Chapter 7

Chapter 23

Present day

Logan sighed at the bittersweet memory. There was no time for indulging in self- pity. He glanced down at his wristwatch. 2:15, only 10 minutes to go. Max had said they would bring Cat directly to the Cale Estate. Logan turned back to the computer screen, he had hacked into Manticore surveillance. Apparently his superiors were chewing out Lydecker. One piece of information stuck out, "The X5s are no longer Manticore's priority". Logan's heart leaped with joy, what could this mean? Before he could explore the possibly the emotionless voice inter toned.

"Warning unauthorized surveillance detected."

Logan swore softly, typing furiously, putting up numerous untraceable defense perimeters. Logan sighed in relief, as his virtual pursuers were subdued.

"What? How?" the startled voice his aunt's housekeeper, drifted up the antique stairwell. Logan ran down the 2 at a time. He was shocked at the scene before him.

Zack stood before him cradling a barely conscious Cat in his arms. Zack stepped forward and gently placed Cat in Logan's arms. Caitlin stirred at the sudden movement but did not wake. Logan gazed down at his cousin, her face was bruised and there was clear evidence of the suffering she had been through and even in her weak state of awareness she clung to him weakly.

Zack couldn't take it anymore. It was his fault. He whirled around and began to walk towards the doorway.

"Where are you going?" Logan called after him.

"Just take care of her," was his only response.

"Where are Max and Jondy?" Logan pressed.

"They're coming," Zack replied before slipping out the door.

Logan carefully made his way up the stairs. As he entered Cat's room quietly, and gently laid his cousin on her bed. Cat's eyes fluttered open briefly, "Zack?" she whispered.

"No, sweetie it's me Logan."

Caitlin smiled softly, "Hey cuz."

Logan gently brushed a strained of hair of her face, "You're going to be okay Cat I promise."

"Where's Zack?" she asked.

Logan frowned, he didn't know what to tell her. But before he could formulate an answer the bedroom door opened and Caitlin's mother rushed inside, trailed by several maids. Caitlin smiled weakly as her mother began fussing over. Orders were barked at the maids as Caitlin loss consciousness. Wendy rushed to her daughter's side roughly shoving the panicky maids and her nephew out of the way.

"Caitlin, darling can you hear me? Joanna call an ambulance!" she command sharply to the red-haired maid standing by the doorway.

"No!" Logan countered sharply.

Wendy whirled on him in astonishment, "What?"

"Call a friend of mine, he is an expert in this type of injury," he explained hurriedly.

Wendy frowned, "Logan what's going on? What's wrong with my baby?"

"I'll explain later, lets focus on getting Cat better, call me when you reach Sebastian," he said calmly. Logan gently led his aunt to the chair in the corner of Cat's room. His eyes clouded with worry as he looked at his pale cousin.

Joanna reentered the room hastily handing the cell phone to Logan.

"Logan?" asked Sebastian's computerized voice asked.

"Sebastian its me," he confirmed, "I need your help," Logan explained in detail the situation with Cat. Sebastian listened attentively, interrupting to ask the occasional question. When Logan finished his friend offered a series of possible solutions and the contact details of a trusted doctor in Canada. Logan thanked him and gave the phone back to Joanna.

Logan gently laid a hand on his aunt's trembling shoulder "I've called a specialist, he referred me to a doctor. I'm going to ask him to come here right away," he said quietly.

Wendy nodded silently.


Doctor Chris Carter was a tall man with a receding hairline; his eyes were sharp and piercing. When Logan meet him at the door, his gruff voice informed the cyber journalist of his identity and he asked to see the patient. Logan cautiously directed him to Cat's room. Though he trusted his friend's judgment Chris did know allot about Manticore and Logan knew the length Lydecker would go to get back his rouge "children".

Dr. Carter nodded a wordless greeting to Mrs. Cale as she rose to meet him. He walked silently to Cat and began an examination, stopping to make notes on his chipboard. Logan and Wendy stood silently anxiously waiting for news. The doctor looked up, "I work alone."

Mrs. Cale hurried from the room. Logan stayed the suspicion was evident as he asked, "Why did you betray Manticore?"

"They killed my wife," Cater said without looking up from his clipboard.


Logan sat in his room finishing up some E.O work, trying not to think about the fact that his cousin and the woman he loved were both in potentially life-threatening situations.

"Knock knock."

Logan whirled around to see a battered Max leaning against his window frame. Her leather cat suit was covered in mud and her raven curls were littered with twigs. It was then he noticed the ugly bruise that was developing on her cheek. He walked over to her and gently traced the outline of the bruise, he drew back quickly as she flinched away.

"Does it hurt?"

"My revved up freak show of a body can take worse," she shrugged casually.

"Let me tend it for you," He said softly.

Logan walked into the bathroom.

Max sighed it was one thing she would never get used to Logan continent worry. Her homegirls recognized that she could take a care of herself and did not comment when she came home with bruises or cuts but Logan always insisted on taking care of her. Why did he have to be so kind, intelligent and genuinely care about her? She was getting along fine in this bitch of a world without a charming, sexy idealistic cyber journalist coming along and complicating her life.

Logan led her to the bed placing an ice pack on her cheek. Sitting down beside her he laid a hand on her cheek and brought it closer for inspection.

"How's Cat?" she asked.

"The doctor's with her now."

Max's eyebrows shot up.

"We can trust him."

Max frowned, she didn't trust any doctor, they reminded her of Manticore. Jondy was making sure Mary Smith got away safely. Their debt of gratitude was paid. Max got up and began to pace.

"What if it had been you? What if I'm the reason you're hurt or killed?" she asked. Her pacing became erratic as her emotions intensified, "I see him every night, yelling at us- Duty, Mission, Discipline. They were all part of the game it was life. Then I wakeup, hang with my homegirls and I go over to your place. My heart goes on this weird trip every time you enter the room. It's really quite pathetic, billions of dollars on making the perfect human and I go weak when you enter a room," Her voice was now choked with emotion. Logan pulled her into a loving embrace.

"You should hate me, your cousin could have died and it's because of me and my science screw up family. Don't you see? It could have been you! Just as easily as it was Cat," she continued her voice a mixture of anger, longing and fear.

Logan forced her to look at him cupping her face with his hands. "Listen to me Max. I would rather have one day with you knowing what I feel for you is real and what you feel for me is real then spend my life avoiding what I feel on the foundation of what ifs."

Max kissed him then, pouring every emotion she had ever felt for him into that one moment.

A sharp knock at the door was ignored until Wendy's voice penetrated the haze they were both in.

"Logan come quickly! It's Caitlin!"