Title: Fight or Flight
Author's Note: This story is a bit different from the other stories: mostly because it involves romance! It's a little hard to write; having never felt the anguish and misery of L O V E but I'll do my darndest not to make it too sappy or unbelievable. (The M is only for slight innuendo).
Also, I'm sorry for the delay. My computer crashed and I had to recover my hard drive! Man was I relieved though, this thing took forever to finish. So long in fact that I was so hankering to write that I started another fic! Aaaaah! But this one is dying to get out of my head… the other is just starting to poke in. It wants out! Out I say! So without further ado…
It was six months since the residents of Terminal City were finally freed and Seattle was a different place. Discrimination against transgenics was strictly prohibited, although it did occur. Since they were revealed as heroes of the world however, being a transgenic was much less of a stigma. In fact, those of the superior genetic persuasion now had something of a special mystique. Barcode tattoos were suddenly the hottest trend. Cheap T-shirts also sprang up declaring pro-transgenic slogans: such as "My sister was an X5" and "Genetically Superior." Much to Joshua's relief, his mug shot was now imprinted on a T-shirt that read "Free Transgenics."
The endorsements rolling in via merchandising and advertisements helped the former and current members of Terminal City. They were able to re-build Terminal City to their liking: opening up new complexes and housing developments and even little shops and restaurants. While Alec pissed away much of his new earnings on strip clubs and women, Max mostly hoarded hers 'for a rainy day' with a few exceptions. She earmarked some to Logan: helping him repair his Eyes Only network and move back into his old apartment; complete with a new security system and, of course, using some to upgrade her motorcycle.
As for the transgenics themselves; some quite enjoyed the limelight, others felt suddenly exposed and uncomfortable. Max, for example, felt quite uncomfortable after being declared the 'savior of the world.' After hiding for over a decade, it felt strange to have her face everywhere. She did finally cut her hair short enough to show her barcode and, at Logan and Alec's urging, she had agreed to a few talk show circuits. Alec joked that she seemed more like a 'deer in the headlights' than a super soldier. He quite enjoyed being the center of attention. He was quite a character on the talk shows and had even been asked back already. In addition, he found that his transgenic status made him something of a sex symbol with the ladies.
Things did not go quite as smoothly for Joshua. Although transgenics were the heroes of the hour, it was still obvious that the X series were much more welcomed than the transhumans. His enthusiasm for visiting Max at Crash and at her place of work quickly vanished when he noted who people still saw him. Max urged him that it would get better but, being a rather shy person to begin with, it was a lot for him to handle. He spent much of his time at his new Terminal City residence with Sandeman, who had become something of a sage and confidant to him. She did help assuage his fears by becoming the official spokeswoman for the Transgenic Movement and updating him on the most recent legislation and public opinion polls.
While Max realized how important it was to 'play the part' of an eager lobbyist and politician, she felt it was a dirty game and she never looked forward to it. She had somehow convinced Alec to also don a suit and join her for the biweekly meetings. But though Alec enjoyed talk shows and television appearances, the political meetings reminded him a bit too much of his old Manticore assignments where he had to dress up and play a part. Max never admitted to Alec, she thought his presence was a comfort as she presented herself to the sleazy lawmakers of a still broken world. The two still maintained a presence at Jam Pony. Max claimed it 'kept them real,' but she often regretted her return to work….
"Hot run 17 Clemson!" Normal shouted, waving a package at Sketchy. Sketchy whipped up his hands in defiance.
"No way man, they still got all them gang wars there," he protested. His roving eyes spied Alec standing nearby. He flung his arm around the X5's shoulder and smirked. "Besides, why send an ordinary to do a transgenic's job?"
"That's an excellent idea," Normal agreed. "Max! Get the firetruck over here!"
Max sauntered over to the desk and swiped the package from Normal. She twirled the small box on her finger and shouted back to Alec.
"Hey, Alec! Up for some Escape and Evade?" Alec smirked and walked up to her.
"You got it," he retorted and mounted his bicycle. "Ten bucks says I can beat you there."
"Oh, it's on," she agreed, climbing onto her bike and pedaling swiftly. Normal shook his head as the two raced out of the building, narrowing missing another eager delivery boy.
Fifteen minutes later, Max swerved her bike to a halt as she reached the sector checkpoint… seconds before Alec pulled up beside her. She smiled triumphantly as she flashed her Jam Pony identification card to the sector policeman. Alec scowled and then followed in suit. Upon entering Clemson Street however, Max quickly gauged the reason that Sketchy was so eager to avoid the area. The streets were littered with garbage, dilapidated buildings, and the only people visible were the most dangerous, dregs of society. Alec jumped back a little as he heard the sound of gunshots behind him.
"So where is this place?" he muttered, feeling a bit nervous.
"Just up the street. Apt. 17," she said, nodding a bit in the direction and tucking the package under her arm. She walked briskly in the direction of the run, feeling pretty confident in the fact that the violent fights of the street did not concern her, until a bottle smashed an inch away from her face. Max whipped around to see a small band of men holding up cardboard signs that read 'NO MORE TRANGENICS' and 'DON'T LET THEM STEAL YOUR JOBS.' She turned heel and approached the band angrily.
"You wanna try that again?" she growled at the men.
"Woah, woah, woah, Max… calm down," Alec intervened, putting a hand on her shoulder and stepping forward. "C'mon pal, we're just trying to make a living, same as you."
"I'll show you, pal!" one man spat and raced toward Alec with a bat. Max saw him coming first and swept her foot under him. The man landed on the ground with a thud. Alec then took over and began fighting off the man himself. Max turned her attention to another attack, kicking the weapon from his eager hands. She came at him with a barrage of kicks, while the stunned man stood, unable to fight the blows.
Meanwhile, Alec gave his opponent a well placed blow to the jaw, knocking him unconscious, and then turned to Max. His eyes widened as he saw a third man point the nozzle of his gun toward Max's back. Springing into action, he grabbed the man's wrist, making the gun fire off directly behind her. She whipped back, surprised at being caught off guard. In a few more moments she brought down the first man and elbowing her would-be killer in the face. Alec and Max stood above their unconscious foes in triumph, barely having worked up a sweat at all.
"Well, that was fun," Alec quipped, examining the slight rip in his jacket.
"Yea, a personal best I'm sure," she returned, gazing at the two burly reprobates. Alec nodded and snatched his bike, eager to finish the run. Before he could take off, Max put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey… thanks for saving my ass."
Alec smiled slightly. "Guess it was my turn," he shrugged and took off down the street. Max mounted her bike and pedaled behind Alec. Her mind began to race as she reeled back their brief conversation: 'my turn.' Quid pro quo. It all felt a bit too familiar for her taste. She pedaled faster, over taking Alec, and they completed the run without exchanging another word to each other.
Hours later, Max, Alec, Original Cindy, Sketchy, and Joshua were bunched into a small table at Crash. Joshua's eyes darted back and forth as he rubbed his beer glass anxiously with his thumbs. His long mane of hair partially covered his deformed face. Max thumped a pitcher of beer on the middle of the table while Alec, Original Cindy, and Sketchy were deeply engrossed in their conversation.
"What's everyone talkin' about?" Max asked, raising her brow curiously.
Sketchy pulled up a freshly printed copy of New World Weekly and tapped the cover. It depicted a band of flying saucers beaming their lights above the Seattle skyline. In large bubbly print it read "Did Transgenics Save Us, or Was it Zenix5?" Max guffawed and sat down.
"People don't really buy that crap do they?"
Sketchy scowled, a little offended by Max's offhanded shot at his magazine. "People believe a lot of things Max." He leaned backwards in his chair and began to flick through the pages. "Some of the Press even believes the whole comet thing was just a hoax."
Max scoffed at his words. "Tell that to the hundreds of children and the elderly who died suddenly of an unknown poison."
"Or the thousand people that lived on remote islands the antibody never reached in time," Alec chimed in. The two transgenics shook their hands at the tragedy and started downing their beers.
"So people even say transgenics brought about the apocalypse by their whole existence," Sketchy added, gesticulating wildly and wobbling from intoxication.
Original Cindy rolled her eyes and snatched the paper from Sketchy's hands. "Boo, you need to sober up and stop yo' fool ramblings." She turned her attention to Joshua. "You need to come out of your shell Doggy dog. Ya' oughta show off that handsome face."
Joshua smiled and pulled a strand of hair away from his face at Original Cindy's encouragement. Alec slid over and put an arm on Josh's back. "Hey c'mon Joshy, how about a toast?" At these words Alec raised his glass into the air. "To our new life!"
The five of them raised their beer glasses in the air together and started to clink them together. As they celebrated, a pair of greasy teenagers took note of group. One teenager leaned on the shoulder of the other one. His legs were crossed awkwardly and it was clear that he was using his friend for support. He pointed to Joshua and whispered loudly, "Hey isn't he that dog boy from the news?" Max, Alec, and Joshua had picked up on their hushed voices with their keener hearing and shared annoyed glances. Original Cindy caught on to what was happening and leaned over to Joshua.
"Just ignore them Boo. They're not even worth your time."
Unfortunately, the other teen ambled forward and put his hand on Joshua's shoulder. With his free hand, he pulled back Joshua's long locks and studied his countenance. Joshua remained still, his eyes large with fright. Then the teen loosened his grip on Joshua and began to giggle manically. He motioned for his friend to come over. "Hey dude, you're right! It's the dogboy! Wicked!"
His friend snorted with laughter and joined his friend to gawk at Joshua. "Oh hey… he's like a dog!" He thumped Joshua's chest with the back of his hand. "Hey, hey dude," he addressed him. "Ya ever hear this one? Who let the dogs out? Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!" He whirled his hand in the air at his joke and laughed even harder. Max and Alec couldn't take anymore. They stood to face the inebriated adolescents with restrained anger written all over their faces. Max looked the teen in the eye and shoved him away from Joshua.
"You wanna leave him alone?" she threatened, pushing him further away.
"Geez… chill girlfriend. What's a hot transgenic babe doing in a place like this anyway?" he smiled and started to run his fingers through Max's hair. Before Max could react, Joshua was up like a shot and had grabbed the irritating offender by the collar.
"Beat it little man," he said, his voice turning into a low growl.
The boy being held by his collar continued to giggle. "Hey he growls like a dog too!" But his friend suddenly began to realize that Joshua was much taller and stronger than the both of them and raced up to his friend. He tugged Joshua's arms urgently to get his to release the oblivious reprobate. After a second of hesitation, Josh released his grip on the kid and shoved him into his friend. The terrified teen grabbed his friend by the arm and led him away from the angry dog boy.
Max looked up at Joshua. His chest was heaving up and down rapidly, his fists were still clenched, and his eyes held watery tears. She sighed and put a hand to his shoulder. "Look Josh, don't let them ruin your evening."
He smacked her hand away roughly. "Too late," he mumbled and started to walk toward the door. Max blocked his exit and put a hand to his chest.
"You can't let them defeat you Joshua," she said softly. Joshua gently pushed her aside, ignoring her words, and continued his walk to the door. Max watched his leave as he eyes started to glower with anger. "Sure… run away again. Like you always do," she called after him, her voice now raised.
Joshua whipped around, angered by her words. He bounded up to her, returning her angry glare. "You… you don't know what it's like! Because you look… like-like that!" he cried, poking her ribs with his finger. She grabbed the offending finger and stared up at him, not backing down.
"You're right Josh. I don't know. But I do know this; we risked our asses to be free. No one said it would be easy. If you run away, you spit on everything we've stood for and you're-"her voice dropped to a soft whisper, "-you're a coward." Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at Joshua's soft eyes and tear stained face. "Please."
Joshua's head drooped slightly. "I'm sorry, Max." With that, he took off through the doors of Crash without a backwards glance. The doors thumped loudly as he left the club. Max breathed out, put her hand through her hair, and checked herself from crying. She kept her composure and returned to the table, taking a long gulp of beer.
Alec sighed and grasped the handle of his own beer mug. His eyes fell upon his watch and he almost jumped out of his seat in surprise. "Uhhh, Max? When was that meeting we're supposed to go to start?"
"Crap!" Max exclaimed, putting down her drink and leaping out of her chair. "Let's blaze." The two nervous transgenics zipped out of the bar in a flash.
"Wow," Sketchy muttered, admiring their speed.
"Damn right," O.C. nodded.
"Ready?" Alec called from behind the bathroom stall.
"Yea," Max muttered, dusting off her formal suit. "I hate these meetings… how do I look?" she asked, tugging at the sleeves.
Alec gave her a once over. "Like a wolf in sheep's clothing," he teased. He always thought Max looked out of place in that dress suit, as hot as she looked to him.
She socked his arm lightly and sighed. Alec put an arm around her shoulder as they walked toward the meeting room. "Look, I know a thing or two about playing a part," he bragged, cocking an eyebrow.
"You mean from all the covert assassination missions," Max scowled.
"Ahhh, who says good ole' Manticore never taught us anything. You want my help or not?"
"Shoot."
Alec ignored the offhanded pun and continued. "One, always remember to appear confident… like everyone around you is something you scrape off your shoe."
"That's reassuring."
"Two, remember everything everyone says to you. People slip up, they stumble, they fall. Our minds are like supercomputers. Remember everything your handy love toy briefed us on." Max rolled her eyes at his reference to Logan, but Alec pressed on.
"Three, remember to use your good looks to your advantage," he advised, soothing back his hair.
"Alec!" Max exclaimed, startled.
"Well, Max, we're designed to make people 'stand up and take notice' if you know what I mean."
Before Max could protest further, Alec had opened the double doors to the meeting room and they were faced with a long table of stuffy looking politicians. They could make out a few in the back whispering to each other as they walked in. The man at the head of the table stood slowly and cleared his throat. "Please come in."
Max and Alec took their seats and sat at the edge of their chairs. The man sitting next to Alec scooted a sit further back in his seat, while the one next to Max tried to subtly lean backward to observe her barcode. Alec coughed uncomfortably, folded his hands in front of him, and addressed the leader of the group. "So… you wanted to see us?"
The head of the table straightened his tie and addressed the table. "Some recent propositions have come up involving transgenics and the committee has decided to vote on them today."
Max chortled and stood up indignantly. "Today! Excuse me, but we were never informed of this decision."
"Well, Miss Guevara… we sent out an Email as we always do," another man, seated next to the director explained with a hint of condescension.
"You do realize that only 40 of our people have access to a computer… at best?" she said, knowing full well that the committee was aware of their limitations.
"We can't delay this Miss Guevara. The committee has much more pressing issues at hand," a woman at the table added.
"Ladies, gentleman… there's no reason to get upset here," Alec smirked, putting up his hands. "Now, tell us about these propositions."
A tall man with slicked back hair stood with a long sheet of paper and adjusted his glasses. "Proposition number one: transgenics shall be required to undergo further inspection at sector checkpoints such as barcode IDs and background checks."
Alec and Max shared a look. Considering all of the criminals allowed to roam free after the Pulse, these extra precautions seemed unnecessary. Still, they knew they had to pick their battles so they reluctantly accepted the proposition.
Now a younger, more nervous man stood. He was sweating profusely as he read the proposal to the transgenics. "Proposition number two: all transgenics should be registered with the Seattle P.D." At Max and Alec's annoyed glances, he continued. "Well… that's not only for us… I mean us people, um, normal people. Uh… (cough) that's also for you. Because you, well, you need to find… each other… right?"
Again, Max and Alec accepted the proposal, but their countenance had soured somewhat. A smaller man with wild, bushy hair stood before them.
"Proposition number three: the committee rules that the transgenics should be barred from certain housing developments. All housing should remain in or in the vicinity of Terminal City."
This proposal, the transgenics vigorously opposed. For months, they had been locked in Terminal City forced to fight for their lives. This 'limited housing' felt all too familiar. They knew of several transgenics who lived far from the boundaries of Terminal City and Seattle and they themselves chose not to live in Terminal City. The committee was called to a vote. A few hands rose in support of the proposition. Max looked around worriedly, and then noted Alec smirking at the two ladies at the table. She scowled at first, but then… seeing how the ladies had not raised their hands, began tousling her own hair seductively. She was frowning inwardly at their dirty tactics, but could not complain when the proposition failed to pass.
"Proposition number four: the committee rules that the transgenics be barred from interacting with jobs involving children or the elderly."
This proposition particularly stung Max. She always felt a strong affection toward children, perhaps since she had been denied a decent childhood herself. The thought of being barred from contact with them purely because of her genetic makeup was unimaginable. Luckily, the proposition failed, albeit by a razor slim majority.
She managed to maintain her composure until the meeting had ended, but once they had left the room Max practically exploded with anger.
"Barred from housing… jobs… when did transgenics get the Jim Crow treatment?" she asked.
"They didn't pass Max. They came close, but they failed. We won again," he pointed out, smiling his signature cocky grin.
"We won? We shouldn't even be fighting this! These things shouldn't even come up!" she exclaimed, surprised at Alec's calm demeanor.
Alec sighed and soothed his hair back. He was trying to keep cool, but inside he felt the same as Max. Pretending to be confident and victorious was his own way of denying the unfair discriminatory treatment his people were receiving. He thought he was handling himself, but suddenly he let go of his frustrations.
"What do you want me to say Max? That everything sucks? That everyday we're getting closer to losing what we've gained? Well, guess what? That's the way things are and we're just going to have to deal with that, okay?" he caught his breath, realizing he had erupted into a yell. He bowed his head as she noted Max's surprised and hurt expression. He hadn't meant to scream at her. She was the one trying to end this more than anyone else. "Sorry," he added in barely a whisper.
Max sighed and cupped his face with one of her hands. "Me too. Look, just… try to relax. Have some fun," she suggested, sympathetically. "I'm going to go over to Logan's. We'll talk when we have a chance to cool off, okay?"
Alec watched Max take off. He wanted to thank her again for freeing her from Manticore. He wanted to tell her that even things were kind of crappy right now, he was glad to have a friend by his side… if nothing else. He wanted to find the words to help Max… to free her of her burdens. He wanted the world to be the way it was before everyone knew about what transgenics were. But he couldn't do any one of those things. For the first time since he had left Manticore, Alec felt a familiar feeling. He felt completely and utterly hopeless.
Max knew only one thing could make her feel better: her boyfriend. Logan and Max had finally been able to consummate their love and officially enter 'couple status' after two years. And after a long day of work, she knew Logan would be right by her side, comforting her, listening to her, pampering her, and most importantly: feeding her.
She could hear her stomach growl angrily as she flung the door of his apartment open. She was tired, frustrated, and way past the point of formalities. She pulled past the sliding doors, eager to track Logan down. Luckily, her search was brief, as the amorous scent of spices filled the air, leading her straight to the kitchen. There she found Logan, dressed in a simple black T-shirt and jeans, cooking up his latest culinary miracle at the stove.
He looked up from his work and smiled at her, ignoring her casual breaking and entering as usual. "Hey, there," he chirped, as he threw slices of tomato into the frying pan.
Max barely glanced at Logan as she spied the bottle of red wine on the kitchen table. She threw back a half hearted "hey" and poured herself a glass. Logan watched, perplexed, as she chugged down the wine. He spoke up as she started to pour a second glass.
"Uhhh, actually Max… that's for the sauce."
She picked up and studied the bottle for a moment. "Burgundy in sauce?"
He walked up to her, his exoskeleton whirring, and cradled the bottle to the stove. "Hey, why don't you get started on those onions over there?" he pointed to the onions on the cutting board, his back toward her. She shrugged, walked over to the cutting board, and picked up a knife. She began chopping the onion into uneven halves with a far off look in her eyes. Logan sensed something was amiss, but started casually.
"Sooo how was your day?" he said, off handedly as he measured the garlic.
"Sucked. Alec and I get attacked by some anti transgenic thugs on a run, Joshua refuses to face any kind of adversity… oh and apparently parents should lock their kids up at night when transgenics roam the streets," she blurted, furiously hacking at the onion as if it was the object of her distress. "What the hell is this stuff anyway?"
Logan scowled at her gruff tone as he pulled the chopping board from her grasp and unceremoniously dumped the chopped onions into the pan. "That good, huh?" he asked, dejectedly as he stirred the contents of the pan.
Max sighed and leaned on her hand. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dump on you. It's just… its frustrating, y'know?" She sighed, took a knife to the green pepper in front of her, and talked into the cutting board. "I mean, I thought we were safe. Free. Then suddenly I get another slap in the face. 'Wake up Max, people still hate transgenics.'"
"Not all people," Logan smiled, reassuringly. Max gave him a half- hearted smile back, and then glanced back down at the frying pan.
"Sooo… what is it?"
Logan smiled wider and began spooning the contents of the pan into a long dish. "Eggplant ratatouille."
"Rat-a what?" she asked as she followed him to the table. "That's not a vegetable dish is it?" she asked with a raised brow.
"It is," he admitted as he scooted the tray to the center of the table, positioning it next to the pre-made salad. "Just give it a chance. Have I ever disappointed?"
They ate in silence for a while. After a few minutes, Logan finally broke the ice, "A couple of my contacts have come to me asking about the transgenic movement. One of my contacts, who I taped in the contact room, had a barcode tattoo. I think she wanted to write 452, but it was smudged and I think it said '453.'" He chuckled a bit as he tore at his salad. "Thought it was kinda funny. She had no idea that's your clon-"
"Logan, you don't have to keep doing that," Max interrupted.
"Doing what?"
"I know what you're trying to do," she said between mouthfuls. "Everyday you keep tellin' me all the good news… to make things seem better than they are." She sighed, meeting Logan's eyes. "I kinda need to know the bad stuff too."
Logan frowned and stared into his plate, avoiding her eyes.
"Just how many anti-transgenic groups are out there?" she asked.
He ruffled his hair anxiously, put down his fork, and walked over the computer room. "Maybe you better follow me." Max did as she was told, reluctantly leaving behind her plate.
Logan sat down on his swivel chair and clicked a folder, right on the desktop. He sighed and clicked a few icons to reveal a myriad of pictures. Max shifted uncomfortably. The pictures, of varying quality, showed a number of anti transgenic rallies, protests, and signs from all over the world. She clenched her jaw, willing herself not to lose her cool and spoke softly to Logan. "How many?" she repeated.
"There's maybe four or five big international groups… smaller ones scattered around," he scowled, as he pulled up articles and websites of different anti transgenic organizations. She read the rhetoric of the websites, her brow furrowing and frown intensifying with each new site. Logan looked at her with concern as she browsed through; then suddenly a thought entered his mind.
"Maybe there's a way to help," he announced. "Look… people seemed to be more sympathetic at the trial, after we brought in witnesses from Eyes Only. Maybe if people were reminded of all you did for them, these groups would die down."
"Eyes Only alerts about old cases? People forget, Logan. One heinous crime takes the place of another."
"They wouldn't have to old. Think about it: I'd send you on an Eyes Only mission, as usual, you save the day, and I report about it. Like old times…except you'd get the credit," he smirked proudly at his plan.
"I don't know Logan; if people know I'm coming its hard to keep things on the DL."
"Look, worst case scenario: they up the number of guards. Shouldn't be a problem for someone who escaped from trained military guards in the freezing cold at the tender age of nine," he pointed out.
"Guess it should be a piece of cake," Max agreed and grinned, acknowledging her prowess. Glad to get a smile from Max, Logan rose from his seat and began tenderly rubbing her shoulders. She closed her eyes and pushed closer to him, enjoying the massage with every fiber of her being.
"Look Max, just forget today. Let's… go to bed."
She chuckled slightly. "Is that all you ever think about?"
"After two years of waiting, do you really have to ask?"
She turned and planted a soft kiss on his lips, which he eagerly returned. Then she grabbed him by the hand and led him to his bedroom. Upon entering, she practically pounced on his soft bed and smothered herself in the soft pillows. Logan smiled at his girlfriend affectionately, then turned and began quickly sifting through the drawers for protection. He grasped the wrapper between his fingers excitedly, but when he turned to back to Max he saw she was already fast asleep on top of the covers. Logan sighed and walked over to her side. He brushed a strand of hair from her face. Even in her dreams, her face was contorted with worry and pain. She twitched slightly in discomfort. Logan put a hand on her forehead and sighed. "I'm sorry, Max," was all he could think to say.
Author's Note: Oh yea, the 'propositions' I proposed are very similar to the kinds of laws passed against convicts after they are released from prison. No joke! Also, in case you're curious, eggplant ratatouille is a real food and it's delicious! Let me know if you want the recipe. Another note: I fully realize that Max refurbishing Logan's apartment is perhaps a bit silly, but I love that apartment, damnit! But c'mon… don't you prefer his chic apartment over Joshua's dusty house? Admit it! Also, I'm sorry my cliffhanger is sort of lame. The next ones will be better!