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virtualdaepisode: Virtual Dark Angel episode 3.01
season: Virtual Dark Angel season 3
Seattle Sewer System
Joshua listened intently to Logan's voice in his ear, which was directing him through the Seattle sewers. Lat's group followed close behind him.
"Big fella, you're almost there. I need you to go up the ladder to your right. You should be in an area that is a junction for some large pipes. When you get there, I need you to locate the relief valves. They should be marked in red."
"Okay, going up the ladder." Joshua scrambled up the ladder that was exactly where Logan said it would be. Lat's group waited behind. "The pipes are here, Logan," Joshua confirmed.
"Look for those valves. I need to talk to Lat. Shouldn't be long."
"Okay, Logan."
"Lat? You still there?" Logan's voice crackled in the transgenic's ear.
"We're here but they're getting closer. We need to get out of here now."
"Gotcha. Head up that ladder and follow Joshua's directions when you get to the top," Logan instructed.
"10-4," Lat replied. He signaled his troops to move out just as a shout sounded from the tunnel behind them. "Logan, they've got visual on us. I hope you've got something up your sleeve or we're sitting ducks!" He and his group abandoned all pretense of stealth as they raced up the ladder.
Command Center, Terminal City
"Joshua, have you located those valves?" Logan asked urgently.
"Found them, Logan."
"Lat and his group are coming up the ladder. How many valves did you locate?"
"Three."
"I was hoping for more, but that'll have to be enough. As soon as they come up, get two of them to go to a valve each, and you take the third. Send the rest of them up the ladder over in the far right corner. When I give the word, open the valves and then get the hell out of there."
"Right, Logan."
The transgenics in the Command Center had gathered around Logan at this last exchange. The tension was palpable as they all waited for the events to unfold. Logan reached over and switched on the audible mike so they could all listen. There was silence for a moment, and then a crackle of static, followed by Lat's voice.
"Move it, move it, move it…Damn…" There was a sharp crack that sounded like gunfire.
"Prepare to return fire," Lat's voice sounded out.
"Lat, get your people up and let Joshua handle it," Logan instructed, and then he quickly turned to Virgil."Get me Max on a comm. Now."
"Can't. We're short on units so she didn't take one. Mole has one, though."
"Fine. Get Mole on the line."
Rooftop, Terminal City
Max opened her mouth to answer Mole, but never got the words out. Mole's receiver crackled to life. "Find Max! Get back here now!" Logan's voice was urgent.
Max snatched the radio out of Mole's hand. "What is it?"
"Shots fired in the sewer."
"Anyone hurt?"
"Unknown," crackled Logan's voice.
Over the receiver, Max and Mole heard the sound of more shots being fired. Without another word, they sprinted back toward the Command Center.
A Manhole in Sector 6
An unmarked black sedan came to a halt at the police barricade. Sung and Clemente climbed out. A nearby sector cop had her radio on full volume. The sound of shouting and gunfire carried clearly. Groaning, Clemente grabbed the radio from her hand and switched to transmit.
"Hold your fire! Hold your fire!"
"Who the hell is this?" crackled a voice over the radio.
"This is Detective Clemente and I am ordering you to hold your fire!"
More shouts. Then the cop on the radio yelled, "There's a monster down here!"
"No such thing as monsters," Clemente shouted back. "Hold your fire!"
Seattle Sewer System
"Joshua, as soon as Lat is clear, open those valves and get out of there." Joshua nodded, forgetting Logan couldn't see him. Lat was at the foot of the other ladder and Joshua signaled his helpers to open the valves. Sector police were coming up the ladder now and taking position behind some of the pipes, guns at the ready.
There was an ear-splitting screech as the transgenics forced open the rusty valves, followed by a momentary silence. Suddenly, clouds of hot steam spewed into the area with a loud hiss. Joshua and the X5s darted to the far ladder just before the steam became impassible. Behind them the cries of the sector cops could be heard.
Outdoors, Terminal City
Alec and Mole waited by the entrance to the sewers. It wasn't long before their enhanced hearing picked up voices heading their way. The sight of Joshua leading a rag tag group of X-series transgenics, seven males and seven females, followed the voices.
"Hey, big guy! Great job." Alec strode forward and slapped Joshua on the back. The sound of clapping and cheering erupted behind him and he turned to see that a crowd of transgenics had gathered behind him and Mole.
"Right on, Joshua."
"Great going, dog boy."
"Nice work." Mole reached into his pocket and handed Joshua a cigar. Joshua looked around, bewildered by the commotion, and then turned the cigar over in his hands, not quite sure what to do with it. He brought it up to his nose and sniffed it, then licked it tentatively.
"No, man," Mole exclaimed. "That's no way to treat a primo Cubano cigar. Come with me and I'll show you what to do with it." Joshua smiled and headed off with Mole and Alec, both of them continuing to congratulate him. Lat and his group were taken away by the medical team to the infirmary, where they could rest and recover from their close call.
Command Center, Terminal City
The Command Center was deserted now that the transgenics were safely in Terminal City. A lone tech was on duty and he was in the far corner working on a monitor. Max had headed off to the makeshift infirmary to check on the wounded, and Logan had just finished shutting down his laptop when a familiar voice accosted him.
"Yo. You and me need to talk." He turned to see Original Cindy standing there, hands on her hips and a militant look in her eyes. He raised his brows quizzically. "You got one good reason why I shouldn't give you the smack down you deserve?"
"I'm sorry. You've lost me here," Logan answered.
"You know what I mean. What you thinkin' treatin' my boo like you done? My girl has done nothing but cry over you ever since she got herself out of black hat central. She don' need no more of that. 'Specially not now."
"And I do?" Logan snapped back at her, eyes blazing. "I thought she was dead. When she came back, she refused to even see me because of the virus. But despite that, I put my life on hold to help her with her 'family' for months on end. She found a temporary cure, but then threw away our one chance to be together. And now I find out that she lied to me. To 'protect' me, she says. It was never her protection I needed or wanted." He closed his laptop with a sharp snap and turned to leave.
"She been dealin' the best she can. Not like you was no saint to her after that whole Gossamer dealio went down," Cindy protested.
Logan turned back to her at that, his tone hard as he responded. "Yeah? Well, let me tell you something. It isn't about dealing. It's about opening yourself up to someone, about having enough trust to take risks together. I thought I had that with Max, that she was different. I may have walked away, but I never lied to her about why I was doing it. And I came back. When I thought she was with Alec, I told myself it was the best thing for her, that I loved her enough to let her go. Do you have any idea what that was like?" He paused and said so softly that she almost didn't hear, "She ripped my heart out, and now I find out it was nothing but a lie..."
Cindy was silent for a moment.
"My boo, she never grew up with no one lovin' her. She don't know the whole 411 about it. She jus' be thinkin' that lovin' you means keepin' you safe from that virus bitch any way she can. You think on that when you be thinkin' 'bout how you gonna treat her." With that she turned and left, leaving Logan alone in the now empty Command Center.
Infirmary, Terminal City
Max entered the makeshift infirmary. She watched in silence as a tall, attractive, x-series female leaned over one of the two injured X-series. The woman wore gloves, which she stripped off and laid aside, revealing long, slender fingers. She gently ran them over the patient's left leg, stopping to ask questions in a low voice as she pressed on various places and watched for a reaction.
"Oww!" The patient jerked as the medic's fingers touched a sensitive spot. The woman placed a hand on his brow and he settled back down as she stepped back. Turning to a tech standing behind her, she gave swift instructions.
"Fractured tibia. Splint it and wrap. That'll have to do until we can locate the casting plaster someone said is around here." Done with her instructions, she moved to the other patient and quickly handled her case as well.
When she was finished, she picked up her gloves and pulled them back on. Max stepped forward as the woman turned to go over to the desk in the corner.
"I'm Max," she stated, holding out her hand. "Nice work, doc."
"Aveta," the medic responded. "I'm not a doctor, though, just a field medic."
"I'm glad you're here. We're going to need you." The medic took Max's hand and held it for a moment, regarding her solemnly. Max felt a wave of calm washing over her, soothing the hurt she had been ruthlessly suppressing since her encounter with Logan that morning. She frowned in puzzlement and started to open her mouth, but the medic had already dropped her hand and turned back to where the tech was calling for her assistance. Max watched a moment, then shrugged and left the room, confident that the injured Xs were in good hands.
Hallway, Terminal City
Original Cindy left the Command Center and was deep in thought as she walked the hallways of Terminal City.
"Cindy. Hey, what's up?" Gem's familiar voice called out to her.
"Oh, hey, boo. Gotta problem I'm thinkin' on here."
"Tell me. Maybe I can help."
"It's to do with my boo and her hot boy. Hetero drama." She rolled her eyes to emphasize her point.
"You mean Max and Logan?" Gem asked curiously. "What's wrong? Those two are all about each other. Even this Manticore alum can see it from a mile away."
"Your old bosses screwed them big time and now he's doubtin' on my boo. Don' know how to get inta his thick head neither to make him see the real of things."
Gem thought for a minute and then smiled. "Maybe I can help. They saved me and Elf, it's the least I can do." Original Cindy looked at her and nodded.
"Aiight, but it's gotta be all casual like. He can't know you got the 411 on them."
Gem winked at her. "You're looking at straight A's in undercover ops standing in front of you. Piece of cake."
The Rec Center, Terminal City
Groups of transgenics sat around discussing the recent events and watching the continued television news footage of the National Guard troops, who now surrounded all of Terminal City.
The picture switched to a Channel 3 reporter.
"I'm speaking with Detective Ramon Clemente, who was named today to head up the city's Transgenic Task Force. Detective, what's the latest on the rumors of a transgenic pursuit in Sector 6 today?"
The transgenics in the rec center recognized the cop who had chased Max and the others into Terminal City a few days ago.
"The rumors were unfounded," Clemente told the reporter, smiling. "Some citizens followed a suspicious-looking group into Sector 6, but our investigations turned up nothing. Probably just some transients."
"So everything is calm?" the reporter asked.
"Yes. The situation is unchanged," Clemente assured her.
"I'll be damned," said one of the transgenics on the floor.
"So now what?" asked one of them. "Doesn't look like they plan on attacking anytime soon."
"Yeah, I have a feeling we're in for a long siege here. Probably think they can starve us out."
"Man, we're expensive military hardware," interjected a third. "Ain't no way they want to damage the merchandise by coming in here with guns blazing."
"Too bad we don't have one of the brain units here," the first speaker mused. "Could use some good high-probability projections right about now."
"Maybe one will turn up. New soldiers are arriving every day."
"Yeah, maybe. Hope that Max chick knows what she's doing. I'm starting to wonder if Mole was right and we should've left while we had the chance."
The group trailed off into silence, contemplating their uncertain future as the news continued to drone on.
Hallway, Terminal City
Logan had left his laptop back in his makeshift quarters and was heading to the commissary to see if he could find Dix. Dix had promised to find him some microchips he needed for a video link and he wanted to get to work on it. He had to figure out a way to get Eyes Only up and running. They needed to get their side of the story out there and they needed to do it quickly.
"Logan." A female voice stopped him and he looked up to see Gem standing there, holding her baby.
"Hey, Gem. How's the little one holding up?" he asked. She smiled and held the baby up for his inspection. Logan extended a finger to her and the baby grasped it in a surprisingly strong grip.
"She's perfect, Logan." Logan smiled at her obvious pride in her child. Then her face dropped and a small frown appeared.
"But what, Gem?" Logan asked gently.
"I wish I could have had a real relationship with her father, not just the breeding partner thing." She sighed and went on. "Something like you and Max have." Logan started to speak, but then thought better of it. Neither one of them noticed Joshua standing nearby, listening intently.
Gem continued, "You two are special. I hope you don't mind, but I've been watching you the last couple of days, and its obvious how much you care about each other. I want Elf to grow up seeing the same thing. We never saw that at Manticore." She paused. "Max is lucky she found you. I hope that someday I can find someone who will accept me and love me for what I am, someone who will always have my back when the chips are down."
"That's what you see when you watch us?" Logan questioned her.
"That's what everyone sees, Logan," Gem answered firmly. The baby started to squirm in Gem's arms and she looked down. "I think she needs a diaper change. I better run. Say hi to Max for me, and come and visit us when you aren't too busy." With that, she turned and left, leaving Logan standing there, staring after her thoughtfully.
Rooftop, Terminal City
Darkness had fallen and the wind had died. Clouds still stretched across the sky, but it wasn't raining. Max stood at the low wall that circled the edge of the roof. She was staring out over Seattle and at the islands of light marking the guard posts that had been set up around the perimeter of Terminal City.
"Hey."
She turned at the sound of Logan's voice. "What are you doing here? I thought you didn't want to see me." Her tone was brittle, an attempt to disguise her hurt.
"I was looking at my calendar and I realized that it's our anniversary," he responded quietly. "Tried to find some cheap champagne, but all I could come up with was this." He set a bottle of sparkling water and two plastic cups on the wall next to her.
"So? Does it matter?" Max responded with a shrug. "Thought you decided I was all about me, that there was no us."
Logan came to stand next to her and there was silence as they both looked out over the city. After a moment, he began speaking in a soft conversational tone. "When you came back from the dead, I was the happiest man in the world. When the virus hit, I told myself we'd get through it. But then you started refusing to even see me. It was never all about touching for me, but it started to seem like that was all it was for you."
"Logan, it was never that," Max protested.
Logan turned to look down at her as he continued. "I tried to walk away, but I couldn't do it. I still believed in us. Until you let me think you were with Alec. Even then, I still believed in you. But today, when I found out you had lied to me, it really hit me hard." He hesitated, then went on. "It reminded me of how Daphne dropped me flat and how Val played me, and how both times I never saw it coming. It reminded me that women don't stay with me once they get to know me. So why would you be any different? I'm not what you need. No genetically engineered perfection here." His voice was hoarse and he stopped abruptly, turning away from Max and staring blindly out over the city.
Logan." Max's voice was soft, and he turned back to see her looking steadily up at him, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I know who you are, and who you are is exactly what I need."
For a long moment they looked into each other's eyes, and then Logan said to her softly, "I'm sorry I blew up at you this morning."
"I'm sorry I let you think I was with Alec," Max said. She hesitated, then went on. "But the reality is that I can kill you with one touch. I'm poison to you. I start thinking about that and it makes me do stupid things because I'm so afraid that one day it's going to happen. Hurting you seemed like a better choice than taking that risk. Safer."
"Max, it's never been about you being a safe girlfriend." Logan paused and smiled down at her. "Not for me." There was another silence as they continued to look at each other.
"Logan, there's one more thing. It's something I should have told you a long time ago. I hope it isn't too late." Max squared her shoulders and took a deep breath.
"Logan…I love you."
She held her breath, waiting for his response. For a moment he just stood there, frozen. Then he reached out and gently brushed her hair back from her face with his gloved hands, ending with them framing her face as she looked up at him. His eyes were shining as he softly responded, "I love you too, Max."
Gloved hands intertwined as the two of them looked out over the city. The clouds parted and a single star twinkled in the sky above.
EPILOGUE
A state-of-the-art lab somewhere outside of Seattle, WA
Ames White strode into the lab and headed for the technician, who was standing near a spinning centrifuge."What's the status?" he demanded, wasting no time on a greeting.
"The toxin is isolated and we're ready to begin production. We only need to determine the best means of distribution."
"Why wasn't that already worked out?" White demanded.
"It was. But with the new schedule for the Coming and the desire of the Conclave for the fastest possible distribution, we have to rethink it. Airborne transmission is the quickest way to get it out there, but we aren't set up for that. The plan was for a slower, phased release." The technician's tone was one of annoyance at the ignorance of laymen.
White thought for a moment. "I may be able to get you something on that. I had a tech who was working on that very problem not too long ago. Let me see what I can do to get his information to you. I have a lead on where his equipment and notes are. On another matter, do you have anything ready for us to use against the transgenic scum?"
The technician nodded. "We have a gas you can use. It won't kill them, but it will temporarily incapacitate them and make it easy for our Phalanx troops to go in and wipe them out. But there is one problem."
"What?" White demanded in a harsh tone.
"We don't have much. We can only cover a small area. Say, 20 city blocks."
White smiled. "That's not a problem. Not at all."
3.02
Downloadable PDF
COMMMENTS
