Disclaimer: Every chapter I say the same thing. It gets boring and repetitive, and personally, it's depressing. Look to Chapter 1.
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence
Time-frame: post AJBAC
A/N: Wow, thanks everybody for the great reviews! You guys rock. Sorry I haven't written in so long, busy with school, and work…and life. You know how it is. But I promise I won't give up on this. I'm gonna squeeze the muse for all she's worth, so don't fret. Here's the next installment.
Chapter 2
Pleasant Dreams
Early the next morning, Logan headed into his kitchen for a cup of coffee. It was difficult being around his apartment. Everything reminded him of Max. The bitterly cold liquid burned his throat as tears stung the back of his eyes. I used to make breakfast for Max when she stayed over after doing some legwork for me. Cinnamon buns were her favorite…with icing on top, and a cold cup of milk…She always pretended like it didn't faze her, but I saw that instantaneous look on her face when she realized what I had in store for her…Logan stopped himself. They said there were several stages that a person goes through after the death of a loved one: disbelief, anger, grief, and later acceptance. Logan had been through them enough times to know them back and forth. First his mother, then his father, and now this. He also knew from experience that it was different every time. Sometimes, it didn't take as long to get over…maybe it depended on the person, he didn't know. But what he was sure of, was that no stage was equal to another. Losing his mother first, disbelief was the longest stage for him, grief coming in a close second. Losing his father, anger of course had been the longest. How could his father leave him all alone, when they had both just lost his mother? Now, it seemed that grief was pulling ahead, in spades. So much so, that he didn't know if he would ever reach acceptance.
He left the kitchen on his way to the computer, but was halted in his steps by the ring of the phone. His heart leapt for a split second, when he thought it might be Max, but then he remembered. She wasn't going to be calling anymore. Sighing deeply, he removed the phone from his cradle, and slowly put it to his ear.
"Hello?" His voice was monotonous, betraying none of his just passed emotions.
"Hey Boo, what up?" Original Cindy's voice came through strong and clear, though Logan knew she was going through just as much pain as he was.
"Hey Cindy," he responded. "Long time no talk."
"I know," she answered in a low voice. "I've been kinda busy. You know how it is."
"Yeah," he whispered.
"Anyway, I got to thinkin bout my Boo today…and well, that led me to thinkin bout you."
"Really?" Logan asked curiously. "As in…"
"As in, my Boo used to rave about what a good cook you were, and Original Cindy decided that maybe she might like to find out for herself. So, can I come over for lunch?"
Logan had to give a short laugh in spite of himself. "Sure. Misery loves company, come on over, I'll whip something up."
"Good lookin'. Lunch break's 12:30?"
"Ok, see ya then." Logan replaced the phone, and continued over to his computer. He sat down, and glanced at the frame next to it. It held a picture of Max and Cindy having a beer, smiling at the camera at Crash. Cindy had given it to him after he had told her that Max wasn't coming back. For a while, it had been too painful to even look at. But eventually, Logan reached the point where he found himself pulling it out of his top desk drawer to stare at it. Now he looked at it every chance he got. It wasn't like he needed a reminder of what she looked like; he couldn't forget her face, even if he tried. It haunted his dreams at night. But it was reassuring to see a smile on her face.
Logan turned back to the computer. He knew that if he drew himself back into that world of heartache and despair, it would be hours, maybe even days before he could pull himself out again. And he really couldn't afford to waste any time today. He had a job to do. Manticore was going down.
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Renfro sat staring at her desktop computer. She didn't know much about computers, but she knew enough to know when they were giving her a problem. She reached over and picked up her phone without taking her eyes off the screen. Her finger found the familiar buttons, and a deep voice answered.
"Hello?"
"Renfro," she stated, "I'm having issues opening the file you sent me. What's wrong with it?"
"There's nothing wrong with it," he answered somberly. "You just don't know how to work a pc."
"Look, you little…" she stopped herself, before she said something she knew she would regret. "My computer is saying that the file is unreadable. Send it to me again."
"Why?"
"Because I need this file. Lydecker is getting nowhere with 452, and personally, I'm starting to think either the little freak doesn't know anything, or Deck's lying to me. Neither of which would surprise me very much."
"She knows," the voice answered surely. "She's just not talking."
"How can I get her to talk?"
"There are ways. Other ways than physical torture."
"Like what?"
"Alter her reality."
"We already tried that. The psychoactives weren't working, she figured it out, and clammed up."
"Try again!" the voice insisted.
Renfro sighed. She was getting tired of these egotistical bastards running the show downtown.
"And do what?"
"Instead of trying to coax it out of her, force it out of her. In her subconscious, there is no escape. Given her weakened state, it surely won't take long before she tells you everything you want to know. And when she does, I want to be the first person who is notified."
"Of course," Renfro nodded.
"Do it quickly! Call when it's finished." A click was heard, and then silence. Renfro slammed the phone down.
"Call when it's finished?" she asked in a mockery tone. "You'll find out." She turned back to concentrate on her computer.
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Lydecker stood outside the door, listening intently to every word of the phone call. Damn it…I was trying to wait to move Max, but at this rate, she'll be dead within the week if I don't. He turned and headed off down the hall, turning the corner before pulling out his walkie talkie.
"Lydecker to Alpha Team 1." A second of static was heard before the reply.
"Alpha Team 1. Over."
Lydecker sighed. "I need two men posted outside the director's office ASAP. They are to be there at all times. If she sneezes, I want to know about it."
"Copy that," came the voice over the radio.
Lydecker clipped the little radio to his belt, and continued down the hallway, taking the flight of stairs at the end of the hall. Upon reaching the upper floor, he headed into his makeshift office. The office was littered with papers and folders. His desk chair was pulled away from his desk, and the bottom left drawer had been left open. The trash can overflowed with paper balls. Lydecker had never been a 'neat freak', but he always considered himself structured. This was his organized chaos. He swore he knew where everything was. This was what his life had been reduced to…if only he had known what was to be when he had first started Manticore. Sure he had his reasons, but as he had heard many times 'The road to perdition is paved with good intentions'. He was tired of this. He wanted out, and with any luck, he would be out, soon.
He sat down at his desk and switched on his computer. He had a couple of people he needed to get in contact with before his plan could be put into action. He knew time was of the essence here, and only hoped everything went as planned.
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Drip…drip…drip. Damn leaky pipes…Max wished they'd send someone to fix the cursed thing. Hell, she wished they'd send someone to get her out. But she knew that wasn't about to happen. Save for Lydecker, no one on the outside even knew she was alive. She could've sworn the last time he left her cell that he promised to get her out. But the bastard had been there from day one, torturing her mercilessly. No, it was just the psychoactives still left in her brain. No one was coming for her. Her head hurt, and for some reason, she was very sleepy. She tried not to let the fatigue overtake her, knowing she would slip into unconsciousness.
They wanted to know about Logan…but she wasn't going to tell them. She'd die before she let that happen. Maybe I could make myself forget…The thought had crossed her mind before. But no, if she made herself forget, she'd have nothing to hold on to, and they'd reindoctrinate her for sure. But at least Logan would be safe…It had only taken her minutes to overthrow that idea. Manticore was nothing if not persistent. They would keep digging, and digging and digging, until they found out who Eyes Only was, and when they got rid of him, it wouldn't be pretty. At least for now, she could keep an eye on how things were progressing. There had to be another way.
The door opened widely, letting in a large beam of light. Max squinted at the sudden luminescence. Two soldiers came in, and roughly pulled at the chains, releasing her wrists. As soon as her feet hit the floor, she crumpled to a helpless heap. The soldiers, outwardly taking no notice of how weak she was, each grabbed an arm, and dragged her from the cell. Great, she thought to herself, what now? It was the last coherent thought she had before she slipped into unconsciousness.
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Renfro smiled as the soldiers in uniform dragged the limp body to the chair, and bolted it down, before tilting it back. They then took up position by the door, waiting for her command.
"Do you really think this is a good idea?" came a voice from behind her.
She whirled on the young man who stood in a white knee length coat before her.
"Just do as I say!" she spat at him. "You don't get paid to think." She approached the woman in the chair, pulled a little vial out of her pocket, and began to wave it in front of her face. "Wakey, wakey 452," she smiled evilly.
Max inhaled sharply at the pungent odor before turning her head away as her eyes fluttered open. She glared at the petite woman facing her.
"That's more like it." Renfro pulled a couple cords from the machine behind her, and taped them to Max's arm. "Ok 452, I know you're not exactly lucid right now, so I'm going to make this very easy for you. This is a polygraph test. There's only one rule: if you lie or refuse to answer, you get shocked. Now, we'll start out simple. State your designation."
"My name's Max!" Max hissed through clenched teeth. Seconds passed before the jolt took hold of her, shaking the entire chair. Max gripped at her bindings as the electric current flowed through her body, making it impossible to even think. It seemed to go on forever, and Max found herself almost yelling out in pain, but she refused to let Manticore know she'd just about reached her limits. Finally, it stopped. She sank back in relief.
Renfro turned to the doctor. "Crank it up." The doctor turned uncertainly to the machine, and shifted it up a notch. "I said crank it up!" Renfro reached angrily over him, and turned the knob up four more notches. She turned back to Max. "Listen up, and listen up good. You're not going to last much longer. But you're expendable. I will find out who Eyes Only is, with or without your help. However, I'd rather you did help, and for his sake, you should. I might be a little more inclined to spare his life if you do."
Max listened intently to her words. She looked up into the woman's cold, calculating eyes, knowing any promises she made her were nothing more than pitiful lies. "Kiss my ass. You'll never catch him." This time, not even a second passed before the electrifying pain pierced every one of her nerves, ten times worse than the last. Max felt as though every cell in her body would explode in pain. She opened her mouth to let out a bloodcurling scream, and then gratefully descended into unconsciousness once again.
Renfro looked down at her, seemingly annoyed, and then turned to the doctor, who looked petrified.
"Well?" she asked.
He inched past her, and put a finger to her pulse. "She-she's not dead, just unconscious. But I think it's going to take a little more than smelling salts to bring her out of it this time."
Renfro sighed angrily. "Fine. Call me the minute something changes."
"Y-yes, ma'am."
She turned and left, slamming the door behind her.
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Max was back in the cell. She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. For some reason, she was unable to move her limbs. The door opened, and someone walked in.
"Max?" The voice was soft, but she'd recognize it anywhere.
"Ben?" The small boy came and stood beside the bed. He was just as she remembered him before they'd escaped out into the cold, cruel world. Before the risks and dangers of the outside had turned him into a sociopath. He took one of her hands in his.
"Maxie, why don't you just tell them?"
She groaned. "I can't."
"Yes you can," he said in a small voice. "They're hurting you. They're going to kill you if you don't."
"No," she whispered.
"Yes. You have to."
"I won't. They'll kill him."
"If you don't, they'll kill you." He brought his hand up to her forehead. It seemed cool and soft against the raging fire that had begun to heat her skin. "Tell them, Maxie. Tell them, and it will all be over." He let go of her hand, and began to back away.
"Ben?" she whispered. "Don't leave me. Please…where are you going?" He continued to back away, until he melted into the darkness. Suddenly, Max was able to move. She shot up out of the bed, but what she saw in front of her made her stop cold.
Logan was seated in a chair. His head hung low. From what she could see of his face, he looked tired and worn out. His hair was longer too. Max longed for nothing more than to go to him, to hug him, to kiss him, to tell him that she loved him, and she never wanted to be away from him again. But every time she stepped near him, it seemed as though she was pulled farther away. Around him were two soldiers. In front of him, was Renfro.
Renfro walked up to Max, who pulled her arm back to take a swing, and was surprised to find that her wrists had somehow been chained to the wall.
"Tell me 452. Tell me now, or he dies."
Logan lifted his head and looked at Max. "Don't tell them Max," he whispered. "Save yourself. Get away…don't tell them." One of the soldiers aside him raised the butt of his gun, and slammed it into the side of Logan's face. Logan looked up at Max, as a small red, rivulet of blood made its way down his chin.
Max looked Renfro in the eye, and held her icy glare.
The older woman refused to waver under the gaze. "Do it," she ordered the soldiers. They raised their weapons, and began to beat on the man tied to the chair. Max looked over to them.
"No!" They continued to beat on him as though they had not heard her. Max pulled at her chains, but to no avail. She was too weak to do anything but sit and view. "Stop it!" she screamed at them. She could barely stand to watch, as with each blow, he grew farther and farther away from her. "Ok!" she finally yelled. The director signaled for them to stop. "Ok," Max said in a small, broken voice. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know."
Renfro cocked an eyebrow, and smiled malevolently at her.
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The young doctor watched as the wicked witch before him smiled down at the young girl, still tied to the chair. He had called her as soon as the girl had begun to mumble in her cataleptic state.
The door flew open, and in walked Lydecker.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he demanded.
The doctor shrank back in fear, as he watched the new director and the former director at ends.
"Getting results," Renfro sneered at him. "Which is more than I can say for you."
"You aren't going to get anything out of her," he scoffed back. "It'll be a cold day in hell before she gives us anything."
Renfro turned her attention back to the transgenic bound to the chair. "Well the poor souls downstairs better strap on their skies, because it looks as though she's being a little more cooperative."
They both stared down at Max's beaten, broken body.
"Ok," she whispered, lifelessly as her head rolled from side to side. "I'll tell…I'll tell you whatever you want to know."
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"Logan! Logan!" Logan could hear the voice from some faraway place, but he didn't want to register it. He only wanted to get back to Max, to tell her to fight. But he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Logan!"
Logan pulled himself off the flat surface of his desk. He looked up into the concerned eyes of Original Cindy. And then looked over at the digital clock by his computer. It read 12:43. Damn, I must've fell asleep. I can't believe I did that! I really needed those hours.
Cindy eyed him closely. "Are you ok, Boo?"
"Yeah," he muttered, trying to smooth his hair, which disobediently stood at attention in every direction.
"You left your door unlocked, so I just thought I'd—" Cindy stopped midsentence.
Logan looked at her carefully. "What?"
"What happened?" she asked curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"Your lip, Boo. What happened?"
Logan reached up to touch the side of his lip. He pulled his hand away, and was surprised to find a smear of red on his fingers. His eyes widened as he stared at it intently, before turning to Max's best friend.
Cindy knitted her eyebrows, both expectant for an answer, and confused as to what she saw before her. "What?"
Logan looked away. "I think…I think Max is still alive."
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Post: So there it is, hope you guys liked it. Can't exactly say when the next chapter will be up. Lots of things to do, and I don't want to tell you that it'll be up in a few days, and then not be able to keep my promise, so…just don't give up on me. It'll be up. Thanks
Personals to the reviews:
huntress k: I love DT fics too. It's great to see where everyone gives an idea of what they would have done with season two. I'll definitely keep writing, and updating. Thanks.
Idlehands452: Thanks a lot! I know what you mean about the re-writes…but that's too old-fashioned, need my own ideas. Don't worry, I don't want to give away spoilers or anything, but so far, I have no plans for that microscopic troublemaker, so we'll see how it goes.
RoxyAnn: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you like the story. I try not to think about the reviews, it's just good to have that little boost, keeps me on my toes. I know exactly what you mean about waiting to make sure I'll continue. There's nothing more disappointing than starting to read a great story, and then getting to a crucial part in the story, only to find that the author just let it drop. But don't worry, I couldn't do that to all my readers.
KingfisherFeline: Thanks for the great review! Lydecker is definitely here to stay…for now.
Kyre: Just want to tell you, I've read your stuff, you're a great writer. Thanks for reviewing. I know what you mean about the instant paralysis. I wanted to make mine drawn out, but the muse had other ideas. She just wanted to get Logan back on his feet. He'll need them later on in the story. Thanks again!
Rsf: Thanks for the great review. Yes, we do need all the M/L stories we can get. I've noticed our dwindling numbers…but we'll stay strong with the struggle! M/L shippers of the world unite!
Agmgdafan: Thanks a lot for the review. I'll definitely keep going.
Bibbiddy_boo: Hey, thanks for the awesome review! Deck is definitely in action, and I'm gonna let you guys know soon, exactly how he got back, and why he's here, but he's playing a pretty crucial role right now, so we'll see how it goes. I will definitely continue with this story. If I ever need any help, you'll be the first person I go to…which may actually happen if my muse keeps moving so slowly…Thanks
Black Rose9: Thanks for the great review! Glad you like the story. I can't wait to see what happens either (but shh, that's our little secret)
Vanessa: Thanks for the cool review! I'll definitely continue.
Misty7: LOL, thanks for the great review! I know what you mean. I tried getting inside her head to see what she would be thinking if she were separated from him…and yeah, I'm sure she had other thoughts that were equally as inappropriate ;-) I'll keep going.
Sombody's Angel: Thanks for the great review! I know the pain of love lost and forlorn all too well, so I'm not gonna say it was easy, but I'm glad my hard work paid off. I was actually thinking of Deck and his outside help (because he's gonna need it). So we'll see how it goes.
Keep it real everybody.
Angie731