Hi! Thank you to all of you who have shown such support in the repost of this fanfiction! You guys have to be by far the greatest group of fans ever (No really!). I have had a really good time refurbishing this piece, and those of you who have read it before now know just how much better this version has turned out to be!
Is this the end of it… no…but I will be gone for a bit from posting…and it may be late next week before I can get back to it! I thought I would leave you all with one last piece of the puzzle before going to Vegas! (YEAH!! Wish me luck!)
This chapter in particular is heavily revamped, it was less than a page in length and I really had to do something to beef it up before I posted it for you. I hope that you like the additions! Please R&R and tell me what you think!
Again thanks for all the reviews! Talk to you again next week!
Darwin
CHAPTER 5: As the Owl Flies
Max rode the elevator anxiously bouncing on the balls of her feet in alarm. The freight elevator was less traveled and went farther up the building, but it made up for its convenience in the snail's pace it was taking to pass each floor. She looked again at the duffel bag that lay at her feet, going over her checklist of equipment mentally, and assuring herself that it was all still there. She had triple checked it at the house, checked it again twice on this ride. She knew that she had what she needed. That did not stop her, she had to make sure that this operation went over smoothly. If it didn't Logan was going to be on the losing end of the deal. She looked again at her watch noting that another two minutes had passed, bringing him that much closer to a violent end.
"Hurry up," She grumbled watching the indicator and counting precious seconds between floor changes.
After what seemed and eternity the elevator finally chimed for its final destination. The 37th floor was still three levels down from where she wanted to be but it was a heck of a lot faster than trying to hoof it. She burst through the doors before they had opened fully, and slinging her bag on her shoulder she flew up the first two sets of stairs leading to her destination…the roof. She was going to approach Logan's apartment from the building adjacent to it, the same as she did on the night that she and Logan had first met.
It had only been a half an hour since she had talked to Logan. And as fast as she had gotten herself together she still felt as if she had wasted precious time in preparation. She finally cleared the last staircase, but more slowly opened the door leading to the air vent dotted top of the building. She crouched down sneaking nearer the ledge facing Logan's Tower. Max peeked slowly over the edge watching the corner for some signs of life. She saw no one moving on Logan's terrace and slowly straightened taking a good look at the neighboring roof looking for hidden snipers or other spies with orders to report her presence. She hoped fervently that they had not considered a roof approach. Again there proved to be no one lying in wait. Max decided it best to wait for awhile, and feel out the situation before rushing down there to save Logan.
The wind buffeted her slight form mercilessly, changing direction almost constantly as if Mother Earth was indecisive. She clung, white knuckled with anxiety, as she leaned out over the edge of the roof. She was perfectly blended with the shadows around her, with her black leather outfit and dark hair framing her face as she looked down. It was a perfect vantagepoint, with one very annoying exception.
Her eyes were fixed on the penthouse now slightly below her current perch, "Damn Logan why did you have to have mirrored windows?" she thought. It was an aesthetic that was hindering her reconnaissance. There was this thing about privacy, an obsession actually, with these uptown complexes, "Like anyone is going to peep at them way up here," she found herself smiling at the irony of that thought, considering what she was doing.
She sobered quickly as she continued to survey the building. She was upset with herself, that she had been too late to warn Logan about the pager, and about the Red's. They had gotten to Logan before she could come and aid him in the defense of his home. It was apparent to her that the Reds were in Logan's place, but where they were holding him and just how many was still a mystery.
It was eating at her to be sure that Logan was safe, the urge to rush in there and rescue him was almost overwhelming. She tamped that down, she had no idea whether or not the numbers in this group had remained constant. By her recollection there was the three soldiers and their red headed leader, but they may have sent for reinforcements the moment they had located her in the city. For all she knew the whole place was crawling with super adreanlized soldiers. She had nearly been overcome with just those few; she did not need to rush into a situation that was out of her control.
Max did know that Logan was hurt somehow, his pain and stress were easily detectable even before he emphasized it over the phone. It was evident that they had not been easy on him, and she hoped that he was not too badly banged up. There had been that tone about his talk that told her he was pretty bad.
He had warned her in a fashion of the ambush they had set up for her. It was obvious that he wanted her to stay away from any proximity to the penthouse. All that talk about coming over had been said in the wrong tones, no friendly greeting had been there, instead it had been a terse and clipped series of sentences. He was trying to keep her out of danger. Yet here she was...
She edgily watched the balcony hoping for a break. Her eyes picked up the door to the terrace opening and a dark figure moving into the night. Her eyes automatically refocused bringing the figure into close up. She sucked in a breath crouching low against the building lest he spot her against the lighter building material. It was the red headed leader of the Red series.
He looked impatient and leaned on the railing of Logan's balcony looking down at the fog below. She watched, as he stood there, stooped over the railing, his arms crossed at the wrists. There was a large dark bottle dangling in one hand and a cigarette in the other that he occasionally took a drag of. He looked from the fog below to his hands, his thumbs twiddling spasmodically as he thought. She watched the features of his face as anger, uncertainty, and confidence intermingled there. Max wondered what weighty problem the man was considering for such a wide display of vastly different emotions. As Max continued to watch, the man raised a bottle to his mouth taking a long swig, "What kind of uncultured swine is that?" She muttered. Then sucked air through her teeth, "Man I bet Logan is pissed, that's his best Pre-Pulse."
Her eyes moved to the door that he had left open. A small window of the apartment was visible from her angle, and luckily enough she could take in what she had wanted to see since perching up here…Logan. She refocused her eyes yet again taking a good look of what details she could see. Logan's face showed strain and the set of his shoulders told her that he was in a bad way. Again she wondered just what the extent of his injuries were. She watched as his head nodded sharply, causing Max to draw in a shocked breath. There was definitely something serious, he looked as if he was going into or was already suffering from shock.
That was all that she could determine before the massive body of the remaining original Red cut off her view of the ailing Logan. Her eyes followed him as he joined the red head next to the rail. Her gaze flickered back and forth between the two Red soldiers and Logan still sitting on the couch, fighting to remain conscious.
The two started to converse and Max had to strain her hearing to the limit of her ability just to pick them out of the screaming wind. She swore under her breath, as all she was able to pick up at first was mumbles. She strained harder, cupping one hand to her ear to better direct the sound to her genetically augmented hearing. The Sound cleared up considerably and concentrating on only the voices they finally could be heard.
"I don't think that she is going to show," The taller man said. He turned his back to the rail watching Logan closely from his perch by his boss.
"Oh she'll show," The red head said, taking another drag off the cigarette, "It's all a matter of when."
The Red watched the smoke from the cigarette mingle with the wisps of fog now reaching the heights, "You think that was her then? On the phone?"
"Of course, he was warning her not to come," he said with a sly smile plastered onto his pale features.
"And you still think she'll show?" The Red crossed his arms over his chest and inclined his head toward the shorter one. It seemed that he did not have the same faith as the red head.
The red head looked back toward where Logan was, "There's something between these two."
"Is that why you stopped me?" Max's eyes narrowed, he meant from killing Logan. Her heart thudded loudly in her chest at making that connection. If she did not get there soon they were going to kill Logan, she was sure. If there was one thing the Red's were not known for was patience. She was going to have to move soon.
The shorter man just looked at the larger, snuffing his cigarette on the railing and then turned back toward the penthouse saying, "Let's get back inside."
Max watched as they returned to the security of Logan's pad and waited several more minutes, "I hope they're not watching the windows," she muttered rising.
Max checked her harness over thoroughly before donning it, it had been a while since she had been inclined to use it, and was unsure of its serviceability. When she was satisfied with it she quickly stepped into it making the clips fast. She adjusted it ensuring that it was snug, and then lay out her rope so that it would play out properly on her descent.
Max clipped the rope to the nearest anchor on the roof before stepping to the edge. She looked out and down, judging the distance for her jump. Then she leaned over and pushed off, soaring through the night like an owl on the hunt, silently arching over Logan's roof. Timing it perfectly, Max released the rope from the harness and landed on the sloped roof with a dull thud, allowing herself to slide down to land on the terrace. She stayed there a moment crouched and scanning the area. She was unable to help grinning from ear to ear, exhilarated by the experience. That was only the third time she had done that, now she realized that she was going to have to do it more often.
Slowly she straightened extending her arms out she padded toward the doors of the balcony, utilizing as much cover as was available to her. She grit her teeth as she darted the long open space that led to the edges of the dwelling, wishing she knew where the two soldiers were located within his apartment, and wishing more that she could see them and what they might be up to. She paused next to a planting box by the door, counting out long moments. If they had seen her there should be some reaction from within the house soon. After five minutes and no activity, Max chanced to peek beyond the mirrored windows and into the interior of Logan's apartment. She shielded her eyes with one cupped hand scanning slowly over what she could see of the place.
The soldiers were nowhere in sight, and Max let out a breath that she had not realized she had been holding. Her eyes then shifted to where Logan should be. He was looking her direction with squinted eyes. Max noted that his glasses were missing, he could tell someone was there, but his expression was not altogether focused.
"Hold on," She thought, "I'm gonna get you out of there."