Part nineteen
Logan, I've got bad news
AN: As always, lots of thanks to Dancinstar for betaing. Just in case you were wondering - this little piece decided to write itself after I had already posted the M&Z part. Sorry, really, but who am I to mess with my muse? So I'll just put it here and hope that the moment things get confusing plotwise you might backtrack and find it. Hey, look at the bright side of things: at least you were spared a cliffhanger.
Logan was in a funk. Two days ago, amidst the mess his life had turned into, he had finally remembered Zack and the danger the X5 might be in. Immediately he had rushed to his sources for information, ready to jump to the rescue. Hearing that he was eight, DAMN, eight days too late reminded him sorely that the new Eyes Only was not what he had once been.
How could it even be different? His job occupied most of his daytime, reducing him to night activities for the missions. He had barely any money left, faulty equipment, no real friends around, and most of all, no in- house cat burglar. No Max to tease him out of his huffs or beat his sorry ass at a merciless game of chess. It could have been worse, though. Hell, it was worse, because Max, instead of minding her own business, had gone for Zack all by herself and now they were both missing.
When he had heard the story of how White had been left empty-handed, he had laughed out loud, causing Matt to wonder about his sanity. At the time he had thought anything would be better than White. But now, two days later, doubts had given way to panic. He still hadn't found out who had Max, but an informant had called to set up a meet, claiming he had information on her whereabouts. That was why he was here, in a deserted warehouse just outside of San Francisco, disregarding his gut feelings about the new snitch and his motivations.
Carefully feeling his way through the dark warehouse, Logan thanked the heavens and everybody else responsible for his ability to walk. When a plank creaked under his less than nimble foot, though, he almost took it all back. The sudden rush of little feet around him didn't help either. Rats. It certainly wasn't the first and probably not the last time he crawled through dark spaces after nightfall, but tonight, his worry for Max had him unnerved. He ignored the rodents, continuing his way to the back door of the warehouse where his informant would hopefully be waiting for him. There he was, a long shadow on the opposite wall.
"I'm here. What was so important it couldn't be sent over normal channels?"
"I ain't sure what's going on here, with Eyes being back from the dead and all. I want my share first."
Logan reached into his pocket and reluctantly pulled out a wad of bills. "Here, you'll get the rest once we've verified the intel. And for your information, Eyes Only is not back from the dead. My boss took over from him. Got it?"
"Whatever you say, man. Here, catch!" A rather heavy envelope landed safely in Logan's hands.
"Where did you get this from?"
"Ya know how it goes. The friend of a friend of a friend. Lost track."
Logan considered pressing the matter, but the uncanny feeling of being watched wouldn't let go of him. Plus, the snitch had become quite nervous, too. The man had just turned on his heel to get away, when Logan's strong hand grabbed his collar and squeezed enough to make him squirm.
"Thanks for these. Next time you'd better stick to the plan if you want your money. Don't forget to hang around your usual place in case I need more information."
"Right," the man babbled and took off, stumbling through the darkness.
Damn, Logan cursed silently. The sinking feeling that this meet had been a mistake wouldn't leave him. And it wasn't over yet. He moved away from his previous spot at the door and considered making a quick getaway. Instead, he found himself a hiding place and took a peak at the contents of the envelope. He froze in shock. Out tumbled dozens of pictures of Max and Zack, unconscious, strapped to their respective beds, and surrounded by medical equipment. Logan's hands shook slightly and he gulped. He would have punched the wall in anger, but the despair he felt seemed to weigh down his body to the point he almost sunk to the ground, all thoughts about his current situation forgotten.
This was her worst nightmare come true! Logan tried to quickly finger through the pictures, but soon stopped, dreading the last few ones. What if they showed her dead?
They didn't. But they might as well have. Somebody was messing with her implant.
Logan, I've got bad news
AN: As always, lots of thanks to Dancinstar for betaing. Just in case you were wondering - this little piece decided to write itself after I had already posted the M&Z part. Sorry, really, but who am I to mess with my muse? So I'll just put it here and hope that the moment things get confusing plotwise you might backtrack and find it. Hey, look at the bright side of things: at least you were spared a cliffhanger.
Logan was in a funk. Two days ago, amidst the mess his life had turned into, he had finally remembered Zack and the danger the X5 might be in. Immediately he had rushed to his sources for information, ready to jump to the rescue. Hearing that he was eight, DAMN, eight days too late reminded him sorely that the new Eyes Only was not what he had once been.
How could it even be different? His job occupied most of his daytime, reducing him to night activities for the missions. He had barely any money left, faulty equipment, no real friends around, and most of all, no in- house cat burglar. No Max to tease him out of his huffs or beat his sorry ass at a merciless game of chess. It could have been worse, though. Hell, it was worse, because Max, instead of minding her own business, had gone for Zack all by herself and now they were both missing.
When he had heard the story of how White had been left empty-handed, he had laughed out loud, causing Matt to wonder about his sanity. At the time he had thought anything would be better than White. But now, two days later, doubts had given way to panic. He still hadn't found out who had Max, but an informant had called to set up a meet, claiming he had information on her whereabouts. That was why he was here, in a deserted warehouse just outside of San Francisco, disregarding his gut feelings about the new snitch and his motivations.
Carefully feeling his way through the dark warehouse, Logan thanked the heavens and everybody else responsible for his ability to walk. When a plank creaked under his less than nimble foot, though, he almost took it all back. The sudden rush of little feet around him didn't help either. Rats. It certainly wasn't the first and probably not the last time he crawled through dark spaces after nightfall, but tonight, his worry for Max had him unnerved. He ignored the rodents, continuing his way to the back door of the warehouse where his informant would hopefully be waiting for him. There he was, a long shadow on the opposite wall.
"I'm here. What was so important it couldn't be sent over normal channels?"
"I ain't sure what's going on here, with Eyes being back from the dead and all. I want my share first."
Logan reached into his pocket and reluctantly pulled out a wad of bills. "Here, you'll get the rest once we've verified the intel. And for your information, Eyes Only is not back from the dead. My boss took over from him. Got it?"
"Whatever you say, man. Here, catch!" A rather heavy envelope landed safely in Logan's hands.
"Where did you get this from?"
"Ya know how it goes. The friend of a friend of a friend. Lost track."
Logan considered pressing the matter, but the uncanny feeling of being watched wouldn't let go of him. Plus, the snitch had become quite nervous, too. The man had just turned on his heel to get away, when Logan's strong hand grabbed his collar and squeezed enough to make him squirm.
"Thanks for these. Next time you'd better stick to the plan if you want your money. Don't forget to hang around your usual place in case I need more information."
"Right," the man babbled and took off, stumbling through the darkness.
Damn, Logan cursed silently. The sinking feeling that this meet had been a mistake wouldn't leave him. And it wasn't over yet. He moved away from his previous spot at the door and considered making a quick getaway. Instead, he found himself a hiding place and took a peak at the contents of the envelope. He froze in shock. Out tumbled dozens of pictures of Max and Zack, unconscious, strapped to their respective beds, and surrounded by medical equipment. Logan's hands shook slightly and he gulped. He would have punched the wall in anger, but the despair he felt seemed to weigh down his body to the point he almost sunk to the ground, all thoughts about his current situation forgotten.
This was her worst nightmare come true! Logan tried to quickly finger through the pictures, but soon stopped, dreading the last few ones. What if they showed her dead?
They didn't. But they might as well have. Somebody was messing with her implant.
