New World, Old Ghosts
By AquilaDisclaimer: I own nothing related to Dark Angel, just the thoughts in my head.
Rating: PG-13
Email: hhinam@hotmail.com
Archiving: Please ask first.
Summary: Max and Logan come to the aid of a beleaguered cousin, while dealing with their own issues.
Spoilers: Post-Female Trouble. I had someone point out to me that my stories seem like chapters in a larger work and in a way I guess they are. They basically go in chronological order. You can read them in the order of Unfinished, Pas de Deux, Walking on Water and this one, filling in the blanks with the show. However all of the stories stand just fine on their own.
Author's Notes: O.K., there's really not much I can say except sorry I took so long. I've come to the conclusion that I will never post a long story in pieces again unless I have over two thirds written. It's been a long and extremely busy year. There are way too many things on my plate, but I said I'd finish this and so finish it I will. Think of this as my Christmas present to you all, assuming that anyone is still even reading this. If you are, I'm amazed and thankful. We have one more chapter to go after this one and I'm currently six pages into it. Still, don't expect it anytime soon. My life is only going to get busier in the next few months. The scientist in me wanted to share some interesting statistics with you. At 74 pages and 37,731 words, this story is about twice the length of my Master's Thesis and that took me three years to write. Anyway, hope you enjoy this penultimate chapter and I promise the last one will show up eventually. By the way, if any of you are West Wing fans, you can check out the other story that has been competing for my attention. Have a lovely holiday and thank you very much for your attention!
Special thanks to my dear friends Joy and Chris for keep a smile on my face. Thank you Joy for always finding the funny and for making it look like I can spell. Thank you Chris for making me laugh with your comments and for the continuity police in you that makes sure the storm is still coming from the right direction. Thanks also to Mom for asking every so often "so are you done that story yet?" All I can say is, "I'm getting there."Chapter 7
A sick, empty feeling settled in her chest as Max searched the eyes of the soldier in front of her for any sign of the sister she once knew. She could find no flicker of the familiar. The Brin she knew was dead.
'I don't want to die. Please...Don't let me die.'
Max choked back the sob that threatened to escape as flashes of the night they lost Brin assaulted her senses.
'Brin doesn't have much time.' Lydecker's words were burned into her memory. The forest around her faded and she could see her sister, lying in the back of that van, broken, pleading with her eyes for them to help her.
'Help me get her to Manticore before it's too late.' They'd always said they'd rather die than go back there, but Brin didn't want to die.
'Please…Don't let me die.'
But she did, left on that bench waiting for the vultures from Manticore. They had left her behind.
The X-5 sneered at Max, relaxing her stance ever so slightly.
"What's the matter Max? Don't I even get a 'Welcome back' from my little sister?"
The words burned through Max's ears, clawing at her heart as the fire in the pit of her stomach flared into a burning anger. Anger at that… thing that had the audacity to call her 'little sister', anger at Manticore for their destruction. Anger at Brin for wanting them to take her back. Anger at herself for letting her go.
Through the haze of the rain, Maggie watched in horror as the fury that had obviously been building in her companion erupted with a vengeance and Max lunged at the other woman, aiming to strike her across the face.
With frightening reflexes, Brin caught Max's fist pulling her forward, twisting her arm at a sickening angle and enveloping her in a headlock.
"You're technique needs some work Max," Brin hissed into Max's hair. "Maybe you should come back to Manticore with me for a brush-up."
Max's eyes narrowed with determination. Inhaling sharply, she heaved her body forward, catapulting her attacker over her head and slamming her back into a nearby tree. Max quickly resumed her defensive stance as Brin recovered, unfazed and immediately launched into another attack. The two women became a blur of action as fists were blocked and legs connected with legs, parrying each blow with equal force.
Heart racing, Maggie squinted through the darkness, desperately trying to keep track of Max's movements, wishing there was something she could do. Somewhere in the far corner of her thoughts, her mind tried to process all that she had heard. Max, from Manticore? Did Logan know? She remembered both her cousin and his friend's reluctance to discuss Max's past. Of course Logan knew. He obviously didn't see that as a problem and, right now, that was good enough for her. Besides, at the moment, she had other things to worry about. Focussing back on the battle, she allowed herself a tiny mental cheer as Max gained ground, forcing Brin back down the path, over the rise towards the edge of the canyon.
Gritting her teeth against her body's painful protest to any movement, Maggie hauled herself to her feet, leaning heavily against the massive trunk behind her. Sucking in as deep a breath as her battered ribcage would allow, she staggered after the retreating women. She needed to get closer.
For the first time that night, Maggie found herself blessing the rain as she padded silently through the darkened underbrush. If she slowed down enough to think about it, Maggie doubted either woman would notice anything beyond the immediate threat of each other. But, it was obvious both Max and this woman, Brin had abilities beyond her understanding and Maggie wasn't about to take any chances. The worst of the storm had passed and now the sickening crack of bone against bone and the occasional grunt could be heard over the patter of raindrops.
Maggie fought desperately to ignore the sounds of Max's struggle as she focussed on her goal. It was becoming apparent that her friend wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer. Pushing her way through the sodden ferns and tangles of blackberry, Maggie moved surely through the forest she knew so well. Giving the battle a wide berth, she came up at her destination, strategically positioned between Brin and the edge of the canyon wall. Now to get Max's attention…
Too equally matched, the women were tiring, their movements slowing to a more perceptible speed.
'C'mon Max,' Maggie silently egged as she watched her friend plant a well-placed kick into Brin's hip, sending her opponent staggering backwards towards the canyon. The image of Simon lifeless body sprawled on his kitchen floor flashed across her eyes. The dark fire of vengeance licked at Maggie's heart as she focussed on the present, watching the solder stumble closer and hardening her heart against what she was preparing to do.
All it would take was a nudge in the right direction and it would be all over. It was simple, but doubt edged at her resolve. Could she really do it? She tried to convince herself that it would be self-defence. Max's life was in danger, not to mention her own. But a heavy knot formed in her stomach the more she thought about actually going through with it. Hell, she had a hard enough time dealing with a mortally wounded animal. Could she really push Brin over the edge? And if she could, would Max ever forgive her?
A strangled cry jolted Maggie away from her inner battle. Glancing up, she watched in terror as Max's legs gave way and her body lurched forward. Brin didn't miss a beat. Bringing her fists down between her opponent's shoulder blades, she sent Max to the forest floor. Coughing and sputtering, Max rolled over in an attempt to ward off her attacker, only to be met with a boot pressed against her windpipe.
"I really didn't want to do this Little Sister, but you've left me no choice."
Flailing helplessly, Max pleaded with her eyes as she felt the boot's pressure increase and blackness threaten to overtake her. Terrifying numbness crept up her extremities and her heart hammered in chest, the rush of blood in her ears blocking out everything but the boot cutting into her trachea.
"Please… Brin…" Max mouthed as her vocal chords no longer worked. Willing her eyelids not to close, she stared fixedly at her killer.
"Brin…"
The eyes blurred for an instant and… she hesitated.
That was all Maggie needed.
"Hey! Over here!" she shrieked, stumbling out of her hiding place, just as the bushes behind Brin exploded.
A massive animal… a horse came careening toward the trio, shying inches from trampling the women at his feet. Rearing up with a terrified roar, the animal flung his rider into the undergrowth like a rag doll. Recovering from the shock, Maggie gasped as Logan's head appeared above the tangle of ferns.
Brin, momentarily distracted by the chaos, backed away from the flailing limbs, leaving Max to roll out from underfoot. The animal didn't relent. Snuffing and snorting, he reared back a second time, forcing the source of his panic further back, towards the edge of the canyon. Sandwiched between massive trunks, Brin inched back, shielding her eyes and scanning as calmly as possible for an escape route. The horse wasn't giving her any options and she felt ground drop off behind her.
As the massive creature came down heavily on his front hooves, the shale bedrock crunched beneath his weight. Maggie, Max and Logan watched in frozen horror as horse and woman struggled for footing along the crumbling canyon wall. In a last ditch effort to escape; Brin launched herself in an attempt to catapult herself to safety. At the same moment, the horse thrust his head forward, catching her in the chest and sending her backwards over the edge.
"Brin!" Max's voice was barely a whisper as she tried desperately to get to her feet.
Unable to force her muscles to move, Max watched as her sister's hand reached out and snagged the horse's reins, pulling them both to the brink of the shear drop below. Brin struggled for footing as she dangled from the thin piece of leather, but couldn't get the leverage she needed against the slick rock. The horse, for his part, was fighting to remain upright, his neck muscles straining against the dead weight pulling on his bridle.
Max pulled herself heavily to her feet only to crumple to the ground with her first step. The movement snapped Maggie out of her stupor and she rushed to the ledge. The horse stumbled as yet more rock slid out from under his hooves. As Maggie reached his side, the panicked animal flung his head back with all the strength he could muster.
Everything stilled as a loud snap echoed over the canyon and Maggie and the horse were flung backwards with the release of the weight.
"No!" Max croaked as she scrambled vainly towards the edge.
Maggie slid a shaky hand through the horse's bridle and peered over the edge. Only darkness gazed back. The river roared below, echoed by the distant rumble of the abating storm. Releasing her pent-up pain and energy in a long sigh, Maggie leaned heavily the animal's shivering wet flank, releasing the bridle and running her fingers soothingly through the short hairs on his neck. It was over.
"Maggie!"
The fear in her cousin's voice dragged her back to reality. Turning away from the dark ravine, her heart leapt in her throat when she spotted him. Logan had dragged himself to Max's side and was now cradling her head in his lab as she convulsed violently.
Forcing her reluctant muscles to move, Maggie covered the distance between them, sliding painfully to her knees beside Logan.
"What's going on? What's wrong with her?" Max was shaking so violently, Maggie could hear the younger woman's teeth chattering. She worried briefly about her biting her tongue.
"It's a seizure." He replied brokenly. "She sometimes gets them when… usually not this bad… I…"
For the first time since he had come crashing through the night literally like a knight on his charger, Maggie took a really good look at her cousin. See couldn't see his eyes. They never left Max's face, but she could feel his distance. His thoughts were a million miles away with this young woman, unconscious in his arms. He tenderly threaded his fingers through Max's soaked curls in a desperate attempt to soothe her shaking. Maggie wasn't sure if the tremor in his shoulders were coming from him or the woman in his lap.
Maggie's own body was feeling the effects of her earlier trauma. She could feel the bruises on her neck as she swallowed painfully against the lump that had risen as she listened to Logan mumble incoherently, as though he was trying to guide Max back to consciousness.
Her friends needed her, now. Drawing on her last vestiges of strength, Maggie drew herself up from her semi-prone position on the wet moss and reached blindly for Logan's hand. She was surprised when her fingers made contact with smooth plastic.
"Logan, what's this?" she asked, prying a pill bottle from his clammy fingers.
Her direct question seemed to focus his thoughts, dragging him back from his distraught vigil. Turning to face Maggie, his eyes regained their spark of determination.
"It's tryptophan. It usually helps calm the seizures," he answered, dividing his gaze between Max's face and Maggie.
"A seratonin deficiency," Maggie ventured, dredging up what she could from her memories of countless physiology lectures.
"Yeah. Usually it kicks in pretty quickly. She doesn't usually pass out." His voice carried a not of panic, but he forced himself to tamp it down. "Since the implant though…"
Logan froze as realization dawned on him.
Maggie just stared, waiting for him to continue.
"Logan, what implant?"
"Long story, help me turn her over." The edge in his voice was back in full force.
Max had stopped shaking, her muscles having tired themselves out from the constant involuntary stimulation. Maggie cast a panicked glance at the younger woman's chest and sent up a tiny prayer of thanks to see it still rising and falling rapidly with shallow breaths. Gently, they turned Max's body into Logan's chest.
"Check the back of her neck." Logan instructed.
Carefully, Maggie brushed the dark curls aside, noticing with concern the heat that radiated from her skin. A fever, just what Max didn't need. Sweeping the hair from Max's neck, Maggie started at what she found. She didn't even want to contemplate the meaning of the barcode stamped into her discoloured skin. Her attention was focussed higher up. Maggie fought a sudden wave of nausea as she stared at the ugly, festering wound, just above the array of dark lines.
"Logan."
Finding her voice, Maggie directed his attention to the injury. It was obvious that there was an object lodged in her skin, but it was barely visible among the infected tissue. Cloudy fluid seeped from around the object, but what concerned Maggie the most was the web of fine, greenish lines that radiated from the point of entry along the spinal column.
Maggie raised her eyes to meet Logan's and saw the fear she felt mirrored in his gaze.
"I don't know what to make of this Logan," she voiced gently.
Maggie watched as the clouds cleared from Logan's blue eyes. The determination returned.
"Sebastian."
"Who?"
"Sebastian," Logan repeated, breaking his gaze. His right hand left Max's face and reached blindly for his coat pocket. "He's a friend. He knows about this… thing. He helped before…"
"Logan…"
Still muttering to himself, he pulled out his phone and flipped it open.
"Logan…"
"Damn, no signal."
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Maggie couldn't fight the amused smile that tugged at her lips. "This is what I've been trying to tell you."
Not seeing the humour, Logan raised panicked eyes to his cousin.
"We need to… we have to…" taking a deep breath, Logan tried again. "I can't lose her Maggie."
The intense fear and longing in his voice tore at Maggie's heart. They had both missed so many opportunities. Her cousin was just starting to see what was in front of him and she'd be damned if she let this one slip through his fingers, or hers. There was no way they were losing Max tonight. Taking charge, Maggie heaved herself to her feet, trying to ignore the sharp pain that shot up her back with the movement.
Turning, she walked over to the horse she had left standing, now waiting calmly by the ravine. With her back still to Logan, she spoke.
"O.K…. O.K., here's what we're going to do. You, Logan, are going to get back up on Artie and we're going to get Max back to the station, call your friend and get her the help she needs."
Her tone brooked no argument, but Logan wasn't listening.
"In case you haven't noticed Maggie, I can't exactly jump to my feet, sweep her up in my arms and ride off into the sunset."
Grabbing the animal's reins, Maggie spun on her heel and fixed her cousin with an exasperated glare.
"Oh, for God sakes Logan! Do you really think this is the time to be wallowing? Max doesn't have time for your pity party! Now get your head in the game and let's get her out of here!" Tirade finished, Maggie allowed herself a wry grin. "Besides, there is more than one way to mount a horse."
Turning to face the animal in question, Maggie spoke to get his attention.
"Artie, over here."
She held her right hand out, arm extended until she was sure she had the horse's attention. She then curled her last three fingers to form the shape of a gun.
"Bang!"
As she 'fired' the imaginary gun, the large horse pitched to one side and dropped to the ground. Turning, Maggie found Logan staring back, astonished.
"Well, what did you expect? He was a stage horse."
Logan couldn't help the smile that answered his cousin's grin.
"Come. Get in the saddle Logan. I'll take care of Max," Maggie prompted, as she brought Artie up from his side to a seated position.
Logan gently released his hold on Max and slid out from beneath her. He felt strangely bereft as the moist night air chilled the parts of his body that had been pressed up against her, well the parts of his body he could feel. Remembering his cousin's rant, Logan gathered what little energy he had left and rolled onto his stomach. His horse sat only about ten feet away, but to his aching arms and back it seemed like miles.
Taking a deep breath, he rose up on his elbows, relishing the cool soothing feel of the wet moss under his scratched hands. Slowly, he dragged his unresponsive legs as he inched towards Artie. Maggie sat quietly by the horse's side, knowing to let Logan ask if he needed help. Lining himself up with the saddle, Logan reached out and gripped the support bars. Maggie stroked a calming hand down Artie's muzzle as Logan hauled himself into the saddle, arranging his feet in the stirrups on either side.
Without a word, Maggie stood and made her way over to Max. Kneeling, she slipped her arms under the unconscious woman's knees and shoulders. Carefully, she stood; staggering once under the extra weight and the strain of her injuries, and carried Max back to where Logan sat, waiting.
As Maggie helped him settle his friend in his lap, Logan noticed the heat that emanated from Max's body. Cradling her to his chest, he whispered.
"She's burning up. We've got to get her back…"
"O.K. Logan," Maggie soothed as she guided Artie and his precious cargo to his feet. I'll round up the horses and Otus and…"
Logan watched in horror as the colour drained from Maggie's face.
"Otus…"
"Maggie, what it is?"
The panic in her voice lent yet more strength to the fear that clutched at his heart. Ignoring his question, Maggie spun on her heel and starting calling frantically for her dog. In mid-cry she stopped, staring fixedly toward the base of a large cedar.
From his vantage point in the saddle, he saw it, a lump of wet greyish fur among the fronds. It wasn't moving.
Maggie seemed to snap out of whatever imaginary chains had been holding her in place and she broke into a run, sliding to her knees next to her long-time friend. Shoulders tense from holding her breath and hands shaking, she hesitantly reached out to trace her fingers along his muzzle. Terrified of what she might find, Maggie held the palm of her hand over the end of his nose. It was still wet. As warm air from his nostrils passed over her sweaty palm, she released the lump in her throat in a wracking sob.
"Otus!"
He was alive. But he wasn't out of the woods yet. Leaving her right hand to gently caress his face, Maggie slid her left hand along his back, feeling for anything out of place. She fought a wave of nausea as she recalled the pained yelp and sharp thud that had followed when Brin had thrown her dog into the underbrush. She allowed herself a small modicum of hope has her examination found nothing but a strong, solid backbone.
"It's gonna be O.K. sweetie," she cooed brokenly as she released his face and ran both hands along the length of his hind legs. Everything felt intact.
"C'mon boy wake up," Maggie whispered as she tickled the pads of his hind paws, the familiar gesture forcing the tears that had been welling up to spill down her cheeks.
"We have to go home Otus. Wake up."
Logan tightened his hold on Max, pulling her closer and leaning his cheek against her hair as he watched the scene before him. His take-charge, smart-ass of a cousin was nowhere to be found. The small voice that was now trying to coax Otus awake brought back flashes of the lost little girl who had been dropped off by her parents because they couldn't be bothered with her.
Suddenly, Logan felt his heart swell as a soft snuffling could be heard among the ferns.
"Oh my God! Otus?"
She was answered by a quiet, "woof" as two deep brown eyes lifted their gaze to meet hers. Crying openly now, Maggie flung her arms around the animal's neck and sobbed into his matted fur.
"Oh God Otus," she muttered into his hair. Lifting her head, she called out to Logan. "He's O.K.!"
Losing the battle with his own tears, Logan answered, "I knew he'd be fine. He takes after you."
Logan was rewarded for his bad attempt at humour with a watery chuckle. Carefully sliding her arms around his legs, Maggie lifted the massive dog like a calf and carried him over to the waiting horses. Gently placing him crossways in the saddle, she untied both Freya and Sigrid. Climbing up behind her dog, Maggie swung Freya around and guided both horses back to where Logan was waiting.
"Let's get these guys home." Noticing the fear just behind Logan's eyes she added. "Max is going to be just fine. I plan on making sure of that."
Nodding solemnly, Logan urged Artie to follow as Maggie guided them back down the ridge to the station.
***
"It's the implant. It's degrading." The robotic drone of Sebastian's voice synthesizer echoed in the small examining room.
The ride back had seemed interminable to Logan. Maggie had pushed the horses as hard as possible, but it had still taken a little over two hours to get back. Max had yet to regain consciousness. As the forest seemed to close in on him, Logan had fought back his fear through words. Whispering in Max's ear, he had offered her an anchor in the darkness. He had fought to tie her to this world and to him through stories of his childhood escapades in the dark and other random thoughts as they entered his mind. Still, he had steered clear of what he really wanted to say. He didn't tell her that just the thought of losing her made his heart stop in his chest. If he gave those thoughts voice, they'd be real and he just wasn't ready for that.
Every so often, a tremor had run down her spine, causing Logan's heart to skip and his flow of words to stop. He'd pull her closer and try and call her back to him, but the answer was always silence. Silence and darkness.
Now they were set up in a small examination room Maggie had had built on the end of the aviary as a place to tend to her injured animals. The room was Spartan and sterile and Logan found his head spinning from the bright fluorescent lights and shinning stainless steel. Max was lying on her side on a small worktable. Her legs were curled up in nearly a fetal position to keep them from dangling off the edge of the table that had been designed with much smaller patients in mind.
"We kind of figured that Sebastian. What do we do about it?" Logan answered tersely to the speakerphone next to him on the counter.
His cousin wheeled on him, "Calm down Logan!" Maggie paced back and forth in the cramped space between the counter against the wall and the table. She could see that her cousin was nearing the end of his rope, but his clipped tone wasn't helping matters. Maggie was in not much better shape herself. Her heart still refused to calm, even two hours later. The beating Brin had given her left every muscle groaning in pain and the bumpy ride home hadn't helped. She fought to focus through the throbbing pain in her head and clear the cobwebs that threatened to consume her mind.
All she really wanted to do was sleep. Maggie spared a glance to the corner of the room, where Otus lay curled up. A more thorough examination when they got back had satisfied Maggie that her friend had just been knocked out by a blow the head and would suffer no lasting effects. She had felt a huge weight lift when the big dog licked her paw before drifting off to sleep. He was going to be fine. Now her other friend needed her.
'Focus Maggie!' she mentally chastised herself.
Stopping dead in her pacing, Maggie, turned and gripped the side of the table.
"What exactly are we up against, Sebastian?" she asked with what she hoped was a calm tone.
"The outer sheath of the implant is degrading, likely due to Max's unique body chemistry. It's exposing the inner copper wiring. It's no longer inert and the exposed wire is creating synapses in her spinal chord that normally aren't there. That's what triggered the seizures."
Maggie pushed herself off from the table and turned to the sink against the wall. Shrugging out of her sodden coat and slipping on a clean lab coat from a nearby hook, she set about preparing equipment, guessing already what was going to have to be done to save Max.
"What's causing the green lines?" Logan asked from beside her on the counter.
"It's a symptom of copper poisoning. It's a result of the filaments dissolving. Some of it has probably entered her blood stream, further aggravating her seizures.
"We've got to get that thing out of her now." Logan's voice belied his fear and Maggie felt her heart constrict with sympathy.
"Already on it Logan." Maggie answered over the din of running water as she scrubbed her hands and arms up to the elbows. They weren't in an entirely sterile environment, but it would have to do. Besides, Max had bigger problems than the odd stray bacteria.
"You're going to have to remove the main implant and as many of the external filaments as you can." Sebastian's disembodied voice interjected. "She'll still have the copper in her system, but the source will be gone."
Snapping on a pair of latex gloves, Maggie redoubled her efforts to still her racing heart. She had never been fond of the surgical part of dealing with injured animals. Simon had always taken care of the more serious patients. The thought of Simon stopped her heart dead and filled her with fresh pain. She fought back the hot tears that welled in her eyes as she ran her hand over the surgical instruments that had once belonged to her dearest friend.
Taking a deep breath and slipping behind as professional a mask as she could muster, Maggie turned to her patient and announced "O.K. Sebastian, I'm ready."
Logan slid along the counter, positioning himself behind his cousin. Donning his own pair of latex gloves, he leaned forward to get a better view and be ready to help when needed.
Maggie tried to ignore the anxious man literally breathing down her neck as she swabbed the inflamed area on Max's neck with Betadine.
"What's that?" Logan queried from his perch.
Maggie's shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly. She understood Logan's need to feel useful and she could empathise with his anxiety, but she really didn't need a round of twenty questions. Still, wanting to allay his fears as much as possible, she answered.
"It's an antiseptic. It kills any bacteria that may be on her skin. Don't worry Logan," she soothed. "I do have some idea as to what I'm doing."
Once satisfied with her preparations, Maggie reached for a small hypodermic needle she had prepared earlier. As if on cue, Logan piped up.
"What's that?"
Sighing quietly, Maggie gritted her teeth.
"It's Xylocaine. I figured I'd give Max a bit of a local. She's suffered enough pain for on night."
"Do you know how much to give her?"
Maggie's patience snapped. "No Logan,"
she replied tersely. "I haven't exactly had many opportunities to do surgery on
genetically engineered soldiers, like your girlfriend here."
She regretted her words before even the last syllable left her lips. Shoulders tense, Maggie glanced over her shoulder at her cousin, prepared to apologize, but Logan stared right past her.
"She's not my girlfriend." He answered reflexively, though his voice sounded small and lost.
Despite the desperation of the situation, Maggie just couldn't keep the corners of her lips from curling into a sad, wry smile. Turning back to Max, she picked up her scalpel and muttered to herself.
"When this is all over Logan, we're going to have to set your priorities straight."
Refocusing on the task at hand, Maggie carefully made her first incision.
***