I parked the Ninja a block away from the building. I didn't want to announce my arrival to whoever was inside the building after all.
I studied the building for a moment, then climbed the fire escape and got onto the roof. Skylight. Perfect.
I walked over to the skylight and crouched down. I adjusted my vision and looked inside. It was dark and nobody seemed to be inside, so I opened the skylight and lowered myself, then dropped and landed perfectly.
I looked around the room for a minute, then went over to a filing cabinet. It seemed like the natural thing to do. I *was* looking for a file after all. I opened one of the drawers and began searching for any information on the X-5's.
Nothing in the first, so I moved onto the next, then the next, and the next, and the next. In the fifth drawer, I hit paydirt. I was on a specific mission for recent files on any X-5's and I wasn't going back empty handed.
I pulled out a file on X-5 599, Zack. My greatest fear was confirmed. We just thought Zack was captured, but there it was in black in white, deceased. According to the file, he had shot himself. He always that he'd rather die than go back.
I shoved the file into my backpack and kept looking. Max's record. Logan would definitely want to read that, so I shoved that in my backpack too. I was about to grab Brin's file when I heard the sound of a gun cocking right behind me.
I slowly turned around, with my hands slightly raised and I almost fainted. I was staring right at Max.
"Max?" I asked, not believing it.
"X-7 452." She corrected. Damn they grew fast.
It was so eerie. I wanted it to be Max, but it was just her cheap imitation. I knew she could easily beat me, so I took a step back and leaped on top of the filing cabinet. She shot, but I jumped and the bullet hit the filing cabinet. I jumped again and the filing cabinet fell over with a loud crash. I scrambled as the X-7 mentally regained her balance. That took about 1.5 seconds.
I ran as fast as I could, the bullets just missing me by inches. My last chance was the skylight. I jumped on the lone desk in the room and got prepared to jump. Pain. She had shot me in the arm. I took no more time and jumped. I just grabbed onto the edge and I felt a bullet connect with my leg. I didn't pause, I pulled myself up and hobbled across the roof and jumped, landing shakily on my feet. I knew I had sprained something.
I ran. I ran, zigzagging, to the Ninja. I got on without a glance back and sped off. I could hear gunfire just behind me, so I gunned the engine. In a few minutes, I could no longer hear the gunshots, but I knew people were being deployed to find me.
I parked the Ninja in the parking garage of Foggle Towers and took damage inventory. The bike had been nicked, but nothing serious. I, on the other hand, was bleeding badly.
I trudged up to the penthouse and leaned on the door, smearing some blood on it. Logan opened the door just as I fainted.
"Asha!" Logan screamed.
"What?" Asha asked, coming over.
"Clean up the door, then close it." Logan instructed, carrying Syl's unconscious form into the living room. He laid her on the couch, then told Asha to get the First Aid kit.
"Here." Asha grumbled and shoved it roughly to him. Logan slightly glared at her, then went to tend Syl's injuries.
He took off her jacket and was glad it was a sleeveless shirt. There was no bullet, which Logan was happy about. He cleaned up the wound and bandaged it, then he rolled up her pant leg. Not very lucky. There was a bullet.
"Asha, go start the car." Logan instructed as he picked up Syl.
"Why?" Asha asked.
"We're going to the hospital." Logan said. It was, of course, against his better judgment, but he couldn't treat that wound himself.
I opened my eyes and quickly shut them again. Bright lights hurt. They hurt a lot. Then I realized it wasn't my eyes that hurt. My arm and leg were stinging pretty bad.
I opened my eyes and saw that my pant leg was rolled up. I leaned forward a little and noticed that I had a bandage on my calf muscle. I looked at my arm and saw that was bandaged too. Then I remembered what happened, but I didn't know where I was. After a few minutes, Logan came into the room with a soda.
"Oh, you're awake." Logan said and took the seat next to my bed. I knew why he looked so panicked. History does repeat itself after all.
"Yeah." I said. "What happened? All I remember is up to leaning on the door."
"Well, you fainted. I cleaned up the wound on your arm, but the bullet was in your leg, so I had to bring you to the hospital." Logan told me. I became alarmed and he noticed. "Relax. Ally McBeal checked in and she's going to check out."
I smiled. Logan could really come up with those fake names. I sat for a minute wondering how he thought of it, then a doctor came in, followed by Asha.
"So, Ally," The doctor said, looking at a clip board. "How're you feeling?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm feeling great." I said.
"Well then, if all is well, I suppose we can release you." The doctor said with a smile. "The nurse will be in in a minute with your things."
The doctor smiled again and I looked questioningly at Logan.
"Painkillers I suspect." Logan said. "And you're going to be on crutches for a few days."
"Oh come on! It's only a gunshot wound! I'll be better in less than-"
Logan cut me off with a sharp head motion to Asha. Even though I didn't really need the crutches, I'd have to put on a show otherwise she would suspect something. I showed my understanding by nodding. A smiling nurse came into the room with a pair of crutches and a small bottle of painkillers.
"Here you go." She said and handed the crutches to me. I pulled on my thin blue jacket and rolled down my pant leg, then hopped off the bed and put my weight on the crutches. The nurse handed the painkillers to Logan and left.
"Ready?" Logan asked me.
"Of course." I said. "Oh! Did you get my backpack?"
"Yes. It's next to the couch." Logan reassured me.
After we all got into the penthouse, the only noise was the sound of my crutches tapping the floor. I made my way to my backpack and handed Logan the files. I debated whether or not to tell him about the X-7, but decided against it. Logan didn't need to hear the name.
I studied the building for a moment, then climbed the fire escape and got onto the roof. Skylight. Perfect.
I walked over to the skylight and crouched down. I adjusted my vision and looked inside. It was dark and nobody seemed to be inside, so I opened the skylight and lowered myself, then dropped and landed perfectly.
I looked around the room for a minute, then went over to a filing cabinet. It seemed like the natural thing to do. I *was* looking for a file after all. I opened one of the drawers and began searching for any information on the X-5's.
Nothing in the first, so I moved onto the next, then the next, and the next, and the next. In the fifth drawer, I hit paydirt. I was on a specific mission for recent files on any X-5's and I wasn't going back empty handed.
I pulled out a file on X-5 599, Zack. My greatest fear was confirmed. We just thought Zack was captured, but there it was in black in white, deceased. According to the file, he had shot himself. He always that he'd rather die than go back.
I shoved the file into my backpack and kept looking. Max's record. Logan would definitely want to read that, so I shoved that in my backpack too. I was about to grab Brin's file when I heard the sound of a gun cocking right behind me.
I slowly turned around, with my hands slightly raised and I almost fainted. I was staring right at Max.
"Max?" I asked, not believing it.
"X-7 452." She corrected. Damn they grew fast.
It was so eerie. I wanted it to be Max, but it was just her cheap imitation. I knew she could easily beat me, so I took a step back and leaped on top of the filing cabinet. She shot, but I jumped and the bullet hit the filing cabinet. I jumped again and the filing cabinet fell over with a loud crash. I scrambled as the X-7 mentally regained her balance. That took about 1.5 seconds.
I ran as fast as I could, the bullets just missing me by inches. My last chance was the skylight. I jumped on the lone desk in the room and got prepared to jump. Pain. She had shot me in the arm. I took no more time and jumped. I just grabbed onto the edge and I felt a bullet connect with my leg. I didn't pause, I pulled myself up and hobbled across the roof and jumped, landing shakily on my feet. I knew I had sprained something.
I ran. I ran, zigzagging, to the Ninja. I got on without a glance back and sped off. I could hear gunfire just behind me, so I gunned the engine. In a few minutes, I could no longer hear the gunshots, but I knew people were being deployed to find me.
I parked the Ninja in the parking garage of Foggle Towers and took damage inventory. The bike had been nicked, but nothing serious. I, on the other hand, was bleeding badly.
I trudged up to the penthouse and leaned on the door, smearing some blood on it. Logan opened the door just as I fainted.
"Asha!" Logan screamed.
"What?" Asha asked, coming over.
"Clean up the door, then close it." Logan instructed, carrying Syl's unconscious form into the living room. He laid her on the couch, then told Asha to get the First Aid kit.
"Here." Asha grumbled and shoved it roughly to him. Logan slightly glared at her, then went to tend Syl's injuries.
He took off her jacket and was glad it was a sleeveless shirt. There was no bullet, which Logan was happy about. He cleaned up the wound and bandaged it, then he rolled up her pant leg. Not very lucky. There was a bullet.
"Asha, go start the car." Logan instructed as he picked up Syl.
"Why?" Asha asked.
"We're going to the hospital." Logan said. It was, of course, against his better judgment, but he couldn't treat that wound himself.
I opened my eyes and quickly shut them again. Bright lights hurt. They hurt a lot. Then I realized it wasn't my eyes that hurt. My arm and leg were stinging pretty bad.
I opened my eyes and saw that my pant leg was rolled up. I leaned forward a little and noticed that I had a bandage on my calf muscle. I looked at my arm and saw that was bandaged too. Then I remembered what happened, but I didn't know where I was. After a few minutes, Logan came into the room with a soda.
"Oh, you're awake." Logan said and took the seat next to my bed. I knew why he looked so panicked. History does repeat itself after all.
"Yeah." I said. "What happened? All I remember is up to leaning on the door."
"Well, you fainted. I cleaned up the wound on your arm, but the bullet was in your leg, so I had to bring you to the hospital." Logan told me. I became alarmed and he noticed. "Relax. Ally McBeal checked in and she's going to check out."
I smiled. Logan could really come up with those fake names. I sat for a minute wondering how he thought of it, then a doctor came in, followed by Asha.
"So, Ally," The doctor said, looking at a clip board. "How're you feeling?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm feeling great." I said.
"Well then, if all is well, I suppose we can release you." The doctor said with a smile. "The nurse will be in in a minute with your things."
The doctor smiled again and I looked questioningly at Logan.
"Painkillers I suspect." Logan said. "And you're going to be on crutches for a few days."
"Oh come on! It's only a gunshot wound! I'll be better in less than-"
Logan cut me off with a sharp head motion to Asha. Even though I didn't really need the crutches, I'd have to put on a show otherwise she would suspect something. I showed my understanding by nodding. A smiling nurse came into the room with a pair of crutches and a small bottle of painkillers.
"Here you go." She said and handed the crutches to me. I pulled on my thin blue jacket and rolled down my pant leg, then hopped off the bed and put my weight on the crutches. The nurse handed the painkillers to Logan and left.
"Ready?" Logan asked me.
"Of course." I said. "Oh! Did you get my backpack?"
"Yes. It's next to the couch." Logan reassured me.
After we all got into the penthouse, the only noise was the sound of my crutches tapping the floor. I made my way to my backpack and handed Logan the files. I debated whether or not to tell him about the X-7, but decided against it. Logan didn't need to hear the name.