Author's Note: I apologize for the late update. FFNet is being blocked in my country, so sometimes it's difficult to log-in. But I manage to maneuver the site, so hopefully I can update more often. Review is always welcomed and will give me energy to update faster. I always appreciate everyone's feedback and kind supports to continuing this story. That being said, this story is far from over. It started as a parody of an action movie, and it developed into something more. Thank you my betas Cainc3 and Layoung13 who always give me words of encouragement and great psychological notes for the characters. To everyone, thanks so much for reading! I hope you already seen the Veronica Mars Movie, read the official Veronica Mars books ('The Thousand Dollar Tan Line' & 'Mr. Kiss and Tell'), and the web series ('Play It Again, Dick'). I really hope that we'd get more Veronica Mars!
He stood there as he looked outside through the hole on the wall, all alone… naked, dirty, bearded, scraggly, full of scars, and shivering. He wasn't cold; it was hot and humid in that dungeon. He wasn't scared of his life. He was content… accepting his fate. He would die in this dungeon, and nobody would look for him. He shivered because he realized that he would die in this dungeon alone.
Nobody would miss him… but it was okay, really.
Not even that girl with blue eyes and blonde hair from his childhood and teen years.
He loved her. It was enough…
She was the reason why he was not afraid of his life. She was in his heart and it gives him strength not to break down and smashed his own head to the wall. It gave him strength not to gnaw his own wrist and kill himself, because right now he didn't want to die.
If he was going to die, he would fight until the end.
There was no way he would die before he could see… her.
All he wanted in his life, was to see her happy.
Even without him.
Present,
Titan Tower, 2016
Logan walked out from the building feeling pretty good of himself. Veronica called and asked for his help on a case at the Boardwalk, and maybe grab something for lunch. Logan knew that he shouldn't feel like he was going to have a date with his former girlfriend, but he couldn't help feeling a little bit happy. It was wrong, and he knew it, but lately his moral compass was a little bit off anyway.
It wouldn't be a date… just a lunch between friends, and a little bit of sleuthing on the side.
A very normal thing between friends…
Beside, this was his chance to find out about her assassin occupation. How and why she became an assassin? Who hired her? Did she work alone or did she have an employer? Did she work with some sort of an organization?
Logan knew several shady government spooks and organizations. He racked his brain for some sort of information; nobody heard of Veronica. Assuming she was using a false name, or didn't even use name at all, and probably a disposable agent.
Logan gave his valet token and waited for his car as he pondered about the situation.
While he was checking his phone, a black Lexus sedan stopped in front of him and the valet hurriedly opened the car door. The valet almost bowed when he saw the driver. A tall and intimidating black man buttoned his suit and started to walk into the lobby when he noticed Logan.
"Mr. Echolls."
Logan turned around and said, "Yes?"
"You're back."
"Do I know you?"
The man paused for a while, and then shook his head. "No, but I remember your father."
Logan scoffed, "Of course." He turned around again, not wanting to talk to this stranger. "Doesn't everyone?" He muttered and checked his phone.
"Nice seeing you again." The man nodded. "You look good. Glad you're doing alright." Logan didn't acknowledge him; he busied himself with his phone.
The man then walked into the lobby when the valet attendant hurried after him, "Mr. Wiedman! Your token."
He stopped, took the token from him and then thanked him as he entered the building. Logan frowned. He'd heard the name before, but he couldn't place it. He stopped the valet attendant and asked, "Who's that guy?"
"That's Mr. Clarence Wiedman – the Head Security of Kane Enterprises." The valet attendant answered. "Your car will be here soon, sir." He went back to his post.
Logan nodded. That explained it, how he knew Logan and his father. Of course, the Kane family was very tight with the Echolls family back then. Logan was glad those days were over.
He was still standing next to the valet post when he felt a shiver run down his spine.
He felt a killer vibe.
He turned his head and saw Clarence Wiedman was looking at him through the entrance sliding doors.
He frowned, didn't understand why he felt some sort of a vibe from him – especially from afar.
As quickly as it came, the feeling was gone, and he saw Wiedman was walking towards the elevator.
Logan thought it was weird, but he didn't think about it much as his car arrived. After he tipped the valet guy, he got into his BMW and drove away. It wasn't until he was halfway there, the feeling returned – which surprised him so much.
There was no reason or way, the vibe could linger after leaving the premises.
A vibe, Logan liked to call it, was when someone possessed some sort of 'presence' of bad mojo. Logan learned that it was basically an instinct about someone – who usually a Spook or a spy. Logan could sit in a restaurant, feel a bad presence and pin-pointed the person. It's usually an early warning system of some sort. When you've been around killers and assassins for a while, you would develop this kind of talent to recognize and sort out professional killers. They would give away that kind of vibe when the occasion arises.
It wasn't an exact science or anything; it was something Logan had to learn – the hard way. Logan remembered one case when he had to meet someone in a church, and a priest walked by, if he hadn't known about the vibe, he would've be dead – killed by that priest who seemed innocent but was apparently an assassin wearing a priest robe. For a split second, Logan could feel his vibe, so he avoided danger and managed to kill him.
Logan didn't know who Clarence Wiedman was.
He doubted that Wiedman was an assassin, but as someone who handled security for Kane Enterprise, Logan wouldn't be surprised if the man was probably dark and faced some shady situation.
See no evil, hear no evil…
Logan didn't have any problem with Clarence Wiedman. Unless he possessed a danger with the people around him, Logan wouldn't bother to check. Not everyone who had the 'vibe' a bad person. It must be his job…
Logan decided to forget about Clarence Wiedman's vibe.
For now.
Flashback,
New York, 2016 (Three months before)
A middle age man with glasses were writing down some notes in his seat while another man was standing near the window, looking at the view outside the window. He could see the city of New York from this height. He had been in this city for so many times, but he never considered it as a home. He had been in many countries; mostly for jobs – which was killing people. But he never considered it as 'killing'; he considered it as 'cleaning out the scum'. He kills 'bad' people only. It was better for his conscience.
The middle age man looked up and spoke, "You said that you had bad dreams?"
Logan turned around and shrugged, "More like nightmares."
"What kind of nightmares?" His shrink asked him. Logan looked at him; he wasn't a good shrink – he was an ordinary psychiatrist he plucked from many names in this building. He just wanted to pour his heart out for self-cleaning once and a while. He had so many shrinks in many different countries, with many different languages and accents. And he needed one whenever he had done his professional job.
Patricia was a good listener; but he didn't want to bother her from a different time zone every time he killed a scumbag and felt like talking. Patricia had her own life, and he had his own.
Occasionally, Logan would attend a support group meeting. It was probably a tradition he held since the days of the Army where he would sit in a circle and listened to sob stories from other soldiers. He didn't have to make up stories about his life, because let's face it, almost everyone knew him – or at least knew Aaron Echolls. But this time, instead of judgmental people, he had sympathetic people with the same problems. They cried when he told them a story about Aaron and the pears. There was one time when this lady burst into tears and hugged him while sobbing. Instead of being annoyed by it, he actually enjoyed being hugged by that woman.
And he hated that feeling; enjoying a hug from a stranger. It was a love hate relationship with the support group. Was he so thirsty for affection, he had to get it from strangers?
He understood sex with strangers; it was only a physical release. But hugs? Especially from emotionally needy strangers in the support group… it was like a drug.
And then this thing he had with shrinks. He could hear them spout mumbo jumbo about Jungian theory and how he blames his parents about his life. Come on; he knew all of this. But somehow, hearing them analyzing his life was like listening to white noise, and it actually made him focus about his life. It was like charging the battery when it was almost empty.
Logan felt like a fuck up anyway.
"I dreamed that I was locked in a dungeon." He said.
And the saddest part..?
It wasn't a dream.
Present,
Neptune Boardwalk, 2016
Logan climbed out of his BMW and chuckled. He hadn't been at the Boardwalk for a decade – except the other day with Dick for a brunch - but the smell and the sound today attacked his senses, and he was assaulted by a sense of nostalgia all of a sudden. He, Lilly, Duncan, and Veronica, with Dick and Bea—Cassidy used to come here on the weekends, especially when the Pegasus Wave was opened – the main attraction roller coaster; the pride of Neptune as tourists loved waiting in lines to get a chance to see the whole city from the top before they plummeted down, followed by high pitch screaming and laughter.
Logan remembered how they would skip school sometimes so they could go to the Neptune Boardwalk and to be the first in line of Pegasus Wave. Lilly and Veronica loved to sit in front of the cart and they would scream and laugh. Logan usually sat with Dick in the back, and they would also scream and yell with their hands up in the air. Dick would spit from above, which made him laugh. Duncan and Cassidy would sit in the middle – most of the time Cassidy was the one who enjoyed the whole thing. Duncan would usually pale and immediately throw up when the ride was over.
Pegasus Wave was now an old attraction. It wasn't a shiny new ride anymore and not many people waited in line to take a ride. It's still the main attraction of the Boardwalk though. The Boardwalk itself was now full of cafes and restaurants and other attractions, such as the Paintball game that just opened a month ago.
Logan smiled again as he put on his sunglasses; it was a Californian sunny day and he couldn't wait to meet Veronica.
A bunch of kids bumped into him when he walked towards the entrance. They didn't stop to apologize and kept running and laughing. "Hey, shouldn't you be in school today?" Logan yelled at the kids. One of the kids probably around 10 years old, turned around and flipped him the bird before running to catch up with his friends. Logan just shook his head and chuckled.
It wasn't the weekend and it was supposed to be school day, but the Boardwalk was crowded. Logan saw the giant Wheel was also full of people – most of them tourists.
Logan walked leisurely amongst the crowd. He bought a cup of soda from a vendor and slurped loudly. He watched a mime juggling knives before being applauded by the crowd. He then saw a 'gorilla', who was basically a man inside a gorilla suit, dancing with a boom box. Everyone was laughing when the gorilla climbed the railing and made a monkey sound.
He felt like a kid again.
Some girls were walking by and they seemed to recognize him but weren't really sure. He ignored them, but he couldn't help over-hear them talking, "Omigod, he's so hot." They were giggling.
Logan smirked. Hey, it was not like he was a humble kind of guy and didn't realize he was a handsome man.
He stood by the railing, watching people playing on the beach and remembered the brunch he had with Dick after surfing. He should surf with Dick again; he had a really good time.
How long had he been staying in Neptune? Almost two weeks, and he felt like he didn't want to go home to Utah... Even when his friends had move on to better lives, he felt like maybe, somehow, he wanted to stay for good in Neptune. Considering what kind of place Neptune was, the city wasn't so bad.
Or maybe it was because…
Logan checked his phone. Veronica hadn't call or text yet about where to meet. He was beginning to think that she was going to stand him up. It wasn't the first time, Logan thought.
He knew that he didn't have a chance with Veronica. After all, she was married. He just wanted to be friends with her again after a long decade of absent, but yes his heart always beat faster whenever he was thinking of her. It wasn't like he was being friendzoned or anything – there was no such thing – but he had to admit he still had feelings for her.
The most important thing was to find out about Veronica's secret double life. Just like him, Veronica was a professional killer for hire. He needed to know who hired her and whether she was in any danger – and then help her if he could. He couldn't sit around and accepted the idea of Veronica as an assassin. He also couldn't sit around and not do anything about her husband – the one who hurt her family.
There must be a reason that Veronica didn't know about her husband's threats against her family. Veronica was always perceptive and full of determination. She was like a tiny Pitbull that would bite and never release until she got her satisfaction. She knew that Wallace was being hurt by unknown men.
Logan even Googled the damn case:
'An Engineer Was Beaten By Unknown Men: Racial Hate Crime?'
Wallace was going home from work when he was ambushed in the parking lot by several men, they put a burlap sack over his head, put him in the back of a van or truck, covered him with a blanket, and then he was beaten mercilessly. After he lost consciousness, apparently the assailants dropped him in front of ER and drove off. His wallet was missing along with his golden watch, and even his shoes. He was in and out of consciousness for a week. Two days later, the Sheriff Department led by Keith Mars caught two men, recidivists, who just got out from prison. They admitted the crime.
No mention of Gorya Sorokin or even Russian men.
Dick mentioned before that Wallace said the people who kidnapped him were speaking Russian or maybe some sort of Slavic language and accents.
The men who confessed to the crime were Latino.
Everyone knew that those men were paid to come forward and confess to a crime they didn't commit. The case was closed though, and Wallace had to endure physical therapy for months. The men were sentenced for life for aggravated assaults and kidnapping.
Everyone knew that Gorya was behind all of it, but there was no proof.
Now, there was this whole Veronica as an assassin thing.
It was really a headache situation.
His phone buzzed, and Logan saw that Veronica was calling. He muttered under his breath before answering, "Please don't cancel." He cleared his throat. "Hello."
"So I asked my friend to do some sleuthing at the Boardwalk. Naturally, I would expect some conspicuous decorum on his part. Unfortunately, I forgot that he's this 6 foot tall hot tamale, which, in retrospect, will invite some unwanted attention. Mostly because he is a hot tamale." Veronica said without preamble, humor in her voice.
"Hot tamale, huh?" Logan answered with a grin. "Does this mean we can't eat some Mexican food, afraid I would draw more attention?"
"Check your Neptune Connection, dork."
"I don't have a Neptune Connection account."
"What? Oh yeah, I forgot you're technologically challenged."
"I resent that. I know what a computer is. I am only social media challenged – there's a difference."
"Fine. I'm coming."
"Where are you?" Logan looked around the crowd but there was no sign of her. "V?" The line was disconnected and as Logan turned towards the entrance he caught a glimpse of her.
It was very cliché, Logan had to admit, but it was like in a movie scene where the girl walks in slow motion and her hair is flowing like she's in one of those shampoo commercials. Her long hair was wavy; she was wearing a leather jacket and a striped T-Shirt, with tight black jeans and combat boots. She was carrying her camera and her bag was slung on her shoulder.
She was dynamite.
"Hey." Veronica greeted, smiling.
"Hey… yourself. Like, wow. I mean…" Logan stammered. Veronica raised her eyebrow watching him look nervous. He finally grinned and said, "You should only wear this. Like, ever." Veronica smirked from that compliment. Hey, it wasn't like she didn't realize that she was good-looking.
"You better recognize." Veronica said, not realizing that they were bantering and flirting. She grabbed his soda and slurped loudly.
"Sure, take it. I wasn't drinking it." Veronica returned the empty cup to him, which he promptly threw to the trash can.
"I am starving." Veronica announced.
"Well, that's news." Logan chirped. Veronica decked him on the arm, and Logan made a painful noise. "Ow! You are such a violent person. I'm not sure I wanna be friends anymore." Veronica stuck her tongue out while putting her camera into her bag, and then pointed to the roller-coaster.
"Remember that?"
"I was walking down the memory lane when I first got here. All I could think was DK puking all over the place."
Veronica laughed very hard. "Oh my god, I remember that. He couldn't stand roller coasters." They both walked towards the lines of cafes and restaurants. "I don't understand why he insisted on coming when he hated it."
"He wanted to be near you." Logan smirked. "He had such a huge crush on you, he begged Lilly to let him sit next to you. Of course Lilly said no."
Veronica laughed. "Anyway, I told you to check Neptune Connection. Here." She showed him her phone. "Some people posted that YOU are here in Neptune Boardwalk." Logan stopped walking and read the Neptune Connection feeds.
'Is that Logan Echolls? OMFG! Glad to skip skool 2day!'
'saw logan echolls near pegasus. alone. dat dude is huuuge!'
And then a dozen more status about his whereabouts, with few blurry pictures – Logan raised his eyebrows and muttered, "These aren't so bad. Only a dozen comments – not many people saw me."
"Or maybe you're yesterday's news."
"Hey…" He pouts mockingly before getting serious. "Are you okay with this? Will this diminish our investigation? I don't want to be a burden or something."
"It's fine, Logan. Unless you're wearing a neon sign saying 'I'M FAMOUS', I think we're cool."
Logan sighed and looked around. Suddenly he felt wary that everyone could just instantly write about him in matter of seconds. This was why he hated social media. "I guess."
Veronica touched his arm. "Hey, it's okay. It won't matter. We're just gonna have lunch and then go to that place to check out some stuff." She smiled. "I need someone to be on my side."
He looked at her. Really looked at her with his penetrating gaze… He would give her the planet Mars if she asked. A little hyperbole on his part, but he was not kidding. He would do anything for her. "Okay, Captain." He nodded. Veronica couldn't see his eyes because he was wearing sunglasses. If she could see them, she probably would waver.
"So, where are we gonna eat?" Veronica rubbed her hands together. "And what are we gonna eat?"
Logan exhaled. "Anything but salad."
They walked together down the boardwalk looking at all the restaurants trying to figure out what sounded good. They had chosen a restaurant called 'Sao', a burger joint that had really good sliders.
Being preoccupied, they hadn't realized that they were being followed by a man with a camera. The man was wearing a sleeveless blue shirt with a leather vest, and his hair was slicked back with cheap hair product. He took a series of pictures of both of them. He saw Logan opened the door of the restaurant and Veronica did a little curtsy which made Logan laughed.
He checked his camera to see the pictures and muttered gleefully. "Ve-Ro-Ni-Ca. Your hubby won't like this." he clucked his tongue, "but one needs to eat."
Flashback,
Somewhere in Kalahari Desert, 2009
Drip…
Drip…
Drip…
Drip…
Logan slowly opened his eyes as he awoke to the sound of water dripping. He tried to see his surroundings, but everything was dark, and for a moment, he wondered where he was. It wasn't until a few minutes later he realized that he wasn't in his room or in his bunker.
He sighed and closed his eyes again. His body was too weak to move but he couldn't sleep because the water kept dripping in the corner near the waste bucket where he usually relieved himself. The cot he slept in wasn't very comfortable, but he was used to it after almost three weeks. Three weeks in that cave dungeon. Logan felt like he would never get out and see the outside world again.
Logan didn't know where he was right now. Their platoon was ambushed near a Tsumkwe village settlement they were going to. Logan's platoon was supposed to bring some water and food to the nearest tribe of San who lived in a village, when suddenly they were surrounded by many soldiers. Some of them were child soldiers, probably around 10-12 years old. Fights ensued, the soldiers took over the Humvee, and it was chaotic. Some of his fellow soldiers were dragged outside their vehicles and shot in their heads. A soldier grabbed Logan and hit the back of his head.
Logan didn't know where his friend Zeus was. He didn't know what happened to his Lieutenant. Maybe they were captured too. Maybe they were put into this cave dungeon like he was.
For a cave dungeon in a desert, it was actually pretty cold. There was water dripping constantly, so Logan thought they were near a river or something.
He didn't know why he was alive.
He woke up in this dungeon three weeks ago. His weapons were gone, his uniform was gone, his phone, and his personal possessions were gone… He woke up naked, lying on a cot. There was a door made of iron, and he banged and yelled until his voice croaked. Nobody answered and nobody was coming.
Logan sat up, trying to adjust his eyes in the darkness.
There was only a 'window' on the wall of the dungeon. It was basically a hole the size of his head and located above his cot. He could see outside during the day but all he could see was a lonely desert road. Apparently, Logan was underground; the road was on his eye level. Sometimes he saw a pack of hyenas sniffing around the road; they approached the hole but they couldn't get in so they only growled and whined, then they left when they found out they couldn't eat Logan. Inside the dungeon there were a bucket and a hole on the ground. Logan spent three weeks using that bucket and hole to pee and poop. He wiped himself afterwards using pieces of newspapers he found around the dungeon. It was disgusting.
They, whoever they were, were treating Logan like an animal. Every day, someone would drop a pouch of food and a bottle of water through the small hole. Logan tried to talk to them, but they ignored him. Once, he saw a boy wearing only shorts and barefoot, but holding a rifle, drop a bottle of water and a pouch. The boy only stared at him, and then left after Logan nodded saying to say a silent 'thank you' for the food. Logan realized that he didn't see a way out, so it was best to just be thankful that they still fed him. The food usually consisted of stale bread, or if he was lucky, a pop-tart. Logan knew that most of the villagers didn't eat pop-tarts. They feed it to the cattle.
Logan would eat the bread or any kind of food bit by bit, trying to make it last. He'd drink the water and hoped he wouldn't get dysentery.
He thought that he must be lucky because the people who held him prisoner here didn't even bother to torture him or interrogate him. Logan didn't know why they were keeping him here in this dungeon. His mind… he thought he was going crazy. Every possible torture came across his mind during his first week; what they would do to him? Water-board him? Electrocute him? Pull his fingernails one by one?
But none of that happened.
Maybe they were using him as a bargain chip to the US Army.
Logan knew that he had been on this continent for almost 6 months while they moved him around almost every week. They went from village to village, helping with the water system, supplying them with food, and protecting them from robbers and kidnappers. The one time when they thought they wouldn't see any action, they were ambushed.
Now, for three weeks, he spent his time staring at the stone wall, wondering whether he could survive.
He was naked most of the time. When it was cold, he would wrap himself with a very thin blanket full of holes. During the night, he would peek through the hole on the wall and he'd see stars. He remembered what Zeus had said previously: appreciate the stars.
Logan sat on his cot. He had his knees up to his chin. He looked up and saw him.
"I gotta tell you, Logan. This is pathetic."
Logan looked at the boy and smiled a bit. Any distraction was welcomed. "You don't say."
"I mean, what are you trying to prove anyway? Why can't you just… I don't know, jump off the building or something?" He chuckled. "It would be over in a flash." Logan narrowed his eyes. He knew that the boy in front of him wasn't real. He was a figment of his imagination… or maybe a hallucination. Or was he the ghost of Cassidy Casablancas? The boy was wearing a Member's Only Jacket that Logan recognized from the roof of the Neptune Grand. Must be embedded in his subconscious if he remembers what Cassidy wore that night.
"I'm not trying to prove anything." Logan said quietly.
"And yet you are here." The ghost of Cassidy said. Logan noticed that the dungeon was lit up by a blue hue of light. "You are not out there. You are here."
"Or maybe I'm not here at all. Maybe this is all a dream. Maybe I'm back in Neptune, surfing with your brother." Logan murmured. He stood up and peeked to the hole in the wall; he could see the stars outside. He wondered for a while whether he was actually in Neptune, surfing with Dick - Eating burgers with him and some of his surfing buddies around a bonfire.
"Nope, you are definitely not in Neptune." Cassidy looked around. "It's weird that the reason you left is because of me."
"Not just you, Cass…"
Cassidy sniggered, "Come on – you left after graduation – after you made me jump!"
"I didn't make you jump!" Logan raised his voice. "You jumped on your own."
"I asked you 'WHY NOT'." Cassidy said. "Why I shouldn't jump?" Logan couldn't say anything – he only stared at the stars. He put his hands, palms flat, on the wall, like surrendering. "And you couldn't come up with anything."
"What did you want me to say, Cass…?" Logan asked.
Cassidy scoffed, "Something. Anything. Not let me jump." His voice was hard. "This is your fault."
"My fault."
"Yes. Your fault. I am dead because of you."
"You are dead because of me."
"You joined the army, just to get away from me. But surprise. I am here!" Cassidy stood next to him. "You can run as far as you can go. But you can't hide. I am always gonna be by your side to remind you that it's your fault that I am dead." He hissed.
Logan closed his eyes and touched his forehead to the cold stone wall. "It's my fault…"
"It's not your fault, Logan."
Logan opened his eyes and turned around.
She was wearing that beautiful black dress, and her hair was in a ponytail. Logan found himself in his own Penthouse; he was back at Alterna-Prom. He was eighteen years old… so young. He was wearing a white tuxedo, thinking at the time he would channel Humphrey Bogart.
Welcome, welcome, everyone is welcome at Logan's.
"What are you talking about? Of course it's his fault! You are only the figment of his imagination. He's trying to convince himself that he's innocent – by having YOU tell him that it's not his fault." Cassidy walked towards her in a menacing way. Everyone at the party was ignoring them. Of course they didn't exist. This was only Logan's leftover memory before he ascended into madness.
"You raped me." She said a matter-of-factly. "You deserved to die."
"Oh yeah, whose fault was that? You were raped because you took the GHB that he brought." Cassidy smirked. "And the fact everyone wanted to get their hands on you – on his order."
Logan took a step in front of Cassidy, blocking him from approaching Veronica. "Enough. Just… stop."
"You can't protect her anymore, Logan. You left, remember?" Cassidy taunted him. "It's because you are a coward."
"I'm not a coward."
"Is that a lie you are trying to tell yourself? Is that the reason why you joined the army?" Cassidy pressed on. "You are no better than me, Logan. In fact, you and I are the same."
"I am nothing like you!"
"Come on, Logan! You killed some people here. Remember your 21st birthday? You killed a soldier when he was taking a piss. That was your first kill." Cassidy shrugged. "You killed many people since then– more than me!"
"I was under direct orders."
"Logan." Logan looked behind him and Veronica was crying. "What have you done?"
"Veronica. I am sorry. I am sorry for everything." Logan looked down. A rat ran past his feet and he was in the dungeon again, naked. "I am sorry."
"Sorry doesn't cut it, son."
Logan looked up and saw Aaron leaning near the door.
"Go away."
Aaron clucked his tongue. "You killed so many people, son. I can't believe that you are such a monster. I only killed one person – ONE. And it was an accident. Your precious Lilly was pushing my buttons. You, on the other hand, killed a whole bunch of people that you don't even know."
Logan clutched his fists and gritted his teeth, "You were going to kill Veronica and her father."
"Well, they were in my way." Aaron shrugged. "I had a reputation to protect."
"I am glad you are dead." Logan growled. "Whoever killed you got my eternal gratitude."
Aaron scoffed, "You wouldn't have the guts to pull the trigger. If you had half of my cojones, you would've done it years ago. The only reason you are killing these people, is because you don't know them and you don't care about them." He grinned. "You are a psychopath."
"SHUT UP!" Logan couldn't take it anymore and took a swing at the ghost of his father. His fist hit the stone wall. Logan could feel the bones in his knuckles crack, and blood flow out. He didn't care. Three weeks in this hellhole, and this was the first time he felt emotion.
"Ooooh, look at that. The boy grew up. He's no longer waving an empty gun to save his girlfriend." Logan looked up and saw Liam Fitzpatrick standing in the corner with a menacing look. "He's now has a semi-automatic weapon and saves civilians. My hero." Liam mocked. He wore the same exact outfit- sleeveless shirt and dirty jeans. "You should tattoo your arm to say 'MOMMY' to make her proud; I mean, you are sort of an American Hero soldier, right?" He covered his mouth, "Ooops, I forgot. Your momma jumped off a bridge."
"I gotta say Logan; at least your mom did it with class. Her Blackberry suicide message? Very classy and post-modern." Cassidy chimed in. "I should've done the same thing, you know?"
Logan held his head and tried to cover his ears as the hallucinations started to talk simultaneously. Three weeks without any disturbance, they chose today to appear at the same time and taunt him. The voices were getting louder and Logan shut his eyes tight.
"Logan."
The voices were gone.
He opened his eyes, and she was there.
"Veronica." Logan felt his throat close off. He missed her so much. He wanted to touch her and hold her. Why couldn't he do that? Why did he leave Neptune? "I'm sorry."
Veronica shook her head with a wry smile. "Come on, Logan. You know damn well I've forgiven you for a long time ago." She sighed and Logan just held his bloody hand. "And life shouldn't be that hard."
"You should talk…" He muttered. "And this is my life we're talking about. If my life was a musical, I would be singing 'It's a Hard Knock Life' and start looking for sugar daddy."
Veronica chuckled lightly, "You are such a drama queen." Logan looked at her with a pain in his heart. He had dreams about her ever since he joined the Army. She was the one who kept him going, even when it wasn't real. From the very beginning, from the first day he trained as a soldier, before he went to bed, before he was too close to crack under pressure… she would be there. But he hadn't thought of her or anyone else for that matter for almost a month.
"Why now…?" He asked in a whisper tone. "Why tonight?" Veronica looked at him, still smiling. "I haven't thought of you lately at all."
She approached him – more like glided towards him and put her face closer to his. "It's time for you to wake up."
"What?"
"Wake up, Logan." She said. "It's time to live."
"I don't understand."
She smiled again, "You need to wake up. And come back to me."
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Logan opened his eyes.
His heart was beating so fast, and his vision was blurry.
And then he choked and felt his throat burn. He coughed violently and tried to move. His hand automatically grabbed something to hold onto – and he managed to pull out a tracheal tube from his mouth before he rolled to his side and threw up.
"Ugh, you shouldn't remove it by yourself!" Logan heard someone yell, "Nurse!" Logan rolled back again and wiped some blood from his mouth. He tried to focus as he looked at someone with a white coat who stood next to his hospital bed. He saw that his arms had an IV line, and the line connected to an IV bag. He could faintly hear it doing its magic, dripping away. He was wearing a cast on his other hand. Then he saw an African man, whom he assumed was a doctor, writing something down on his pad. "You are awake. Good. I was getting tired waiting." Logan tried to say something, but the doctor cut him off. "Please don't try to talk, your throat is hurt and I'm not risking more physical pain."
Logan was so confused.
One minute he was in the dungeon, the next thing he was in the hospital?
A nurse hurriedly walked into the room and she mopped the floor next to him. "Dr. Van der Maarschalkerweerd is coming in a few minutes to check on his patients."
"Good. He will be glad that this one is awake." The doctor looked at Logan who looked disoriented and confused. "We can finally begin."