"Where did Raven say she was?" Fox asked as they headed back to their rooms. Lydecker had learned from the X-5 and had assigned each X-6 their own room rather than a communal sleeping area.
"She said she was heading north to Canada," he replied with a shrug of his shoulder.
"When did she tell you that?"
"No to long ago. Why the inquiry?"
"I was on hacking duty today." Fox was always inclined to computers. "I was checking out some hover drone vids. I saw Raven."
"Yeah? So?"
"In Seattle."
"Are you saying she lied to me?"
"She's in deep ops working with the rogues. Living like them for well over a week now. The way they think of Manticore—"
Ty cut him off, "Are you saying they turned her?" Ty had never thought of the possibility, and he felt anger rise in his throat for Fox even implying such a thing. Raven was the strongest of will and character among them all. She would never turn against them. Never. But Ty held his anger back. Manticore had taught him that assuming or dismissing any information would mean death out in the field.
"I'm saying we shouldn't assume she hasn't at least been exposed to their propoganda."
Ty let the thought roll around in his brain. For the safety of the majority, Ty could not set aside his brother's words. Still, the thought of Raven…
"If they've tainted her…" Ty left the rest to the imagination.
*****
When Max sat down on the coffee table across from the couch Dr. Munrow gave her an update. "We need to get him to a laboratory now. I can heal him, but we are running out of time." She lifted another warm towel from Zack's bare chest and replaced it with a cool one.
Despite her heartfelt words, anger still bubbled over in Max's heart. The bloody image of Randy still fresh in her mind. Alyssa sensed her unease but remained silent. Zack was the main concern now.
But the tension in the room was like a tightening noose. Max despised Alyssa, with good reason, and Alyssa could not bring herself to trust Raven as much as it seemed that Max did. She feared for her life with the X-6 girl around. Raven lead the X-6. She was the strongest and most loyal soldier to Manticore. Dr. Munrow had witnessed this while at the compound. When still a doctor at the compound, she had tried to bond with the newest generation just as she tried with the X-5. Though many warmed to her efforts, Raven only ever seemed satisfied with the doctor's work. If she had shown emotion, it was too slight for Alyssa to sense.
The only difference between that heartless soldier and the girl that stood before her now was that rather than a practical ponytail, her hair hung loose about her shoulders, an ebony waterfall down her back. She may have abandoned the tight elastic that held her hair back in constant preparation for combat, but did that mean she also abandoned the soldier within?
The doctor didn't want to second-guess Max's judgment but she could not help questioning Raven's loyalty. Could it be possible that Raven had changed, no longer in Manticore's grip? Or was there a traitor in their ranks?
*****
The Triumvirate sat in the council room, once again darkened as the wall this time displayed snapshots of Kat's limp body.
"He wasn't as efficient as I thought he would be."
"From the reports it seems that he was..." she searched for the word that held the right connotation then smiled when she found it, "playing with his prey. On a regular operation that is not entrenched in personal matters, I'm sure he would prove his effectiveness."
"Project Nemesis has proved himself lethal and loyal to the X-6 and therefore to us. All the objectives of Operation Lockdown have been satisfied. I would say it was a success."
"Onto other matters then," the younger male moved the conversation along, "Major Mathews has proved his worth in Lydecker's absence. I feel he would be our best choice to take over the reins of Project Nemesis."
The woman nodded, "I agree, Lydecker is too preoccupied with the X-5, he has not utilized our resources to the capacity Mathews did when he was in control. He assigned the X-6's according to their specialized abilities, and forty percent more operations were completed then when under Deck's control."
"Lydecker is too protective of his 'children'. That will be his downfall."
"If Deck cares only for the X-5 we should just let him continue working on what he is passionate about. I move for Mathews to take over control of the X-6 as well as Project Nemesis. His initiative is great even at such a young age. He could be the best bet when Manticore moves into Stage three."
There was a brief silence as the other two weighed her suggestion.
"I agree."
"I as well."
"Well, gentlemen, it's getting late," the lady rose from her chair, "I will inform Mathews of his promotion tomorrow. For now I'm sure we all have our own things to get back too. Good evening." She excused herself with a curt nod and left the room, the others following soon after.
*****
Logan still stood there in the kitchen, watching the others tend to Zack's needs. Every once in a while he could see Max steal a quick glance in his direction. But when their gazes met she would quickly avert her eyes and busy herself with the soaking towels. Each time Logan could see no passion in her fiery eyes, but instead a deep running sorrow.
Don't push me away now that we have each other again. We tried that already Max. It didn't work.
He saw Max say something to Raven, who then stood and approached him. Max, again, only taking a fleeting look in his direction. When Raven reached his side Logan finally looked away from Max and acknowledged her.
"Logan?" Raven's voice was that of a timid child a far cry from when they had first met. "Max was wondering if you could get access codes to the lab downtown. And if it was possible to loop the security tape to cover our entry."
Logan looked again to Max. It hurt more than he cared to admit that Max wouldn't ask this of him herself. "Yeah."
"Thanks." Raven said, then returned to Zack's side.
It was a simple matter hacking into the laboratory's data files to snatch a few security clearance codes. In fact he had done it several times before for various reasons. After preparing the security cameras to loop he printed out the access codes.
"That's a nice computer you have there," the voice sounded behind him, startling him. It was just Raven and she seemed amused to have made him jump. How long had she been standing there? It was disconcerting that such a lethal force could lurk about undetected.
She was already at the printer, fingering the list that was not yet fully printed. He had hoped to give it to Max's hand, but it was apparent Max had sent the girl for just this purpose. He sighed.
Raven perused the list, nodding her head with satisfaction. Head still down she held her hand out to him again. "And we'll need your keys if you don't mind. I was gonna jimmy it, but I didn't want to get my hands dirty." She turned her face up to him, an expectant look on her face as though he had no other option but to give her his keys. So he handed them over as well.
"Cool," she said, sounding like an average teenager. It was unnerving. Raven then handed him back the list he had printed.
"Don't you need that?"
"I memorized it already." Raven smiled though her brows knit with confusion, as though Logan should have known.
"Also, you might be happy to hear that military convoys have been leaving the city, the activity over at Manticore's new base has died down. You should all be safe here for a while."
Raven opened her mouth to speak when another voice echoed into the room.
"Raven. We have to go." They could both hear Max's voice from outside and at her beckoning Raven turned on a heel and left the office.
He waited only a moment before he stepped out to follow her. One step out of his office Logan looked toward the front door. There stood Max, Zack leaning heavily into her, an arm thrown over her shoulders. They were already half way out the door when she lifted her eyes to Raven. Logan willed with all his heart for her to meet his gaze, and for a brief second she did. There was a sadness in her eyes, but other than that he could not read a thing. Before, he had been able to sense everything she was feeling just being in her presence and now…now it was like she had hardened her heart to stone.
Raven took half of Zack's burden from Max, taking up his other arm about her shoulders and without a word of goodbye, save a quick wave from Alyssa, they all left his apartment.
*****
By eight, they were on the streets, Max rode on her ninja in front of them to the laboratory. From the back seat Raven could see Alyssa's nervous glances into the rear view mirror. They were not aimed at some unseen threat that followed, but at Raven herself. She tried to pay them no attention, looking instead down at Zack's calm face, his head resting in her lap. But soon the wary looks of the doctor wore down on her patience. She had been so kind to her and her siblings at Manticore. The doctor had always tended to her family's injuries, physical and emotional. From what Raven could gather, she could have been described as motherly.
Now she jumped at every movement Raven made. When Raven lifted her hand to push a lock of fallen hair behind her ear the doctor jumped as though she had pulled out a gun. Raven could understand some the unease for she herself had never displayed any sort of appreciation of Dr. Munrow's kindness. That did not mean she wasn't grateful, for she was immensely. It was clear the Alyssa's efforts were for the betterment of the group. But as a soldier, and the C.O. of the X-6, Raven had to maintain a rigidity about her and could not show such weakness as emotion.
Over the past while Raven felt she had changed, and wished to tell the doctor of how thankful she was of even just the doctor's presence among her and her brothers and sisters. Sadly though, Raven knew, no words that left her mouth would ease the doctor's worries. It was obvious the doctor mistrusted her, thinking her some sort of assassin or traitor, and that she could not be easily swayed to believe in Raven's reform.
It made for a quiet ride to the laboratory. The only sound within the car was the occasional moan of pain that left Zack's lips.
*****
Zack lay on a cold metal table similar to those meant for autopsies. His face pale, his body unmoving, he could have easily passed for a corpse. But the doctor had still insisted that they strap him down. Leather straps held down his lifeless limbs.
At home in her laboratory, Alyssa set to work mixing various compounds together. She mentioned something about how she stumbled upon the cure for the rapid aging disease while doing further research on nervous damage. No one paid her much attention as they sensed she only spoke to ease her own anxiety. Zack's death was fast approaching and both Raven and Max could hear exactly how unsteady his heart was. Each beat threatened to be his last.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity Dr. Munrow prepared a huge needle. At Zack's side she opened his shirt once more, feeling the left side of his chest for the best place to inject it.
"Straight into the heart?" Max asked in a matter of fact tone of voice.
"If it's to work quickly."
Without flinching both Raven and Max watched as the doctor stabbed Zack with the needle and injected the fluid. The scene sent Max tumbling back into her flashbacks. It did not help that Zack on a metallic table similar to the one Randy was laid out on. In her mind's eye she could still see the doctor above Randy, so apathetic, so uncaring.
But Max held back any words of protest at Dr. Munrow's actions here. Zack, with one of his few precious breaths, basically told Max to trust Alyssa. It was a hard thing to gain Zack's trust and keep it so he must have known something about the doctor that she didn't or he would have snapped her neck when she was within reach. In fact Max was itching to do that right now.
Patiently, in silence, they waited. There was nothing much to be said between them anyways. An hour had passed since that first injection and Max noticed his breathing was less forced and his heart sounded regular. The only suspicious thing was that his skin was turning red, as though his whole body was covering in some sort of rash. It was only slight at first, but soon it grew a deeper crimson as though Zack had been thrown in a bathtub of searing water, and some parts of his skin had even begun to flake off. His body was boiling beneath his skin.
There was no warning when Zack's muscles began to tense and his whole body fought against his restraints. It didn't seem possible but he turned redder with his efforts. It seemed as if he was fighting some demon in his dreams, his face clenched in pain. Max could not hold her apprehensions any further, rushed over to where the doctor stood over Zack.
"What is happening to him? If you tricked us, I swear I'll…" she couldn't pick one from the many thoughts of torture and death that rose to mind. If she killed Zack Max would not have only lost one of her own, but the one person who could tell her where the others were. It would be like losing all of them all over again.
"Relax Max," Alyssa's soothing tone did little to assuage Max's doubts. "His body is rejuvenating itself. Shedding off the years if you will." She waited a moment more until Zack's body finally began to relax. His face still taught with some lingering pain, and his breathing heavy. Lifting one of the wet towels they had come in with, Alyssa wiped at Zack' chest where a large patch of skin had begun to flake off. Now exposed, the new skin that was growing beneath was smooth and young. "He will be fine after a couple more hours of this," she looked into Max's eyes and held her gaze, "I wouldn't betray any of you."
Max covered her embarrassment over the misdirected anger with a look of suspicion. "So he is healed, even of the seizures than?"
"He won't need the tryptophan anymore."
Max's shoulders slumped in defeat, this day had been taking. "Raven?"
The girl turned to face her.
"Can you watch over them?"
Raven nodded, though she was confused.
"Disable any guards that come. I just need to get some fresh air."
"Where will we rendezvous?"
"Logan's penthouse is close and it can house all of us."
Max was already walking away when Raven questioned, "And where will you be?"
"Around," was all the hint she gave as she walked out the door.
*****
"Are you sure you're alright?" Donovan asked as he sat of the edge of Eden's bed. He would only have a few moments to speak to her before the lockdowns on their individual cells would commence.
Eden smiled at his concern, a tired look on her face. "I'll be okay. My healing may not be as quick as you or Ty, but I'll be fine." She touched her bruises and winced. "I heard you caught the intruder."
"I did." His voice turned cold and callous, "I snapped her neck, she won't hurt any of us again." Eden could barely hear emotions behind his words besides a slight pride. It was haunting how Donovan spoke of killing his own mother in such a manner, and she smiled at the implication. He had reached the point of no return. He belonged to her and her siblings now.
The smile still lingered on her lips as she spoke, "Thank you for what you did, I know we will all be safer with you around. But for now, I just need some rest and I'll be fine. You should rest as well. They will be locking down soon."
"I will never let anyone hurt you again." His voice remained cold, but this time there was something different. He sounded obsessed. For the first time Eden understood what Ty meant. They were all lucky that Donovan was on their side. She turned on her side away from him, signaling he should leave. "Have a good rest, Donovan."
His voice returned to normal; brotherly and loving, "Good night, Eden. Feel better tomorrow."
She did not respond, pretending that she had already slipped into a deep sleep. Holding her breath, she waited until the weight of his body lifted from her bed and he left the room.
*****
Seattle looked so different and yet so familiar from her perch atop the Space Needle. From this height, with nothing between her and the endless skies, she closed her eyes as the breeze ran through her hair like a lover's fingers. The cool metal beneath her hands was oddly comforting. Like a reminder of how cold she would have to turn her heart.
For the past two hours she had tried to clear her thoughts of all things, and just exist but to no avail. Thoughts of Logan found ways to intrude upon her cleared mind. They may be back in Seattle but Max knew she would forever be on the run. It was hard enough to see Logan, let alone walking. She didn't care about his legs nor did she care if he could walk again or not, because she loved him, and something so trivial wouldn't stop that. But Max knew Logan held back from her because the loss of his legs. Apparently he was ashamed thinking that he wasn't whole. Max never thought such a thing, but Logan, stubborn as ever, could not be convinced otherwise.
Now that he was walking again, he would finally have the confidence that Max had been trying to carefully build for the months that she had known him. There was a chance they could finally be together without Logan's stubborn apprehensions in the way. Yet despite what every fiber of her being told her to do, she couldn't go back to him. If she felt that same unbridled passion that she did in that last kiss and then had to leave again…
That would be enough to break her; heart and soul. There was no way she could survive that. The only way she could get through this would be to shut Logan out all together. It's for the best, she tried to convince herself.
*****
As the doctor tended to Zack's healing body, Raven edged over to her workstation. There was a strange pull on her body to the rack full of test tubes, needles, and vials. Raven wasn't even aware of her actions until she was at the counter, reaching out to the glass containers full of clear liquid.
There were so many of them. One or two would not be missed.
She could not explain why she wanted so badly to get her hands on some of the doctor's work. Could it be because the major had told her to obtain a sample of whatever was making Zack stronger? No. Raven would have liked to believe she was no longer under Manticore's influence. She set her own tasks now, her own goals to accomplish. Raven was in control of her own life. Yet her skin was itching to complete such a simple objective.
Again Zack went into another fit, he tryed to pull away from the table as if the cool metal were the source of all his pain. He was conscious enough this time to let out a grunt of pain. The doctor worked to hold him down, though her efforts had no real effect. The commotion was loud and distracting enough to easily hide Raven's actions and before she realized what she was doing, like it were some sort of reflex, she grabbed a vial in each hand, placing them into separate pockets so they would not clink.
"She said she was heading north to Canada," he replied with a shrug of his shoulder.
"When did she tell you that?"
"No to long ago. Why the inquiry?"
"I was on hacking duty today." Fox was always inclined to computers. "I was checking out some hover drone vids. I saw Raven."
"Yeah? So?"
"In Seattle."
"Are you saying she lied to me?"
"She's in deep ops working with the rogues. Living like them for well over a week now. The way they think of Manticore—"
Ty cut him off, "Are you saying they turned her?" Ty had never thought of the possibility, and he felt anger rise in his throat for Fox even implying such a thing. Raven was the strongest of will and character among them all. She would never turn against them. Never. But Ty held his anger back. Manticore had taught him that assuming or dismissing any information would mean death out in the field.
"I'm saying we shouldn't assume she hasn't at least been exposed to their propoganda."
Ty let the thought roll around in his brain. For the safety of the majority, Ty could not set aside his brother's words. Still, the thought of Raven…
"If they've tainted her…" Ty left the rest to the imagination.
*****
When Max sat down on the coffee table across from the couch Dr. Munrow gave her an update. "We need to get him to a laboratory now. I can heal him, but we are running out of time." She lifted another warm towel from Zack's bare chest and replaced it with a cool one.
Despite her heartfelt words, anger still bubbled over in Max's heart. The bloody image of Randy still fresh in her mind. Alyssa sensed her unease but remained silent. Zack was the main concern now.
But the tension in the room was like a tightening noose. Max despised Alyssa, with good reason, and Alyssa could not bring herself to trust Raven as much as it seemed that Max did. She feared for her life with the X-6 girl around. Raven lead the X-6. She was the strongest and most loyal soldier to Manticore. Dr. Munrow had witnessed this while at the compound. When still a doctor at the compound, she had tried to bond with the newest generation just as she tried with the X-5. Though many warmed to her efforts, Raven only ever seemed satisfied with the doctor's work. If she had shown emotion, it was too slight for Alyssa to sense.
The only difference between that heartless soldier and the girl that stood before her now was that rather than a practical ponytail, her hair hung loose about her shoulders, an ebony waterfall down her back. She may have abandoned the tight elastic that held her hair back in constant preparation for combat, but did that mean she also abandoned the soldier within?
The doctor didn't want to second-guess Max's judgment but she could not help questioning Raven's loyalty. Could it be possible that Raven had changed, no longer in Manticore's grip? Or was there a traitor in their ranks?
*****
The Triumvirate sat in the council room, once again darkened as the wall this time displayed snapshots of Kat's limp body.
"He wasn't as efficient as I thought he would be."
"From the reports it seems that he was..." she searched for the word that held the right connotation then smiled when she found it, "playing with his prey. On a regular operation that is not entrenched in personal matters, I'm sure he would prove his effectiveness."
"Project Nemesis has proved himself lethal and loyal to the X-6 and therefore to us. All the objectives of Operation Lockdown have been satisfied. I would say it was a success."
"Onto other matters then," the younger male moved the conversation along, "Major Mathews has proved his worth in Lydecker's absence. I feel he would be our best choice to take over the reins of Project Nemesis."
The woman nodded, "I agree, Lydecker is too preoccupied with the X-5, he has not utilized our resources to the capacity Mathews did when he was in control. He assigned the X-6's according to their specialized abilities, and forty percent more operations were completed then when under Deck's control."
"Lydecker is too protective of his 'children'. That will be his downfall."
"If Deck cares only for the X-5 we should just let him continue working on what he is passionate about. I move for Mathews to take over control of the X-6 as well as Project Nemesis. His initiative is great even at such a young age. He could be the best bet when Manticore moves into Stage three."
There was a brief silence as the other two weighed her suggestion.
"I agree."
"I as well."
"Well, gentlemen, it's getting late," the lady rose from her chair, "I will inform Mathews of his promotion tomorrow. For now I'm sure we all have our own things to get back too. Good evening." She excused herself with a curt nod and left the room, the others following soon after.
*****
Logan still stood there in the kitchen, watching the others tend to Zack's needs. Every once in a while he could see Max steal a quick glance in his direction. But when their gazes met she would quickly avert her eyes and busy herself with the soaking towels. Each time Logan could see no passion in her fiery eyes, but instead a deep running sorrow.
Don't push me away now that we have each other again. We tried that already Max. It didn't work.
He saw Max say something to Raven, who then stood and approached him. Max, again, only taking a fleeting look in his direction. When Raven reached his side Logan finally looked away from Max and acknowledged her.
"Logan?" Raven's voice was that of a timid child a far cry from when they had first met. "Max was wondering if you could get access codes to the lab downtown. And if it was possible to loop the security tape to cover our entry."
Logan looked again to Max. It hurt more than he cared to admit that Max wouldn't ask this of him herself. "Yeah."
"Thanks." Raven said, then returned to Zack's side.
It was a simple matter hacking into the laboratory's data files to snatch a few security clearance codes. In fact he had done it several times before for various reasons. After preparing the security cameras to loop he printed out the access codes.
"That's a nice computer you have there," the voice sounded behind him, startling him. It was just Raven and she seemed amused to have made him jump. How long had she been standing there? It was disconcerting that such a lethal force could lurk about undetected.
She was already at the printer, fingering the list that was not yet fully printed. He had hoped to give it to Max's hand, but it was apparent Max had sent the girl for just this purpose. He sighed.
Raven perused the list, nodding her head with satisfaction. Head still down she held her hand out to him again. "And we'll need your keys if you don't mind. I was gonna jimmy it, but I didn't want to get my hands dirty." She turned her face up to him, an expectant look on her face as though he had no other option but to give her his keys. So he handed them over as well.
"Cool," she said, sounding like an average teenager. It was unnerving. Raven then handed him back the list he had printed.
"Don't you need that?"
"I memorized it already." Raven smiled though her brows knit with confusion, as though Logan should have known.
"Also, you might be happy to hear that military convoys have been leaving the city, the activity over at Manticore's new base has died down. You should all be safe here for a while."
Raven opened her mouth to speak when another voice echoed into the room.
"Raven. We have to go." They could both hear Max's voice from outside and at her beckoning Raven turned on a heel and left the office.
He waited only a moment before he stepped out to follow her. One step out of his office Logan looked toward the front door. There stood Max, Zack leaning heavily into her, an arm thrown over her shoulders. They were already half way out the door when she lifted her eyes to Raven. Logan willed with all his heart for her to meet his gaze, and for a brief second she did. There was a sadness in her eyes, but other than that he could not read a thing. Before, he had been able to sense everything she was feeling just being in her presence and now…now it was like she had hardened her heart to stone.
Raven took half of Zack's burden from Max, taking up his other arm about her shoulders and without a word of goodbye, save a quick wave from Alyssa, they all left his apartment.
*****
By eight, they were on the streets, Max rode on her ninja in front of them to the laboratory. From the back seat Raven could see Alyssa's nervous glances into the rear view mirror. They were not aimed at some unseen threat that followed, but at Raven herself. She tried to pay them no attention, looking instead down at Zack's calm face, his head resting in her lap. But soon the wary looks of the doctor wore down on her patience. She had been so kind to her and her siblings at Manticore. The doctor had always tended to her family's injuries, physical and emotional. From what Raven could gather, she could have been described as motherly.
Now she jumped at every movement Raven made. When Raven lifted her hand to push a lock of fallen hair behind her ear the doctor jumped as though she had pulled out a gun. Raven could understand some the unease for she herself had never displayed any sort of appreciation of Dr. Munrow's kindness. That did not mean she wasn't grateful, for she was immensely. It was clear the Alyssa's efforts were for the betterment of the group. But as a soldier, and the C.O. of the X-6, Raven had to maintain a rigidity about her and could not show such weakness as emotion.
Over the past while Raven felt she had changed, and wished to tell the doctor of how thankful she was of even just the doctor's presence among her and her brothers and sisters. Sadly though, Raven knew, no words that left her mouth would ease the doctor's worries. It was obvious the doctor mistrusted her, thinking her some sort of assassin or traitor, and that she could not be easily swayed to believe in Raven's reform.
It made for a quiet ride to the laboratory. The only sound within the car was the occasional moan of pain that left Zack's lips.
*****
Zack lay on a cold metal table similar to those meant for autopsies. His face pale, his body unmoving, he could have easily passed for a corpse. But the doctor had still insisted that they strap him down. Leather straps held down his lifeless limbs.
At home in her laboratory, Alyssa set to work mixing various compounds together. She mentioned something about how she stumbled upon the cure for the rapid aging disease while doing further research on nervous damage. No one paid her much attention as they sensed she only spoke to ease her own anxiety. Zack's death was fast approaching and both Raven and Max could hear exactly how unsteady his heart was. Each beat threatened to be his last.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity Dr. Munrow prepared a huge needle. At Zack's side she opened his shirt once more, feeling the left side of his chest for the best place to inject it.
"Straight into the heart?" Max asked in a matter of fact tone of voice.
"If it's to work quickly."
Without flinching both Raven and Max watched as the doctor stabbed Zack with the needle and injected the fluid. The scene sent Max tumbling back into her flashbacks. It did not help that Zack on a metallic table similar to the one Randy was laid out on. In her mind's eye she could still see the doctor above Randy, so apathetic, so uncaring.
But Max held back any words of protest at Dr. Munrow's actions here. Zack, with one of his few precious breaths, basically told Max to trust Alyssa. It was a hard thing to gain Zack's trust and keep it so he must have known something about the doctor that she didn't or he would have snapped her neck when she was within reach. In fact Max was itching to do that right now.
Patiently, in silence, they waited. There was nothing much to be said between them anyways. An hour had passed since that first injection and Max noticed his breathing was less forced and his heart sounded regular. The only suspicious thing was that his skin was turning red, as though his whole body was covering in some sort of rash. It was only slight at first, but soon it grew a deeper crimson as though Zack had been thrown in a bathtub of searing water, and some parts of his skin had even begun to flake off. His body was boiling beneath his skin.
There was no warning when Zack's muscles began to tense and his whole body fought against his restraints. It didn't seem possible but he turned redder with his efforts. It seemed as if he was fighting some demon in his dreams, his face clenched in pain. Max could not hold her apprehensions any further, rushed over to where the doctor stood over Zack.
"What is happening to him? If you tricked us, I swear I'll…" she couldn't pick one from the many thoughts of torture and death that rose to mind. If she killed Zack Max would not have only lost one of her own, but the one person who could tell her where the others were. It would be like losing all of them all over again.
"Relax Max," Alyssa's soothing tone did little to assuage Max's doubts. "His body is rejuvenating itself. Shedding off the years if you will." She waited a moment more until Zack's body finally began to relax. His face still taught with some lingering pain, and his breathing heavy. Lifting one of the wet towels they had come in with, Alyssa wiped at Zack' chest where a large patch of skin had begun to flake off. Now exposed, the new skin that was growing beneath was smooth and young. "He will be fine after a couple more hours of this," she looked into Max's eyes and held her gaze, "I wouldn't betray any of you."
Max covered her embarrassment over the misdirected anger with a look of suspicion. "So he is healed, even of the seizures than?"
"He won't need the tryptophan anymore."
Max's shoulders slumped in defeat, this day had been taking. "Raven?"
The girl turned to face her.
"Can you watch over them?"
Raven nodded, though she was confused.
"Disable any guards that come. I just need to get some fresh air."
"Where will we rendezvous?"
"Logan's penthouse is close and it can house all of us."
Max was already walking away when Raven questioned, "And where will you be?"
"Around," was all the hint she gave as she walked out the door.
*****
"Are you sure you're alright?" Donovan asked as he sat of the edge of Eden's bed. He would only have a few moments to speak to her before the lockdowns on their individual cells would commence.
Eden smiled at his concern, a tired look on her face. "I'll be okay. My healing may not be as quick as you or Ty, but I'll be fine." She touched her bruises and winced. "I heard you caught the intruder."
"I did." His voice turned cold and callous, "I snapped her neck, she won't hurt any of us again." Eden could barely hear emotions behind his words besides a slight pride. It was haunting how Donovan spoke of killing his own mother in such a manner, and she smiled at the implication. He had reached the point of no return. He belonged to her and her siblings now.
The smile still lingered on her lips as she spoke, "Thank you for what you did, I know we will all be safer with you around. But for now, I just need some rest and I'll be fine. You should rest as well. They will be locking down soon."
"I will never let anyone hurt you again." His voice remained cold, but this time there was something different. He sounded obsessed. For the first time Eden understood what Ty meant. They were all lucky that Donovan was on their side. She turned on her side away from him, signaling he should leave. "Have a good rest, Donovan."
His voice returned to normal; brotherly and loving, "Good night, Eden. Feel better tomorrow."
She did not respond, pretending that she had already slipped into a deep sleep. Holding her breath, she waited until the weight of his body lifted from her bed and he left the room.
*****
Seattle looked so different and yet so familiar from her perch atop the Space Needle. From this height, with nothing between her and the endless skies, she closed her eyes as the breeze ran through her hair like a lover's fingers. The cool metal beneath her hands was oddly comforting. Like a reminder of how cold she would have to turn her heart.
For the past two hours she had tried to clear her thoughts of all things, and just exist but to no avail. Thoughts of Logan found ways to intrude upon her cleared mind. They may be back in Seattle but Max knew she would forever be on the run. It was hard enough to see Logan, let alone walking. She didn't care about his legs nor did she care if he could walk again or not, because she loved him, and something so trivial wouldn't stop that. But Max knew Logan held back from her because the loss of his legs. Apparently he was ashamed thinking that he wasn't whole. Max never thought such a thing, but Logan, stubborn as ever, could not be convinced otherwise.
Now that he was walking again, he would finally have the confidence that Max had been trying to carefully build for the months that she had known him. There was a chance they could finally be together without Logan's stubborn apprehensions in the way. Yet despite what every fiber of her being told her to do, she couldn't go back to him. If she felt that same unbridled passion that she did in that last kiss and then had to leave again…
That would be enough to break her; heart and soul. There was no way she could survive that. The only way she could get through this would be to shut Logan out all together. It's for the best, she tried to convince herself.
*****
As the doctor tended to Zack's healing body, Raven edged over to her workstation. There was a strange pull on her body to the rack full of test tubes, needles, and vials. Raven wasn't even aware of her actions until she was at the counter, reaching out to the glass containers full of clear liquid.
There were so many of them. One or two would not be missed.
She could not explain why she wanted so badly to get her hands on some of the doctor's work. Could it be because the major had told her to obtain a sample of whatever was making Zack stronger? No. Raven would have liked to believe she was no longer under Manticore's influence. She set her own tasks now, her own goals to accomplish. Raven was in control of her own life. Yet her skin was itching to complete such a simple objective.
Again Zack went into another fit, he tryed to pull away from the table as if the cool metal were the source of all his pain. He was conscious enough this time to let out a grunt of pain. The doctor worked to hold him down, though her efforts had no real effect. The commotion was loud and distracting enough to easily hide Raven's actions and before she realized what she was doing, like it were some sort of reflex, she grabbed a vial in each hand, placing them into separate pockets so they would not clink.