The safehouse, as it turned out, was located in an apartment building not all that far from The Great God Pan. Max was initially worried about hiding out somewhere so close, but then again, it wasn't as if that would be expected. Kate activated the magnetic locking system and stepped inside, holding the door for everyone else. It was... an apartment, at any rate. There was a kitchen and a living room and a hallway leading to a few other rooms. It was decorated just enough to seem 'normal' although to Max's mind, it's cover of 'normalcy' would have benefited from being a little bit dirtier.
Chloe and Kate had been able to grab at least a bag each of their things from the apartment, but Max was still in the light cotton hospital clothing that she had escaped in – bare feet and all. And Victoria had her uniform, though her armored jacket was draped over her arm, her torso currently covered only by a light tank top. Despite looking rather slender, Max was now able to see some of the definition in her muscles that no doubt came with her intense security training. Jesus, Max, now is really not the time to be eyeing the woman who tried to kill you like an hour ago...
"Um, so we try to keep all of the safehouses stocked with whatever we can scrounge. It's not much, but Max, feel free to go investigate the bedrooms and see if you can find a change of clothing." While Max went to check out what was available, she saw Kate go into the kitchen, looking around a bit before sighing sadly. "Guess we didn't do such a hot job re-stocking this one..."
"I'll bother the nerds, see if they can scrounge up something for us on the way over."
Back in the first bedroom, Max took her sweet time looking around at everything. Sure enough, while there wasn't exactly a plethora of choices, she was at least able to locate some normal looking slacks and a hooded sweatshirt that had seen better days. She padded back out and down the hallway just as the front door opened and Kate let in two new guests.
Even with a change of time and gender, Max instantly recognized her old friends and ran up to them, wrapping them both in a massive hug. "Holy shit holy shit, it's so good to see you... You guys look amazing..." She pulled back to give them a better look. Brooke had on a pair of tech glasses and one of those asymmetrical jackets. Her hair was black, but when light hit it you could see that it had been treated with an iridescent rainbow effect. Mina looked... well, she kinda still just looked like she always had. Not in a bad way, not by a mile. Delightfully butch was the phrase that came to mind. Canvas jacket and heavy boots and cropped hair and all.
They each held up a brown paper bag with a wide grin. "We have heard the cry of the hungry." Brooke looked so damn pleased with herself.
"And yea, we have brought chinese food upon them," Mina replied as though reciting some ancient canticle.
"Unfortunately, we have to take care of business stuff first. I would rather our dinner not get interrupted by a bunch of soldiers."
As it turned out, 'business stuff' was dealing with Victoria's standard-issue tracking chip and anything that might have been done to Max to keep tabs on her. So the two of them sat side by side on the floor while Brooke and Mina sat behind them, each retrieving their needed gear. Brooke had an impressive looking portable rig as well as a collection of cables. "Okay Max, um... I can't say for sure but I'm fairly certain this is gonna hurt like a bitch, so y'know... hold on tight."
Sure enough, as Brooke plugged in to the port on the back of her neck, a wave of shock and nausea rolled over Max and she had to clench both her hands tight to keep her focus. "It's... fine... I'm fine..."
She was almost jealous of Victoria, who needed only a handheld device and a smaller data pad that Mina had brought with her. "I know paranoia is the theme of the day but... if they're tracking us, then don't they already know that we're here in this apartment?"
Mina hummed in agreement and understanding as she started typing in... something. "Yeah, it's not an ideal situation, but we've had to run programs like this before. We're gonna take your signal and essentially ping it all over the place like it's glitching out, and then we'll reset its supposed location to somewhere far away. It will look like you went wandering, but the system lost you for a second. So... I figure we can put you somewhere in Obsidian Springs near Zephyr HQ. And we'll put Max way, way out in the third ring, as if she was hiding out in an abandoned factory."
Max heard a little chuckle from behind her. Brooke was obviously pleased about something. "I guess they weren't expecting anybody to try and get a peek at your system because their security in here is so fucking basic."
"Mmm, I feel so violated..." Max mused playfully.
She heard a gasp from Chloe who was sitting across the room with Kate. "Max! Was that a joke? Thank god, I knew you were gonna be just fine."
She wasn't sure that was exactly true. Five years of alterations and surgeries, those things weren't going to be easily fixed. For all Max knew, it would take another five years to feel even close to the way she used to. But that was just another in a series of major bummer thoughts, and voicing them would just bring the entire mood down. "Well... I'm trying..."
Brooke made another noise, this time somewhat less enthused. "Fuck." Everyone glanced in her direction, the mood in the room dipping regardless of Max's input. "Max, you're... you're a cyborg..."
Just like that, they all rolled their eyes simultaneously and eased up. "Brooke, like 99% of the population can be considered cyborgs at this point. With all the kinds of augs available and how simple they are to get now? You're not exactly breaking new ground here." Leave it to Chloe to say what everyone else was thinking.
The other woman just clicked her tongue. "That's... Ugh, I don't just mean that she has a lot of implants here. That's clear. I'm talking about the theoretical concept of a cyborg here. Entire organs have been replaced with bionic replacements. There are nanites throughout her entire bloodstream, latched on to every cell they can find. Her brain's got consistent impulses to improve thinking and learning. The tech is about as fully integrated as can be. Literally, all this stuff, it's just theory to the rest of the world. Max is a fucking goddamn miracle."
If only Max could have been half as excited as her friend. A miracle? She felt more like a freak.
As nice as it would have been to have a kind of jovial family meal, nobody was quite feeling it. So they mostly just hung around the living room and shared the huge pile of chinese food while telling stories and chatting. Well, mostly. Max wasn't talking all that much. No doubt Brooke's announcement came as something of a shock to the poor girl.
The others eventually took their leave and things were clearly winding down. Chloe gave a gigantic yawn and stood up, stretching out. "It's been kind of a huge day, and I get the distinct feeling tomorrow's gonna be another big one. We should catch a few hours of sleep."
Kate joined her in standing, leaning against her slightly, and Chloe's arm instinctively wrapped around her shoulders. "Chloe and I can take that room back there. Victoria and Max can crash in the other one."
"Wh-!" Immediately Chloe felt her defensiveness rise. "You want to leave Max alone in a room with her? Great, and when we wake up in the morning, we can deal with the fact that she's gone and Max's throat is slit from ear to ear. Fantastic."
Surprisingly, it was Kate who got the most upset with her. "Chloe, I know you're not fond of Victoria at the moment, but she's clearly not going to just murder Max in her sleep. Never mind the fact that Max can take care of herself, y'know?"
Victoria just sighed softly and shook her head. "It's fine. I'm too paranoid for sleep myself. I'm gonna rest on the couch and keep an eye on the front door. Max can have the room. She can even lock the door and block it with the dresser for all I care. Goodnight..." Having said her peace, she draped herself across the couch like a passive-aggressive cat.
There wasn't much point in drawing out the argument, so Chloe just dragged Kate away to their room and left the other two to figure things out on their own. They got changed in an uncomfortable silence before sliding in under the covers together. Chloe's mouth often had a way of getting her into massive trouble, but almost never with Kate. This was... weird and new. And bad. "Hey, I-I'm sorry..." She shuffled over and draped an arm around her girlfriend's body, burrowing her face in Kate's unbound mass of hair. "A woman charged into my bar, threatening my childhood friend, and it's kinda colored my perception of Victoria. Even if she decides to go away, or god forbid work with us... it may take me a while to warm up to her. Hah... even knowing this is how you spend your free time, it still blows me away. How are you not a massive wreck all the time?"
Kate finally flipped over to face her, and it seemed as though all was more or less forgiven. Kate was very good at that. She was a legitimately good person. And yet... Chloe was the person that she'd chosen to spend her life with. "I know, Blue. Your trust isn't easily earned. I had to help you defend an android before I got your number after all. But... I can see it, I can feel it, she wants to help us, even if she's not quite ready. So I hope you can at least trust me, even if you don't trust her."
Chloe held her cheek gently and kissed her girlfriend, both of them sighing happily. Whenever they did fight, it was never for long. Kate was her weakness, and she was the only person that made Chloe happy to be wrong. "Duh. Angel, you're literally the kindest person I know. If you believe something, then I'm sure it's true. I'll do my best to... try and give her the benefit of the doubt."
Kate nodded appreciatively and nuzzled in against her chest. For a while she simply lay there, and Chloe was certain that she was falling asleep. That was when she heard Kate quietly mutter "She really loves you, you know?"
"Please tell me you're talking about Max and not Victoria..."
"You can see it on her face every time she looks at you. It's obvious how much you two mean to one another..."
Chloe gently urged Kate to pull back from her so she could get a better look at her girlfriend's face. Sure enough, she found what she expected waiting there for her and gasped softly. "Kate Marsh! You're jealous!"
"Well... give me a good reason not to be! You knew each other since you were babies and when she gets free you're the first person she goes to. I just... worry. A little."
Yes, maybe there had been a point in the past when Chloe had feelings for Max, this was not then. Chloe held out hope for her friend's return for a full year and a half when she finally accepted that maybe Max was gone for good. A few months later she met Kate and it felt like maybe that was her final big sign to move on. "Max came to me because she could find the bar even while stoned, drunk, and half-dead. Which isn't far off from the truth. Plus her family moved away years ago. And yeah, we care about each other, but... seriously, I'm dating you, ya dork. Case in point, I was gonna ask you to room with Max earlier so I could keep an eye on Victoria. It would give you two time to get to actually know each other and be friends too. I know you'll definitely get along."
Suddenly, Kate started to laugh softly and resumed nuzzling into her. "Augh, I really am a dork. I love you, Blue~"
Chloe gently toyed with her hair for a moment, kissing her gently on the forehead. "I love you too, Angel."
