Disclaimer: These are not my characters. Although they have starring roles in my story, they are free to come and go as they please. :p
A/N: Ah, the moment all of you M/L shippers have been waiting for. Max and Logan's reunion! I had so much fun writing this chapter! Unfortunately, chapter eight is moving slowly, so it'll be a while before my next update. You'll have to make do with this one. Enjoy!
Chapter 7- Reunion
*** Fogle Towers, DAY ***
Logan stared, hardly daring to believe that she was in front of him. He looked at her, committing every inch of her to memory and desperately trying not to blink, fearing she would disappear the second he closed his eyes. With his eyes beginning to sting from holding them open, he blinked. She was still there. Logan stood, hearing the whir of the exoskeleton, and looked at her, his eyes full of questions, mouth unable to speak.
"We've gotta get you out of here. They're coming to get you." Her eyes hadn't left his, and she read every emotion on his face, feeling her heart beating faster. He ignored her comment and crossed the room quickly, stopping only when his mouth found hers. He kissed her, the last three months forgotten. Instantly, she forgot her rescue mission, forgot the objective, and focused only on his kiss. Minutes seemed to pass, and she briefly wondered how he was managing to breathe. With reluctance, she pulled away, and stared deep into his eyes.
"We gotta go. They're coming to get you," she persisted. He was holding her tight, not wanting to let her go. Max pulled back further and studied him, thinking that it would be easy to stay here, to be with him and let them come. She shook off the thought. There would be time. We have all the time in the world. The memory of his words taunted her, and she shuddered and broke away from him.
"How did you…?" Logan started to ask, his eyes full of wonder, a smile on his face.
"I'll explain later. Come on." Max took his arm, but Logan shook his head, shifting his gaze back to his computer.
"No, I have to finish my broadcast." He protested.
"Forget it. It's not important." Max answered, and Logan stared at her warily. It was important, to her as well as to him. Doubt entered his mind.
"Come on. They're coming." She repeated. She looked up at him with desperation in her eyes.
"Who? How did you escape?" Logan's mind flashed back to Zack's story about Manticore's methods for obtaining information. He'd told them he'd seen Max, but that it wasn't her, just a trick to get the locations of the X5s… Was this real? He'd seen her die, held her, cried for her… left her. Caught between wanting to believe she was real, and the doubt in his mind, Logan found himself unable to move.
"Logan, they're coming!" Her words snapped him out of his thoughts, but he still couldn't move. She looked at him desperately.
"They mentioned another X5."
"They mean Zane." Logan replied slowly.
"Zane? Zane's here?" Max asked, her eyes darting around the penthouse. "Anyone else? Do you know where anyone else is?" Her comment and demanding tone surprised both herself and Logan. He met her puzzled expression with a frown. She looked down, a strange expression on her face.
"Why did I…?" She trailed off, thinking aloud. She frowned and looked up at Logan, shocked by the gun he was pointing at her.
"Logan?" He didn't move. "Logan, what's…?" She began, taking advantage of his hesitation at the whimper in her tone and grabbing the gun. She tossed it through the doorway and stared at him.
He glared back at her, no longer sure of anything. He'd been sure this wasn't real, that she was a fake sent by Manticore to stop the broadcast and find Zane. Some kind of torture to get information, like Zack had described. Then why hadn't she used the gun? Surely an impostor wouldn't have kept up appearances once he'd pointed the gun at her. Max hated guns because of Eva, a psychological, not physical, reason- not a part of her DNA- it couldn't be cloned… Logan forced himself to focus.
"Who are you?" He asked her, frantically trying to form a plan. "What do you want?"
"You've gotta get Zane and the others safe." She said, ignoring his questions. "Tell me how to find him, and I'll take care of it."
"I'm not telling you anything. And I'm not leaving." He edged closer to the computer.
"Logan, it's me. Max. You can trust me," she pleaded, watching him carefully. He was watching her with the same expression.
"They did something to you Max." He whispered, and she frowned.
That psy-ops is a killer.
I didn't tell them anything.
I heard they were sending an X5 to take out some reporter friend of yours. And your fellow traitor, of course.
I have to finish my broadcast.
Forget it. It's not important.
Zane? Zane's here? Anyone else? Do you know where anyone else is?
Tell me how to find him, and I'll take care of it.
She shook her head, trying to shake off the snatches of conversation running through her head.
"How did they know about the other X5?" Logan persisted, and she shook her head again.
"Logan, they know who you are! They're coming to get you. They got it out of me. Where's Zane? We've got to go." Her voice was again desperate, her eyes pleading.
"Zane's safe." He answered simply.
She glared at him, a visible change coming over her face. She crossed the room in one swift motion, pinning him with an arm, and holding a knife to his throat. Logan closed his eyes, remembering the scene with Zane only days earlier.
"Where is he?" she growled
"They did something to you Max." Logan repeated, staying still.
That psy-ops is a killer.
"They sent you to kill me."
I heard they were sending an X5 to take out some reporter friend of yours
"To stop me."
I have to finish my broadcast
Forget it. It's not important
"And to find Zane. To get to the others."
And your fellow traitor, of course
"You've been brainwashed." He continued, hoping her silence was a good sign.
That psy-ops is a killer.
The knife fell to the floor, cluttering on the ground, and Logan breathed a sigh of relief. He briefly wondered how many more X5s would hold him at knifepoint before the week was through. Taking a deep breath, he tuned to look at Max. Her eyes were on the knife on the floor. Logan kicked it away, but her eyes stayed glued to the spot where it had been.
"Max, look at me." She didn't move. He stepped closer to her, placing a finger under her chin and gently tilting her head up. She allowed him to, but avoided his eyes.
"Max." He repeated. He cupped her face in his hands, and tilted it to his, but she still wouldn't look at him. His heart jumped when he saw the tears in her eyes.
"Max." It was a whisper. She slowly looked up at him, the first of the tears spilling over. "Max, it wasn't you." She shook her head in disagreement.
"Sure looked like it from my angle." She whispered angrily.
"It was Manticore." He reasoned, and again she shook her head.
"I was going to kill you." He shook his head, but she nodded furiously.
"I was going to do it Logan!" She exclaimed, horrified at herself. "I was going to do it, and I wanted to."
"It wasn't you, Max. It was Manticore. Manticore made you want to." He wiped a tear away from her face.
"It seemed so right. The right thing to do." She whispered to herself. "I'm a monster!" She cried, breaking away from him. She turned her back to him.
"You're not a monster Max."
"Then why do I still want to kill you?" She asked softly, though loud enough for him to hear. She tensed when she felt his hands on her shoulders. He turned her around, pulling her close.
"You're not a monster Max." He repeated. "You're stronger than they are." She looked up at him, finally smiling through her tears. He smiled back.
"And you're beautiful. You've come back to me." He continued, but instead of making her smile widen, Logan's words brought a frown to Max's face.
"She tried to make me kill you. And compromise my brothers and sisters. She killed Tinga." Max spat, her face hardening. "I'll kill her." Logan stared at her, shocked by the certainty in her voice.
"Max, you don't want to kill her." He reasoned, not certain of who the 'her' Max was referring to was, but having a fair idea.
"That's where you're wrong."
"We have the broadcast, we can bring them down properly…" She shook her head.
"No can do. She said if the broadcast hits, she'd burn the place to the ground."
"Isn't that what you want?" Logan asked, confused.
"She said she'd burn the place to the ground with everyone locked inside." Max explained. Logan's eyes widened.
"Oh."
Max looked up at him. Her eyes held the determined look that he was beginning to think was a characteristic of all X5s.
"She'll never leave me alone."
"Neither will I." He said with a smile, embracing her tightly. "I won't let them take you away from me again." She smiled back, leaning in for another kiss.
"Now this is a touching moment." X5-494's voice came from the doorway of the penthouse.
"How nasty of me to ruin it. If Manticore had made me with a conscience, I might actually regret taking you out." He finished, raising a gun and pointing it at Logan. Max spun Logan around so she was in front of him, blocking Alec's shot. Logan struggled behind her.
"What are you doing, Max?" he hissed. "He'll kill you!"
"Don't move." She replied through gritted teeth. She locked her gaze on Alec, her eyes daring him to make a move.
He hesitated when 452 stepped in front of the target. The director had made it very clear that she was not to be injured.
"Very noble, 452. Max." He taunted.
"Shut up Alec." She retorted.
"You hurt me, Max. You really do. I thought we were friends. I even helped you escape." His sarcastic tone wasn't helping Max's mood. She continued to glare at him.
"You followed me." She accused. He grinned, and shook his head, the gun not moving.
"Actually, no. I followed the signal that your tracking device emitted. See, funny thing, I didn't believe you'd actually kill your boyfriend here. And that'd leave Manticore one X5 short, one journalist too many, and with a host of traitor X5s that they were no closer to finding. So they interrupt my leisure time, can you believe that? They interrupt my free time, just so I could come chasing after you. Looks like we're going to be breeding partners after all. That is, if you ever get out of psy-ops again."
"I'm not going back there."
"Actually, you're wrong about that." He answered cockily.
Max was backing into Logan, moving him toward the computer. With him still crouched slightly so as not to give Alec a target, moving was difficult. She kept her eyes on 494.
"See, actually I'm not." She insisted. "I kinda like it out here. Got a few things worth sticking around for. So tell Manticore that as tempting as their invitation back to their five star resort is, I'm not really up for any more vacations from my life right now." Alec raised his eyebrows and dropped his grin.
"I'm authorised to use force, 452."
"You trying to scare me Alec? If you were going to shoot me, you would have done it by now. So the way I figure it, you can leave now, or you can explain yourself to the blonde with the gun that's standing behind you." His expression hadn't change, but Max knew he'd heard the girl with the gun.
Alec had felt her approach, but had been unwilling to turn his back on Max. Now the thought of the gun had him wondering, and he spun, his catlike reflexes and speed snatching the gun out of Asha's hands before she had the chance to react. Taking the opportunity of his distraction, Max blurred and pushed Logan into the study, slamming the door. Alec spun back at the noise and Max leapt forward, sweeping his legs out from under him with a kick, managing to disarm him of one gun. He jumped quickly to a crouch, but hesitated. Max wondered again why Alec hadn't shot through her to eliminate his target. She dared a quick glance over her shoulder to check that Logan was still safe, immediately regretting it when she turned back to face Alec.
"Nice spin, huh?" He asked her, pointing his gun at Asha's head. Max raised her own at him in answer, hoping that he didn't know enough about her to know that she wouldn't use it.
"Think your boy'll trade himself for this one?" He grinned at the question, and Max glared. The blonde woman struggled, making Alec hold her tighter. Max was glad she was giving him a hard time.
"What makes you think I won't shoot you?" He whispered to Asha in a low voice, which Max heard with her enhanced hearing. She continued to struggle. Alec hit her over the head with the end of his gun, and she slumped over the arm he was holding her with.
"Hey, superhero boy!" Alec shouted in the direction of the study. "Got someone here you may have forgotten! You know, tall, blonde, unconscious…? Thought you might wanna play noble and exchange yourself for her. Prove yourself worthy of our Maxie's affections?" At this comment, Max lunged forward and jumped on him, inflicting blows to his face. He defended what he could, mentally cursing the director's instructions to return her unharmed.
"Logan, the broadcast!" Max yelled. "Send it! Do it!" Alec decided that following orders may not always be the best thing to do, and punched her in the stomach. She doubled over briefly, but it was enough time for 494 to push past her and head towards the study.
Max jumped to a standing position and followed Alec to the study, just in time to hear a gunshot. Her eyes darted around the penthouse for a weapon, and her eyes fell on the gun that she'd kicked out of Logan's hands not too much earlier. His only gun, which he kept in his study. Max abandoned her short quest for a weapon and raced to source of the gunshot, preparing herself for the worst.
She pushed open the door to Logan's study, feeling sick to her stomach as she felt the door resist against her hand. There was a body blocking the door.
And Logan was standing over it with a gun.
Assess the situation. What the…?
"Logan?" Max asked with uncertainty. She bent over Alec's body and flipped him so he was lying on his back. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his chest rising and falling, though not really knowing why she was so relieved to see him alive.
"He's alive?" Logan's voice was shaky, and he was staring at the gun in his hand.
"Yep. Don't know why he's out though. It's a clean shot, you didn't hit anything on the way through…" She continued to look the body over. "Though he might have gotten lucky and hit the door handle when he fell." She continued, pointing out the lump on his forehead. She turned and looked at Logan, still holding the gun in his hand.
"Since when do you keep more than one gun?"
"Zane left one here. Said Eyes Only should be prepared." Max nodded, making a mental note to owe Zane her first-born child.
"He'll be awake soon. We gotta tie him up." She looked at Asha. "And we should make sure she's ok." Max allowed herself a brief moment of jealousy when she thought about who the blonde might be.
"Leave them to me. You have something bigger to worry about."
"Manticore."
"They may be loyal to Manticore, but they don't deserve to die." Max nodded in agreement.
"I'll be back." She spun around to leave, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back for a kiss.
"You'd better be." He whispered. She smiled, then ran back out through the door.
*** Manticore, NIGHT ***
"We've got a security breach." A technician said, staring at the surveillance monitors. "Someone's unlocking the cell doors." He dared a glance at the director, who looked furious.
"Well, override the system. Lock down those doors." The technician swallowed, preparing for her reaction to what he had to say.
"Can't. Control conduits must be burned out." She was silent. He kept his eyes on the monitors.
"They're in the yard, heading for the fence."
"Well, stop them. No one gets past the perimeters." She spun and noticed two men leaving the room. One of them saw her, and stood at attention.
"Bring me 452--alive."
Max ran through the hall, making her way toward where she thought the director would be.
It means that I lock down the cells and I burn this place to the ground with you and everyone else inside.
She smiled at the thought of having beaten the director's plan to murder her extended family.
I could start over anywhere. I just put all the data that we have accumulated into my briefcase…
"Not on my watch." Max whispered to herself, slowing at the sound of voices.
"Ma'am, we need to evacuate." A man's voice called, his face hidden from Max's position outside the door.
"Where's 452?" She heard Renfro's voice and shifted, trying to get a better view of the room.
"Now, ma'am." The same man urged her again.
"I'm not leaving without her." The director insisted. Max abandoned her position and walked through the door.
"What a coincidence, 'cause I'm not leaving without you." She smiled sarcastically, staring at the blonde woman.
"452." She whispered, sounding relieved.
"Yeah. You might remember me, you killed my sister, tried to make me kill my friend and betray my family?" Max moved towards the director, who was looking at her as if she was seeing her messiah.
"Your family doesn't matter. Only you matter." Max rolled her eyes.
"You know, I've had about enough of this Manticore crap as I can handle. Tell me where Zack is."
"You're what we've been looking for." Renfro continued, ignoring Max's question.
"Wrong answer! What about Brin?" They each took a step toward each other, Max taking a fighting stance. She stared at the director, whose eyes had gone wide at something she saw over Max's shoulder.
"No!" She screamed, throwing herself in front of the X5. Max spun at the sound of the bullet, and saw the guard in the doorway. He looked terrified as he took in the scene- the director on the floor, the gun in his hand. Max looked at him.
"I won't tell if you don't." She shrugged, and the guard nodded and hurried away. Max turned back to the woman on the floor.
"Where's Zack? And Brin?" She tried again, leaning over the director.
"They don't matter. Only you matter." She repeated weakly. Max gave her a confused look.
"You just ate a bullet for me. Why?" The X5 demanded.
"You… you are the one we've been looking for. Sandeman…" Renfro spluttered.
Father… Sandman
Max remembered Joshua's words and frowned. The director's eyes widened and she slumped to the floor. Max stared at her, shaking her head.
"Oh, fantastic. More unanswered questions. Gotta love my life." She dropped the body and looked around, her eyes settling on a silver briefcase on the control panel.
I could start over anywhere. I just put all the data that we have accumulated into my briefcase…
"Wouldn't want that happening." Max thought aloud, grabbing the briefcase and taking one last look at the director.
"I guess I am stronger." She whispered.
*** Fogle Towers, NIGHT ***
Max watched him from the doorway, curiously. Logan had removed the exoskeleton, and now sat in his wheelchair, moving awkwardly. She was sure that if it were possible to pace in a wheelchair, he'd be pacing. She moved closer, and he looked up, catching sight of her. They stared at each other, neither daring to speak.
"It's gone." She said finally, breaking the silence. He looked up at her, reading the hundreds of emotions that were swimming in her dark eyes.
"You've won." He replied, unable to hide the relief he felt at seeing her safe. She shrugged her shoulders.
"One thing I've learned from dealing with Manticore is when you chop off one head, another one's pretty quick to spring up in its place. It's still dangerous." She was the same cynical and sarcastic Max he knew. And loved. Logan smiled at the thought.
"There's more of you now."
"We've gotta stick together."
"Speaking of together…" he started. Her head snapped up quickly at the suggestive tone he was using. She raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for him to finish.
"Speaking of together…" She repeated, encouragingly.
"You want me to call Zane? You really need each other right now. You know, brothers and sisters, sticking together." He finished, unable to suppress the grin at his own teasing – they both knew that when he'd started the sentence Zane had been far from his mind. His eyes glinted mischievously as he studied her.
"We've got something here I'd like to finish before we call my brother." She answered, and Logan grinned more widely, then wickedly, recalling his comment from months before.
"Are you sure? Remember, we have all the time in the world," he joked, meeting her eyes and loving the look he saw in them.
"Yeah, but that kind of bombed on me last time. If you don't mind, I'd like to get started before the world ends again." She smiled back at him, taking his hand and raising her eyebrows in question. Logan pretended to ponder this, forcing a serious look onto his face. He slowly nodded, smiling again.
"I don't see a problem with that."