A/n: Thanks for the reviews again, everyone. The chapters probably will be at least a bit longer from now on, since Max and Logan are reunited.
We now have a new modem wire, so my cat related technical difficulties should be over. I hope.
Chapter 22: Dreams
Logan found himself back in the corridors of Manticore, Brin at his side, entering the override code into the exterior door. Only this time when it opened the children outside were all pointing their guns at the escapees. Lydecker and Renfro stood side by side behind them, looking displeased but smug at the same time.
"Well, well, 734," said Renfro, "I'm disappointed in you. Looks like you'll have to go through the whole reindoctrination process again."
"What? Logan…" the terrified girl turned to her companion in desperate appeal.
"It was a set up from the beginning, wasn't it?" He said wearily to Renfro. "You wanted to test if Brin was one of your mindless drones again."
"We thought if the great Eyes Only himself couldn't persuade her to escape, she truly would be ours," she said, smirking.
"You know?"
"Of course we know. You've caused us quite a bit of trouble, warning the X5's when we discovered their locations. And of course there's the fact that you know where Max is. Possibly Zack as well." Her voice hardened. "And you will tell us."
"I will not," said Logan, equally firmly.
"Tell us where Max is and we'll give you your legs back." Logan smiled. They think that'll work? I tried to escape Manticore because I knew that if Max couldn't convince Jonas to pay the ransom she'd give herself up to save my worthless life. And I will not have that on my conscience too.
"What part of no do you not understand?" He asked. "The N or the O?"
"Either you co-operate willingly or we'll make you. Our torture techniques are very advanced."
"You've had enough practice, using them on innocent kids. I will never tell you anything."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, son," said Lydecker.
"Oh, but I can." Logan looked up at Brin. "Do you want to be tortured again, Brin?"
She shook her head mutely, almost trembling with fear.
"Me neither. Let's go down fighting." Logan pulled his gun from down the side of his chair and began firing. The first shot took Renfro in the chest, but the bullet meant for Lydecker whizzed over his head as he dropped to the ground. Brin was efficiently taking out the children, but Logan couldn't bring himself to shoot them. He looked out at them and saw Max's younger clone aiming straight for him, her eyes dead and soulless as she squeezed off the shot.
The bullet seemed to travel in slow motion, before impacting with his sternum in a shower of blood that tipped his chair over backwards.
Logan just lay there, knowing he was dying, and welcoming the fact. If I can't escape, at least this way I can't betray Max, or the informant net.
The young Max look-alike stood over him, her gun pointing at his head. Logan was again stuck by the empty, emotionless quality of the eyes he'd spent so many hours contemplating.
That's it. That's the difference. Max has spent her whole life running from what they tried to make her. She ran, because she didn't want to kill. Brin at least gave me some idea of the techniques Manticore uses on its precious experiments. And those poor kids… that was her once. I'm different now to what I was ten years ago. How can I judge her for what she did back then? If she ever found out what I've done… to my own family…
What's that quote? Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Max was a weapon. Now she's a human being. She has free will, and feelings, and she is more alive than anyone I know. Because she knows that this time tomorrow she could be dead, or in a cage, or both.
Geez, Logan, you're dying, for once in your life trust what your heart says instead of your head. You've been crazy about her since the day you met. She depends on you. And you need her around, not for Eyes Only like you've been telling her, but for Logan Cale. Because I've loved Max since the day I gave Bast back to her.
. Logan looked with pity up at his youthful murderer. Poor kid. No family, no childhood… only endless training and pain. It seemed to him that her face shifted subtly into that of his love, tearful and afraid, before everything faded to black.
He opened his eyes again on the Lloyd's couch, with Max standing over him.
Tell me if you liked it. This one was really hard, it took 3 goes before I got it right, so lots of feedback would be nice.