Ty lead Donovan and Eden as they free climbed up the side of the building. At each new floor they would stop and Ty would take a moment to try and find signs of Raven's passing. And each time he would wave them on. It wasn't long before he led them to the penthouse.
Just under the window Ty stopped. There was a barely audible noise coming from within the apartment, even when he focused his ears. It could have been a conversation between two people then again the sound was so muffled it could have been a blender. Soundproof glass and walls were the only explanation as to why Ty could barely hear anything. Whoever lived in there had secrets to keep. A perfect place for the X5 to call their own.
Hanging by only his fingertips on the thin window frame Ty pulled his head over the ledge to peer into the apartment. There was no one in sight but he could still hear something.
"What now?" Below him Eden was growing impatient. She knew the longer they waited, the more opportunities the X5 had to escape, if they hadn't already. She also knew that three teenagers scaling the side of a building in broad daylight might begin to draw unwanted local attention.
"The roof," Ty motioned with his head as he got hold of a better hand grip and moved to the side. They had to get around the huge living room windows before they could climb up any further.
*****
"Time! We are running out of time!" Lydecker yelled, he didn't know how else to get this moron to get Max on the phone. "Each second you hesitate brings Max closer where both you and I know she shouldn't be."
Logan clenched his jaw, firing bolts of hatred in Lydecker's direction. What if what Lydecker was saying was true? What if he was their only chance for freedom?
*****
As he climbed up to the roof, following closely at Eden's heels, Donovan caught a quick glance of the interior of the apartment. This was the penthouse he had seen that man in, the spiky haired one that had set off one of his headaches. Was he also involved with those rogue X5? Why was everything linking together like this? Until this mission he didn't even know Manticore rogues existed. Before he had seen them he couldn't comprehend how anyone would want to leave Manticore.
In the back of his mind he could feel the beginnings of another headache. What was it this time? There was nothing to set it off, no reason for his pain to return. It seemed now the images were boiling up on their own. Forcing their way to his surface thoughts with no trigger. It was a scary prospect and he fought the impending headache, but with no luck. He grinded his teeth in pain.
"Donovan, are you alright?" Eden looked down at him, having heard his groans.
Before he could answer that he was fine, stars exploded in front of his eyes and he felt his knees go weak. His balance lost he grabbed out for anything he could hold on to. Luckily Eden's foot was right there and he clung tightly to it.
"What are you doing?" she yelled quietly down to him as she felt him grab hold, almost ripping her off the building in the process. Luckily, Ty had already made it on the roof and had a firm grip on her.
"Donovan! Get it together!" Ty ordered as he started to pull them both up and onto the roof. "What is happening to you?"
Waves of nausea hit Donovan as he tried to control his own thoughts but it was like a hurricane of someone else's life. Zack, Max, the man who lived in this apartment… his name. It was Logan.
Eden rested on her stomach on the ledge of the roof, her legs, to which Donovan was firmly attached, still hung over the edge.
"Come on!" Ty reached over and grabbed Cole's arm pulling him up in one swift motion.
"Donovan? What's wrong?" Eden shook him by the shoulders. But it was like he was caught in his own little world. "Ty? Do you know what is wrong with him? Why is he so pale?"
"Did he get his supplements today?"
"I don't know."
"Shit." Ty slapped Donovan with the back of his hand. With that Donovan shot up straight and took a gasp of air as though he had been struggling to breath. "What the hell happened down there?"
"Just got a little dizzy."
"Are you fine now?"
"Yeah." To prove his point Donovan rolled back kicked his legs up in the air and landed on his feet. He hid how painful it was to do such a simple motion. "Perfectly."
Ty eyed him over suspiciously and Donovan resisted the urge to swallow nervously. If they knew the truth, if they knew what Donovan could see and how intense these memories were, they were sure to send him back to Manticore to crack open his skull and see what was wrong. That was what they did to all nomalies wasn't it?
"Alright then, let's find an entrance." Still not fully convinced Ty accepted Donovan's reassurances reluctantly. Ty was no fool, he and Eden could have handled two or maybe even three rogues on their own, but with Raven in the equation they would need Donovan's superior speed, strength and agility.
"Over there," Eden pointed to a haze of light emanating from what must of have been a small skylight. They all pulled their guns out of their hidden holsters and walked over to the opening. Perfect.
"Quince, Fox, we're going in." Ty warned his contingency plan downstairs. After a quick glance to both Eden and Donovan, Ty leapt into the air, firing two bullets to shatter the glass just before he fell through. Eden and Donovan dived in close behind. Ty rolled forward as he landed to make room for those behind him. Still crouching, guns at the ready, Ty aimed around the room.
But it was empty.
"Shit." Eden swore as she dropped her arms to the side.
Donovan, who had already made a quick round of the apartment came back shaking his head. "Nothing."
"No," Ty straightened, "Raven stayed here. And Lydecker was here, recently. And he knew we were coming. I can smell his sweat. Fox, they are on the run, get ready."
*****
Lydecker looked about him anxiously as Logan lead him from the elevator to Max's room. Logan couldn't believe he was doing this, but Max had agreed to meet with Lydecker and unfortunately he had no veto power.
Finally they got to the room and Logan knocked briskly three times. Raven opened the door and let them pass. "Lydecker," she virtually growled as he past her by.
Strange that one of his finest soldiers would be sneering at him now when only a few months ago she would have been taking orders from him. After a quick check of the hallway, Raven closed and locked the door once more. Before they could even take in the new setting, Raven had fully disarmed Lydecker from the pistol at the small of his back, to the knife strapped to this ankle, to the communicator in his ear which she shut off. Max stood in front of the bed, where Zack was still lying on the verge of consciousness. Her expression was tight and cold. To her this was like cutting a deal with the devil himself, which was evidence enough that she was aware of their desperate situation.
"Logan. I told you to stay upstairs." Max looked upset, getting Logan mixed up in this was the last thing she wanted.
"I was driving myself crazy up there," he admitted, seeing she was about to protest he cut her off, "Don't bother arguing, I'm in it for the long haul now." All Max could do was nod and turn her attentions back to Lydecker.
"You said you could get us out of here."
"I have a van in the east alley with two of my loyal guards. With their military clearance we will be able to get out of the city limits and you can hide in the surrounding forest."
"How do you know your guards are loyal?"
"Please, just trust me."
*****
Donovan easily pried open the elevator door and they all looked over the edge into the elevator shaft.
Ty tucked his guns away "Head down, trace the scent."
*****
Max, paused considering this. "Why are you helping us?"
"Mathews is in charge now. He's moving Manticore ahead and he's rounding you up to do it."
"Ahead?" Raven cut in. "Do you mean like all those X's in the basement?"
Lydecker nodded. Her suspicions confirmed, Raven looked at Max with concern in her eye, and even a hint of fear. If Raven feared it, Max knew she had reason to be scared.
"We need to get out of here, and we need to do it now." Lydecker said as he walked toward the barely conscious Zack. "Can you move?"
Zack grunted and sat up. He would have protested accepting Lydecker's help but right now his head was throbbing from his concussion and his leg was aching from that stray bullet. Had he any semblance of his regular strength he would have ripped out Lydecker's throat right here, just as he had promised Kat. However at the moment Zack was having difficulties just standing up and steadily he got to his feet and Raven was quick to support him.
"Let's get to that van." Max said as she took Zack's other arm over her shoulders.
Logan reached for the door knob.
*****
Deck's scent was fresh, probably laid down within the hour, if not less, and it didn't take them long to pry open the doors and stalk out on the floor that Deck was on. A few doors down where Lydecker's scent lead they heard someone opening a door.
With a quick signal to the others, they used their inborn speed and raced to the door, pulling their weapons out as they ran, training their sights on whoever stood behind that door before it was fully ajar. There was no way the X5 would escape short of leaping out the window, and even for an X6 this was a lethal height.
Ty stood in front, Eden and Donovan to his sides, as the door swung open.
"Oh my…" the old lady's eyes widened in fright as she clutched at her chest, her dog let out a barrage of annoying high pitched screams.
"Damnit!" Ty swore as he lowered his gun and tried to pick up Deck's scent once more. Raven would have never made that mistake.
*****
As the elevator began its slow decent, Raven heard a dog bark. Followed by somebody yelling "Damnit!" There was no mistaking it; she could tell it was her brother's voice. So Lydecker was justified when he said they were running out of time.
"They're here…"Raven ripped out the console of the elevator and did some quick rewiring. "Hold on to something." After Raven's modifications the elevator dropped at a gut wrenching speed close to freefall, ignoring any passengers that wished to go down. Raven, Max and even Zack looked disturbingly comfortable as the floor fell away.
Wires in hand, Raven watched the floor numbers flash by. If she didn't time this right they wouldn't make it out of this elevator alive. "Brace yourselves." 5…4… Raven quickly crossed another two wires and the brakes kicked in. As though it were second nature, Max, Raven and Zack all absorbed the impact with their legs, while Logan and Lydecker went crashing to the floor.
"Lead the way," Raven pulled Lydecker back onto his feet.
Slightly disorientated from the fall, Lydecker's knees wobbled a bit, but both he and Logan soon regained their composure. "That way." He pointed and they headed to the lobby restaurant. Deck led them back through the kitchen and out the back door, where a van awaited them.
*****
"What was that?" Donovan turned around to focus his ears on the elevators that were across from the ones they had come out of. "The elevator. It's descending too quickly."
*****
They all piled into the back of the van, careful to place Zack in a comfortable spot as his breathing grew heavy and he started to black out again. Raven was the last to get in, and when she closed the door behind her she heard the ominous click of an automatic lock on the back door. And only then did she realize the situation.
"Get us out of here now," Lydecker called out to the driver, "You know where to go."
"They'll go, but not where you want them to," Raven said behind him.
"Raven's right, once again." the driver and passenger turned to reveal their true identities. Quince and Fox had smirks on their faces, guns pointed at Raven and Max. "I think we were left out of the briefing on your side mission, Deck."
Fox smiled, then spoke into his communicator, "Yeah, we got them."
"It is good to see you as well, Raven. You have been too long away from Manticore. Ever since you stopped communicating we all became concerned for your well being."
"Believe me Quince, if I could have I would have gone home a long time ago." Max turned to Raven, shocked at what she had just said.
"What are you doing here anyways?" Raven turned to Fox, "And point that gun somewhere else." Raven's voice was full of authoritative power and Fox, though somewhat reluctantly, aimed his gun at Lydecker and Logan instead.
Raven looked first to Max, then to Zack who had by then passed out once more. There was a brief look of guilt in her eyes before she filled them with contempt. "Why wasn't I informed of this course of action anyways? It directly interferes with my objective."
Quince looked suspiciously at her. "The Triumvirate was growing restless, they wanted the X5 and you were too slow."
"If they had the patience I would have given them all the rogues instead of just these two. Regardless, if I had been let in on this raid, it would have gone down more smoothly."
"We had reason to question your loyalties."
"Excuse me?" Raven looked shocked and angry. "What? Did you think they would make me see their light? They have no purpose, no drive, no objective. I would rather die then be forced to become a rogue. Manticore is my home and you are my family. What reason would I have to leave you?"
*****
Max watched Raven speak the words in disbelief. She had never gotten herself to fully trust Raven and this clinched it. She was betraying them, she had been all along. If they had gotten out of Seattle they probably would have lead Raven right to another X5. Max thought she had changed, thought that maybe she was one of them now, but how could she be so naïve?
Maybe it was because Zack seemed to trust her so whole heartedly. He seemed to be forming some sort of silent bond with her. Raven was so like Zack, being the C.O. of the X6. But that was just it. She was the C.O. of the X6. Zack could never bring himself to leave his role of protector, what would make it easier for Raven to leave her family behind?
In such cramped quarters, with a gun being aimed at Logan's head by such a steady hand, all Max could do was grind her teeth.
"Do we have anything to secure their hands and feet?" Raven asked, keeping her eyes on Max.
"Yeah, here." Fox tossed her some plastic ties.
"Turn around." Raven ordered Max in a steely voice.
Max stared defiantly back at her, not moving a muscle.
"I said turn around."
Again nothing.
"If you hadn't noticed Max you're the one with the gun pointed to your head."-she paused-"What? Are you mad that your little recruit turned out to be a double agent all this while? You were the fool if you think you could change me. I am an X6. Manticore Elite. Now turn around!" She pulled back her fist and punched Max across the face with such force that Max almost fell to the floor of the van.
"Stay away from her," Logan finally spoke. He knew any direct confrontation with these X6 would mean death but he couldn't stand to see Max abused this way.
"Oh," Raven faced Logan as she bound Max's wrists and ankles, "So the good little puppy dog is talking now. I hated having to put up with you all this while. You made Max soft. It makes me sick to think I was created from such a weak genetic code."
"You bitch."
"Consider your situation, Logan," Raven replied in a rather pompous tone. Logan looked at Quince, who still had a weapon aimed at his forehead.
*****
They waited a few minutes in tense silence, but it wasn't long before Ty and the others returned. Ty opened the back door of the van and hurriedly pointed the gun at Raven. "Why is she not restrained?"
"There's no need Ty, she's still with us." Quince reported in what could be considered a happy tone in Manticore standards.
His eyes narrowed to slits, "Really."
"What brother, did you really think I would be that weak?"
After a few more moments Ty grudgingly lowered his gun and turned his attentions elsewhere. "Ah, Deck, good to see you. We were wondered where you had run off to."
"Do you think it will stop with the X5, Ty?" Lydecker spat at him. "After they finish with them they will turn on you. You and all your family will be turned into remote controlled vegetables with metal flowing through your veins. Do you really want that to happen?"
"I would call it evolution." Ty answered calmly.
"Then I would call you an idiot."
"Enough!" Ty struck Deck with the butt of his gun, knocking him unconscious. "Donovan, Eden, get the van, follow us closely."
Donovan, who had been standing well off to the side, nodded and headed to where they had parked the van, Eden turned and walked with him.
"Who's he?" Ty nodded to Logan.
Max looked at Logan, the blood drained from her face. There was nothing but threat in Ty's voice, and at Manticore threats are always followed through. As she stared into Logan's eyes it was like she was already staring at his corpse. What had she done? Why had she gotten Logan mixed up in all of this? Why did she have to steal that damned statuette all those months ago?
Without words, Logan looked into her eyes and comforted her with his warm gaze. 'I will never regret having you in my life,' his eyes seemed to say.
Raven shrugged her shoulders, "He's Max's civilian friend."
"Then he is not part of the objective. And now he knows too much," Ty stepped up into the back of the van and grabbed Logan by the collar of his shirt with one hand, lifting him from his sitting position. Logan's hands were not bound and he grabbed onto Ty's wrist, trying to pry open his grip.
"Logan!" Max yelled and she leapt at Ty with her shoulder. She had been struggling with her restraints all this while, but Raven had tied them tight. With her ankles bound and her hands behind her back Ty had no troubles handling her with his free hand, shoving her back into her place. With a loud thud Max's head hit against the side of the van. With Max taken care of Ty reached for his gun.
"No," Raven held Ty's wrist and he looked at her in surprise. "You don't understand how much he pissed me off while I was out here. He never trusted me. I'll take care of him happily."
"There you go," Ty said, pulling at Logan and shoved him out the back of the van. Logan landed in an ungraceful heap on the ground. Raven stepped down and out of the van and picked him up again by the collar of his shirt and dragged him a few feet to a pile of cardboard that had been discarded behind a dumpster. Logan kicked his legs and grabbed at her fingers, struggling to free himself from her grip. He fought even harder as the rays of the sun reflected into his eyes off the gun Raven pulled out.
By now Max had shaken off the dizziness and could see what Raven was doing. "Raven! No! Logan!!" She tried to run out after them but Ty sat her back down none too gently.
"Stay down." He glared at her and gripped a hand around her neck pinning her torso to the side of the van. Ty even knew to step down on her feet pinning those down as well. There was nothing she could do.
*****
"I knew it," Logan spat through his teeth as Raven held him over the trash pile
Raven's face turned to stone, "You don't know the half of it, Logan."
*****
The smoke trailed from Raven's gun and Logan's feet peeked out from behind the dumpster. Max could do nothing but stare, her mouth slightly agape in disbelief. Raven looked back at her and Ty, as though to make sure they were watching, before turning once more on Logan. A tear dropped from Max's eye as she saw Raven pull the trigger a second time, heard the bullet as it exploded out the barrel of the gun. But mostly Max felt it in her bones.
Raven stood staring at Logan's body for an eerily long length of time.
"Two bullets? A little extensive don't you think?" Ty asked as Raven got back into the van and close the doors behind her.
"Hey, if the guy can walk after being a paraplegic, I want to make sure he stays down."
Ty cracked a smile, "I was worried for a while there. It is good to know you're back."
"I was never gone. Don't ever doubt that."
The van started to pull away and Raven took a seat across from Max, ignoring her fierce glares.
*****
Logan closed his eyes and turned his head to the side, waiting. Wondering if it would hurt, if he would be able to feel the bullet pierce his skull moments before it killed him. His life didn't flash before his eyes like the novels and movies all say, he just froze. Time stood still, and darkness surrounded him, he didn't know where he was, what his name was, or why he was there, just that his life was about to end.
He heard every sound the gun made as the trigger was pulled. Raven let go of the collar of his shirt and he dropped onto the pile of garbage behind him. The bullet left the barrel and he relaxed his whole body, accepting his death. He could feel the tiny shockwave of air that the bullet displaced and he waited for that moment when everything would cease to exist.
But it never came.
He felt the bullet breeze inches from his head and it took a moment for him to realize that he was still in the world. His whole body still frozen in fear, Logan slowly opened his eyes. Raven stood over him, gun still aimed at his head, but she was looking over toward the van. As though sensing he was watching her she turned back and he had no time to react as she fired the gun again.
Once more the bullet missed him and buried itself into the garbage a mere inch from his ear. Numb with a strange mixture of confusion and fear, Logan lay still, not wanting to move a muscle. She held him there with her icy silver gaze, staring at him with a strangely lifeless expression on her face. He waited once more for her to lift up her gun and fire another bullet, one with an aim that was true, one that would end this torturous suspense.
But that, too, never came.
Raven left. Logan could vaguely hear Ty saying something, and then the door of the van slammed shut. Soon after, the engine started and the van pulled out of the alley, inexplicably leaving Logan behind with his life.
Just under the window Ty stopped. There was a barely audible noise coming from within the apartment, even when he focused his ears. It could have been a conversation between two people then again the sound was so muffled it could have been a blender. Soundproof glass and walls were the only explanation as to why Ty could barely hear anything. Whoever lived in there had secrets to keep. A perfect place for the X5 to call their own.
Hanging by only his fingertips on the thin window frame Ty pulled his head over the ledge to peer into the apartment. There was no one in sight but he could still hear something.
"What now?" Below him Eden was growing impatient. She knew the longer they waited, the more opportunities the X5 had to escape, if they hadn't already. She also knew that three teenagers scaling the side of a building in broad daylight might begin to draw unwanted local attention.
"The roof," Ty motioned with his head as he got hold of a better hand grip and moved to the side. They had to get around the huge living room windows before they could climb up any further.
*****
"Time! We are running out of time!" Lydecker yelled, he didn't know how else to get this moron to get Max on the phone. "Each second you hesitate brings Max closer where both you and I know she shouldn't be."
Logan clenched his jaw, firing bolts of hatred in Lydecker's direction. What if what Lydecker was saying was true? What if he was their only chance for freedom?
*****
As he climbed up to the roof, following closely at Eden's heels, Donovan caught a quick glance of the interior of the apartment. This was the penthouse he had seen that man in, the spiky haired one that had set off one of his headaches. Was he also involved with those rogue X5? Why was everything linking together like this? Until this mission he didn't even know Manticore rogues existed. Before he had seen them he couldn't comprehend how anyone would want to leave Manticore.
In the back of his mind he could feel the beginnings of another headache. What was it this time? There was nothing to set it off, no reason for his pain to return. It seemed now the images were boiling up on their own. Forcing their way to his surface thoughts with no trigger. It was a scary prospect and he fought the impending headache, but with no luck. He grinded his teeth in pain.
"Donovan, are you alright?" Eden looked down at him, having heard his groans.
Before he could answer that he was fine, stars exploded in front of his eyes and he felt his knees go weak. His balance lost he grabbed out for anything he could hold on to. Luckily Eden's foot was right there and he clung tightly to it.
"What are you doing?" she yelled quietly down to him as she felt him grab hold, almost ripping her off the building in the process. Luckily, Ty had already made it on the roof and had a firm grip on her.
"Donovan! Get it together!" Ty ordered as he started to pull them both up and onto the roof. "What is happening to you?"
Waves of nausea hit Donovan as he tried to control his own thoughts but it was like a hurricane of someone else's life. Zack, Max, the man who lived in this apartment… his name. It was Logan.
Eden rested on her stomach on the ledge of the roof, her legs, to which Donovan was firmly attached, still hung over the edge.
"Come on!" Ty reached over and grabbed Cole's arm pulling him up in one swift motion.
"Donovan? What's wrong?" Eden shook him by the shoulders. But it was like he was caught in his own little world. "Ty? Do you know what is wrong with him? Why is he so pale?"
"Did he get his supplements today?"
"I don't know."
"Shit." Ty slapped Donovan with the back of his hand. With that Donovan shot up straight and took a gasp of air as though he had been struggling to breath. "What the hell happened down there?"
"Just got a little dizzy."
"Are you fine now?"
"Yeah." To prove his point Donovan rolled back kicked his legs up in the air and landed on his feet. He hid how painful it was to do such a simple motion. "Perfectly."
Ty eyed him over suspiciously and Donovan resisted the urge to swallow nervously. If they knew the truth, if they knew what Donovan could see and how intense these memories were, they were sure to send him back to Manticore to crack open his skull and see what was wrong. That was what they did to all nomalies wasn't it?
"Alright then, let's find an entrance." Still not fully convinced Ty accepted Donovan's reassurances reluctantly. Ty was no fool, he and Eden could have handled two or maybe even three rogues on their own, but with Raven in the equation they would need Donovan's superior speed, strength and agility.
"Over there," Eden pointed to a haze of light emanating from what must of have been a small skylight. They all pulled their guns out of their hidden holsters and walked over to the opening. Perfect.
"Quince, Fox, we're going in." Ty warned his contingency plan downstairs. After a quick glance to both Eden and Donovan, Ty leapt into the air, firing two bullets to shatter the glass just before he fell through. Eden and Donovan dived in close behind. Ty rolled forward as he landed to make room for those behind him. Still crouching, guns at the ready, Ty aimed around the room.
But it was empty.
"Shit." Eden swore as she dropped her arms to the side.
Donovan, who had already made a quick round of the apartment came back shaking his head. "Nothing."
"No," Ty straightened, "Raven stayed here. And Lydecker was here, recently. And he knew we were coming. I can smell his sweat. Fox, they are on the run, get ready."
*****
Lydecker looked about him anxiously as Logan lead him from the elevator to Max's room. Logan couldn't believe he was doing this, but Max had agreed to meet with Lydecker and unfortunately he had no veto power.
Finally they got to the room and Logan knocked briskly three times. Raven opened the door and let them pass. "Lydecker," she virtually growled as he past her by.
Strange that one of his finest soldiers would be sneering at him now when only a few months ago she would have been taking orders from him. After a quick check of the hallway, Raven closed and locked the door once more. Before they could even take in the new setting, Raven had fully disarmed Lydecker from the pistol at the small of his back, to the knife strapped to this ankle, to the communicator in his ear which she shut off. Max stood in front of the bed, where Zack was still lying on the verge of consciousness. Her expression was tight and cold. To her this was like cutting a deal with the devil himself, which was evidence enough that she was aware of their desperate situation.
"Logan. I told you to stay upstairs." Max looked upset, getting Logan mixed up in this was the last thing she wanted.
"I was driving myself crazy up there," he admitted, seeing she was about to protest he cut her off, "Don't bother arguing, I'm in it for the long haul now." All Max could do was nod and turn her attentions back to Lydecker.
"You said you could get us out of here."
"I have a van in the east alley with two of my loyal guards. With their military clearance we will be able to get out of the city limits and you can hide in the surrounding forest."
"How do you know your guards are loyal?"
"Please, just trust me."
*****
Donovan easily pried open the elevator door and they all looked over the edge into the elevator shaft.
Ty tucked his guns away "Head down, trace the scent."
*****
Max, paused considering this. "Why are you helping us?"
"Mathews is in charge now. He's moving Manticore ahead and he's rounding you up to do it."
"Ahead?" Raven cut in. "Do you mean like all those X's in the basement?"
Lydecker nodded. Her suspicions confirmed, Raven looked at Max with concern in her eye, and even a hint of fear. If Raven feared it, Max knew she had reason to be scared.
"We need to get out of here, and we need to do it now." Lydecker said as he walked toward the barely conscious Zack. "Can you move?"
Zack grunted and sat up. He would have protested accepting Lydecker's help but right now his head was throbbing from his concussion and his leg was aching from that stray bullet. Had he any semblance of his regular strength he would have ripped out Lydecker's throat right here, just as he had promised Kat. However at the moment Zack was having difficulties just standing up and steadily he got to his feet and Raven was quick to support him.
"Let's get to that van." Max said as she took Zack's other arm over her shoulders.
Logan reached for the door knob.
*****
Deck's scent was fresh, probably laid down within the hour, if not less, and it didn't take them long to pry open the doors and stalk out on the floor that Deck was on. A few doors down where Lydecker's scent lead they heard someone opening a door.
With a quick signal to the others, they used their inborn speed and raced to the door, pulling their weapons out as they ran, training their sights on whoever stood behind that door before it was fully ajar. There was no way the X5 would escape short of leaping out the window, and even for an X6 this was a lethal height.
Ty stood in front, Eden and Donovan to his sides, as the door swung open.
"Oh my…" the old lady's eyes widened in fright as she clutched at her chest, her dog let out a barrage of annoying high pitched screams.
"Damnit!" Ty swore as he lowered his gun and tried to pick up Deck's scent once more. Raven would have never made that mistake.
*****
As the elevator began its slow decent, Raven heard a dog bark. Followed by somebody yelling "Damnit!" There was no mistaking it; she could tell it was her brother's voice. So Lydecker was justified when he said they were running out of time.
"They're here…"Raven ripped out the console of the elevator and did some quick rewiring. "Hold on to something." After Raven's modifications the elevator dropped at a gut wrenching speed close to freefall, ignoring any passengers that wished to go down. Raven, Max and even Zack looked disturbingly comfortable as the floor fell away.
Wires in hand, Raven watched the floor numbers flash by. If she didn't time this right they wouldn't make it out of this elevator alive. "Brace yourselves." 5…4… Raven quickly crossed another two wires and the brakes kicked in. As though it were second nature, Max, Raven and Zack all absorbed the impact with their legs, while Logan and Lydecker went crashing to the floor.
"Lead the way," Raven pulled Lydecker back onto his feet.
Slightly disorientated from the fall, Lydecker's knees wobbled a bit, but both he and Logan soon regained their composure. "That way." He pointed and they headed to the lobby restaurant. Deck led them back through the kitchen and out the back door, where a van awaited them.
*****
"What was that?" Donovan turned around to focus his ears on the elevators that were across from the ones they had come out of. "The elevator. It's descending too quickly."
*****
They all piled into the back of the van, careful to place Zack in a comfortable spot as his breathing grew heavy and he started to black out again. Raven was the last to get in, and when she closed the door behind her she heard the ominous click of an automatic lock on the back door. And only then did she realize the situation.
"Get us out of here now," Lydecker called out to the driver, "You know where to go."
"They'll go, but not where you want them to," Raven said behind him.
"Raven's right, once again." the driver and passenger turned to reveal their true identities. Quince and Fox had smirks on their faces, guns pointed at Raven and Max. "I think we were left out of the briefing on your side mission, Deck."
Fox smiled, then spoke into his communicator, "Yeah, we got them."
"It is good to see you as well, Raven. You have been too long away from Manticore. Ever since you stopped communicating we all became concerned for your well being."
"Believe me Quince, if I could have I would have gone home a long time ago." Max turned to Raven, shocked at what she had just said.
"What are you doing here anyways?" Raven turned to Fox, "And point that gun somewhere else." Raven's voice was full of authoritative power and Fox, though somewhat reluctantly, aimed his gun at Lydecker and Logan instead.
Raven looked first to Max, then to Zack who had by then passed out once more. There was a brief look of guilt in her eyes before she filled them with contempt. "Why wasn't I informed of this course of action anyways? It directly interferes with my objective."
Quince looked suspiciously at her. "The Triumvirate was growing restless, they wanted the X5 and you were too slow."
"If they had the patience I would have given them all the rogues instead of just these two. Regardless, if I had been let in on this raid, it would have gone down more smoothly."
"We had reason to question your loyalties."
"Excuse me?" Raven looked shocked and angry. "What? Did you think they would make me see their light? They have no purpose, no drive, no objective. I would rather die then be forced to become a rogue. Manticore is my home and you are my family. What reason would I have to leave you?"
*****
Max watched Raven speak the words in disbelief. She had never gotten herself to fully trust Raven and this clinched it. She was betraying them, she had been all along. If they had gotten out of Seattle they probably would have lead Raven right to another X5. Max thought she had changed, thought that maybe she was one of them now, but how could she be so naïve?
Maybe it was because Zack seemed to trust her so whole heartedly. He seemed to be forming some sort of silent bond with her. Raven was so like Zack, being the C.O. of the X6. But that was just it. She was the C.O. of the X6. Zack could never bring himself to leave his role of protector, what would make it easier for Raven to leave her family behind?
In such cramped quarters, with a gun being aimed at Logan's head by such a steady hand, all Max could do was grind her teeth.
"Do we have anything to secure their hands and feet?" Raven asked, keeping her eyes on Max.
"Yeah, here." Fox tossed her some plastic ties.
"Turn around." Raven ordered Max in a steely voice.
Max stared defiantly back at her, not moving a muscle.
"I said turn around."
Again nothing.
"If you hadn't noticed Max you're the one with the gun pointed to your head."-she paused-"What? Are you mad that your little recruit turned out to be a double agent all this while? You were the fool if you think you could change me. I am an X6. Manticore Elite. Now turn around!" She pulled back her fist and punched Max across the face with such force that Max almost fell to the floor of the van.
"Stay away from her," Logan finally spoke. He knew any direct confrontation with these X6 would mean death but he couldn't stand to see Max abused this way.
"Oh," Raven faced Logan as she bound Max's wrists and ankles, "So the good little puppy dog is talking now. I hated having to put up with you all this while. You made Max soft. It makes me sick to think I was created from such a weak genetic code."
"You bitch."
"Consider your situation, Logan," Raven replied in a rather pompous tone. Logan looked at Quince, who still had a weapon aimed at his forehead.
*****
They waited a few minutes in tense silence, but it wasn't long before Ty and the others returned. Ty opened the back door of the van and hurriedly pointed the gun at Raven. "Why is she not restrained?"
"There's no need Ty, she's still with us." Quince reported in what could be considered a happy tone in Manticore standards.
His eyes narrowed to slits, "Really."
"What brother, did you really think I would be that weak?"
After a few more moments Ty grudgingly lowered his gun and turned his attentions elsewhere. "Ah, Deck, good to see you. We were wondered where you had run off to."
"Do you think it will stop with the X5, Ty?" Lydecker spat at him. "After they finish with them they will turn on you. You and all your family will be turned into remote controlled vegetables with metal flowing through your veins. Do you really want that to happen?"
"I would call it evolution." Ty answered calmly.
"Then I would call you an idiot."
"Enough!" Ty struck Deck with the butt of his gun, knocking him unconscious. "Donovan, Eden, get the van, follow us closely."
Donovan, who had been standing well off to the side, nodded and headed to where they had parked the van, Eden turned and walked with him.
"Who's he?" Ty nodded to Logan.
Max looked at Logan, the blood drained from her face. There was nothing but threat in Ty's voice, and at Manticore threats are always followed through. As she stared into Logan's eyes it was like she was already staring at his corpse. What had she done? Why had she gotten Logan mixed up in all of this? Why did she have to steal that damned statuette all those months ago?
Without words, Logan looked into her eyes and comforted her with his warm gaze. 'I will never regret having you in my life,' his eyes seemed to say.
Raven shrugged her shoulders, "He's Max's civilian friend."
"Then he is not part of the objective. And now he knows too much," Ty stepped up into the back of the van and grabbed Logan by the collar of his shirt with one hand, lifting him from his sitting position. Logan's hands were not bound and he grabbed onto Ty's wrist, trying to pry open his grip.
"Logan!" Max yelled and she leapt at Ty with her shoulder. She had been struggling with her restraints all this while, but Raven had tied them tight. With her ankles bound and her hands behind her back Ty had no troubles handling her with his free hand, shoving her back into her place. With a loud thud Max's head hit against the side of the van. With Max taken care of Ty reached for his gun.
"No," Raven held Ty's wrist and he looked at her in surprise. "You don't understand how much he pissed me off while I was out here. He never trusted me. I'll take care of him happily."
"There you go," Ty said, pulling at Logan and shoved him out the back of the van. Logan landed in an ungraceful heap on the ground. Raven stepped down and out of the van and picked him up again by the collar of his shirt and dragged him a few feet to a pile of cardboard that had been discarded behind a dumpster. Logan kicked his legs and grabbed at her fingers, struggling to free himself from her grip. He fought even harder as the rays of the sun reflected into his eyes off the gun Raven pulled out.
By now Max had shaken off the dizziness and could see what Raven was doing. "Raven! No! Logan!!" She tried to run out after them but Ty sat her back down none too gently.
"Stay down." He glared at her and gripped a hand around her neck pinning her torso to the side of the van. Ty even knew to step down on her feet pinning those down as well. There was nothing she could do.
*****
"I knew it," Logan spat through his teeth as Raven held him over the trash pile
Raven's face turned to stone, "You don't know the half of it, Logan."
*****
The smoke trailed from Raven's gun and Logan's feet peeked out from behind the dumpster. Max could do nothing but stare, her mouth slightly agape in disbelief. Raven looked back at her and Ty, as though to make sure they were watching, before turning once more on Logan. A tear dropped from Max's eye as she saw Raven pull the trigger a second time, heard the bullet as it exploded out the barrel of the gun. But mostly Max felt it in her bones.
Raven stood staring at Logan's body for an eerily long length of time.
"Two bullets? A little extensive don't you think?" Ty asked as Raven got back into the van and close the doors behind her.
"Hey, if the guy can walk after being a paraplegic, I want to make sure he stays down."
Ty cracked a smile, "I was worried for a while there. It is good to know you're back."
"I was never gone. Don't ever doubt that."
The van started to pull away and Raven took a seat across from Max, ignoring her fierce glares.
*****
Logan closed his eyes and turned his head to the side, waiting. Wondering if it would hurt, if he would be able to feel the bullet pierce his skull moments before it killed him. His life didn't flash before his eyes like the novels and movies all say, he just froze. Time stood still, and darkness surrounded him, he didn't know where he was, what his name was, or why he was there, just that his life was about to end.
He heard every sound the gun made as the trigger was pulled. Raven let go of the collar of his shirt and he dropped onto the pile of garbage behind him. The bullet left the barrel and he relaxed his whole body, accepting his death. He could feel the tiny shockwave of air that the bullet displaced and he waited for that moment when everything would cease to exist.
But it never came.
He felt the bullet breeze inches from his head and it took a moment for him to realize that he was still in the world. His whole body still frozen in fear, Logan slowly opened his eyes. Raven stood over him, gun still aimed at his head, but she was looking over toward the van. As though sensing he was watching her she turned back and he had no time to react as she fired the gun again.
Once more the bullet missed him and buried itself into the garbage a mere inch from his ear. Numb with a strange mixture of confusion and fear, Logan lay still, not wanting to move a muscle. She held him there with her icy silver gaze, staring at him with a strangely lifeless expression on her face. He waited once more for her to lift up her gun and fire another bullet, one with an aim that was true, one that would end this torturous suspense.
But that, too, never came.
Raven left. Logan could vaguely hear Ty saying something, and then the door of the van slammed shut. Soon after, the engine started and the van pulled out of the alley, inexplicably leaving Logan behind with his life.