RAINBOW CONNECTION
by Newly Human
Once again, Logan finds himself deep in the forest. Is history repeating itself?
Friendship, intrigue, action, and most importantly… hope.
Timeline: The following takes place in between seasons 1 and 2.
Disclaimer: Dark Angel the series and all it's characters belong to Fox, Cameron/Eglee Productions and other respective owners. I don't mean to infringe so please don't sue. Kaia Kilbourne and the plot are mine.
Author's Note: Thanks again for all the reviews. They briefly gave me my muse back, so the next few chapters will probably be coming in quick. Stay tuned! -- Newly Human
CHAPTER 14
Into The Woods
1:36 AM, Outside Manticore, Gillette, Wyoming.
Logan darted through the trees, branches whipping dangerously at his face. He had pushed his shirt sleeves up to his elbows, and the branches scratched roughly at his arms, almost breaking skin. His exoskeleton warmed with exertion, threatening to overheat. Logan ignored the warning beeps and the pain in his legs, and pushed himself harder.
He didn't know where he was going. All he knew was that he had to get to her.
He travelled swiftly, at moments with his eyes closed, not stopping to see what was ahead, or even where he was heading. It was as if, deep down, he already knew…
Logan stumbled to a halt as he neared a large log lying across the forest floor. It was the trunk of a tree that had fallen long ago. Catching his breath, he stepped over it and into the small clearing where the tree used to stand.
His eyes were fixed on the ground before him. A girl lay on the floor, her arms limp at her side, blood oozing from her chest. Her body shuddered with each heavy breath as she struggled to stay conscious.
Logan took a step closer.
"Max…?"
He dropped to his knees beside her and clutched at her limp form.
"Max! Oh, God…"
Logan brought her up to rest against him. "It's okay… You're going to be okay…"
He noticed the wound in her upper chest and touched it gingerly.
"This isn't bad," He lied, unconvincingly. It was bad. Very bad.
Max looked up at him, as if realising he was there for the first time.
"Logan…"
"It's okay. You're going to be all right."
"I'm sorry…" She managed to whisper.
"No, we're going to get you out of here." He said, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her. "It's going to be all right."
"There's something I've got to tell you." Max started, tears coming to her eyes. "I should've said something a long time ago-"
"I love you, Max…" Logan heard himself say. His eyes began to blur with tears. "With all my heart… and every day since I met you. Forever… I will love you."
Max gave him a brilliant smile, despite the pain in her chest. "Forever… I'll be waiting…"
Logan held her tightly. He watched helplessly as her breaths became shorter and more erratic. Max's eyes widened. She was afraid. "Logan…"
"Max…"
Her head rolled back. Lifeless.
"Max, Max…" Logan's cries got muffled as he buried his head into her hair. "Max… No, no…" He wasn't ready to let her go.
"Max, no…"
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Logan blinked away the tears in his eyes. He looked around at the familiar surroundings. The log lay to the left of the clearing and dead leaves scattered the ground. Everything looked the same.
He was suddenly acutely aware of things around him. The bark and leaves rustled under his knees. The engine in his metallic legs whirred. The earth smelled musky and damp, mixed with a slight mintyness from the surrounding trees.
Everything felt heightened, yet nothing seemed real.
Logan felt disconnected, incorporeal, like he was floating above the earth, looking down on himself. He stared at the empty ground in front of him.
This is where she lay.
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From the shadows, a figure approached. Something glinted in the moonlight.
It was a gun.
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Logan heard the footsteps, and didn't even flinch. Someone was coming and he didn't care. Part of him wanted it to happen, for it to end quickly. Max was waiting for him…
He turned his tired eyes in the direction of the noise. Through the darkness he could see the outline of someone advancing slowly.
From out of no where, a sudden wind swept through the air, disturbing the still trees. Moonlight peeked through the branches and briefly illuminated the forest in a dancing pattern. Logan glimpsed the slight figure and blinked his eyes in disbelief.
The female lifted her gun to aim at him.
"Max…?"
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She heard him call out a name and stopped.
"Logan?" A voice echoed softly across the air.
Kaia stepped out from the shadows, her gun held in front of her with both hands. She looked at the kneeling form and breathed in relief when she recognised Logan in the darkness.
"Geez… I almost shot you!" Kaia exclaimed in a stage whisper. She didn't dare get louder, just in case soldiers were in the area. Her arms dropped to her sides heavily, as if holding the gun was an incredible burden, and she started to move forward.
A few paces from Logan, Kaia felt a wave of emotion wash over her. It stopped her mid-step.
Logan was knelt with his head turned to her and one arm sitting loosely at his side. His other arm was reached out in front of him, hand pressed against the ground. The light rain from that morning had left the soil moist and his fingers sank easily into the earth. Logan gazed intensely at her and didn't move an inch.
Desire and passion and anguish and relief and desperation swirled in the air around them. It pressed against her on all sides, and Kaia struggled to breathe normally – it was overwhelming.
Logan was still staring at Kaia, a misty look in his eyes.
"I knew you weren't dead…" he whispered, "I missed you…"
He spoke in her direction, but Kaia knew that his words weren't meant for her.
Kaia felt the invisible energy tighten around her heart as Logan continued to gaze at her. The pressure brought tears to her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Logan? Can you hear me?" She spoke gently so as not to alarm him, "It's okay… It's me, Kaia…"
After a moment, Logan blinked. His eyes looked over her face; he seemed to recognise her. He then looked down at her clothes and his expression unexpectedly became blank.
The sea of emotion around them rapidly drained away. The air suddenly felt hollow.
"Kaia…" he finally choked. His voice was husky; the kind you get in the morning, after just waking up. He turned to stare down at his hand, still resting in the dirt. His face remained vacant.
Kaia didn't know what to say. The breath of pure emotion from Logan still lingered in her chest.
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From the opposite direction, Syl headed towards Logan and Kaia. Her acute hearing had picked up their muffled voices.
Stepping out from the trees she stopped at the sight before her. Logan was kneeling in the dirt, staring as if in a trance at the ground. Kaia stood not far from him, looking like she couldn't breathe. She looked up when Syl appeared.
"It's ok," Kaia replied, seeing the alarmed look on Syl's face. Kaia didn't try to explain what had happened. Even if she wanted to, she didn't think she could put it into words.
Syl looked back and forth between the two of them. She nodded, knowing that Kaia could handle whatever was going on better than her.
"We need to get moving." Syl urged gently, almost apologetically. She could tell that it was a delicate situation, and didn't want to be insensitive. "There are soldiers everywhere."
Kaia agreed, "I only barely slipped past one earlier."
"I came across a soldier too." Syl told her.
"The shot I heard…" Kaia realised.
Syl lifted the recently fired gun in her hand. "That was me. I had to take him out." She put the gun away. "They know exactly where we are now, and all of them will be heading this way."
Kaia nodded and went to help Logan to his feet. Syl moved to help too, but Kaia stopped her. Logan and Kaia had shared so much with each other, despite their short acquaintance. She felt responsible for him somehow. And right now, Logan needed her.
"I'll get Logan. Why don't you head back to the car and start it up."
Kaia was suddenly distracted by something in the direction of the SUV. She turned and tilted her head slightly, as if she could hear something. Syl strained to hear it too, but all she heard was their own breathing.
"Krit's in pain." Kaia pronounced. "He needs help." She turned to Syl's confused face. "And he's worried about you."
Syl was reluctant to leave. "You'll be okay?"
"Yeah," Kaia looked down at Logan; he was still kneeling on the ground. She touched his shoulder lightly and he looked up at her. His expression was one of a young child, waiting patiently. "We'll be fine."
She turned back to Syl and smiled gratefully, knowingly. "Thanks for coming back for me."
Syl opened her mouth, "I ran… I forgot you couldn't…" Her voice trailed off.
"It's okay," Kaia replied, understanding that her thoughts were probably fixed on Zack. Syl was still thinking of him, just as Kaia was.
Syl didn't ask how she knew what she knew. Kaia smiled at her, and she suddenly felt that everything was going to be okay, regardless of how much of a cliché that was.
Kaia silently told Syl that she wasn't a bad sister for leaving Kaia behind. That no matter what any of them did to each other, no matter what happened, in her heart, she knew the truth. They were family. No one and nothing could ever break that bond.
Syl released a long breath. She would never be alone.
"Go, Krit's waiting…" Kaia reminded her.
Kaia watched Syl disappear once again into the forest.
She turned back to Logan.
Kaia knew what she had to do. She prepared herself, and tried to tap into his vast mix of emotions. After a brief moment, she stopped. Logan was trying very hard to keep from feeling anything. She could sense, inside him, a constant tugging that was like bubbles trying to break free, but a stubborn blanket of denial had covered the surface and refused to let them.
Kaia desperately wanted to help Logan, but she couldn't if he didn't want to be helped. At the very least, she would respect his wishes.
Logan allowed Kaia to help him to his feet. And he didn't protest when she took his hand in hers. Together – and the whole time not uttering a word – they hurried back to the SUV.
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The drive back to Logan's apartment was eerily quiet.
Syl sat in the back with Krit's head resting on her lap. She had helped him back into the car, and he had promptly passed out. Kaia took over the task of driving while Logan sat silently beside her.
It had been a long and hard few days.
It would be weeks before any of them would even start to think about recovering from it.
Author's Note: Gosh, I hope no one got too confused by this chapter. I tried really hard to portray the emotional turmoil that our characters are going through, without just outright saying it. And no, that wasn't the end! Next chapter will be up very soon.
© 15 August 2004 NHmedia