Please R/R!!
THE HUNT
Chapter Five
9:40 am
8:55 am
He looked at his watch. It was nearly nine in the morning before James could get the van that Renfro wanted up and running, complete with staff. He sipped his coffee and sat back in the swivel chair that was planted inside the van and next to some serious heavy equipment. He still didn't understand why, according to Renfro, he had to be the leader of this mission, he was just a local driver.
Perhaps that was why he was the leader, she was giving him one more chance before she got rid of him for good. The stunt that the X5 pulled that morning made him a horrible record for letting her escape. Even though he knew deep down there was nothing that he could've done, Renfro placed the blame on him, mostly because she didn't want it herself, they both knew it too.
"We'll take it from here and we'll report back to you later." Said one of the computer ops. Obviously he realized how out of place James was too. There were seven men who were in the van, some were computer geeks and others were officers ready to take the X5.
"All right." He got up and hopped out of the van. "She wants you to start with Sector Nine." He sipped his coffee and stared back at them.
"Why Sector Nine?" One of them asked as he hooked up a wire to a computer, instantly gaining a connection which started to hum as it warmed up.
"Because that's where they tracked her down last time. Who ever you find, bring them in alive, she wants to meet everyone that's helping the X5." The others in the van nodded simply and then returned to setting up their equipment. James headed back to Renfro's office to give her the details.
9:00 am
The van, which was labeled "The Bug Zapper" for cover, drove out of Manticore and headed straight for Sector Nine, the high rise district.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
9:29 am
"Logan? You up yet?" Bling called out as he walked into the apartment. There wasn't an answer. "Strange." He said quietly to himself as he looked at the clock. Nine thirty, Logan was usually up by then. He took off his jacket and put it on a hook before looking for Logan.
As he turned into the living room, he was shocked. "Max!" He called out happily. Both her and Logan had fallen asleep on the couch. Normally he wouldn't have awoken them, but this wasn't a normal case. After waking up fully, Max got up and hugged him. "How are you?" He asked, concerned.
"I'm fine." She smiled warmly at him.
"For now anyway." Came Logan's gentle voice from behind her. "I don't want to be the bringer of bad news, but Renfro's not going to stop looking for you."
Max thought for a moment. "I know, but they won't know where to find me."
"What about that implant in your head, Max?" Logan said
Max shook her head. "No, we got the van that they were tracking me with, they don't even know where to start looking. I'll be fine."
"I hope you're right." He sighed.
"I'm going to go make some breakfast, I'll let you know when it's ready." Bling said, noticing the hard atmosphere in the room.
"Thanks Bling." Max said as she smiled gratefully at him. He returned the smile and headed off to the kitchen.
Max approached Logan who was at his computer, watching it warm up. His brow was creased and furrow, deep with worry and concern. "You've got nothing to worry about, Logan." Max said soothingly as she bent down next to the chair.
"Max," Logan said quietly. "I almost lost you once, I don't know what would happen if I let it again."
Max shook her head slightly "But that wasn't your fault, there was nothing you could've done."
"Maybe." He said quietly, barely a whisper. He shook himself out of his thoughts and then turned back to her. "I'm just glad you're back." He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. When he pulled back he looked into her eyes for a moment and then kissed her on the lips, long and tender.
When they broke, they both smiled warmly at each other for a long moment. Max stood up and looked onto Logan's computer and video equipment. "I've really missed this place."
"What was it like in there?" Logan said cautiously, unsure what her response would be, whether or not she'd want to talk about it. The proof was in front of him that they hadn't really successfully reprogrammed her, but what she went through, must have been ....
"Hell." She said simply, her voice angered and raged.
Logan nodded, understanding that if she wanted to open up to him about it, she would.
9:39 am
"Hey guys! Breakfast is ready!" Bling shouted from the kitchen.
"Oh, I'm so looking forward to some food other than oatmeal." Max smiled happily, then both of them headed for the kitchen.
As they made it halfway there, Max's warning sign flashed in her head towards the window, she spun around and grabbed Logan. "Get down!" She shouted as the windows in the penthouse were broken through and shattered to the ground, sending shards everywhere.
Five men in black suits, heavily armed came into the penthouse on tethers, swinging as they descended to the floor before unhooking their belts from the ropes. Each had a machine gun strapped around their arms and over their shoulder.
One of the men advanced over to Max. "We're here with orders from Madame X to take you back to Manticore."