Chapter Two
"Project Manticore?" Asha repeated. "Can't say that I have."
"Well, it's a covert government project dedicated to designing the perfect soldier. They create soldiers using highly advanced genetic engineering, then employ extreme training techniques in an attempt to develop the ultimate killing machine." Logan typed some code and brought up computer screens detailing his research thus far. "Our government's playing God."
"Sounds creepy," Asha responded, leaning over his shoulder to look at the screen. He half expected long dark, wavy hair to tickle his neck. The feeling of a female leaning close to him was comforting and enjoyable.
"It is. And billions of our tax dollars have been going into it for decades."
"So, what does this have to do with Eyes Only?"
"We have to find out where it's located and how it's funded. Got some leads at the Department of Defense." Logan swiveled in the desk chair and looked at her.
"Wow, Eyes Only's tangling with some big boys."
"Definitely. We're going to bring Project Manticore down."
"These people probably have very deep pockets. Why is Eyes Only getting involved in such a large-scale operation?"
"It's a special project - a favor for an old friend you might say."
"Whew! Must be a very good friend!" Asha said. "So what does Eyes Only need us to do?"
"We need to get documents detailing Manticore budgets and projects - follow the money trail. Some of these will be in the Veteran's Administration office, some will be in Department of Defense files. I've hacked into some DoD files that seem to be the right ones - they're encrypted and I'm in the process of trying to break the cipher - but I'll need others to do the. ah, legwork."
Asha looked at him knowingly. "Be happy to oblige. Just let me know where and what. I've got a good team assembled here. They're experts at breaking and entering."
"Good. Do they realize the danger in this?"
"Of course. We're prepared for anything Eyes Only can throw at us."
"Thanks. I'm sure Eyes Only will be very grateful."
"Well you know us. Fight the power. Protect the downtrodden."
Logan nearly jumped out of his skin when she said that. It was the same thing Max had said to him months ago - one of the many times she had teased him about Eyes Only. Unbidden tears welled up in his eyes and he quickly turned back to the computer screen so Asha wouldn't see them.
No matter how hard he tried to get over her, it always came back to Max. Here he was, in his apartment with a beautiful woman whom he'd bedded many times back in the day and all he could think about was Max.
"Logan?"
He jerked back to reality. "Sorry, I spaced for a minute."
"Are you OK?"
"Just a little tired. I haven't gotten much sleep lately."
"With an operation this big, I can understand why. You must be Eyes Only's number one operative."
"Something like that. I've done a ton of preliminary work on this. We should be able to proceed with the active phase shortly."
"Great. I was getting bored in San Francisco. I could use a little action," she said in an inviting tone.
Logan looked up at Asha, wondering what kind of action she meant. They'd been pretty "active" together back then, and always willing to try something new and exciting, Logan admitted to himself. He closed his eyes for a second. Don't go there, Logan.
"Ah. do you want to stay here while we come up with a plan of action? I've got a spare bedroom." Now why did he say that? Why?
"Thanks. That would be nice," Asha replied. "The safe house didn't look too comfy."
"Well, it's OK, but the accommodations here are much better."
"And I'll bet the food is a hell of a lot better, if I remember correctly."
"Well, yeah, I guess it is," Logan said, flattered that she remembered his cooking skills. He hadn't had the opportunity to cook for anyone lately. He missed the teasing from Max whenever he cooked for her. She was always ready with some smart remark about the food. Hell, he just missed the company. "In that case, I suppose a home-cooked meal is in order."
"That would be wonderful, Logan. I haven't had one in a long time. Now where can I stash my stuff? And I'd love to get a hot shower."
Logan closed the program and turned the computer off. He got up from the chair and picked up Asha's backpack from the couch. "Follow me."
In a few minutes, he had her settled into the simple but expensively furnished guest room. Then he went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Asha reveled in a hot shower, real shampoo, and fluffy towels.
*****
Twenty minutes later, Asha stood before Logan, wrapped in a towel, her hair wet and wavy. He turned around and almost dropped the bottle of olive oil he was holding.
"Asha, I didn't hear you come in! Er . did you enjoy your shower?"
"Yes, it felt so good. I haven't had a shower like that in years - as a matter of fact, not since your place in San Francisco. I'd keep you around just for the hot water."
"Nice to know I'm appreciated as something other than a boy-toy," Logan said with a rueful laugh.
"Oh, much more, Logan. Much more." Asha was tempted to drop the towel, just to see what Logan's reaction would be, but something in his eyes told her it wasn't a good idea. "Let me get dressed, then I can help you with dinner."
"Ah, do I have to remind you that cooking is not one of your strengths?"
"No, not really. I was going to set the table. I can do that at least." Asha turned around and went back to the guest room to change.
*****
Logan was left alone with his thoughts once more. Here he was, cooking dinner for a beautiful woman who seemed to want to screw him blind and he was both terrified and intrigued by the prospect. He missed Max so much; he'd spent most of a month brooding up on the Space Needle, trying to grieve for her. He couldn't. Something, a voice inside his head, kept telling him that she wasn't dead, that she'd be back. He couldn't shake the feeling, so he still didn't have closure.
On the night when he and Max had finally gotten together, when they were on the living room floor, kissing and caressing each other, before Zack, in a masterstroke of bad timing had interrupted them, he had hoped to consummate their relationship somehow. He wasn't sure what they would have done, only that they would have taken it to a new level. So he was left hanging, his hopes dashed and his fears unresolved.
Now he was surprised at the reaction Asha was eliciting in him. She couldn't possibly know what he was feeling, and he wasn't about to tell her. He hadn't been able to feel anything for so long. All of him, not just his legs, had felt numb since Max had died. He couldn't sleep; nearly every night, he dreamed about Max, dying in his arms and he unable to save her, unable to tell her how he felt. No, Asha could never understand.
"Project Manticore?" Asha repeated. "Can't say that I have."
"Well, it's a covert government project dedicated to designing the perfect soldier. They create soldiers using highly advanced genetic engineering, then employ extreme training techniques in an attempt to develop the ultimate killing machine." Logan typed some code and brought up computer screens detailing his research thus far. "Our government's playing God."
"Sounds creepy," Asha responded, leaning over his shoulder to look at the screen. He half expected long dark, wavy hair to tickle his neck. The feeling of a female leaning close to him was comforting and enjoyable.
"It is. And billions of our tax dollars have been going into it for decades."
"So, what does this have to do with Eyes Only?"
"We have to find out where it's located and how it's funded. Got some leads at the Department of Defense." Logan swiveled in the desk chair and looked at her.
"Wow, Eyes Only's tangling with some big boys."
"Definitely. We're going to bring Project Manticore down."
"These people probably have very deep pockets. Why is Eyes Only getting involved in such a large-scale operation?"
"It's a special project - a favor for an old friend you might say."
"Whew! Must be a very good friend!" Asha said. "So what does Eyes Only need us to do?"
"We need to get documents detailing Manticore budgets and projects - follow the money trail. Some of these will be in the Veteran's Administration office, some will be in Department of Defense files. I've hacked into some DoD files that seem to be the right ones - they're encrypted and I'm in the process of trying to break the cipher - but I'll need others to do the. ah, legwork."
Asha looked at him knowingly. "Be happy to oblige. Just let me know where and what. I've got a good team assembled here. They're experts at breaking and entering."
"Good. Do they realize the danger in this?"
"Of course. We're prepared for anything Eyes Only can throw at us."
"Thanks. I'm sure Eyes Only will be very grateful."
"Well you know us. Fight the power. Protect the downtrodden."
Logan nearly jumped out of his skin when she said that. It was the same thing Max had said to him months ago - one of the many times she had teased him about Eyes Only. Unbidden tears welled up in his eyes and he quickly turned back to the computer screen so Asha wouldn't see them.
No matter how hard he tried to get over her, it always came back to Max. Here he was, in his apartment with a beautiful woman whom he'd bedded many times back in the day and all he could think about was Max.
"Logan?"
He jerked back to reality. "Sorry, I spaced for a minute."
"Are you OK?"
"Just a little tired. I haven't gotten much sleep lately."
"With an operation this big, I can understand why. You must be Eyes Only's number one operative."
"Something like that. I've done a ton of preliminary work on this. We should be able to proceed with the active phase shortly."
"Great. I was getting bored in San Francisco. I could use a little action," she said in an inviting tone.
Logan looked up at Asha, wondering what kind of action she meant. They'd been pretty "active" together back then, and always willing to try something new and exciting, Logan admitted to himself. He closed his eyes for a second. Don't go there, Logan.
"Ah. do you want to stay here while we come up with a plan of action? I've got a spare bedroom." Now why did he say that? Why?
"Thanks. That would be nice," Asha replied. "The safe house didn't look too comfy."
"Well, it's OK, but the accommodations here are much better."
"And I'll bet the food is a hell of a lot better, if I remember correctly."
"Well, yeah, I guess it is," Logan said, flattered that she remembered his cooking skills. He hadn't had the opportunity to cook for anyone lately. He missed the teasing from Max whenever he cooked for her. She was always ready with some smart remark about the food. Hell, he just missed the company. "In that case, I suppose a home-cooked meal is in order."
"That would be wonderful, Logan. I haven't had one in a long time. Now where can I stash my stuff? And I'd love to get a hot shower."
Logan closed the program and turned the computer off. He got up from the chair and picked up Asha's backpack from the couch. "Follow me."
In a few minutes, he had her settled into the simple but expensively furnished guest room. Then he went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Asha reveled in a hot shower, real shampoo, and fluffy towels.
*****
Twenty minutes later, Asha stood before Logan, wrapped in a towel, her hair wet and wavy. He turned around and almost dropped the bottle of olive oil he was holding.
"Asha, I didn't hear you come in! Er . did you enjoy your shower?"
"Yes, it felt so good. I haven't had a shower like that in years - as a matter of fact, not since your place in San Francisco. I'd keep you around just for the hot water."
"Nice to know I'm appreciated as something other than a boy-toy," Logan said with a rueful laugh.
"Oh, much more, Logan. Much more." Asha was tempted to drop the towel, just to see what Logan's reaction would be, but something in his eyes told her it wasn't a good idea. "Let me get dressed, then I can help you with dinner."
"Ah, do I have to remind you that cooking is not one of your strengths?"
"No, not really. I was going to set the table. I can do that at least." Asha turned around and went back to the guest room to change.
*****
Logan was left alone with his thoughts once more. Here he was, cooking dinner for a beautiful woman who seemed to want to screw him blind and he was both terrified and intrigued by the prospect. He missed Max so much; he'd spent most of a month brooding up on the Space Needle, trying to grieve for her. He couldn't. Something, a voice inside his head, kept telling him that she wasn't dead, that she'd be back. He couldn't shake the feeling, so he still didn't have closure.
On the night when he and Max had finally gotten together, when they were on the living room floor, kissing and caressing each other, before Zack, in a masterstroke of bad timing had interrupted them, he had hoped to consummate their relationship somehow. He wasn't sure what they would have done, only that they would have taken it to a new level. So he was left hanging, his hopes dashed and his fears unresolved.
Now he was surprised at the reaction Asha was eliciting in him. She couldn't possibly know what he was feeling, and he wasn't about to tell her. He hadn't been able to feel anything for so long. All of him, not just his legs, had felt numb since Max had died. He couldn't sleep; nearly every night, he dreamed about Max, dying in his arms and he unable to save her, unable to tell her how he felt. No, Asha could never understand.