Chapter Seven Kent & Kiki SMITH Kathleen Norvell 3 12 2001-10-26T15:01:00Z 2001-10-26T15:02:00Z 4 1723 9823 n/a 81 19 12063 9.2720 0 0

Author: Catherder

Disclaimer: Dark Angel is owned by Charles Eglee, James Cameron, and Fox. I claim no rights to these characters, alas, although I like to play with them.

Summary :  Continuation of "Encounter." Renfro grabs Logan for experimentation and Lydecker has to deal with the consequences.

Spoilers/Timeframe:  Between Pollo Loco and Hit a Sistah Back

Rated: PG for language

A/N: This is in response to the reviewers who asked me to continue the story. Great thanks to a fan for reviewing and making excellent suggestions. Reviews are appreciated. 

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Chapter Seven

Logan awoke in his bed at Manticore. His head felt like some one was kicking it. When he opened his eyes, he saw Renfro bending over him, a solicitous smile lighting everything but her cold eyes.

"Ah, good, Mr. Cale, you're awake," she said, stating the obvious.

"What the hell happened?" Logan tried to sit up, but winced at the pain in his head.

Renfro touched a button on the side of the bed and it adjusted to a sitting position. "You had a seizure," she explained. "We're trying to track down the source. We should have test results in about an hour. Then we should know whether it was caused by the treatment or by your neurological condition worsening. First fainting, then a seizure…"

Logan sighed deeply, then looked Renfro in the eye. "What's it going to take to convince you, lady? I am a T-8 level paraplegic. Period. There is no other 'neurological condition.' I have an excellent doctor – a neurosurgeon. He sees me for a checkup every few months. I can also read an X-ray and an MRI. So far, you haven't shown me any proof that I have any kind of 'condition.' If you think I have, then transfer me to Metro Medical and have him examine me."

"I don't think that would be such a good idea, Mr. Cale." Renfro continued to smile her icy smile. "I couldn't take responsibility for you further injuring yourself."

"If you want, I'd gladly sign a waiver relieving you of any responsibility. But I want to get out of here and if you don't let me leave, you will be holding me against my will. I believe that's called kidnapping."

The smile dropped from her face. "Mr. Cale, I don't believe you are competent to make decisions about your health."

"You gonna send up a shrink now to check me over? I'm sure he'll say whatever you want him to," Logan said defiantly. " Something went sideways in your 'treatment' of my 'condition.' That's it. Now, I'm willing to forget all about it if you just get out of this room and let me leave!"

Renfro leaned over into Logan's face. "Don't play games with me, Mr. Cale or you may find your condition getting worse, maybe even fatal."

He didn't flinch. "Ah, so now we get to the threats," he taunted.

Renfro's hand came up to slap him, but he caught her wrist and painfully twisted it behind her.

"I may not be able to walk, but I can break your arm. Now, are you going to get me out of here or not?"

Logan was obviously hurting her, but he knew she would never say so. He also didn't think she would give in easily. He distrusted her to keep her word, but they'd played to a standoff. He didn't know what she would do next, but he knew what he had to do.

"Get out of here and let me get dressed!" he snarled, pushing her away from him so hard she almost fell over.

She rubbed her wrist, which still showed the livid imprints from Logan's fingers. "I'll send some one down immediately to escort you out," she said between clenched teeth. She smoothed her hair, quickly regaining her composure. "Don't think that I will forget this little incident." High heels clicking on the tile, she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Ignoring his throbbing head, Logan pulled himself out of bed and into his chair. He found his clothes, once again neatly folded in the drawer. Whatever Manticore's intentions, he told himself, at least  they were neat and tidy to a fault. He dressed more quickly than he ever had, keenly aware of the urgency of his situation. He wheeled himself to the door and tried to open it, only to find that Renfro had locked it behind her.

"Damn!" he shouted as he pounded on the doorjamb. "Damn!" If there was ever a time when he wished he had Max's lock-picking tools, it was now. Angrily, he wheeled around to look out the barred window, feeling more than ever like the proverbially trapped rat. If he weren't in the chair, he could get out of here, he thought, if, if if…

His bitter thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door unlocking, revealing the now-familiar orderly. Logan turned around to face him.  

"Good morning, Mr. Cale. Doctor Renfro has ordered a sedative for you."

"I don't think so, Logan replied. "I'm fine. I don't need a sedative."

"But Doctor Renfro – " the orderly tried to continue, approaching Logan with a syringe.

"I said I was fine." Logan said, grabbing the orderly's hand and twisting the syringe out of it. Holding the orderly by the wrist with his left hand, he brought his right fist up and delivered an effective uppercut, bringing the man down in a heap. "And I hate needles."

Once again, he rolled over to the now-unlocked door. Opening it, he surreptitiously checked out the hallway. It seemed to be empty.

He wheeled down the hallway to Lydecker's office. Leaning forward, he used the full force of his body weight to pound on the door.

"Lydecker! Open up!"

The door opened inward with such violence that Logan was thrown off balance and nearly toppled out of the chair. Lydecker caught him with one strong hand and pushed him back onto the seat cushion.

"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded.

"The Bride of Mengele threatened to kill me is what's going on, Lydecker," Logan said breathlessly as he rolled into the office, followed by Lydecker. "Whatever plan you've got in the works needs to be implemented now." He wheeled around to face the older man.

"Oh, and by the way, do you have any idea why I had that seizure?"

"I gave you something that caused an electrolyte imbalance. It was harmless and temporary. But it made you seize up. I wanted to get things underway.

"Well, Renfro's not buying it. She wants more tests to see what caused the seizure – whether it was the 'treatment' or this non-existent 'condition' she says I've got. She's not gonna drop it until I'm dead."

"Well, I've found out that Renfro's goons brought your car here when they abducted you. I guess they figured it would cause less suspicion if both you and the car disappeared rather than leaving it parked at the market."

"Well, that's a start."

"It's parked behind the building.  So, the only challenge will be to get you to the car. There's heavy surveillance throughout this facility. I'm sure you've been recorded coming here.

"If you can give me access to your computer, I can fix that. I can make tape loops of the surveillance system and copy them into the camera feed so no one will see me here. And no one will be able to see us leave," Logan stated.

"Good. That will help. I think I see a plan taking shape," Lydecker said. "You want a cup of coffee?"

Logan nodded. Lydecker poured him a cup from the pot on a hot plate on a credenza.

"Got something for a headache? Whatever you injected me with is kicking my ass."

"Here." Lydecker handed Logan a couple of white pills. "It's just aspirin," he said, noting the suspicious glance he got. "I swear."

Logan swallowed the aspirin with a big gulp of coffee. "OK, now get me into that computer." He wheeled over to Lydecker's desk while Lydecker logged in. "In the interest of time, I'll only loop the tapes of the corridors we'll actually use."

"Fine. These are the ones." Lydecker pointed to several lines on a schematic that glowed on the screen. "How fast can you do this? Renfro will be on the warpath momentarily."

"Stall her. It'll take a while," Logan replied, typing furiously.

Lydecker's cell phone rang. He answered it with a tone of impatience. "This is Lydecker. What? No, I haven't seen him. Not a clue. I'll let you know if I do. All right, I'll see you in a few minutes." Lydecker hung up.

"No time to finish that." He turned to Logan with a sense of urgency. "The bitch is on her way down here to see me. You're going to be on your own." He quickly printed out the corridor diagram, which he handed to Logan. "This will show you where to go."

"Great. Just what I need."

"She's going to want to know why you came here. I'll think of something interesting to tell her."

"I hope she believes you. What now?"

 "Now we bust you out of here." Lydecker opened a desk drawer and pulled out a semi-automatic. He inserted a clip and stuck the gun into a holster that had been hidden by his jacket.

"Got a spare?" Logan asked. "Unfortunately, I left mine at home. I wasn't expecting to be abducted, so I wasn't packing."

Lydecker went over to another desk, opened a drawer, and retrieved a 9 mm Ruger. He inserted a clip and handed it to Logan, who chambered a round.

"You know how to use one of these?" Lydecker looked at him in surprise.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Need one in my line of work. That's how I ended up in this chair – got shot by the bad guys. Funny how the honchos around here seem to pack heat. Interesting medical facility."

"You don't know the half of it, son. Well, let's see what we can do to get you out of here. She'll be here in a minute." Lydecker looked out the door. Seeing that Renfro hadn't yet turned the corner to his office, he motioned to Logan to leave quickly. "Go down this hall and turn right at the first intersection. Here, you may need this." He tossed a building pass to Logan. "Now, get out of here."

Logan took the pass and rolled out of the office. He quickly made his way down the corridor in the direction Lydecker had indicated. He got to the intersection and turned the corner, then he stopped and looked back down the hall he'd just left. Renfro, in full fury, was stalking toward Lydecker's office. He ducked back around the corner.

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Renfro slammed the lab door open.

"Where the hell is he?"

"I have no idea. He didn't come in here," Lydecker lied.

"The surveillance camera indicted that he did."

"Well, I was in the can for a few minutes. Maybe he came in then. Guess since he didn't find me, he left."

"And why would he come here?" She was leaning over his desk, hands firmly planted on its top.

"Maybe he wanted to say good-bye. How should I know?" Lydecker leaned back in his chair, coffee cup in hand.

"Well, don't you think it's just a teeny bit suspicious that he should come looking for you?"

"I'm the only other person, other than Dr. Olsen, that he's met here. Maybe he thought I could help him in some way. He did have a seizure, after all."

"And could you?" she asked suspiciously.

 "You brought this on yourself!" Lydecker exploded. "I told you he'd be trouble, and he is." Then he continued in an exasperated tone. " No, I haven't seen him. No, I'm not helping him. Why would I? I'll go look for him if you want. Obviously, he can't get far – he's in a wheelchair. Otherwise get out of my office."

"He overpowered and knocked out my orderly! I don't give a damn if he's crawling, he's dangerous and I want him found." Renfro's tone approached hysteria.

"So send out your guards if you think he's dangerous," Lydecker said, a slight smile on his face. So the guy had taken out an orderly? Not bad. Renfro had obviously underestimated him. "Set off the sirens and send out the troops to look for him." And see how ridiculous you look, he thought.

"Find him." She glared at him.

"Oh, and by the way," she tossed off over her shoulder as she turned to leave, "Do you have any idea what caused his seizure? The tests were inconclusive."

Lydecker rolled his eyes and sighed. He shut the door and sat back down to finish his coffee. He had the feeling that Logan Cale could take care of himself.