Disclaimer: See what came before. Nothing's changed.
A/N: Many thanks, as always, to catherder and alaidh.
Chapter 9
Max flitted around the room preparing for sleep. Logan already lay on the old mattress Zack had dragged down from the farmhouse as soon has he realized how difficult it was for Logan to traverse the debris-strewn ground of the yard, and that both Logan and Max intended to stay in the barn overnight. Aside from anything else, Logan's decoding program was still crunching numbers and he wanted to stay nearby for that reason as well.
"Max, come to bed." Logan's voice was partially muffled by the unzipped sleeping bag he was using for a blanket.
"In a minute." She smiled down at him – a flash of white teeth in the dark mask of her face caught by the dim glow of the computer screen in the next room. She folded her sweater and dropped it on the top end of the mattress for use as a rough pillow, then, clad only in a t-shirt (borrowed from Zack) and panties, she crawled under the covers. She hissed as her bruised hip came into contact with the mattress, and rolled over, presenting Logan with a view of her back. She snuggled back into the curve of his body, spooning with him.
Logan smiled into Max's hair, puffing a breath to move one loose tendril that was tickling his chin. Max claimed Logan's hand, pressing his palm down on the smooth, soft skin of her abdomen where the baby kicked and rolled. "Junior's feeling playful tonight," Logan commented.
"Yes, he is."
"He? Have you been holding out on me?"
Max smiled to herself. "Nope. Original Cindy says it's a boy, and…"
"Original Cindy is always right?" he finished for her.
"Right."
"Old wives tales."
"Right. But no harm in playing along."
"And if she's wrong?"
"No harm, no foul. It'll be a case of the exception that makes the rule."
Logan laughed softly. "Hear that, Hiram?" Logan patted Max's belly as he used the pet name they had been using for the unborn child. "You better be a boy or Aunty OC will put the smack down." He added by way of an afterthought, "That'll be a change from her wanting to put the smack down on me!"
Max smiled and slipped a foot over Logan's legs, hooking a toe around his ankles to pull them closer. "Ooh! Your feet are cold," she said.
"Wouldn't know," he responded dryly. "Feel free to warm them up."
*~*~*~
Max awoke to the sound of voices softly murmuring outside the door. A chink of light spilled through, but the speakers were out of view. Listening carefully, she picked out the voices of Lydecker, Alec, and Logan. Max could hear the tired edge in Logan's voice. He'd been asleep within minutes of her joining him in bed. He wasn't a morning person at the best of times, even less so when that morning was, Good Lord, she thought, 4:00 am? She momentarily debated whether or not to leave the warmth of the mattress and see what trouble was looming or to try to sleep some more. She had slept more in the last few months than she had ever done, as if the baby were sapping her energy. After a minute of mulling it over, curiosity got the better of her, and she got up, not bothering to dress, and walked out draped in the sleeping bag.
Logan, Lydecker, and Alec were all examining the computer screen intently, with Zack off to one side leaning against the table. All four of them watched as Logan manipulated the security camera in what appeared to be a nursery of infants. Max shoved Alec out of the way so she could sit on the chair next to Logan. Alec flicked a glance at her, then turned his attention back to the screen. Zack frowned slightly, but his attention was more on what Logan was doing. Logan keyed in some commands and the camera panned around the room.
Max was deeply troubled. Other than a single nurse sitting at a desk in the corner, the nursery seemed to be unattended. She flinched as the view changed to another room, this one filled with sleeping adults. One woman moved in her sleep, and for a moment, her hair parted long enough to reveal a barcode. Max sensed Zack and Alec both tensing, and she suppressed a shiver.
Logan switched around, viewing several corridors.
"Okay, we're in. Whenever you're ready, I'll be able to guide your team through," he said. "I can also disable all the security and put in a false camera feed."
Lydecker looked at his watch. "It's too late tonight."
"There's a full moon," interjected Zack. "We shouldn't risk going in with that much light."
Lydecker grunted his agreement. "Wednesday."
Logan swiveled his chair to face Lydecker. "I'd like to be there."
Lydecker gave a half smile. "I want you in the command vehicle. I need you close by in case something goes wrong."
"If he goes, so do I," said Max.
"No!" Logan was adamant.
"Logan, in case you haven't caught on by now, this girl is gonna do what she's gonna do, no matter what you or anyone else says."
Logan glared at Zack momentarily, hearing his own words echoed back to him. He gave a deep sigh.
"I'm coming," Max said quietly.
*~*~*~
The group clustered around the computer had broken up soon after that and gone back to their various allotted sleeping areas. Logan lingered only long enough to see if he'd be able to get back into the system – trying a few things to see if his invasion of the system had been detected. It seemed all was well.
Logan sat in the wheelchair looking down at Max, who was already lying on the mattress. "You gonna tell me what caused that bruise on your hip?"
"Oh, you saw that. It's nothing really. I hit one of the stands in the markets doing my usual escape and evade. Beverly cleared it."
Logan closed his eyes and nodded. "I should have told you."
"Hey, you told Alec. At least that's something. Now, come and get some sleep, coz I don't think we'll be getting much tomorrow."
*~*~*~
Logan thrashed in his sleep. "Max? Max, answer me!"
Max sat up beside him, her brow furrowed. Logan seldom stirred in his sleep. His long hours at the computer, exercise routine, and just the sheer physical effort of keeping himself mobile and going about his daily life tired him out. It was a sign of how worried he was.
Logan heard the gunfire from the woods and his stomach threatened to leap through his throat. "Something's wrong." He snatched the headset from his head, dropping it on the table. The exoskeleton took him to her almost automatically, navigating him blindly through the woods. "Max? Max. Oh, God. Okay, it's okay."
"Logan," Max responded, her head lolling back over his arm.
"This isn't bad."
"Logan…"
"Everything's going to be okay." He opened her shirt, revealing the mess the bullet had made of her chest. "This isn't bad."
"Logan…"
"It's okay. You're gonna be all right."
"I'm sorry…" she looked at him bleakly, then her eyelids dropped shut.
"No, no, no, no. No, we're gonna get you out of here. Okay? It's gonna be all right." The panic was rising in his voice.
She opened her eyes again and smiled at him weakly. "There's something I've got to tell you. I should've…"
"Logan! Logan, wake up!" Max's insistent voice penetrated the dream. "Logan!" Logan became aware of someone roughly shaking his shoulders, and cautiously opened his eyes to find Max kneeling beside him. "You were having a nightmare." Max looked down at him, concern written all over her face. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, God." Logan ran a hand through his sleep-messed hair. "I was reliving it."
"What? Reliving what?"
"That night – the night we took down Manticore."
Max sat back on her heels. She paused, at a loss as to how to respond. "Logan, this time it'll be different. I'm not going in. I'll be with you."
"I know," Logan looked at her steadily. "But that doesn't stop the worry."
"That accomplishes nothing. They already tried to get me in Seattle. I think I'm safer here."
"You think so?" His tone was full of doubt.
"No, not really, but that's what I keep tellin' myself." Her characteristic sarcasm made him smile – a weak, watery smile, but a smile all the same. Looking around him, he finally became aware that it was daylight – he could see her face in the light filtering through a small window high up on the wall. A golden glow reflected off the dingy paintwork of the wall opposite. Max's stomach rumbled loudly.
"If an army marches on its stomach, you sound like you got a whole division in there," Logan commented. "Wonder if they brought back anything other than pizza last night."
"One way to find out." Max stood up and looked down at Logan. "I'm starving."
Logan grinned up at her as she stood over him, still only wearing Zack's t-shirt and her panties. His grin changed to a slight frown. "That's looking better." He pointed to her hip.
"I heal fast." The impressive purple markings of the previous day were already fading to yellow.
Logan nodded. "I'm…glad you're here."
"Come on. Get up and feed me," Max smiled.
*~*~*~
The smell of frying bacon and eggs had brought all of the X5s, and even Lydecker, to the kitchen. Logan, by daylight, had been able to pick his way through the accumulated debris in the yard, aided by the occasional surreptitious shove from behind by Max, who made a mental note to get some of the others to move the junk out of the way. They had two more nights to wait out in this place – unless Lydecker decided a move was in order – and it was just ridiculous to have one member of the team virtually a prisoner in the barn because the yard was such an obstacle course. Besides, "busy work" was one way of relieving pre-mission tension.
For herself, she was fighting an unaccustomed urge to clean – "nest-building" Original Cindy had called it in a recent conversation. "Total whack," had been Max's response. "This place is so tidy I ain't got nothin' to clean." Original Cindy had looked around the tidy penthouse kitchen where they were both sitting.
"Never mind, boo. You'll find something when the time comes."
Max contented herself with washing the dishes while Logan made use of the bathroom. He'd gotten over the crawling sensation in his skin from having to deal with Lydecker now that he realized the man meant no harm to Max on this occasion, but that didn't mean he wanted to join the great unwashed either. The barn lacked home comforts, one of which was a proper bathroom.
Zack sat at the table behind her, drinking coffee while she scrubbed the frying pan and plates. "So, you really happy with Logan?" he asked curiously.
Max stopped what she was doing and turned to look at him directly. "Would I stay if I wasn't? Look, Zack, I know you don't approve, but for whatever reason, the cosmic fates dictated that Logan and I hook up. You're just gonna have to accept that."
"You picked out any names for the baby yet?"
"Hiram," she grinned.
"Seriously, Max?"
"No. And the answer is, I'm not sayin'. You'll just have to find out later."
Zack grinned at her and left the house, shutting the door softly behind him.