Logan woke as a closed fist slammed into his stomach.
"Tell us what we want to know and the pain will stop."
Logan lifted his head feeling the pain in his neck muscles. He looked into the eyes of the man torturing him yet again for information he did not have. He laughed and spit blood into the man's face.
"Fuck you." He coughed.
He screamed as they whipped him with the bullwhip rigged to an electrical source. The whip crackled and he could smell his own skin burning with each strike.
A man grabbed his head and looked into his eyes. He looked back at the man and smiled.
"Are you really going to die for her?"
"I don't... *cough* know, *cough* who SHE is." Logan spit blood into the man's face. His head dropped when the man let go of it turning to the torturer.
"He doesn't know her. No one could take this much pain without talking. This guy is a spoiled rich kid and he has endured more than most of the soldiers I have worked over. I can tell you now that he has never seen the woman before."
"Leave him hanging." The man said, storming out of the room.
"Yes, sir."
Logan started laughing. All present turned to face him. He just laughed until he broke down into an uncontrollable fit of coughing and gradually passed out.
Max leaned in and gently touched his face. He winced at the pain she caused unintentionally.
"Oh God, Logan. What are they doing to you?"
"I'm okay, Max." He said.
"No. You're not. They are killing you."
"Its all good, right."
"Not like this. They are hurting you."
"I stopped feeling the pain days ago."
"Logan..."
"They won't win." Logan said as he winced again at her touch. "They won't win, Max… they can't win." He said.
"I'll get you out of here." Max said pulling her hand away as he winced at her touch again. They both heard a faint noise.
"Someone's coming." They both said simultaneously.
Max woke with a start and sat straight up in the bed. She looked out the window and caught a shadow moving quickly past the glass against the full moon. She rolled out of the bed and dropped to the floor. The dream had been too real. They were torturing Logan for information he didn't have.
She crawled over to her clothes piled on the floor and pulled her pants on. She knew Alec was gone, but she didn't know if Cindy was still out in the apartment or in the guest room. She slipped into the guest room and noticed Cindy sleeping soundly. She backed into Logan's bedroom soundlessly before turning into the apartment.
Over by the far window, she could see someone standing in shadow. The figure was very tall and not moving anything but his hands. A slight glimmer from the moon in a window lit the hands and she picked up on the hand signals the figure was sending to someone else. She moved down the hall into a shadow near the sunroof where she could watch the window and the sunroof at the same time.
Someone was peering into the apartment from above Max. She waited for the intruder to drop into the penthouse.
"You still haven't told me how you know about this guy?" Jondy asked.
"Zack told me he has a penthouse apartment in Fogle Towers. He said he'd been here a few times and this guy helped him dig up some information."
"How is it he knew this guy?" Jondy asked.
"I guess Max used to hang out here quite a bit." Zane said. "At least Zack was always finding her here."
"Max?" Jondy asked. "Max used to date this guy?"
"I don't know. I got the distinct impression that Max and this guy worked together but Zack wasn't one to elaborate. I do know this guy used to get under Zack's skin but I don't know why."
"There doesn't seem to be anyone inside." Jondy said.
"I saw someone sleeping in the bedroom as I swung by. Go check the sunroof and see if you can get in there. I will go through the window over here." Zane said.
"If he really is Maxie's boyfriend, then he has to have her number." Jondy said. Zane looked at her. He wanted to tell her Max was dead, but decided not to. They would get their information and maybe this guy Zack hated would tell her.
Max tossed a rope out onto the floor when the figure looked away to signal entrance to her friend on the patio. They both moved at the same time. The figure dropped into the rope harness and Max moved instantly capturing the smaller one in the rope before launching herself at the tall one moving through the window. She jumped out of the shadows and ran up along the wall and window throwing a kick to the man's face sending him sprawling across the couch. She jumped over it and grabbed his throat.
"Who are you?" She demanded.
The man looked up into her eyes and she could see the confusion in his face. He hadn't been expecting anyone to be there and on him so quick. She could tell by the look in his eyes. He had thought his plan foolproof.
"What do you want?" Max demanded.
"Max?" The small voice worried her.
"Who are you?" Max demanded choking the man.
"Is it really you?" Jondy asked quietly as she struggled to untie herself and stand up. "Maxie?"
Max eased up on the man's neck as realization hit her.
"Zane?"
"Max." The man said. She let go of his neck helping him to his feet. Cindy came out of the bedroom and turned the lights on. Max stumbled back falling into the couch. She hadn't taken her eyes from Zane.
"Max. You're supposed to be dead." He said.
"What?!?" Jondy asked surprised.
"I'm not." Max said.
"What do you mean, Zane?" Jondy demanded.
"The DNA lab. Max was killed in the assault. Krit told me so." He reached out and grabbed her neck palming her barcode like he used to do so many years ago. "But you're here now. How?" He pulled her into his arms. "Dammit, shrimp, I'm so glad to see you alive."
"Long story. They took my body into Manticore and transplanted a heart. Zack's heart. He gave his life to save mine. With Logan's help, I blew up Manticore when I escaped a few months later." Max turned around and looked at Jondy. She stepped forward, but Jondy dropped to her knees and started crying.
"Jondy?"
"Maxie." She said through her tears. "I'm sorry. Oh God I am so sorry." Max knelt in front of her first true friend.
"Why. For what?"
"What I have done."
"What did you do? I don't understand."
"I left you there when you fell through the ice. I panicked and ran and left you behind. I failed you then and now I am failing you again."
"Jondy. You can't be serious. Just because these guys are looking for me doesn't mean it's your fault they took Logan."
"What do you mean, I thought these guys were looking for Jondy?" Zane asked.
"Logan told me."
"When?" Original Cindy asked walking up to the group.
"Who are you?" Zane demanded of Cindy.
"She's my friend, Zane. She's harmless unless you piss her off."
"When did Logan tell you?" OC asked again.
"Last night."
"You talked to him?" Jondy asked.
"Not exactly. Ever since I transfused him, we, Logan and I have started to have simultaneous lucid dreams and last night after Cindy made me get some sleep, I talked to Logan. Jondy. It's not your fault they took him."
"Yes it is."
"How do you figure?" OC asked.
Max looked back to Jondy and lifted her face to look into her eyes. "You escaped and after a cold stint in the water, so did I. I never blamed you for leaving me. I will never blame you for that or for Logan's kidnapping. You did nothing wrong by saving yourself. We were kids doing something we shouldn't have had to do. Manticore is gone. Lydecker isn't looking for us anymore. The familiars are broken and won't be bothering us anymore. Jondy, don't ever think for a minute that you did something wrong to me. I got out just as you did and I have had a great life ever since. Well, for the most part."
Both girls were shedding a tear or two as they slowly reached up and hugged each other. Zane rolled his eyes and reached down lifting both girls up by their shoulders in a hug.
"It's good to see you Maxie." Zane said. He looked at Jondy. "Now get over yourselves. We have work to do and I smell some real coffee brewing." Zane let the girls go with a final squeeze before turning to find the kitchen and Original Cindy.
"You don't hate me?" Jondy asked.
"Get over it." Zane yelled from the kitchen.
"Not one bit. Do what our big brother says." Max said pulling her favorite sister into her arms and squeezing her hard. "Sorry about the rope thing."
"Don't worry about it. I am impressed. I shouldn't have let my guard down, but hand to hand wasn't always my strongest suit around the rest of you."
The girls walked to the kitchen and could hear Zane giving Cindy the third degree about Logan and Eyes Only and the terrorist group. Max started to say something but the phone rang. Max picked it up.
"Yeah?"
"This is Sebastian."
"Oh, Hi Sebastian. Did you find out anything?"
"I hacked the NSA phone database and recorded some phone calls. You will have to do some recon but I think Logan is being held in an old warehouse on an abandoned airstrip in Pomona. If I get anything more concrete, I'll page you."
"Thanks Sebastian. I owe a bunch of favors now."
"Get Logan back. Keep him safe and we will call it even." His disembodied mechanical voice said. "Goodbye, Max."
"Bye Sebastian
and thank you again." Max
said as she set the phone down.
"We will have to do some recon, but Sebastian said he is pretty sure Logan is being held just north of Los Angeles on a private air strip now abandoned."
"Sounds like some serious recon. May I see the phone?" Zane asked.
"Sure." Max handed him the phone and took her coffee from Cindy.
"Is this line secure?" Zane asked.
"Logan does..." she thought about the cable hacks then stopped. "He doesn't take any chances with anything."
"Hey, it's me." Zane said. "Yeah. You know that old airstrip out in Pomona? Yeah that's the one. I need you to do some recon for me..." He paused listening. "Yeah, this terrorist group seems to have a friend there or at least we think they do and I need the recon ASAP." Zane looked at Max. "Is this Sebastian guy trustworthy?" Max nodded. "Yeah. Info is solid. We are on our way. Are you still in touch with Syl? She's there? Good. Yeah, I think we'll need all the help we can get on this one. Later." Zane looked around the small group. "That was Krit. He lives in LA and he said Syl is in town on her way to San Diego. Do we know where the others are?"
"Tinga is dead, killed by Renfro in some extraction chamber meant for me. Ben is dead too." Max didn't go into detail about Ben and she knew by the way Zane nodded that he knew the other X-5 were gone. "Zack never let me have his contact number because of me and Logan so I don't know how to get in touch with anyone." She didn't even mention Seth.
"With Krit and Syl, Jondy, Max and me, we should be able to take down these guys." Zane said. "We'll know for sure when Krit and Syl get the recon data to us. Max, Jondy and I are on motorcycles. You got a ride?"
"You bet." she said. "My Ninja is downstairs in the parking garage."
"Ninja?" Jondy asked.
"Yeah. Why."
"Damn, you two are so much alike." Zane said with a laugh.
"I ride a Black Ninja with royal blue racing stripes." Jondy said.
"Mine's all black." Max said. "I have to call Alec. He can help us."
"Who's Alec?" Zane asked.
"Ben's twin from Manitcore. Designation 494."
"They twinned Ben?" Jondy asked.
"Yeah, but he is basically a good guy. He works for Logan on occasion."
"What do you mean?" Zane asked.
"Come with me. I have to do something. Cindy. I'll need your help with this." Max said. Cindy could almost hear Max's mind working. Max went in and sat down in front of Logan's computers and called up all kinds of information and ran several programs. She punched the keys and made some film and put together a satellite hack explaining that she would call Cindy with the actual timing of the cable hack later when she knew the time schedule she was working with. She gave Cindy the passwords to Logan's satellite hacking software so he could run his hacks untraced.
"Max. You're Eyes Only?" Jondy asked after watching her little sister create the hack for OC to run.
"No. Her man is." OC said. "Logan has been running those hacks for years. Max has been helping."
"Look. No one, I repeat no one knows Logan's identity but us and three others. No one finds out." Max said. "Krit and Syl did the DNA lab with us so I'm pretty sure they figured out or at least suspect but I have risked my life to protect Logan's secret identity. No one finds out." Max had a look in her eyes that told the others not to cross her on this.
Alec was walking in the door as Max wrapped up her little diversion and she hastily explained what was going down. Introductions were made and everyone headed out. Max turned back to Cindy hugging her friend close to her with a soft whisper in her ear.
"We'll be back."
"Just bring our boy home."
"I promise." Max said and headed to the elevator with Jondy, Zane and Alec.
The phone rang in Zane's pocket. He answered as Alec and Max pushed their rides out to where Jondy and Zane had stashed theirs in an alley not far from Fogle Towers. "Yeah." He said. "I see... I understand... Sounds rough... We are on our way now. Stay at the rendezvous and wait for our arrival." Zane had become all military business now and Max looked at his tall lanky form as they walked to the alley to retrieve the rides. She saw the German Shepard coming out of the alley and rubbing against his leg. He reached down and roughly rubbed the dogs head as it jumped up into the makeshift seat on the bike.
"We have to go back to the Tower. I want to leave Charlie here to protect that friend of yours. Just in case." Zane said.
"Original Cindy will be fine. She's ex-military and Logan's penthouse is secure."
"I will feel better if he protects the girl. I'll be down in a minute." Everyone waited while Zane ran Charlie upstairs with his extra seat returning a few minutes later with a big smile on his face. "She said she knows what we are capable of because she has known you for so long, but that if anything happens to any of us, You especially Max, then she will personally kick Alec's ass."
"I feel so welcome." Alec said.
Everybody laughed as the four headed south toward LA.
They pulled up at the rendezvous four hours later. Syl ran out and hugged Max as she introduced Alec to Syl. Krit walked out and shook hands with Zane. They headed into the small abandoned home where Zane had made a life for a time.
"What do we have?"
"There are thirty-two in and around the warehouse. Mostly men, only a few women. There is a single sewer entrance and two small windows on the roof. The building itself has a regular door on either side and main hangar doors at both ends. All four doors are guarded by two armed men. They all look military."
"They are members of a terrorist group called Rio Brazilia." Jondy said. "They tried to capture me but I was expecting them. Logan warned me."
"Why did they try to capture you?" Syl asked.
"Genetic superiority." Jondy said. "They want to worship me as their goddess." Zane rolled his eyes. Max and Jondy laughed.
"They want to harvest our genetic makeup and use our bodies for research. I highly doubt they would have stopped with Jondy. They would have extracted what they wanted and moved on to another target." Max explained.
"How do you know so much?" Jondy asked.
"Logan and I tangled with a South African group called the red series several months back. After tonight I will make sure the score is in our favor." Max said. "Transgenics two, bad guys nothing."
"Right." Krit continued. "The inside of this thing has been tricked out with a few rooms and one large cargo space. They have set up a kind of maze with cargo containers and other large wooden and steel crates blocking off areas for weapon storage and explosives."
"I found a drug lab inside as well. I assume that's how they were funding their operation here." Syl said. "It was pretty bad inside. I moved about undetected for twenty minutes without any trouble. We liberated some weapons and ammo just in case and I rigged some charges on this remote to take out their main weapons store and the drug lab. I wouldn't dare blow up the explosives though until we are clear. These guys may be military but they don't seem too concerned with safety. Syl continued. She looked directly at Max. "Max. They have Logan inside..."
"I know."
"Why did they take him? Does this have something to do with the DNA lab?" Krit asked.
"No." Zane said. "This is need to know info. This information never leaves this room. Logan Cale is being tortured for information he doesn't have. They think he knows where Jondy is and they are going to kill him if and when he doesn't tell them."
"Why are they after Jondy and why did they take Logan if he didn't know?" Krit asked.
"When you find out, let us know." Alec said.
"Rio Brazilia is after Jondy for the same reason the Reds were after me about a year ago. They want to harvest her genetic makeup to breed a colony of perfect and indestructible warriors to do their evil work."
"The Reds?" Syl asked.
"Long story. I'll tell it to you when we are through here."
"Sounds almost like a plan."
"Speaking of plans." Alec said. "You saw Logan in there?"
"Yes. They were..." Syl hesitated looking at Max. Max nodded. "They were torturing him. Electrocuting him and beating him. He didn't look good."
"I watched them beat on him for twenty minutes. I don't know how he can take it." Krit added.
"Some more need to know information for you guys. Logan may not have our speed or strength, but after our trip to Japan a couple of months back, he has our regenerative and healing abilities." Max said.
"How?" Zane asked.
"Two years ago, I broke into his apartment to finance a PI trying to find you guys. He already knew about us, what we were." Max said.
"How did he know about us?" Zane asked. "I assumed you told him about us."
"Yet another long story. Logan and I have a busy history and I will tell you all stories some day." Max said. She couldn't help thinking about Seth. "Anyway, one thing led to another and he asked for my help protecting a client of his. I refused and he took a bullet in the spine protecting a child. I worked with him for some time until Lydecker got to close and almost recaptured me. Something happened and I ended up transfusing him to keep him alive after he collapsed at home. At first my blood started to rebuild his damaged tissue and everything seemed fine. He was actually walking again but then his body started to reject my blood and he returned to the wheel chair."
"A man with a blown out spine couldn't withstand what they were doing to Logan." Syl said.
"I know. Logan found a Geneticist in Japan. He underwent some procedures and got his legs back but Lydecker showed up and took him to his compound in Canada where some Manticore doctors went to work on him. They manipulated his genetic code and good old Deck gave him nine months worth of Manticore pt as rehabilitation. He's not one of us but he's kind of like us. His body regenerates faster than ours does due to the nano-tech Deck introduced into his system to control the genetic manipulation the Manticore doctors forced on him." Max explained what she knew.
"What kind of genetic manipulation?" Zane asked.
"Only Deck and Logan and the doctors know for sure. Logan never told me."
"That would explain why he kept laughing at them as they beat on him and electrocuted him. He's a hard man." Krit said.
"They kept demanding they tell him where 'she' is. I assume that is Jondy then?" Syl asked.
"Yeah. They want me." Jondy said. "Maybe we can use that against them. I could be a decoy and lure some of them away after we get the guards."
"No decoys." Zane said. He grew more and more impressed with Max and Logan's exploits as he heard them but now was not the time for tales of high adventure. "Kill'em all. Get Logan and blow the hanger. This is an international terrorist cell and needs to be taken down. You and Logan," Zane said looking at Max "...can run a hack and explain the strange goings on later to cover ourselves but I don't see a reason why any of them need to be alive when we get Maxie's boy out of there. Max. Call Cindy and have her run that hack in twenty minutes then you and Alec go through the roof. Krit and Jondy take out the guards. Syl set your charges and dump the building on my call. I am going through the sewer and come up inside and try to get to Logan. I should be able to get inside and make sure they don't off him when they realize they are being hit. Syl. Whether I'm out or not, blow the charges you set and in the ensuing chaos, the five of you take them out. All of them. It sounds easy so let's make it work that way. Any questions?"
No one spoke. They all nodded and headed out the door. Zane ran off into the night as if he had some inside information. Max was on the phone with Cindy as they headed toward the facility about a mile away.