Chapter 2 -- Like Old Times

"Wait, I don't understand, so Jinx is... Jinx?" Tavi asked as she drew Max's blood. "It's... it's unbelievable that she could have survived getting shot like that and then falling through the ice."

"She says that's what saved her."

Tavi sighed and placed a cotton-swab over the needle before pulling it out. She applied pressure to the swab. "Did you tell her... does she know?"

Max nodded. "I didn't mean to tell her, but she kind of figured it out once I started talking about you. It's okay, though. She always liked Doctor Jericho..."

"Lucky me." Tavi finished labeling the tubes of blood and taped the cotton onto Max's arm. She looked around. "Where'd she go?"

"She's talking to Normal." Alec walked up to them and slid an arm around Tavi's waist. Tavi glared at him.

"Hand." She caught his wrist between her thumb and index finger and squeezed, causing Alec to drop to his knees.

He did not look like he was in pain, only a little surprised. "Neat trick. So, is what I heard true?"

Max nodded. "Yeah. She's an X5."

"Young, isn't she?"

"Yeah." Tavi nodded. "She's only fifteen. She was one of the last before we started production on the X6's."

Alec nodded, looking impressed. "Cool."

"What is she talking to Normal about?" Tavi asked.

"I don't know. I didn't hang around after she said 'your books are a mess'. It seemed like a good time to leave."

"She didn't..." Max sighed. "I wonder if Logan can find her a job."

"Why is she no longer practicing medicine?" Tavi asked.

"She thinks the black-market here is too dangerous. In Mexico, no one batted an eyelash at under-the-table medicine. Here, it's a crime and you have rivals to worry about."

"Hmm... Well, I could use a lab-tech."

"Tavi, you're a genius!" Max grinned at her.

Tavi smiled and nodded placidly. "You'd better go rescue Jinx from the wrath of Normal."

Max grinned and nodded. "Trust Jinx to find a new way to get herself into trouble less than an hour after she gets the job."

"Oh, that's right. She always was a clumsy one. I'd forgotten."

"Yeah, but never when there was a life on the line. Never with anyone else."

Tavi nodded. "She drove the Psychiatric Corps crazy. They were convinced that she was doing it on purpose."

"Really?" Max frowned. "I never knew that."

"Well, Deck and I convinced them that it was just nervousness and would pass."

"It hasn't. She spilled off of her bike on our way back from the run."

"Oh, good lord." Tavi shook her head. "The poor baby. I'm off. See you ladies tonight."

Max nodded. "Well, I'd better go rescue her before she makes Normal cry." She walked to the front desk. "Where's Normal?" she asked Sketchy.

"In the office with the new girl. You don't think she's in trouble already?"

"Jinx? Nah. Couldn't possibly be." Max ducked around the desk and put her hand on the doorknob.

"You really think so?" Normal's voice asked inside the office. His voice sounded eager.

"Oh, positive." Jinx's voice was its typical, assured self. "Absolutely. It'll streamline your overhead and take a great deal of strain off of your staff, which will, by itself, increase productivity by almost 8%."

Max pulled away from the door, grinning. She may have been accident-prone, but she also had a habit of coming out of accidents better than she went into them. Shaking her head, she rejoined Cindy and Alec.

"So?" Cindy asked.

"She's teaching him how to streamline overhead and increase morale and productivity."

"I see." Cindy, who obviously did not see, blinked in confusion.

Alec laughed and shook his head. "Your little friend is an... interesting woman, Max."

Max smiled. "She has her moments."

***

"An X5?" Logan asked, keeping pressure on his arm until Tavi could bandage it. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Jinx. I think I told you about her."

"Right." Logan nodded. "They never found the body, but you said that she must have died."

"I was wrong. Not the first time, certainly." Tavi sighed.

"You look tired. And you're losing weight."

"I'm fine. Just... preoccupied."

"By Jinx?" he asked, frowning.

"By you."

"Ah."

"Yeah." Tavi nodded. "Sorry."

"No luck, then?"

"None at all, yet, for which I am sorry." Tavi sighed and walked into the kitchen. "You got anything to drink?"

"Water and milk."

"That's a big, fat no."

"When did you start drinking, Tav?"

"Years ago. Didn't you know?"

"I didn't. Sorry." Logan smiled at her. "Look, I want you to pop off to the guest-room and take a nap. God knows you could use one."

"Sure. Put these in the fridge, could you?"

Logan took the vials of blood and carried them to the refrigerator. "I could make you some warm-milk..." he offered.

"Nah, I don't even need it." Tavi shook her head. "Thanks, though. Hug?"

Smiling, Logan hugged his old friend. "Sleep well, okay. I'll wake you up in time for dinner."

"Jinx is coming, I told you that?"

"Twice, Tav, now go get some sleep."

She nodded and picked up her bag. "I told Max that the blood couldn't wait because I was going straight to the lab after I got it."

"Well, you can just tell her that a crazed cyber-journalist forced you to take a nap at gunpoint." Logan grinned at her. "You know the way?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Lo."

"Sleep tight, Tav."

"Yeah." She nodded and walked to the guest-room.

She shut the door and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling off her shoes and clothes. She folded her clothes neatly and left them on the dresser, next to her bag. She paused for a minute and decided that she was not going to be able to sleep, knowing that she had work to do, unless she took an Ambien. She looked around for the bottle and could not find it. Sighing, she picked up a vial of medicine and pulled a little into a syringe before injecting it into her arm. She capped the syringe and returned to the bed.

"Damn, I hate shots..." she muttered as she settled down.

When Logan checked on her ten minutes later, she was snoring softly. He smiled and walked over to her. He must have spent ten minutes staring down at the woman before he realized what he was doing and left.

***

"Mom, Dad, this is Tavi." Logan smiled proudly as he introduced her to his folks for the first time. They had, of course, heard all about her, but since she had been away so much recently with her new job, they had never met face to face.

Mrs. Cale smiled widely as she shook the young woman's hand. "It's so wonderful to finally meet you, Tavinia. Logan is forever speaking of you."

Tavi blushed with pleasure and grinned at Logan. It was a side-ways, teasing expression that, in later years, she would almost forget how to make. Now, young and happy and with the world at her feet, it was one of her more common looks. "Really? Now, when we're together, he can't seem to stop talking of the two of you."

Logan blushed and slid an arm around Tavi's waist. "Well, this is her, guys. The woman I'm going to marry. Questions? Comments?"

Mr. Cale laughed and shook his head. "Our son the journalist."

"Don't worry, I'll make an honest man out of him yet." Tavi smiled at Mr. Cale.

Mr. Cale smiled right back. "Um, that I'll believe when I see it."

Mrs. Cale laughed. "Darling! It's not nice to tease."

"Mom, I don't think he's teasing." Logan laughed and winked at his mother.

"I see..." She eyed her husband thoughtfully for a moment before continuing. "Logan tells us you're on vacation, dear?"

"That's right." Tavi nodded. "For about five days."

"Wonderful. That'll be plenty of time for us to get to know each other." She glanced at her watch. "And we can start now. We have tea and Logan and I made cookies."

"Logan tells us you're in the military?" Mr. Cale asked over tea.

Tavi quickly swallowed the oatmeal cookie she had been enjoying and nodded, sipping her tea to clear her mouth. "That's right. Only a Captain right now."

"Only?" Mr. Cale laughed. "Logan, it's good to see that your fiancé isn't too ambitious."

"Aw, dad!" Logan laughed. "Captain's what they give doctors. Right away."

"You're a doctor?" Mrs. Cale asked, smiling. "But, you seem so young."

"Oh, I'm Logan's age. We went to high-school together for a year, but I'm... a fast learner, I guess."

"And now you're a doctor?" Mr. Cale asked. "Wow."

Tavi blushed and bowed her head. "It's just a matter of being good at one particular thing. Logan's good at Journalism... and dancing. I'm good at putting things back together when they get broken." She shrugged. Honestly, she saw no difference between the two.

"So, you treat our soldiers?" Mr. Cale asked. "Noble calling."

Tavi bowed her head. "Actually, I'm only a pediatrician at this point. But who knows... maybe one day soon I'll be treating soldiers."

"Maybe you'll even have some of the same patients?" Mr. Cale suggested.

Tavi hesitated for a split second before responding. "It's not at all unlikely, Mr. Cale."

Logan stared sideways at her. Why had her voice caught like that?

"So, you privy to any top-secret information that could kick off our son's journalism career in a big way?"

Tavi laughed softly and shook her head. "Maybe some day, sir."

A maid walked in and announced that there was a phone call for Miss Jericho. One Colonel Lydecker.

"Better get that. Sounds urgent." Mr. Cale rose as Tavi rose.

"I hope it's nothing serious..." Mrs. Cale said with a slight frown. "Surely they won't call her back to work, Logan?"

"No, mom... She talks about the Colonel all the time. He probably just wants to make sure she arrived in one piece."

"Sir?" Tavi asked softly. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, Tav. Everything's just fine right now. See that it stays that way."

Tavi frowned. "I'm afraid I don't understand, sir."

"Remain outwardly calm. You didn't think they'd let you go anywhere that they can't keep tabs on you."

Tavi frowned and glanced around the room for the microphone that must be hidden there. "I see, sir. Thank you."

"Just... mind yourself, Tav. I can't afford to lose you." There was a slight pause. "The project can't afford to lose you."

"Good to know, sir."

"I mean it, Tav. Watch yourself there. Don't get any ideas about coming clean to that fiancé of yours."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir. Doubt he'd understand."

"Good." There was another pause. "Pleasant flight?"

"I was airsick the whole way."

"So I heard."

Tavi cringed and began running her hands over her clothes. There was only one place that they could have hidden the bug without worrying about her noticing it. She'd need a new pair of shoes at once. "Thank you, sir."

"Enjoy your vacation, Tav."

"Thank you, sir."

"Stay safe."

"And you, sir. How are the kids?"

"Doing well. Although... Do you have  a minute?"

"For the kids, always."

"Some of them have started telling stories."

"And?"

"And..." Lydecker made an annoyed sound. "Not normal, Tav."

"Of course it is, Deck. They're kids. It's what they do. Just record the stories for me. I'll review them when I get back."

"Thanks, Tav. Have a nice vacation."

"Thanks, Deck. See you Monday."

When she hung up the phone and turned around, Logan was leaning against the wall. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"Nothing much. Some of my kids are... acting funny."

"Funny how?"

"Just..." She shrugged. "You know how kids can be."

Logan walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "Not first-hand, but I look forward to finding out."

"Logan, your parents are two rooms over!"

Logan grinned and kissed her. "Yeah, and I'll give you three guesses on how I got into the world."

She laughed and pushed him gently away. "Tonight. After they've gone to sleep. We'll... talk about it."

"Talk? Closest we've come yet."

"Shh!" Tavi shook her head. "Come on. Your folks will be waiting."

***

That had been the first warning-sign. Even before they had named each other, there had been the stories. Tavi would never forget those first anxious weeks, listening to the tapes about the 'Nomlies in the basement and trying to figure out if it was, in fact, normal, or if her kids were going psychotic, as Deck had told her occasionally occurred. She had her own worries as well, above and beyond those being caused by her kids. She was being electronically monitored. Her fiancé was being electronically monitored. And the whole 'fiancé' thing... She felt like she was going mad.

She had warned Logan, of course, about the bugs. She had suggested that, if he had any extra-curricular activities that he did not want the world to know about, he should find a different place to do them than his home. She had even showed him how to scan for the listening devices and what the most likely places for them to hide were. He had reacted as if he were afraid that she was going mad, until she had pulled two tiny mikes off of his computer. She had even showed him the one in the sole of her shoe before judiciously replacing it.

Logan had been understandably horrified. This, of course, was well before he had started his 'Eyes Only' career. It was also, more than any one event, the one he would cite in later years as being his trigger for creating Eyes Only. On that visit, Tavi often wore her bugged shoes, and said very little of any real relevance to Logan. Obviously, he knew that something was going on, but when that something came to light, it would be a complete surprise for him.

By her next visit, they trusted her enough not to place listening-devices in her clothing. The ones in the guest-room, and in Logan's room, and the dining room remained, but she doubted if they even bothered listening to the recordings that they made. Deck trusted her. By extension, everyone else was forced to trust her.

***

"I don't believe it!" Logan hissed. They had gone for a hike and Tavi was quietly explaining to Logan exactly what her position as a 'pediatrician' really involved.

"I have the proof, Lo." Tavi sighed. She could not believe that she was doing this, but if anyone had a right to know, it was Logan Cale, her best friend.

"Okay..." Logan sighed and stopped walking. "You sure they haven't bugged your shoes again?"

She nodded. "Positive. I bought these at the airport. How convenient that I forgot my sneakers."

Logan laughed. "When did you get this... underhanded."

"Oh, Lo, I'm hurt..." she said in a flat voice. "Like you didn't know this about me in high-school when you helped me hack into my permanent records." She sighed. "Lo..."

"How can you live like this? Aren't you afraid?"

"Of course I am!" Tavi shook her head and started walking again. "Mostly just for you, though. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, do you have any idea how dangerous knowing me is, Lo?"

"I'm beginning to get an idea, yeah. I found three more bugs in my computer before you got here. I was scared to remove them, Tav."

"Don't. Leave them there. They can't suspect that you know about them. Just... buy a new computer."

Logan smiled. "Now you're speaking my language."

They walked in silence for almost half an hour before Tavi spoke again. "Logan, you know I'll always love you?"

"Tav, you do not have permission to break up with me like this."

Tavi shrugged. "Whatever. Another time."

"Yeah, just not now. I'm too happy." Logan sighed. "Or, I was happy. Now I feel like shit." He shook his head. "Can you prove the things you've told me about these kids?"

"Of course I can. I have it all right here." She held up one of the new micro-disks. "I made you a copy. It even has pictures."

Logan accepted the disk with a shaking hand. "Now we can expose them and they'll never bother you again."

Tavi laughed. It was already becoming a rare sound from her lips. "It doesn't work like that. We expose them and no one believes us, they kill us. We expose them and people believe, they kill us and the kids. Can't let that happen, Logan."

"These people are monsters! They should be stopped!" And they will be, one day. "Just... not yet. The time is... wrong and we are not the people to do it. Just... study the disk for me."

"Why? Why if not to bring them down?"

"Because if even one person knows then they've already lost. One of these days, the time will be right, just not yet."

Logan sighed and pocketed the disk. "Mom wants to know if you're coming to church with us on Sunday."

She nodded. "Yeah. I need to go to confession."

Logan sighed and they walked on. When they reached the car, Logan opened the door and helped Tavi inside. "Tav..." he began gently. He paused and started over. "Tav, as long as I live, I will take care of you. No matter what happens between us, I will be there for you. All you have to do is call."

Tavi smiled at him and kissed him gently. "Thanks, Lo. That's... comforting."

***

Tavi awoke with a start and stared around the darkening guest-room anxiously. Max had once confided that she hated dreaming because her dreams were usually just memories and seldom good ones. Tavi was beginning to understand the sentiment. Every time she closed her eyes now, she found herself living a memory. One night it might be Logan. Another night it might be watching her brother die of Gulf-War syndrome. The night after, memories of the children. All she could ever really be sure of was that the memories were unlikely to be pleasant ones.

Shaking, she rose and pulled her clothes on. Logan was puttering around in the kitchen, humming to himself. "May I have this dance?"

Logan smiled and made sure that everything was coming along nicely before following Tavi into the living room. "I've missed our dances. You were always my favorite partner."

"Really? Max included?"

Logan blushed. "Max and I have only ever danced in our dreams."

Tavi smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Lo."

Logan shook his head and slid his arms around her. "What dance?"

"Maybe we should have some music..." Tavi suggested.

Logan nodded. "I think so." He walked over to the CD player. "I have... Vivaldi--"

Tavi interrupted before he could read the rest of the CDs, "Smash Mouth."

Logan turned around slowly, grinning. "Do you remember the first time you came to visit me after you got the job at Manticore?"

Tavi grinned and nodded. "Actually, it was the second time. After I told you. I thought your parents were going to have a heart-attack when they woke up early one morning and found us in the library dancing to... oh, what was the song?"

"'All Star'."

"Not the 'I'm a Believer' remix?"

"I don't think so. I doubt it mattered to them quite as much as the fact that we were both dead drunk and dancing around the library at 5:00 in the morning to the musical stylings of Smash Mouth."

She nodded. "You could have a point there, although, technically, it was more like staggering than dancing at that point. But, it could have been worse. At least it wasn't Puff Doggy."

Logan stared at her. "Hey, um, sorry about getting all drunk on you like that, by the way. I guess I should have been more composed, but, to this day, I have never been quite as freaked out as I was when you showed me proof that Manticore was real." Logan laughed and shook his head and riffled through the pile of CDs until he found it. "I still have it. Check this out." Grinning, he carried the CD case over to her and opened it. He pulled out the CD and Tavi saw the micro-disk nestled underneath it. "Christ, Logan, that's a..."

"Stupid place for it." He nodded. "I know. At the time it seemed terribly clever, and quite like I was thumbing my nose at Manticore."

Tavi shook her head. "Not smart, Logan."

"There are worse places for it." Logan shrugged. "Not that it matters any more."

"No, I guess it doesn't. Still seems weird, doesn't it?"

"We're not dancing..." Logan noted, replacing the CD in its container and returning it to the pile.

"Grab something depressing."

Logan shrugged and picked up a CD by The Cure. "Well, this is about as depressing as the music of our era comes."

"Good. Plug it in."

Logan plugged the CD into the player and walked over to Tavi. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded. "Just when I get used to Max, another one of my kids pops up to throw me off my game." She shook her head. "Damn, Logan, I feel like I'm loosing it."

"That's okay," Logan assured her, "I lost it a long time ago."

"Funny." Tavi made a face at him.

"I wasn't joking, Tav. In case you've failed to notice, the world is not the safe, happy place that we used to think it was in high school. There is no security except the kind you can buy with a gun and with money. That realization is enough to drive anyone mad."

Tavi sighed and nodded. "Guess so. But... with me it should be different. I've spent the last ten years running and with a price on my head. I should be... relieved."

"Here's a scary thought." Logan wrapped his arms around her. "What if you are?"

"If this is what it feels like, I think I want the price on my head back." Tavi leaned against him. "Remember how much fun we used to have dancing?"

He nodded. "I don't get to dance much anymore."

"You could if you wanted to." Tavi smiled up at him. "You're just too picky on partners. Always have been."

"Probably." Logan sighed. "I've got to check on the food."

Tavi nodded and walked over to the couch. "You know what the fundamental problem is with humanity?" she asked the flower-arrangement on the coffee table. "Only this: humans are resistant to change, even if a situation can only get better. When they talk about 'old times', the odds are very good that those old times were really no better than the new ones."

"Did you say something?" Logan asked, leaning out of the kitchen.

"Huh?" Tavi looked up and shook her head. "Nice flowers, by the way."

"Thanks." Logan grinned and vanished back into the kitchen.

"I mean, what is it about the status quo that gives people such a vested interest in maintaining it?" She shook her head and absently rearranged a few flowers. "In fact, usually the 'good old days' are worse than the modern day. So what's the point?" She shook her head. "And what the hell am I talking to you for, anyway?" Sighing, she stretched out on the couch and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling.