrase…

"NO! BLING DON'T"

"Was that Tinga?" I ask Logan.

"Yeah, she and Brinn got into it, she hit her head pretty bad, she's kind of out of it."

In the background I hear a third voice, a rough male one.
"Cale!!! Will you do something, she's trying to get out of the car and I'm trying to drive." The muffled voice commands.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with a delusional X-5? Pull over!"

There's a tire screeching sound. I hear Logan in the background.

"What the hell is this?" He asks.

"Myotron… It's a kind of stun gun. Disrupts brain waves that effect voluntary muscular control and aggression."
There's a pause. The same voice speaks again.
"It doesn't work on me. Wonky brain chemistry. Just in case you get any ideas."

Logan gets back on the phone.
"Sorry… a little preoccupied here."

"Who was that?" I ask Logan.

"Tread." I can here the irritation in Logan's voice. In the background Tread responds.
"Yeah, I love you too."

Max chimes in…
"Tread? How did he get involved?"

"Hi Max. I haven't asked him yet." Logan says.
"Hi Max!" Tread calls out.
"HrrmmrmphMax." Tinga mumbles in the background.

"Where are you?" She asks.

"Where headed back to Seattle." Logan responds.

"NO DON"T! Logan, we had to break down everything and go to the cabin." Max exclaimed.
"Lydecker… he was right in front of the building. He's probably on to you."

"Lydecker? Max you might not be safe at the cabin." Logan answered with concern.

Tread's voice added from the background.
"Deck's been taken care of. He's a whole new man now."

Max and Logan both said it at the same time.
Max: "What did he do?"
Logan: "What did you do?"

There was no response but a slightly cruel laugh.

"We'll meet you at the cabin Max." Logan said.

"We have to stop in Seattle first." Tread added.

"What for?" Logan asked.

"I have to pick up a couple of important things."

"You heard my Chauffer." Logan jibed.

"Careful Logan" Max responded.

"Will do."

Logan hung up.

"You sure he's going to be alright with guy." I ask Max.

"If Tread was going to hurt him, he would have done it already. He sounded in a good mood anyway." Max responded.

"This is the guy who crucified Mayor Steckler off the Space Needle after almost killing you and Logan, and wreaking the apartment a few months back?"

She just nods and goes back to setting up the computers. He had no trouble stunning Tinga, even though she's in bad shape. And he ALREADY took care of Lydecker? It probably won't do any good, but I'm loading the shotgun with slugs.