Robert woke up at 4:30 A.M., he had woken up
at that time during many missions, his enhanced senses had awoken him, and a
foul stench was in the air. The Red's are
here Robert thought as he got up, pulled his pants on, and put on a T-shirt.
He grabbed the shoulder holsters for his sidearms, and put them on, grabbed his
shotgun, and put a spare magazine in each of the cargo pockets of his pants. He
approached Jon's room, and entered.
"Get up, the Red's are coming, I can
smell them, get your stuff." Robert said as he threw something at Jon,
waking him up.
"You just interrupted my dream, Kendra
and I were�" Jon said as he got up, dressed, and pulled out his H&K
UMP .45.
"Keep it to yourself, scan the area,
let's see if they have infiltrated yet." Robert said as he exited Jon's
room, searching for a trace of the Red Series.
The two of them split up, Jon checked the
roof, and the second level, which was just a scaffold of metal that ran between
all the rooms on the second
floor. For such big men, they were deceptively
quiet as they searched, as Robert checked the lower level.
"Area secure, you?" Robert said as
he sniffed, and looked into the last of the rooms.
"Secure, I smell the Red's, they must be
a few blocks away, otherwise there is no way the scent could be so strong."
Jon said as he aimed his submachine gun around, looking for a target.
"I'll get the others, keep an eye out,
and let me know if they start getting closer." Robert said as he stalked
off to the lower area bedrooms.
Andrea was sleeping, as was Bling, two beds of
course, he silently woke both of them up, and explained.
"There could be as many as seven out
there, if you don't mind using guns, grab a gun from Jon's stack, but stay out
of sight, they'll be packing heavy." Robert said as he informed them of
their opponents, and gave them their best options.
Max and Logan were curled up with each other,
sleeping, Robert was bothered that he had to wake the two, but their lives were
at stake.
"It's the Reds, they're here, go to the
back room, and stay there with Bling and Andrea, remember, if you and Andrea
have to fight them, use your speed. The Red Series have great strength, but they
cannot match your speed, use it against them, and give Logan or Bling a clear
shot if you can." Robert said as he rushed the two out, to the back room.
It was a few minutes later that the Red's did
actually enter the building that Robert had converted as a base of operations
from a car garage, but Robert and Jon were ready.
*******
Found
you Max, it's time to get out of Seattle forever.
Zack thought as he found Max's hideout, it had not been easy, he had
been looking for six hours, but he had managed to track her down, he had
inspected the garage at Logan's, found the tire trail of Max's bike, and decided
which way she would go if she had to from there if she was being chased. He
would get in, get her out, and they would be together, and that would be the end
of her little stay in Seattle, refusing his orders to leave.
*******
The lead Red entered first, he took out his
MP5, and scanned the area, some metal cases were in evidence, as well as two
parked vehicles, a BMW X5 and a Pontiac Aztek. Two motorcycles, a
Harley-Davidson T-Sport, and a Kawasaki Ninja 650 were also there, but no X5s.
He signalled for his men to check the area, including all the rooms, he saw one
room with a light, and moved to investigate, he entered, then saw something at
the corner of his eye, and the man he had seen before stepped out of the
darkness.
"How ya doing, huh?" Robert said as
he fired a slug out of his shotgun into the upper chest of the Red, knocking him
over, spilling his guts out. He brought the butt of the shotgun down hard,
smashing the Red's skull open.
The other Reds wheeled about, they saw their
leader dead, and a tall man standing over the body, brandishing a shotgun.
Before they could react, another man appeared, not as big, but certainly lethal,
as he brandished an H&K UMP .45.
"I was wondering when you fucks would
show up." Jon said as he opened fire, tracing a line of bullets that
stitched across two of Reds, dropping them.
Robert wasted no time, with precise aim he
fired his shotgun twice more, dropping a Red, with its chest and throat
exploded. Jon aimed once more, and blasted the Red's that were struggling to
rise from their wounds, killing them.
The remaining three Red's returned fire, but
Robert and Jon dove out of the way. One of them rushed into a back room, he saw
the targets, but before he could act, they attacked.
Max moved with fantastic speed, and delivered
a pair of kicks that knocked the Red back. The Red threw a punch, but she caught
it between her hands, deflected it, and dislocated the wrist at the same time.
Andrea proved just as lethal as she ran up behind the Red, and planted a kick
into the spine, which drove him forward, and leapt up, delivering both feet to
the head, knocking him over, Max similarly brought her elbow down, knocking his
head flat against the floor. As he rose, he saw Logan, his pistol was drawn,
Logan funnelled all the rage he had that the Red's would have the audacity to
try and take Max away from him. Logan fired seven times from a Colt M911A,
emptying the entire clip as seven .45
rounds shattered the Red�s skull.
The last two Red's had moved to engage their
targets in hand-to-hand combat, but Robert and Jon were outdoing them easily. As
the first one attacked Robert, he led with a fist, but Robert avoided the blow
with ease and delivered a pair of hits that cracked several of the Red's ribs,
he could hear them crack, and a fist that smashed the Red's nose. The Red swiped
with a vicious left, but Robert caught the arm at the Red's side, and brought
his leg up to deliver a kick to his chest, then head, driving him back. Under
the same momentum, he delivered a roundhouse kick to the back of the Red's head,
that smashed him down, he pulled his pistol out, and delivered a shot to the
back of his head.
Jon proved equally deadly with his opponent,
no sooner had they started their bout, Jon leapt up and delivered a kick that
smashed the side of the Red's head, knocking him down instantly. The Red grabbed
Jon's leg and pulled him down, but he easily leapt to his feet as the Red got
back up, and delivered two hits that smashed the Red's face in, mashing his lips
and breaking his nose, he spun behind the Red, grabbed his head and neck, and
snapped the Red's neck. Still holding the Red he drew a knife and slashed the
neck open, making sure the Red never got back up again, those adrenaline parcels
could be hard to stop sometimes.
"Is this thing dead yet?" Jon asked
as he stood over the corpse.
"I'd say so, but you never know�"
Robert said as he shot the Red in the back of the head.
*******
He looked in, the two men who had been
tracking him earlier stood around six dead bodies, discarded weapons were
everywhere, and they didn't look hurt. He used his enhanced hearing, and picked
up on their conversation.
"Check on our guests, make sure they're
alright, these fucks thought they could walk off with them, after all we did to
track them down, they think we would just let them go?" The taller one said
to his companion.
"Alright, but we may want to move the
bodies, this sort of thing may look suspicious�" The other one said. They
nodded, then walked off to other rooms.
Damn,
they've got Max, and Andrea, why couldn't those two just play by the rules, they
should have known that this sort of thing would get them caught. Zack
thought as he dropped down silently into the garage.
*******
That
little punk thinks he's gonna snatch Max and Andrea? Not my lifetime, or Jon's. Robert
thought as he waited in the shadows for the X5 to appear, he had sniffed,
detected the scent, and just nodded to Jon,
he had the scent as well, and they immediately changed the focus of their
situation.
Dammit,
where are they? Zack thought as he looked into several rooms, he saw a light on, and
investigated, as he stepped in, a strong arm grabbed him, and pulled him back, a
knife was pressed against his throat.
"Think you're gonna grab those two,
forget it dipshit, not while I'm around." The voice from behind him said.
"We'll see about that." Zack said as
he elbowed the man in the chest, kicked his knee, and twisted out of his grip.
He followed up with a kick that caught the big man's chin, but failed to move
him, impossible! Zack thought as the
man responded with a fist that connected, and threw him against the wall.
"You really thought you were going to
hurt me?" Robert said with a quick laugh as he moved in on the blond kid,
preparing to finish it.
"Robert! Stop!" Max said as she saw
him about to move in on Zack. He stopped, and looked at her puzzled.
"This is Zack, he's the leader of the
group, the one I told you about." Max said as she stepped between the two,
Zack was already in a defensive stance.
"Max, who is this guy?" Zack said,
keeping his eye on Robert.
"Zack, this is Robert, another Manticore
project, the Tracker program, they were made to find us, he's rejected Lydecker."
Max said, hoping to stop the two from attacking each other.
"Max, this guy could be turned by now,
how do you know he isn't here for recon?" Robert said, as he circled, but
Max kept herself between them.
"If he is turned, so am I, he's our
leader, Lydecker has only had him for six weeks, we were trained to resist
interrogation at Manticore. He'd have called in for a Tac team by now, and the
other X5's to come grab us." Max said, trying to prevent Robert from
crushing Zack's head like a paper cup.
"Max, how do you know Lydecker hasn't
sent him to capture you, he was chasing me tonight, and his friend, what makes
you think he can be trusted?" Zack said, circling, but Max kept herself
between them.
"Because I have defended her three times
from capture now, twice from these Red Series, once from Manticore, I hate
Lydecker. I saw what he did to you kids, beat you down, put you through combat
exercises, my friend and I tried to break you out, but we failed. We've made it
our mission to protect you kids from Lydecker, we've foiled his search squads
many times now, I can also absorb and deal out punishment on a level you could
never dream of." Robert said as he eyed Zack.
"This is ridiculous, Max, who do you
trust, mystery man, or your CO?" Zack said, not pleased with what was going
on.
"You're not her CO, you're a fucking kid,
I've seen combat, eight years of it, I was a member of Delta Force, I'm one of
the most capable fighters in the world. I am the one who should be watching you
kids, it is my responsibility, you're a poser, you were trained as a child, I
was trained in battle. I will defend the escaped X5 kids to my death, you're a
child pretending to be a soldier, I am one, so leave her alone." Robert
said, it was almost as if he was goading Zack into attacking him.
"Zack!" Andrea
exclaimed as she walked into room, she ran up to him, and hugged him.
"Robert, what's going on?" Jon said,
Logan and Bling were behind him, wondering what was going on.
"It seems that kid we were tracking last
night is an escaped X5, who conveniently escaped Lydecker recently." Robert
said as Jon eyed Zack.
"I see, do we have proof he escaped, or
is he just doing some recon for those X5's we sent packing?" Jon said as he
kept an eye on him.
"He claims to be the leader of the X5
group, and considers himself their CO, pathetic isn't it?" Robert said.
"That kid? I wouldn't give him command of
a platoon of potato peelers!" Jon said as he looked at Zack.
"I'm the one who took the responsibility
to plan the escape that night, I seem to recall you two not even getting one of
us out, let alone twelve." Zack said as he broke from Andrea's embrace, and
maintained a defensive stance.
"Why you little piece of shit�"
Robert said as he took a step towards him, cracking his knuckles until Jon
grabbed his arm, knowing what Robert was intending on doing.
"The point is moot, considering six of
your fellow escapees failed to elude Lydecker, what's that say about your skills
in maintaining discipline amongst your soldiers?" Jon said, cutting Zack
off from goading Robert any more fights.
"If you three will break this up, can we
get back to what our real problem is right now?" Max said, hoping to stop
Robert from killing Zack.
"Alright, if your so-called CO is telling
the truth, good, one less kid under Lydecker's control, but if he's lying, I
will make sure your pseudo-CO�s death is slow and painful." Robert said
as he dropped his fists.
"Now that's that settled, what should we
do about those seven bodies in there?" Max said, wondering what Robert had
planned.
"Take the bodies and dump them in a
ditch, throw some of my napalm tricks on them, and walk away, and get back here
fast, take Zack and Andrea with you, the X5's are surely on the prowl."
Robert said as he grabbed some body bags.
"What do you mean X5's, what the hell are
you talking about?" Zack said, wondering what Robert was talking about.
"Hey dipshit, what do you think happened
to all the kids that didn't escape, that's right, they are under Lydecker's
control. They tried to snatch Max and Andrea last night, we stopped them,
consider it a favour." Jon said as he put one of the bodies in a bag, and
zipped it up.
"Don't dwell on it now, just help bag the
rest of the corpses." Robert said as he stuffed another body in a bag.
Robert and Jon stuffed the rest of the bodies in the black bags, and loaded them
into the back of his SUV, and
gave Max five napalm devices.
"They should have a high enough
temperature to destroy the implants, get there and back fast." Robert said.
As Max, Andrea, Bling, and Zack left, riding
off in Jon's SUV, Robert moved over to Jon and Logan, and told them to it was
time. They moved into a back room, with a chair and bed, he motioned for Jon to
sit on the chair and Logan to lie down.
"This could be uncomfortable, and there
is slight risk of death, but minimal, are you sure about this?" Robert said
as he got out the transfusion equipment.
"Just do it, I want my life back."
Logan said, preparing himself for the transfusion.
"Alright, Jon, hold still." Robert
said as he set up the transfusion, and started the process.
The blood started to wind it's way through the
tube, and then started entering Logan's bloodstream. The reaction was not much
at first, but Logan was definitely feeling something about twenty minutes into
the transfusion, and he could sense something, the feeling in his legs
amplified. With this sensation came pain, great pain, but he gritted his teeth
against it, and held on. He felt a burning sensation, but it was also in his
legs, his feet, his toes, it hurt, but he could get a feeling in his lower half,
and he started to move his toes. The pain intensified, and he held on, but
sometimes just barely, an hour passed, Max had arrived back thirty minutes ago,
but Robert and Jon were discussing things with her, Andrea, and Zack, while
Bling kept an eye on him. He would thank Robert and Jon for this immensely once
it was over, walking again would bridge the last gap between him and Max.
*******
"So what you're telling me is that there
are at least 3 of our brothers and sisters are here to hunt us down?" Zack
said as Robert and Jon laid out the situation.
"Unfortunately yes, I have reason to
believe that even more are on their way, with Lydecker's tactical teams as
support. We have no idea what numbers we may be facing, we'll protect you, the
military has garrisoned every checkpoint, there's no escape. It would be best if
you laid low, I have no idea what Lydecker may employ to find you." Robert
said as he leaned back.
It was also his first chance to actually
observe Andrea, Jon had suggested the liaison, and if those geniuses at Alex's
genetics lab ever found that rejecting gene,
he was set. She had long black hair that fell to her upper back, a light
complexion, but not pale with brilliant green eyes. Her figure was trim and the
lines of her body were well defined, with full lips. she's not at all hard to
look at Robert thought.
"We can evade them, and be in Canada in two days, there's no way they can cover all of the territory, we'll slip through the cracks, and never turn back." Zack said, but he knew from the look as Max heard what he said, she would never go along.
"No, I'm not leaving, I didn't before, I
won't now, find someone else to be your soldier Zack, because I'm not." Max
said, Robert smiled, he knew she would never bend her will to Zack's orders, he
could tell.
"I'm not giving you a choice here, you're
coming with me this time, Lydecker won't stop from getting you this time, and
I'm not taking the fall for you." Zack said as he rose up.
"I'm restoring that choice, she'll stay
here under our guard, I can protect her, the X5's can't hurt me, I'll smell them
coming ten miles away, they'll walk into a trap, if they come calling."
Robert said as he rose and brought himself to his full imposing height of two
meters, his muscles on his arms tightened, and he looked prepared to fight.
"You're not an X5, we take care of our
own and this is not your concern." Zack said as he turned to Robert and
faced him.
"I'm making it my concern, Max stays here
if she wants, not because of what you tell her and the same goes for
Andrea." Robert said, making his point clear.
"You're going to get them all captured
and turned into lab experiments, allowing them to stay here." Zack said.
"I don�t have time to discuss this, we
have to plan here, if we don't send Lydecker packing, he'll consider Seattle his
stomping grounds. He'll come back hunting for X5's anytime he feels like it, the
X5's that are looking for you will continue to pursue, unless we send them a
message." Jon said as he got up, and pushed Robert and Zack back in their
seats.
"What message is that, I'm not going to
kill any of my brothers and sisters, not ever." Max said as she looked at
Jon.
"Of course not, we beat a couple of them
up, waste a few Tac team members, and suddenly Seattle looks very
inhospitable." Robert says.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but
I'm wondering what might happen to all my friends, is there anywhere we can hide
them?" Max asked, wondering what Jon and Robert had thought of.
"I already have taken care of that,
I have some sector passes are in my SUV, I'll take all your friends over
to Logan's cabin, including Normal, he may spill if Lydecker lays the hurt on.
They can hold up there until this is all over, I'd like to spend some time there
and �reassure Kendra that it's gonna be alright, but you might not see me for
days." Jon said, but Robert smacked him across the head as he grinned.
"I think not my friend, that's not in my
mission parameters." Robert said as he warded off Jon's return blow.
"Ah well, hey Max, would you mind filling
in for Kendra while she's gone, I'm open to the possibility�" Jon said.
"Fill this." Max said as she stood
up, faced him, and kneed him hard in the groin.
"Why do women always do that, does no on
around here appreciate my sense of humour?" Jon said as he doubled over,
but shunted the pain away.
"Maybe because you're arrogant, a
sex-crazed soldier, and a drinker." Max said as she sat down.
"Hey! You just listed some of my best
qualities!" Jon said as he sat down.
"Why do you hang out with this guy?"
Max said, looking at Robert.
"I'm not entirely sure myself, I do
apologise though, he almost always hits on beautiful woman, despite prior
connections. He's usually better behaved than that, Let's just say as long as he
is around, your genetically engineered body could be a burden." Robert said
as he looked at Jon.
"I see, just remember this for next time,
dick-for-brains." Max said as she looked at Jon.
"Let's try and get some rest, Jon, go
pick everyone up, and try not to get to hung up with Kendra, or I will hang you
up." Robert said as everyone got up.
As everyone was on the way out, Robert grabbed
Zack, and pulled him back in the room.
"I don't know who you think you are, but
you're going to do things my way if you're going to stay around, and stay away
from Max." Robert said, holding Zack's shirt.
"What do you mean, stay away?" Zack
said, wondering if he had actually made his intentions with Max known.
"My acute sense of smell allows me to
detect the mood changes, pheromones are released if your mood changes. I've
managed to determine you think you can get something going with Max, you leave
her alone, she and Logan are together now, you are not going to do anything to
disrupt that, is that understood?" Robert said.
"Great, a fucking bloodhound, let me go,
Max doesn't know what she's doing, she needs someone like me, not that
cripple." Zack said, grabbing Robert's arm, but it was like gripping a
steel clamp. Robert lifted him up in the air, and spoke.
"Listen to me you piece of worthless
poser shit, Max knows exactly what she's doing, she's trying to escape Manticore,
and live a normal life, you may want to consider it. If I catch you laying one
finger on her, or hurting Logan, I will snap your neck like a twig, you
understand that shithead?" Robert said.
"Understood, I can follow orders, unlike
some who should know better." Zack said, and Robert dropped him.
"See that you follow those, and we will
get along, otherwise, I'll risk Max's displeasure on a sibling dying."
Robert said as Zack walked out the door.
*******
It was now four hours into the process, the
pain had subsided, and his legs were coming alive. He could move them, not much,
but his mobility with them was improving by the minute.
"How is he doing?" Robert had ducked
into the room, Max, Andrea, and Zack were swapping stories about their lives
outside of Manticore, so he deemed it a good opportunity to look in.
"He was in a bit of pain for the first
few hours, but he seam's to be getting his legs back now." Bling said.
"I'm more than alright, I can move!"
Logan said as he moved his legs, they were actually moving now.
"It seems the blood transfusion has taken
effect far faster than I imagined, that should bode well for you my
friend." Robert said as he looked at Logan move his legs.
"Wait a minute, let me try
something�"Logan said as he swung over, and stood up, he held his
balance.
"Impressive, I never thought a simple
blood transfusion would have such powerful effects, our healing abilities must
be better than I thought." Robert said as Logan took a few steps, shaky,
but he took them.
"It could take another hour for you to
totally regain your mobility, I suggest you take it slow, I'll check back in an
hour." Robert said as he ducked out.
"I can't wait, this is the best feeling
I've had in my whole life." Logan said as he took some more steps, but he
was more shaky, and decided not to venture any further, and made it back to the
bed, lying down, waiting for it all to come back.
********
Shortly after Jon got back from dropping
everyone off, Robert noted a bit of lipstick on his jacket's collar, but said
nothing, and suggested they spar a bit for practice. Robert and Jon had cleared
out an area in which to spar, next to the various weight machines and workout
equipment, in what was typically a large storage room. Max and Andrea had
decided to watch the two, while Zack worked away at a punching bag, releasing
his anger upon it. The two friends wore T-shirts and shorts, allowing for
maximum mobility, the shirts bulged under the incredible muscles that the two
had, they had always kept fit, and the Tracker DNA made sure their muscles never
lost tone. Robert and Jon each had a tattoo on their right arm, Robert had a
picture of a lone wolf howling at the moon on his arm, it was incredibly
detailed. Jon had the symbol for Delta Force on his flesh, it was of similar
detail, with a hawk in the centre of it.
The two of them first bowed, acknowledging
each other's skills, than began, Max saw how the two would balance out though.
Robert had superior physical strength, and his reach was also superior. Jon was
no slouch though, he moved faster than Robert, and it followed with a certain
grace that allowed him to outmanuver Robert, they began.
The two friends�s circled each other, for a
minute, until Robert moved. He moved quickly, stabbing in with a right, but Jon
blocked the blow, and angled in with his own right, but Robert sidestepped the
blow, and kicked him in the side, hard. Jon was knocked to the left, bringing
him into line for a one-two combination that smashed him in the chest, but he
retaliated quickly. His own foot came up and landed a vicious blow across his
right cheek, smashing him down, Jon then brought his elbow down, smashing him in
the chest. Robert leapt up with ease, despite the blows received, and blocked
the next three blows, he returned with his own, but they were also blocked. The
two of them fought for several minutes, few blows actually connected, most of
them were simply blocked, or avoided, until about five minutes into the fight,
all hell broke loose. Jon feigned with a right, but instead leapt up and
delivered a roundhouse kick that smashed Robert in the side of the head, sending
him down on the mat, hard. Robert leapt up to his feet, and caught Jon while he
was still landing with a solid kick to his chest, that blasted him to the other
side of the mat. Robert charged, but Jon side-stepped at the last minute and
kicked back, catching Robert in the small of his back, driving him forward, he
then stabbed out, aiming to nail his leg, and bring him down. Robert did not
intend to give Jon that possibility, he spun away from the blow, and when Jon
turned to track his target, all he felt was a gust of air as a fist blasted him,
sending him flying across the room, to far side of the mat, he then used the
incredible strength in his legs, leapt there, and nailed him with a blow that
slammed his head back down onto the mat. Jon shunted the pain away with a
technique he had learned in Delta Force, and scissor-locked Robert's legs and
yanked him down, and slammed an elbow into Robert�s chest. The two leapt up,
and continued their sparring. The fight lasted for some time, until a timer
rang, indicating twenty minutes were up, and they stopped, shook hands, and
walked away from the centre of the sparring area.
"Doesn't that tire you two out, you've
been kicking the shit out of each other twenty minutes, does pain mean anything
to you?" Max asked, she was wondering how those two kept up that constant
rhythm without losing it due to pain.
"We were shown techniques in Delta Force
that shunt away pain, it's quite handy. our physical endurance was legendary
when we were in Delta Force, our healing abilities prevent us from suffering
broken bones, dislocated bones, and such." Robert said as he and Jon each
grabbed a beer out of a cooler, popped the caps, and chugged a third of the
bottle.
"I see, you were using a lot of moves
I've never seen, is it some sort of privileged info or what?" Max said,
wondering what those two knew.
"It's our own form, we both know many
forms of hand to hand combat, but we learned to integrate the best moves into a
single method of attack, it�s proven quite useful over the years. Jon and I
could give you a few pointers with it, it could prove to be useful the next time
you run afoul of the evil triplets." Robert said, referring to the group
that had accosted them the night before.
"Would you mind, I'd like to stay out of
Manticore, I'm sure Zack and Andrea would concur." Max said.
"No problem, just a minute though."
Jon said as he and Robert finished their beers.
They motioned for them all to move into the
ring, and Robert began by showing the various blocks you could employ to stop
any type of attack. Jon started to show the various blows and their effects as
he and Robert did mock combat in slow motion to demonstrate the moves. Max,
Andrea, and Zack picked up on it, Zack was a bit slow, he had followed up after
his bout with the punching bag with
some heavy weightlifting, but he was still ready for a fight. They continued for
some time, honing the manuvers, Zack decided to take a break, Max did also, Jon
said something about working on his BMW X5, leaving Robert and Andrea there.
"Care to test what you've learned?"
Robert said as he stood there, he looked at her again. He observed every part of
her, and took it in, hiding his admiration at her beauty. Standing at about
5'10", her long black hair pulled back into a ponytail so she could move
more freely, her hair shimmered as it moved, producing a near hypnotic effect.
Her legs were long and shapely, her breasts were well defined under the
skin-tight workout outfit she wore, the lines of her body were also defined at
nearly every point. Her face was roundish, and her full lips, green eyes, and
small nose, all made her face quite beautiful. He maintained the poker face that
he had used to clean out dozens of fellow players in the military, and kept his
expression neutral.
"I don't see why not, just promise me you
won't go all out, I can't quite take what your friend can." Andrea said as
she moved into the standard combat stance.
"Of course not, just remember, your
greatest asset is your speed, use that, and your opponents will have a hard time
touching you." Robert said as he moved into position.
"I'll show you what we X5's can do."
Andrea said as she grinned and attacked.
She moved with fantastic speed, speed that he
couldn't match, landing four hits, driving him back, but he quickly reset and
lashed out with a fist that she danced away from with superior speed. They
continued, Robert landed few hits, but the ones that did connect did damage, no
bones broke, but she had some serious bruises when the sparring was finished.
"You're a pretty quick study, my CO
wouldn't have balked to bringing you on board for Delta Force." Robert said
as he wiped his sweat off with a towel.
"I would imagine, you fight pretty well,
you may not be that fast, but you know how to block and avoid hits, and absorb,
that's got to be handy." Andrea said as she stretched. Robert caught a
brief glimpse of her firm behind, but he averted his eyes elsewhere.
"It is, I've been shot countless times,
it hurts, but I can shunt the pain away, I studied under the best, I can block
any blow aimed anywhere at any angle. I'm going to go help Jon with his SUV, he
said something about working on it." Robert said as he pulled on a fresh
shirt, Andrea saw his bulging muscles and six-pack, but said nothing as she sat
down.
He
is handsome
Andrea thought as Robert walked off into the garage, Jon had his SUV raised up
on a work platform and was working on something under it intently. She knew
nothing could ever come of it, until Robert could remove that faulty gene that
made his genetics reject X5 with a vengeance.
Why
must I be doomed to do this all my life? Ah yes, because you fucked up saving X5
a long time ago, therefore it�s all your fault. Besides, even if your
attraction to Andrea is mutual, its no good for her, and you know it. Robert
thought as he walked away.
******
"I'm going to go check on Logan, let me
know if you need help with that." Robert said as Jon worked on installing a
new axle, the old one was worn.
He came into the room, and Logan was standing,
walking, not holding on to anything, and he seemed to be enjoying every minute
of it.
"I see you're enjoying your new-found
freedom?" Robert said as he walked in.
"I can bet you feel like I did when I
started walking again, that feeling of invulnerability, that you can survive
anything?" Robert said, knowing where Logan was coming from.
"Damn right, I can't believe your healing
abilities are so effective, I can feel every part of my legs, my feet, my toes,
full mobility." Logan said as he marvelled at his regained mobility.
"I couldn't quite believe my limits when
I started to enjoy my new-found status as a superhuman soldier. My genetic code
is what will stabilize the human genetic code, with it disease research and
injury restoration will experience a quantum leap. Until I can end Manticore,
and what it produces, I will keep quiet, god knows what Lydecker would do if he
knew I was still alive." Robert said as he marvelled at what Jon's blood
had done in the course of a few hours.
"I would imagine, what now, I've got my
legs back, should I worry about any adverse affects?" Logan asked,
wondering what could come of this transfusion.
"Not likely, your spinal cord has been
fully restored, your leg muscles have been brought to full power, and toned up
pretty well, our healing genes do quite a bit of work in that area. You should
feel somewhat of an energy boost, for our blood will most likely stimulate your
body to peak energy levels, I'm sure you'll find some way to burn it off."
Robert said.
"I will, this is the best feeling I've
had in my life, ever." Logan said as he smiled as he walked.
"Will your blood do anything about the
rest of my person or what?" Logan said, wondering if he had any other
things to worry about.
"Unfortunately not, our ability to
regenerate in that area is directly handed by our genes, blood is not involved
at all." Robert said.
"I do know what you're talking about
though, why don't you let Max marvel at your return to the land of the walkers,
or is this going to be some sort of surprise?" Robert said.
"I intend for it to be a great surprise,
can you help me on that account?" Logan said.
"I believe so, how about a rooftop
dinner?" Robert said.
"That would be great, can you make sure
we're not disturbed, I want this to be a surprise for her, can you find me a
good bottle of pre-pulse wine?" Logan said, preparing a great surprise in
his mind for Max.
"I can do better than that, I have one, I
was keeping it around, you'd be surprised how much a bottle will go for on the
black market. I believe I have all the requisite supplies and food here, for one
of your culinary delights, but it's about six in the morning now, that's a long
time to prepare for dinner." Robert said, pointing out the flaws in Logan's
plan.
"I guess, but I can wait, it'll be worth
it seeing the expression on her face, in the meantime, I best be keeping up
appearances." Logan said as he eased back into his chair, and wheeled out,
Bling was dozing in the corner.
He wheeled out, and Robert followed, he headed
to his computer, looking to find out more on what they were facing. Max leaned
over his shoulder, gave him a kiss, than kept going, and started to work on her
Ninja 650.
The day was spent in different ways, amongst
the small group. Robert and Jon worked on his SUV, replacing the axle, and
checking the all the parts, making sure it would perform under stress. Robert
did an oil change on his T-Sport, and loaded it with the best motor oil he had
managed to get, Max borrowed some of it for her Ninja, as they worked on their
cycles. Jon spent a fair amount of the day tampering with his guns, checking
magazines, and working on adapting a newer, larger magazine for his H&K UMP
.45, hoping to expand the magazine to double-stack length. Robert spent much of
his time dedicated to crafting some new explosive devices. He crafted eight
small pieces of explosives, that when attached to the lock piece of a door,
would blow it out, allowing one access, it could blast through a steel door, he
had said. He worked on upgrading the power in the grenade rounds for Jon's
M-203, doubling the power, and similarly did some work crafting a flash bang
that would allow them to use distractions to escape. Robert and Jon sparred
later on in the day, practising the combat moves they did, and went at it for
quite some time. they both admitted that it was a deadlock thirty minutes into the fight, hits were always
countered, blows that would end the fight were always avoided or blocked,
leaving the two decidedly even in the match.
Max
and Andrea sparred against each other as well, Zack held himself aloof, training
on his own, not working with Robert or Jon, or even Max and Andrea.
Logan scanned through his hacks, local
military convoys had stepped up, a large military base had become Lydecker's
base of operations, he had brought over 150 men with him, and according to
transfers, five more X5's were coming in to join the hunt. He informed the
group, but Robert assured everyone that there was no way the X5's were even
close to finding them, he and Jon could smell an X5 ten miles away, and they
detected no trace of them. As the day wore on, tension mounted, wondering if,
and when, the X5's would come to take Max, Andrea, and Zack back.
********
"What do you mean you can't find
them!" Lydecker said, infuriated that his kids couldn't track down the
escaped X5's.
"We can't find them, they have moved
anyone who knows much about them away from the city, we have no solid leads, and
they are covering their tracks well." Jack's voice emanated over the phone,
his kids were required to report in on the hour, and they had found nothing to
date.
"I don't care, find those kids, do it
now, before they get any more help, if these kids slip through our fingers, it
will be on your heads, remember that." Lydecker said as he hung up the
phone.
**********
It was now evening, Max was talking with
Andrea, Zack was still working out, Robert and Jon were off walking the streets,
looking for a scent, a trace of the X5's. Logan was pleased that he had worked
up another culinary masterpiece, roast duck, with a mix of spices that would
excite one's taste buds. He had quietly sneaked the food up to the roof, and a
small music player, to set the mood for the dinner. He couldn't wait to show
Max, she would be thrilled that he was finally back on his own two feet.
"Max, would you join me on the roof? I
have a surprise." Logan called down.
"I'm coming!" Max said as she broke
off her conversation with Andrea, explaining away that she wanted some time with
Logan.
Andrea understood, and envied Max that she had
someone to be with, she wondered if Robert would ever come around not
fucking lightly. That boy's about as disturbed as they come, he's violent, he's
got a bad past, and he's definitely not into a relationship mood right now, will
he ever realise that he needs to be with someone? Andrea thought, wondering
about the possibility between her and Robert.
*************
Max came onto the roof, Logan was sitting
there, smiling that ridiculously handsome smile of his, Max thought as he
ushering her over. The dinner was set out on a small table, and there was
candlelight, a soft symphony played in the background. It struck Max, it was
Sibelius, the very music that Logan had been playing in the car during the whole
most wanted situation with her face plastered all over Seattle.
"I have a surprise for you, sit down,
I'll be right back." Logan wheeled away, behind the stairwell access to the
roof.
Max sat there for a minute, listening to the
soft tones and music of the symphony, until she felt a presence behind her,
probably Logan she thought, she turned around. It was Logan alright, but all she
saw was his chest, she looked up, there he was, standing, not leaning on a cane
or crutches, he was smiling, Max rose up, but he still stood much taller than
her.
"I can't believe it, is this a
dream?" Max said, wondering how this could have happened.
"It's no dream, it's real, Jon gave me a
blood transfusion, his blood healed me, his remarkable healing abilities can
heal mere mortals as well." Logan said as he pulled her towards him, and
kissed her forehead.
"I can't believe it, that self-serving
son of a bitch did something for you, for us?" Max said as she wrapped her
arms around his neck and kissed him.
"Hard to believe, but true, he's not as
bad as he sounds, he did this for me because he's been in a chair, he knows how
useless I felt. Robert pointed out that Tracker blood could heal me, and Jon was
a universal donor, the pain I felt as his blood healed me was horrific, but I
absorbed it, I lasted so I could be standing here, now." Logan said as he
kissed her back.
"The only downside to this is I'll
actually have to thank that jackass once we're done here, but I think you're
walking will compensate enough." Max said as she pulled him into a
passionate kiss.
"Just say thank you, walk away, and if he
suggests you repaying him in a certain way, let your knee be the judge."
Logan said as he smiled at her.
"I'll try and remember that, but one last
thing, you absolutely have to do this if we're going to keep going on like
this." Max said as she looked into his eyes.
"And what would that be?" Logan
said.
"Dance with me, now." Max said, and
Logan smiled and obliged her, he pulled her close, they wove through a dance,
Max finding comfort as her head rested on his shoulder as the two held on to
each other.
It was some time later that they actually
stopped to eat the dinner that Logan had prepared, but the air was warm, so the
food had not cooled. They smiled at each other throughout the dinner, Max got up
as they finished, and came over to Logan's seat, and sat in his lap.
"I ought to kick your ass for not telling
me you've been walking all day." Max said as she kissed him fiercely,
re-igniting the passion they had shared other nights.
"I wanted it to be a surprise, I can't
tell you how long I've waited for this day." Logan said as he returned the
kiss, he stroked her back, and she stroked his hair as they held the kiss.
"Which part?" Max said as she
grinned at him.
"Does it matter?" Logan said as he
kissed her neck, then worked his way all over her face, and wrapped his lips
around the soft flesh on her ear, and caressed her sides.
"Logan, I love you." Max said as she
wrapped her arms around his neck and buried herself in him.
"I love you to Max." Logan said as
he picked her up, and he walked
back down to his room, cradling her in his arms, she kissed him on the way. As
he set her down on the bed, and the two ignited into a fit of passion that would
rival none other that either of the
two had ever experienced, no one would doubt the words they had just shared
earlier. Clothes were removed from each other in a rapid fury as they started
their lovemaking, tearing clothes off each other, to get to the soft flesh
underneath. They continued for hours, exploring each other's bodies, caressing
every part, making love for them this time was different, they were finally with
the person they truly loved. After a long time, they tired of it, and feel
asleep, still wrapped in each other's arms, and as they slept, they smiled, they
finally had found the one person they wanted to spend the rest of their life
with.
*********
"I can't believe it, those kids are
either running from us, or they're fucking ghosts! I can't smell them at
all!" Robert said as he and Jon walked, searching for the X5's.
"My friend, perhaps we are looking in the
wrong places." Jon said as they turned the corner.
"I doubt it, those kids would be
searching for Max and Andrea like crazy, wait! I have a scent!" Robert
said, he took in a deep breath, and found the focus of his search.
"I smell it too, let's check it
out." Jon said as he and Robert started running, catching onto the scent.
Their search ended rather quickly, after a
five-minute run, they found the X5's, but they also found about thirty of
Lydecker's men, all armed.
"Lay down your weapons and tell us where
the X5's are, and we may let you live." Were one of the X5's words, but
Robert and Jon paid them no mind.
"I doubt that, how bout we kick your
sorry asses all the way back to Manticore instead?" Jon said as he looked
at the group assembled before him, but saw no threat in his eyes.
"Consider the odds against you, you
fools, you have no chance of survival." Said the same X5, but neither
Robert or Jon cared to pay the warning any attention.
"Yeah, well I'd like for you all to have
a philosophical discussion with my friend here on that subject." Jon said
as he pulled out an FN FNC from his trench coat, Robert drew his H&K UMP
.45, they levelled the weapons at the troops, and just before what would be a
massive gunfight broke out, Robert stopped for one final comment.
"Tell Lydecker that the Tracker's are
alive and kicking, shame you won't once we're done." He said as he levelled
his submachine gun, and fired.
********
"Repeat again, Alpha leader."
Lydecker said into his radio. He heard the sounds of gunfire, and men screaming.
"I repeat, these men said the Trackers
are alive, what does that mean?" The man reported as he returned fire with
his MP5, but failed to hit anything.
"This changes everything, shoot those men
dead, and empty clips into them, they will survive extremely heavy gunfire, so
don't stop until they are dead! I am rerouting two more Tactical squads to join
you, hold out until they arrive!" Lydecker said, not believing that the two
men that had actually survived the Tracker program were still alive.
"Copy sir, but it's only two� AH!"
The radio clicked off, the leader was dead obviously.
Dammit,
I thought I had buried this a long
time ago, those two should be dead! They'll waste my Tac squad, they're the ones
helping the X5's, I will have to bring in more men, those are two most dangerous
men alive out there, and I don't have anyone that can match them. Lydecker
thought as he called in more units to aid the squad.
They
had better get there soon, or I'll have a pile of dead bodies on my hands, and
two men that want me dead, and fully capable of performing the task. Lydecker
thought.
