A/N : Big hugs and thanks for those who have reviewed and read this story. *hint, hint* Your patience never ceases to amaze me, and your comments make my day. I hope this story will end up the way I planned in my head – but chances are unlikely that's gonna happen, right? Thank you very much to Kayleigh who betaed this chapter and helped me see where I went wrong.
Chapter 3
"Morning Mr. Cale." The chauffeur on loan from Logan's cousin, Bitsy, greeted Logan as he rushed into the limo with 15 minutes to spare.
"Morning Steve."
He re-adjusted his tux and cufflinks, shifting slightly to adjust the crease on his newly pressed pants. He heaved a light sigh and leaned back but he couldn't seem to find a comfortable spot as he continued to move uncomfortably on the leather seat. He leaned forward and tapped at the glass window separating the back and the driver's seat.
Steve turned the comm. on. "Yeah Mr. Cale?"
"Could you turn the A/C up? It's a little warm in here."
"Sure thing Mr. C"
After five minutes, Logan felt thirsty and poured himself a glass of red wine - pre-pulse. He downed it in one gulp. Not satisfied, he downed a few more glassful. It must be nerves, he thought. I guess I'm more nervous than I thought.
*Hah,* he scoffed, *Cales never get nervous. We're invincible* Logan giggled a little at his thoughts.
*Uh-oh, I guess I had a little too much*
Logan closed his eyes resisting the urge to giggle uncontrollably, drifting in and out of consciousness.
Where a familiar face haunted him.
In a small office in a secret facility somewhere - of course.
Lars Sorenson was a slim 28-year old six-footer with a wicked looking scar running from his left temple to the left corner of his mouth marring his good looks. The scar was a souvenir from an unexpected encounter with a young soldier four years ago during a simple retrieval mission in Bulgaria.
He absent-mindedly fingered the long unsightly scar, his mouth tightened at the remembered humiliation of losing to a much younger opponent. He had made the mistake of underestimating the kid, dismissing him as a potential threat based solely on his apparent youth and pretty features. Lars had learnt his lesson well never to assume anything about anyone and years later he finally learnt the truth about his young adversary - a genetically enhanced soldier. Genetically enhanced or not, his defeat still rankled. He had vowed silently to himself that he would avenge his failure if he should be lucky enough to run into the kid again.
*The kid should be about 20 by now*
His moment of reminiscence passed, he continued going through the paperwork in his small and permanently cluttered office when his phone rang. He cursed as he tried to locate his 'missing' phone, which was buried under mountains of paperwork, quietly accumulated when he was away in Nigeria and Russia.
"Damn. Damn. Where's that goddamn phone. Hold your goddamn horses!!" he muttered as he hunted through the piles of paper on the table- shoving one particularly tall pile to one corner, letting it teeter dangerously on the table edge. Finally locating the phone, which had somehow ended up on the floor, he scooped it up and barked impatiently into the receiver, "Yeah!"
"Uh, sorry Sir," his frown smoothing out as he heard the voice on the phone. He stiffened his spine automatically even though there was no chance the other end could see him.
He listened as he nodded and made the appropriate response at suitable intervals to the long monologue, when the designation mentioned finally hit him.
"Excuse me, Sir. Am I to understand that PX-922 is to be deployed on active duty? Tonight?"
I'm pretty sure that was what I just said? the caustic voice replied. Or did we have some other PX-922 that I am not aware of?
"No sir. Permission to speak sir?"
An exaggerated sigh sounded on the other end.
Yes. What is it?
"Sir, PX-922 has just been released by Dr. Kawdowski an hour ago. It's too soon-"
Sorenson? the voice interrupted.
"Sir?"
Are you questioning our decision? If you feel-"
"No Sir. That was not my intention Sir." Sorenson hastily beat a retreat forgetting a little too late that The Commission was not fond of critics.
Good, see that it stays that way. Prepare the subject for deployment tonight. Is that understood?
"Yes Sir."
Excellent. Keep a close eye on tonight's mission. The Commission is VERY interested in the outcome. We can't afford any mistakes? the warning in the voice unmistakable.
"Yes Sir!"
The call ended with a loud 'click' on the other end. Sorenson bit the inside of his cheeks as he mulled over tonight's mission. He wasn't too happy about deploying PX-922 so soon after re-indoctrination but an order is an order. His fingers nimbly dialled a set of numbers automatically.
"Markoff, it's me."
Hey Sorenson, when did you get back? Had a good time? the voice asked.
"Yeah, just got back 8 hours ago – but that's not why I called you." He spoke as he twirled his pen back and forth on his fingers out of habit.
"The head honchos wants to deploy PX-922 for tonight's job."
Are you serious?! 922 just came out-
"Believe me Markoff – that was precisely my reaction. But they seem to think that it's a piece of cake – easy in, easy out. Be ready for a mission briefing in 15."
Okay – but I don't like it. Too risky
"Oh did I mention that our head is on the chopping block? I didn't? Good – no pressure there."
You asshole
Hanging up the phone, he continued to twirl the pen restlessly, going through mission scenarios in his head; trying to plan a successful mission was hell because there is no guarantee of a 100% success rate. Basic Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Meanwhile, the teetering tower of paperwork lost its final fight against gravity came crashing to the floor causing piles of paper to scatter all over the floor. Making an already messy floor even messier.
Muttering a Danish expletive, Sorenson sighed unhappily thinking of the hours he'd have to put in the next few nights to finish all this. To him they were like the spawns of the devil - reappearing every time he thought he'd finally seen the last of them.
Having said that, he signed a requisition form with an angry scrawl taking his frustration out on it.
In Logan's posh borrowed limo.
All too soon, the car came to a stop in front of the church. Steve turned around and found Logan asleep; his body jerking spasmodically and whimpering.
*I guess the stag party must've worn him out* Steve thought. Wondering to himself who organized a stag for him seeing as Mr. Cale never gave any indications of having any friends.
He pressed the comm. button and spoke into it, "Mr. C, we're here."
Logan gave no signs of having heard Steve through the comm.; he was still trapped in his nightmare. He curled inward, trying to protect himself, moaning in fear, perspiration beading his forehead.
Opening the limo door, Steve had to shake Logan hard several times feeling a bit anxious. He almost had a heart attack when Logan suddenly lunged upwards, hyperventilating. Logan's wild eyes searching the interior of the limo for something or someone.
Steve wisely kept his distance, his heart still thumping wildly from the earlier scare. He kept a wary eye on Logan waiting for him to make the first move. The minutes dragged by as Logan slowly calmed.
"Where are we?" Logan croaked out sounding somewhat slurred. He licked his dry lips with his tongue and swallowed audibly.
Blinking his eyes several times to clear the hazy view he wiped his sweat on his tuxedo sleeve. His throat felt so dry. So parched. He also felt dizzy, his head heavy and his tongue felt so thick and swollen in his mouth.
"At the church." Steve answered slowly; still keeping a watchful eye on Logan.
"Oh."
Logan tried to get his suddenly unresponsive legs to move. Finally after trying for the umpteenth time till he turned red in the face, he managed to get the said appendages to obey. Logan swore as he banged his head hard against the roof of the limo while alighting from it. He hurriedly put an arm up to shade his eyes from the glare of the sun. He felt like his eyes were being cooked in their sockets. He beckoned Steve over urgently before he grabbed the sunglasses that were peeking out of Steve's breast pocket and slid it on in relief.
"Mr. Cale?"
"What?!" He grated out in irritation, unsteady on his wobbly exo, his movement sluggish.
*Hmm...is that woman checking me out?*
He squinted at the vision in a skin-tight red halter-neck mini-dress. He puffed up his chest and preened a little and walked over to the vision of loveliness, taking exaggerated careful steps along the way, traces of his earlier nightmare gone. Stopping occasionally to speak to the VIP guests he encountered along the way.
*Gotta talk to the mayor about the uneven surface of this pavement. I'll make it an Eyes-Only broadcast. People must know the dangers of uneven pavements.*
Steve could only stare at his temp-employer open-mouthed, wondering to whom Mr. Cale was talking to.
*Why is he now talking to that pole* Steve scratched his head a little wondering whether or not to interrupt Logan's 'conversation' which was progressively becoming weirder as he watched Logan rubbed himself against the pole in a lewd manner.
Steve finally decided to go into action when Logan was trying to shove his tongue down the pole's non-existent throat.
*Oh-kay, this is getting freaky. That pre-pulse wine must be some pretty strong stuff*
Steve grabbed Logan by the scruff of Logan's neck and dragged him away from the pole.
"Whew! Would ya look at the time. Party's over. Time to go home," Steve said to the pole, the object of Logan's unrequited lust, hoping that Logan would come peacefully.
Logan struggled against the hand dragging him away, "No, no, no, I was 'ust ab't to schore!!" Logan slurring badly as he twisted his body around and shouted, "Gerroff me!! You're 'ust jeal'sss! You want her for yourshelfff..."
"Sure I do Mr. C. Come on, lets go."
Logan struggled violently against the unrelenting grip Steve had on him.
To the eyes of the few gawking spectators there, Logan looked like an overgrown 3-year old throwing a tantrum. It was amusing watching a full-grown man being held by the scruff of his neck.
"No!! Go 'way!! Y're sc'rring her 'way...Get y'r dir'y h'nd off me!!"
Logan pulled away from Steve suddenly and started throwing punches at Steve. More misses than hits.
Steve tried to grab a hold of Logan's flailing arms. Unfortunately for Steve, Logan managed to land a punch on his face - giving Steve a nice shiner for his troubles.
At the same time in Max-OC's apartment.
A knock sounded at their apartment door just as Max was about to answer OC's question.
"I-" at the knock Max glanced towards the door.
"Lil' Fella?" Joshua's voice came from behind the door prompting OC to get up from the floor and make a run to the source. OC had the door open just as Joshua was about to knock again.
"Joshua? What are you doing here?" Staring wide-eyed in surprise at the sight of Joshua's eyes crinkling at her from inside a crash helmet standing in their hallway - in plain view.
Finally noticing the second figure hidden behind Joshua, OC greeted Ce-Ce. "Hey girl".
Ce-Ce bobbed her head in acknowledgement, as she scanned both ends of the hallway. OC pulled the both of them in quickly and peeked out of the doorway to see if anyone saw them and satisfied that no one was out there, she closed the door and bolted it. All three of it.
"Max!!" Joshua dropping the package he had brought and exuberantly pulled Max in a big hug, apparently having forgiven Max for everything.
"Hey, Joshuuuaa!!" She squeaked out- her breath squeezed out by Joshua's hug.
"What are you doing here?" Max asked Joshua and looked at Ce-Ce questioningly. Ce-Ce shrugged and smiled at Joshua.
"Joshua came to give present for Lil' Fella." Joshua grinned displaying his canine teeth in all its glory. He picked up the package he dropped and handed it over to Max.
"You didn't have to Big Fella, just having you come see me was enough," her bright shining eyes betraying her pleasure in the gift. "Wait a minute, how did you get here? Did anyone see you? I to-"
"Yes, told Joshua to lay low." Joshua grinned at Max making her smile at her maternal nagging.
"We came through the sewer tunnels from TC. Joshua here was hell-bent on seeing you today, so here we are." Ce-Ce interjected.
"Thanks for coming with him"
"It was no problem."
Joshua was practically bouncing on the sofa excitedly waiting for Max to open his gift. "Open it"
Smiling at Joshua's excitement, Max slowly unwrapped the gift.
OC and Ce-Ce were on the edge of their seats trying to peer at what it was. Apparently curiosity wasn't limited to just transgenic with feline DNA.
Moving back to the wedding venue
Steve staggered to the ground, skinning his left palm painfully on the rough surface.
Luckily there weren't too many people around, just the few gawkers from earlier who were doing last minute touch-ups in the church for the noon ceremony.
"FUCK!! WHAT THE HELL?! MR. C!!" He cursed clutching his left eye, now rapidly turning into 14 different interesting shades of purple with splotches of various blues and reds.
*Damn! He's got a mean right hook* Steve thought as he watched Logan laughed maniacally pushing his way haphazardly through the gathered crowd and into the church.
"Woah..what happened to you?" came a voice from above him. "You look like crap."
Steve looked up and saw a young man with his back to the sun. Unable to see his features, Steve squinted his uninjured eyes and finally recognition dawned on him. "Oh, it's you." He groaned.
"What's up with that?" Alec indicating Steve's injury with his head proffering a helping hand to Steve.
With Alec's help, Steve pulled himself to his feet awkwardly and leaned against the pole for support. "Mr. Cale. Just went totally ballistics and punched me." He gingerly touched his swelling eye with his injured hand forgetting that it was all bloody and skinned.
Alec raised his eyebrows in disbelief trying to reconcile the image of the morally uptight peace-loving citizen Logan with the violent one Steve had just described.
"Logan? Didn't know he had it in him."
"I ain't BS-ing you man. He was drunk or something. The man was trying to chat up the damn pole over here!" Steve looked up from nursing his injury. He looked grotesque; the blood making his injury look even worse than it really was.
Alec looked at Steve for a minute with a slight doubtful frown marring his forehead, "Uh-huh..'kay I believe you. So where's he?"
"He ran in there," Steve pointed to the church door. Alec looked over at the direction Steve was pointing.
"You gonna be okay while I check it out?" Alec asked before turning away.
Steve gave him the thumbs up and gestured impatiently for Alec to go.
Alec nodded in acknowledgement and turned to leave when the crowd brought him up short.
"Alright people break it up. Break it up. Show's over." Sounding surprisingly like Normal - the only thing missing was the Bip Bip Bips.
Aah…we're back to the blushing bride again
Peeling back the somewhat dirty nondescript brown paper with slightly shaking hands, Max gasped at the 'treasure' it revealed.
Dropping the gift in her lap, teary-eyed she leaned over and gave Joshua a big hug. Joshua just chuffed in embarrassment. "Lil' Fella like Joshua's present?"
Max pulled back in a brilliant smile, "Its beautiful. Thank you so much."
Joshua had done a family portrait of sorts with Max as the central figure clad in a black tight-fitting turtleneck and black leather pants, arms crossed hips jutting out and the familiar pout on her face. Joshua had captured her expression perfectly with his strong and deft strokes - the strong, hardened exterior concealing her soft inner core. Seemingly strong, relying on no one but herself. In her eyes reflected a little girl still looking for her place in the sun as opposed to the tough woman-child facade the world sees everyday.
She was flanked by OC on her right and Alec on her left, like guardian angels. Joshua had painted himself standing behind Max, watching over his family like a benevolent Father.
Max thought irrelevantly on how right she and Alec looked standing next to each other as she unconsciously fingered Alec's face. OC catching sight of her action, smiled to herself.
"Damn, I look good." OC remarked admiringly, hugging Joshua. Joshua smiled shyly and hugged OC back.
"This is great, Joshua," Ce-Ce complimented the blushing canine-man.
"Josh, I'm-" Max broke off at Joshua's odd behaviour.
Joshua was sniffing the air around, then, sniffed Max. OC raised her eyebrows.
"Boo, you did take a bath last night, didn't you?"
Joshua gave one last sniff and woofed a little "Lil' Fella in heat."
"WHAT?!"
Three women exclaimed simultaneously; two sets of eyes swivelled toward Max while a canine pair looked back and forth between them. Max stared back at them in wide-eyed shock.
In the sacred venue of the BIG, GRAND wedding
Alec stepped over the threshold of church door gingerly, calling out Logan's name.
His posture automatically in the defensive position while his senses flared out probing for any threats. Satisfied that no threat was detected he relaxed a little and looked around him curiously. He'd never been in a church before. He hadn't realized that it was so - huge and solemn. Although it didn't look very solemn now.
There was only one way to describe the whole place - showy. There were roses of every colour imaginable literally carpeting the whole church - on the pews, the altar, the walls. Lit candles - hundreds of them casting a mellow, romantic glow over everything; yards and yards of champagne coloured satins lending its presence to the roses. To say that it was over-whelming was an understatement.
*Wow! The wedding planner must've cleaned out all the florists in Seattle*
The wedding planner Logan hired had really earned her money. Alec slowly rubbed a pink coloured petal between his forefinger and thumb, enjoying the silky texture.
After a while though, Alec found the scent from the flowers too overpowering for his sensitive nose. He could feel a tingling in his nose signalling an oncoming sneeze. Alec quickly pinched his nose and managed to head-off the sneeze. Disaster averted, Alec continued with his visual explorations.
He discovered small elegant gift boxes sitting on each pew - he bent over the seat curiously to pick one up. The wrapping was really too nice to be spoiled by taking a sneaky peek at the contents but he couldn't help himself - it was the feline factor in his genetic make-up. He discovered that he didn't have to unwrap the box; he just had to lift the cover up to see its contents.
As he reached the 12th pew from the door, he suddenly spun around on his heels as a sound came from his right. He cocked his head trying to make out the sound. It sounded like footsteps running up the staircase. He dropped the box, spilling its precious cargo of rich dark Godiva chocolates and ran to the door yanking it open.
"LOGAN!! LOGAN!!"
The Man of the Moment
Father Destry hurriedly straightened his clerical collar as he walked through the door that leads from his office into the church. He stopped in his track when he saw the broad back of a young man standing at the back of the church looking at something. He smiled as he took a look at his church. The Cales had definitely gone all out for the occasion that he could barely recognize it as the church he had been serving in for 4 years.
He had presided over many weddings in his 4-year tenure but nothing could rival the Cale's wedding this afternoon. He walked a little closer to speak to him when the young man suddenly spun around as if he heard something. He watched the young man run towards the door that led to the bell tower and heard him yelling at someone.
He had a brief glimpse of the young man's face when he ran to the door. His heart almost stopped in its track - that face. It was a face he would never ever forget in this lifetime or the next.
Ben.
Flashback
Father Destry regained consciousness and found himself lying on an old tattered couch in what appears to be an abandoned building.
"Don't worry Father. I'll do everything I can to help you be ready. Your strength is your faith - your belief in the Lady. Tell me you don't believe in her, and I'll set you free. I'm not a liar"
Lying on the couch, Father Destry looked up at him, unable to renounce his faith in the Lady. He was a man of cloth; it was not in his way to lie even though his faith may cost him his life. He wanted to tell Ben all this but he settled for shaking his head.
"I didn't think so," Ben said confirming out loud what he had known since the confessional - that Father Destry's faith in the Blue Lady was as strong as his - if not stronger. There were certain periods in his life that he had doubted the Blue Lady - perhaps that is why she is punishing him by making him prove his worthiness to her over and over.
But again and again She had abandoned him. She had deemed his other 'offerings' unworthy of her - and had guided him to the one individual she deemed worthy. He understood what it meant - Father Destry is his last chance for Salvation.
Ben continued, looking at Father Destry with a dark indecipherable look in his eyes, "Well, if anyone's worthy of her, it's you."
He remembered Max's dry-eyed confession later on. She shed no tears as she recounted the incident but he could feel the deep pain of what she had done.
He had no doubt that Ben was dead but how did it explain whom he just saw earlier. He sat down in the pew with a thud, shocked, crushing the gift box sitting there, one hand clutching his rosary tightly.
In the pursuit of a super crusader 1
Getting no response except that the footstep's tempo became faster. He leaned over the railing looking upward and zeroed in on Logan.
"LOGAN!! LOGAN!!"
His calls were ignored except for the mad laughter drifting downwards.
Alec paused for a second or two trying to decide whether or not to go after Logan. *You owe me big time Maxie* he thought to himself as he blurred after Logan up the winding staircase leading to the bell tower. Cursing Logan for the trouble he's causing. *And she calls me the screw-up!*
Just as he threw the door to the bell tower open, his left chest vibrated.
*Now what?*
"Yeah" he barked, at the same time keeping an eye on Logan in the distance who was at this moment taking his pants off to shag the wall in front of him. Alec eyes widened at the stomach-churning image, looked away for a moment.
"Alec, listen we-"
*Damnit!! * He cursed Logan who has decided not to shag the wall but is now standing on top of the ledge apparently trying to fly - in his flapping white shirt and clad only in his boxers.
"Not now OC. I'll call you later!"
Crisis Central
"He hung up on me!" OC exclaimed in disbelief staring at the phone in her hand.
Max was in the corner frantically doing push-ups. "I need another shower!" She blurred into in the shower again.
"Joshua never see cat like water so much," Joshua, who was sitting on the sofa opposite Ce-Ce, unknowingly joked causing the other two to smile slightly.
"Does it actually work? The cold showers and push-ups," Ce-Ce asked OC curiously as the sounds of running water reached her ears.
"Not really. It just keeps her occupied for like about 5 minutes." OC answered, still staring at the phone wondering what to do now. Seeing that no forth-coming answers were to be had from the phone, she finally set it down on the table and sat on the couch opposite Ce-Ce to wait and see if anyone will notice that the bride didn't turn up.
"At least it keeps her from jumping Normal."
"Normal?"
"Our girl there almost ate Normal up one time last year."
"You're kidding right? Normal?"
"Nope. I swear I'm not. She almost 'raped' Normal."
In the pursuit of a super crusader 2
Alec heaved a heavy sigh of resignation at the sight of Logan's latest antics, *Why me? Why me? Where is lightning when you need one*
"Noo.. Nooo.. Logan, you don't wanna do that man. Come on let's go. Max's is waiting for you." Alec put out both hands palm up, trying not to scare Logan into a premature take-off.
"Remember Max? Hot chick with attitude? Wedding today? Ring any bells?"
"WoooHOOO!! I AM THE KING OF THE WORLD" Logan shouted with arms outstretched on each side while walking up and down the parapet wobbling dangerously.
"Yeah, yeah Titanic. Great film - now, see Rose is just downstairs waiting for you, Jack."
Alec moved two steps closer to Logan who had stopped moving to turn his sight on Alec making him stop dead in his track.
To his consternation, Logan's face puckered up in a pout and started wailing, "Mommy!! Mommy!! Unclwe Alewc hit me!!"
"!!??"
And as suddenly as Logan had regressed to a 1-year old, he suddenly spoke to Alec seriously, "I had to do it you know." Logan resumed his pacing on the ledge.
"Wha-"
"For us. I love her so much."
"Yeah, whatever. Just get off the ledge Logan. Then you can tell Uncle Alec all about it."
"The Shaman told me that Foggle Tower is built on an ancient burial ground. Max would be so happy." Logan continued to ramble on, his speech slurring more and more.
"Huh...?" His brow puckered in a frown trying to follow Logan's random makes-no-sense thoughts.
"Come Max, fly away with me. We'll go somewhere - just you and me" Logan held his hand out to someone behind Alec's back.
Alec spun around quickly but seeing no one there, he turned back to face Logan.
"Come on Log, I thinks that's enough excitement for today. Err..could you put your pants on coz I'm feeling a bit nauseous here."
*Interesting design for a boxer. Woo-oh, let's not even go there people*
"I can fly!! I'm Super Logan!!" Logan ignored Alec, caught up as he was in the image of him as a superhero swooping in to save the day. He gave an evil cackle.
"I'm gonna save the day!!"
Alec's multi-tasking brain immediately created an image of Logan in the Superman costume. The sight made him grimace. *There goes my Superman series marathon tonight*
Strange as it may seem, no matter how hard he tried imagine the exo away - it just refuses to disappear, like Lady Macbeth's stubborn stain.
A sudden squeaky 'UH-OHHH!!' brought Alec back to the present. Somehow, in the few seconds that Alec was distracted, Logan managed to fall off the ledge and flapped his non-existent aviation 'wings'.
"This is not happening to me. This is not happening. LOGAN!!"
Alec blurred to the parapet hoping to catch him in time but didn't make it - not by a long shot.
Bitsy, Logan's cousin had just stepped out of her car when her daughter, Brittany tugged at her sleeve to look up, "Look Mommy, Uncle Logan."
Bitsy looked up at the direction her daughter was pointing. The sight that greeted her
eyes made her scream in horror, "OH MY GOD!! LOGAN!!"
The other guests arriving for the wedding looked up when Bitsy had screamed and screamed in horror too at the scene above them.
Steve looked at his boss-for-the-day in fascinated horror -thinking that he's gonna have one heck of a story to tell the missus tonight.
Alec leaned over the parapet expecting to see Logan splattered all over the pavement below - and his mouth gaped open. *Of all the-*
To be continued…