SPOILERS: Designate This
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sorry I took so long to put up this chapter. Sadly, I think it's the beginning of a trend. I write the transcripts for darkangelfan.com, and now that new eps have started back up again, I don't have nearly as much writing time as I did during this long preemption. Fear not, though: I have no intention of letting this story drop. I will add to it as often as I can.
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Renfro didn't know it, but Max's thoughts weren't on the training.
It didn't matter how many yards Max had to crawl with a gun burning in her hands. She was always crawling home. If she tried hard enough, she could see Logan, Original Cindy, and even Normal standing at the edge of the field. Funny how an uptight boss could be such an incentive all of a sudden. Max could almost hear the bips.
Sometimes, while she ran the treadmill, she imagined what her friends were doing right then. Kendra was probably teaching a Japanese class while Walter the cop smiled over her shoulder. Took me a long time to get used to that relationship, she thought with a mental smile. She would have to hurry up and get out of here so she could go hang at their place again.
Sketchy...Sketchy was probably down at the skate park, showing off a new trick for some girl. Maybe he was even carrying on a conversation with Herbal at the same time.
"I could use some money."
"Same with I and I. But, you know, Jah will provide."
"Hopefully my future plans will pan out. In the meantime, I'm really needing a new bike."
"You know...just because you haven't landed a nose manual all day..."
Max never knew she could make up so many conversations in her head. She had done it all the time as a kid, imagining what people outside the walls did as they went about their business, but that had been pure curiosity. This was survival. She was clinging to her own life, her memories, and her presence of mind. These imaginary conversations helped, because it made her feel like she was still in that world, still part of the outside, soaking up her friends' interplay. Besides, it was a hell of a lot more entertaining than watching the lab techs note her test data as she ran.
Maybe Original Cindy had a girl by now. Diamond's death had affected her deeply, but she was a resilient woman, and Max was sure OC was back to checking out the lickety chicks. She couldn't wait to get home and see who had her boo's heart.
Max definitely hoped somebody was there to keep her company. The last time they had seen each other was the night Max and Logan had celebrated their anniversary. Most days Max wondered who had told Original Cindy the news, and how she had taken it. That was one thing Max didn't spend much time imagining in detail, though. It was painful, and she preferred to spend more time on pleasant memories. They were more likely to get her through the long days of training and torture.
As Max's treadmill time came to an end, her mind went once again to Logan. What was he doing right now?
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"I took a shot."
"So did I."
That brought a chuckle to his lips. As he thanked her for her help at the V.A. office, Logan returned his attention to the paper in front of him. He didn't even hear whatever Asha said in response, instead commenting that he must be looking at the records for Manticore's Wyoming facility.
"Think they're running their budget through the V.A.'s books? Trying to cover their tracks?"
"If I can follow the money, maybe I can find out where the main facility is." God, he hoped so. He kept staring at the page, mind wandering, until the letters blurred before his eyes. Logan could feel himself getting closer. Manticore was out there somewhere, and finally he was making some progress toward finding it. This was just a baby step, but with luck it would lead to something more substantial. He was going to find those bastards if it was the last thing he did.
Once again, Asha's voice barely registered in his brain, and he answered on autopilot. It wasn't until her next sentence that he tore his eyes away from the proof in front of him. "I've just never seen you get so caught up in an assignment before."
He was caught up in it. It consumed him, day and night, and somehow he couldn't bear to let her think it was just a task to him. "It's not an assignment. Eyes Only is taking on Manticore as a favor to me."
"You're messing with some powerful people. They play rough."
"I don't care what happens to me." And he didn't. He knew what Manticore was capable of--a year spent with Max ensured that--but he wasn't about to let that possibility stop him. He was on a mission. Once upon a time Max had called him on his drive, saying he was obsessed and that he cared more about strangers than about her. He'd learned his lesson then, but now the lines were blurred. He was going after strangers because of her. Now she was the reason he was obsessed. Max had been torn away from him, and all he cared about was hunting down her captors.
It didn't matter if they killed him. Max mattered more.
"Said in his hack some of those kids escaped back in '09. You knew one of them, didn't you?"
Logan wasn't sure how Asha knew that, but somehow it was a relief that someone else knew. He'd kept Max's identity to himself for so long, unable to tell even his friends the true extent of the unjustness of her absence, because of the Manticore secret. Now that Eyes Only had revealed its existence, Logan found himself willing to share a little. "Her name was Max."
"They killed her, didn't they?"
"I watched her die." The words he'd been uttering for the past few months sounded hollow to his ears. He felt the urge to tell Asha the truth. "The thing is, I can't really believe she's gone. I don't believe it. I know it sounds crazy, but I feel like...she's still out there."
Asha was silent for a minute, watching him. "That's why you're doing this."
"Hmm?"
She smiled, as if it were all so obvious now. "You're getting Eyes Only to help you find Manticore because you want to find Max. This isn't about revenge, or justice. You want her back."
Logan thought about what Asha said. He did desperately want Max back. She had been the brightest spot in his life during that year. Toward the end he hadn't been able to get her out of his head, and had realized that he didn't want to. Now every day he missed her company, her laugh, her sarcasm. If there was the slightest chance she was still out there, he realized, he wasn't going to rest until he found out where.
Maybe Asha was right. Maybe he was seeking the dark eyes that haunted him, rather than justice for Manticore. Either way, the mission was still the same. He had to find that facility.
Next time Lydecker called, Logan was going to get some answers.