CHAPTER TWO
Disclaimer: I don't have ownership of any of these characters. They belong to their respective creators, including Cameron/Eglee Productions and 20th Century Fox Studios. The story is not for sale or resale it is written solely for Dark Angel fans. No money is being made from the use of these characters.
Summary: Logan goes to a Manticore doctor for help.
Spoilers/Timeframe: Occurs after "Designate This".
Rating: R
A/N: I'm not sure of Eva's code so I made it up and as far as I know there is no Danes Isle, not off the Washington coast anyway.
*****
Eva was struggling to carry all the books she held, even with her capabilities she'd somehow managed to over stack her arms and the books were threatening to topple and spill over the floor. She kept her eyes on the top of the stack and slowly made her way to the study.
One minute she was standing, the next she was flat on her face and the books were scattered from the front door to the bedroom where she'd just come from.
A low whimper sounded from next to her head. There was Snuffy, he was nudging her head, she would have to get up and show him that she was fine or he'd start to get agitated.
"I'm alright, see," She stood up and turned around brushing herself off. "Sorry I didn't see you boy."
She patted his head affectionately. He was the best companion a girl could ever ask for--her protector and her friend, he was her special Alaskan malamute.
Snuffy let out a howl, he bounded to the front of the house. Less than a minute later there was a knock at the door.
Eva kicked some of the mess aside and made her way to the door. The shadow of a man hovered in front of the door. She zoomed in on his face, through the lace curtains she made and traced out his features, he had kind looking eyes, small glasses rested on his straight nose, and his hair was cut in a messy style. He looked uneasy.
Well, you should be, Eva smiled to herself. If the man knew the beast that waited on the other side of the door, he wouldn't be standing there waiting. He'd run like hell.
Eva unbolted the locks and edged the heavy oak door open.
Logan turned back to the door as soon as he heard the sound of locks turning. He was momentarily speechless when he saw the woman who opened the door. Dressed in Capri pants and a fitted black shirt, she was striking. Her long dark hair pinned in a messy pile on top of her hair, some bits had come loose and were trailing about her shoulders. Her full red lips looked like they were beckoning to be kissed, all glossy and shaped like a bow. It looked like she was permanently chewing on her bottom lip. Everything about her was unnerving.
Bling had been right, he didn't know what he was getting himself into. She reminded him a lot of Max. She had the same skin tone and her eyes were so like Max's, dark brown pools that lead to the soul. You could drown looking into them. She smiled at him; it began at the corners of her mouth and spread all the way up to her eyes.
"I don't believe I've ever seen you around before. Are you new here or just visiting?"
Logan stood awkwardly, by chance he'd seen her dog, which looked more like a wolf and he didn't look to friendly.
Eva followed his gaze. "Don't worry about Snuffy, he very well trained and unless you're a threat or a door to door salesman you should be fine."
She was smiling again. Logan could get addicted to that smile, lately it was a rare thing that a beautiful woman smiled at him.
"Come in, sit down, then maybe you can tell my why you've dropped by."
As she turned Logan noticed something that made him stop in his tracks. Her hair was all pulled up a few loose curls brushed her nape. But Logan could see the back of her neck clearly and there was no barcode.
Eva realized that the man was still standing in the same spot. He look surprised almost confused.
"Something wrong?"
"No, nothing."
Logan forced his legs to move. There had to be some logical explanation. He was absolutely certain that Dr. Eva Tate was an X5, why else would those pictures he saw be of the same person. There was no mistake. But how was he going to confirm his belief. He could just come right out and ask, couldn't he?
Eva led him to her small kitchen and pulled him up a chair, she grabbed a jug from the fridge and poured him a glass of iced tea.
"I hope you don't mind lemon tea, it's all I can offer you besides water." She set the glass in front of him. "So who are you and where are you from?"
She did have many visitors and her family had their own lives to worry about. She never bothered trying reach any of them.
"Logan Cale," Logan extended his hand, "I'm looking for Dr. Eva Tate."
Eva took his hand and shook it. She was trained to control her emotions, especially her fear but she hadn't been prepared for her past to catch up with her so soon.
"Why are you looking for her?"
Logan noted that she avoid telling him her name. It was a start, so she didn't like to lie. Or was it part of her plan?
"I have a few things that I'd like to ask her. Her research is of great interest to me."
Eva studied the man in front of her. She trusted her instinct always; it had never lead her astray. She felt she could trust Logan, he wasn't a threat but what did he want?
"I'm Eva Tate but everyone here knows me as just plain Eva. They know little about me and I'd like to keep it that way."
She turned away from him to look out the window. She looked far into the distance, from her small house she could look out to sea, in the distance you could make out the Washington cityscape, just shadowy shapes on the horizon.
"Can you help me walk again?"
Eva never took her gaze from the window. "Why, you can already walk."
"I walk with the aid of a machine. My spine was damaged with a gunshot wound. I've seen your work, I know what you can do."
"I left that all behind. I'm not a scientist anymore."
Logan knew that wasn't true, he'd seen the books that were strewn across the floor in the hallway. Physics, biochemistry, one that had particularly caught his eye was a file on DNA test subjects.
"What are you running from?"
Eva froze; she squeezed her hands together. Breathe, count backwards from ten then just answer the question.
"I started a new life for myself. I had a rough past and I'm leaving it all behind."
She turned to stare at him. Hopefully he would get the message and let it all drop.
"I would love to help, but I have no lab and I never actually operated outside test conditions. So you've come along way for nothing…I'm sorry."
Logan hung his head, it was hopeless and he was down to his last card. Please trust me.
"Eva, are you from Manticore?"
Eva swung around from the window and was at the table in a flash. She grabbed him twisted his arm behind his back and pushed him up against the cupboards.
"Who sent you?"
Logan's face was being squashed into the cupboard door and he was struggling to breathe let alone talk, "….I…can't…"
Eva loosened her grip but didn't let him go.
"…I told you, I came on my own, and I'm no threat to you."
Snuffy had started a snarl and a low sound that came from the back of his throat had Logan shaking in his exoskeleton.
"Heel, Snuffy." The dog sat but only a foot away from Logan, and he still had his blue eyes fixed on his target.
Click
Eva hit the floor, dragging Logan with her.
A millisecond later glass shattered and bullets flew harmlessly overhead.
Eva glared at Logan. "Get up," she hissed.
She was past being nice, someone was tearing up her home and it seemed like her past just caught up with her.
Well, it was nice while it lasted.
She signaled to Snuffy and he followed. They managed to get out of the house and reach a small forest about a hundred meters away. Eva dropped low to the ground and looked back up at the house. She spotted two gunman dressed in black. Manticore soldiers, their gear was easy to identify. She counted out numbers, there were six that she could see. She zeroed in on one of them, he was talking in his two-way radio. He was obviously the leader but she didn't recognize him. There was the softest footfall behind them.
Eva swung around, grabbed the intruder by the throat and whipped out her knife before Logan could even blink.
Seconds before plunging the knife into the stalker's heart, Eva locked eyes with her opponent. Her arm froze in striking position.
"Maxie?"
She took a step back, her arms went limp and just dropped to her side. Her hand started to shake and the knife fell harmlessly to the ground. She kept starting at her sister. Her baby sister, the one she'd protected with her own body. She now almost killed. Eva tore her eyes away and just let herself thump to the ground. Her whole being was shuddering now, with uncontrolled shock.
Max was still rooted to the spot. She'd been so stunned by the whole turn of events that she hadn't defended herself or said a word. She'd arrived in time to see the house get riddled with bullets and her enhanced vision allowed her to see Logan and a woman escape. She'd followed them but nothing had prepared her for what she was confronted with. The sight of Logan snapped her out of reverie and the anger of betrayal burned through her. She grabbed him by the back of his neck and whispered close to his ear.
"Tell me why I shouldn't break your neck?"
Despite her hand being gloved, Logan could swear her felt strong cold fingers digging into his flesh.
"I wasn't sure myself, Max, it was just a hunch I had to find out for sure."
Max released him and pushed him none to gently to a sitting position.
"This just doesn't make any sense. I saw you die right in front of me." She was squatting before Eva now who was rocking herself back and forth, completely lost to what was happening around her.
"We have to move, we can't stay here."
Max grabbed Eva, put her arm over her shoulders and placed a strong supportive arm around her sister's small waist. She collected the knife and gestured to Logan. "Call the dog."
Logan looked apprehensively at Snuffy, lucky for him the dog didn't need any urging, and he followed Max and Eva silently.
******
"Damn it!" Croan screamed at his men, "One woman and the ten of you can't even hit her."
One of his men grunted.
"You got something to say?"
"She's an X5, sir."
"That's no excuse, you never came within meters of her. We've spent a week preparing for this exercise and we don't even get close."
"Sir, she wasn't alone. We saw two people in the house. A man and a woman."
"Whatever, we don't have anything now. She's long gone. Scout the woods and torch the house." Croan rounded on one of the men. "You. Get me her files on Manticore. Now all of you move out!"
This woman was getting on his nerves. Major Joseph Croan was Lydecker's replacement, his job depended on this mission, and it was his first big assignment. If he failed to bring her in, alive preferably, he'd spend the rest of his days on the base. Doing some shitty deskwork no doubt.
