Facing Death
By: lfbrox
Story: Set in early second season. Logan can walk (just because I like him to). And lots of transgenics are on the run and the other X-series are all out too. Lydecker, Renfro and White are the enemies – as a team this time.
Rating: R
AN: I know you are not pleased with the direction this thing is going. It wasn't planned out to be that way. I won't be writing anything with a real plot anytime soon cause that is just too distracting from the good stuff. But now that I have a plot going I need to go with it. So bear with me. Please. I got a lot of angry reviews and was unsure what to do. That's why it took me so long to write something. But I will stop causing M/L trouble eventually. And when that happens you better hope I don't get banned from for over the top 'display of affection'.
But until then keep reading. I'm begging you – and I usually don't beg. So keep in mind that I will make it worth your wait and continue with this chapter.
Special Thanks go to MLfan, Englishrose, dzero, Aerie and all the others for remembering my birthday – you guys really rock.
On a personal note: Sammi where are you? Changed your e-mail account or what? I'm still so give me a sign.
Now on with it:
re-posted. Found my beta again so here the chapter without mistakes
Chapter 12: Morning came too late
"I'd like to talk to Mr. Eyes Only. But if he poses too much of a problem kill him. Just get him off of our backs. And if 452, as his personal bodyguard, is causing trouble – kill her too. I'd rather have her dead than alive anyways." Renfro said and hung up the phone not even waiting for Lydecker's answer.
Logan's penthouse:
When Max emerged from the guest bathroom, freshly showered and dressed, she could already smell the wonderful breakfast Logan was just preparing in the kitchen.
"Smells great." Max said, entering the kitchen and taking a seat in her usual spot on the counter.
"Thanks. It'll be ready in a second. You want some juice or coffee?" Logan asked and began to move to get her what she wanted.
"I'll get it Logan." Max stopped him and hopped off the counter to help herself to a steamy hot cup of coffee. It had been a long night and even though she had slept for a little while, that dream she had didn't help her to feel rested.
"Breakfast is served. Dig in." Logan announced and produced two huge plates with crispy bacon, scrambled eggs and toast. Before he sat down to join Max he walked back to the kitchen to pour himself some more coffee and couldn't help to suppress the huge yawn that escaped him.
"You didn't sleep at all?" Max asked with amusement.
"No. Guess I was too anxious." He said with an apologetic shrug. "You're lucky you don't need a lot of sleep." He added and began to dig into his breakfast.
"Well I actually did take a little nap last night after you dropped me off." Max admitted, staring at her plate, hoping he wouldn't notice the crack in her voice.
"Really? Great! Guess I'll have to take a nap myself this afternoon or you'll have one grumpy Logan on our date tonight." Logan joked and was surprised how confident he sounded that the cure would work.
"Yeah. Let's hope you're not too anxious to sleep again." Max joked back but couldn't help her voice from sounding a little sultry.
Logan decided that it would be better not to reply to that. He settled for a smile but started to eat a little faster. The next few hours could change his life forever. And suddenly he didn't wanna waste anymore time.
Manticore, Seattle HQ:
"Colonel Lydecker, Sir." 493 approached Lydecker, who walked hurriedly towards the observation lab.
"Later 493." Lydecker barked without slowing his step.
"But sir. It's important." 493 tried again, knowing he might overstep his boundaries by being so insistent.
"It better be." Lydecker snapped and turned around towards Ben with an icy and impatient stare.
"Sir. I'd like to be on the team you assemble to capture Eyes Only and 452, Sir. I'm experienced when it comes to tracking and capturing Sir. And it could be helpful. 452 still thinks I'm her brother. Sir." Ben finished, trying not to sound too eager but trying to get his point across at the same time.
"We'll see 493. Follow me." Lydecker replied and resumed walking briskly to the observation lab to check on the three other teams that were out to capture "his kids".
493 followed, taking it as a good sign that Lydecker hadn't told him 'no' right away.
Renfro's office:
Renfro sat behind her desk in a big leather chair and listened to the beeping sound on the phone waiting for it to be picked up.
"White." Came the reply after almost 15 rings.
"I see you leaned something Ames." Renfro replied, referring to their last phone call.
"Elizabeth. Why am I not surprised to hear from you?" Ames replied and, with a nod of his head, dismissed his caddy.
"I don't know. Why aren't you surprised?" Renfro snarled back.
"Rumor has it that Lydecker is quite busy coordinating his troops and collecting X5's." White replied, feeling a pang of superiority because he already knew what was going on.
"I just hope for you Ames that the rumors only spread in one direction." Renfro replied with a hint of a threat.
"Don't worry Elizabeth. Operation "Reunion" is so secret it might not even exist at all." Ames answered, unimpressed by her threatening tone.
"Oh it exists. Lydecker is assembling a team to bring 452 in as we speak." Renfro explained.
"Why now? Lydecker has known where she is for quite some time now." Ames asked his interest sparked.
"She led us to Eyes Only. He's gonna capture them both." Renfro said with a smile that belonged to the devil.
"He's taking them and the other X5's to the regroup place?" Ames asked unsure whether to trust Lydecker in that matter.
"Yes. And as soon as 452 and Eyes Only are captured I'm gonna give the order for the regrouping signal to be send out. Send me the coordinates once you have everything ready." Renfro ordered.
"I will. The last preparations are being completed as we speak. It will be ready. But one last question. Are you sure Lydecker won't be able to corrupt our operation, Elizabeth?" Ames asked needing one last confirmation.
"Don't worry Ames. He is too focused on accomplishing his mission to get his kids back and turn them back into good little soldiers who blindly follow orders to notice anything else. Let him accomplish that mission. It only benefits ours. Once he gets in our way we'll get rid of him. Then his kids are ours and we can start selecting the good from the bad. I don't tolerate weakness. It needs to be exterminated. We stick with our plan Ames. Now go and get everything ready in time." Renfro said and hung up the phone to go check the status of Lydecker's operations.
Observation Lab:
Lydecker stood behind the coordination officers who were in constant communication with the three teams out to capture the three X5's. 493 stood in line with 12 other soldiers in the back of the room waiting for Lydecker to finish with the status reports before he started assembling the team who were to go and capture 452 and Eyes Only.
"What's the status soldier?" Lydecker requested from the first officer who stood up, saluted Lydecker briefly, then standing at ease and started to report.
"Sir. Commander Fest and his team will arrive in Portland in approximately 20 minutes. Two SUV's are ready at the drop-off zone. Sir." He finished and, at Lydecker's nod, took his seat and put his comm back on.
The second officer got up and, after saluting, started his status report.
"Sir. X5-734 and her team will arrive in L.A. in 1 hour, Sir. SUV's are waiting in a hangar at the airport and will pick up the team after the plane has landed. Sir."
Without a dismissing nod Lydecker turned to the third officer who got the hint to speed things up and started his report without a salute.
"Sir. Commander Sedwick and his team arrived in Tacoma two minutes ago. They are now loading their equipment into the SUV's and will leave in approximately 10 minutes to the location we have for X5-471. Sir." The officer finished and sat down just as the door to the observation lab bust open and Renfro walked in.
"Renfro." Lydecker greeted her less than enthusiastically. "Your timing is impeccable."
"Deck." Renfro replied just as enthusiastic. "I just came by to see what progress you've made."
"The Tacoma team has arrived and is on its way to pick up 471. The other two teams will arrive in Portland and L.A. shortly. I am just putting together a team to pick up 452 and Eyes Only. 493 has volunteered to join the team. He figured it would irritate 452 to see her brother there. And I agree. It could distract her." Lydecker explained clearly proud that his 'kid' was such a tactical thinker.
"Are you sure it's wise to send 493 on a mission so soon after reindoctrination?" Renfro questioned him, not bothering to lower her voice.
"I talked to the doctor and he confirmed the indoctrination a 100 success. I believe the more distraction 452 has, the more likely she is to lose her focus and make a mistake. I will contact 599 and send him over to warn 452 just in time before we strike." Lydecker roughly outlined his plan.
"You're going to send 599 to warn 452?" Renfro asked incredulous.
"Yes. He's an additional distraction. She can't focus on protecting herself, Cale and 599 at the same time. Plus we want 599 captured alongside 452 and Eyes Only. 452 is a hard nut to crack. We might need someone inside that she considers to be on her side that can influence her in the direction we want. And if she sees her other brother working for Manticore again – it might just be too much for her" Lydecker defended his decisions and, without any further ado, turned towards the soldiers that stood in the back of the room pretending to have not overheard the conversation.
"Okay soldiers. Get ready. You have memorized the blueprints of Cale's building. Four of you will go through the front door. Four will come through the skylight – 493 you will join that team. Five will take a helicopter and come through the glass front. I'll contact 599 and make sure he's inside the penthouse when we enter. Concentrate on 452 but don't underestimate Cale, he's armed. 599 will fight back so 452 won't get suspicious. Get ready and wait for further commands." Lydecker ordered and dismissed the team before heading out the door to his office to contact 599.
Logan's Penthouse:
"Oomph. I'm stuffed." Max said and leaned back in the chair.
"So am I. That really didn't help me wake up." Logan said and rubbed his stomach.
"Hey. We still have some time till we have to go to Dr. Richmond. Why don't you lay down on the couch and I'll take care of the dishes and clean up the kitchen?" Max offered.
"No, no. I'll help you clean up. If I lay down now for a few minutes I'll just be more tired than before." Logan protested and started to gather the dishes.
"No Logan. You lay down and I'll clean up. No discussion. Now go." Max stopped him and ushered him to the couch before gathering the plates and carry them to the kitchen as quietly as possible. She ran water into the sink and dropped the plates and cups inside to soak. After storing the juice, milk and eggs back into the fridge she went back to the table to wipe it clean.
She stole a quick glance to Logan on the couch and saw him fast asleep. She forgot her task of cleaning the table and walked over to him and sat down on the coffee table in front of him. It wasn't the first time she had watched him sleep in the last couple of days. But something about this scene was so much more special. So domestic.
He was taking a nap after being exhausted from being up all night – being up with her. And she was tip toeing around cleaning the kitchen trying not to wake him. The girly part inside of her – though she would never admit that such a part existed – imagined her and Logan being married. Maybe even with kids. And while she does the housework the rest of the family naps. Later they would go for a spin in the park, have dinner together as a family and after the kids are bathed and in bed she and her husband would cuddle on the couch. She and Logan would cuddle on the couch.
How tempting it was to just reach out and touch him. How tempting to just curl up next to him and sleep. To feel his strong arms wrapped around her.
Max didn't know what happened to here. She had no idea why she was thinking that. She had no idea why she had to smile at the thought of her and Logan having kids and being a happy, picture-book family. She had no idea why she didn't feel like running, the way imaginations and realities of intimacy used to make her do. All she knew was that it felt right. It felt like the only logical conclusion considering her feelings for that man.
She knew she loved him. Had admitted it to herself and OC quite some time ago. But sitting here, right now, so close to the finishing line but still so far away from it made one thing clear for her. He was the one. As cheesy as she had always thought that sounded. As much as she doubted that such a thing as 'the one' existed. As much as her upbringing and her experiences so far told her that there was no such thing as true love. Right now, sitting there and watching the man, her man, sleep so contentedly made her question her former opinion.
Was there a thing called true love? Was there someone out there that we can call 'the one'? Or is a relationship just a desperate way not to be alone? Do we all just don't want to be alone? Max had never considered herself to be normal. She never wanted to be. But to sit here now and imagining being exactly that with Logan….God….it should scare her. She should be running away. But for the first time in her life she felt like that was her place. Here, sitting on the couch table and watching the man of her dreams sleep. The man she loved. The one. The only one for her.
She felt euphoric and saddened at the same time. If the cure worked all those fantasies could come true. If it didn't then the realization that he was 'the one' would kill her inside.
"No negative thoughts." Max said out loud and got up. It wasn't very healthy to watch Logan sleep. It wasn't healthy to dream about their future when they might not even one.
She quickly walked back to the kitchen to clean the plates, pots and pans. Anything that would get her mind off the bad thoughts. She couldn't help to think about Romeo and Juliet. She - poisoned and dead. Romeo - following her path. If she, if her touch, ever killed Logan then she might as well take the poison too – because a life without him……no, she didn't dare to imagine it. So she cleaned the pots and pans instead and couldn't help feeling like Lady McBeth.
Manticore, Seattle HQ:
Lydecker entered his office feeling quite confident after having sold Renfro his plan. He sat down behind his desk and ordered his secretary to connect him with 599 immediately.
"Colonel Lydecker. 599, Sir." The secretary announced within two minutes.
"599. Where are you?" Lydecker demanded in a serious tone.
"Sir. I'm in front of Cale's building. 452 hasn't come out yet. Sir." Zack answered and was kind of ashamed that he didn't have any more information to deliver.
"Cale is Eyes Only. Our troops are going to storm the building within the next 30 minutes. I want you to go up there and warn Max that you saw some suspicious military activity and that she should get out of town. While you warn her we'll storm the penthouse from every angle possible. Fight back while 452 or Cale can see you. Other than that -surrender yourself. You are being captured alongside 452 and will help us get her back to normal. Go to the spot where you observed Cale and pick up the implant. We will be able to hear you and you will be able to hear us. But it is undetectable for the eye. Wait for my instructions. Over." Lydecker explained Zack's mission and cut the connection.
He had everything he needed in place. Now timing was the only thing that mattered. He needed to get his 452/EO capture team ready and on the road before any of his other teams arrived at their target and could cause exposure. Eyes Only and therefore 452 shouldn't be alerted prior to 599's 'Performance'.
Lydecker didn't want to leave anything to accident so he had a plan that was waterproof. This time he wouldn't fail. This time none of his 'kids' would outsmart him. He would accomplish this mission even if it cost his life. 452 wasn't an easy target, especially now that she was teamed up with Eyes Only. So he didn't wanna risk anything. He had the best team. He had one of her brothers turned which would cause some distraction. And the other brother he had turned was still one of her friends.
He had tried to capture 452 numerous times but this time he actually had a shot. He could do it. And he would. With that confidence Lydecker made his way back to the observation lab.
Logan's penthouse:
After cleaning the whole kitchen and straitening up the rest of the apartment Max decided it was about time to wake Logan, who was still sleeping peacefully but snoring rather loud on the couch.
She resumed her previous position sitting on the coffee table across from him.
"Loogaan." Max sing-songed but didn't dare to touch him. He looked so peaceful in his sleep and once again she imagined what it would feel like to cuddle up next to him. Maybe soon.
"Loooogaaaaan." She tried again, using a magazine to poke him awake.
"Up. Up. I'm up. Am awake." Logan slurred and sat up as if woken up from a nightmare.
"Good morning Logan. How you feel about kicking this virus bitch's ass?" Max offered to his intelligible ramblings.
"Yeah. Lets." Logan said and sat up groggily.
"How about a coffee?" Max asked seeing how tired Logan was.
"Mmmm." Was Logan's only answer but he still managed to sit up to watch Max go and pour him some coffee.
"Don't get used to this. If the rest of the day goes as we both pray it will, you're serving me coffee tomorrow morning." Max said, serving him a cup of coffee.
"Let's hope so." Logan said, sipping his coffee. "So are you ready to go?"
"Let me go and grab my jacket and I'm ready." Max said and disappeared to the master bedroom to get her jacket and also to check if things were perfect for the night to come.
Manticore, Seattle HQ:
"Soldiers. The other three teams are almost ready to strike. But we need to strike first with 452 before she is warned and escapes. Teams: Are you prepared?" Lydecker asked in full military mode.
"Yes Sir. Team Alpha. We are ready to visit Mr. Cale. The elevator is secluded and ours. Awaiting orders to attack. Team Alpha over."
"Sir. Team Beta. We are ready. We have just arrived on the roof. Found the entrance to the skylight. Awaiting orders to attack. Team Beta over."
"Sir. Team Gamma. We are ready. The helicopter is ready for departure. We will arrive at target's residence in 10 minutes. Awaiting orders to attack. Team Gamma over."
"Good. Team Gamma depart now. Everybody else. Wait for my command to strike." Lydecker ordered. Every team was on hold. But they were prepared to do what Lydecker wanted. When he wanted it. How he wanted it. He switched comms and pressed the button to speak.
"599. Go and warn 452 now." Lydecker ordered without waiting for a 'yes sir'.
"Soldier. Give me the visual of the penthouse on the big screen." Lydecker ordered and sat down waiting for the moment to strike.
Fogle Towers:
Zack had a mission. He had an order. As much as he liked – even loved Max – he had to deliver her to Lydecker. He had no idea how he could just show up at Logan's apartment without a reason but that was his mission.
"Yo Zack. Hey Bro. What'cha doing here at this time of day?" Alec yelled from across the street of Fogle Towers. He was on his way home from a night of drinking when he spotted Zack standing in front of Logan's building.
"Manticore." Was the only thing Zack could say. "I take care of my little sister. Something is going on here."
"With Max?" Alec asked suddenly sobered up.
"I don't know. But something is going on here. Max needs to get out of there."
"I'll come with you." Alec offered and together they entered the building to warn Max.
Logan's Penthouse:
"You know it's funny. You always complain that you aren't a regular girl but judging by the time you need to get ready you are a more-than-regular girl." Logan yelled towards his bedroom. For the past 5 minutes he had leaned against the counter with his jacket in hand, ready to go. But apparently had Max found something else to do while grabbing her jacket from his bedroom.
"Stop bitching Logan. I'll be right there." Max yelled back from the bathroom.
Logan smiled at that. He knew she was nervous. Good god he was nervous as hell. But she was too stubborn to let any insecurities she had surface during the light of day. The night was different. At nights she opened up to him. As if the darkness gave her a feeling of safety. Or was it him? Did he make her feel safe? Logan mused and that thought brought a smile to his face.
"What's so funny now?" Max said, exiting the bedroom jacket in hand.
"Nothing. I just thought that we're already behaving like a regular couple even though we haven't killed that virus yet." Logan covered.
"Yeah. I know what you mean. So can we finally go?" Max asked standing next to him.
"Hey. I wasn't the one spending nearly 10 minutes in the bathroom freshening up." Logan said in his defense.
"Whatever. Lets go." Max said and started walking towards the front door, Logan trailing behind her with a smirk on his face.
Suddenly the door burst open and Zack and Alec stormed in.
"We have to get out of here – now. Lydecker and his army have tracked you down. We have to leave now. Max you're not safe here." Zack barked CO-like at Max, totally ignoring Logan.
"Come on Max, hurry up, we've gotta go. Come on Logan." Alec added quickly.
Max and Logan just stared at them and at each other confused and clueless. "Would you mind explaining that to us a little more precisely?" Max requested harshly.
"No time for explanations. We gotta get out of here. I'll explain it to you on our way." Zack demanded, ignoring Logan yet again.
"On our way to where?" Logan asked, having switched into Eyes Only mode.
"Anywhere is better than here. Now get your ass moving Max" Alec almost shouted at her.
But obviously too late. Before anyone could move or say another word they heard glass shattering. They turned around to see five Manticore soldiers that had crashed through the window quickly approaching them with guns drawn.
"Fuck." Max said and turned to Alec. "Take Logan and get him outta here Alec."
"Max.." Logan protested but was cut off quickly as he saw four more soldiers enter through the front door.
"Fuck." Max repeated. They were three surprised, unprepared and unarmed X5's and Logan, circled in by nine armed Manticore soldiers on a mission to get them.
The nine soldiers moved carefully closer to them, circling them in with their weapons drawn. They were well trained fighting against X-series kids and expected an attack at any second now.
"Hey boys. Nice of you to drop in but we are really kinda busy today. Could you come back some other time?" Max said in her friendliest hostess way while getting into fighting stance. Zack and Alec did the same and Logan wished he had a gun.
Suddenly four other soldiers dropped in through the skylight, closing the circle around their prey.
"Great. Are there anymore coming?" Max asked in frustration, already seeing them losing this fight.
One of the soldiers that had just dropped in from the roof took off his helmet and mask and threw it on the floor. "No Maxie. That's it. But I think it'll be enough." 493 snarled, loving the surprised look on Max face.
"Oh great. I'm the bad guy of the good guys and now they send the bad guy of the bad guys here with my face." Alec said with annoyance.
"Ben?" Max asked, her voice almost down to a whisper.
"Yep. The lost brother is here to bring you back home." Ben replied with a grin.
"Home? Ben. What did they do to you? Don't you remember what they did to us? Can't you see that they are just using you?" Max pleaded, hoping that seeing her would remind him of their childhood.
"You know Maxie. We will have lots of time to take a trip down memory lane once this is over with. So let's get this started, shall we?" Ben asked and immediately attacked Max.
That must have been the signal for the rest of the soldiers, who moved in on the fight, attacking Alec, Zack and Logan, leaving 493 to deal with 452.
While blocking Ben's blows Max searched for Logan who struggled with one soldier while Zack and Alec tried to hold the others in check. If they had come here to kill them they would have been dead already. So they must want them alive. All of them.
"Pay attention Maxie." Ben ordered, seeing how distracted she was. "It's no fun." He added before hitting her hard in the face. The blow caught her by surprise and she fell backwards on the hardwood floor.
"Let's end this. They are no fun to play with." 493 shouted at the soldiers, who immediately stepped back from the fight and drew their tazers, aiming them at their targets.
With a quick nod of his head 493 signaled the soldiers to tazer Zack and Alec first, wanting to draw out his moment with 452 and Eyes Only. Seven soldiers aimed at Zack and Alec while six held Max and Logan in check. With another nod 493 signaled for them to start tazering them. Max and Logan watched in shock as the tazer strings attached to their bodies and Zack and Alec started to jerk. For fifteen long seconds they had to watch, unable to do anything, until Alec and Zack slumped to the ground unconscious and the tazers stopped.
"Now. That was fun." 493 said and turned to Max, who was standing in front of Logan.
"I don't even know you anymore." Max said in disgust.
"I guess it's more the other way around Maxie." Ben said and stepped closer to her. "You've really grown up Maxie. Pretty if you don't mind me saying so." He added, looking her up and down. Max felt like hitting him but knew the second she moved she'd be tazered too.
"And you." Ben continued, sidestepping Max and approaching Logan. "The infamous Eyes Only."
"What do you want?" Logan asked confidently, trying to overplay his shock that Manticore now knew that he was Eyes Only.
"Well what does it look like?" Ben replied. "I'm here to bring my siblings back home. And apparently my clone." Ben said with a nod towards Alec. "We'll be one big happy family again. And in order to do that we need to get rid of self-righteous do-gooders like you." Ben finished, drawing his gun.
"No Ben. You leave him alone." Max said and started to move to stop Ben from killing Logan but four soldiers stopped her, holding her in a firm grip not even she could get out of.
"If you think you can protect your sick little family by killing one little self-righteous do-gooder then go ahead. That'll just draw more attention of other self-righteous do-gooders. Because in case you haven't noticed," Logan said and leaned closer to Ben as if telling him a secret, "I may have named Eyes Only and provided my eyes, voice and money to the cause. But I'm far from alone." Logan finished with a satisfied smile. If he had to die today he would not do it without a fight.
"We know that Cale." Ben said, motioning with his head towards Logan's computer room where five soldiers were busy packing up everything in his office and carrying it out of the apartment.
"Well good luck to you." Logan replied, glad to have secured his informant net so well that not even the best hacker could enter his system.
"In that case we'll just have to take you with us then." Ben said, having received the order to bring Cale in alive from Lydecker over his ear receiver.
"Then I guess I'm not dying right now." Logan said with a quick glance at Max.
"No. Not right now." Ben said and pulled out his tazer, aiming it at Logan.
"Logan. No." Max said freeing herself of the grip the soldiers had on her and running over in between Logan and Ben in an attempt to protect Logan.
"Maaax." Logan yelled when he saw Max flying towards him to push him away from the tazer strings. Instinctively he held his hands out to catch her fall and, just as the tazer hit him, Max crushed into him knocking him to the floor.
TBC
AN: There you go. Hate it or love it? Drop a review and don't hold anything back. We're almost at the good stuff J Thanks for reading.
Lfbrox