Did ya miss me? I've been trying to upload this since Monday but I haven't been able to get into the system until tonight.
This is the next to last chapter of The Industrial Cycle. There will probably be a short epilogue to wrap up some inconsistencies I've noticed since that whole chap three fiasco when I essentially rewrote some basic elements of the story without paying attention to what I was doing.
In this episode we find our merry band of transgenics preparing to aid their former enemy against their new mutual enemy. Things are growing chaotic in the midst of a long standing vendetta involving Logan Cale and his former best friend Pierpont Lempkin. Strange events are happening around them and the night has only just begun.
Read. Review. Enjoy. You guys are the reasons I do this.
Running on Fumes
"MEDIC!" OC yelled. "I need a medic in here on the double."
"No time." Logan said. He headed for Pier's desk and sat down in front of the terminal. Pierpont was staring at Max.
"I've seen you before." He said. "Before lunch yesterday, I mean. You were the girl that tried to rob me."
"You get a cookie. What did Martino do to your system? How do we shut down the laser?" Max demanded of Pierpont.
"You're wasting your time, Max." Logan said.
"What the hell are you into?" Pierpont asked Logan. "I saw the blonde's barcode. You are in league with these transgenics."
"Stop talking." Logan said. He tapped a few keys on Lempkin's terminal. "I'm in."
"Already?" Lempkin asked. He watched as Max tied off Logan's shoulder just before the medic rushed into the room following OC's finger pointing at Logan behind the desk.
"It's a bad wound. I think it ricocheted and ripped through a few other things in there." Max told the medic. She stepped behind Logan and put her hand on his shoulder setting herself between Lempkin and Logan. Logan wasn't paying attention. He was concentrating on the computer.
"The encryption is simple enough so I should be able to figure this out." Logan said as he let loose with another flurry of motion. His fingers danced over the board in front of him. The medic apparently hit a sensitive spot because Logan let out a loud yelp. "Do you have to do that now?" He sounded far angrier than he was.
"Do you want to bleed to death?" The medic asked. "The bullet went clean through and took a lot with it. I can only fire a stim in there and pump him full of antibiotics." He said to Max. "He's going to need some surgery on that arm." He concluded.
"Then do what you have to do." Max said. "He's got to shut off those lasers. He's the only one here that can."
Logan had turned his attention back to the terminal and was furiously punching away at the keys. There were numbers and symbols flying through the windows that opened and closed in a wild frenzy in front of him. Max watched every move paying particular attention to the man but just enough to the screen to point out an anomalous string here or there. Lempkin was watching, completely fascinated by everything going on in his study.
Alec and Eva walked into the office at that moment. Max looked up at her. Alec nodded to Biggs. Biggs smiled. He held up both hands with his fingers splayed. He mouthed the word 'ten' and smiled.
"Whatever." He said. "What's Logan doing?" He asked.
"Trying to shut down the laser so Syl can get to the bomb." OC answered.
"I told you a false lead will take care of it." Alec said.
"There's no way to get to the wire. The laser prevents it." Syl said over the comm unit. "The wire is too far away from the window to reach."
A soldier rushed into the room running up to Captain McEachin. "Ma'am. We have a civilian out front. Says he came to speak with Mr. Lempkin."
"Did he identify himself?" OC asked.
"He did. His name is Bennett Cale." Everyone in the room looked at Logan before looking back to Original Cindy. Logan nodded but didn't stop typing.
"Bring him in here." The Captain said. "I'll deal with him." The Sergeant touched his ear and ordered the man brought in. Bennett came in obviously shaken and visibly disheveled with the night's activities. He walked right past Original Cindy and directly over to Pierpont.
A heavy fist slammed into Lempkin before Biggs or Alec could get to the smaller, younger Cale. A second fist slammed into Pier's face forcing him against the wall where he slumped to the floor with a bloody nose. Biggs and Alec had a firm grasp on Bennett but the CEO-to-be was struggling hard to get at Lempkin.
"I didn't do it." Lempkin muttered. "I had nothing to do with it." He whispered. Bennett got a foot to the side of his head.
"You took my wife you bastard!" He shouted.
"He didn't do it." Max shouted. "Martino did." She said pointing to the dead body on the floor.
"Who's Martino?" Bennett asked. "The underground fight promoter, you mean that Warren Martino?" Bennett asked. Max nodded and pointed again at the body. Bennett seemed to have noticed it for the first time. He stared at the body for a long time before looking at Logan.
"He's dead." Bennett said. "Who shot him?"
"The good guys." Original Cindy said. She turned and looked at Logan. He was growing pale and starting to sweat. Bennett noticed but was more worried about his wife. "You have to come with me." OC pulled him toward the back entrance to the study where Alec and Eva had so recently come from. Bennett pulled away.
"Where's my wife?" Bennett demanded. He stormed over to the desk and reached a hand to Logan's collar. "WHERE IS MY WIFE!" Max grabbed his hand easily pulling him away from her man. Logan looked up at Bennett.
"She's alive." Logan said. "I'm trying to get a link through my server into the security system. I can use my code to crack Martino's. When I do then I can shut off the lasers and we will get her out of there."
"Where is she, Logan, please." Bennett said. Max was still holding his arm in her hand. He was aware of her heavy grip but said nothing. Bennett looked at her then back to Logan. "Tell me."
"Captain McEachin. Take Bennett downstairs." She said. Logan turned back to the keyboard and picked up from where Bennett had interrupted him. While Logan worked, Max stood over him. Original Cindy and Alec headed down to the lower levels where Marianne was waiting with Syl and Jondy.
"What's going on?" Bennett asked. "Where is my wife?"
"We're going to see her now. Seeing you may complicate things or it might make it easier for her. I don't know but we don't really have any choices here." Original Cindy explained. "Logan needs time to do his thing and that time is running out."
"What are you talking…" He stopped when they turned the corner into the central room in the lower level. He saw her there on top of the pile of explosives. She was bound tightly to a large wooden chair. Directly underneath the chair, a pile of C-4 wired several different ways to prevent tampering had been placed. A mesh of bright red lasers crisscrossed the room in a tight weaved pattern. Alec reached for Bennett again but he only stepped forward and dropped to his knees in front of the door.
He stared at her. "It's okay baby. We'll get you out of there. Logan is working on it now. You'll be okay." He said. He really had no idea what was going to happen. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life as he did now. She stared back through tears that started falling when she heard his voice. "Why can't you get her out of there?"
"We have to shut off the lasers first." Syl said. "Then I can disarm the bomb and we can get out of here."
"How do we shut off the lasers?"
"We don't. Logan will, though. It's rigged into Lempkin's security system and he's working on that right now. There's plenty of time."
"Time? What do you mean by time?" Bennett asked. "There's a timer?"
"The bomb is rigged to blow at Midnight." Alec said. "That's thirty-eight minutes from now. Logan's already into the system. He should have the laser's down in no time."
"What if he doesn't?" Bennett asked.
"Don't think like that." Syl said. "I've watched Logan work before. He's going to get it done and then I'll disarm the bomb."
"You're what, twenty?" Bennett asked Syl. "Maybe twenty-two? Am I supposed to believe that you have demolitions training?"
"It was my specialty." Syl said proudly. "I've already analyzed what I can see of the bomb. There seems to be eight wires. I assume at least several of them are dummy leads that will set off the bomb. Only one will break the system and cut the circuit. At least two of them are hot. One more than likely will speed the timer or blow the whole pile." She sighed. "I can't see behind your wife though. There may be more back there."
"I would count on it. The green one is useless." Bennett said. "It runs around and loops back in on itself. I see nine wires though. The yellow one is looping around as well…" He noticed the wall on the far side of the room. He stopped talking as he followed the path of the yellow wire up and across the ceiling where it ran directly into the main lead on the laser. "That's why Logan has to shut off the lasers."
"So how do you know explosives?" Jondy asked.
"The Marines let me blow stuff up." Bennett said. "What about the blue wire?" He asked. Syl smiled. They started to quietly discuss the leads and wires as Bennett occasionally assured his wife that everything would be okay. Alec nodded to OC and rolled his eyes. She turned heading back up stairs.
Original Cindy walked back to a scene in itself. Lempkin was on the floor still bleeding. Logan was sweating due to the effects of both the bullet wound and the stim. The medic was monitoring closely and OC could tell Logan was paler than when she had left just a few moments earlier. Max was gently rubbing his back and whispering to him. They were both concentrating heavily on the screen.
"So you're an assassin?" Lempkin asked Eva.
"Not exactly." Eva said. "My specialty was counter-intelligence. Espionage."
"Was I one of your missions?" Pierpont asked. Max and Biggs both snorted. Lempkin looked up at Max. "Why were you working for me?"
"Eyes Only destroyed Manticore. I had nowhere to return to and my mission was scrubbed. I didn't know where to go so I came to Seattle to find some answers. I had a contact that told me you were looking for a security professional and I needed a job." She said. "I went to see you and I took the job you offered."
"What was your mission?"
"Manticore wanted Eyes Only dead." Eva said. Max ignored her. Logan didn't hear her.
"For destroying Manticore?"
"No. Manticore wasn't destroyed when they sent me out. That happened shortly before I went to work for you." Eva said.
"So you were using me to get to Eyes Only?" Lempkin asked. Max turned and looked at him. She showed him her disgust at his questions and turned back to Logan. He was slumping in his chair but still working diligently on shutting down the security grid.
"You don't even enter into the equation. I had bills to pay. I had to live. You were my employer. It doesn't get any better than that."
"Are you saying that I don't matter?"
"What's it feel like, Pierpont? What does knowing that you don't matter feel like?" Eva asked. "Tell me. I want to know." It wasn't much but it was all she had to offer Logan. Max looked at her and smiled. Lempkin looked up with confused eyes. He didn't remember what Eva had so recently seen but as she stared down at him, she could see the slow approach of creepy recognition oozing over him. His jaw dropped and he turned to watch Logan.
"Not long now." Logan mumbled. Max continued rubbing his back. She was practically holding him up now and everyone in the room could plainly see it. "Another… stim." He sputtered. "Just… few more minutes." Max whispered something in his ear. "DO IT!" He commanded. Even with Max supporting him he slumped over the keys further. She nodded to the medic understanding the necessity.
The medic checked with Captain McEachin. Cindy looked to Max before nodding. The medic stepped forward. "This could kill him." The medic said.
"Logan?" Max said one last time. She was practically the only reason he was still upright. He had lost too much blood and required a transfusion. "Just do it." He whispered. The medic stepped forward and shot the stim into his arm. He perked almost instantly. The wound still seeped.
Biggs stepped forward. He looked at OC. She stared back knowing full well what was coming. "We have to prepare in case this doesn't work."
"It'll work." The Captain said.
"What if it doesn't?" Biggs asked quietly.
"Max and Logan don't know how to fail." Cindy said.
Everyone looked at them. Max was continuously talking to him now. He was barely able to keep his eyes open. He would be out in minutes even with the stim. The blood loss was just too much.
Eva stepped over Lempkin. "Why can't you shut off your own security?"
"I don't know how. They killed my tech when they recoded my system." Lempkin said. He was cowering before Eva.
"LOGAN!" Max said. "LOGAN! Don't do this! LOGAN?" She was almost crying. He slumped forward and to the side. Max pulled him up and looked into his face. He was mostly gone. "Not like this…" She mumbled.
"Enter." Logan whispered. Max turned to hit the enter button and Logan collapsed on the floor pulling Max with him. She let him down to the floor gently and turned back to the computer. A series of windows opened and closed and all power in the building shut down. Everyone froze.
The place was black.
"Switch to night vision." Captain McEachin shouted.
"What the hell is going on?" Colonel Lydecker yelled over Comms.
"Logan powered down the security grid." Biggs said into his unit. "Syl?" He called.
"She can't talk right now. Syl and Bennett are working on diffusing the bomb." Jondy announced. "The lasers are down but the timer went hyperactive on us. The bomb will blow in about eight minutes at its current speed."
"Shit. Dammit." Max said. "Help me get Logan out of here."
"What's wrong with Logan?" Alec asked. Bennett overheard him.
"What happened to Logan?" He asked.
"He's unconscious from heavy blood loss. I'm taking him out of here." Max said to Alec. Alec explained to Bennett. You have to clear the building." Alec said. "I'll stay here with Bennett and Syl. Get everyone else out!"
Jondy had disappeared when the security grid went down. Alec loked around and even checked the hall for her. "Max." He said. "Have you seen Jondy?"
"No. Why?" She asked.
"She's gone. The lasers dropped and when I turned back to the doorway she was just gone."
"Understood." Max and OC said at the same time. Biggs had hoisted Logan over his shoulder and was already heading out with OC and her people. The order had been given and they were clearing the area. Max followed Biggs with CeCe right behind her.
Eva looked down at Pierpont. "Aren't you coming?"
"Why?" He asked. "I just wanted to take over Cale Industries. I just wanted to reclaim what my parents had lost. Two families were destroyed over Marcastle. I lost my best friend the day my father planted the bomb on board the Cale jet. We've been at war ever since."
"So you're going to commit suicide to atone for the crimes of your family?" Eva asked.
"This vendetta was just revenge at first." Pier said. "Cale came after my father. My dad destroyed Logan's family so in the true spirit of a Ronin avenging his fallen house, Logan took out my father. We have been at odds ever since."
"I was raised from birth to kill or be killed. I've never known family. I've never understood the concept. Then I found Max and Logan and I have experienced things in their presence that Manticore never intended for us to know or understand. There is more to life than this." Eva said. "In the short time I've known you, I've learned that you are a smarter man than this. I don't understand why you would want to do what you do?"
"You're right. You don't understand." He said. She didn't understand. She couldn't understand. She was a soldier. The tape she saw earlier told her that he deserved to die. He was a bad person and from what she's seen Logan and Max were good people. It was contagious. She dropped to one knee in front of him. She looked into his eyes.
She smiled.
She punched him in the face knocking him unconscious.
"What the hell are you doing?" Max demanded from the doorway. She had obviously come back in to see why Eva hadn't come out. "We can't leave him. He has to be turned over to the authorities."
"Like hell he does. Logan's safe. The others are out. That's all that matters." Max said. "Get out of here."
"Not without him." Eva said. "He admitted to me that his father killed Logan's parents. He has to answer to Logan at least."
"Whatever. Just get out." Max said before heading downstairs to the lower central room. Bennett and Syl were arguing.
"We've got thirteen wires and everyone but the green one is hooked into something or booby trapped." Syl said. "I'm not just going to pick one and see what happens."
"Neither am I. We've already ruled out two of them. We just have to pick the rest. We know the yellow and green ones are out. That leaves these eleven here." Bennett turned when Max burst into the room.
"Hey, Max." Alec said. "It's getting interesting down here. It seems Marianne is sitting on a pressure plate. The pressure plate is rigged into the black wire and there are at least ten other wires. All of them are rigged to set off the bomb if they are tampered with. There are two extra wires. One is yellow and ran into the laser system. The green one seems to loop in on itself carrying a continuous circuit." He explained. "Any thoughts?"
"How much time is left?"
"Four minutes." Syl said.
"You have to leave." Marianne said. "You won't have enough time to get out."
"Not going to happen." Max said. "We all leave in three minutes or less."
"Did I hear something about a pressure plate?" Eva asked. She had Lempkin over her shoulder in a fireman's carry and had followed Max down from the Study.
"Yeah, why?" Alec asked. He noticed Lempkin. "It might work. A pressure plate only requires pressure to be effective. Let's do it."
Max nodded. This was Logan's enemy. Eva had the right idea earlier but Marianne hadn't deserved this. Pierpont Lempkin did. "Do it."
Alec and Eva held Lempkin from either side and set him behind Marianne gently shoving him backward and forcing Marianne into Bennett and Syl's arms. Max checked the timer.
"We've got two minutes." She said.
"I've got the way out." Jondy said popping her head around the corner. "I think I know where the twins went. There's an underground canal leading out into Lake Washington. There's only a small bass boat but we should be able to get out."
"Good work, Jondy." Max said as Alec and Eva settled Lempkin squarely on the pressure plate. He was balanced but how long that would last was unknown. Bennett untied Marianne with Syl's help and the group ran out of the room following Jondy.
"TIME!" Max shouted.
"Minute-thirty seconds." Alec shouted.
"If Lempkin doesn't fall off." Syl added.
"That would ruin the adventure." Alec laughed as Jondy started the engine on the boat while the others were climbing in.
"We don't have a lot of power so start paddling and get us some momentum. There's no telling how far we have to go."
The transgenics and Bennett started paddling with their hands in the water to get the momentum in the small bass boat up. Max hollered at Lydecker.
"Colonel. We found a back way out of the main building. It's got to be the way the twin's went out. They have to be in Lake Washington." She awaited a response but none came. "Colonel?" She hollered again. Alec turned and looked at her. "Colonel Lydecker. DECK!"
"Colonel!" Alec tried. He got no response.
"Something's wrong." Max said. "Cindy!"
"Go Ahead." OC said.
"Marianne's clear. We're all out." Max said. "I can't contact the Colonel."
"I know. Comms are down and Deck's people pulled out of here as fast as they came in. I'm heading back to the tower with Biggs and CeCe. Deck's people took Logan." OC said. Alec started to count and everyone fell silent.
"Nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two… one…" They all waited debris to drop down on them but no explosion came. Jondy steered the boat out of the cave and into Lake Washington. They were staring at each other and looking back to see what hadn't happened.
That was when it happened. A great explosion blew up on the hill over the shallow cave they had just emerged from. The ground shook and they watched as parts of the cave fell in the darkness they had just exited. Debris was flying in the air and landing behind them as Jondy pushed the old motor on the bass boat to full force trying to get away from the fallout.
Alec was tapping his watch. He had a frown on his face. "Batteries must be going." He muttered. "I'll have to take care of that."
Max reached out and hit him in the back of the head. Others were laughing. Bennett and Marianne were kissing each other and Eva was staring at them. She had seen Max and Logan do this. She looked around the boat. She was beginning to understand. Jondy and Alec were laughing. Bennett and Marianne turned when Max spoke again.
"OC?" She said.
"Yeah, Max." OC answered.
"Did you say that Lydecker took Logan?" She asked.
"His people did. I turned back after you went inside and the hummers were loaded and driving Logan away. That was when my comms went dead. They came back up a minute ago but it's only us now. Everything else is cut off." Cindy explained.
"Understood. We rendezvous back at the tower and we'll try to locate Deck from there."
An hour later, Max was sitting in front of Logan's rig in the penthouse office in Fogle Towers. Jondy was standing over her shoulder. Max was watching surveillance footage using one of Logan's programs to track sector checkpoints. She was tracking a small military convoy into sector nine and a second one into sector five. She knew full well what was in sector five. It was obvious from the hover-drone papers and discs spread out all over the desk that Lydecker was going for it. She slammed her fist down and turned to the other X-5 milling about the apartment.
"We've got a situation." Max said. Everyone gathered around including Bennett and Marianne. "Lydecker lit out of here with enough knowledge to use the hover-drone Logan secured from Manticore."
"So Logan does has a hover-drone." Alec said. He noticed the look in Max's eyes. "I've heard the rumors." He snorted and shrugged his shoulders. "What if Lydecker gets a hold of it. Logan's family produces the damn things."
"Not like this one. Logan was trying to get it off the street. It's mounted with twin .45 caliber autos and a rechargeable laser among other things. It was invented and tested by Logan's Uncle Jonas. It's a dangerous weapon and Lydecker will have it in his possession before we can get it back from him."
"So how does that affect us?" Biggs asked.
"It doesn't. It affects me and Jondy. Lydecker took Logan to his forward base on the other side of this sector. We're going to find out why."
"We could use your help." Jondy said.
"I'm in." Eva said. Max and Jondy looked at her. She nodded as if reassuring herself as well as them that she was in.
"Me too." Alec said. "Been one interesting night so far." He smiled. "I haven't had this much fun since Madagascar and that little terrorist infestation."
"You know…" Biggs said. "I was just thinking the same thing. It seems to me we have a similar situation."
"There's only one part missing from the equation." Alec smiled. Biggs smiled along with him. They opened their mouths to speak at the same time.
"Selima, the belly dancer!" They said. Every female present rolled their eyes.
Krit smiled. "I saw a belly dancer in this middle eastern place down in LA. She was hot." He said.
"Logan hired a belly dancer for my bachelor party…" Bennett started to say but Alec quickly cut him off.
"Whoa, buddy. Wives are present." He said.
"Are the boys through being boys?" She asked. "Because Logan is in trouble and Lydecker is about to get his hands on tech he doesn't need to possess." She said bringing the men present back to some level of reality.
"All I'm saying is this." Biggs started. "Alec and I have dealt with this situation before. A terrorist cell was operating two separate bases." He said.
"We used Selima as a diversion and when the boss called most of his men back for the festivities at the main base we took out the smaller group first before concentrating on the second base." Alec said. "Selima was still dancing in the middle of a large group of guys when we arrived. We took down the terrorists and she showed us her gratitude at being rescued." Alec smiled.
"Several times." Biggs added. "It was a good night."
"That's more information than I wanted." Jondy said. "How does that help us?"
"The hover-drone is the diversion. We set up in this sector and wait for Selima to arrive. We get Logan and the hover-drone and leave Deck to his own devices." Biggs said. "I don't care how good Deck's men are. We can take them out."
"We don't even know what's going on." Bennett said. "What does this guy want with Logan anyway? I thought you said he was wounded."
"That's what we are going to find out." Max said. "OC. You stay here with Bennett and Marianne. Keep the place dark and quiet. I'll call as soon as we learn anything."
Ten minutes later Max and Jondy were moving slowly across the rooftop of the building Deck was using as HQ here in Seattle. There had been three guards on the roof. They were soon rendered useless as Max and Jondy moved inside under a full communication blackout in case Deck was listening but not transmitting. The two girls dropped silently into the upper level of the old department store before systematically checking the area.
Biggs signaled as he and CeCe came into the same hall Max and Jondy were in. His hand signals told her Alec and Eva were already in but one floor down. They continued on their separate paths through the lower levels until they reached the third floor where most of the men had been bunked. The place was deserted. There were hardly any sounds coming from down below.
Max and Jondy passed Krit and Syl on the way down and eventually all eight of the transgenics came to a stop above a makeshift medical bay near the south wall of the main floor. Logan was on the table surrounded by three techs and a doctor from Manticore. Max recognized him immediately. So did Biggs and Alec. Alec clenched his fists over and over again flexing the muscles in his forearm.
"I'm going in." Max said to Jondy.
"Like hell you are." Jondy whispered back. "You don't know what they are doing. Look. Jondy pointed at Logan's shoulder. It's completely bandaged."
"Then why is he lying on his stomach and what the hell is that thing?" Max asked.
The Manticore doctor lifted a large nail gun like device and placed it directly against the small of Logan's back over his spinal column. He turned his head and looked at Lydecker. The colonel nodded. The doctor squeezed as the strange device 'fired' into Logan's back. His body convulsed and began to shake while the doctor struggled to hold the unit in place. The techs tried to hold Logan down. Even Deck rolled over and tried to hold Logan's leg steady while the doctor worked.
Max struggled hard as soon as Logan started to convulse but Biggs and Alec held her steady. "Max." Alec whispered. "He's injecting nanocytes."
"What?" Jondy asked.
"Nanocytes. That tool is used to inject nanocytes into damaged X-series when they are severely damaged. They repair the system they are programmed to fix and they remain in the system for months to maintain and assist the body with the recovery." Biggs said. "I've had three separate injections. It hurts like a bitch but they get results."
"You mean he's fixing Logan's spine?" She whispered. "Biggs, take CeCe, Eva, Krit and Syl and wait for the hover-drone. I'm going to go talk to Lydecker." She stood up and walked away from the scene. She headed around and down the steps walking past troops and into the lab. Several soldiers she passed along the way were surprised to see her but didn't say anything. Alec and Jondy followed her and when they entered the same room it was obvious the soldiers had not been expecting to see them. Some even reached for their weapons.
"What are you doing?" Max started to ask when she walked into the room. The techs had turned Logan over and were preparing a transfusion.
"Max." Deck said. "I didn't expect you just yet. I really thought you would go for the hover-drone first."
"We came here instead. We were going to kill two birds as it were." She said. Deck swallowed hard. Max noticed. "You know. Get Logan and take the hover-drone." She said as two soldiers walked into the med-lab to report to Lydecker.
"We have secured the hover-drone." One soldier said.
"Good." Deck said. "Prepare the weapon for the assault."
"What assault?" Max asked. "What are you talking about?"
"Your boyfriend has quite the machine in his office." Deck said. "It's full of all kinds of information. I found out about his spinal injury after I killed doctor Veritace. I've been working on the problem in my spare time but it wasn't until I found out about the transfusions you gave him that I realized what she was trying to do. She hadn't noted the part about your DNA or your blood. She left that out and I couldn't figure out why she was giving Logan the regimen she was. I found that info on his computer."
"You were into his computer?" Max asked.
"There is nothing about you two I don't already know." Deck said. "So call off your troops and get them in here. Logan will be fine until we get back but we cannot run this operation without support inside from the hover-drone."
"What operation are you talking about?" Alec asked.
"I know where White and the twins are headquartered. They pose a threat not only to you kids and Logan but to the rest of us as well. We're going to take out White." Deck said.
