Gift of Darkness
bypari106
pari106@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/pari106/damain.html
Disclaimer: See Prologue or Chapter One
Rating: PG-13, to be safe.
Summary: (You know the drill by now). Logan meets his new roommate.
A/A/N: Okay, I don't really know where Sketchy lives. So I made it up. And I'm not so great with the
Jam Pony characters, but I tried, so humor me.
Gift of Darkness, part 6
"No," Logan was saying…
…at the same time that Max was continuing to pull him along towards their intended destination.
"Come on, Logan," she said.
"But, Max, this is…it's…"
What was it, exactly? The stench? The unappealing look of the place? Logan tried to organize his
thoughts on exactly why this could not be the temporary residence Max had found for him. All he could
think was 'Ugh.'
"It's not your usual kind of crib. I know," Max deadpanned. 'Don't smile, girl. Don't smile,' she warned
herself. She smiled.
Logan gave her a sharp look.
"It's not that. It's just…just…"
Ugh. That was what it was.
Logan shook his head and sighed. What was he bitching about? These were the sort of living conditions
the majority of the US population endured today. And if he were aspiring to be the savior of that group, did
it make sense that he cringe at the prospect of living down here, away from his sterile penthouse and high-
tech conveniences? No, it didn't.
And, no, he told himself, he wasn't being petty. He wasn't being squeamish. He didn't care where he
lived, or how, if it meant being able to carry on his mission in safety. But that had been the whole purpose
of going to ground – to be safe. Ugly but safe he could do.
This place was just ugly.
And there were people everywhere. Beady-eyed, shifty-looking people that didn't look at all safe. He'd
been hoping for some place a little more secluded.
The fact that this place wasn't probably wouldn't have bothered him at all if Max hadn't been there. If it
weren't for Max, the stench of the place, the sight of it…none of it would have really bothered him that
much. But with Max there…Logan caught a large, filthy, bear of a man giving Max a look he didn't like at
all. He unconsciously took a step closer to her and gave the man a glare that could have injured someone
civilized.
Max rolled her eyes.
And Logan tried to remind himself of the same old tune they'd been singing since he'd met her…she's a
big girl, she can take care of herself…Screw that. Yeah, she could take care of herself, but he didn't like
testing that fact. And he'd always accepted that from Max as an excuse to keep herself from being
coddled; he'd accepted it because he had to. Because the thought of her running off and facing Manticore,
alone, scared him even worse than her staying with him and facing Manticore by his side. Because even
though he wanted nothing more than to coddle her, she was a big girl. She could take care of herself. So
he accepted it. But he'd never liked it.
And now he didn't necessarily have to. It wasn't like this was her place they were going to, right? Surely
they could find somewhere else…
"Look, Max…I appreciate your finding this place for me, really, but…," Logan began.
"Uh-huh," she threw over her shoulder. And then they were there, at the door to his new apartment. She
threw open the door and Logan saw a man standing on the other side – tall, thin, with dark, disheveled hair
and a smile.
"Hey, roomie! Wuz up?" the man asked. Sketchy held up a hand for a high-five.
Logan just stared at it. Then he looked at Max.
"I'm staying with Sketchy?"
"You're staying with Sketchy," Max told him, and smiled again. "Someone's gotta keep an eye on you
while I go give my boo the heads up. Bling's gonna be over later, right?"
Logan nodded.
"Well, don't you two go anywhere till I get back from Original Cindy's." Max slapped him on the back.
"Till then, why don't you and David here get to know each other better." Then she skipped out before
Logan could stop her.
That left just him and Sketchy in the apartment. Alone.
Logan tried to smile. "Uh…hi."
"Hey," Sketchy replied, not offended in the least by the other man's apparent lack of enthusiasm. If he was
Mr. Money Bags, and he was in the same situation, he supposed he wouldn't be too enthused, either.
Sketchy shifted uncomfortably.
"Max…uh, told me. About your problem," he said.
Logan looked up from trying to find an unsoiled surface on which to sit. That certainly had his attention.
"She did?" he asked, beginning to frown. Staying here was putting Max's friend in enough jeopardy
without actually filling him in on all the sordid details. Logan thought that she would have discu…
"Uh, yeah," Sketchy continued. "You know I'm cool with that, right? I mean, no problem. It…you know,
it … happens."
Logan frowned harder. "It does?"
"Yeah. I mean, it's happened to me. Of course, with me, there was no ex-wife, but I feel your pain, man."
Logan shook his head. "What?"
"I didn't even know you and the ex were like that. Especially with a girl like Max around, know what I
mean."
Logan sighed, falling into the nearest chair. He was afraid to know what Sketchy meant.
"But, I have to say…that thing with the sister? Man, that just ain't smart."
'I don't want to know…I don't want to know…'
Who the hell was he kidding? Logan wanted to know.
"Sketchy…what did Max tell you was my problem?"
**** ****
Max smiled. Just thinking about the conversation that was no doubt occurring at Sketchy's right now made
her smile.
Served him right.
That morning, when Max had needed a plausible excuse for why Logan had to crash at Sketchy's, she'd
just been in a really fucked up mood. She'd had a lot on her mind. That's why she'd given Sketch that
lame ass story. But now she figured all was fair.
Served Logan right for messing with her nerves the way he always did. That near kiss in the park still had
Max feeling like she was in an early heat. And he hadn't even broken a sweat.
She could just imagine the look on Logan's face when Sketchy told him why he was "really" shacking up
with her Jam Pony pal.
It almost made all the pent up sexual frustration she was feeling worth it.
Almost.
"So let me get this straight…" Original was saying. She and Max were chilling on the couch in their
apartment.
After an emotional reunion (Max had hardly left Logan's penthouse since he'd disappeared)…along with a
good ass chewing from Original for not keeping in touch…followed by a long list of reprimands for her
"bad boo" behavior (pissing off Normal by missing work, nearly getting herself shot on several separate
occasions)…the two friends finally sat down to talk.
"Let me get this straight. First I find out my boo's a genetically engineered super soldier. Now you tellin'
me my boo's boy got all that "super soldier" shit coded into his DNA, too. Logan?"
Max nodded.
Original Cindy sighed into her cup of coffee.
"Girl, can't you ever just come in here and tell me you been shackin' up with loverboy? No guns, no thugs
hyped up with South African what-ya-ma-call-its, no smackdowns on no international smugglin'
rings…You know, normal shit?"
Max smiled and shrugged.
"Sorry. Guess I should keep things more boring, huh?"
Original sighed again, but she threw an arm around Max's shoulders to take the edge off.
"Honey," she said. "Boring ain't even a part of the picture since you came to town." She smiled. And the
next look she sent Max was searching.
"So…how you handlin' it? You know, this Logan thing."
Max looked away. Shrugged.
"I don't know. There ain't much to handle right now. He's…fine."
"And you wanna know why, right?"
Max looked at her.
"He can't remember anything about the escape," Max said with a frown. "And Manticore hasn't made a
move since then. It's only been maybe a couple of days, but still…I don't know. It seems too easy for that
to just be it. I'm just waiting for the other shoe to fall, you know what I mean?"
Cindy nodded. Then she set down her coffee cop, changing the subject.
"Okay, so how are you handlin' Logan?"
Max just stared at her, confused. Original laughed.
"Is my boo his boo, or what?"
Max laughed, too. She'd almost forgotten that. That day Zack had come and they'd gone after Tinga, that
night she'd gone to Logan and they'd finally begun to admit to their feelings for one another…she'd almost
forgotten the talk she and Original had that day. It seemed a long time ago. It was only over two weeks
now.
"You love Logan," Original had told her, making her step up to the real on her feelings for the man.
Now she felt like she'd loved him forever.
Well, she had. But she'd almost forgotten that she hadn't always known that she loved him.
"I don't know," she said, earning her a raised eyebrow and a look from Original. "I love him," she said, for
the first time aloud. She felt good having said it, if for no other reason than it totally shocked her friend,
making her laugh once more. "But I don't know."
"You don't know?" Cindy asked, grinning like mad.
"Yeah, you know…stuff got in the way."
Manticore stuff. Life and death stuff.
"Stuff, huh?" Cindy asked, mocking the ambiguous term. "So what's next?"
"Well, I'm supposed to head back over there now."
"To Sketchy's?" Max nodded. "I can't believe you drug Logan over to Sketchy's," Cindy said. "I'm sure
they have lots to talk about."
Original was being sarcastic, but Max laughed. "You have no idea."
**** ****
About a half an hour later, Bling and Logan were in Sketchy's apartment, working at Logan's laptop.
Sketchy had gone off to…do whatever it was that Sketchy did all day long when he wasn't pestering
Normal. And finally Logan was closing the small PC with a sigh.
"Well, I think that does it. That new data encryption code Sebastian sent me should secure the net well
enough till Eyes Only is back on the job again."
"And when will that be?" Bling asked.
He could practically feel Logan's restlessness, and he had to grin despite himself. Watching Logan
struggle with disability for so long, with the new limitations on his body, with depression…made seeing
him back on his feet again, literally, a sort of personal triumph for Bling, as well as for his friend. He could
sense Logan's excitement. And it pleased him…even if it made him a little uncomfortable, as well. Before
he'd come to work for Cale, he'd only thought he'd lived an interesting life. The shit he'd seen since then
made life before seem like a PBS commercial. But this really took the proverbial cake; he couldn't help
feeling a little thrown off and…awed by it all. And a little disconcerted. He knew Logan was still Logan –
the friend he admired and respected, had fought for and would gladly die for. The friend he'd supported
and had threatened into not giving up on himself. The guy that had helped put countless criminals where
they belonged, away from society, and the guy who had changed clothes six times one night for a dinner
with Max he had claimed repeatedly had NOT been a date.
Logan was the same guy. But he was also something more now. And Bling was torn between eyeing him
warily, and asking him to show off a few of his new "super powers". It made Bling laugh self-
deprecatingly at the childishness of it, but he really was curious about just what a difference all this DNA
manipulation the X5s kept talking about really made.
And he could tell Logan was curious, too. Before Bling had arrived, after Sketchy had left, he'd been
occupying himself with lifting various sized pieces of furniture he found around the apartment. Just to see
how strong he'd really become. Then he'd stopped. Because, sure it was damned cool to be able to bench-
press a refrigerator, but it's a little eerie to suddenly gain that power overnight.
"Whenever I can figure out what's going on with Manticore right now and put it behind me," he was
saying.
"You mean if you can figure it out and put it behind you," Bling added. And Logan smiled an
acknowledgement.
"Or whenever it becomes imperative that Eyes Only get back into action."
Bling raised an eyebrow. "You mean it isn't always imperative that Eyes Only be in on the action?" he
asked.
Logan laughed. He'd become somewhat notorious for his single-minded dedication to his work. Then his
mood sobered as he remembered a time when that dedication had almost cost him his life. More
importantly, it had almost cost him Max.
Some lessons took a long time to learn.
"The world will still be broken tomorrow," he said, repeating the same words he'd told Max the night he'd
finally begun to set aside his mission, now and again, in order to spend some time with her. "Don't hold up
the war on my account," she'd told him. The fact that she hadn't realized that the only thing that kept him
fighting was her, was the one thing that finally struck home to Logan how blind he'd been. He'd meant
what he'd said to Max in the park – he'd neglected her for too long. And now that he had his new legs, and
this new threat from Manticore,…now that he had no idea how much borrowed time he was living on, if
any,…he didn't want to risk neglecting her any further.
Even if just being with her presented another risk all of its own.
"So what are you gonna do till then?" Bling asked. He looked around the apartment, only years of
experience with delivering bad news keeping his poker face in place over his reaction to the dismal
surroundings. "Hang around here?'
He understood Logan's need to take a little time off, and he agreed with it totally. 'It's about time,' he
thought. But he couldn't believe that time would last long. The fact that Logan had volunteered, on his
own, without having to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to go into hiding, was, in itself, surprising.
Logan glanced around at the apartment, not nearly as plain-faced about the sorry state of it. But he
shrugged. "'Fraid so," he said. "I don't like the idea, but it would probably be best. Until I can figure out
what Manticore's got on me, and how, I'd rather not involve any more of the informants than is absolutely
necessary." His eyes darkened, hardened. "Not any more," he said quietly.
Bling noticed the tone of voice, the change in expression, and he knew what Logan was thinking.
"You're thinking about Jack, aren't you?" Logan didn't even have to answer.
"Man, don't do that to yourself. In his position, you would have done the same thing. It's too bad he
didn't make it, but you can't blame yourself for being the kind of guy people are gonna put their lives on
the line for." Bling gave Logan a sympathetic smile. "That kind of defeats the whole purpose of the risk,
don't you think?"
Logan didn't say anything, didn't look at him. He knew Bling had a point, but he couldn't help it.
"I'm not sure that's what happened," he said.
"What do you mean?" Bling asked, but, again, Logan didn't answer. Instead he stood, pacing over to a
window.
He stared out of it for a while before speaking again.
"I never wanted people risking their lives for me," Logan was saying. "I'm not the one people should risk
their lives for." He shook his head in frustration, clenching and unclenching a fist before him, watching the
tendons there stretch and retract. That morning he'd been elated over the changes that had taken place in
him. In the park, when he was with Max, hearing and seeing the world as if for the first time, he'd felt
content. He'd even laughed at what Sketchy had told him. He was going to have a little word with Max
about it, but he'd laughed.
But after delving back into Eyes Only's files, after remembering that things hadn't changed just because he
had – that life was still as it had been. It was crime and death and corruption for so many people. People
who were counting on him. People who faced crime and death and corruption every day because of their
association with him… Logan began to come down off the cloud his new legs had propelled him to. He
began thinking with more clarity. More clarity than he'd ever had before – not just about Max, but about
Eyes Only, too. And the mistakes he'd made with it as well. "I was just some rich kid journalist trying to
play the good guy," he said and frowned. "I was a joke."
Then there was silence.
And then Bling was the one shaking his head.
"Man," he muttered. "No chair and you still whine your ass off."
"What?" Logan asked, looking up.
"Are you really that stupid?" Bling continued, getting angrier. "Or did all that shit Manticore did to hype
up your eyes and ears kill all your brain cells?"
Logan blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"What am I talking about? Logan, what are *you* talking about?"
"The war!" Logan suddenly yelled. "My own little self-appointed mission to save the world." His words
were mocking and laced with a bitter little laugh. "The fight I've been letting every one else fight for me."
Bling was incredulous. "Letting…Bullshit! You never asked…"
"Of course I never asked!" Logan said. "But I let them just the same.
"I let Max put her life on the line for me, over and over again. For a whole year now. Bronc's guys could
have killed Matt that time…"
Logan looked over at Bling then, a thousand apologies in his eyes. Apologies Bling didn't feel were
necessary. But Logan gestured at his friend's arm.
"You're in a sling and a cast because of me. I started Eyes Only. *I* took that risk. And then I pulled
everyone around me into my little crusade. Put everyone else in danger, when the only one who deserves
to get shot over my own actions…is me."
Logan sighed. "And I'm still doing it now. Staying here, bringing Sketchy into this. Letting myself be
seen with Max. Putting people in danger."
"Logan, that's what being a leader is all about. Danger. Not just for you, but for the people under you."
"I wasn't trying to be a leader," Logan said. "I was just doing my part to help."
Bling looked him straight in the eyes.
"So was Jack. And, Logan,…so was I."
He leaned onto the edge of the table by which Logan was standing.
"So was Max."
Bling smiled, letting his irritation go. He new a part of being Logan's friend was putting up with the man's
attacks of conscience and seeing them for what they really were: guilt. Guilt over Jack; over a lot of things.
Guilt noone placed on Logan but himself. And another part of being Logan's friend was knowing exactly
how to diffuse such a situation.
"Stop being so full of yourself, Logan. I doubt the men and women on that informant net all signed up for
this bitch strictly for your benefit."
Logan kind of stopped and stared.
"What?"
"They want to help, too. That's why Matt put himself in the position of going against Bronc. That's why
Jack gave his life to get you out of Manticore. Because they wanted to help the cause. And that means
helping you. That's what it's all about, Logan. It's not about you letting anyone fight your fights for you.
Because it really isn't just your fight, is it?"
"I…uh…"
Bling smiled. Logan glared.
"I hate it when you do that," Logan finally mumbled, but a smile was slowly starting to tug at the corner of
his lips.
Then Bling laughed. He slapped Logan on the shoulder.
"That's what I'm here for, buddy."
But Logan's concerns still weren't assuaged.
"You know what I mean, though, right?" he asked.
Bling nodded. "Yeah, man, I know." He knew this whole conversation they were having had a lot less to
do with informant nets than it did with Max.
"But you know Max never would have agreed to the deal you two struck if she didn't want to help, too."
"But things were different then," Logan insisted. "I didn't know that I…" He paused, then continued. "I
want to make things right between me and Max. No more games. No more running.
But what if that's exactly what I shouldn't be doing? What if Zack's right and I'm just endangering her
more by keeping her with me?"
Bling shook his head. "Okay, Logan. First off, you ain't "keeping" Max nowhere. She stays because she
wants to stay. And second, even if you were, Max was on the run from Manticore in the first place. Who's
to say she'd be any safer out there, alone, or with big brother mean, than she is with you? She's not exactly
the play it safe type of girl, you know."
"Yeah. But…"
"But nothin'." Bling gave Logan a look. "So unless this is another lame ass way of avoiding
commitment…"
Logan laughed, but his eyes were serious as he said, "No way."
Bling could tell that he meant it. Meant a lot more than he was saying. And a slow smile started to creep
across his features.
"Well alright then," he said. 'It's about time the boy figured things out for himself,' he was thinking.
Then Logan straightened, his eyes going to the door as though he heard something Bling didn't. Under the
circumstances, he probably did.
"What? What is it?" Bling asked, his good hand already going to the handgun he'd stashed in his sling.
Logan just waved him quiet, listening. Then he relaxed. And smiled.
"It's okay," he said. "It's Max." He listened. "And Original Cindy."
Bling raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?"
Logan raised one right back at him.
"Have you ever heard Manticore use the phrase 'get your drink on' ?" he asked.
And Bling laughed, tucking the gun away again. "I guess not."
"Sounds like the girls are going to invite us down to Crash tonight," Logan told him.
"Are you sure that's safe?" Bling asked.
Logan smiled. "Not at all. Let's go." Then he was heading for the door before his friend could say
otherwise.
Bling shook his head. And sighed.
To think…he'd thought Logan was moody before he was X5.
Bling, not at all a religious man, thought, 'Lord help us all.' But he smiled as he followed Logan out of the
apartment.
On the other side of town, Zack was heading for the address Max had given him.
And somewhere else, Donald Lydecker waited.
A/A/N: Okay…it's really late as I write this. Maybe I ramble. Maybe I don't make any sense. But I want
to get this chapter wrapped up and move on, so here it is. Review lots! It'll really speed up my updates
(yes, that is a shameless bribe for even more reviews.) Tell me what I should do next – more action? Or
some M/L scenes? Mushy/ sweet M/L? Sexy/steamy M/L? (I've never written one before. I'd love to try
it out. But if you'd rather I kept the whole thing PG-13 I will) A little of both? You tell me.
bypari106
pari106@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/pari106/damain.html
Disclaimer: See Prologue or Chapter One
Rating: PG-13, to be safe.
Summary: (You know the drill by now). Logan meets his new roommate.
A/A/N: Okay, I don't really know where Sketchy lives. So I made it up. And I'm not so great with the
Jam Pony characters, but I tried, so humor me.
Gift of Darkness, part 6
"No," Logan was saying…
…at the same time that Max was continuing to pull him along towards their intended destination.
"Come on, Logan," she said.
"But, Max, this is…it's…"
What was it, exactly? The stench? The unappealing look of the place? Logan tried to organize his
thoughts on exactly why this could not be the temporary residence Max had found for him. All he could
think was 'Ugh.'
"It's not your usual kind of crib. I know," Max deadpanned. 'Don't smile, girl. Don't smile,' she warned
herself. She smiled.
Logan gave her a sharp look.
"It's not that. It's just…just…"
Ugh. That was what it was.
Logan shook his head and sighed. What was he bitching about? These were the sort of living conditions
the majority of the US population endured today. And if he were aspiring to be the savior of that group, did
it make sense that he cringe at the prospect of living down here, away from his sterile penthouse and high-
tech conveniences? No, it didn't.
And, no, he told himself, he wasn't being petty. He wasn't being squeamish. He didn't care where he
lived, or how, if it meant being able to carry on his mission in safety. But that had been the whole purpose
of going to ground – to be safe. Ugly but safe he could do.
This place was just ugly.
And there were people everywhere. Beady-eyed, shifty-looking people that didn't look at all safe. He'd
been hoping for some place a little more secluded.
The fact that this place wasn't probably wouldn't have bothered him at all if Max hadn't been there. If it
weren't for Max, the stench of the place, the sight of it…none of it would have really bothered him that
much. But with Max there…Logan caught a large, filthy, bear of a man giving Max a look he didn't like at
all. He unconsciously took a step closer to her and gave the man a glare that could have injured someone
civilized.
Max rolled her eyes.
And Logan tried to remind himself of the same old tune they'd been singing since he'd met her…she's a
big girl, she can take care of herself…Screw that. Yeah, she could take care of herself, but he didn't like
testing that fact. And he'd always accepted that from Max as an excuse to keep herself from being
coddled; he'd accepted it because he had to. Because the thought of her running off and facing Manticore,
alone, scared him even worse than her staying with him and facing Manticore by his side. Because even
though he wanted nothing more than to coddle her, she was a big girl. She could take care of herself. So
he accepted it. But he'd never liked it.
And now he didn't necessarily have to. It wasn't like this was her place they were going to, right? Surely
they could find somewhere else…
"Look, Max…I appreciate your finding this place for me, really, but…," Logan began.
"Uh-huh," she threw over her shoulder. And then they were there, at the door to his new apartment. She
threw open the door and Logan saw a man standing on the other side – tall, thin, with dark, disheveled hair
and a smile.
"Hey, roomie! Wuz up?" the man asked. Sketchy held up a hand for a high-five.
Logan just stared at it. Then he looked at Max.
"I'm staying with Sketchy?"
"You're staying with Sketchy," Max told him, and smiled again. "Someone's gotta keep an eye on you
while I go give my boo the heads up. Bling's gonna be over later, right?"
Logan nodded.
"Well, don't you two go anywhere till I get back from Original Cindy's." Max slapped him on the back.
"Till then, why don't you and David here get to know each other better." Then she skipped out before
Logan could stop her.
That left just him and Sketchy in the apartment. Alone.
Logan tried to smile. "Uh…hi."
"Hey," Sketchy replied, not offended in the least by the other man's apparent lack of enthusiasm. If he was
Mr. Money Bags, and he was in the same situation, he supposed he wouldn't be too enthused, either.
Sketchy shifted uncomfortably.
"Max…uh, told me. About your problem," he said.
Logan looked up from trying to find an unsoiled surface on which to sit. That certainly had his attention.
"She did?" he asked, beginning to frown. Staying here was putting Max's friend in enough jeopardy
without actually filling him in on all the sordid details. Logan thought that she would have discu…
"Uh, yeah," Sketchy continued. "You know I'm cool with that, right? I mean, no problem. It…you know,
it … happens."
Logan frowned harder. "It does?"
"Yeah. I mean, it's happened to me. Of course, with me, there was no ex-wife, but I feel your pain, man."
Logan shook his head. "What?"
"I didn't even know you and the ex were like that. Especially with a girl like Max around, know what I
mean."
Logan sighed, falling into the nearest chair. He was afraid to know what Sketchy meant.
"But, I have to say…that thing with the sister? Man, that just ain't smart."
'I don't want to know…I don't want to know…'
Who the hell was he kidding? Logan wanted to know.
"Sketchy…what did Max tell you was my problem?"
**** ****
Max smiled. Just thinking about the conversation that was no doubt occurring at Sketchy's right now made
her smile.
Served him right.
That morning, when Max had needed a plausible excuse for why Logan had to crash at Sketchy's, she'd
just been in a really fucked up mood. She'd had a lot on her mind. That's why she'd given Sketch that
lame ass story. But now she figured all was fair.
Served Logan right for messing with her nerves the way he always did. That near kiss in the park still had
Max feeling like she was in an early heat. And he hadn't even broken a sweat.
She could just imagine the look on Logan's face when Sketchy told him why he was "really" shacking up
with her Jam Pony pal.
It almost made all the pent up sexual frustration she was feeling worth it.
Almost.
"So let me get this straight…" Original was saying. She and Max were chilling on the couch in their
apartment.
After an emotional reunion (Max had hardly left Logan's penthouse since he'd disappeared)…along with a
good ass chewing from Original for not keeping in touch…followed by a long list of reprimands for her
"bad boo" behavior (pissing off Normal by missing work, nearly getting herself shot on several separate
occasions)…the two friends finally sat down to talk.
"Let me get this straight. First I find out my boo's a genetically engineered super soldier. Now you tellin'
me my boo's boy got all that "super soldier" shit coded into his DNA, too. Logan?"
Max nodded.
Original Cindy sighed into her cup of coffee.
"Girl, can't you ever just come in here and tell me you been shackin' up with loverboy? No guns, no thugs
hyped up with South African what-ya-ma-call-its, no smackdowns on no international smugglin'
rings…You know, normal shit?"
Max smiled and shrugged.
"Sorry. Guess I should keep things more boring, huh?"
Original sighed again, but she threw an arm around Max's shoulders to take the edge off.
"Honey," she said. "Boring ain't even a part of the picture since you came to town." She smiled. And the
next look she sent Max was searching.
"So…how you handlin' it? You know, this Logan thing."
Max looked away. Shrugged.
"I don't know. There ain't much to handle right now. He's…fine."
"And you wanna know why, right?"
Max looked at her.
"He can't remember anything about the escape," Max said with a frown. "And Manticore hasn't made a
move since then. It's only been maybe a couple of days, but still…I don't know. It seems too easy for that
to just be it. I'm just waiting for the other shoe to fall, you know what I mean?"
Cindy nodded. Then she set down her coffee cop, changing the subject.
"Okay, so how are you handlin' Logan?"
Max just stared at her, confused. Original laughed.
"Is my boo his boo, or what?"
Max laughed, too. She'd almost forgotten that. That day Zack had come and they'd gone after Tinga, that
night she'd gone to Logan and they'd finally begun to admit to their feelings for one another…she'd almost
forgotten the talk she and Original had that day. It seemed a long time ago. It was only over two weeks
now.
"You love Logan," Original had told her, making her step up to the real on her feelings for the man.
Now she felt like she'd loved him forever.
Well, she had. But she'd almost forgotten that she hadn't always known that she loved him.
"I don't know," she said, earning her a raised eyebrow and a look from Original. "I love him," she said, for
the first time aloud. She felt good having said it, if for no other reason than it totally shocked her friend,
making her laugh once more. "But I don't know."
"You don't know?" Cindy asked, grinning like mad.
"Yeah, you know…stuff got in the way."
Manticore stuff. Life and death stuff.
"Stuff, huh?" Cindy asked, mocking the ambiguous term. "So what's next?"
"Well, I'm supposed to head back over there now."
"To Sketchy's?" Max nodded. "I can't believe you drug Logan over to Sketchy's," Cindy said. "I'm sure
they have lots to talk about."
Original was being sarcastic, but Max laughed. "You have no idea."
**** ****
About a half an hour later, Bling and Logan were in Sketchy's apartment, working at Logan's laptop.
Sketchy had gone off to…do whatever it was that Sketchy did all day long when he wasn't pestering
Normal. And finally Logan was closing the small PC with a sigh.
"Well, I think that does it. That new data encryption code Sebastian sent me should secure the net well
enough till Eyes Only is back on the job again."
"And when will that be?" Bling asked.
He could practically feel Logan's restlessness, and he had to grin despite himself. Watching Logan
struggle with disability for so long, with the new limitations on his body, with depression…made seeing
him back on his feet again, literally, a sort of personal triumph for Bling, as well as for his friend. He could
sense Logan's excitement. And it pleased him…even if it made him a little uncomfortable, as well. Before
he'd come to work for Cale, he'd only thought he'd lived an interesting life. The shit he'd seen since then
made life before seem like a PBS commercial. But this really took the proverbial cake; he couldn't help
feeling a little thrown off and…awed by it all. And a little disconcerted. He knew Logan was still Logan –
the friend he admired and respected, had fought for and would gladly die for. The friend he'd supported
and had threatened into not giving up on himself. The guy that had helped put countless criminals where
they belonged, away from society, and the guy who had changed clothes six times one night for a dinner
with Max he had claimed repeatedly had NOT been a date.
Logan was the same guy. But he was also something more now. And Bling was torn between eyeing him
warily, and asking him to show off a few of his new "super powers". It made Bling laugh self-
deprecatingly at the childishness of it, but he really was curious about just what a difference all this DNA
manipulation the X5s kept talking about really made.
And he could tell Logan was curious, too. Before Bling had arrived, after Sketchy had left, he'd been
occupying himself with lifting various sized pieces of furniture he found around the apartment. Just to see
how strong he'd really become. Then he'd stopped. Because, sure it was damned cool to be able to bench-
press a refrigerator, but it's a little eerie to suddenly gain that power overnight.
"Whenever I can figure out what's going on with Manticore right now and put it behind me," he was
saying.
"You mean if you can figure it out and put it behind you," Bling added. And Logan smiled an
acknowledgement.
"Or whenever it becomes imperative that Eyes Only get back into action."
Bling raised an eyebrow. "You mean it isn't always imperative that Eyes Only be in on the action?" he
asked.
Logan laughed. He'd become somewhat notorious for his single-minded dedication to his work. Then his
mood sobered as he remembered a time when that dedication had almost cost him his life. More
importantly, it had almost cost him Max.
Some lessons took a long time to learn.
"The world will still be broken tomorrow," he said, repeating the same words he'd told Max the night he'd
finally begun to set aside his mission, now and again, in order to spend some time with her. "Don't hold up
the war on my account," she'd told him. The fact that she hadn't realized that the only thing that kept him
fighting was her, was the one thing that finally struck home to Logan how blind he'd been. He'd meant
what he'd said to Max in the park – he'd neglected her for too long. And now that he had his new legs, and
this new threat from Manticore,…now that he had no idea how much borrowed time he was living on, if
any,…he didn't want to risk neglecting her any further.
Even if just being with her presented another risk all of its own.
"So what are you gonna do till then?" Bling asked. He looked around the apartment, only years of
experience with delivering bad news keeping his poker face in place over his reaction to the dismal
surroundings. "Hang around here?'
He understood Logan's need to take a little time off, and he agreed with it totally. 'It's about time,' he
thought. But he couldn't believe that time would last long. The fact that Logan had volunteered, on his
own, without having to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to go into hiding, was, in itself, surprising.
Logan glanced around at the apartment, not nearly as plain-faced about the sorry state of it. But he
shrugged. "'Fraid so," he said. "I don't like the idea, but it would probably be best. Until I can figure out
what Manticore's got on me, and how, I'd rather not involve any more of the informants than is absolutely
necessary." His eyes darkened, hardened. "Not any more," he said quietly.
Bling noticed the tone of voice, the change in expression, and he knew what Logan was thinking.
"You're thinking about Jack, aren't you?" Logan didn't even have to answer.
"Man, don't do that to yourself. In his position, you would have done the same thing. It's too bad he
didn't make it, but you can't blame yourself for being the kind of guy people are gonna put their lives on
the line for." Bling gave Logan a sympathetic smile. "That kind of defeats the whole purpose of the risk,
don't you think?"
Logan didn't say anything, didn't look at him. He knew Bling had a point, but he couldn't help it.
"I'm not sure that's what happened," he said.
"What do you mean?" Bling asked, but, again, Logan didn't answer. Instead he stood, pacing over to a
window.
He stared out of it for a while before speaking again.
"I never wanted people risking their lives for me," Logan was saying. "I'm not the one people should risk
their lives for." He shook his head in frustration, clenching and unclenching a fist before him, watching the
tendons there stretch and retract. That morning he'd been elated over the changes that had taken place in
him. In the park, when he was with Max, hearing and seeing the world as if for the first time, he'd felt
content. He'd even laughed at what Sketchy had told him. He was going to have a little word with Max
about it, but he'd laughed.
But after delving back into Eyes Only's files, after remembering that things hadn't changed just because he
had – that life was still as it had been. It was crime and death and corruption for so many people. People
who were counting on him. People who faced crime and death and corruption every day because of their
association with him… Logan began to come down off the cloud his new legs had propelled him to. He
began thinking with more clarity. More clarity than he'd ever had before – not just about Max, but about
Eyes Only, too. And the mistakes he'd made with it as well. "I was just some rich kid journalist trying to
play the good guy," he said and frowned. "I was a joke."
Then there was silence.
And then Bling was the one shaking his head.
"Man," he muttered. "No chair and you still whine your ass off."
"What?" Logan asked, looking up.
"Are you really that stupid?" Bling continued, getting angrier. "Or did all that shit Manticore did to hype
up your eyes and ears kill all your brain cells?"
Logan blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"What am I talking about? Logan, what are *you* talking about?"
"The war!" Logan suddenly yelled. "My own little self-appointed mission to save the world." His words
were mocking and laced with a bitter little laugh. "The fight I've been letting every one else fight for me."
Bling was incredulous. "Letting…Bullshit! You never asked…"
"Of course I never asked!" Logan said. "But I let them just the same.
"I let Max put her life on the line for me, over and over again. For a whole year now. Bronc's guys could
have killed Matt that time…"
Logan looked over at Bling then, a thousand apologies in his eyes. Apologies Bling didn't feel were
necessary. But Logan gestured at his friend's arm.
"You're in a sling and a cast because of me. I started Eyes Only. *I* took that risk. And then I pulled
everyone around me into my little crusade. Put everyone else in danger, when the only one who deserves
to get shot over my own actions…is me."
Logan sighed. "And I'm still doing it now. Staying here, bringing Sketchy into this. Letting myself be
seen with Max. Putting people in danger."
"Logan, that's what being a leader is all about. Danger. Not just for you, but for the people under you."
"I wasn't trying to be a leader," Logan said. "I was just doing my part to help."
Bling looked him straight in the eyes.
"So was Jack. And, Logan,…so was I."
He leaned onto the edge of the table by which Logan was standing.
"So was Max."
Bling smiled, letting his irritation go. He new a part of being Logan's friend was putting up with the man's
attacks of conscience and seeing them for what they really were: guilt. Guilt over Jack; over a lot of things.
Guilt noone placed on Logan but himself. And another part of being Logan's friend was knowing exactly
how to diffuse such a situation.
"Stop being so full of yourself, Logan. I doubt the men and women on that informant net all signed up for
this bitch strictly for your benefit."
Logan kind of stopped and stared.
"What?"
"They want to help, too. That's why Matt put himself in the position of going against Bronc. That's why
Jack gave his life to get you out of Manticore. Because they wanted to help the cause. And that means
helping you. That's what it's all about, Logan. It's not about you letting anyone fight your fights for you.
Because it really isn't just your fight, is it?"
"I…uh…"
Bling smiled. Logan glared.
"I hate it when you do that," Logan finally mumbled, but a smile was slowly starting to tug at the corner of
his lips.
Then Bling laughed. He slapped Logan on the shoulder.
"That's what I'm here for, buddy."
But Logan's concerns still weren't assuaged.
"You know what I mean, though, right?" he asked.
Bling nodded. "Yeah, man, I know." He knew this whole conversation they were having had a lot less to
do with informant nets than it did with Max.
"But you know Max never would have agreed to the deal you two struck if she didn't want to help, too."
"But things were different then," Logan insisted. "I didn't know that I…" He paused, then continued. "I
want to make things right between me and Max. No more games. No more running.
But what if that's exactly what I shouldn't be doing? What if Zack's right and I'm just endangering her
more by keeping her with me?"
Bling shook his head. "Okay, Logan. First off, you ain't "keeping" Max nowhere. She stays because she
wants to stay. And second, even if you were, Max was on the run from Manticore in the first place. Who's
to say she'd be any safer out there, alone, or with big brother mean, than she is with you? She's not exactly
the play it safe type of girl, you know."
"Yeah. But…"
"But nothin'." Bling gave Logan a look. "So unless this is another lame ass way of avoiding
commitment…"
Logan laughed, but his eyes were serious as he said, "No way."
Bling could tell that he meant it. Meant a lot more than he was saying. And a slow smile started to creep
across his features.
"Well alright then," he said. 'It's about time the boy figured things out for himself,' he was thinking.
Then Logan straightened, his eyes going to the door as though he heard something Bling didn't. Under the
circumstances, he probably did.
"What? What is it?" Bling asked, his good hand already going to the handgun he'd stashed in his sling.
Logan just waved him quiet, listening. Then he relaxed. And smiled.
"It's okay," he said. "It's Max." He listened. "And Original Cindy."
Bling raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?"
Logan raised one right back at him.
"Have you ever heard Manticore use the phrase 'get your drink on' ?" he asked.
And Bling laughed, tucking the gun away again. "I guess not."
"Sounds like the girls are going to invite us down to Crash tonight," Logan told him.
"Are you sure that's safe?" Bling asked.
Logan smiled. "Not at all. Let's go." Then he was heading for the door before his friend could say
otherwise.
Bling shook his head. And sighed.
To think…he'd thought Logan was moody before he was X5.
Bling, not at all a religious man, thought, 'Lord help us all.' But he smiled as he followed Logan out of the
apartment.
On the other side of town, Zack was heading for the address Max had given him.
And somewhere else, Donald Lydecker waited.
A/A/N: Okay…it's really late as I write this. Maybe I ramble. Maybe I don't make any sense. But I want
to get this chapter wrapped up and move on, so here it is. Review lots! It'll really speed up my updates
(yes, that is a shameless bribe for even more reviews.) Tell me what I should do next – more action? Or
some M/L scenes? Mushy/ sweet M/L? Sexy/steamy M/L? (I've never written one before. I'd love to try
it out. But if you'd rather I kept the whole thing PG-13 I will) A little of both? You tell me.