Part fifteen
The universe is right on schedule
The simple motion of booting up the laptop after a full week made him feel a shiver down his spine. The palms of his hands were even slightly sweaty and he felt himself tingle all the way to his toes. A wonderful feeling. If it hadn't been for Phil and his exoskeleton he would probably be long dead by now, several times over. Last time he had been in dire straits Logan Cale had ceased to exist.
Weird how he could detach himself so completely from the man whose life he had lived for more than 30 years. Probably because Logan was indeed dead. The things that had mattered to him personally -as few as they were- were gone, Eyes Only being all that was left. Nicholas Carter wouldn't have much to live for.
Two years with Max, two years in which he had been through incredible emotional ups and downs, so different from the monotone life from before, all gone. Max had been the one to lure him out from his hiding, to allow him to stand up for his feelings instead of hiding them behind a mask. She had helped him regain self-confidence, taught him about strength and courage. For a while he had hoped their relationship was a two way lane. But what good was all he had accomplished if he had been the only one to make the effort? For such a long time she had been the one to coax him, to tell him his problems didn't matter, to wean him from the 24/7 Eyes Only work. And all that only to give up on him one day, just like that, leave him behind like a discarded rag... for Alec.
Maybe he wouldn't suffer so much if he could really hate her, if he could believe that she was just another shallow skirt like Valerie, happy to dump him the moment something better came along. Then he would be able to go on. But damn it, he still loved her. How could he still love her after all the hurt she had caused him? He could neither forget nor forgive, but damn it, he still loved her. That's why he let her go, hoping that Alec would do right by her.
The computer beep tore him from his reverie and he stood up to hook the camera to the computer and check the cables. He sighed. No infrared until he got his finances going again. Bending over he couldn't help but revel in the ease with which he could perform every movement. Yep, if it hadn't been for the exoskeleton he'd really be dead. She had said she would have his back but she had probably been too busy with Alec to respond to his page. It was this one piece of machinery, given to him by someone he barely knew that had saved him. Not that it would have really mattered to him then if he lived or died. Still, he had met Phil through Max and had yearned to get out of the chair for Max. Yes, the universe was right on schedule.
After seeing the „hack traced" warning he had barely had the time to erase the hard drive and grab a few necessities. The page to Max had been the first thing he had done. He hadn't been fast enough, though, it had taken less than five minutes for the tall blond thug to appear in his doorway with a large caliber gun trained on him. There had been no time to get the 9 mm stashed in his jacket. Even now he still could barely believe what had happened. Since Joshua's blood transfusion the exoskeleton was just a boost, but this time it had allowed him an unexpected, desperate jump which had landed him behind the thug. The surprise effect, adrenaline and two years of constant upper body training did the rest. Today, almost a week afterwards, it seemed like a miracle. Being able to wrench the gun from the thug and use it on him was certainly a feat he didn't think he could repeat anytime soon. In a matter of seconds he had been out on the roof talking to Matt on the secure cell phone. Of all the times he had so proudly refused Max' help, this had been the one where he would have given anything to have her next to him.
Luck, it had been pure luck. Had the man not been alone, had the exoskeleton not been on, had he not had the transfusion from Joshua.... But all the ifs finally got reduced to one thing. If Max hadn't dropped in that night to steal the statue, he would have been dead years ago. Weird, the universe *was* right on schedule. Maybe he should trust that better times would come. It certainly looked as if the informant net had been awfully busy, even without him around.
