Chap.4
"I don't know, Logan. You say she just showed up? She didn't say who she was?"
"No. All she said was that she was a friend." Logan was sitting in his wheel chair at his desk. He glanced at the girl sleeping on his couch. She was resting peacefully.
"I'm coming over. Maybe I'll be able to place her."
"Deck..if she IS from Manticore..she might not want your face to be the first thing she sees when she comes to."
"Too bad..she'll have to deal with her past. The same way all the others have had to." With that, Lydecker snapped his cell phone closed and Logan was left to argue with a dial tone.
'Great...what if she tells him she caught me trying to kill myself?' Logan was now embarrassed he had thought of such a violent act. Ending his own life wouldn't bring Max or Zack back, and he knew it. Deep down he was just looking for an easy out. A way to end the pain he was feeling.
Logan wheeled over to the sleeping girl and looked down. She had come to shortly after she had collapsed and he had insisted she sit down. She had agreed to sit and then she had fallen asleep and had been sleeping for a few hours now. She must have been exhausted. Logan reached down to move a small lock of hair that had fallen over the sleeping girls face. His fingertip brushed her skin. It was ever softer than he had expected.
"Who are you.?" Logan asked as if she would answer him in her dreaming state.
That's when he saw it. Right there, on the back of her neck. Just where the others have it. A barcode!
" I knew it! You are from Manticore. But which one are you? You're too old to be an X7. You even look older than the X5." Logan shook his head. He was taking to the girl as if she could hear him!
"I'm going crazy."
Just then there was a knock on his door and Logan knew Deck was on the other side.
"I'll bet he can't wait to get his hands on you." Logan told the girl as he wheeled over to let Lydecker in.
"Where is she?" Deck pushed past Logan as if he wasn't even there.
"Over there on the couch. Don't wake her."
Deck walked slowly over to the woman and seemed to study her.
"She's not any of MY kids..." Deck looked puzzled.
"If she's not an X5, or an X7.what.I mean.Who is she?" Logan wheeled up behind Deck and tried to think.
"She looks like a Manticore creation...she has the barcode." Deck turned the girls head softly so he could a better look at the black bars on her neck.
In what seemed like an instant, Lydecker was thrown across the room, where he collided with the wall. He was out before he hit the ground.
Logan's brain hadn't had time to process what he had just seen when the girl was on her feet and across the room at Deck's limp body.
"You." She snarled, her eyes filled with rage. "That's for everything you ever put any of us through."
Logan wheeled quickly over to the girl's side.
"Hold on, now. Deck may have done some really bad things..terrible things, in fact..but he IS trying to help now. He knows what he did in Manticore is wrong and he's trying to make better what he can."
"You're DEFFENDING him??" The girl turned on Logan and her smoldering eyes seemed to burn a whole right through his very soul.
"No.I'm not defending him. And you have every right to be pissed at him for what he did." Logan tried to think fast. He didn't want to lose control over this situation and he didn't want her to think he thought Lydecker desserved the Medal of Honor just because he had changed his ways.
"You have no IDEA what he has put me through..what he's put ALL of us through." The girl seemed to clam down a little and she sat down on the floor, unwilling to leave Deck there in case he were to wake up..she might need to kick his ass again.
"Why don't you tell me who you are?"
"You already know who I am. I'm from Manticore..I was created.just like all the rest." Her voice seemed to sadden, as if stating out loud that she was CREATED some how made her inhuman.
"I know you're from Manticore.I saw your barcode. But you're not one of the X5s..Deck said so himself. And you're too old to be an X7.." Logan trailed off, hoping the dark-haired woman would fill in the blanks for him.
She fixed her eyes on Logan and grinned. "Are you calling me OLD??"
It was the last thing Logan had expected her to say. "No..I.umm." Flustered, Logan tried to think of what to say next.
"I only ment that you looked older than any of the X7s or the X5s.not that you look THAT old.."
"Oh.ok." She looked away and then turned back again, as if she were trying to decide if she could really trust him.
"You mean Lydecker REALLY doesn't know who I am?" She looked unsure.
"Nope. He said you weren't one of his kids."
"HIS kids?? None of us are HIS kids.."
"I know.he just always calls them..." Logan didn't finish.
"I know...I know."
She sighed and looked at Logan. " The truth is..He might not even know I'm alive. He probably thinks I was destroyed.. Logan..I'm." She trailed off.
"Yes?" Logan looked at her with a pealing heart.
"I'm NOT any normal Manticore creation. I'm different. I'm more powerful, faster, have better hearing, sight, taste, smell...Logan..I was the first one ever created. I'm the protocol. I'm an X0."
"I don't know, Logan. You say she just showed up? She didn't say who she was?"
"No. All she said was that she was a friend." Logan was sitting in his wheel chair at his desk. He glanced at the girl sleeping on his couch. She was resting peacefully.
"I'm coming over. Maybe I'll be able to place her."
"Deck..if she IS from Manticore..she might not want your face to be the first thing she sees when she comes to."
"Too bad..she'll have to deal with her past. The same way all the others have had to." With that, Lydecker snapped his cell phone closed and Logan was left to argue with a dial tone.
'Great...what if she tells him she caught me trying to kill myself?' Logan was now embarrassed he had thought of such a violent act. Ending his own life wouldn't bring Max or Zack back, and he knew it. Deep down he was just looking for an easy out. A way to end the pain he was feeling.
Logan wheeled over to the sleeping girl and looked down. She had come to shortly after she had collapsed and he had insisted she sit down. She had agreed to sit and then she had fallen asleep and had been sleeping for a few hours now. She must have been exhausted. Logan reached down to move a small lock of hair that had fallen over the sleeping girls face. His fingertip brushed her skin. It was ever softer than he had expected.
"Who are you.?" Logan asked as if she would answer him in her dreaming state.
That's when he saw it. Right there, on the back of her neck. Just where the others have it. A barcode!
" I knew it! You are from Manticore. But which one are you? You're too old to be an X7. You even look older than the X5." Logan shook his head. He was taking to the girl as if she could hear him!
"I'm going crazy."
Just then there was a knock on his door and Logan knew Deck was on the other side.
"I'll bet he can't wait to get his hands on you." Logan told the girl as he wheeled over to let Lydecker in.
"Where is she?" Deck pushed past Logan as if he wasn't even there.
"Over there on the couch. Don't wake her."
Deck walked slowly over to the woman and seemed to study her.
"She's not any of MY kids..." Deck looked puzzled.
"If she's not an X5, or an X7.what.I mean.Who is she?" Logan wheeled up behind Deck and tried to think.
"She looks like a Manticore creation...she has the barcode." Deck turned the girls head softly so he could a better look at the black bars on her neck.
In what seemed like an instant, Lydecker was thrown across the room, where he collided with the wall. He was out before he hit the ground.
Logan's brain hadn't had time to process what he had just seen when the girl was on her feet and across the room at Deck's limp body.
"You." She snarled, her eyes filled with rage. "That's for everything you ever put any of us through."
Logan wheeled quickly over to the girl's side.
"Hold on, now. Deck may have done some really bad things..terrible things, in fact..but he IS trying to help now. He knows what he did in Manticore is wrong and he's trying to make better what he can."
"You're DEFFENDING him??" The girl turned on Logan and her smoldering eyes seemed to burn a whole right through his very soul.
"No.I'm not defending him. And you have every right to be pissed at him for what he did." Logan tried to think fast. He didn't want to lose control over this situation and he didn't want her to think he thought Lydecker desserved the Medal of Honor just because he had changed his ways.
"You have no IDEA what he has put me through..what he's put ALL of us through." The girl seemed to clam down a little and she sat down on the floor, unwilling to leave Deck there in case he were to wake up..she might need to kick his ass again.
"Why don't you tell me who you are?"
"You already know who I am. I'm from Manticore..I was created.just like all the rest." Her voice seemed to sadden, as if stating out loud that she was CREATED some how made her inhuman.
"I know you're from Manticore.I saw your barcode. But you're not one of the X5s..Deck said so himself. And you're too old to be an X7.." Logan trailed off, hoping the dark-haired woman would fill in the blanks for him.
She fixed her eyes on Logan and grinned. "Are you calling me OLD??"
It was the last thing Logan had expected her to say. "No..I.umm." Flustered, Logan tried to think of what to say next.
"I only ment that you looked older than any of the X7s or the X5s.not that you look THAT old.."
"Oh.ok." She looked away and then turned back again, as if she were trying to decide if she could really trust him.
"You mean Lydecker REALLY doesn't know who I am?" She looked unsure.
"Nope. He said you weren't one of his kids."
"HIS kids?? None of us are HIS kids.."
"I know.he just always calls them..." Logan didn't finish.
"I know...I know."
She sighed and looked at Logan. " The truth is..He might not even know I'm alive. He probably thinks I was destroyed.. Logan..I'm." She trailed off.
"Yes?" Logan looked at her with a pealing heart.
"I'm NOT any normal Manticore creation. I'm different. I'm more powerful, faster, have better hearing, sight, taste, smell...Logan..I was the first one ever created. I'm the protocol. I'm an X0."