DISCLAIMER: I still don't own these characters!
thanks to everyone for your kind feedback!
-More getting comfortable with the characters and their personalities... start of a plot...Zack getting back to his old self
Chapter 3: Back to Business
When Zack woke up the next day, he felt better than he had in a long time. He was clean, refreshed, and most importantly, at peace.
He'd expected to have a restless sleep, tossing and turning, and continually waking throughout the night as his memories attacked his mind while his guard was down.
But having Max so close to him throughout his sleep had put his mind at ease, despite the nightmares that could otherwise torment his mind.
Zack turned to say words he'd only dreamt of saying as of late to her, something to catch her off guard, along the lines of "good morning, beautiful." His handsome face had a boyish grin as he turned to greet her, but the smile soon faded from his face as he realized that Max wasn't there. He couldn't say that he was surprised; she didn't sleep like the other X5s; Max had different DNA, and so she only slept once in a while.
He didn't mind too much that she wasn't there. She was probably outside, getting some fresh air. Zack took the moment to inhale the air cascading around him, the pleasant scent of Max that wasn't just a memory this time. He loved the scent of Max, just as he loved every part of the woman. He loved more that he was waking up to her unique scent. He pictured Max in his mind, the image bringing a deeper smile to his face. He saw her as she'd been the night before: stunning in her beauty, admirable in her strength, and entirely his as she lay next to him. He had wanted to kiss her then, revel in the thought of waking to her beautiful face, hold her close to him and stroke her delicate frame, caress her until morning.
But there would be time for that later. He had Max to himself for at least the next few days. No running from Manticore, no trying to blend into their surroundings. For now, it ws just he and Max, and he couldn't ask for anything more.
"Good morning, Max," Zack greeted with a smile as he heard the creak of the door opening. He stood up to face the door, but the smile completely vanished from his face when he his hazel eyes rose to meet the man standing there. His memory was back in full force, including his recollection of the botched job the man had done during their last mission, the one that had forced Zack's greatest sacrifice in order to keep Max alive.
"It is a good morning!" Logan chimed politely. He stood in the doorway, his face lit in an awkward smile, looking downright cheerful. When Zack didn't respond, Logan tried again, "You know, you really should step outside, it is beautiful right now!"
Zack didn't care about the sunshine right then. As always, he had no desire to regard the man at all. "Where's Max?" he asked impatiently, his voice low and demanding.
Logan smiled again in response. "Zack, aren't you happy to see me? I'm happy to see you! You look great!"
Zack wasn't amused by the man's joyous greeting that Zack could see right through. Logan was no more happy to see Zack than Zack him.
Logan had always been annoying, with his meddling and unfaltering grip on Max's life. He was never to the point when he should be. He liked to give orders out, but took his time explaining the details, making sure to keep himself in on the action of the plan even though he did nothing to contribute other than staring at a map a safe distance away with his digital tools. The self-proclaimed 'Eyes Only' was one of the few remaining aristocrats by day, underground cyber journalist by night. He knew far too much about the X5s as far as Zack was concerned. He had a carefully organized file on every one of them. Zack wondered at times if Logan knew more about the soldiers than Zack himself did.
He'd pursued Max after one of her more foolish decisions, one that ended up having more repercussions than just catching the eye of Logan Cale and failing an attempted heist. He'd tracked her down without pause, found out her secrets behind her back, and used them as bait to goad her into joining him on his endless crusades to save the post Pulse world.
Needless to say, Zack didn't like Logan very much, and more importantly, he didn't trust him. He knew the man meant well, but unfortunately that wouldn't prevent his human mistakes from jeopardizing their safety- as he already had countless times with Max. As much as Zack trusted Max, he knew that she allowed her heart to rule her mind at times when it shouldn't. Zack admired her spirit, but he knew it made her more susceptible to manipulation, especially coming from someone who offered her a path to the 'normal life' that she'd so long sought for.
Logan had always been kind of a smart ass when it came to Zack, barely managing to keep his emotions in check when dealing with the blunt X5. Max had a bond with Zack that Logan would never be able to break or become a part of, the unity that had formed in childhood and the similarities that were so rare to find for her. The man was obvious in his feigned acceptance and even approval of Zack. You didn't need to be an X5 trained in seeing past a human façade to know that regardless of the stuffy smiles, the man didn't like Zack.
Only adding to Zack's disdain was the unexplainable and irrational attachment that Max had to the Ordinary. He'd done nothing to deserve her devotion, but for some reason, Max seemed to take a personal liking to Logan in a way that Zack only dreamed of. Worse even than this was her unquestionable trust in the man even though he could never truly have her back, being just a normal human. Computer maps could only get you so far in a dangerous situation. To be exact, they got you to the door. Everything else was down to instinct, training, and skills. All of which, Logan was lacking in and had no way to improve upon.
Zack finished gathering his thoughts about Logan and brought himself back to the situation. Logan was standing in the doorway where Max ought to be, a wide grin set underneath the spectacles. He was, as usual, an unnecessary addition to their mission.
Zack didn't much care why he was there. He could guess, anyway. Logan's incessant need to be around Max had brought him here to invade her life again.
"Where's Max?" Zack repeated. He wasn't going to ask again.
Logan nodded as he took in the X5's demanding stare and words. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stall much longer. Logan wasn't keen on the situation, either; he certainly didn't enjoy being alone with Zack, probably because the X5 rubbed him the wrong way. Logan couldn't help his distant feelings toward the genetically engineered killing machine; Zack had always treated Logan like he was insignificant, only acknowledging his existence when he absolutely had to, even when Max was around.
Logan couldn't help being sketchy with Zack. The guy was just irritating! He popped up randomly after months even of being AWOL, usually at the worst times, with no concern whatsoever for whatever he was interrupting, no matter how important. He usually stomped in, not bothering to announce himself, and so waited rather creepily in the shadows until he was noticed; and once he was noticed, he would demand Max's full attention and cooperation with whatever the plan was for the day, with no explanation for where he'd been all this time, how long he planned to stay, or any sort of regard for the danger he was about to bring Max into.
Only adding to Logan's dislike of the stony soldier was the unexplainable devotion that Max had for him. For whatever reason that Logan could never see the logic in, Max always obliged to her brother's requests without question. Worse even than this was the amount of trust she placed in the risky soldier. It seemed she trusted him, even with his lack of explanation, more than Logan, a fact that bothered him in ways he couldn't even begin to express.
Logan stared at the hard set of eyes leering at him and knew he had to offer him something. There was no telling what Zack would do otherwise. Surely, he would get his information, whether Logan cooperated or not.
"I needed her to do something for me," Logan explained, "So we traded for a bit. I'm here to help keep watch, help keep you safe."
Zack made a muffled grunt as his only response before shoving past Logan without making eye contact.
"We don't need you to keep safe," Zack growled condescendingly as he walked away. Even if we did, you'd be worthless, Zack thought to himself in irritation. Again, Logan made the mistake of equating himself on the same level as the transgenics. Zack shook his head as he tried to keep his anger to himself.
And why had Max asked him to come? Did she really think that was what she was doing with Zack? Babysitting the poor, weakened soldier until he regained his strength again?
Zack tried not to focus his frustration on thoughts of Max. It was Logan, after all. If he hadn't had the nerve to bother Max with another one of his silly Eyes Only escapades, Max would be there and Zack wouldn't be filling to his brim with fury.
I needed her to do something for me, Zack heard Logan's voice in his mind, shaking his head in disgust. Logan treated Max like his personal assistant, a regular day whipping boy. The woman he supposedly loved, and he was giving her assignments like some underling. He dropped in with his pointless missions whenever he pleased, and why was it that she always listened? If Zack could only get one thing through to Max it would be that the guy was no good. He only weighed her down, and he didn't even treat her right.
Zack tried to separate his pain from Logan's faults. The fact was, waking up to the sight of Logan instead of Max brought a sting with it that she would never know. She hadn't even bothered to say goodbye before running off to do whatever Logan wanted this time.
Zack wanted to hate Logan; it would certainly be easier that way. But as annoying and foolish the man could be, he did try to be helpful whenever possible. Zack didn't want to admit it, but he had to; if not for Logan, Zack would never have seen Max last night.
Zack had been in a terrible place, mentally locked down with no hope of coming back. He'd spent countless nights, troubled by recurring dreams of Max, unable to place her name, or her attachment to him, until he'd seen her face.
Zack had known at her familiar touch. When she'd traced the scar, the choice he'd made for her. In that instant, he'd remembered everything.
But I didn't know that was the only time we'd get, Zack thought with a sigh, upset that he hadn't known beforehand that he would only spend a few short hours with Max. His heart longed for much more, but it seemed something always got in the way. This time, the intrusion had a name- Logan.
Zack rolled his eyes at his thoughts and kept on walking. He wasn't quite sure where he was headed, but without Max, he saw no point in staying on the island that was dead to him now.
"Come on, Zack, where are you going?" Logan called after him.
But Zack kept walking, leaving Logan standing alone in the cottage doorway.
Logan sighed in defeat. He couldn't make Zack stay. He knew Zack would be safe anyway, being an X5, and he was smart. Not to mention, he was now fully rejuvenated after a good night's sleep. He'd probably regained most of his strength in the rest. Logan had no doubt that he would be fine, at least for a few days.
Logan's only regret was that he hadn't opened up. It really was unfair, the way Zack kept his knowledge to himself. There was a good chance that in Zack's absence from Seattle, he'd run into a couple other X5s, or maybe even Lydecker and his team. Anything he could have told Max would have been helpful.
That was what Max and Logan had been working on for the past few months- trying to gather information as to her family's whereabouts and what they were facing.
We are facing it, Logan thought, together. Max didn't want Logan to get wrapped up in her problems, as she called the situation, but he couldn't help it. He cared about her too much to watch her so troubled and stressed and do nothing. He wanted to find her family for her, if only to give her some peace of mind.
Logan did a quick walkthrough of the cottage to make sure it was clean. Should someone stumble upon the place, or worse, follow some sort of lead that an X5 had been there, they needed to find nothing, for everyone's safety.
Logan smiled sarcastically as he quickly found there was no need to look. He wondered why he'd even worried for a second. Of course Zack had already cleared the place. He'd managed to remove any slight trace that anyone had been there, least of all an X5. He was completely set in his soldier mindset; even when "resting" he was careful to watch his own back.
Logan had known that Zack would probably leave as soon as he discovered Max was gone. Logan did feel a bit guilty. He knew that he could have waited a couple days before giving Max the information. All signs indicated that the X5 he'd sent her after would hang around for a while longer.
a/n: updated 4-10-07. Thanks for reading!