Max had never prayed in her life- not even once. She'd done that thing in confession, only the entire time she wasn't quite sure who she was talking to. To the priest or to God. Wherever he was. But now she knew someone up there had to be looking out for her, hearing the groanings of her heart. Her sick daughter was at least awake now, acknowledging Max with small smiles. Still, it haunted her to think that in seconds her lively, beaming child could die and she could do nothing to stop it. She hadn't promised Eva a few months of a happy life. She had promised a lifetime. And she intended to stick to that promise. Max looked at her daughter once more, her tiny body reclined between Max's legs. Heat radiated off her, Max could feel it. Taking her hand, she spread it across Eva's forehead. Warm. She could have a horribly high fever and yet she was so quiet lying there. How could she be so quiet?
Max took the blanket off Eva and lifted her higher in her arms. Red blotches were appearing all over her legs and a deeper fright filled Max's mind.
"What's going on?!" she exclaimed, worriedly. Quickly she wished Alec would return. He'd been gone awhile now, too long to make just one simple phone call. But Max knew she'd need to wait. Eva wasn't strong enough to take the chill of outside the freight. Maybe niether was Max. But she knew she could handle it with Alec by her side. Alec who loved her.
Why had she worried so much? Hadn't he been so obvious through the pregnancy? Worried and so understanding for her? Logan had been there but he may as well as been gone. She'd tried to talk to him about Eva and her dreams for her but he would keep his face on the computer monitor the entire time, occasionally muttering yeah's. She'd gotten the feeling a long time ago that his idea of love was working, to pay for fine and expensive gifts for Max and Eva. Alec's love was unadulterated. He'd never known it before, never been allowed to feel it. Yet he could express it more easily than someone who'd known it for years. Love was what you feel for someone who has been a constant in your life, been there and done that with you, and cared for you no matter what nasty habit you have. Maybe Logan would understand that some day.
"Alec....where are you?" Max huffed anxiously. Bent over Eva, rocking her back and forth, Max began to pray. "God, if you hear this, please take care of them. Don't worry about me, God, just take care of them." Amen.
***
"Going somewhere, X-5 494?" spoke a voice from above. Alec's vision was blurry from the blow but he managed to get up and shake it off quickly. Lydecker. Not exactly who he wanted to see.
"Just taking a stroll," he managed a reply, casual and without sounding protective. Any inflection that Max and Eva were nearby could sabatoge the entire plan. Not to mention put them all back at Manticore. Alec grinned, "What are you doin' in this neck of the woods?" Lydecker took out his gun and pointed it at him.
"Don't try anything funny, 494." Lydecker warned, grinning back. Alec scoffed. He could outrun a gun when he was five. What was Lydecker thinking? He'd been the one who trained him to do it, too! Still, he'd keep on his toes. This wasn't Lydeckers mission - he was good with a gun but even better with back-up.
"Ut oh, your not gonna hurt me, are you?" Alec pleaded sarcastically. As Alec raised his arms as a white flag in pretend, Lydecker raised his gun higher.
"You always were a wise-cracker." Something flashed in Lydeckers eyes, a twinkle of fear. Alec mauled him with a stare. The jokes were over. Time to get down to business. "That why Max loves you?"
"You leave her out of this-" Alec growled and went into attack. Smoothly, Alec raised his leg in concordance with Lydeckers chest and kicked with all his might. Lydecker went down like he'd been hit with a jackhammer and Alec landed behind him with a smile, kicking the gun out of and away from his reach. "or I'll have to kill you."
"You couldn't kill the one man that could save your daughter," Lydecker was like a cat, lying on the ground belly up, completly sure he wasn't in danger. Infuriated, Alec took a stance over him, legs opposite both sides of Lydeckers body and picked him up by the collar. Staring eye to eye, Alec felt a sense of maker and creation. He was staring down the man who brought him into this sick, disgusting world. And oh, how he wanted to destroy that man using the techniques he'd taught him. He'd take pleasure in it. "Why are you hesitating, 494? Kill me!" Alec's eyes narrowed. For a second, he wanted to. He was ready to. Thats when he could feel his daughter in his heart and witnessing in his mind a vision of her crying out in the dark, a horrible pain bringing her to her death.
No.
"No," Alec repeated, this time aloud, "first, you help me. Then you die."
***
The hour was getting late and Logan had finally made up his mind to leave when he reached for his keys off the bookshelf and a Barbie puzzle piece fell off to the floor. Logan stared for a moment, umoving. His face went hard as he bent down to pick it up. It was sticky with grape jelly from her playdate with a child from her daycare center. Just a couple days ago, before any of this had happened. Before the email or the call. Oh God, Logan muttered beneathe his breath, the call.
The memory of it played back, scaring him he had actually blocked it from his mind. With all the emotions of last night, getting drunk and passing out - he actually forgot about Eva being in fatal danger. What kind of father was he? Obviously not paternal, that was for sure.
~'Do I know you?'~
`'You'll want to after I tell you your 'daughter' will die without my help.'
Oh God, he muttered again and quickly reached into his pocket, frantically searching around for his cell phone. He dialed up Alec's apartment number as he tried to catch his breath.
"Pick up!" he shouted at the phone when the answering machine came on. Leave a message? He shook his head and slammed the phone onto his lap, shutting it off. He'd started to kick himself over not getting Max a cell phone right about now. The girl was never where she was supposed to be. So he'd need to use his mental tracking system.
Max leaves the house, probably goes to Alecs. No, definatly goes to Alec's. Whatever they do inbetween before leaving is of no consequence to the situation so Logan channels his thoughts to the directive: where are they? Possibilities: Hotel? Logan scolds himself and quickly thinks again. Lydecker. He has figured out where Alec is. Of course he'd know where Alec is, his name was listed as a relative on Max's hospital records, address and all. So they escape and are on the run. Where'd they run to? Say Eva has become sick already, they might try getting ahold of Dr. Carr. Not alot proof in it but there would be no harm in trying. He'd call Dr. Carr and ask. Logan speed dials the hospitals number and waits to be greeted.
"Seattle County Hospital, may I help you?" a woman spoke, a sniffle in her voice. Logan asked for Dr. Carr when the woman broke out into uncontrollable sobs.
"Hello?" he asked over and over until a new voice came on the phone and explained. Carr was dead, killed on his way home. Sounded like Lydecker was already covering tracks. "I'm sorry, I gotta go." Logan shut the phone down, rolled into the bedroom and strapped into the prototype. He'd need legs to track down to X-5s on the run from a secret ex-government commanding officer whose had the last year to plot an entire mission to kill them. Logan passed his gun closet and opened it, pulling out a 55mm Magnum. He'd need that too.
***
AUthors note : Okay so guys I am getting close to ending this soon. But I am having alittle w.b. and it would so great if you could give me an idea on how you want this story to go or end. It might help me. Alot.
Thanks for reading this far, its so touching you enjoy my writing. Again, I thank you. Until next time, I am your writer-Heather
Max took the blanket off Eva and lifted her higher in her arms. Red blotches were appearing all over her legs and a deeper fright filled Max's mind.
"What's going on?!" she exclaimed, worriedly. Quickly she wished Alec would return. He'd been gone awhile now, too long to make just one simple phone call. But Max knew she'd need to wait. Eva wasn't strong enough to take the chill of outside the freight. Maybe niether was Max. But she knew she could handle it with Alec by her side. Alec who loved her.
Why had she worried so much? Hadn't he been so obvious through the pregnancy? Worried and so understanding for her? Logan had been there but he may as well as been gone. She'd tried to talk to him about Eva and her dreams for her but he would keep his face on the computer monitor the entire time, occasionally muttering yeah's. She'd gotten the feeling a long time ago that his idea of love was working, to pay for fine and expensive gifts for Max and Eva. Alec's love was unadulterated. He'd never known it before, never been allowed to feel it. Yet he could express it more easily than someone who'd known it for years. Love was what you feel for someone who has been a constant in your life, been there and done that with you, and cared for you no matter what nasty habit you have. Maybe Logan would understand that some day.
"Alec....where are you?" Max huffed anxiously. Bent over Eva, rocking her back and forth, Max began to pray. "God, if you hear this, please take care of them. Don't worry about me, God, just take care of them." Amen.
***
"Going somewhere, X-5 494?" spoke a voice from above. Alec's vision was blurry from the blow but he managed to get up and shake it off quickly. Lydecker. Not exactly who he wanted to see.
"Just taking a stroll," he managed a reply, casual and without sounding protective. Any inflection that Max and Eva were nearby could sabatoge the entire plan. Not to mention put them all back at Manticore. Alec grinned, "What are you doin' in this neck of the woods?" Lydecker took out his gun and pointed it at him.
"Don't try anything funny, 494." Lydecker warned, grinning back. Alec scoffed. He could outrun a gun when he was five. What was Lydecker thinking? He'd been the one who trained him to do it, too! Still, he'd keep on his toes. This wasn't Lydeckers mission - he was good with a gun but even better with back-up.
"Ut oh, your not gonna hurt me, are you?" Alec pleaded sarcastically. As Alec raised his arms as a white flag in pretend, Lydecker raised his gun higher.
"You always were a wise-cracker." Something flashed in Lydeckers eyes, a twinkle of fear. Alec mauled him with a stare. The jokes were over. Time to get down to business. "That why Max loves you?"
"You leave her out of this-" Alec growled and went into attack. Smoothly, Alec raised his leg in concordance with Lydeckers chest and kicked with all his might. Lydecker went down like he'd been hit with a jackhammer and Alec landed behind him with a smile, kicking the gun out of and away from his reach. "or I'll have to kill you."
"You couldn't kill the one man that could save your daughter," Lydecker was like a cat, lying on the ground belly up, completly sure he wasn't in danger. Infuriated, Alec took a stance over him, legs opposite both sides of Lydeckers body and picked him up by the collar. Staring eye to eye, Alec felt a sense of maker and creation. He was staring down the man who brought him into this sick, disgusting world. And oh, how he wanted to destroy that man using the techniques he'd taught him. He'd take pleasure in it. "Why are you hesitating, 494? Kill me!" Alec's eyes narrowed. For a second, he wanted to. He was ready to. Thats when he could feel his daughter in his heart and witnessing in his mind a vision of her crying out in the dark, a horrible pain bringing her to her death.
No.
"No," Alec repeated, this time aloud, "first, you help me. Then you die."
***
The hour was getting late and Logan had finally made up his mind to leave when he reached for his keys off the bookshelf and a Barbie puzzle piece fell off to the floor. Logan stared for a moment, umoving. His face went hard as he bent down to pick it up. It was sticky with grape jelly from her playdate with a child from her daycare center. Just a couple days ago, before any of this had happened. Before the email or the call. Oh God, Logan muttered beneathe his breath, the call.
The memory of it played back, scaring him he had actually blocked it from his mind. With all the emotions of last night, getting drunk and passing out - he actually forgot about Eva being in fatal danger. What kind of father was he? Obviously not paternal, that was for sure.
~'Do I know you?'~
`'You'll want to after I tell you your 'daughter' will die without my help.'
Oh God, he muttered again and quickly reached into his pocket, frantically searching around for his cell phone. He dialed up Alec's apartment number as he tried to catch his breath.
"Pick up!" he shouted at the phone when the answering machine came on. Leave a message? He shook his head and slammed the phone onto his lap, shutting it off. He'd started to kick himself over not getting Max a cell phone right about now. The girl was never where she was supposed to be. So he'd need to use his mental tracking system.
Max leaves the house, probably goes to Alecs. No, definatly goes to Alec's. Whatever they do inbetween before leaving is of no consequence to the situation so Logan channels his thoughts to the directive: where are they? Possibilities: Hotel? Logan scolds himself and quickly thinks again. Lydecker. He has figured out where Alec is. Of course he'd know where Alec is, his name was listed as a relative on Max's hospital records, address and all. So they escape and are on the run. Where'd they run to? Say Eva has become sick already, they might try getting ahold of Dr. Carr. Not alot proof in it but there would be no harm in trying. He'd call Dr. Carr and ask. Logan speed dials the hospitals number and waits to be greeted.
"Seattle County Hospital, may I help you?" a woman spoke, a sniffle in her voice. Logan asked for Dr. Carr when the woman broke out into uncontrollable sobs.
"Hello?" he asked over and over until a new voice came on the phone and explained. Carr was dead, killed on his way home. Sounded like Lydecker was already covering tracks. "I'm sorry, I gotta go." Logan shut the phone down, rolled into the bedroom and strapped into the prototype. He'd need legs to track down to X-5s on the run from a secret ex-government commanding officer whose had the last year to plot an entire mission to kill them. Logan passed his gun closet and opened it, pulling out a 55mm Magnum. He'd need that too.
***
AUthors note : Okay so guys I am getting close to ending this soon. But I am having alittle w.b. and it would so great if you could give me an idea on how you want this story to go or end. It might help me. Alot.
Thanks for reading this far, its so touching you enjoy my writing. Again, I thank you. Until next time, I am your writer-Heather