Disclaimer:
Believe it or not, I don't own any of the Dark Angel characters. No, no-I
really don't. It was just as much of a shock to me. I do have
rights to Logan, but James Cameron and Chic Eglee stole him from me. I
will get him back...they just don't know it yet. :) When I do, I may be
willing to share Logan if you guys keep reviewing! :)
Special Thanks
to: ALL MY WONDERFUL REVIEWERS. You guys ROCK! I can't
believe that so many people have reviewed. :) It's so neat!
This is my first ever fic, and I NEVER expected this kind of response. I
hoped, sure, but I didn't really think it would happen! :)
Also, thanks
to: Meka, for her beta reading, BlackWolf for his help with my questions
about weapons and explosives; and Zig, because he had a REALLY
COOL plot twist
idea, which I used. Plus, he makes a hell of a beta reader too. :)
Also,
thanks to the cocoa plant. Without this wonderful plant, I wouldn't be
enjoying this wonderful cup of hot chocolate I am drinking now.
A/N:
Seriously, I am blown away by the amount of reviews I have received. It
just makes me want to keep writing for all of you wonderful people! :)
You make me feel so loved! Someone wrote a review wondering what kind of
job let's my write fan fic all the time. This kind: I am in the
technical recruiting industry. This means I find jobs for people in the
IT industry, and find companies looking to give people jobs. I seriously
want to become a novelist though. It's my passion. I love writing
with every fiber of my being.
Okay, enough
about me- on to Chapter 12!
____________________
The Enemy
Within
Chapter 12
Revelations
Original Cindy
sat on the couch wringing her hands while waiting for Bling and Zack. She
hadn't argued when Zack had told her that by this time tomorrow, she would be
impersonating a doctor in enemy territory. Thinking about it now, though,
she was scared. She would be walking into Max's living nightmare.
Max had told her some of the horror stories about Manticore, and Original Cindy
had to admit that she was damn scared about pulling this off. She was
completely confident in Zack's capabilities to back her up if she needed it,
and even Bling's presence left her feeling more secure than not, though she
knew nothing of the man before today except a passing mention from Max here and
there. What she had seen of him gave her the impression that Bling was a
confident, kind and caring man. As long as you were on his good
side.
Still, it would
be her going in there alone. Sure, she would have a gun that Zack was
going to give to her for protection, but that knowledge added small comfort.
Knowing that she may have to use it was a little frightening. She didn't
want to be put into a situation where she would be forced to defend her and
possibly Logan's life. Sure, she had taken care of herself out on the
streets, often times in what could have turned into life threatening
situations. But these Manticore guys were for real, and there was no
doubt they would shoot first and ask questions later.
She was just
going to have to make sure that she would be on her toes, and if it came down
to it, she would get the first shot off.
Outside,
Original Cindy heard the telltale signs of a couple of cars running over twigs,
leaves and sand. She stood up from her spot on the couch and walked to
window. Peeking out, she saw Logan's Aztek along with an old armored car
that was painted black slowing to a stop.
Bling and Zack
were back.
Walking over to
the door to open it, she told herself that no matter how scared she was, she
would go through with this. Max was her girl, and Max would do the same thing
for her.
________________
Max lay
unconscious on the medical bed, twisting and turning at the private movie that
was playing in her head. The conversion device designed to make her dream
state a living hell was doing its job well. Lydecker looked down, unable
to smother the smug and satisfied smile off of his face. She would be his
soon, his soldier once again.
Like it should
be.
_________________
...Max was
in a dark and musty cave. She could hear water dripping in the distance,
echoing loudly throughout the cavern. The only other sound to keep her company
was her own heartbeat, which was frantic and off pace in her own ears.
She sank to her knees onto the cool and rocky ground, pebbles stinging her
hands as she began to crawl, looking to find the light that would signal an
exit to this dank hell. Something wasn't far behind her, ready to pounce
if she made one wrong move. She had to be damn sure she didn't.
Behind her,
a small sound caught her attention. It was the sound of a footstep
scraping against small stones. She tried to adjust her eyes to the abyss around
her, desperately attempting to see something that would clue her in to her
stalker's whereabouts. She was always good at escape and evade, but she
never had this much on the line. It was never truly dangerous for
her. She had a feeling that if she didn't escape this time, it would be
her last.
After
a minute, when Max still couldn't see in the darkness around her and she had
heard nothing to allude that the attacker may be behind her any longer, she
resumed her slow crawl. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, a
sliver of light appeared ahead of her. Max became excited. There
was a way out after all! She subconsciously picked up speed, completely
enamored on getting to the outside world and away from the monster that was
behind her. She couldn't shake the thought that if the monster caught
her, she would lose part of herself. An important part of herself that
she was desperately clinging to.
Deep in her
thoughts, she didn't notice the form that was on the ground in front of her
until she literally ran into it. Her eyes adjusting with the help of the
dim light, Max saw that it was a man's body, laying facedown in a puddle of
water on the cave's floor.
'Don't turn
him over' her mind screamed. Yet, she felt this morbid need to see who it
was. Mud was clumped in the man's fine hair, so much so that it was hard
for her to make out it's color. Slowly -oh so slowly- Max eased the man
onto his back. Staring down in shock, a tear slipped down her face as she
saw Zack's unblinking eyes look right through her. They were no longer
filled with life, just the flatness that is death. She sobbed for her
dead brother.
'It was your
fault, Maxie. I turned myself in for you, and you let them kill me.' A
voice whispered around her, causing her to jerk her head up. The corpse
still lay unmoving beneath her hands. Immediately, she lifted her arms
away from it and crawled backwards, as if Zack's body had burned her
flesh. She looked around, searching for the person who had spoken those
words. She found no one.
'Zack?' she
inquired, shifting her gaze back to the body that lay in front of her.
The lifeless
body suddenly sat up, and Max screamed...
________________________
"Cindy,"
Zack said, holding a small object in his hand. "This is your earpiece.
You are going to use the pen to talk to me, so make sure you keep it in your
front jacket pocket." He set the microphone and earpiece down on the
table in front of him, and picked up the gun and attachment that lay next to
it. "This is a Walther P999 you can use. You should have no problem
with it." Zack said in a no-nonsense type tone, attaching a silencer to
the deadly object in his hand.
"Original
Cindy is familiar with weapons," she said, and took the pistol from
Zack. She set it down beside the labcoat and the professional black
pantsuit that lay on the bed. When Zack had got back from getting the
armored car today, he had surprised Original Cindy with clothes that he had
picked up from her and Max's apartment on the way back. He had wanted to
find the most professional outfit Cindy had, but was also kind enough to pick
up a couple of T- shirts and jeans so Cindy could have fresh clothes.
When she asked how he was able to get the physician's coat, Zack had stated
"That's not important," and left it at that. The boy wanted to
pretend he was a bad ass who didn't need anybody, but Cindy knew there was more
to him than that.
"Are you
sure you got the plan down," Zack asked Cindy for what must have been the
fifth time that evening.
"Yes,
Original Cindy has told you how many times that she understands what needs to
be done?" she asked him with annoyance slightly tinting her voice.
"I know what I need to do."
Zack looked at
her for a moment, wondering if he should still run the plan over one more time
with her. It was dangerous, sending her in there alone, but it was the
best plan he had. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an object the
size of a credit card that had a clip attached to it. On the front, it
had the words 'Medical Staff' printed in large block letters, and a picture of
Original Cindy on it. The back had a long bar line that was meant to be
swiped for identification. Zack handed it to Original Cindy.
"How
did-" she began.
"When
you've been on the run as long as I have, you make contacts. I've been in
Seattle for a while and I learned who can do what," Zack stated.
"Wheel boy is not the only one who can get things done. I found the
picture in your apartment this afternoon. I took the card off of a doctor
that had been riding in my helicopter when it went down for a 'just in case'
situation. This is that situation. I had your picture put on this
afternoon. It's a pretty good job, and it will make your entrance much
easier. You should have no problem getting in. Tomorrow, you will
be Jennifer Simmons."
Original
Cindy listened and nodded. She couldn't help but be amazed at the man's
tendency to always be prepared for the worst. He was quite different from
Max, yet in so many ways exactly the same. They both had the penchant for
expecting things to go bad.
"Alright,
we wake up at 4:30. You take the Aztek, and Bling and I will take the
armored truck. I have another tag to put Logan's car, just in case anyone
decides to run it. You sleep in here, Bling will take the guest room, and
I'll sleep on the couch. I will knock three times in the morning, and I
expect you to be ready to go thirty minutes after. Understand?"
"Yes,
Captain Zack, Original Cindy has it down. Now, get outta here so Original
Cindy can get some rest. You and Max may not need it, but us normal
people have to have it to function." Zack said nothing, but Original
Cindy could swear that he almost smiled. He turned on his heel and walked
out the door, shutting it behind him.
Cindy flopped
down on the fluffy mattress and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't deny
that she was scared; her stomach was practically doing somersaults in her
body. She highly doubted she would get a wink of sleep
tonight. Glancing over at the clock on the night table next to her,
she sat up to adjust the alarm for four-fifteen, before easing her body back
down on the bed.
The gun caught
her eye. Original Cindy had a sick feeling that she would need to use it
before tomorrow was over with.
"Max,
wherever you are, we're going to get you back. That's a promise Original
Cindy intends to keep." She said aloud, her voice echoing in the
room. A tear slipped down her cheek thinking about the hell that her best
friend was no doubt being subjected to at this very moment.
She swiped her
face and looked at the wetness on her hand. It was going to be a long
night.
______________________
Logan couldn't
sleep. His body was desperately crying for rest, but his mind just
wouldn't shut down - even with the drugs they were still pumping in his
system. He'd been in this tiny room for days-hell, it could even be
weeks- and he was starting to feel extremely claustrophobic. His mind was
starting to do weird things to him. He would hear a tiny noise, and his
heart would jump up into his throat. Logan kept expecting that door to
open and Andrews to come through with a gun raised to Logan's face. They
would dispose of him sooner or later, and with time continuing to pass, it
would no doubt be sooner. He felt as if he was pushing the
envelope. He could feel his death coming nearer.
He was positive
that after whatever 'it' was that young female doctor was talking about with
Andrews, he would be completely expendable to Manticore.
Logan lay in bed
and began praying to a God that he hadn't often spoken to since his parents'
horrible death, pleading for Bling to come with the others. This wasn't
the first time he had asked for this particular scenario, and it very well me
the last. Logan didn't believe he would be alive in twenty-four
hours.
"Please,
God. Give us all a miracle," he whispered.
_______________________
...Zack
quickly reached out to grab Max's hand, but she was able to scamper to her feet
before he could. She turned and ran away from him, away from the light
that she had so badly wanted to go toward. Now she was hurling herself
back into the cavern's darkness, but she didn't care. She just wanted to
get away from Zack. He wanted to kill her; she could practically feel his
hatred for her radiating and burning her skin. The feeling was so intense
that she put her hands up to her bare arms to begin to rub them, as if she
could wipe the hatred off. Suddenly, something grabbed her ankle and she
tripped forward, the ground rushing up to smack her hard. Her lip busted as her
face hit, but she didn't have time to think about it. Whatever- whoever-
had snatched her foot was now pulling them with an insane force toward
them. Max couldn't see in the shadows who it was. She felt nails
digging into her heel, and she screeched, trying with no avail to twist out of
the monster's grasp. Her own fingers dragged along the dirt bottom of the
cave, scratching on stones and bugs and other unknown things, but Max couldn't
find anything to hang on to as she was completely taken by the creature.
She turned her body, dreading to face whoever it was. When Max saw the
face of her assailant, she took in a breath of shocked air.
'You?
Why are you after me?' Max whispered. 'You're my friend-you would never
hurt me.'
'You killed
me Max. The Reds killed me, all because they wanted you.' Original
Cindy said out of blue lips, her voice scratchy with the voice of the
dead. Max looked down and saw a bullet hole in the middle of Original
Cindy's chest. Her eyes flew back up to Cindy's, her confusion evident in
them.
"But I
saved you. You were..." Max began, her voice shaking and tears
threatening.
"No!
You didn't, Max. They killed me. You let them murder me. You
didn't tell me that I would be in danger, and I died. Because of
you. And now you will die too."
Original
Cindy held up her hand, which had a long knife gleaming in it. She raised
it slowly toward Max and pressed the tip of the blade to her throat. Max
closed her eyes and swallowed...
_____________________________
Lydecker looked
at Max's heart monitor. It was jumping up erratically as Max's breaths
became even more rushed.
Dr. Stevenson
looked over at Lydecker. "I think now would be a good time,
sir. I am not sure how much more she can take before going into cardiac
arrest." He suggested somberly.
Lydecker rubbed
his chin with his hand and seemed to think it over for a minute, before waving
the doctor's suggestion off.
"Not yet,
Stevenson. She isn't ready for me. It won't succeed if we do it
now. Give her a few more minutes, then we'll try."
"But,
sir-" Dr. Stevenson said before Lydecker cut him off.
"I said
we'll give it a few more minutes" he commanded, then turned back to the
female form writhing on the bed.
________________________________
Original Cindy
drove the Aztek toward the gate of the medical center. She felt as if she
were about to puke and her insides were jelly, but her outward appearance gave
no mention of that. Her face was calm and collected and her make up was
natural and professional looking. Her hair was pulled back into a French
twist, and the coat and dark pantsuit really did make her look the role of the
doctor.
She looked in
her rearview mirror. There was no one following her, as Bling and Zack
had turned off on their own direction around ten minutes before. Zack was
going to have the other vehicle waiting in the woods surrounding the building,
planning later meet up with Cindy when she had Logan. If anything were to
arise, she just had to say the word 'moon', and that would signal to Zack and
Bling that she was in trouble.
Original Cindy
prayed that she wouldn't have to give the signal.
She turned her
head down and spoke into the pen, as Zack had directed her. "I'm
approaching the gate station. I will let you know when I am
through."
"Acknowledged",
Zack's hard voice said in her ear. She eased the car to a stop and rolled
down the window. She waited for the armed guard that was manning the
station to come up to the door.
"Identification,
please." The man said in a clipped manner.
Cindy handed
him the card and he walked inside the small building that housed the security
device. She saw him swipe the card and wait for a computer to clear the
guest. She unconsciously held her breath, and the seconds seemed to
stretch into minutes. Her right hand came off the steering wheel and found it's
way into the pocket that her gun was in. Her stomach lurched more with
every moment that passed.
Finally, the guard
seemed satisfied with the information on the monitor and he walked back toward
Cindy with the card in his hand. He gave her a smile and handed the ID
back to her.
"Have a
nice day, Ms. Simmons," the man said and waved her through. She
rolled her window back up and put the car back into drive. She whooshed
the breath out that been holding.
She was
in. She just hoped to God she would be able to make it out.
_____________________
...Max
kicked hard and somehow landed a swift blow to Original Cindy's solar
plexus. Immediately, Cindy dropped the knife and Max got on her feet and
began running again. She ran until her body was too tired to go anymore
and she slumped to the ground. Sobs racked her body until it hurt.
She felt like she couldn't breathe and a dull pain was beginning to settle in
her chest. She had just closed her eyes to gather her thoughts when she
felt a small hand touch her shoulder. Her eyes flew open and she was
looking at Eva.
'Oh my God,'
Max half groaned, half cried. 'Not you too. Please, not you too.'
She was going crazy. She had to be. That's the only thing that
could explain it.
Eva said
nothing but she ripped Max's shirt off of her. Something on Max's upper
chest must've caught Eva's eye because Eva's hand came up to touch it.
Max looked down and saw the same image that had been on the ex-con's chest that
the X-5's had tracked down when they were younger. The man they had all
mutilated with their teeth and hands. Max stood up and began to try to
wipe the sickening emblem off, but it was tattooed into her skin. Eva
emitted a feral cry and jumped onto Max, biting hard into the skin at the base
of Max's throat.
"Nooo..."
Max cried, shoving Eva hard, making Eva's teeth rip deeper into her flesh...
_______________________________
"Alright,
Cindy. Remember, if you need me, just say the word 'moon'. I'll be
there." Zack's reminded her through the small radio Cindy couldn't
reply, because she was now inside the building. It didn't look like too
much of a medical facility-it appeared to be more of a warehouse than
anything. It had that same sterile smell of a hospital, and it just added
to Cindy's nerves. She was just going to have to feel her way
around in here until she was able to find the room that Logan was being kept
in. Walking down the hall, she glanced back and forth between doors
that were shut. Beside each one there was a plastic slot for a medical
chart, yet they were all empty. She assumed that whatever room Logan was
in would have his chart there. She kept going down the seemingly endless corridor,
glancing at several doors on her right and left. She made sure to nod politely
to the people that passed her and occasionally even said 'hi' or 'good morning'
as to not arouse any sort of suspicion. Finally, after what seemed like
an eternity, she came across a slot that was filled with a chart.
Nonchalantly, she stopped in front of the door and picked it up and read.
Cale, Logan. 'Bingo!' she thought. Original Cindy slipped the papers back into their place and
back and backtracked down the hall, stopping to get a wheelchair that she
passed along the way. She doubted rich boy would have enough strength to
walk, seeing how he was just getting his legs back. It would be much
quicker if she could just put him in there and roll him out.
She wheeled the
chair to Logan's room. Taking the ID off its clip on her labcoat, she
swiped it down the device that would unlock the door. Hearing the soft
click of the lock give away, she turned the knob and eased the door open.
Logan looked up
as Cindy came in. When he heard the lock, he had expected Andrews or even
one of the doctors. He certainly hadn't expected an avenging angel in the
form of Original Cindy to appear. His heart danced with euphoria and if
he could have jumped up and hugged her, he would have done so. He waited
till she shut the door behind her before he spoke.
"How did
you-' he began.
"No time
for that right now. I'm here. You look like hell, by the way. When
we're outta here, tell me what the hell they did to your face," she said
in Original Cindy fashion. Logan smiled and yanked the tube out of his
nose. It almost made him vomit in the process, but he didn't care.
He was too damn happy right now. The feeling seemed to be contagious
because Original Cindy gave him a huge smile that she couldn't seem to hold back.
Logan gingerly sat up in the bed and let her remove the IV from his arm.
When she was done with that task, she went to get the wheelchair for him.
He threw his arm around her neck and she grabbed him around the back, both
working together to get him into the chair that he had wanted for so long to
get out of. Now, he was thankful just to be back in it. A
little ironic, he thought, but somehow fitting to his life lately. As he
was settling into the chair, a deep and familiar male voice sliced through the
air.
"Well,
well, Mr. Cale. Why don't you introduce me to your friend?" An
amused voice asked.
Cindy froze,
her arm still around Logan. He moved his head to the side, looking around
her body to see Major Andrews at the door, a gun raised and leveled to the back
of Original Cindy's head.
____________________________
...Max cried
out in pain, not only at the gnawing of Eva's mouth, but also at the pain that
was growing in her chest.
'EVA! Stop
it!' Max screamed, pulling at Eva's hair. Finally, Max got Eva Free of
her throat, but when the other girl's face became visible again, Max saw that
it was no longer her dead sister, but Logan.
'What the
hell?' Max sobbed, confused.
'I'm back,
Max. I told you, I want you dead. And I will kill you, the same way
you murdered that man when you were younger.' The blood was once again
dripping from his mouth and teeth, making his face a grotesque mask of a
monster. He wasn't wearing his glasses and his eyes were no longer
cerulean blue but a devilish black.
'Logan,
please. I -I love you. You're my friend. You're my
life. Please, don't do this to me.'
'You were
the one who took away my legs Max. All because you couldn't help.
You were a selfish little bitch. Because of you I can't walk!' He
spat the hate filled words out at her.
'But I gave
you the transfusion, I wanted to help you walk again...'
He
backhanded her, causing blood to spurt from her nose.
"It
didn't help! I rejected your blood! As if that wasn't enough, you
gave me to them. You let them kill me. You sat and watched."
He was
repeating the same things he had said earlier when he had given her the bloody
kiss. This time, everything that he was speaking hit her so much harder,
after dealing with Zack, Original Cindy and Eva. Every word caused her
chest to hurt more. Each pain was a hot, sharp stab beneath her left
breast.
Logan slowly
bent his head forward. At first she thought he was going to kiss her
again, but he stopped at her neck. He bit down hard and made a wound inches
away from the one Eva had caused earlier.
________________________
The heart
monitor began to jump wildly.
"She's
going into cardiac arrest, sir." Stevenson said, concern etching his
voice.
Dr. Johns
looked at Lydecker. "You have to do it now. Otherwise, she'll
die," she said soberly.
Lydecker
nodded, and Stevenson pressed a button on his machine.
_________________________
'Max.'
Lydecker's voice cajoled. "Let me help you. I can make them all go
away. Just follow me.'
Max didn't
even have to think about it- she couldn't think about it. Her mind was
mush and she was no longer able to tell reality from dreams. She just
wanted to be away from these horrors. The pain in her chest was
overbearing, and she was going to black out soon.
'Yes,' she
cried to Lydecker. "Please, help me.'
_______________
Max opened her
eyes, and turned them toward Lydecker, who was still standing beside her
bed.
"I trust
you, just make them go away. I'm yours if you just make them go
away," she whimpered. Then, she blacked out again, this time
thankfully into a dreamless sleep of exhaustion, trusting her arch nemesis to
take care of and comfort her.
She had just
given herself willingly and completely over to Donald Lydecker.
"Welcome
home, Max." he said, and brushed an errant hair off of her forehead.
_______________________
A/N:
Whew! Sorry that took a while; it's just been a busy week at work (for
once). I am sorry if there are any grammatical flaws. I wrote this part
and won't have it beta read just yet, but I am excited to get it posted.
Please don't be
a silent reader. Leave a review!