DISCLAIMER: you know the drill. Go to Chapter 1. It says the same thing.
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EP3 CHAPTER 8: KONEK
TERMINAL CITY
Logan stood outside Max's makeshift crib in Terminal City staring up at the sky. He didn't notice Cyd had walked up to him.
Cyd looked at him curiously and asked, "Wanna go up on the roof so you could see better?"
Logan looked down to find Cyd and smiled, "Nah. I can see fine from here."
Cyd nodded since she didn't really know what to say. "I figured you might wanna look and see the whole place from up Max's rooftop."
Logan looked at the night sky and then back at Cyd, "You're right - "
"I could go with you if you're afraid of heights," she offered.
After looking at Cyd a little curiously, Logan extended his hand to hold the girl's smaller ones in his. "You're on."
Cyd mumbled to himself, "After all, Max did leave you to my care until she returns." After just a few steps, Cyd stopped, "Wait! I forgot to ask Vibe - "
Logan squeezed her hand to reassure the little girl, "I'm fine and I'm going to be fine." Cyd continued to look at him as if trying to assess the danger. Logan decided to lighten up the mood and grinned. "Besides, you could always run to the infirmary without a sweat and get me any medical help I could possibly need," Logan then looked dubiously on the nearing rooftop as they continued to walk up the stairs located within Max's crib, "should I fall…"
Cyd grinned back, "You won't. I'll make sure of that." She said in a superior tone, which brought back the laughter in Logan's eyes. "I promised Max."
A few minutes later, Logan and Cyd were seated on the rooftop. "Where IS Max?"
Cyd shrugged, "' said she'll be back in a few seconds."
Logan's forhead creased, "Yeah. She told me." He looked at his watch. He turned to Cyd, "Do you - ?" he didn't get to finish his sentence as his entire face showed his worry.
"Something not right?" Cyd asked as she stood the same time Logan did.
Logan started walking only to grab onto Cyd's arma s he nearly slipped. Cyd helped him regain his balance.
"Thanks." He breathed a sigh of relief as he thanked Cyd. He started walking down from the roof top as he got his cell phone from his pocket and dialed Max's number. After a couple of rings with no answer, he changed his mind and dialed Alec's number instead.
Alec, who was in the headquarters, grabbed his phone, "Yeah?"
Logan's voice only betrayed a hint of worry, "Is Max there?"
Alec shook his head as he turned from the monitors he was looking at and gave Luke a go signal with a nod. "Sorry, but the missus ain't in this dumpster."
Logan started toward Max's crib door with Cyd trailing behind him. He grimaced, "She told me she was taking the ninja for a spin, but she's not answering her phone."
Alec rolled his eyes, "I'm sure she'll be back in a while. She probably just liked the wind on her face too much."
Logan half-smiled and half-grimaced at Alec's comment, "yeah. You're probably right. Thanks."
"No problem, pal." Alec closed his phone, but didn't return it in his pocket. He stared curiously at it as he went over the conversation he had with Logan. He started getting worried, but after a few moments he placed back his phone in his jacket and shook his head. "Nah," he said as he went back to where Luke was.
SEATTLE STREETS
Max looked spitefully at White. "You think you and your men could take me on?" She said haughtily trying to control the slowly rising fear at seeing that she's completely surrounded.
White sneered, "I know I could," He slowly walked around Max's lithe form, "so why don't you come with us like the good little lab-rat that you are and spare yourself the pain you're sure to get from your non-cooperation?"
"Bite me!"
White let out a hollow laugh, "There are a lot of things we want to do with you and your kind. But we certainly do not want ourselves contaminated."
Seeing the National guards surrounding her, Max headed the ninja to the east as the nearest possible exit she had calculated. Just as the ninja was about to fly over the guard, he ran to his left where another guard held his hand out. The first guard used this as leverage as he flew out and blocked Max's path with an arm hitting her on the chest.
The ninja lost its balance as Max fell on the ground stunned at the strength and capability of the National Guard. She quickly turned on her back and jumped up in a fighting stance trying to protect herself.
White looked at her in contempt, "Don't you see 452? You don't have a choice."
"I should have known you'd bring your cult with you and dress 'em up as Barbie dolls." Max heaved as blood dripped from a cut she had sustained on her lower lip. "I'd rather die before I turn myself in." She hissed as her hands shook.
White noticed this slight shaking of her limbs and looked at her slyly, "I'm here to grant your wish." The National guards stayed back as White ran toward Max and fly-kicked her in the stomach. Max lifted a leg to ward it off, but she was not fast enough for the succeeding punches and kicks that White threw at her that she staggered back at the impact and the pain. Her eyes never left White, Max regained her balance and retaliated with a successions of punches and kicks. Although White staggered at the impact, he did not so much as wince. Max headed onto White as White circumnavigated around her and landed a kick at her back pushing her sprawled face down on the pavement and causing a cut on her brow. Max's vision blurred and her body began shaking furiously. White took this as an advantage and began kicking her furiously along her stomach causing her to roll along the pavement.
TERMINAL CITY
Logan passed by the internal bedroom for his things. He increased his pace toward the door.
Cyd cleared her throat and asked as she walked behind Logan, "Aren't you supposed to stay right here? Vibe strictly gave those orders."
Logan opened the door as he answered Cyd, "Vibe doesn't know what's good for -" he turned and found himself face-to-face with Vibe, "me."
Vibe raised an eyebrow and quickly ran her eyes on Logan. Logan started to apologize, but Vibe raised her hand to stop him, "Whatever you have to say, it's nothing I haven't heard before." She then grinned and softened her tone, "You should be in bed."
Logan blushed like a school boy, caught as he is, "I was just going to check on Max."
Vibe's smile grew wider as she said a little too sweetly, "I bet you were." Logan looked relieved and sighed.
Vibe's smile grew even sweeter, "And you can't do it after… say 1 more hour?"
With Logan's worry returning onto his face, Logan rushed out of Max's crib. "I'm sure I can. But why waste time, right? There's no other time like the now." He was slowly backing out toward the head quarters as he started dictating, "Why don't you wait right where you are while I check in HQ and I'll be back in a sec?" With that Logan ran into the night, his face determined and worried.
Vibe called out after him, "Logan!" But Logan was already running. She sighed and turned to Cyd, "Aren't you supposed to keep close watch on him?" She gently inquired.
"Yes… I did." Cyd replied as she stood with Vibe looking at where Logan was headed.
SEATTLE STREETS
Just then three motorcycles jumped from out of nowhere into the middle of the human ring the cult members dressed as National guards had made around Max. Max's three siblings – Johndy, Zane and Zach – got down from their bikes, circled Max's shaking form as they boxed-out the cult members.
Zach was shooting daggers with his eyes as he looked at White, "Is this a private party or is everyone invited?"
The cult members slowly advanced toward the X5s as Max got up slowly. Zane gave her a once over, "You look like hell, sis."
Max smiled, but didn't say anything.
Jhondy gave her a once over as well as she prepared for battle, "You always did like lots of action."
Zach nodded at Max, who smiled gratefully at her siblings, in acknowledgement. "Let's get this show on the road."
All at once, the X5s fly kicked the approaching cult members. While a guy fell onto the pavement, Zach caught one along his neck and broke it. He turned to ward off a punch thrown with a hand and used his other hand to break the man's elbow as he gave a back kick to another guy approaching him.
Zane ran and walked on a cult member's chest as he turned over, kicking the guy on the chin and sending him sprawling on his back. He gave a side kick to the one approaching him from the right and caught the hand holding the tazer. He pulled it to tazer the guy approaching him from the left. He gave another kick to another cult member, but the guy caught his leg and twisted it around. Zane took the momentum to use his other leg to kick this guy and send him sprawling on the pavement as well.
Johndy warded off a tazer with an arm and twisted it to tazer off another approaching cult member. She side-kicked the first guy as she threw the tazer straight into another approaching cult member's chest with enough force for the tazer to cut through the flesh and go straight into the throat. She then turned around to give two flying kicks to the approaching guys that sent them sprawling on the ground.
Max side kicked a cult member in the stomach as she pulled at the hand he used to tazer her off. The crack of the bone told her that the shoulder got dislocated as she kicked another approaching cult member. White kicked Max on the spine that sent her sprawling onto the ground. Zach saw this in time to land a flying kick on White's head from the back. White staggered, but was quick enough to turn and gave Zack a few kicks and punches which were warded off by Zack. White looked incredulous at Zach's ability, but he wasn't deterred. He began kicking and punching again landing a few kicks on Zach, sending Zach sprawling on the ground. He immediately took out his tazer to use it on Zack, but was not fast enough. Zack used his hand to pull at White's leg, which had White hitting the floor head first as he lost his balance. The loud thud came in time as Max's seizure took over her entire body and she crouched on the ground looking at various cult members on the ground. The 2 SUV's immediately backed off, but Zane and Jhondy ran towards them and landed a kick that went through the driver's windshield and cut off the air passage from both drivers. They both maneuvered expertly as they pulled the drivers out of the SUVs, slid in and immediately assumed control of the vehicles to stop it. Zach walked over to Max's seizing form and brushed off the hair that fell across her face as his other hand reached for a bottle of tryptophan in his pocket. He cradled Max's head as he forced her to swallow a couple of pills to ease the seizure. Both Jhondy and Zane joined them, but Max's seizures were so strong she could barely concentrate on her siblings.
Zach said in his CO voice, "Zane get the bikes onto the back of one of the SUVs and follow us. Johndy, let's bring her to this Terminal City."
Zane nodded, but stopped by Max first to hold her hand. "It's gonna be alright, sis."
Zack carried Max's shaking form in his arms and followed Jhondy. He placed Max at the back then slid next to Johndy, who started driving the SUV toward Terminal City.
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Author's Note: I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. Again, this is the unbeta-ed version. So please bear with me. Hopefully, I'll be able to update sooner since VS3 is about to end. Thanks for all who reviewed and who have been reading this since a year ago.