Just another rainy night in Seattle. At least, that's what everyone else thought. To Max, it was one of the worse nights of her life. Her mood matched the weather as she rode her motorcycle through the murky, soaked streets. She had been heading back to her apartment, but at the last minute, had decided that she needed more time to think and had taken her bike in a different direction.
She thought back to the events earlier in the evening. Max couldn't believe Logan couldn't understand her need to have her own apartment. As much as the idea of moving in with Logan sounded appealing, she needed her space. The apartment that she shared with Original Cindy gave her the space that she so desperately required. She had to admit, she had not handled his proposal well.
Logan had quite innocently asked Max to move in with him. He had pointed out that she stayed there most nights anyway. Max had got nervous. That was the whole cause of tonight's argument. She had never been in a relationship like the one she had with Logan. It scared her to have such intense emotions about someone. She could see in his eyes the fear that he felt every time she left his apartment.
Rather than show Logan how frightened she was, Max had accused him of being possessive and trying to keep her in a fancy cage. Her voice had been so shrill that she had barely recognized it. Logan had seen right through her protest, but resented being accused of trying to trap her. After a short yelling match, Max had stormed out of the apartment and ridden off into the dreary darkness.
Now that she had calmed down, Max realized that if she had just reasonably discussed with Logan why she didn't want to move in with him, he would have understood and given her more time. She would go over there in the morning and apologize to Logan. He needed time to calm down as well. Once she explained everything he would forgive her for her childish outburst.
As Max rode down the street, the lights casting shadows over the wet roads, she looked up in time to see a pickup truck run a stop sign. The last thing she saw before sinking into unconsciousness was the driver - Ames White.
Logan hung the phone up. He couldn't find Max anywhere. She should have reached her apartment by now. It was bad enough that he couldn't get hold of Max, but having to injure the rant from Original Cindy was wearing him down. He knew that he had handled the whole evening badly. He didn't need Original Cindy to tell him that.
Logan knew as soon as he had blurted out the works 'Move in with me', that he had approached the idea the wrong way. He felt certain her reaction had to do with her childhood at Manticore. If he hadn't let his hurt pride get in the way, then they could have talked it through. They might have found a way for Max to get past her fear.
It was driving Logan crazy not knowing where Max was. He had an uncomfortable feeling that something had happened to her. His nerves were wound so tight that he jumped out of skin when the phone rang. He knew it wasn't Max. Max never called after they had an argument. She stormed into the apartment once she had given him time to cool down, then they talked and then they made up. This was one of those times Logan would have loved his instincts to be wrong. It wasn't Max. It was Sam Carr.
"Logan, can you get down to Metro Medical right away." Sam sounded nervous. "There's been an accident. The police are asking a lot of questions."
"I'll be right there." Logan slammed the phone down and grabbed his jacket. Thoughts of what might have happened to Max were racing through his head. Sam had said that there had been an accident. Logan knew how recklessly Max rode her motorcycle, but he also knew that the bike was her pride and joy. She would never do anything to damage it.
Logan made his way to the hospital as though he were on automatic pilot. It wasn't until he reached the hospital that he noticed the increased number of police patrols out tonight. Making his way through the corridors, Logan finally found Sam, who waved him into his office.
Sam shut the office door behind him. "Thanks for coming so quickly. It's Max. She was hit by a pickup when she was heading home." When Logan started to ask questions, the Doctor held his hand up to stop him. "Let me tell you everything I know so far. An eye witness says they saw the pickup actually aim for Max. Then the driver got out of the truck cab and climbed into a waiting car and drove away. The real driver of the truck was brought in about twenty minutes before Max. D.O.A. I'm not going to lie to you Logan, she's in bad shape. I managed to stop the internal bleeding, but she got a number of broken limbs. I barely recognized her when she was brought in, she was such a mess. I'm sorry. The next twenty four hours are critical." Sam didn't know how to break the next piece of news to his friend. "She lost the baby, Logan. I'm not sure that Max will ever be able to have children again."
Logan was stunned. "Baby? I didn't even know Max was pregnant. Hell, I don't think she knew herself." He struggled to pull himself together. "I want to see her."
Sam nodded. "Of course. I should warn you though, Logan. Max is in traction and she's pretty banged up. It'll be a shock to the system when you see her." Words could not describe what he was leading Logan to see. The Doctor himself had been stunned speechless when he realized who the young woman was that had been rushed into emergency.
Logan didn't care what Max looked like. He just needed to know that she was alive. However, he couldn't hold back the gasp of horror when he saw the battered, bruised and bloodied figure in the bed before him. "Max?" He sat beside her bed in a chair Sam had, had brought in for him. More than anything in the world he wished that he could take back the fight they had earlier. For now he would settle for Max opening her eyes.
"White." Max murmured, straining to open her eyes. "White was driving the pick up." The harder she tried to open her eyes, the more she felt as though someone was pushing them shut. Finally she managed to crank her eyes open. She felt exhausted, even breathing was an effort. "I can't move. What's wrong with me?" Panic settled in. The terrified look on Logan's face wasn't easing her fear.
Sam stood at the other side of the bed. "Max, you're in traction. You also have internal injuries. It's going to take some time for you to heal. Anyone else would have died on impact. You're lucky to be alive young lady." He was about to mention the loss of her baby, but caught the look Logan shot him. They needed to get Max out of danger before they broke that particular piece of bad news.
Sam felt out of his depth with Max's condition. A normal person wouldn't have survived a truck running over them. He had no idea how quickly her genetically engineered body would heal or if she would end up a quadrapleadric. "I think we should get Jessica in to look over your medical charts, Max. She has a better idea of the make up in your DNA. I don't have the genetic expertise that she does."
If Max had been able to shake her head at that moment, she would have. It all made sense now. She had been wondering why White hadn't finished the job. "No. That's what White wants. He knows my sister would come running to help me. That's the only reason he let me live." She shifted her eyes to look at Logan. "Promise me you won't bring her to Seattle. Promise me you won't go after White." She had seen that stubborn look on Logan's face before. "Logan. Promise me."
Logan begrudgingly made the promise, but only to calm Max down. He sat with her until she fell asleep and then went outside the room to speak to Sam. "How long before Max can be moved." Logan had promised not to bring Jondy to Seattle, he hadn't made any promises about not moving Max to San Francisco.
Same shrugged his shoulders. "I'm honestly not sure with Max. The next twenty four hours are critical, but it's a good sign that she had been awake and talking. What does this guy White want with Jessica?"
Logan ran his hand over his tired face. "Nothing good. I'll get a copy of your notes on Max's condition to Jondy so that she can recommend the next move. I'll give Original Cindy a call and get her down here. I don't want anyone I don't know in that room with Max. I'm guessing White doesn't know that Jessica doesn't live in Seattle, so he probably has people watching the hospital."
Sam understood. "It's your call. I'll do what I can, but I'm way out of my league on this Logan."
"I know." Logan appreciated his friends honestly. "I realize I'm asking for a miracle, but I happen to know a certain redhead that seems to specialize in miracles." He grinned with more confidence than he felt.
Logan watched over Max until Original Cindy arrived at the hospital. Once she got over the shock of how serious Max's condition was, Cindy took over watching Max while Logan made a few phone calls. She wasn't used to seeing Max so weak and helpless. It was a jolt to the system seeing the feisty brunette hooked up to machines, monitors and tubes.
Jondy had been getting an uneasy feeling all night. It had hit her about an hour after she had started her shift at the bar. It had been so busy that she hadn't had a chance to check up on her siblings to make sure everyone was alright.
"Jess!" Nigel called out to her from the other end of the bar. "Phone call for you." He held the phone out for her. "Sounds like that guy Logan. Is he a new boyfriend?"
Jondy chuckled at her boss' question. "No, he's my sister's boyfriend." She waited for Nigel to go back to serving customers before answering the phone. "What's wrong with Max?"
Logan was taken aback by Jondy's greeting. "How did you know something was wrong?" Realizing he still had a lot to learn about the X5's, Logan dismissed his own question. "I need your help. Max has been in an accident." He hesitated to label what had happened to Max, an accident.
"What did White do to her this time?" Jondy could tell from the tone of Logan's voice that it hadn't been an accident. The fact that Max hadn't phoned herself and the uneasy feeling Jondy had been getting, meant that Max was in a serious condition.
"He ran over her in a pick up truck." Logan felt the rage boil up inside of him. "I'm going to send you the Doctor's notes on Max. Sam feels a bit over his head. He doesn't know how quickly Max will heal or what won't heel."
"I can be there in a few hours." Jondy knew that Julia would look after the children and Nigel would understand her need to be in Seattle with her sister.
"No." Logan tried not to yell down the phone. "Max thinks that 's why she's still alive, because White wanted to ensure he could catch you. He's seen how close the two of you are."
"What do you need." As much as Jondy wanted to ignore Logan's protest, she knew it would be useless being in Seattle if White caught her. She would be no help to anyone if that happened.
Logan breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, first of all I need you to look through Sam's notes. As soon as it's safe, I want to move Max to San Francisco. If we can't get you to Max, maybe I can get Max to you. We think that White probably has people watching the hospital, so the sooner I can get her out of here, the better. Original Cindy's keeping an eye on Max while I'm out of the room, so I've got that base covered at least."
"Sounds as though you've got everything covered at the moment." Jondy had never felt so useless in her entire life. "I'll give you a call as soon as I've looked through Sam's notes. Let's just hope our Manticore genes work in Max's favor. As much as I hate to suggest this, we may have to get Lydecker's help."
Logan didn't want to be away from Max any longer than necessary, even if Original Cindy was watching over her. "Thanks Jondy. I'll wait for your call. Bye." He jammed his cell phone back into his pocket and went back to Max's room.
Original Cindy looked up as Logan walked into the room. "She's still sleeping. That Doctor friend of yours is even keeping the nurses out of here." She was too afraid to even hold Max's hand incase she hurt her. "What's the plan?" She had a sneaking suspicion of who Logan had been talking to. "Is Sister Girl coming to the rescue again?"
Logan lent against the wall next to Max's bed. "It's too dangerous for Jondy to come here. I'm working on getting Max to her. I'm not sure how, but what I am sure of is that it's not safe here for Max either."
Original Cindy wasn't surprised. Ever since she found out that Max was a genetically engineered soldier, very little surprised her about her friend. "You don't know if Jondy can fix things this time, do you?" She didn't have time to get an answer as Max opened her eyes. "Hey sugar, about time you woke up. Now what's this I hear about you having a fight with a pick up truck?"
Max managed a smile. "I'd laugh but it hurts like hell at the moment." Unable to turn or move her head, she couldn't see Logan. "Where's Logan?" Max began to panic. "He's gone after White hasn't he?"
"I'm right here, Honey." Logan moved over to the bed so that Max could see him. "I promised I wouldn't go after White. I'm not going anywhere."
"Apparently, neither am I." Max tried to joke, but she was petrified. Not being able to move was a new experience for her and not one she wanted to get used to. "Normal's never gonna believe this excuse for more time off work. I had to flash my surgery scar the last time."
Original Cindy tried to sound upbeat. "You leave Normal to me. I've got your back Boo. I'm pretty sure you can get a Doctor's note this time around. Don't make a habit of it though."
Max smiled at her friend. "I can honestly say, I have no plans to have anymore arguments with trucks." She was happy to have Original Cindy and Logan with her.
Sam walked into the room and beckoned Logan. Once they were outside the room, Sam kept his voice low incase anyone was watching and listening in. "I have all of Max's records in this envelope." He handed the envelope to Logan. "Max is going to need a lot of help, but I don't want any of the nurses involved. Do you have any people you can bring in?"
Logan nodded. "I'll call Sebastian and see if I can borrow some of his team. Max's boss is going to want a Doctor's note. If you write one out, I'll drop it off. I don't want to send Max's records over an unsecured line, just in case White is tracking any outgoing calls, faxes or emails."
"Good call." Sam looked over his shoulder making sure that they didn't have any unwanted spectators. "We need to tell her about the baby Logan. She has a right to know."
"Not yet Sam." Logan dreaded having to explain to Max that she had been pregnant, lost the baby and there was a good possibility she wouldn't be able to have anymore children. "I'll tell her once Jessica's called me back about Max's medical records. I'm sort of hoping for some good news to soften the blow of the bad news."
Sam patted him on the back. "Fair enough. I've gotta go. I have other patients to see. I'll be back later."
Logan dialed a number on his cell phone. "Sebastian. I need a favor."
An hour later Original Cindy was dragging Normal into Max's hospital room. She pointed to where Max was laying. "There. Now you can quit bip, bip, bipping at me. My girl ain't going anywhere, least of all on a bike delivering packages for your sorry ass."
Normal walked up to the bed and looked down at Max. "Well, this is certainly one for the books. This is the first time any of my employees has dropped a truck on themselves to get out of work." He nodded hello to Logan who was sitting by her bed.
"Yeah, well you weren't buying any of my usual excuses, so I came up with a new one." Max joked back. "I might be off work for a week or eight."
Normal smiled kindly. "I don't know how we'll cope without you, but I guess we can manage. I'd better get back and make sure those morons haven't blown the place up." He gave Max a quick wave. "See ya when you get back." He walked out with Original Cindy right behind him.
Max stared up at Logan. "Why don't you go and take a break. The only time you've left this room is to make a phone call or to talk to Sam. Take a break, I'm not going anywhere."
Logan didn't want to leave Max alone. "I'll take a break later." His emotions ranged between rage at White and guilt for the argument he and Max had, had. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you into moving in."
Max was close to tears. "It wasn't all your fault. I didn't mean to yell at you, it's just you took me by surprise. I guess I got scared."
"You need more time." Logan understood. "I realized that as soon as I put aside my dented pride. We have all the time in the world." He looked up when Alec walked in. "What are you doing here?"
Alec tried not to show how horrified he was at Max's appearance. "I stopped by Joshua's. He's pretty upset that you haven't been by to see him, so I caught up with Original Cindy at work this morning. She said you were in here."
"Well since you're here, you can sit with me while Logan takes a break." Max issued orders despite being unable to move. "Logan go and get some sleep."
Reluctantly Logan agreed to let Alec stay with Max. He kissed her gently on the forehead and left the room. "I'll be back soon." He seriously doubted he would be able to get any sleep. At least he could arrange for Max to be moved to San Francisco.
Letting himself into his apartment, Logan quickly set up a secure line and faxed Max's medical records to Jondy. He phoned Bling to let him know what had happened and then jumped in the shower. As the hot water pelted down on him, Logan prayed for a miracle. He had known what it felt like to be confined to a wheelchair. He knew Max couldn't live like that. All he cared about was that Max was alive, but Max wouldn't see it that way. He could tell that Max was thinking of the possibility that she might not be able to move again, when he looked in her eyes. If he could stop that possibility becoming a reality, then he would move heaven and earth to do so.
He had only just got out of the shower when his cell phone rang. Recognizing the caller ID he smiled. "Hey Jondy. Did Max's medical notes come through alright?"
Jondy had just sent her adopted daughters off to school and Julia and Kera had both left for work. She had spread the faxed pages over the floor so that she could get a good overall picture, as well as keep an eye on her twins who were in a nearby playpen. "Yeah. I'm looking through them now. Max doesn't know about the baby, does she?"
Logan cursed himself for not warning Jondy about the baby, but he was still struggling to deal with the news himself. "No. I didn't think Max was in any condition to find out that she had been pregnant and lost the baby."
"Good call." Jondy would have done the same thing. "I'll need a second set of X rays done tomorrow to be able to judge Max's progress. As soon as I have those, I'll be able to vie you a more definite answer. If we are able to move Max, it will have to be by air."
"I guess I can track down a helicopter, but the trouble will be finding a pilot that can't be brought or threatened by White." Logan was already going through possible contacts for a pilot in his head.
"That's the easy part." Jondy smiled to herself. "Just call Krit. He can fly anything that has wings. It's his specialty. I think he's between jobs at the moment, so you'll have to try his cell phone. Also I'm going to need some of that equipment that you have stored in the back room."
Logan heard his apartment door open and saw Bling walk in. "Fax me a list and I'll ask Bling to drive to San Francisco with what you need." Bling was already nodding that he would help. "Jondy, from what you can see from the pages I faxed through, will Max be able to move any of her limbs by herself?" Logan needed to be able to give Max some hope.
"At this stage, I'd rather not say Logan." Jondy needed to know if Max's genetically engineered body was going to start repairing itself. "Would it make a difference?"
Logan didn't even have to think about his answer. "Not to me. You know how much I love your sister, Jondy. I just want her in my life, I don't care how."
"As soon as I get the second set of x rays and notes, I'll let you know what to expect." Jondy knew it would take a while for Max to fully heal, just as she knew her sister would never fully recover if she didn't have Logan's support. "I'll fax the list through for Bling immediately."
Logan felt a sense of hope for Max. "I'll be at the hospital if you need anything. Thanks Jondy. I knew we could count on you." He said good bye and hung up his phone and went to get dressed. By the time he returned, Bling was reading through the list that Jondy had faxed.
Bling waved the list at Logan. "I'll load up the van straight away. If I leave first thing in the morning, then I can help Jondy set everything up so it's ready when Max arrives."
Logan was grateful for his friend's help. "Thanks. I'm heading back to the hospital once I've picked a nurse up. Sebastian offered the assistance of one of his people. He said that he'd send her straight to the hospital, but I don't want to give White an opportunity to get one of his people in there."
Bling was aware of White's exploits. If they gave the deranged man the slightest chance he would use Max to get to Jondy. "You need anything else?"
"Not at the moment." Logan grabbed his car keys and his jacket on his way out the door. He wanted to get back to the hospital and passed on Jondy's instructions to Sam.
Max got fed up of staring at the ceiling and the painkillers were starting to wear off. "I think I'll get Joshua in here and get him to paint one of his originals on the ceiling."
Alec had his feet propped up on her bed. "I could call Asha and ask if she has any kinky photos of Logan. I can paste them on the ceiling for you." He couldn't help teasing Max. It was a habit.
Max rolled her eyes. "Nah. If Asha actually had those sort of pictures, I'd have to kick her ass. Given the fact that I'm more or less chained to this bed, it could be difficult to follow through on my threat."
Alec chuckled to himself. "I'd love to see that fight though. Asha might just give you a run for your money if the prize was Logan. Still Logan would never accept her as anything more than a friend."
Max moved her gaze from the ceiling to Alec. "What makes you say that? They have a lot in common, even more now with me paralyzed in this bed."
Alec was not about to let Max feel sorry for herself. "For starters, you are not going to stay in that bed. You're too stubborn to give up this easy. Secondly, Asha wishes Logan would give her half the attention and lovey dovey looks that he gives you. You and Logan fought too hard to get together to just give up and let White win."
Max looked at Alec suspiciously. "Have you been talking to Jondy recently?" His speech had sounded remarkably like something Jondy would say.
Alec beamed at the mention of Jondy. "Yeah, I spoke to her. She said Ben and Tinga are using the furniture to help them stand up. That's sort of early for babies to start trying to walk isn't it?"
"Could be they've inherited their mommy's genes." Max wondered if her sister knew about her accident. "You're not falling for my sister, are you?"
Alec shook his head. "It's not like that."
Ames White glared at the soldier before him. "What do you mean she hasn't shown up? Her sister is in intensive care. Have you checked all visitors and nurses going into her room?"
"Yes sir." Captain Grant was beginning to think White had gone insane over the redhead transgenic. "Only one Doctor is allowed in the room and her husband. She had had three visitors but none of them are X5 210."
"What's the status of X5 452's condition?" White started to pace. It didn't make sense. One of the main patterns in the X5's behavior was their loyalty to each other. Jondy and Max were rumored to have been especially close.
"The hospital refuses to release that information Sir." Captain Grant had been surprised himself at how quickly security had been placed around the X5 woman. "I tried saying I was family but I was told that all of her family had already been informed of her condition." He wasn't sure how to phrase his opinion so that he wouldn't get an explosive reaction from Ames White. "Begging your pardon Sir, but her people seem to know that you've set a trap for X5 210."
White stopped pacing. "If you're right, then her so called husband and friends are probably part of the medical team. I want them identified immediately." He would not be made a fool of. Certainly not by a transgenic freak.
Sam sat in his office the next day. The results of Max's tests and x-rays lay on his desk. She had already begun to heal. He had given the results to Logan as soon as they had come through so that he could forward them to Jessica. He had never seen anything like this before. Sam had, had patients that had recovered quickly, but not like Max was. The only draw back seem to be that Max was in constant pain. Her body was fighting to maintain it's previous state against her brains wishes. As a result, Sam had kept her sedated more often than he would have liked to.
Inside Max's room Logan was frantically trying to find a way to get Max out of the hospital without alerting the men White had in the reception area and surrounding the building. He had managed to get hold of Krit the evening before. Asha had managed to commandeer a helicopter and although Krit wasn't happy about it, she would get him and the helicopter to the hospital as soon as Jondy gave the ok. Logan had noticed that someone always seemed to be watching the room. Afraid that it would put Max's friends in danger, he had sent word via Alec for them to stay clear of the hospital. He wished that Jondy would hurry up and call him. The sooner they got Max out of the hospital and to a safer place, the happier he would be.
Sam walked into the room talking on his cell phone. "I have her sedated at the moment, but she could come out of it at any moment. Are you sure about that?" He was concerned, but knew that his caller had more experience with what she was contemplating doing then he did. "Alright, I'll put him on." Sam handed the phone to Logan. "It's Jessica."
Logan frowned. Why hadn't Jondy called him on his cell phone. "Hey. What's up?"
"Well the battery on your phone is dead for starters." Jondy was inpatient to get her sister moved to safety. "Krit has just informed me that Asha is picking him up and taking him to a helicopter as we speak."
Logan knew that Jondy and Krit didn't trust Asha, but he knew they would both push their distrust aside for their sister. "Look, I'm sorry about the phone. As for Asha, I needed her help and despite your obvious dislike of her, I do trust her."
Jondy was not convinced that Asha's involvement was a good idea at all. "Be ready move Max within the hour. Alec will get Joshua to the helicopter. Keep Sam and Sebastian's nurse out of the loop as far as where Max is going. It will be safer that way."
"I know." Logan felt an extra burden loaded onto his shoulders of being peacemaker between Asha and Max's siblings. "Why do you need Joshua?"
"He soaks up information like a sponge." Jondy had already thought everything through. "Because of that, he will be able to help with Max. His safety is important to Max. It will ease her mind if he is here with us."
"Fair enough." Logan trusted Jondy's judgment. She had come through often enough for him. "I'll have to find a way to get Max past the man White has watching the room. I don't think he knows he's been made yet."
"Be careful." Jondy warned. "Max will never forgive me if anything happens to you. There's a chance the sedative will wear off before you get her to San Francisco. Just bare with her, hold her hand, recite poetry, I don't care. I don't want to have to treat her for a drug addiction as well as treating her injuries."
Logan was confused. "Weren't you trained to deal with pain? Isn't that just another emotion that makes you weak, therefore you're expected to push it aside?"
"Pretty much." Jondy sounded so blasé about the whole discussion. "I'll see you soon." She cut the connection and looked around the room that she was standing in. All of the windows had fogged up. "Oh God. Not now." This was no time for her to got into heat.
White stared out of his office window. It had been the perfect plan. X5 452 had been frequently sighted riding her motorcycle on a particular street. All he had, had to do was wait. The pick up truck had been a last minute change of plan, he had meant to use his own car. Having seen the two X5 siblings race to each others assistance previously, Ames had been positive X5 210 would drop everything to be at her sister's side. The only explanation was that Captain Grant was correct. The X5's knew what he was planning. An alternate conclusion suddenly struck him. He had foolishly assumed that X5 210 was living close to her sister. If that wasn't the case after all, then the injured X5 could be relocated to where her sibling was.
White snatched up the phone and pressed a speed dial number. "Grant! Where is X5 452 at this precise moment?" He snarled down the phone.
"They just took her to x ray sir." Captain Grant grew alarmed at the tone of White's voice. "The set they took this morning weren't clear enough. Is there a problem sir? I do have a man posted outside the x ray department."
"Send him inside." White already sensed that he was too late. "I want him to be one hundred percent sure that she is on the x ray table. Send a man to the roof as well. I don't want there to be any chance of escape." Slamming down the phone, he cursed himself for not planting himself in the hospital. "If you want something down right, do it yourself."
A few minutes later the phone rang. "Well?" He hissed down the phone. "Where is she?"
"She's gone Sir." Captain Grant wished the earth would open up and swallow him whole at that moment. "Private Rogers sighted a helicopter leaving the roof as he got there. The girl's Doctor claims the man posing as her husband insisted she be moved to another hospital, but wouldn't say where."
"Idiot!" White bellowed down the phone. "I gave distinct orders never to let her out of your sight. She could be anywhere. Get your men back to base. I'll have to circulate descriptions and photos of X5 452 to all of the hospitals. I seriously doubt that she is heading to a hospital though."
"They may be heading out of the country sir." Captain Grant replied hopefully.
"No." White had a good idea what was going on. "X5 210 may not be situated in Seattle, but she is still in America. She's close enough to be reached quickly if she is need." The X5's had made a fool of him and if it was the last thing he ever did, he would get revenge. Nobody made a fool of Ames White and got away with it.
"Mom!" Belinda Saunders called to her adopted mother. "They're here. The helicopter's just landed." She jumped when she turned to find Jondy standing right behind her.
"So I see." Jondy smiled at the young girl before her. "Could you please go and find Bling and let him know. "We may need his help to get Max out of the helicopter." She waited for the helicopter blades to stop before she moved towards it. "So how was your trip?" She teased Max.
"The flight was ok, but the service is lousy." Max was gritting her teeth against the pain. "Although this steward here with the glasses was incredibly friendly." She tried to make light of the situation. "Joshua. Are you ok?" She had been worried that her canine friend was starting to look a little green from the flight.
"Joshua fine. More worried abut little fella." He patted her head incredibly gently. Joshua had been as shocked as the others to see Max in such a fragile state. "Time to get out?"
Krit appeared beside Jondy with Asha behind him. "Yeah Joshua. It's time to get out. Want to help me with the stretcher again?" he kept himself busy to avoid showing how aggravated he was at Asha's presence. "Sorry Sis, she insisted on coming to make sure I didn't damage the helicopter. At least that's why she says she's here." He whispered so that only his siblings could hear the reason for Asha's presence.
"Don't worry about it." Jondy led the way to the room she and Bling had set up for Max. "Alec phoned to say he's bringing Original Cindy here for a day or two. We'll leave them to deal with Asha."
Bling, Jondy, Krit and Joshua carefully moved Max from the stretcher onto the waiting bed. Logan stood aside, worried that he might be in the way. Asha frowned at the fogged up windows. "Is it really humid in this room or something?" It was strange, she didn't feel as if the air was humid.
Logan looked to see what Asha was talking about. "Oh hell. When did that start Jondy?" he knew it couldn't be Max as they had been through this last month. After two days alone with Max in heat, Logan had barely been able to walk for the next day and a half.
"This morning." Jondy knew the timing was bad, but this wasn't something she had control of. "Leeza!" She called to the Swiss girl she had adopted. "Could you please take everyone to the living room for coffee and something to eat, while I check Max over."
The pretty Swiss girl smiled and nodded. "Come this way please." Her English was perfect.
Asha could not believe the incredible set up Jondy had. She followed Leeza to a huge room where eleven other girls sat looking after Jondy's twins and doing their homework. Asha had never felt as out of place as she did when the girls looked up at their visitors and beamed. With cries of Uncle Logan, Uncle Krit, Uncle Joshua and Uncle Bling, each of the girls rushed forward to hug the men. As the girls had only just arrived home from school ten minutes earlier, Belinda had been the only one to see Bling.
Julia Saunders walked into the room and smiled at the happy chaos. Seeing Asha looking so left out, she walked over to hold out her hand. "Hello, I'm Julia."
Asha smiled gratefully. "Hi, I'm Asha." She knew from what Logan had let slip that Julia was Devon's mother. She had imagined that Julia's reaction would be the same as the X5's, so it surprised her that Julia was being so friendly.
"Nice to meet you Asha." Julia could see that Jondy had been right about Asha. The blond was obviously there for Logan's sake and not Max's. She had noticed the looks Asha had been giving Logan as she watched silently from the doorway, before announcing her presence. "Girls! Finish your homework please. There will be plenty of time to catch up with your Uncles later."
Despite a lot of groans, the girls did as they were told. By the time Jondy entered the room, all of the adults had been served coffee and sandwiches. Jondy sank down into a chair beside her brother. She was pleased to see her mother in law was keeping Asha busy and away from Logan.
"How's Max doing?" Logan hated being away from Max, but Jondy had needed the space to concentrate on her sister's condition and not on the nearest male.
"The good news is that Max will fully recover." Jondy focused her attention on Krit. Being her brother, she seemed to be able to control her wondering gaze with him. "The bad news is, it's going to take a while and it's certainly not going to be easy. The hardest part will be keeping Max from giving up."
Krit could read between the lines with what his sister was saying. "So the smallest sign of improvement gets a cheerleading squads amount of encouragement."
"You got it." Jondy noticed her twins were starting to get grisserly, which usually meant they were hungry. "Alec should be here in an hour or so, I'm betting he's going to be the one who'll get Max out of that bed."
Logan couldn't help but feel hurt. "What makes you say that?" He watched Jondy pick up her twins with no trouble, as though she had been a mother for longer than seven months.
Jondy responded tongue in cheek. "Because he bugs the hell out of her. She'd get out of that bed, if only to kick his butt for him." She hadn't missed the look that had crossed Logan's face. "This isn't about you Logan. It's about what's best for Max. Right now Max is feeling really scared and pretty damn useless. That's the frame of mind we have to break her out of. While I don't doubt that you will be the head of her cheering squad, you are also a reminder of what she can't do at the moment."
"Can I go in and see her?" Logan was pretty useless himself at the moment. He had to stop himself from running to Max when Jondy nodded her consent. He walked over and sat beside Max's bed. When he looked down at her pretty face, Logan saw such sorrow and pain. "Jondy told you about the baby didn't she?" When a single tear ran down her cheek, he felt as though someone had stabbed him in the gut. "It's alright Max. There's plenty of time for us to start a family. We can even adopt when the time is right for both of us."
"Or you could just find someone who can actually give you children." Max felt so broken, not just because of her injuries. She literally felt as though she had been torn in two. "I hear Asha's still here. She's certainly interested in you. Anyone would have to be blind not to see that."
"Why would she want your cast offs when she can have me." Alec had been standing outside the doorway listening. There was nothing going on between he and Asha, but if it stopped Max feeling sorry for herself, then he would con her into thinking there was. 'Though you might like to know that White's searching the hospitals all over the country for you, Max."
"Just as well we didn't move Max to a hospital then, isn't it?" Logan resented Alec's interruption. "Alec can you give us a minute? Maybe Jondy needs some help with the twins."
Alec shrugged his shoulders. "No problem. Original Cindy's with Jondy at the moment. Maybe Asha wants come company." He walked out of the room in search of the blond.
Logan turned back to Max. "Don't think for a minute that I love you any less just because you can't have children." His voice had grown harsh with the need to convince her of his love. "You are going to get better and get out of this bed so that we can have the Disney ending. I am not loosing you again Max." he got up and walked out of the room leaving her to think about what he had just said.
"Well done." Jondy's voice startled him. "Let's just hope Max actually listened. Why don't you try and get some sleep. I made the room next door up for you." Jondy would get Original Cindy to sit with Max for a while. She had thought about asking Alec, but he was too busy teasing Asha about Logan.
Original Cindy pulled Jondy aside later that night. "So what's the deleo with my Boo? She looks as though someone told her, her dog just died. Logan doesn't look much better."
Jondy gathered all the adults together except Logan, who hadn't slept for three days and was now fast asleep in his room. "I told Max that she had lost the baby she had been carrying and unfortunately due to her injuries, she can no longer have children. Right now Max is feeling that she isn't a whole woman. If she doesn't snap out of it, we are going to have one hell of a battle on our hands."
Krit cursed under his breath. "Please tell me you have some good news, sis." Max had been through a lot, but Krit was ready to let his sister give up everything she had fought so long to get.
Jondy rubbed the back of her neck. "Max can wiggle her fingers and toes a little. If we can get her back to her usual fighting form, she should have movement in her hands and feet by next week. I think the hardest part will be stopping her from giving up."
"What can I do to help?" Asha had nothing against Max other than envying the fact that Logan would walk over broken glass for the brunette, when Asha was lucky if he gave her the time of day. She could see Krit and Jondy still didn't trust her. In fact she was surprised to even be included in the current discussion.
Original Cindy shared the X5 siblings opinion of Asha, but as far as she could see, they needed as much help as they could get. "We need to get rid of that big bird on the roof before it gets spotted."
Krit nodded. "I'll take the helicopter back after dinner. I should be back here by morning. Give me time to get a couple of hours sleep, then I can give you a hand with whatever you need Jondy."
"We'll take shifts." Jondy saw that she had managed to fog up the living room windows and Bling was looking far too appealing to her at the moment. "Alec keep being your irritating self. If Max will fight with you, then she just might fight to get her life back. Bling, you take the first shift while I teach Joshua everything he needs to know. Julia and Kera, I'll need your help with the girls and the twins a bit more than I usually do. Cindy, can you keep an eye on Logan? See if you can get him to take his frustrations out on the punching bag in the gym. One of the girls will show you where it is." She turned to Asha. "You're going to give an award winning performance of being head over heels for Alec."
"Hey." Alec tried to sound insulted. "Most women find me irrestible." He could see Asha blushing out of the corner of his eye.
Original Cindy rolled her eyes at him. "Well, then, Asha won't have to try too hard, will she?" She actually had a feeling that Asha was growing to enjoy Alec's company more than Logan's these days.
Julia rose from her seat. "Since that's agreed on, I'll get dinner started." Watching Jondy over the past few months, Julia had found a new appreciation as to why her son had adored Jondy so much. The petite redhead would never give up helping someone in need.
Over the next couple of weeks Alec, Asha and Original Cindy alternated between Seattle and San Francisco so that their abbesses from work went unnoticed and didn't alert any unwanted attention. Max made limited progress and continued to push Logan away. Logan spent more and more time in the gym and Jondy was worried about the health of both Logan and Max.
Sitting with Krit, Joshua and Bling on the roof of the hotel, Jondy decided there was only one thing they could do to help Max and Logan. "I'm sending Logan home. He's making himself ill and the only thing Max is focusing on is pushing him away."
Bling raised his eyebrow. "It's going to be a battle getting Logan to leave Max, even if it is for the good of both of them." He started running possible excuses for Logan to return to Seattle through his head. "Still, if 'Eyes Only' doesn't make a broadcast soon, people will start wondering if he's dead or Logan."
Krit could have happily throttled Max for throwing her happiness away. "If that doesn't work, I can always knock Logan out and drive him back to Seattle." He reached out and rubbed Jondy's shoulders. He was starting to worry about her too. If she wasn't looking after Max and her children, then she was working at the bar. Despite not needing much sleep, Jondy was exhausted.
Joshua watched Jondy for a moment. "Jondy needs to rest before she gets sick too. Joshua will look after little fella tonight." He patted Jondy gently on the head.
Jondy smiled up at him. "Thanks Joshua. I think I'll take you up on that offer. Alec and Asha will be here in the morning, so we'll have some extra help." She said good night and went to her room.
"Nobody disappears into thin air." White was turning red with rage. "Somebody has seen them. For God's sake X5 452 was removed from the hospital in a helicopter. So where is it? Where is the pilot? She needs nurses, a Doctor. Where did they come from? Did you even get a description of her friends or the guy posing as her husband?"
Captain Grant shook his head calmly. "No sir. It seems they were aware that they were being watched and took great efforts to hide their faces from the security cameras. No staff except for the one Doctor were allowed near X5 452's room. When questioned Dr Carr said he really wasn't paying any attention to the husband or the friends. He was told his patient was being taken to a private hospital and all of the paperwork was correct, therefore Dr Carr saw no reason to question the transfer."
White couldn't believe the X5's kept slipping under his radar. Every dragnet he set up, they found a hole to escape through. They were worthless transgenic freaks. That they had time and time again outsmarted him was incomprehenable. "Keep your eyes open. They'll slip up. All we have to do is be ready when they do."
"Yes Sir." Captain Grant seriously doubted the X5's would slip up. The X5 that White was so obsessed with, had been designed to be noticed. Seeing as it had been impossible to find her, she obviously did not want to be found. "With all due respect Sir, isn't it usually a sign of trouble when X5 210 is sighted?"
White knew that Grant had a good point. X5 210 had been created to distract the enemy and she did it well. Unable to answer the Captain's question honestly, White turned and stormed out of the room.
"I'm not leaving her." Logan bellowed at Jondy from across the room. He couldn't believe that she had told him to go home for Max's sake.
"You are not helping Max in this state." Jondy gestured to Logan's appearance. He was beginning to look the way he had when he had thought Max was dead. "You need to go home. Catch up on the work for 'Eyes Only'. Hell. Catch up on some sleep." She was talking calmly to Logan so that she didn't wake any of the children, but her nerves were run ragged and she was fast loosing patience.
"I'm fine." Logan refused to admit how exhausted he was. Most of the time he kept his focus on Max. So much so that he hadn't noticed that Jondy had come home from work holding her side. "I need to be here." He almost pleaded with her.
"You need to go home." Jondy's ribs were killing her. She had broken up a fight at the bar, only to be slammed into a brick wall by an overweight, interfering drunk while throwing a troublemaker out of the bar. "Max isn't recovering as she should be. She feels that she is holding you back from having a normal life. You being here and turning your back on your entire life is just proving her right." Jondy's voice was slowing growing louder and louder.
Logan had never heard Jondy raise her voice in anger. It was a sure sign that he would have to leave or be thrown out. "How about we reach a compromise? Let me back at the weekends."
Jondy couldn't be bothered battling with Logan, she was having enough trouble with Max. "I don't want to see you before lunchtime Friday and you have to be gone by 2pm Sunday. If I see you outside of those times I will change may mind and ban you permanently."
Logan hugged the tiny redhead. "Thank you." The next day was Sunday, he knew without Jondy telling him that he had to be gone by 2pm. The compromise would start tomorrow.
Jondy freed herself from Logan's painful grasp. "You're welcome. Now go and get some sleep and I'd stay clear of the living room for the moment. I was just in there and found Asha and Alec making out on my sofa."
Max felt guilty with relief when Krit told her that Jondy was sending Logan home. Maybe he can get something started with Asha now."
Krit gave her an irritated huff. "Don't be stupid Maxie. He doesn't give a damn about Asha. Besides, she and Alec were in the middle of something on the sofa last night when Original Cindy and I went to find the twins' bottles." He felt sorry for Logan. He knew how much the poor guy loved his sister. Krit had taped up Jondy's ribs for her after she had finished yelling at Logan last night. She had told Krit about the compromise they had reached, but it had left both Jondy and Krit wanting to throttle their sister for being so selfish.
"Wow." Max was amazed. "I didn't realize they were serious. Still Logan will find someone else." She missed Logan already and he hadn't even left yet. Alec and Original Cindy were going to drive him back to Seattle.
Krit shook his head at her. "God Max. You never used to be this selfish." He stormed out of the room leaving Max with a shocked look on her face. He went in search of Jondy to see how she was feeling this morning.
Up on the roof Krit found Alec telling Bling, Jondy, Joshua and Original Cindy about the happenings of the night before. Krit sat silently beside his sister.
"So I look up to see what the noise is and there's Ashley, Mya, Celeste and Heidi watching us." Alec explained. "Then Celeste asks me if Asha was alright, seeing as I was giving her CPR." Alec actually looked highly embarrassed. "So I told them we were rehearsing a play and Ashley suggested we rehearse in one of the bedrooms before the other girls decided to come and collect their school bags."
Bling chuckled. "So how did your rehearsal go?" He, himself had stumbled on Asha and Alec earlier on in the evening.
"Considering Blondie is still asleep in bed," Original Cindy offered. "I'd say rehearsal went on into the early hours of this morning." She was just happy that Asha wasn't still checking out her Boo's main squeeze.
Joshua noticed that Krit was strangely quiet this morning. "Krit alright?" He tried not to jostle Jondy, who was sitting lent against him. "Too quiet. Is something wrong with little fella?"
Jondy knew what was bothering Krit. "I gather our sister is still feeling sorry for herself."
Krit nodded. "She's trying to hide behind a noble gesture of not wanting to hold Logan back. The truth is she's scared that she won't ever be 100% again and she has no idea how to live that way." He was so angry. "Max didn't even notice that Jondy has been hurt. She's too wrapped up in her own self pity. Jondy's been to hell and back over the past year, but you don't see her sitting around feeling sorry for herself and pushing everyone away."
Jondy reached out and squeezed her brother's hand. "I didn't loose the movement in most of my body though. It's tough being Superwoman one minute and powerless the next, not to mention the serious dent she's been dealt with to her ego. That's quite a lot to deal with."
"How can you be so reasonable all the time?" Original Cindy wondered how Jondy did it. Even though the redhead had super human powers, it was still a lot to take on, nursing her sister and being a mother to fourteen children.
Jondy smiled. "I got a call from Zane. He's coming to visit, so I asked him to pick a parcel up from Seattle on the way through. One way or another, Max is going to be out of that bed by the end of next week."
"Then Max and Logan can get busy again." Joshua announced. It all made perfect sense to him. As far as he was concerned, Max and Logan were meant to be together.
"That might take a bit longer Josh." Alec wished life was as simple as Joshua saw it to be. "Jondy can only perform so many miracles."
Bling had a feeling that Jondy had a plan to make everything right and somehow Zane was part of that plan. "When do you expect Zane?"
"Tomorrow morning." Jondy hoped her idea worked. "Who knows, maybe Zane being here might change Max's attitude and I won't need to use the parcel."
"Are you going to have enough help here?" Alec asked. "Asha's coming back with Cindy and me, but I can probably talk Normal into giving me some time off if you need the extra help."
Jondy was touched at Alec's offer. "We should be fine. Thanks anyway. Syl offered to visit sometime this week, so I have an extra two pairs of hands arriving."
Original Cindy looked at her watch and nudged Alec. "You'd better get sleeping beauty up cause we have to leave in ten minutes. Don't want Logan to miss his curfew." She hugged Jondy goodbye gently. "You know who to call if you need a babysitter." She was referring more to Max than the children.
Alec kissed Jondy on the cheek. "See ya sis. We'll be back by Friday. Good luck with Max."
"Thanks. I have a feeling I'm going to need it." Jondy as always had a back up plan if the original one didn't work. "Be careful. Have a safe trip home."
Logan stood in the middle of his apartment. It seemed so empty without Max there. Not since Max had died in his arms outside of Manticore, had he felt so alone. Max had become so much a part of his life that he had no idea how to get through the day, never mind the night without her.
Logan flicked through his mail to keep himself busy. Several bills had accumulated while he had been in San Francisco, a postcard from his cousin Bennet and a letter with familiar handwriting. Ripping open the envelope, he read quickly through the letter.
Logan, Just letting you know the South Africans are getting suspicious. It seems they are in contact with someone by the name of Ames White. It would appear that he has a personal interest in one of your girls. Best tell them to lay low for a while, I know that's what I'm going to do.
Take Care Blake
PS Mathew turned up in Los Angeles. Dead.
Logan read the letter a second time. White was getting too close, but maybe Logan could get it to work in Jondy's favor. Switching on his computer he quickly checked his emails and then opened up an almost unused programme. Scanning a photo he had taken of Max, Jondy, Syl, Zane and Krit, Logan changed the background to that of Arizona.
Once Logan was satisfied with his work on the photo, he printed it out. Now all he had to do was locate White and get the photo to him. He also wanted to relocate Blake. His friend had put himself in danger to protect Jondy and Devon. Logan felt he owed his friend.
A knock at the apartment door surprised Logan. Who would be visiting at this time of night? Cautiously opening the door, Logan came face to face with Blake. "Hey. I was just about to try and contact you. Are you alright?" He waved his friend into the apartment.
Blake nodded. He looked a little shell shocked. When he had last seen Logan, his friend had been in a wheelchair. "Yeah, I'm fine. How are the girls?" He hadn't missed the rather obvious absence of the two X5 women.
Logan ran his hand nervously through his hair. "Not too good. Ames White ran over Max in a pick up truck. She's being nursed back to health by Jondy in San Francisco. Devon was killed about a year ago so the South Africans can stop looking for him. Unfortunately that means that both White and the South Africans will be looking for Jondy."
"Wow. A lot had happened since I last saw you." Blake was starting to get a better idea of how dangerous Ames White really was. "What's the deal with this guy White anyway?"
Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not really sure. He's pretty obsessed with Jondy which we think is why he ran over Max. Ordinarily he would have tried to kill her, not just injure her. The problem is he's not completely human. We're not sure what he is. It's a pretty safe bet we had better get you out of Seattle and somewhere safer. White will kill anyone he thinks is connected to the X5's."
"Hey, you'll get no argument from me. I've seen this guy, White in action." Blake shook his head as he remembered. "Mathew never had a chance. He should never have tried to bargain with White."
Logan was appalled. "It was White that killed Mathew? It appears if he can't have Jondy, then he's going to make sure nobody can. I'm guessing Jondy is what Mathew tried to use as a bargaining chip."
Blake nodded. "Mathew made the mistake of bragging that he and Jondy had got real close on a number of occasions. He forgot to mention that she always kept her clothes on. Next thing he knew, White had pulled out a gun and fired it. White didn't even blink. He just called one of his men to clean up the mess."
"You know where White is based?" Logan asked.
"Yeah." Blake's eyes narrowed. "You're not going after him are you? Logan, that's suicide."
Logan shook his head. "No, I'm just going to mail him a photo. See if I can keep him far away from Max and Jondy." He held the photo up with a pair of tweezers so that there were no finger prints left on it.
Blake chuckled. "Great photo. Might want to print another copy and frame it." He grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled an address down. "Be careful. White plays for keeps."
Logan handed his friend an envelope. "I've noticed. Here's a new identity, passport, sector passes and the address of a safe house. Thanks for your help with the South Africans." He shook his friend's hand. "Take Care."
Blake grinned. "You too. Say hi to the ladies for me." He peered cautiously out of the door before leaving.
Logan was once again left in the empty apartment. It seemed like an eternity until Friday. Making up his mind, not to waist his time feeling sorry for himself, Logan threw himself into his 'Eyes Only' work.
Zane stood silently in the doorway of his sister's living room. An old Toni Braxton song from the early 2000's floated through the room. It was always a sure sign that Jondy had, had a tough night when this particular song was playing. He remembered Jondy telling him that it helped her work all the kinks out of her body moving to it.
He waited for the song to finish before announcing his presence, though he knew Jondy already knew that he was there. "Morning baby sister. Your parcel has been dropped off in one piece." Zane hugged his sister. "So how's Maxie doing?"
Jondy headed towards Max's room knowing Zane would follow her. "Not as well as she should be. The bones are mending, but she's just given up. I even had to send Logan home because he gave up on him as well. Where did you put the parcel?"
Zane frowned slightly. "Holly showed me the room you had set up, so it's in there. Those girls of yours are growing so fast."
Jondy beamed with pride. "I know. I'll leave you with Max while I check on the condition of the parcel. How bad a state was it in when you picked it up?" She looked over her shoulder at her brother.
"Not too bad." Zane nudged his sister. "But then, I'm no Doctor." He peered into he room that Jondy had stopped in front of. "Time to get Maxie back on her feet, right?"
"Right." Jondy waited for Zane to enter the room before letting a more serious expression cross her lovely face. "I hope this works." She muttered under her breath. She entered another room and closed the door behind her.
Standing by the window, the so called parcel turned to face her. "I see Zane kept his promise and delivered you in one piece."
Donald Lydecker took in the sight before him. She still looked like an innocent to him, despite everything he knew she had been through and everything he knew she was capable of. "Your brother would never break his word to you." He watched cautiously as she crossed the room and took hold of his injured hands to exam them. "I take it, you had a reason for bringing me here blindfolded. I seriously doubt it was to check on my health."
Jondy met his gaze, her eyes like blue steel. "You're going to help me get my sister back into shape. Think of it as a payback to White for leaving you for dead."
Lydecker had a feeling that he would regret it if he said no. "When do I start?"
THE END