Hormones
By: lfbrox
Rating: R
Timeframe: A couple of month after Freak Nation. Logan can of course walk (still)
AN:. So for all the people who reviewed my story: Thanks a bunch. I love hearing (reading) what you think. By the way: Havoc, Sib, you still owe me a review for the last chapter. For the 4 reviewers I had, this Chapter is for you. And as I am so grateful for those 4 I take the opportunity to thank you all in person.
Thanks 'smee' for being my 100th and 101st reviewer. Keep it coming even though you have nothing to say. idlehands452: sorry but no sneaking and fluffing in that one. But I promise you the next one will be right up your alley. Max Guevera Cale: Max is only lusting after Logan because she (insert romantic tune here) "loves him like no other genetically-engineered killing-machine ever loved a cyber-journalist with a secret identity". So MGC here is some action. Maybe not enough, but as much as I could come up with. Agmgdafan: I hate unfinished things. And if I have to live 100 years, I will not abandon a story. There is going to be an ending – it might suck or not – but it will take the time that it takes. Thanks you guys for reviewing. Take some time to do it for that chapter too. After all. My first chapter that is not fluff or smut. Keep me going.
Chapter 10: Let's get outta here
A small airport near Vancouver:
The soldiers heard the sound of the approaching plane. They checked if their guns were loaded and ready to go and nodded confirmative to the leader of their tag team. They had their orders and they knew they had to execute the mission as planned. They were ready.
Inside the plane:
Clemente buckled his seat belt and took a deep breath. Anything and everything could happen in the next 15 minutes. He'd wished he knew which direction this operation would turn out. He figured he would get a chance to warn Max and her crew during their negotiations and keep them from running into the Manticore trap on their way back to the US. But somehow he had the feeling that he would find out sooner rather than later, that Manticore wasn't someone to make fixed plans with. He knew, that when they clued him in on the plan about this operation and his role in it, that he was just as much a clueless victim than the TC-Group. But now. A few minutes before the plane landed, he was acutely aware of the fact that he did not trust them. Acutely aware of the fact that he himself had not given them any reason to trust him. Therefore he knew that whatever would happen after the plane landed in Canada would neither be pleasant for him and his well being, nor for Max's' and her crew. But there was nothing he could do now.
****************
In the back of the plane Max, Logan, Syl, Alec and a still pissed off Mole waited for the landing. Max had asked Logan to change seats with her once he finished packing up his stuff. She wasn't sure if her ribcage could survive any more of her sister's elbows without harm. Logan didn't mind. The idea of getting away from a pissed off Alec was quite to his liking. So while he buckled his seatbelt and got ready for the landing – he just hated flying – the others just tried to ignore one another and stared into the open – avoiding any direct eye contact.
Max tried to concentrate on anything that was not Logan. After staring out of the window for a while she looked around the plane. She inspected the soldiers some more, but tore her gaze away really quickly as the biceps of one of them sparked yet another heat wave in her. On her way of redirecting her gaze from the strong soldier-upper-arm she briefly passed Clementes face. He seemed deep in thought and terrified as hell. A little perspiration formed on his forehead and Max noticed that he forced himself not to look at anything in particular. He didn't dare to make eye contact with anyone of her team. But what stroke her was that he tried hard not to look at anyone in his team. What was that all about? Why would he not be trying to coordinate his team with looks and gestures – even the slightest ones. That's how they did it at Manticore. Looks and slight gestures to get in tune as a team.
But Clemente seemed terrified to even look at one of his so-called team members. The team-members who weren't even looking at each other right now. Odd. Very odd. Max's instincts kicked in and her heat-caused sexual cravings took a back seat. Something clearly was wrong with that picture. She knew that she and her team weren't exactly the Manticore-Handbook-like team, but at least they shared a connection. Maybe too much of a connection. They were angry, pissed, jealous, and horny. But they were a team. But from what she could see the team in the front of the plane was definitely off. No vibe. No rhythm. No connection whatsoever. Clemente seemed to be scared out of his mind and his men were way too cool, way too calm and professional than to be Seattle police men.
Something would go down here soon. She felt it and wished she would know what to do about it. She was running out of time. There was no way of telling Logan and the others without causing a chain-reaction of events they were not prepared for.
The warehouse - outside of Seattle:
Renfro rolled out of the iron sliding doors and positioned her chair in front of the screen that showed a still very quiet airport in Canada. There was no sign of Grand and his crew. Nothing that could cause any suspicion on the freaks side when they looked out of the window after the landing. But Renfro smiled knowing that as soon as the plane had landed on the field her biggest triumph would be turned into action.
"How long" her mechanic voice rasped and startled the other soldiers in the room.
"10 minutes director Renfro" Victor answered, turning slightly to her. After seeing that her eyes were fixed to the screen he turned away from her again and stared at the screen as well. There was nothing left for them to do. Everything was prepared. If things are going the way they were planned they would have 452 in their hands in 30 minutes and see the bloody limbs of Clemente and the rest of the freak-team on the screen in a little while. 10 more minutes.
Inside the plane:
Clementes hands tightened their grip on the armrest while he stared into nothingness. Max tried to seek out his eyes for a confirmation of a fate she already accepted. Either she was being paranoid or things would move fast from now on. But she would have called herself right about anything: sarcastic, ironic, down-to-earth, impatient, self-conscious. But she was never paranoid. She could trust her instincts and her gut – even while in heat.
This will be going to be a big fight. A fight about life and death. A fight about living and ending up as a lab rat – in the best case scenario. A fight were not only she, her sister and the annoying Alec and Mole were involved – but also the man she loved more than life itself. They were trained to picture the worst-case scenario and work on preventing it to happen. And her Manticore-trained soldier mind – as hard as she tried to deny herself from having it – told her, that not all of them are going to make it. There would be some 'casualties' as Manticore would call it. But she wasn't Manticore anymore. There were no casualties. This was her family. By genes, by blood or by heart. All of them – just the way they sat there on their seats oblivious to everything – they were her family.
For the first time she could not switch into soldier mode. She could not just pretend to be on a mission. This was personal. More than personal. And right in that moment she felt helpless. Defeated. Even if she could tell them now – she still could not save them. The terrified look on Clementes face told her, that it wasn't just a little game of track 452 down, capture her and then we'll see. He was scared to death – and knowing Manticore – they all should be.
***************
Max was ripped out of her thoughts when the plane accelerated and started to land on the airport. The plane bounced one or two times on the field before slowing down and directing its way towards the small tower where the hangars were located.
Everybody unbuckled and waited until the plane had gotten to the final stop. Max eyes moved from one window to the next but she could not make out anything unusual or suspicious. Of course not. It was them against a super-top-secret government facility driven by hatred and something else that she hadn't quite given a lot of thought to.
She got up, grabbed her backpack and looked down on Logan, Syl, Mole and Alec.
"You know what? I don't like it here. It's kinda cold. Let's spend our vacation somewhere else."
************
Inside the hangar:
Grand watched the plane land and roll into position. He quickly confirmed that all the teams were ready through his intercom but ordered them to wait interfering until the 'passengers' stepped out of the plane. After all his teams confirmed that they understood the order he grabbed his walky-talky that was connected to the warehouse-headquarters in Seattle and pressed the speaking button.
"Operation 452 in action as planned. Confirm execution of ultimate plan. Over." Clemente pressed the receiving button waiting for the final conformation about the plan that kept on changing by the minute.
The warehouse - outside of Seattle:
Victor turned around to Renfro after Grand's message. He hoped there would be a change in plans, considering his gut feeling, but he felt it'd be better to keep it to himself right about now. So he just waited for director Renfro to answer. She seemed engrossed with the screen, seemingly impatient to see some blood being spilled but also to see 452 being captured.
"Do it" Renfro rasped. There was not the slightest doubt. She wanted this and she wanted it bad and she wanted it now.
Victor stifled the groan that was about to erupt and nodded towards director Renfro. Then he turned back to the walky-talky and picked it up. He pressed the button that allowed him to speak to Grand. "Ultimate Plan confirmed. Over."
He released the button and turned his gaze back towards the screen.
Inside the plane:
The plane had stopped completely. The so-called cops got up while Clemente unbuckled his seat belt with shaky hands. He knew this might be his last minute on earth living.
Max still stood in front of the others who looked up at her with a questioning look after her last words.
"I haven't seen a lot of the world. So why don't you pick someplace Logan. I'm sure you can convince the pilot to land in a more un-armed location." Max said with a sweet smile in Logan's direction and some raised eye-brows for her fellow team-mates.
That was all it took. Before the board personnel could open the door of the plane, 3 X5's and one Mole rushed in lightning speed towards the front of the plane. Logan followed suite just not as lightningy and made his way to the pilots, shoving the 2 ladies of the board personnel inside the front bathroom on his way.
Max had grabbed the first disguised wanne-be cop before he even noticed that she approached. She used her flatted palm and hit the spot on his neck that knocked him out within a millisecond.
Alec attacked the one approaching Max and landed a precise kick to his head which made the soldier stumble into his colleague and they both landed on the floor in front of a flabbergasted Clemente, who stepped a few steps back to get out of the way of the fight between Manticore soldiers and Manticore employees.
Syl launched herself on the soldier who tried to get to Clemente, while Alec and Max took care of the re-awoken soldiers. Mole, not one with lots of technique and graze when it came to fighting, grabbed the soldier who was trying to open the door, and slammed his head hard on said door, knocking him out completely.
Cockpit:
Logan had reached the cockpit door and wondered briefly what he could do if those pilots turned out to be Manticore. X-series or not. He was only human and would have enough to do with ordinary humans – no need for them to have super powers.
As he heard Max, Alec, Syl and Mole struggle with the soldiers in the back, he glanced out of the little window in front of the cockpit and could see shadows creeping towards the plane. Manticore.
He had to act quickly. And he had to be prepared. He grabbed the little fire-extinguisher that was located in front of the cockpit door. He entered in one smooth move and knocked the co-pilot out cold with the extinguisher. Then he took his blank finger and pushed it up the neck of the pilot.
"Start the engine" Logan ordered, putting a little more pressure on is finger-turned-gun.
"That would take a while, besides we need more gas and…" the pilot started nervously.
"Start the engine" Logan repeated a little bit more persistent and threatened some more with his finger. Good he thought that the pilot was not Manticore. God not even military. As the pilot started the engines of the plane, a small smile crept up Logan's face. But in the back of his mind there was still the Logan that kicked him. How could he have not checked the pilot and co-pilot? Would have been easy to find out if they were suspicious or not, but he simply forgot. Good thing that Manticore thought that he – or Terminal City – were smarter than they really were. This was clearly one confused and scared pilot. Good for them.
**************
The warehouse - outside of Seattle:
"What the fuck is going on there? Why is nobody leaving the plane? What the fuck is going on there?" Renfro screamed after seeing the plane land and then nothing. She saw Grand and his men approach the plane carefully. But still. The door did not open. Then the engines of the plane started again.
"What the fuck is going on there" she screamed again this time into the walky-talky after pushing Victor aside.
"I don't know" Grand's voice came crackling through the device. "The plane seems to start moving."
"Keep the goddamn plane on the ground and get me 452" Renfro yelled into the intercom.
"If we attack the plane with gunfire it might explode, eliminating 452 with it" Grand answered clearly at a loss. He figured his soldiers were trained enough for X5's. But clearly he was wrong.
"Keep the plane on the ground" Renfro repeated slowly. "I rather have her dead than free."
Grand stored the walky-talky away in his uniform and signaled the teams that were all on the field, carefully approaching the plane, to attack.
*****************
Inside the plane:
Max, Alec, Syl and Mole were still busy to fight the soldiers that were attacking them or they were busy keeping the one's they knocked out unconscious. When they heard the engine of the plane start again, they stopped for a brief split-second and smiled briefly. Just as the plane started moving again on the field Mole dumped the last half conscious soldier against the ceiling of the plane, knocking him into unconsciousness for good.
Max smiled at the others one of her trade-marked 'piece-of-cake' smiles.
"Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" She said while stepping over unconscious bodies making her way to Logan and the pilot.
*************
"Now" Grand yelled and signaled the teams to attack the plane.
**************
Suddenly Max felt the plane swerve and she was knocked against a wall on her right before she heard gunfire and the sound of bullets making their way through the metal of the plane. She jumped up to her feet quickly and ran to the cockpit.
"Get out of here – now. Let's speed this thing up" she yelled once she was in there.
"I can't go faster or we won't have the right speed to lift up" the pilot yelled back.
"I don't give flying fuck if this plane falls apart. Just get it into the air now." Max screamed at him. The pilot turned around to repeat something, but after one glance at Max, he knew she was seriously going to kick him into next week if he wouldn't do it. So he cleared his throat and pushed the lever up.
"Hang on tight", he yelled for the whole plane to hear and the plane speed away, chased by heavy gunfire and lifted up sharply into the sky.
***************
"Damn it" Grand yelled on the field while still ordering the teams to keep on firing. If he could not capture 452 he at least wanted to destroy her. And if it was the last thing he'd do.
After 15 seconds he signaled the soldiers to hold the fire. The plane was out of reach. Breathlessly he grabbed the walky-talky from out of his pocket to announce his failed mission while staring after the plane that made its way further and further away.
AN: Alrighty. They got out of there. What do you think? Hit me back. I'm not gonna beg, but I'm beggin' ya'll.