After Marie's "fertile period" was over, Stryker put an end to Logan's cell visits cold-turkey. He was pissed. He craved her now…he NEEDED her. Every day, he watched her on the security monitor as she sat in her cell, reading, watching television or…weeks later…running to the attached bathroom so that she could vomit.

Just over a month after their first coupling, Stryker sent Logan to Marie's cell and ordered

him to escort her to an exam room where blood was drawn and a sample of urine was

collected. He stood against the wall in the room with his hands shoved into his pockets,

trying not to seem too interested in the events taking place around them. It came as a surprise to him that he was extremely curious about the results of her tests.

When the nurse quickly walked over to Stryker with the pregnancy test, the doctor

turned back to Logan and favored him with a brief smirk and a nod before continuing his

hushed conversation.

That was it.

She was pregnant.

An odd mix of dread and excitement settled in the pit of his stomach as Marieʼs frightened eyes met his.

She quickly looked down and crossed her arms over her belly before Stryker walked

over to Logan and clapped a hand on his back, "Well done, soldier."

He watched carefully as Stryker turned back to his lab techs and began ordering new rounds of

prenatal vitamins for Marie. Then, he asked Logan to return Marie to her cell.

He gingerly helped her off of the exam table and guiding her back to her cell. When

they got there, he went in with her and shut the door.

"What are you doing?" she asked, trying not to sound alarmed.

Without a word, he pulled her into his arms for a sweet embrace that took them both by surprise.

She started to melt into his arms, but when she remembered their circumstances, she quickly moved away from him and put her hands on her hips, "You should go."

"Marie-"

"Go!" she snapped, refusing to turn to meet his eyes.

He reluctantly left her and returned to his duties. He was distracted, but he tried not to

let it affect his work.

He was over a hundred and fifty years old and had managed to keep from fathering a

child...until now. Heʼd never wanted to be a father, and truth be told, he was still pretty

sure he didnʼt want to be a dad...but his feelings for Marie had confused him beyond

measure...and in turn, heʼd somehow ended up having to cope with some level of

concern for the child she now carried. The child that also belonged to him...and who

would be snatched away from its mother at birth and handed over to a psychotic,

morally bankrupt doctor to torture into the "perfect" soldier.

A couple of weeks passed, and Marie, now confronted with the reality of her pregnancy,

wanted little to do with anyone, especially him.

With her pregnancy came daily monitoring, tests, and a new, very hearty diet. She

was also given the privilege of walks in the courtyard, which Logan took it

upon herself to escort her on. He heard rumblings about the possibility of a move, but Stryker didn't confirm anything.

She was extremely quiet for several weeks, barely uttering more than four words in a

five week span.

Logan was watching her in the courtyard as she read a book on the bench, enjoying the

warmth of the sun. The peaceful moment was disturbed when Strykerʼs second-in-command,

Dr. Rick Henry, arrived, "She has an examination in five minutes."

"She just had one last week."

Rick nodded, "Yes. And she'll have another today. We want to make sure the fetus is viable."

"And how do you determine that?"

"We're going to try to listen to the heartbeat. She's two months along now. We should

be able to hear it via doppler."

Logan nodded, "I'll bring 'er."

When Rick left, he walked over to Marie, who immediately closed her book and looked

up, "Time to go in?"

"You gotta go in for another examination."

Marie closed her eyes and sighed before standing and following him into the building.

Logan slowed his gait and spoke quietly, "How are you feelinʼ?"

She looked up at him and contemplated not answering, but, at this point, she knew she had nothing to lose. She decided to be honest with him and utter, "Terrified."

That answer stopped Logan in his tracks as he stared at her, "Iʼm sorry-"

She narrowed her eyes, "Are you?"

He stared down into her eyes for several moments before nodding, "Yeah. I am…I actually am."

Logan led her to the exam room, where she was helped onto the exam table. Stryker

walked over with a small instrument and lifted up her shirt, then asked her to pull her

pants down a little. She did as she was asked, which gave him the opportunity to place

the dopplerʼs wand against her lower abdomen.

The room was quiet, save for the hollow, amplified sounds coming from the doppler.

No one was hearing a heartbeat, which, at this point, would mean that the pregnancy

was not viable. Stryker moved the wand all over her belly, pausing and leaning forward

in an attempt to concentrate on trying to hear any possible sound he could, but the

sound of Marieʼs organs and her own heartbeat was making trying to detect a tiny

heartbeat nearly impossible.

Logan narrowed his eyes and leaned forward when Stryker moved the wand lower, then

started to give up and move away, "Wait."

Stryker looked at him in surprise, "What is it?"

His eyes connected with Marieʼs as he stepped forward, "I heard something..."

"Just now? When the doppler was here?" Stryker asked, placing the wand back in the

area on her belly.

Logan nodded and leaned forward, using his enhanced hearing to filter out the sounds

of Marieʼs heart, her organs and her blood flowing. He closed his eyes and leaned in a

little more, "To the right...move to the right." Stryker followed his instructions as Logan

held up a hand, "Now down." Again, his instructions were followed, "There. There it

is...turn it up..."

Stryker turned the doppler up and suddenly, everyone in the room was confronted with

the sound of an extremely fast, fluid heartbeat. Logan straightened and looked at Marie,

who quickly averted her gaze.

Rick laughed in and clapped his hands together in triumph, "Wonderful! 160 beats per

minute! Perfectly normal!"

A few minutes later, Marie was led back to her room. Logan was saddened and

surprised when she didnʼt wait for him to leave before she collapsed in her bed in a fit of

tears.

After a few moments of internal debate, he stepped inside, turned the scrambler on and

locked the door behind him. He sat down on her bed and hugged her close until she

calmed herself. Before he could say anything, the door opened, causing them to

practically jump apart.

Stryker stepped in and favored him with a stern look, "Logan...may I have a word?"

He nodded and followed Stryker to his office, where he plopped down in a chair, "What

is it?"

"Iʼd appreciate it if you limited your interactions with her. The deed is done. Thereʼs no need for ʻalone timeʼ."

Logan stiffened, "With all due respect, sir...youʼve forced us into a very...odd situation.

You canʼt get upset when we donʼt handle it like just another prisoner-guard relationship.

Sheʼs having my kid for Christʼs sake."

"No sheʼs not. Sheʼs incubating the leader of my army. Nothing more. That is not a baby.

Itʼs an engineered soldier."

Logan tensed and narrowed his eyes, "She has no human interaction outside of those

dudes in white coats who poke and prod her all night. No matter how much you try to

neatly package it up, sheʼs pregnant and sheʼs scared...she needs someone to talk to if

sheʼs gonna get through this with her sanity in tact."

"Her sanity?"

"Prisoners who are isolated suffer from mental breakdowns and come with higher

suicide rates. She needs someone to interact with."

Stryker sighed, "You think I planned on keeping these women in isolation during the

duration of their stay? Iʼm not ignorant of the emotional strain isolation can cause. A new

facility is being completed that will allow the women to live amongst each other as

roommates. The surroundings will be more...accommodating."

"And when were you going to tell me that my men and I would be moving?"

He sighed, "Due to your...connection with our primary subject, I was having my doubts

about continuing to allow you to act as our chief security officer, Colonel."

"I signed up for this job. Iʼm determined to see it through."

Stryker cocked his head to the side and scrutinized Loganʼs facial expression, "Alright,

Colonel. The facility should be completed next month. Itʼs located in the Catskills and in

a fairly isolated area. The facility will come complete with a medical wing, living quarters

for my team, as well as yours, and living quarters for the young women."

"Fine. If you can supply me with blueprints, I can share them with my team and figure

out how best to protect it."


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