Title: Secrets, Lies and Betrayals

Rating: PG, for now, may contain a few swear words

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Dark Angel, Cameron & Eglee, etc. I own nothing and I'm gaining only valuable writing experience.

Summary: Logan has a secret, which ultimately puts both Max and Alec in danger. M/A

Chapter 1: Secrets, lies and betrayals

It was 3 o'clock in the morning and Seattle was bathed in darkness. A single light penetrated the darkness in a penthouse apartment, which loomed high above the city. Awkward shadows were cast in all directions around the room including onto the sole occupant, who stood motionless facing the windows.  Logan Cale gazed down at the deserted city streets below, analyzing his biggest fear and how it affected his life. It was something that he was deeply ashamed of and the one thing that he never shared with anyone and never intended to.

He was used to the late nights that his heavy workload and countless hours of sitting in front of the computer trying to save the world demanded. He was even used to the subsequent loneliness the hours, his work and his life provided. However, he wasn't used to the darkness. He, Logan Cale, the great Eyes Only was afraid of the dark. It just sounded stupid and Logan knew it. He wasn't afraid of the dark due to the lack of light for that could be easily solved by the simple flick of a switch. Instead it was rather what the darkness represented.

Not knowing what the darkness held was a difficult concept for Logan to grasp, partly due to his inquisitive nature that made him such a good journalist and Eyes Only so successful, and also some male ego thrown into the mix. It drove him insane that he didn't know what the darkness held and he longed to unravel the secrets that it hides so well. Simply not knowing stirred up a completely different set of feelings within him, ones that he could never conquer or shake no matter how hard he tired. These feelings and the fact that he couldn't overcome them unnerved Logan and he became not only all the more afraid of the dark but also afraid over the unspoken power it had over him. He was truly scared and that bothered him.

Keeping the odd hours that he did, due to his work and general way of life, Logan had to confront his fear head on. He accomplished that by always leaving a light on in his apartment at night, whether he was working or not. Yet the simple act made him feel only slightly better. In the early hours, when the nights felt not only dark but also cold, it was the soft humming glow of his computer screen that comforted him the most. Tonight, on the other hand, was an exception. Logan rarely took a break at all, let alone have his beloved computer turned off, especially not in the middle of the night and seemingly only to enjoy the view the huge expanse of glass enabled him to see. Nevertheless such was the case because tonight was different.  Tonight was going to change his life instantly. Tonight he had the cure… well almost.

* Flashback *

"So, have you gotten hold of what I need?" Logan asked anxiously down the receiver.

"That depends on whether you've got what I need, " replied a squeaky male voice from the other end.

"I assume your referring to the 20 grand, and in that case, yeah, I've got it" Logan replied coolly, despite the fact his stomach was turning tricks.

"Then by all means we have a deal"

"Fantastic," Logan said happily letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding in, "so how should we go about swapping?" he queried

"Well, it would be very risky for me to leave the complex, is there anyway you could come here instead?" replied squeaky

"Yeah," Logan said, the wheels in his mind already turning, "I'll send someone over" he said then replaced the receiver back into its cradle.

* End Flashback *

It had been several hours since the phone conversation had been and gone and Logan had since pondered his next move and put it into action. The majority of the few hours since putting his plan into action consisted of Logan waiting for his "next move" to appear and he was starting to get anxious and bored. Despite his workload and fear of the dark, he was far too restless to even have his computer on, let alone work. Instead, he had remained in front of the windows admiring the view and permitted his mind to relax and de-stress for a few hours. It felt as if a great deal of weight and responsibility that rested squarely on his shoulders were removed. Logan was enjoying the newfound freedom, even though he knew it couldn't and wouldn't last. Instead he allowed his mind to wander and quickly found him self conjuring up all sorts of images of himself and Max in various states of undress and positions. The words 'dirty old man' flashed into Logan's mind, but he quickly dismissed them, deciding to concentrate once more on the view.

When Alec entered Logan's apartment in the early hours of the morning, he was surprised to find him staring out the window instead of being asleep or staring at his computer screen. Alec leant casually against the doorframe and took the opportunity to simply look at Logan, maybe he could figure out what Max saw in him. It was obvious Logan was lost deep in thought and his face was portraying a look that seemed peaceful and yet troubled at the same time. This slightly puzzled Alec and he wondered what could be so engrossing, especially at this time of night.

Alec shrugged himself off of his resting place against the wooden frame and silently moved across the room to join Logan in examining the scene below. After a few minutes of waiting for him to say something and receiving only silence Alec was slightly displeased. Patience wasn't one of the qualities Manticore had encoded into his DNA and it appeared as if Logan still hadn't noticed his arrival at all. Alec was starting to get pissed off, after all it was Logan who had called him and told him to get right over.

Alec was staring intently at Logan trying to figure out why he wasn't moving or speaking. 'He's acting even weirder than normal' Alec thought to himself as he too looked again at the view, this time with an accusing glance, as if trying to ascertain some clue as to what Logan was so hypnotized by. Alec sighed, folded his arms against his chest and turned back once more to face Logan. "You fallen in love with the window or something?" he asked casually.

Logan was startled to say the least and jumped high off the ground. Once he had returned and his heart rate had slowed, he was able to comprehend that not only was Alec in his apartment but also standing right next to him and judging by the slightly annoyed look on his face, had been for some time now.

"Jesus Alec" Logan hissed out, "You scared the shit outta me!"

The annoyed look on Alec's face seemed to increase at the harshness of Logan's words.

"Well you should've been expecting me since YOU called ME and told me come right over" Alec replied in an equally harsh tone of voice.

"Yeah…um…right" Logan said knowing that the angry X-5 in front of him was right,

"You just caught me off guard that's all" Logan said, trying to save some face in front of the younger man.

Alec was annoyed and was getting impatient as well and that was never a good combo.

"So," he snapped, "what was so urgent that you had to disturb me at 5 in the morning?" Alec said, glancing at his watch to make sure he had read it correctly.

Logan hadn't anticipated the hostility of Alec and he was beginning to think his brilliant plan wasn't so brilliant after all. 'Impossible' Logan thought to himself, 'my plans are always brilliant'. He took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves.

"I need you to go on a mission for me," he said, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible

Alec simply raised and eyebrow in response and after a few seconds he repeated,

"You want me to go on a mission for you?"

Logan, not trusting his voice, simply nodded.

"Why?" Alec asked plainly

"Because it's an important mission and I need someone I can trust" Logan said, although his mind didn't quite believe he was putting trust and Alec in the same sentence without being preceded by the word can't.

Alec let out a loud laugh, "Sure Logan" he said shaking his head ever so slightly

"Now here comes the most obvious question… Why don't you just ask Max?"

"I did, she's busy and she told me to ask you" Logan lied

"Oh so that's the real reason, not the whole 'I trust you Alec' spiel" Alec said mimicking Logan's voice when he said I trust you Alec part of the sentence. Logan was not amused and he let out a frustrated sigh

"Will you do it or not?" he asked in an annoyed tone

"Sure, Max has cleared it so it must be okay" Alec said rationally

Logan said nothing, instead turning his head away from Alec so he couldn't read the lie that was held there.

"Well then," Logan said, gesturing over his shoulder for Alec to follow him into the accompanying room, "Let's get to work"

Alec and Logan went to the table in the center of the room and began to discuss the details of the mission. Logan had, previously in the night, retrieved the plans of the complex, along with the security particulars and any other information he thought Alec would need to know. Alec took short work of memorizing the layout of the complex and the guard positions and patterns. 

"So why am I doing this mission? What's so important?" Alec asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Logan ignored the question, "that reminds me," he said, leaving the room to retrieve the briefcase full of money, "you'll need this as well".

Logan handed the briefcase to Alec who eyes it suspiciously. He popped open the lid and saw the neat rows of money and his brain quickly calculated that the briefcase contained 20 grand.

Alec let out a low whistle, "20 grand," he said, "this mission must really be important".

"It is" Logan said, and then quickly added, "for Max"

That was enough incentive for Alec who slapped Logan on the back and said,

"Don't worry Logan, you can count on me"

The only response Alec received was a scowl as the older man folded his arms across his chest and started at Alec over the rims of his glasses. Alec let out another loud laugh at Logan's antics and left the apartment.

Once Alec had left Logan rubbed his hands in delight. He would finally get the cure and surprise Max and they could finally be together. He thought is was poetic justice that the one who brought the virus and had stuffed up any previous chance to cure the virus would also be the one ending the virus for good. Logan let out a short laugh that sounded much the same as a weasel's and decided to call it a night, after all it was now 7.30 in the morning.

TBC

A/N: Hope you liked it!