"We shouldn�t be discussing this,
Robert probably doesn�t know what he�s picking up." Logan said as he
attempted to dodge the question before him.
"He sensed my feelings pretty well
earlier, he�s been picking up on the emissions of others for many years now,
he knows what he is picking up from us. Before you even bring up the fact that
he might be jerking our chains for some fun, think about it, is Robert the kind
of person who would get a laugh out of that?" Max inquired, coming closer
to him come on Logan, out with it, what do
you really feel for me?
"I don't think that with the South
Africans, the possibility that Lydecker saw you in that police drone footage,
that this is the best time to discuss the subject, can't we let this sit for a
while?" Logan said as he continued to work away at his computer, dodging
the issue, but failing to deflect it.
"Logan, this issue has been between us
for months, when will it be open for discussion, when Manticore shuts down and
America becomes a superpower again?" Max said, not satisfied with Logan's
answers.
She's
got you Cale, go for a professional relationship, you can't hold her back with a
cripple like yourself, you're no use to her. Even if she did want you, you
can�t be with her, you�d do nothing but bog her down, and break her heart if
she was forced to leave Seattle, because she can�t you in chair slowing her
down every step of the way.
"Max, we shouldn't be having this
discussion, we have been telling people that the relationship is professional,
which is what it is, can we drop this please?" Logan said, with a hint of
pleading in his voice, hoping to deflect Max off it before she got hurt. This
little bastard thinks he can hide it, well let's see!
"Logan, we've been denying what has been
building up between us, we both know it. I don't need Robert's sense of smell to
tell you have more than friendship-type feelings towards me, what is it going to
be sir Eyes Only?" Max said, trying to elicit a response from Logan, as he
evaded the questions.
"We shouldn't involve ourselves, a
relationship between us can't work, our business relationship and friendship are
intact, why should we risk that?" Asked Logan, making one last vain attempt
to guide the issue away from them, but failed as Max shot him a look saying
I�m-not-buying-that-bullshit.
"Because we're going to lose it if we
leave it alone, do you think that this go on between us and not explode if we
don't deal with it." Max replied, still working to bring out Logan's
feelings.
"There may be something growing, but we
should leave it be, the relationship is doing fine as it is, and you don't need
to involve yourself with me, I'm dead weight to someone like you." Logan
sighed as responded, wanting the relationship, but could not admit it, he
couldn't stick Max with having to deal with his handicap.
"Is that goddamn hunk of metal the
problem?� Max asked glaring into his eyes.
�For fuck�s sake, YES! I can�t tie you
down with the fact that I�m stuck like this, you�re better off without
me.� Logan snapped back, furious of his injury and slammed a fist down on one
of the chair�s armrests.
�The only reason I�m tied down with you is
because I fell in love with you.� Max snapped at him and then covered her
mouth, shocked at what she had just said. Shit, why did I have to say that?
�You don�t mean that.� Logan said,
hoping she had just said that as a mistake.
�Like hell I don�t, and I�m pretty sure
this is mutual.� Max said standing up and looking right down at Logan.
�You�re not thinking clearly, take it
easy.� Logan said putting a hand on her right arm.
�I�m not taking it easy until I get some
answers, look at me.� Max snapped at Logan and batted away his arm, he looked
away, but Max grabbed his chin with three fingers and hauled his face up to meet
hers. It is out in the open now, I can�t ignore what I said, and I can�t
let Logan say nothing.
�Look into my eyes, right here, right now,
Logan, what do you feel about me?� Max said, glaring into Logan�s clear blue
eyes. Logan gulped and looked into Max�s chocolate-brown eyes, and took a deep
breath. She�s willing Cale, but you�re only going to hurt her, but it
will hurt her even more when she realises what she�s done.
�Max, given half a chance, I would, but it
can�t work.� Logan said resigning himself to be hated it�s better this
way and you know it.
�I�d say it was more of a full chance, because you figure being half-mobile is holding us back, quit thinking that.� Max replied, not giving up.
�You�re making a mistake, one of these
days you�re going to have to leave Seattle, and you know I can�t come with
you, it will break your heart leaving, and if you stay you�re caught, you are
making a mistake choosing me.� Logan said trying to send Max off the issue.
�Maybe I should just ask Robert to beat some brains into you, look at me, RIGHT NOW.� Max snapped at Logan, and kept his eyes staring at hers.
�What do you want me to say?� Logan asked,
his tone even.
�I want to know right now, what you feel for
me, and no more bullshit about you being no good for me, either you tell me, or
I walk out of here, and you never see me again, you won�t see Robert either to
do your dirty work, so start spilling.� Max said as she put both hands down on
the armrests of Logan�s chair and started fury into his eyes.
�Fine, I love you Max, is that what you
wanted to hear? I love you more than I�ve ever loved anything in my life, is
that what you want to hear come from my lips?� Logan replied as he composed
himself, and let it go.
�What did you expect me to want, some
jewellery you could buy with your money or some stupid lobsters for dinner?�
Max replied swiftly as she leaned down.
�I never thought you would fall all over me
because I can display wealth, I know you better than that.� Logan replied as
Max leaned over Logan, her faces mere inches from his.
�So what�s the dealio now, where do we go
from here?� Max asked as she continued to lean over Logan, placing her hands
on the chair�s armrests.
�Wherever you want to.� Logan replied, a
smile started to creep onto his lips as he stopped chewing the piece of gum he
had been working on for the past half hour.
�In that case, there�s something I�ve
wanted to do since we met.� Max replied as a smile started to creep onto her
lips.
�Did it involve us being closer than
normal?� Logan asked as he gently pulled Max down as she sank into his lap.
�I think it had something to do with
that.� Max answered as she pushed herself so she straddled his chair, and
their faces were a mere inch apart.
�Why?� Logan whispered.
�Why what?� Max asked as she let her head
drop and lean against his shoulder.
�Why did it take us so long to get to this
point?� Logan replied as he gently stroked her back.
�We�ve been too stupid?� Max offered as
she wrapped her arms around Logan�s neck and pulled back to face him.
�I�d claim more responsibility there than
you should.� Logan answered as he gently traced a finger under Max�s chin.
�Don�t, I screwed up just as much as you
have.� Max said and caught his chin with her hand and lifted it up.
�So what do we do now?� Logan asked as he
stroked her dark hair as their eyes met and locked.
�This.� Max said quickly and kissed him.
Max felt a shock go through her, feeling the
anxiety that had been building between them since they met released into the
kiss, satisfied that the moment had come at last.
Logan allowed it, he even returned it as his
hands fumbled to hold on to Max to make sure she didn�t fall of the chair, and
enjoyed the taste of Max, then realised he was missing something.
�Can I have my gum back now?� Logan asked
in a polite voice as he grinned and he saw Max chew the piece of gum she had
taken out of his mouth.
�Come and get it.� Max replied as she
grinned and kissed him again.
�So, I take it things aren�t the same
anymore?� Logan asked as he gently stroked Max�s hair.
�Definitely.� Max answered as she let her
head slink down and rest on Logan�s shoulder.
"It�s not something we just dismiss
when we admit our feelings for each other, this does change the entire
relationship between us, we can't still keep things the way they were from now
on." Logan said, fathoming what had just happened.
"That�s cause the old way was a bitch,
this way is better." Max said, and kissed him again, hard, and kept it
going, pushing her tongue into his mouth and noticed something seems
he hasn't lost all mobility below the waist, still functions like a man.
Logan felt her touch his back, then wrap her
hands around his neck as they kissed, he fumbled for his wheels, and pushed
towards the couch, trying to get somewhere more comfortable. As he pushed he
returned the kiss, and felt her move her hands down his sides, and across his
chest, ever so softly.
He pushed them to the couch and Max got off
the wheelchair, seeing that Logan didn�t need to put his chair through a
torture-test, and pulled him onto the couch, and they continued for a long time,
barely pausing to breath.
*********
I
wonder how those two made out, I'll find out later, for now, I'll ride, need to
get a better sense of the city anyways. Robert thought as he went through the streets
and alleys of Seattle, twisting and turning, sensing faster routes, and taking
them, adapting to the layout of the city. He rode for a while, then stopped at
Crash, the only place he really knew. It was also the only place where he knew
the people who frequented it feared him, so he didn�t have to worry about
dealing with any fights.
"Well look who just came back, two meters
of army white boy, wonder what he's up to." Original Cindy said as she saw
him walk in, people noticed him, it was kind of hard not to notice him, he
ordered a beer, than sat down at a table, alone.
"So he's grabbing a beer or two, so what?
As long as he doesn't come over here and do to me what he did to that bouncer
last night, I'm happy." Sketchy said as they looked at him, then resumed
talking.
"Dat man, he is not open to the teachings
of da lord, he brings the devil around him, and Herbal don't like that, the man
has some dark thoughts." Herbal said as he spouting his biblical wisdom,
but as Sketchy looks at him,
Herbals words are accurately portraying
Robert�s dark mood.
"Max said he was in the military and got
treated badly, and he probably did do some fighting, maybe some demons of war
are riding him or something?" Sketchy offered, trying to cover Robert, he
seemed all right to Sketchy, provided you didn't provoke him into fighting.
"Army or not, Original Cindy does not
trust that man, but Max seems to, and that's good enough for now as long as he
doesn't kill anyone." Original Cindy said, not sure about Robert, but Max
was all right with him, which seemed to good enough, and Sketchy, Herbal, and
Kendra nodded their heads, agreeing to it.
Well,
at least I don't have to worry about the Jam Ponies prying, they seem to trust
Max about me, and I don't need more people rifling through my past. Robert
thought, little did Max's friends know, his super-sensitive hearing had picked
up their entire conversation. He was pleased that he wouldn't have to deal with
more inquiries into who he actually was, or what he was, those alterations
sometimes made him feel no longer human. After a few beers, he got up again, and
left, the alcohol might have affected some, but his body broke down alcohol once
it went past his mouth. He didn't get drunk anymore, he quite literally couldn't
become intoxicated, even after once consuming a bottle of 90% alcohol Jamaican
rum, it was partly a blessing, he couldn't blurt out the dark parts of his past.
He got back on his bike, but noticed that the van the Red�s rode in was
heading right at him.
The van stopped, and seven men got out, three
Red's, four other men, all carrying Ingram MAC-10s. Damn, that's too much firepower to absorb what to do? Robert
thought, and then acted in his usual deadly manner.
Moving at his absolute top speed, Robert
picked up a trash can top and hurled it into a soldier's face, knocking him
over. He then pulled one of his knives out and threw it into the other soldier,
sending it right through his neck, he clutched the blade, choked, then fell
over. The Red's were obviously under strict orders to terminate on site, and
began shooting at Robert. He caught a fair amount of fire, but the Red�s and
hired guns were some of the worst shots Robert had ever seen, so most of the
fire whizzed by harmlessly.
�Anyone here like playing with fire?�
Robert asked as he threw one of his small inferno devices at the enemy group.
The results were somewhat horrific, two Red�s and the other two hired guns were covered in the flaming liquid, which burned them horribly, and Robert knew it was killing them. The last Red had dodged the spitting liquid and flame, but Robert dealt with the Red in his usual manner. He charged right into the Red and smashed his opponent down, before the Red could try and get back up, Robert�s right foot snapped up and slammed right back down again, snapping the Red�s neck and crushing it�s esophagus. Robert probed his wounds, his jacket had survived the volley with no holes, but his shirt was once again torn and bloodied, while his pants had a similar torn and ripped appearance with blood splashed on them.
No wonder I spend more on clothes than on ammunition. Robert mused as he mounted his bike and sped off into the night again, cursing that he was never free of fighting.
Robert arrived at Logan's building, but
instead went to the one next to it. He
went the to the top of the building, and using some rappelling equipment he had
kept from his Delta Force days, and got to the roof of Logan's penthouse.
He looked in, and there they were, Logan and
Max curled up in each other's arms on the couch sleeping. Well, it looks like those two took my advice, romantic advice from a man
who never really knew love, well how bout that, maybe I'm not so useless besides
kicking ass, but let's not push it. Robert thought and reminded himself that
anyone who had his senses could have detected what was going on. Best
be leaving those two alone Robert thought as he went over to another set of
skylights near the guestroom. He silently opened and shut them as he rappelled
down, it would seem impossible for someone of his size to remain quiet, but he
had been trained well for Delta Force. He slipped silently into the guest room,
and booted up a laptop that he had brought with him, and used a net link to
access Logan's connection, and browsed through several message areas, and
continued his search come on Jon, where
are you? I know you're out there, say something for fuck's sake, just do
something! Robert thought, he had been looking for Jon for five years, he
searched for him with his nose, But to no avail on any lead. Jon had been in
that city a month ago, six months, always the trail was cold, and no one knowing
where he went. Robert knew one day he would find him, but his patience was
wearing thin. Jon had a deep sense of duty to defend the country like Robert
did, so side-stepping Logan's security, Robert tapped into Logan's information
network, and searched for Jon, looking for violent disturbances, trying to
ferret out his location. After searching for thirty minutes, Robert gave up, and
loaded a program that erased any evidence of his accessing Logan's files and net
links, not wanting to show what he was looking for. He decided it was time to
call it a night, and went to bed, falling to sleep almost immediately. It was
the height of irony that Robert could sleep after taking life without remorse,
his sins never reached his mind, to him they just represented a data point in
his files on defending himself and X5, and before that his country.
**************
Max opened her eyes and looked at Logan, he
was still sleeping, their mouths had barely broken contact for thirty straight
minutes, after she had first tasted Logan and enjoyed her first real touch with
him, while their hand explored each other�s bodies. They had talked and held
on to each other, than drifted off into sleep. Logan was now opening his eyes,
and he looked into Max's with those nice sexy blue eyes of his, I love
looking into them.
Logan saw Max and what he had defined as the
most singularly beautiful face he had ever seen, and they were both glad they
had finally taken the relationship where it had meant to go.
"I must remember to thank that bloodhound
for pointing out what we felt for each other, his words are what kick-started
all of this, I can't say I'm disappointed." Said Max as she kissed Logan
again, and stroked his spiked hair.
"I'm not exactly complaining either, and
we do owe Robert our thanks, he did give it that final nudge, so here we are, I
can't say I haven't waited for this." Logan said as he smiled at her,
kissed her back, and stroked her dark hair, his hands playing with the silky
curls.
"I don't know about you, but I have to
work tomorrow, and I haven't slept at all for three days now, I'm going to go
home and sleep, but I will see you tomorrow." Max said as she got off the
couch and gave Logan a farewell kiss before she pulled on her leather jacket and
left the apartment.
Well
Logan, you've done it, you've now won Max, and she doesn't care if you're stuck
in that chair for the rest of your damn life. Logan thought as he cursed his predicament, a
blown out spinal cord dropped him another ten notches below Max�s perfect
level in his mind, the difference had been worlds apart before he had been shot.
"How am I supposed to get out of this damn chair, Max
said it doesn't matter, but I still want out!" Logan muttered as he got
himself back into his wheelchair and wheeled to his computer, making one last
check of the night.
That's odd, I don't remember entering
these search parameters Logan thought as he tapped away, looking to see what
had happened to his information network. A net link was made, searches were done, then the person tried to cover
his tracks, it must be Robert, but what is he searching for? Logan looked
for a few minutes, then went to bed, best
be ignoring it, Robert's not doing any harm, and he's gone to great lengths to
hide it, leave him alone. Were Logan's thoughts as he got in to bed and shut
off the lights, and listened to the sounds of his own breathing until he dozed
off.
************
Nighttime, dreams, everyone dreamt that night,
but different dreams. Robert saw himself walking back home in Colorado, with
Jonathan, to their homes, with actual girlfriends, a normal life, Manticore was
gone, and the kids were safe, this has to be a dream, I�ll never know such
peace.
Max
dreamt of Lydecker finding out she was still in Seattle and she had to leave
everyone, including Logan, and then found out Lydecker had killed them all
interrogating them, she woke up in a cold sweat.
Logan dreamt of walking again, having a house
outside of the city, living his life with Max, having children, it made him
smile in his sleep. As the next day began, everyone a little unsettled with
their dreams, wondering, hoping, praying they became reality in the cases of
Robert and Logan, praying the dream would not come true in Max's case as she
mused over the nightmare that had turned her stomach.
As the next day began, no one would be quite
ready for what the day would hold for them, or what it could mean after it was
over, new factors were coming to play now, and the upcoming events could prove
disastrous if they were not handled carefully...
End
Part Five
